This morning, Canon announced two cameras that it will be showing at NAB, along with their specs, the EOS-1D C and C500 – both 4K capable cameras.

I have seen footage from the 1D camera and it looks great.   An interesting point here is that I have only seen that footage at 1080p – not 4K, and that’s going to be a consideration for most people going forward.    The cameras are ahead of the monitor/projector/TV resolutions that almost all of us have today.   While RED was far ahead of the curve and pushed 5K a few years ago, and now Sony, Canon and others are joining the 4K world – few if any of us can truly experience the beauty of 4K on any of the monitoring devices we currently use – and I think that’s significant.  

While there’s no argument against the fact that shooting at 4K has numerous advantages for post (repositioning/pan & scan, stabilizing etc.)  it’s a little bit like Apple with the Thunderbolt port – there is still a dearth of small portable drives and accessories in the Thunderbolt family…  Although you can expect that to change at NAB.

Is 4K the future?  Very likely so.  But it’s going to be an uphill battle to get production houses to upgrade their computers, graphic cards, and monitors to fully support 4K on a first level (most systems can support it now – but RAW is another issue.)   Then we’re going to need bigger pipes to deliver the content via the web.   Then comes the viewing public – they too are going to need higher resolution displays and televisions, and theaters are going to need a new generation of projectors to fully appreciate these magnificent higher resolutions.    The point is:  it’s going to take a little while for this to happen – years, not months for most.   And of course these monitors and projectors AREN’T cheap – and that’s another significant factor.   I know of one friend who has shot an entire film in 5K – but it’s quite an undertaking to project it at 4K – so he’ll be projecting it at 2K in the end which I’d imagine is a tough pill to swallow.   That of course will change with time…  as will the prices.

The first announcement was for Canon’s 4K capable DSLR, now called the EOS-1D C.  We had heard tidbits dropped about this camera back at the launch of the C300 in November, but now it’s out in the open.  According to the press release, the 1D C is essentially the same 18.1 MP 1D X (but with a full frame sensor capable of shooting in Super 35mm size for video) with advanced video features.  These include the capability of recording 4K to CF cards, and 60p (50p in PAL regions) recording at Full HD (4K at 24p).   It also comes with the Canon Log Gamma option.  These inclusions make sure that the 1D C can be used as a B-Cam to the C300 or new C500 (below).  The camera records 8-bit 4:2:2 4K as a Motion JPEG, as well as Full HD.  However, when recording to the CF card, Full HD is only 8-bit 4:2:0.  However, the 1D C still includes only an HDMI out – so you can only pull a 4:2:2, 1080p image to an external recorder, but this also means that you can’t get a 4K out, and can only shoot to the internal CF card.  You can read the official press release here.  The price is to be set around $15,000.00

The second announcement was for Canon’s continuation of the C300 line – a 4K raw camera called the C500.  The camera will be capable of acquiring a few different formats including, Full HD, 2K, 4K (both standard and Quad HD).  Both 2K and 4K RAW (12-bit RGB 4:4:4) output can be captured to an external recorder via dual 3G-SDI ports, and an additional two HD-SDI port can be used for live monitoring.  It seems RAW out of the dual 3G-SDI is the only way of recording 4K, but HD and 2K can be recorded to dual CF cards.  However, while outputting 4K, the camera can record 50Mbps HD proxy to the internal CF card that can be used in post.  The camera also supports frame rates of 60 fps for 4K formats and 2K formats.  2K can be shot up to 120 fps (10-bit 4:2:2).  You can read the full press release here.  There is no price on the C500 yeah, but both of these cameras are slated to be released later this year.  The one difference from the C300 is that the side grip cannot be removed.  The price will MSRP at $30,000.00

What is impressive with these two cameras is that Canon has retained their low light performance with these high resolutions – something that is very difficult to do given how much smaller each individual cell is on the sensor (the smaller the cell – the less light it can capture and therefore the less sensitive to light it tends to be.)  

In addition to these two cameras, Canon also announced new cinema zoom lenses to support them.  These lenses are made to shoot 4K, and are lighter and more compact than their predecessors which were released with the C300.  The first is a 15.5-47mm T/2.8, and the second is 30-105mm T/2.8mm.   Both lenses will be available in EF and PL mount variations.  I have read that they will be in the $10K-$15K price range.

