Full-Frame Ahead

Sony A7III

Until recently if you wanted a full frame mirrorless camera, there was the Sony A7 series and…well, actually that was about it…unless you had the means to buy a Leica. However, in the past few days it seems there has been something of a revolution.

Nikon Z7

To be fair, the recently announced Canon EOS R, Nikon Z7 & Z6 weren’t exactly unexpected. Both companies have been making full frame SLRs for years. Indeed Canon, who some inaccurately malign as conservative, were, in fact, first to market with a full frame DSLR, way back in 2002, whilst Nikon finally released their first full-frame DSLR, the excellent D3, in 2007. However, in recent years Sony’s full-frame mirrorless A7 series has presented Canon & Nikon with an increasingly serious challenge, so it was only a matter of time before they took the plunge.

Canon EOS R

Like the Canon EOS R and Nikon Z7 & Z6, the Zeiss’ ZX1 had been rumoured for a while. Whilst its fixed 35mm Zeiss lens was anticipated, other aspects, such as its half Gigabyte of storage, Adobe Lightroom inside, and the ability to upload photos direct to the net, come as a pleasant surprise; and its minimal interface, consisting, as it does, of just shutter speed and ISO dials on the top plate, an aperture ring around the lens and a touch screen at the rear, offers a lesson in ergonomics to all manufacturers except for Leica. Prima facie the ZX1 looks like it could be the perfect reportage camera for real photographers.

What was unexpected was that half-frame heavyweights, Panasonic, would form a strategic partnership with Leica & Sigma and announce that they will be releasing not one, but two full-frame mirrorless cameras in early 2019.

Panasonic S1r

What was even more unexpected was that Sigma would announce that in 2019, they too will release a full-frame mirrorless camera, featuring a Foveon sensor (let that sink in).

What was so unexpected that a render farm of psychics couldn’t have predicted it was that Zenit…yes that Zenit…the one that sold 35mm Russian SLRs to the West for £50 a pop during the ’80s, will release a full-frame mirrorless camera based on the Leica M Type 240 with a Russian made Zenitar 35 mm f/1.0 lens.

Zenit

So have we reached a tipping point? Not quite, but like Theresa May on a cliff edge, we’re teetering on the brink of one. Come 2019 there will be at least 25 full-frame mirrorless cameras on the market from 8 different manufacturers – Sony, Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Zeiss, Leica, Sigma…and Zenit.

More full-frame mirrorless cameras in the market place means more competition, which should result in more innovation, and progressively better value for money as wider ownership and greater economies of scale go hand in hand to drive prices down.

It may seem pie in the sky to imagine a future where full-frame mirrorless cameras are the new normal, but cast your minds back to the days of film and you might recall that as recently as the noughties full-frame analogue 35mm cameras were the norm…and could be had for as little as £100 brand new.

So it’s full-frame ahead!

© 2018, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

The Canon C200 – It’s A Raw, Raw, Raw World.

Canon C200

Today was a watershed moment for filmmakers, courtesy of Canon’s announcement that its new, relatively affordable, relatively compact C200 camera will be able to capture 12 bit DCI 4K raw video internally. According to Canon, this will be ‘compressed raw’. Whether ‘compressed’ means lossless, visually lossless, or lossy, is currently anyone’s guess. Whatever the case though, it significantly ups the stakes.

Like many others, we have, for a long time, been arguing for internal raw recording. On the one hand we appreciate that this involves technical challenges including heat, transfer speeds, and storage. On the other hand, we note that Blackmagic managed it some time ago, as did Magic Lantern…so it was only a matter of time before a major camera manufacturer saw the light…and now that one has, we expect a sea change in the industry.

Of course, we’re not suggesting that the Canon 6D Mark II or iPhone 8 will offer 16-bit DCI 8K raw internal recording (frankly we’d be amazed if the iPhone 8 even offers raw stills…) but we do think that the announcement of the Canon C200 signals the start of an affordable raw future, which is great news for low budget filmmakers.

Whilst there are some excellent external raw recorders available, attaching them to a camera adds weight and bulk and introduces an extra link in the chain that can potentially fail. Internal raw recording avoids these and other pitfalls.

We are not saying that raw is a universal panacea. It does not necessarily suit every filmmaker or every situation. Even compressed raw requires significantly more and faster storage than CODEC based recordings and this can add significant expense to a production. However, all things being equal, raw offers better quality, greater flexibility in pre, principal, and post production, and potentially more cinematic results.

As more manufacturers come on board with internal raw recording (we’re looking at you Sony) you can expect to find raw internal recording in more and cheaper cameras, which, as they will not need to be coupled with external raw recorders, will mean an even lower total cost of ownership. So whilst you shouldn’t expect to see raw internal recording in a Canon 6D Mark II or iPhone 8, it is not entirely without the realms of possibility that at some point raw internal video recording will appear in stills cameras and smart phones… In fact, we’d say go so far as to say that it may be inevitable. So celebrate, the Canon C200 is the start of the next filmmaking revolution.

© 2017, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Canon XF305 & XF300 – Hands On Preview

Canon XF305

Canon recently gave me hands on access to their newly announced and yet to be released XF305 & XF300. Although I haven’t had a chance to shoot with them yet, I have seen ungraded footage from a couple of shoots on which they’ve been used and am extremely impressed with both the cameras themselves and the results they are capable of delivering. Continue reading “Canon XF305 & XF300 – Hands On Preview”

© 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.

Creative Live HD DSLR Workshop

Vincent Laforet is a highly successful and award winning photographer who, back in 2008, managed to get hold of a prototype Canon 5D MKII for a weekend. The result was a visually stunning short film entitled ‘Reverie‘, that spread across the net like wildfire, capturing viewers imaginations and giving birth to the HD DSLR ‘movement’. Last weekend Laforet lead a workshop that, in its own way, was just as unique an experiment as that first short. Why? Because all three days were broadcast live on the net. Continue reading “Creative Live HD DSLR Workshop”

© 2010, The Technofile. All rights reserved. Moral Rights Asserted.