BMPCC, GH4, 5DmkIII, NEX7...did I miss any?

[Bartman]

don't think, just pick one for you to use and to pitch to customers for the next three years.



I'm leaning towards the 5DmkIII as I can also use it for real estate photography on a tri-pod...the new Magic Lantern hack has the community abuzzing again with praise for its video product

What says you??

 

[kloner]

GH4, next month..... 4k

 

[tstrike]

MKIII, still an industry standard and coming from a t2i will make the transition a breeze. The GH4 looks HUGE plus they've got a new media card they invented for it (that allways works well). Still don't see any BM gear on sets which surprises me. All my HO.

 

[Bartman]

MKIII, still an industry standard and coming from a t2i will make the transition a breeze. The GH4 looks HUGE plus they've got a new media card they invented for it (that allways works well). Still don't see any BM gear on sets which surprises me. All my HO.

as tempting as the GH4 is, proprietary components don't sit well with me ($125 for a Phantom battery?? palease!)

I'd think that that 5D will still be going strong for years to come and doesn't the ML hack make it 4k?

 

[tstrike]

http://cheesycam.com/panasonic-gh4k-camera-announcement/

 

[kloner]

the hacks aren't a solid answer. we fly the 5d alot and it's not really it's strongest point. Were gonna jump right into the 4

 

[yeehaanow]

There's no perfect camera, especially for 3 years! That's a decade in camera years. Out of that list, probably your best bet if you're really serious about stills is the 5DIII. I have no firsthand experience with the ML hack, but can only assume that it will always have quirks.
The BMC is a PITA for aerials but has the best image quality, IMO, with the caveat that having great post production grading skills is a must.
I've never liked the stills from the GH3, but maybe the GH4 will be better. Still not 5DIII level probably...

 

[kloner]

In my opinion once your at the mark3 you may as well have a red. you guys see the dragon on Tabs setup?

we've put alot of gh3 footage on tv...... so has Rowland

Bart, in case you don't know, bmpcc doesn't do stills

 

[Benjamin Rowland]

I'm a big Panasonic fan for aerials. I have high hopes for the GH4. It has the same form factor as the GH3 and I'd imagine that the weight is close as well, which means it is LIGHT. The GH3 is 550 grams with battery.

 

[Bartman]

you guys that are already flying the GH3 are a big influence on me going the same way but as things are evolving it's all got to be factored in. yes, the black magic doesn't do stills and since I do it's a big strike against it. If the GH3 isn't much better than my T2i for stills then I've got to consider that as well. the NEX 7 is really small and light but again is it better at stills than my T2i? so despite the high cost to buy it, the 5D makes sense for me because it will improve one aspect of what I do and will also put my video product into the pro level if i drop enough coin to buy a small island nation....i mean to build a heli big enough to fly it well.

at the end of the day, the 5DmkIII will always have a solid resale value if it's kept in good condition and while I usually don't like to plan that way, if it doesn't end up getting used enough it'll have to go at some point. i wonder if there's a markIV around the corner??

 

[Bartman]

hard decision, lots to consider and it'll be like a college bachelor's program to learn a new camera and how to do great video with it.

 

[DucktileMedia]

I have a lot of canon glass which is the only reason I didnt buy the gh3. I love my shallow DOF. But if the Gh4 has a 240 fps mode there is zero question i will grab it. Dont really care for 4k other than a few projects where cropping to HD would be nice. The 5d has no business being flown. it is something people ask for because it sounds pro to ask that and it's a popular cam for a lot of things. But what does it do best and why is that needed in the air? It's not. It's expensive, very heavy, pricey glass(although great glass no doubt). Now if you have a need for one on teh ground anyways and are trying to impress people by saying you fly a 5d, then go for it. I only keep my Canon 7d for a few reasons, I know the canon layout, have glass and a bunch of accessories, great for starlapse photography, nice shallow DOF (even better on the 5d), takes pretty impressive video. Reason I dont like the dslrs specification wise is that they are still low bit rates, bad moire, no 1080/60p on canon, hard to manually focus in video mode with fast glass. So why again? the GH4 is less expensive, has WAY higher bitrates, higher fps, lighter, does great video and photos. i think it's worth waiting to see the actual specs when it releases.

heres the latest article I was able to find.

http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2014/02/01/panasonic-to-announce-gh4-this-friday-7th-february-2014/