Also to support this move into 4K cinema, they have announced they will be exhibiting a 30-inch, 4K monitor – which is the next big piece of the puzzle. 

Lastly – I think this is a very tough time to be a camera buyer.   Which camera should one buy?  With the C300 having just become available to most – now Canon has leapfrogged that camera with 4K and more importantly a camera that supports a RAW file format…   Between the Canon 5D MKIII, Canon 1DX, Canon 1D C, and C500 – not to mention the RED Epic, Scarlet and Sony FS700 – there are a LOT of choices out there.   And now we don’t only need to buy new cameras – but also new glass for some… and definitely new monitors, hard drives/servers to store this massive amount of data, and perhaps computers.    This is not a small incremental update – but potentially a very sizable investment for individual operators and big production houses alike.  Given the state of the market and the economy, it’s not the easiest pill to swallow for many.   That being said, these cameras are likely aimed at the higher end productions – Hollywood and TV shows.    So, as I said with the Canon C300 – the world of HDSLRs is here to stay for most of us because the quality is still impressive – and for the single biggest reason:  it’s affordable to most.

I look forward to seeing the footage in full 4K at the Canon event this Sunday – and I’ll be commenting some more.    What we SHOULD be celebrating as Canon shooters – is Canon’s entry into a RAW workflow for film/video – now that’s something I’ve been waiting for for a LONG time – and it’s very exciting.  We should all be excited with this new technology and how it will trickle down to most of us in time.

NAB is right around the corner, but the past couple days have already given us a preview of what we might expect to see there and more.  To be honest I was surprised by the two cameras that were announced this past week, as it seems like only yesterday that we were talking about the Canon C300 and RED Scarlet, and how they were bringing previously unavailable image quality to a lower price point.  Only six months before that, we were just learning about the Sony F3 with S-Log and the Sony FS100.  And it was just before NAB last year that the RED Epic started shipping.  Needless to say I thought we had already seen more than our fair share of new imaging technology, and this NAB wouldn’t have too many exciting advancements on the camera front.  (Well OK that’s a bit of a white lie – I know there’s a lot of interesting stuff coming from a variety of manufacturers (camera and accessories/software) but I can’t discuss any of it until it is officially announced!)

That was before they announced the Sony FS700 and Phantom Miro M320S. I have waited for the dust to settle a little bit on some of these camera announcements before commenting on them, but everything out there seems official, and we seem to have all the information on them we are going to get until Vegas.  

The Phantom Miro M320S

While no price point has yet to be released for this camera, I am anticipating that it will be the most affordable version of the Phantom yet.  The small form factor seems to be geared toward lightweight shooting – which typically is followed by a lower price point.  The frame rate specs also seem to denote a lower price point for this camera.  The Miro M320S shoots 1540 fps @ 1080p, while its senior – the Phantom Flex – shoots 2800 fps at the same resolution.  Those frame rates are still incredible, but show that the Miro is a parred down version of Phantom’s other, larger cameras.  However, the released specs do show that the sensor has 12-bit depth, just like the Flex – so while the camera may have a lower frame rate, it should still provide exceptional image quality.  

I should reiterate that I think this will be the "most affordable Phantom yet" – not just an affordable Phantom.  I still expect this camera to be north of $20,000.00, given that the starting price of the flex is somewhere north of $50,000.00.  That being said, the form factor of this new high speed cam excites me – look how small it is!!!  (I’m sure it also excites many action-sports shooters out there), and I look forward to seeing more about this camera at NAB.  If you would like to read more on this cameras features in the meantime, you can check out the press release.

