In case you missed it, Zacuto released a part 3 of their Great Camera Shootout 2012. If you haven’t seen the first two parts it’s really worth checking them out. Part 1: LINK Part 2: LINK

Have you seen PART 1 of Zacuto’s Camera Shootout 2012? If you haven’t go here. If you have, you’re probably eager to find out which camera was which in their scientific and philosophic comparison between the most important up to date small and big digital film cameras. If you’re serious about being a cinematographer you shouldn’t miss this series. It’s free to watch on Zacuto’s page. They just released the second part, continuing an in-depth look at today’s most important tools for cinematography ranging from the Sony F65 down to the iPhone 4S. Just like last year a professional team of cinematographers compared the cameras in a controlled studio environment, later presented the results to filmmakers in the form of a digital cinema projection and eventually made a documentary about the whole thing which gives you a great scope of opinions and thoughts on the matter. This year they added some life to the test by allowing the shooting teams to alter the light setup to perfectly fit each camera’s needs which I think is a very cool approach to show what each camera is really capable of. Because as we know each camera’s strength also depends on what people make out of it. Here’s part 2: LINK Cameras used: Arri Alexa, Canon C300, Canon 7D, Panasonic GH2, Sony F3, Sony F65, iPhone 4S, RED Epic

Zacuto presents its much anticipated Camera Shootout 2012. A both scientific and philosophic comparison between the most important up to date small and big digital film cameras. If you’re serious about being a cinematographer you shouldn’t miss this series. It’s free to watch on Zacuto’s page. Here’s part 1: LINK Excerpt from the site: We’ve got a lot to prove in Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout 2012. Some of it will surprise you, some of it will shock you, and some of it will change the way you work forever. Let’s make this clear: This is not the shootout you’re expecting. Watch last year’s shootout series here. Cameras used: Arri Alexa, Canon C300, Canon 7D, Panasonic GH2, Sony F3, Sony F65, iPhone 4S, RED Epic So what letter was your favorite camera? Have you written down your rankings?

Andrew Reid made this nice lowlight capability comparison between the new Canon 5D mark III, last year’s lowlight wonder the Sony FS100 and the all-time classic Panasonic GH2 camera. Three test scenes shot in dark rooms at a ex-factory building in the east of Berlin. Minimal lighting – in scene 1, pearly strip light, scene 2 is iPhone torch, scene 3 is a reflection of petrol station lights in a mirror. Lenses – Leica R 35 2.8,50 F2,90 2.8 (apart from scene 2 which is Samyang 24mm F1.4 on both cameras) The 5D Mark III used here is modified. The OLPF (anti-aliasing filter) and IR-cut filter is removed for a resolution increase bringing it closer to the Sony FS100 and Panasonic GH2. No sharpening in post required. Sharpening in-camera was turned off. All footage direct from card, no grading. Edited in Adobe Premiere Pro CS6. 1st scene is to test noise and resolution. 2nd scene is to test ISO 12,800 performance. 3rd scene is to test handling of highlight and noise in the lows via EOSHD

If anything the new Canon 5D mark III has created a lot of debate. Some call it a “massive failure“, others “the best camera you can spend $3,500 on“. What is true? We’ve had a 5D mark III for testing and having worked with HDSLR from the start I’d like to point out the most important plusses and minuses of the camera in this short review.

Ups, someone hasn’t been posting in a while. Here’s what’s going on in HDSLR world right now: The Panasonic GH2, that has been praised for its outstanding quality among HDSLRs, got a new firmware. Not a hacked one, but a normal Panasonic version that does a much needed upgrade to this camera: So far the GH2 has only been able to shoot progressive with 24fps. The new firmware adds 25p and 30p wrapped into a 50i/60i stream at 24mb/s. The camera is currently $300 off (until Dec. 17th): link GH2 discussions going on here See how to hack a GH2 (to get a higher bitrate) here download: new Panasonic firmware for DMC-GH2 via Philip Blooms blog

The Panasonic GH2 has gotten a lot of attention since the firmware hack that was achieved about 2 months ago and brings important improvements to an already great camera. Apparently Panasonic is in full battle mode to join the camera wars for the next generation of large sensor cameras. Exciting times. Here’s what product developer Mr. Uetmasu from Panasonic Japan has to say (ephotozine): A firmware update may be coming for the GH2 to add support for 25p, and additional improvements in video abilities. If there are features you want adding, contact Panasonic and let them know. They are aware of the work the “hackers” are doing and are impressed with their work, but that they (Panasonic) need to test everything / confirm there are no problems before rolling out updates. The GH3 is not due imminently, as the GH2 is still extremely popular, but that there is a high end GF series camera in the works. via EOSHD

The hack of the Panasonic GH2 camera has gotten a lot of attention and some people are pulling their hair out to test and optimize the hack settings. So far I’d say the results haven’t been mindblowing. Here’s a more interesting test of footage with anamorphic lenses. from the Vimeo description: Here’s a side by side test for the two new GH2 Hacks : . Using VGA mode for higher resolutions. . Recording 42 Mb (or more) footage in 24p mode Now we can use VGA(4:3) mode for 1920 x 720 resolution so we get a 2.66:1 image and it captures a wider image than the 16:9 Also 4:3 images have a little more contrast but unfortunately VGA mode can only record 30 fps and MJPEG where as 16:9 24p AVCHD has still better image quality especially in low light. The best part you don’t have to do resizing or “interpret footage” in post, it comes ready to use :) Thanks to vitaliy (personal-view.com) for the great job and eoshd.com for related posts. Simple color correction done in Premiere. Music : Jon Hassell More to come soon… Seems like a good thing that for everybody who sets his money on this camera that Panasonic will introduce new high end lenses. via cinescopophilia