The Panasonic FT7 (announcement here) (in the US it’s called LUMIX TS7) is the latest member in Panasonic’s arsenal of photo cameras that can shoot video. With a super rugged body, 4K video capability, 4.6x optical zoom lens and optical stabilization system, EVF and rear LCD screen, there was a lot to look forward to. Despite its small sensor size, Gunther Machu, our cinema5D action-cam specialist, took it for a spin and here is his report. (The video above was taken with a Panasonic FT7 Pre-Production model).  Panasonic LUMIX FT7 When Johnnie approached and asked me to review the Panasonic LUMIX FT7, I had sort of a flashback. It reminded me of the fact that I owned a Panasonic LUMIX TZ5, which was the first HD capable video camera I ever had. This was 10 years ago (if you are curious have a look at the little piece I shot with it in 2009, please click here). Back at that time, it was revolutionary to pack a 10x optical zoom lens, HD video and a decent rear screen into a very tiny package. Fast forward to present time and we have the Panasonic LUMIX FT7 on our desk, which can record 20MP photos and video in different resolutions and frame rates (up to 4K 30 frames per second), but the real deal here is its durability. By introducing such a robust camera, Panasonic is aiming to capture the attention of users who are looking for a tool to shoot under harsh environment conditions as the LUMIX FT7 is prepared for it all: Water, cold, dust, pressure & shock. You can use it 31m /102 ft underwater, no problem. You can drop it from up to 2m / 6.6ft. It’s dust-proof for all kinds of outdoor applications without having to worry about it. It can withstand freezing temperatures as low as -10°C / 14°F. Plus, you can put up to 100kg / 220lbs on top of it without cracking the camera. Stuff it deep down your bag and load all kinds of gear onto it, no problem. Those specs looked interesting enough for me to take it for a spin over the weekend and I’m happy to share my finding with the community.  Things I’ve Noticed Upfront The camera feels very solid. Build quality is really good and the knobs are responsive. On the image side, the photos are OK (I had expected more from a 20MP sensor, no RAW setting available) but as this review is all about video, let’s concentrate on the 4k video coming out of it. In general the “out of the box” picture quality is fine and the colors are nice!  What is disappointing however is the crop the camera performs when recording 4k images. The 28mm full frame equivalent focal length becomes an effective 40mm lens at the widest setting. Also, the optical image stabilization does not work very well at all focal lengths of the zoom lens. Handheld static shots are possible, but if you start moving the camera an unnatural motion can be the result, also rolling shutter is quite pronounced. Furthermore, there is no filter thread on the front lens (Or lens outer ring to be precise), hence you have no means to mount an ND filter on the camera in order to reduce the shutter speed and create motion blur for more fluid images. LUMIX FT7 – Nice lens ring, why no filter thread? Outdoors It is an outdoor camera hence I took it along on a ride with my mountain bike. Compared to a GoPro Hero6 it feels heavy and massive (I’m writing this for fact as this is not necessarily a bad thing). On the other hand, whereas the GoPro Hero6 quite magically creates a fluid image with its digital IS, aided by the ultra wide lens, the Panasonic FT7  optical image stabiliser fails to deliver on a bumpy ride.  On top, other than the 5.5mm tripod mount at the bottom, no other mounting options exists for the LUMIX. On the bike, the lens is simply not wide enough and also the slow-motion feature is limited to 720p at 100 frames per second without sound. Speaking of sound, you get the typical unsatisfying action-cam sound with this camera, no more, no less. Have a look at the video and see (hear) for yourself. In the Pool Basically nice to have a camera that you can take into the water with you. The cropped image in 4k is very limiting however, and becomes even worse underwater because of the different refractive index leading to an effective full frame equivalent of about ~1.4*40 = 56mm. Hence, wide shots are difficult to achieve.  At the Palace (Schönbrunn) To cover the „do-it-all“ touristic part, I went to Schönbrunn Palace here in Vienna and took some beauty shots. I even had a slider with me in order to make my footage look more appealing and in this kind of artificial scenario the camera performed well.  It is worth mentioning the macro mode, I really like how it as it letting you get as close as 5cm to your subjects in the wide setting of the lens. LUMIX FT7 – Field of view in 4K LUMIX FT7 – Field of view in HD 1080 Panasonic LUMIX FT7 key features: (in no particular order) A truly robust camera! Nice images out of the box Nice colors Great Macro capabilities One can dive up to 31m with it with no additional housing or case Panasonic LUMIX FT7 main cons: (in no particular order) No ND thread (The absent of ND makes it very difficult to work in “M mode” Huge crop factor when shooting video in 4K video mode. (In iA mode what you see is NOT what you get. The preview shows a non cropped image but when pressing the REC button the image “jumps” and being recorded cropped. You can overcome this by shooting in “M” or “P” modes, then the framing