 

[kloner]

I use alot of manual glass now and wouldn't hesitate using a converter for all those canon lens's on a gh4. I started with gh3 and glass so i've got every cool m43 lens and there all manual iris focus, way better anyway. we heard about this gh4 coming about 6 months ago so i went forward with glass to use with it. This voigtlander i got is ridiculously nice,,,, got some rokinon and lumix too. it's just 2:1 crop so anything longer than 25mm isn't much a lens for flying. 7-25mm is money, assuming the crop factor is the same

 

[Bartman]

thanks for all of that Yuri. unfortunately, I have to figure out the payload requirements before I can proceed with the helicopter specs....hard decision....

 

[Carapau]

ML is really just 1080. Without my camera sat beside me, I think you can set the ML hack for a genuine 2k setup BUT I don't think there is a CF card that can reliably handle the full 2K write speeds. Better off regarding the ML hack as 1080 I reckon (not that there is a lot of difference in 2k v 1080 ie 2048 horizontal pixels v 1920)

 

[Jumpy07]

I have an investment in the Sony Nex.. have been reading with interest the rumors regarding its replacement the Nex 7N.... some detail below...

Sony A6000 is the successor of NEX-7 and NEX-6. Sony A6000 is rumored to be the mirrorless camera to replace both the NEX-6 and NEX-7. The announcement of the upcoming A6000 camera is on Wednesday February 12 just before the CP 2014+ show.

The design will look like the current NEX-6 camera while it will feature a 24.3-megapixel image sensor, similar to the current NEX-7 model.
[h=3]Sony A6000 Rumored Specs[/h]Sony A6000 will also feature faster autofocus system, improved image processor, improved Image Quality and EVF. The new 24.3MP sensor has phase detection pixel for improvement [COLOR=#1B8EDE !important]focusing on moving object. Sony A6000 also rumored to feature on-sensor SteadyShot image stabilization technology. This means non-OSS lenses now can be used with the upcoming NEX-7 successor camera.[/COLOR]
[h=3]Sony A6000 Price[/h]The new Sony A6000 mirrorless camera most likely coming without the “NEX” branding. The upcoming Sony mirrorless camera will be priced at €800 in Europe and around $950 in US.

 

[Quinton]

The Magic Lantern hack is not really a hack, it is extremely stable, but it does not do 4K it only lets you shoot RAW video, and also gives you 300% optical zoom in RAW
Full frame cameras any day for taking stills, I have a GH2 and a 5D MK3 and I can not stand taking stills on the GH2, although it is great for video.
If you want to have larger prints, you may consider the A7R (36.4 MP)
The 5D MK3 does seem to be coming down in price lately, and there are rumours of a larger MP Canon camera on the horizon.
I believe the GH4K will be announced tomorrow.

There has been rumours of an 80MP Canon EOS 1D for the past 8 months, who knows regarding that, but expect to pay a LOT more for that if it ever materialised.
Canon has a lot more good glass than most of the others, and always pay well for the glass as it will be with you for a lifetime, and Canon stuff can usually be used on many other cameras.

If you are going to go down the RAW root for video think of buying a new PC that will also cost >$2k
Just all depends what you want to lift, its a good time for cameras and Im sure we will see lots more changes in the coming months, if you want something cheap and really light check out the panasonic GM1, same sensor as the GH4 and cheap as chips.

 

[Droider]

Bart you really don't want a 5D There is no point. way to big and in comparison with the emerging new stuff I would really question what you are going to want to do with a the camera. I just got a GH3 and its reet as a bobbin for everything I am doing an more. With the new Sony 4K handy cam BOSS stabilised Zeiss lens coming out anytime now thats going to be my everyday video.. well I think so! If you are going to work for big production companies then let them supply the camera for you to fly. I am guessing you aint so look at the alternatives to that big lump 5D.

Dave

 

[Bartman]

..............With the new Sony 4K handy cam BOSS stabilised Zeiss lens coming out anytime now thats going to be my everyday video.. ............

is this what you're talking about?

http://www.gizmag.com/sony-4k-handycam-ax100/30431/


Thanks for the info everyone, great stuff!

 

[Droider]

Yeo but the are also doing a 2k one $500 cheaper. Fo what I do that will be the one. Editing 4K stuff is a reet mare.