The Sony FS700

This looks to be an incredibly interesting camera.  With a rumored price of somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000, the Sony FS700 is a 4K ready camera.  This is incredible considering we were all drooling just six months ago when the Scarlet came out offering 4K for around $15k (with all the necessary accessories).  The catch is that the 4K recording will not be enabled until a firmware update down the road and is not available for internal recording, but external recording only using the 3G SDi out.  I suspect that either this firmware update (like the S-log before it), or the proprietary 4K recorder that Sony releases for this function will cost you some additional money that will probably put it in a price range closer to the Scarlet.  Still, a 3G SDi out means that we can hopefully still employ some of that 4K sensor’s power while we are waiting on the firmware upgrade, however the specs for this output when recording 1080p are not clear cut in the press release.  It seems that the camera’s codec is still AVCHD, so that means 8-bit, 4:2:0 compression when recording internally – but with a 4K sensor it stands to reason that we might be able to get a 10-bit, 4:2:2 output – or maybe even 4:4:4?  Very interesting.

Pixel peeping aside, the camera also boasts another feature that is incredibly attractive – frame rates of up to 240fps.  That’s 10x slow motion.  Granted, the FS700 can only shoot this frame rate for bursts of 8 seconds – but if played back at 24p – that is almost a minute and a half of footage.  The camera can also shoot 120 fps for bursts of 16 seconds, and up to 960 fps at lower resolutions (Again, I can hear those action-sports shooters drooling).  The camera is slated to release in June of this year, but there is no release date for the 4K firmware update.  If you would like to read more about the Sony FS700 – check out the press release here.

Looking forward to checking out both of these cameras in Vegas in a couple weeks, and I wonder if there will be any more cameras announced there to surprise us.  I know that I am personally hoping to get a glimpse at the Cine DSLR that Canon announced back in November, and maybe even Panasonic will have something new to show.  

I’ll be at the Canon, Adobe, G-tech & Vitech booths at NAB  – see times below – see you all there!

Adobe – April 16, 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. / April 17, 12:30 p.m. both at NAB Booth Theater

Canon – April 17, 10 a.m. main stage,  & Portfolio reviews at 11 a.m. (North Hall N110)  / April 18, 10 a.m main stage

Vitech April 16, 12:30 p.m. / April 17, 2 p.m. Panel w/ Philip Bloom and Tom Guillmette  – both at Vitech booth (O’Connor/ Manfrotto/ Lite Panels etc.)

G-Tech April 16, 3:30 p.m. / April 17, 4 p.m. both at G-Tech booth 

One of the most questions I get asked by HDSLR filmmakers is:

Should I buy Canon EF lenses or Zeiss ZE lenses for HDSLR video?   

I recently tested two wide angle Zeiss ZE SLR lenses – one that is currently available (25mm 1:2), and another that won’t be available until May of this year (15mm 1:2.8) and thought that this would be a good time to partially help answer this question.

First – Canon EF lenses obviously have incredibly high speed (USM) Ultrasonic autofocus motors built in, whereas Zeiss ZE lenses are purely manual focus lenses.   For still photographers this is going to be a big factor – needless to say, the edge goes to Canon if you need autofocus.  

But with Ultrasonic autofocus comes a significant problem for filmmakers:  given that the Canon lenses use magnets to make the connections between the lens focus ring and the inner focusing mechanism – it is common to have the lens be far less consistent with focusing marks.  

Furthermore, if you continue to rotate the lens past either the infinity or the macro limit on a USM Canon lens – you will effectively lose all of your focus marks as the lens focusing ring will turn indefinitely.  This can be costly in terms of the time you’ll lose by having to remeasure the marks on set.   Zeiss lenses are purely mechanical (no magnets) and therefore they stop at infinity, and at the macro points.   Therefore you will never loose a focus mark, nor will one "drift" over time as Canon EF (magnetic) lenses often do.  This should be a pretty significant consideration for HDSLR filmmakers in my opinion – I know it is for me.    

Canon lenses are also designed for autofocus use and they are not as clearly marked (in terms of distance markings) and generally do not have as much of a rotation on the focus ring as the Zeiss optics do either – meaning that they are harder to focus manually.  This is especially true (and an important factor) when it comes to wide angle lenses.

Last but not least:  the optics:  

This is a general statement – but the Zeiss and Canon lenses tend to be pretty even when you look at the focal lengths from 85mm and longer.   That being said, Zeiss lenses are generally sharper amongst the wide focal lengths.  You’ll notice this pretty significantly when you look at the edges of your frame, and when you shoot wide open (when you compare the Zeiss and Canon lenses that is – see below for examples that illustrate this point.)   As you close down your aperture, this distinction becomes less apparent (you’ll also notice that there is less chromatic aberration with the Zeiss lenses when compared to the Canon EF lenses, especially with wider lenses.)