on the LCD is the same as the recorded one (Cropped picture) Very limited aperture settings in “M mode” Very noticeable rolling shutter effect No manual focus or real exposure control. (In all shooting modes “exposure steps” are very noticeable) Picture on the LCD screen in a sunny daylight is very hard to see EVF leaves a lot to be desiered OIS is not doing a very good job Image on the far end of the video zoom is extremely soft Hi frame rate can be recorded in 720p resolution only   LUMIX FT7 – No fear from water Summary and Conclusion The Panasonic LUMIX FT7  is certainly a rugged outdoor travel companion that can do it all, whether you take it to the mountain, a sandy beach or underwater. But can it do it well? It sells for about $450, which is a considerable amount of money. For the price it offers a lot of features, great robustness, nice picture and colors out of the box, but I am still struggling somewhat to define the sweet spot and who it is for. A 40mm wide angle in 4k as a starting point, no lens filter thread, a viewfinder that leaves a lot to be desired and a rear LCD screen that barely can see in direct sunlight are quite limiting. In addition, the lens when zoomed in all the way to 128mm is quite soft. The underwater capabilities are nice but keep in mind the additional underwater telephoto effect. Music by Art list: Theme: Streets by Ziv Moran Can you see the Panasonic TS7 / FT7 camera serving you well while traveling or when filming under tough conditions? Share your comments with us below.

The market for small action cams has become highly competitive these days, with a lot of Chinese manufacturers competing with a very low price against the leader – GoPro. And here’s another new contender from China – Apeman TRAWO. Apeman TRAWO Action Cam – a GoPro contender? Impressive Specs and Body Looks Like a GoPro When I looked at the specs of the new Apeman TRAWO cam, it caught my attention as it lists an f1.8 lens and a Panasonic image sensor. Which is quite different to most other action cams which typically use an f2.8 lens and a Sony image sensor. It shoots up to 4k30p (no 24p or 25p mode), 2.7k30p, 1080p60 and 720p120. Note: on the Apeman website the cam claims to have a 2.7k60 and a 1080p120 mode, which is not available on the model I tested (A100 with the V2.1.0.1-A firmware) – I asked Apeman via email and they confirmed my finding – apologizing for this error. I do not know if those modes will be included in the future. Apeman TRAWO Findings Hence, I took it for a spin on a sunny afternoon in Vienna. Here are my findings: OK build quality, lots of accessories included needs a waterproof housing (included), which typically destroys audio quality 4k30 mode is very detailed and nice quite contrasty image, no „flat“ look available all other modes lack detail, e.g. the 1080p60 mode doesn’t look like full HD at all electronic image stabilization works quite well, but it crops the image significantly (20%) audio is as good or bad as with other action cams battery life is so so. After 30mins of shooting the battery symbol turned red GoPro Hero 6 Black Comparison Of course this is an unfair comparison, as the GoPro Hero 6 costs 430€ (~515USD), which is four times as expensive as the TRAWO. However, I wanted to see how close the TRAWO gets to the leader of the pack feature and image wise: GoPro Hero 6 Black: wider field of view than Trawo, but both have fisheye lenses (which I personally do not like) comparing the lenses, I am not so sure if the f1.8 claim of the TRAWO is true – the GoPro (with an f2.8 lens) shows much less motion blur at the same setting, indicating a higher shutter speed (hence a faster lens) → should be the other way round actually. build quality is so much better on GoPro, also has a touch screen no waterproof housing needed → better audio quality offers much more framerate options, including 4k60, 2.7k120 and 1080p 240 frames per second electronic image stabilization works phenomenally, and crops the image by only 12% much better image overall, having a protune „flat“ mode which retains highlights much better battery was still at 50% when TRAWO battery symbol turned „red“, indicating a near shutdown Aliasing in the 1080p60 modes between GoPro Hero 6 and APEMAN Trawo compared. Regarding resolution and dynamic range, the below image shows a much better highlight handling of the GoPro, and the image detail as well as resolution in the 1080p60 mode is also way better. Last but not least, for me an action cam should also provide a detailed high framerate mode. The maximum offered by the TRAWO is a 720p 120 frames per second mode. The next higher resolution offered is a 1080p60 mode. Here the GoPro shines with its 2.7k120 and 1080p240 modes. Conclusion – not a GoPro, but very Attractive Pricing All in all, the TRAWO offers quite good value for the money, also considering all the accessories which are included. I am still amazed how far technology has progressed – getting a 4k cam for about 100€ is mind blowing. Their Indiegogo campaign only just started, but it is refreshing to see an existing product already – the one we tested was definitely a finished product and not unfinished crowd funding hype (as happens so often) At the end of the day however, what counts for me in the action cam market is the image quality and the offered framerates. And here the clear winner is the GoPro Hero 6 Black. What do you think about the Apeman TRAWO? Have you been looking for a budget action cam lately, and is this camera for you? Let us know in the comments below. Music Credit: Band: Lathé Swing Song: Swing 39 (Creative Commons License)

