The past week has been an exciting one for anyone in the market for 4K cinema cameras. Panasonic, Sony, and Kinefinity have all announced new cameras at this year’s NAB show, and they all look very promising for different reasons. Let’s take a look at them:
Panasonic VariCam 35
This is the camera I’m most excited about out of the three, as I’ve been a big fan of Panasonic cameras since the DVX100. Unfortunately they’ve been lagging behind in recent years with the poor performance of the AF100, but the new VariCam looks to be a huge step up for Panasonic, as the 4k camera reportedly has over 14 stops of dynamics in a production body range, will compete directly with Panasonic.
The camera will record to AVC Ultra 444, which is not a raw format but is a very powerful codec with a data rate of 240Mbit/s in 10-bit 4:4:4. I imagine the results will be similar to shooting ProRes on Alexa, and in many cases preferable to raw material because the file size and workflow are easier to manage. Other highlights include a PL mount, a modular body, and the ability to shoot up to 120 fps. The camera does shoot to P2 cards, which is still a good format, but not ideal as they are very expensive and not as versatile as SSDs. That said, the cost of P2 media is still much lower than the cost of RED MAG media.
Sony 4K DSLR camera
The camera hasn’t been officially announced yet (which is why there’s no model name on it), but I have no doubt we’ll see it officially unveiled at NAB next month. Multiple sources say the camera will be a hybrid still/video camera and will offer similar results to the Sony F55, but in a DSLR body. The camera will likely compete directly with the Canon 1DC, Lumix GH4, and numerous other 4K DSLR cameras expected to be released this year. It will have a swappable mount that allows you to switch from the standard Sony E-mount to an A-mount or a PL mount, and if it truly delivers images like the F55, it will quickly become the leader in DSLR video world.
Kinefinity KineMAX and KineMINI RAW
These guys actually just released two new cameras, the KineMAX and the KineMINI RAW, both of which look very promising and are priced very competitively. KineMAX is a 6K camera that can shoot 2k at up to 100fps, has 14 stops of dynamic range, interchangeable lens mounts (PL, Nikon, EF, B4) and more. KineMINI RAW is a 4K camera that also features interchangeable lens mounts, 13 stops of dynamic range, and can shoot at 1080p at 100fps. There’s no official price for either camera yet, but the KineMINI RAW body will likely cost in the $3,000 range, making it a direct competitor to the 4K Blackmagic Production camera.
The only thing stopping these cameras from making a bigger impact in the North American camera industry is availability. I hope to see more retailers and distributors stocking these cameras next year because they are truly great cameras, but unfortunately they are not readily available to most shooters in the United States.
Compare
While these cameras are all capable of shooting 4K, they are clearly aimed at different users and markets. I see the Panasonic VariCam 35 as a competitor to the Arri Amira, as it will provide excellent images in a compressed format and is designed for use in broadcast and film environments. The Sony will be a great tool for filmmakers, documentary makers, event shooters and journalists on a budget. The price and features of the Kinefinity camera sit between the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and the Red Scarlet.
If these cameras are any indication of what’s to come next month, 2014 will be a big year for innovation and competition in cinema camera technology.
