» Posts Tagged ‘panasonic’
The Panasonic GH2 is beloved by many because of its small size, small price, and, um, large hackability. It has always had 24p, but until now never had 25p or 30p. Thanks to a new firmware released by Panasonic, GH2 users will be getting one or the other (but unfortunately not both): PAL GH2 users can now get 25p embedded in a 50i stream, and North American buyers get 30p embedded in a 60i stream (both at 24mb/s AVCHD). Here are the rest of the details: More »
The Panasonic GH2 keeps getting better and better thanks to hacker Vitaliy Kiselev. Recently he enabled a extremely high bitrate, and now he’s bumped the ISO during video mode from 3,200 all the way up to 12,800. While the GH2 had high ISO modes available previously, they were only possible with a Panasonic lens in Shutter Priority mode. Now anyone using hacked firmware can crank up the ISO. Here are some video tests of the GH2 at 12,800 ISO: More »
The Panasonic GH2, arguably the most aliasing-free, highest-resolution hybrid camera out there (pictured here with the $500 ReWo GH2 cage), natively records to a 24Mbit Long GOP codec. “Long GOP” means that redundant information is retained across moving frames, which is a very efficient way of compressing video, but can also leave behind compression artifacts. In addition to the original hacked firmware by Vitaliy Kiselev, a new hacker named Driftwood has managed to drastically increase the bitrate of the GH2, in addition to switching the codec to a 176Mbit intraframe codec, which could offer even better image quality with less artifacting. More »
At yesterday’s NAB press event Panasonic unveiled the AG-HPX250 (its first handheld P2 HD camcorder), the AG-AC160 and AG-AC130 (two new compact AVCCAM HD camcorders), and the AG-3DP1 (a full-size twin-lens 3D camcorder). They also showed a number of P2 transfer tools. For filmmakers interested in a shallow depth-of-field aesthetic, none of these cameras (without a 35mm adapter) is going to give Panasonic’s own AF100 a run for the money. Read on for more details: More »
The Sony F3 Put to the Test: 12+ Stops of Dynamic Range and a Bit of Aliasing
Video gurus Art Adams and Adam Wilt have put the Sony F3 through a suite of proper resolution, aliasing, IR sensitivity, and tonal-scale tests, and compared it with the Panasonic AF100 (now in stock at B&H), RED, and ARRI ALEXA cameras. We’ll have to wait for Zacuto to publish their forthcoming single-chip shootout to get a look at proper real-world comparisons (their DSLR vs film shootout was nominated for an Emmy), but here are the result for the time being. The F3 gets 12 + stops of dynamic range — before upgrading to S-Log, which Sony is claiming offers significantly more dynamic range — which, in this price range, is unprecedented. More from their results: More »
While RED releases EPIC to production and Panasonic prepares to ship their AF100, Sony has announced their most significant small-form factor camcorder since the VX1000 (the original miniDV camcorder, released in 1995). The PMW-F3L and PMW-F3K — which are the same camera, the “K” moniker indicates the inclusion of three kit lenses — are Super 35mm CMOS sensor-based CineAlta cameras, with a PL lens mount and variable 1080p frame rates. Sony is not messing around — these are pro cinema cameras. Let’s take a look at the vitals: More »
Sony showed two new cameras at IBC this year: one was a shoulder-mounted 3D camcorder that looks like a direct competitor to Panasonic’s own forthcoming 3D Camcorder, the AG3DA1, and the other is a smaller form-factor camera with a 35mm sensor that looks like a competitor to the Panasonic AF100 – that, or it’s a direct attempt to capture RED’s market. More »
By disabling the “write speed detection” failsafe of the Panasonic GH1, hacker Chris has doubled the GH1‘s AVCHD bitrate from 44Mbit to 86Mbit — a drastic increase over the camera’s stock speed of 17Mbit/sec. The culprit in limiting the previous incarnation of the hack to 44Mbit was apparently Panasonic’s desire to make the camera compatible with cheaper SD cards, thus placing an artificial limit on the SD write speed, independent of the actual speed of the card used — since removed by Chris. From EOSHD: More »
We’ve already heard most of the basic details about Panasonic’s AG-AF100, their Micro 4/3 camcorder that promises shallow depth-of-field images combined with pro video camera features. But the massive trade show IBC is currently taking place in Amsterdam, and Panasonic has chosen the event to make their official “global premiere” of the camera. Here are a couple of videos from the conference: More »
New details have emerged about Panasonic’s “DSLR killer” (my words, not theirs), the AG-AF100. First announced in April, the forthcoming camera will be priced around $6k and will use a Micro 4/3 sensor paired with an interchangeable lens mount. While the leaked document is marked “preliminary,” I’d imagine that the specs listed in the document are all but final: More »
Anyone currently shooting with a DSLR should know that this is a very particular time in digital imaging history, a time when inexpensive still cameras are shooting prettier video than more expensive dedicated video cameras. This won’t last. DSLRs have two main advantageous features over similarly-priced video cameras, which are: big chips and interchangeable lenses. Surely those two features can be adapted to a dedicated video camera, while eliminating some of the annoying ergonomic DSLR issues. RED has been working on this at DSLR pricepoints with their SCARLET system, but the question remains: how soon will inexpensive video cameras from mainstream manufacturers adopt these DSLR features, and which companies are going to be the first to do it? Panasonic has announced their first entry into the forthcoming post-DSLR video camera market (UPDATE: Sony also has a similar entry). More »
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