ON Semiconductor – a Fortune 1000 semiconductor supplier company – announced new sensors that provide 4K resolution, global shutter and high frame rates in a 1-inch platform.  As stated in the press release, “The X-Class image sensor platform enables a new dimension in camera design by supporting multiple CMOS pixel architectures within the same image sensor frame. This allows a single camera design not only to support multiple product resolutions, but also different pixel functionality, such as larger pixels that trade resolution in a given optical format for higher imaging sensitivity, designs optimized for low noise operation to increase dynamic range and more. By supporting these different pixel architectures through a common high bandwidth, low power interface, camera manufacturers can leverage existing parts inventory and accelerate time to market for new camera designs”. Design flexibility According to the product blog, this technology has the potential to allow camera manufactures the privilege to bring new camera models to market. That would be a clear competitive advantage. 1-inch sensor, 4K resolution, Global Shutter and 120 fps There are two initial sensor designs in the X-Class family: the XGS 12000 and XGS 8000. Both of them share similarities regarding performance and specs.  The XGS 8000 is a 8.8 Mp (4096 x 2160) 4K / UHD resolution Global Shutter CMOS image sensor in a 1/1.1-inch optical format, supporting up to 120 frames per second readout at full resolution. The XGS 1200 is a 12.6 Mp (4096 x 3072) CMOS image sensor in a 1-inch optical format, supporting up to 90 frames per second readout at full resolution.  Dedicated to small cameras The package design and low power footprint make the device compatible with a 29 x 29 mm camera footprint, which means that this platform can suit small cameras (action cams more likely).  The combination between the 1-inch sensor and a small camera is not so rare, and was demonstrated in the Sony RX0 model, which we reviewed here.  The size of the sensor can dramatically upgrade the video quality even in small action cams. The XGS 12000 and XGS 8000 will begin sampling in Q2 2018, with production availability scheduled for the Q3 2018. Possible potential implementations Just imagine an action camera that has the capabilities to shoot 4K at 120 fps and with a global shutter… This technology can open more possibilities for us filmmakers in regards to action shooting when small cameras are needed. Maybe GoPro should check out this new sensor technology. It could be nice to see a joint venture here.  What are your thoughts about these new sensors? Do you see future implementations by established camera companies?  Let us know in the comments section below! 

GoPro released its preliminary fourth quarter 2017 report, which reveals that the company is in tough shape. It is firing hundreds of employees and will also exit the drone market. Just when it seemed that GoPro was back on the horse again, the company has been facing a significant struggle in an ultra competitive market that lead to low sales, layoffs and the termination of the production of the Karma drone. The company shares were down more than 25% yesterday and have recovered slightly since. This is tough to see, especially for a company which was once a stock market darling. Now practically all their business is still reliant on the segment of action cameras, which is also heavily under pressure.  Bad Karma The Karma drone proved to be an expensive and failed adventure from the day it was born. It caused the company a lot of pain, as technical issues and acute malfunctions even resulted in drones falling out of the sky. GoPro executed a mass recall, but then came the DJI Mavic Pro which completely defeated Karma in almost every aspect, and at a lower price point.  Overview of their Q4/2017 report’s main key points: GoPro is reducing its global workforce from 1,254 employees as of September 30, 2017 to fewer than 1,000 employees worldwide. GoPro founder and CEO Nicholas Woodman will reduce his 2018 cash compensation to $1. Although the Karma drone reached the #2 market position in its price band in 2017, the product faced margin challenges in an extremely competitive aerial market. Furthermore, a difficult regulatory environment in Europe and the United States will likely reduce the total addressable market in the years ahead. GoPro claims that these factors make the aerial market untenable and they will exit the market after selling its remaining Karma inventory. They say that they will continue to provide service and support to Karma customers for the time being. There is no doubt that GoPro is struggling hard to stay in the game. The challenge is not only that DJI seems to act as a main threat to the company, especially in the drone business – GoPro also faces tough competition in the action camera market it more or less created.  GoPro needs to continue to innovate with new products, since the extreme-sport camera line is not enough any more.  What is your opinion regarding the GoPro situation? What do you think it has to change in order to succeed? Let us know in the comments. 

