There are way too many cameras out there. Long gone are the days where it was either ARRI or Panavision (or maybe Aaton if you wanted to get weird). Between Arri, RED, Panasonic, Sony, AND Panavision all shooting their own sensor size, resolution, and file format, it's too much for the average filmmaker to keep easily in the back of their mind.

Perhaps that can change. As they have done for the last few years, Tomas Fletcher and Gary Adcock have done the hard work of assembling a chart of all the major players (including a summary of the projects shot on them) to help us keep track of what precisely is in the digital cinema camera space. The only major player missing is the DXL from Panavision, likely because it's a rental-only item. Since it's built on top of the DSMC2 Monstro however, some specs can be rolled over from there.

Screen_shot_2018-06-27_at_1Credit: Fletcher & Adcock

Our favorite feature, present in years past but even more relevant this year, is the image that demonstrates sensor size. While back in the 2016 chart, it was largely a line of slight variations on the Super35mm size, this year's chart is truly all over the "size and shape" map. Check out the chart above as the top cameras go back-and-forth between Full Frame and Super35mm. It's great to see it laid out in a column and having a handy way to compare them is appreciated. 

Back in 2016 Fletcher & Adock also rolled out a massive comparison of cinema lenses. Considering the rapid pace of lens innovation in the last few years, we wonder if that is too taxing a project to organize, although it would be appreciated by those trying to remember what lenses are available that will cover what.

Check out the full chart here.

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Cinematography & Cameras