The Zaucto Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 has, like most Zacuto shootouts, caused quite a stir among professionals and amateurs alike. Many chose specific cameras in Part 1 that were finally revealed in Part 2, and we actually conducted our own poll before Part 2 was released that showed what the audience felt was the best scene. While surprising to some (and not to many others), the Panasonic GH2 was selected as the top scene followed by the Arri Alexa and Sony F65. The fact that a camera under $1,000 is even in the same league as two cameras well over $50,000 speaks to how far digital technology has come in the last 5 years. If you haven't seen Part 2, it's finally embeddable (below) and downloadable, and if you go to Vimeo, you can get the full 3.2GB 1080p file.

I saw the shootout in person and was already able to give my thoughts on the matter. Since I didn't have the luxury of watching the video over and over again when I made my choices, it was very telling for me personally that the cameras I picked all turned out to be the digital cinema cameras (as much as the FS100 can be called a digital cinema camera). While my number one choice was a toss-up between the FS100, F3, and Epic, I still very much liked the Alexa and F65 before knowing which camera was which. Looking back on it now, I may have moved the FS100 down slightly, but it still would definitely be in my own top 5. Of course, the great thing about the entire shootout is that personal preference plays a huge role in the scenes that were picked. In fact, our poll just proves that dedicated DPs and colorists can get a lot out of an under $1,000 camera.

Camera technology is moving forward at an incredible pace. Choosing the right camera for your film is a big decision, and it's only gotten harder now that there are so many more options to choose from. Blackmagic has thrown their weight in the game, and it would certainly be interesting to see the Cinema Camera in a shootout similar to the Revenge Shootout.

Link: Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012 - Part Two: Igniting The Debate - Vimeo

zacutocamerasshootoutrgcso
Cinematography & Cameras