The Steadicam Volt is a unique compact stabilizer for smartphones and action cams that was very successful on Kickstarter in the first half of 2017. It is now available for purchase. We first reported about this product back in January 2017 upon launch of the Kickstarter campaign. The Steadicam Volt was developed by the Tiffen company, a pioneer in the camera stabilizing business, with its line of Steadicam stabilisers now a staple of the industry. What makes this stabilizer so unique is its construction. Its motor helps it achieve smooth shots, but the Volt is also capable of stabilising without it thanks to the mechanical function of the included counterweights. This can obviously be very handy for situations when the stabilizer’s battery is empty. For certain shots, it is even desired to have that more fluid kind of motion given by a traditional mechanical stabilizer rather than the precise “machine-like” stabilized shots from a motorized 3-axis gimbal. I like the fact that this stabilizer offers both. Steadicam Volt – Tech Specs Maximum payload: 100-250 g (3.5-8.8 oz) Maximum Smartphone width: 58-85 mm (2.2-3.3″) (with or without case) Compatibility with Gopro via included mount Rechargeable Li-Ion battery Image credit: Tiffen.com During the Kickstarter campaign it was possible to get the first few units of the stabilizer for $120. The final retail price for the Steadicam Volt is now just under $200, with immediate shipping availability. Do you like the different design of this stabilizer or do you prefer standard 3-axis motorized-only gimbals? Would you possibly like to see a bigger Steadicam Volt for mirrorless cameras in the future? Let us know in the comments below. Via: Nofilmschool

Gates Underwater Products have announced a new ‘Pro Explore’ housing, specifically for RED DSMC2 cameras. The Gates Pro Explore Underwater Housing GoPro-ing in a swimming pool is one thing, but diving with a fully equipped cinema camera into the deep sea is quite another. For example, taking a RED cinema camera underwater is not something you would do without an absolute guarantee of protection for the camera. For that reason, underwater film productions must be performed with a proper, robust, pressure resistant housing, that allows full functionality and access to the main features of the cinema camera. A company called Gates Underwater Products, which manufactures dive housing for cinema cameras, have announced a new product named “Pro Explore Underwater Housing”. It is a dedicated, purpose built underwater motion imaging acquisition tool, for the RED DSMC2 platform. Here is an example of Gates’ housing, taken from RED’s Instagram: Happy Shark Week everyone! I’m Andy Brandy Casagrande IV (@abc4explore), a wildlife cameraman and SharkFinbassador and I'm taking over @RedDigitalCinema to help inspire you to care about sharks! I’ve been filming & studying sharks intensely for the past 15 years and I've come to learn that sharks are polite and intelligent creatures, with countless misconceptions about them. Great White Sharks in particular are a keystone species and inherently critical to the health and balance of our global ecosystems. This shot was captured on my head-cam and shows a Great White Shark coming for a closer look at the WEAPON 8K S35 in @gates.underwater housing, not because it’s a malicious blood-thirsty-sea-monster, but simply because it’s a happy & smiley Great White Shark! Humans can coexist with Sharks! • [Post 1/7 from @abc4explore] • ###SharksAreNotBad #LoveSharks #SaveSharks #CoexistWithSharks #SharkWeek #abc4explore A post shared by RED Digital Cinema (@reddigitalcinema) on Jul 25, 2017 at 8:10am PDT The Gates Underwater ‘Pro Explore’ Key Features Include: Expedition ready, ‘Pro Explore’ packs tight and travels light. Latched rear shell for fast media / battery change. Full camera and lens management, via housing controls and ‘REDMOTE’ controller. Tailored design for the RED DSMC2, for the finest user experience, including 14 assignable buttons to access *anything* on the camera. Compact PL and all DSLR lenses readily supported. Diverse V-Lock battery support, including REDBRICK. Stackable Port Rings (SPR’s) cover a wide range of lenses with one base set. Surface SDI and Gig-E options for topside DP viewing or AC camera control. Surface, close-range wireless connectivity with full control. Watch the video below to explore one of Gates’s products, installation and basic operation: Price and availability The Price of the ‘Pro Explore’ is to be announced in late 2017 but it’s estimated to be in the range of most of the Gates’ products, which are very highly priced (above $15,000). Should you use this setup for underwater cinematography missions, or would you rather choose to go cheap and take the GoPro option? Is this something for you? Tell us in the comments below!

