Paul D

Panasonic GH4 & Comodo Orbit – Hands On at BVE 2014

Panasonic GH4

Last week I got my hands on the new Panasonic GH4. I must admit that when I first heard about the GH4 and, more to the point, saw those photos of the DMW-YAGH interface (which seemed to have all the visual appeal of a Steve Jobs memorial statue) I was underwhelmed. However, getting up close and personal with them and seeing what they can achieve, has changed my mind and left me feeling excited about this camera’s possibilities. Continue reading “Panasonic GH4 & Comodo Orbit – Hands On at BVE 2014”

Canon EOS 5D Mark III Clean HDMI Out Firmware Announced!

Nine months ago, in a piece about the just announced Nikon D4, I wrote “Chief amongst these features is a clean, uncompressed 4:2:2 HDMI feed with simultaneous output to the D4′s rear monitor…a clean uncompressed 1080p output…[is] MAJOR news, both in terms of what the Nikon D4 can offer filmmakers and because it could force Canon to reverse its decision not to provide a clean, uncompressed HDMI output on the 1D X. In fact, it could mean, dare I say it, a clean, uncompressed HDMI output on the Canon 5D Mark III…” Well nine months later, Canon has given birth to (the announcement of) a new firmware update that will provide the EOS 5D Mark III with a clean uncompressed (8 bit) 4:2:2 HDMI output. Continue reading “Canon EOS 5D Mark III Clean HDMI Out Firmware Announced!”

Focus on Imaging 2012

After last year’s disappearing act, Canon were back with a vengeance at this year’s Focus on Imaging expo at the NEC in Birmingham. Unsurprisingly, the EOS 5D Mark III, announced just two days before the event, was the star of their stand and of the show, with long queues to get up close and personal with one. Continue reading “Focus on Imaging 2012”

New Cameras in 2012

2011 was an important year for cameras, photographers and filmmakers. In the wake of the HDSLR revolution brought about by the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, manufacturers finally got the message (more or less) that what independent filmmakers want is a large sensor, interchangeable lens camera, with a professional feature set, at an affordable price and responded with the Panasonic AG-AF101, Sony PMW-F3, Sony NEX-FS100 and Red Scarlet. But, it wasn’t just about large sensor camcorders. Panasonic understood the need for a small(ish), full HD, broadcast quality camcorder and released their answer to the 8 bit 4:2:2 Canon XF305 – the 10 bit 4:2:2 AVC Intra AG-HPX 250. On the stills front, Fuji realised that real photographers want real cameras in small packages and released the retro styled Finepix X100. However, the much anticipated and widely rumoured Canon 5D Mark III, Nikon D4 and Nikon D800 were nowhere to be seen and the Sony A77 and Sony NEX-7, though announced, were delayed by floods and earthquakes. So what can we expect in 2012? Well given that it is both a Photokina and an Olympics year, a fair bit Actually. Continue reading “New Cameras in 2012”