Hands-On Review: Blackmagic Design’s URSA Mini Pro G2

The author puts the updated cinema camera to the test by using it in a real-world project

Daniel Brockett

Blackmagic Design introduced the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 in March of 2019, which was a significant update from the original URSA Mini Pro, which was announced two years earlier, in March 2017. Here’s a brief description of it from Blackmagic Design’s website: “The URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 is a next-generation digital film camera with... Read more

Pro Video Gear

Some of the tools introduced this year helped redefine what’s considered ‘the cutting edge’

Daniel Brockett

In 2019, we saw some intriguing developments in the new digital video tools from this season: 6K. Full-frame sensors. Mirrorless cameras and mirrorless disruptors. Internal vs. external RAW. New camera card media formats. Shooting to SSDs. Ultra-bright monitors. In many cases, these technologies and features weren’t available to most just a year or... Read more

Camera Trends In 2019

An overview of important camera trends and new ways of shooting

Daniel Brockett

It seems green-screen shooting has only grown in popularity in 2019. I spend probably an unhealthy amount of time reading production forums, discussion boards and social media group forums that focus on production and camera work. For me, it’s a useful way to get a sense of some of the current as well as coming trends. Below, I describe some of the... Read more

How To Successfully Push The Limits Of A One-Man Band

If you’re going to go with a one-man band approach, follow these tips and suggestions

Text & Photography by Daniel Brockett

This shoot pushed the limits of how much gear I could set up and manage solo. An interesting and significant by-product of the digital revolution is that most of the gear used today to create television and film is now significantly lighter, smaller, less expensive and higher-quality than anyone could have imagined 15 or 20 years ago. Many of us are... Read more

Our Mirrorless Quest

Is Fujifilm’s new X-T3 best in class?

Daniel Brockett

The Fujifilm X-T3 paired with the FUJINON XF16mmF1.4 WR lens. There have been specific mirrorless cameras that have become popular with DPs and cinematographers shooting on various projects, particularly films that have limited budgets. Sony’s a7R III and Panasonic’s Lumix GH5 and GH5S are among the most notable. But some, like me, have found that... Read more

Canon’s New EOS C700 FF

The evolution of the modern digital cinema camera

Daniel Brockett

The C700 was Canon’s bid to introduce a competitor to industry-standard higher-end digital cinema cameras from competitors like Arri, RED, Panavision and Sony. Up until this point, Canon’s sole entry into the high-end digital cinema camera wars was the EOS C500, a camera capable of creating nice 4K imagery but only when hooked up to an external... Read more

Mirrorless Mania

Panasonic and Fujifilm pave the way for the future of hybrid cameras

Text & Photography By Daniel Brockett

The Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5s Panasonic’s latest and greatest hybrid stills/video camera, the Lumix DC–GH5s, has proven to be a capable performer and, ironically, a better video camera than its cousin, the GH5. By dropping back to a lower-resolution sensor, a 10.2-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor (about half the resolution of the 20 MP version... Read more

Sony a7 III Hands-On Review

Sony's "Basic" Camera Is Anything But

David Schloss

One of the quirky things about language is the way in which a turn of phrase conveys something in one culture yet has a slightly different nuance in another, leaving some things, as they say, lost in translation. When Sony announced its new a7 III at its global launch event in February and proudly proclaimed it to be its “basic model,” the camera... Read more

High Dynamic Range, High Frame Rate Set Sony’s 4K Camcorders Apart

With the ability to capture High Dynamic Range and High Speed Motion, the new 4K camcorders are the best in their class

By David Schloss

Significant technological changes are sweeping through the cinema and broadcast video markets, driven by the ever-increasing consumer demand for high-quality video content and a range of improvements in the delivery and playback of that content. The HDTV sets that flooded the market in the early 2000s were sold on the promise of more precise, better-looking... Read more

Which Is Better? The Panasonic GH5 or Panasonic GH9 Hands On Test

Which is the better Micro Four Thirds camera… the video-centric Panasonic LUMIX GH5 or the photo-centric LUMIX G9?

Joseph Linaschke

Two Camera Directions The LUMIX GH5 is Panasonic’s flagship camera, which now sits alongside the G9 and the GH5S. Last week I compared to the GH5S, and now it’s time to compare the more video-centric GH5 to the more photo-centric G9. Which is the better camera? Actually, the real question is… which is the better camera for you? Both are exciting... Read more

Cameralabs Reviews Canon G1X Mark III Video Quality

Testing the video quality on this compact, versatile, APS-C travel camera

Gordon Laing

The Canon G1X Mark III is a compact, affordable APS-C travel camera, and a great all-around in-your-pocket compact camera. While the G1X Mark III is limited to 1080p, the quality of the video is quite good, as shown on this video, featuring footage from Hawaii, Brighton, and beyond. For a full review of the Canon G1X Mark III, see the comprehensive... Read more

Sony’s Trio Of 4K Camcorders Usher In A New Era Of Autofocus For Video

Sony's trio of PXW-790V, HXR-NX80, and FDR-AX700 bring best-in-class autofocus to the professional and consumer shooter

Staff

The advances in digital video technology over the last decade are nothing short of astounding. Today’s consumer and professional video cameras have a level of resolution, dynamic range and color fidelity that, just a few short years ago, would have been available only to the upper echelon of Hollywood productions. One area that has lagged behind... Read more