GoPro reports its first quarterly profit in two years, after a period of aggressive cost cuts without reduction of innovative efforts. It seems that GoPro is a profitable company once again, after having suffered financial losses in the last seven straight quarters, critical malfunctions in products (Karma Drone Recall) and heavy competition in the drone and wearable camera sector. As stated in the press release by CEO Nicholas Woodman: “GoPro has turned a corner, restoring growth and profitability of our business… We dramatically reduced operating costs without impacting our product roadmap”. “We launched our premium-priced HERO6 Black with global on-shelf availability and strong critical acclaim. We are now focused on driving consumer demand to reach our goal of full-year double-digit revenue growth”, said Woodman. The company, which was a hot share in the stock market, has had to resort to a series of mass layoffs in the past, while developing new products like a $1,000 consumer drone, the GoPro HERO6 camera and its first spherical camera, Fusion, which will be available to consumers at the beginning of November. During the Earnings Call, Woodman said that the current entry-level GoPro Session would be replaced with a new entry-level model next year (2018). “Demand for GoPro’s entry level Session was much higher than anticipated… This new camera will be one of  several new products planned for GoPro”, Woodman stated. According to GoPro: “It’s impossible to not be excited about the future” Take a look at the Fusion camera explained by CEO Nicholas Woodman. It seems that the company is definitely trying hard to get back on the horse, and indeed with products like Fusion – GoPro’s entry to the world of spherical capture at the consumer level – there is a good chance to rise again. What do you think? Could GoPro get the stock market darling title again?

In the age of the unstoppable rise in resolution and thus in video data rate, GoPro has unleashed CineForm – its most efficient codec yet – to the public. CineForm is a video codec originally designed in 2002 and developed for CineForm Inc. by David Taylor, David Newman and Brian Schunck. It became the first “visually lossless”, non-proxy intermediate codec that replaced the source with a new, much faster file. On March 30th 2011, the company was acquired by GoPro with the intentions to use its codec in the 3D HERO System. CineForm was one of the first codecs to offer significant compression that balanced quality, speed and performance, even more than Avid DNxHD and Apple ProRes which arrived later. From a technological point of view, its better performance over ProRes and DNxHD is due to its better compression methods (Full frame wavelet comparing to DCT). Without getting too geeky here, it means one can compress more with fewer artifacts. CineForm Workflow Diagram In 2015, CineForm made a major breakthrough, as the codec was standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®) as the new open standard for video acquisition and post production. In the press release, GoPro mentioned that CineForm had been used in several major movies, including Slumdog Millionaire and Need For Speed. Here are the main features of this codec: Full­ frame (no blocks) Wavelet compression for highest image integrity. Unrestricted spatial resolution (4K and beyond). Up to 12­-bit arithmetic precision. RGBA, RGB, YUV, and RAW chroma formats. Standard wrapper interfaces, including .AVI and .MOV for broadest compatibility (Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, After Effects, etc.). GoPro could not have launched Omni without CineForm According to GoPro, CineForm is crucial for high-resolution products like Omni, which needs a super-codec with the ability to compress a high amount of video data without impairing quality. Now that video data rates like 8K and 360 imaging are becoming more and more common, GoPro has decided to improve the codec by enabling access to the code, making its programming open source and releasing its SDK (Software Development Kit) on GitHub for improvements, demoing and educational purposes. As stated by GoPro: Since it is so clearly evident that CineForm is crucial to advancing 360° imaging, GoPro is open-sourcing it to help third-party software developers accelerate high-resolution 360 and future workflows. Eventually, video standards will be the road in which high-resolution consumer 360 cameras will run, but today, where we’re going… We don’t need roads” What do you think is more preferable for the filmmaking community: a closed-shop codec like ProRes, or an open source like CineForm? Tell us your opinion in the comments below.