The Great Camera Shoot Out 2011


Last year, Zacuto produced The Great Camera Shootout, a comparison of several HDSLR cameras shooting under challenging conditions. In addition to the digital cameras, film tests were also made under the same conditions. The results were then screened for several cinematographers on a large screen, and the audience weighed in with their opinions. While there were no formal results - or a declared winner - there was a lot to learn both from the participants reactions, as well as from seeing the clips posted online.

I think the reaction can be summed up as:
the digital cameras don't have the latitude of film, but it's closer than most people thought it would be (including me!)
This year the effort was repeated, though with an entirely different selection of digital cameras. Mike Curtis, one of the team working on the test, has written an article for Pro Video Coalition that explains the process:
The group shot 15 live-action and instrumented tests specifically designed to give filmmakers an apples-to-apples comparison of exposure latitude, low-light sensitivity, color space, flesh tones, shutter artifacts and compression.

They evaluated footage captured using: 12-bit Sony F35, ArriRaw Alexa, 35mm Vision 3 film, RED One M-X, Weisscam HS-2 and Phantom Flex high speed cameras, Panasonic AF-100, Sony F3 and various Canon and Nikon DSLRs.
On the Tuesday of NAB, Bob Primes, who organized this year's event as part of an ad-hoc group the "Image Quality Geeks," presented the results of the tests in a presentation that was described as the "Single Chip Camera Evaluation" (SCCE.)

Zacuto also showed the clips at NAB, and their website suggests that the results will be posted on their website in June.

Already there have been reports from those that saw the tests, with the Sony PMW-F3 a clear hit, not necessarily because it was the best, but because of how good it was for the price. Philip Bloom tweeted shortly after seeing it:
Wow Sony F3 did so well in new Zacuto shootout. Sold me on it!

Sony had some awesome toys today. Want F3 more and more with every day.
- @PhilipBloom
And he just took delivery of one!

Others said:
The Zacuto Shootout was extremely revealing & surprising, F3 came out REALLY well for price, Alexa was way up there too.
- @NinoLeitner

Went to the Zacuto screening and thought the "winner" from a quality & cost standpoint was the F3. DSLRs not so great.
- @veloeditor


Vincent Laforet has posted his thoughts from the event. He rates the RED Epic as the winner for Ergonomics and Resolution, and the ARRI Alexa as the winner for Image Quality. But he also rates the PMW-F3 highly, noting it's image quality vs. price.
...everyone was surprised to see this camera perform right up there with the big boys on most tests. This is probably going to be the surprise camera of 2011. Given its price tag, weight and form factor – it might just become the darling of 2011 for many.
And, he adds that they didn't have the benefit of S-Log for those tests, suggesting it may have done even better.

Vincent also high-lights a separate video test he was involved with during NAB that was shot by Khalid Mohtaseb and Jonathan Bregel from Next Level Pictures, using an F3 with the S-Log update:
...you will clearly see how incredibly well this cameras deals with highlights in S-log.   I’m not going to go as far as to say this is an Alexa contender YET – but I’d definitely like to see side by side tests w/ the F3 w/ S-Log and the Alexa and Epic…

Zacuto: The Great Camera Shootout 2011
Zacuto: The Great Camera Shootout 2010
ProVideoCoalition: Coming to NAB? Come see results of our 12 camera test Tuesday night
VincentLaforet: NAB Redux Pt.1: Cameras
NextLevelPictures: NLP shoots the worlds first footage with the Sony F3 S-Log
NotesOnVideo: More Thoughts on the Great Camera Shootout - part I
BelowTheLine: Bob Primes, ASC to Present SCCE Digital Camera Evaluation Results at NAB
NABShow: Session: SCCE – An impartial, comprehensive evaluation of the image quality of 11 top digital motion picture cameras

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sony GV-D200 review

Image
Sony GV-D200 I've been using a Sony GV-D200 deck to transfer old Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Some of these tapes are over twenty years old, and no longer having a Hi8 camcorder that worked I was concerned that if I didn't do something about transferring them to a more modern format soon, I might never be able to. While Sony no longer make camcorders that use these tapes - that I know of - Sony does still sell the GV-D200 deck (or Video Walkman, as it's sometimes labelled.) They also offer the GV-D800, which is almost identical but adds a small LCD screen for about $120 more. I didn't think I'd need a screen since I was using this to capture to the computer, but you will need an external monitor when you first set it up. Physically, the device is small. At 5 7/8" wide, 5 3/8" deep and 2" high, it's the smallest video deck I've encountered. I used to have a Video8 deck that I thought was small; and it was twice as deep and twice as high. The t...
Read more

Response: Which iPhone to Get?

Image
In response to my iPhone musings, I got the following reader email which actually sums up a lot of my second and third thoughts too: You might have a point about the fancier camera, but otherwise I would buy the smaller model. Its screen is about the same size as that of my Nexus 4, and I don't feel at all like it limits me with a too-small screen. But I do sometimes stretch to get my thumb the reach to the other corner of the screen. It is plenty big for a phone. A phone is a pocket thing. (Well, in my case it lives an ancient REI soft sunglasses case that I have on my belt.) Ubiquitous, handy, convenient, almost always with me. Small is crucial for all of that. Certainly a large screen is cool, but you need a place to put it: don't break a fundamental feature of a pocket phone by getting too big. That is what your small tablet is for. I have my phone with me almost always. I have my Nexus 7 tablet with me nearly as much. The bigger screen is great, yet it fits in some...
Read more

Should you buy the Sony NEX-FS100 Kit Lens?

Image
The Sony NEX-FS100 is available in two configurations: B & H : NEX-FS100U Camcorder only $4,999 B & H : NEX-FS100U (with 18-200mm lens) $5,599 But what does that extra $600 get you? It get's you this: Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens for NEX Camera This lens is also available separately for $799.99, so at $200 off you'd think everyone would be jumping on it. But not so fast... In his article about switching from the Canon 5D Mark II to the Sony NEX-FS100 , Paul Antico  at Need Creative says of the kit lens: 7) Its 18-200 F3.6-6.3 kit lens absolutely sucks and should be avoided (thankfully, you can order it without one) [ 1 ] But is it that bad? At B & H 's site, 43 reviews give it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. That's not a bad rating, though many of these people are using it for stills, and the most common complaint noted is how large and heavy it is. Of course this feeling of size would be exacerbated when you put it on a tiny camera ...
Read more