Therefore – wide angle Zeiss ZE lenses are pretty much the way to go for HDSLR filmmaking in my opinion – notably with anything from a 15mm through a 24mm lens.  

Of course the big brothers to the Zeiss ZE lenses – the Zeiss CP.2 lenses are BUILT for cinema and they are also at a significantly higher price point.   With CP.2 lenses, the rotation of the lens focusing barrel is 300 degrees and very clearly marked when compared to the Zeiss ZE and Canon EF lenses, which makes focusing SIGNIFICANTLY easier by a large factor.   The aperture ring (or iris) is also fluid –  whereas both the Canon EF and Zeiss ZE lenses can only make 1/3 stop jumps which is far too noticeable with video if you are trying to close the iris down or up while you are shooting video.    

I am very much looking forward to testing the new series of Canon Cinema Prime lenses (they have announced a 24mm f/1.5, a 50mm f/1.3,  and an 85mm f/1.3)  But there is one thing that is surprising:  they are only being released with EF lens mounts.   The Zeiss CP.2 lenses have a kit that allows you to swap mounts – from EF to the cinema standard PL mounts.   This is a HUGE advantage – as you can use all CP.2 lenses on both Canon cameras as well as ALL CINEMA cameras in the world regardless of brand.  I use my CP.2s with the C300 for example – as well as the RED Epic camera and other cinema cameras with the PL mounts.   Swapping the mounts takes but a few minutes per lens and can easily be done out in the field with just a TORX screwdriver.   This makes the CP.2 lenses fantastic long-term investments.

The PL Lens mount is also significantly more suited for cinema – the lenses don’t flex when you focus (unlike the Canon EF mount which does flex when you focus the lens with a follow focus or motor, given the way it is designed.)   Therefore I see the CP.2 lenses to be a clear solution in terms of a solid long term investment.    Check out the LENS section of this blog for more information on these lenses.   If you can’t make the type of investment in the CP.2 lenses – your next best option are the ZE lenses. The optics in the ZE and CP.2 lenses are identical for those that are curious – although I am told the "pick of the litter" in terms of optics are chosen for the CP.2 lenses.  The ZE lenses cannot be converted to PL mounts to be clear.

So back to the new lenses from Zeiss:

The first is the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 ZE, which won’t be out until May.   I was fortunate to have gotten my hands on this lens recently, and the optics are incredibly sharp – perhaps the sharpest wide angle still 35mm SLR lens I have ever tested.  Unlike  the 15mm f/2.8Canon lens (which has been discontinued in favor of the 8-15mm f/4 zoom) – the Zeiss lens isn’t a fisheye, it is a rectilinear lens,  and the distortion is minimal, despite its 110 degree field of view.  The lens should actually be compared to the Canon 14mm f/2.8, which also uses an aspherical lens element.  

Look through the pictures of my tests of these two lenses below:

Above is the Canon 14mm 2.8 – (Click on the picture for a full resolution image.)

Above is the Zeiss ZE 15mm 2.8 – you’ll notice the 1mm difference is more noticeable than one might think…  (Click on the picture for a full resolution image.)

Here is a crop of the edge of the Canon 14mm 2.8.  You’ll see that the image blurs on the edges losing significant detail relative to the Zeiss 15mm below.  (Click on the picture for a full resolution image.)

With the Zeiss 15mm 2.8 crop of the wide image above – you’ll notice that while the lens is not as wide, it is significantly sharper on the edges, this is a huge plus for landscape and landscape photographers and filmmakers in general.  (Click on the picture for a full resolution image.)

The second lens that Zeiss is releasing, is the new Zeiss 25mm f/2 ZE, which is currently available.  Like the other ZE lenses, this lens is Manual focus only – but incredibly sharp.  It’s faster than it’s CP.2 counter part, which is T2.9, but slightly slower than the Canon 24mm, which clocks in at f/1.4.   But the performance wide open is hands down better than the Canon at either  f/1.4 or f/2.0.

There are more examples after the break below.

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