LockCircle announced the new ZX PRO CAGE for Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 mirrorless cameras. The cage features modular design with detachable right sidebar to switch between half cage and full cage design. It offers many mounting threads and compatibility with LockPort connector savers. Top handle, mount supports, and 15mm rods baseplate are also available. LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE for Nikon Z cameras. Source: LockCircle LockCircle is an Italian camera accessories manufacturer. They designed and built cages for many popular cameras in the last years. Now the company is announcing a new cage for Nikon’s full frame mirrorless cameras – Nikon Z 6 and Z 7. Let’s take a short look at them. LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE for Nikon Z Series The LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE is designed for a tight fit around the Nikon Z cameras. It is not a one-piece cage, but rather a modular cage held together by multiple screws. It comes as a half cage – LockCircle calls it “asymmetrical design approach” – which leaves the right side of the camera unobstructed for right-hand camera grabbing and controlling with the original camera ergonomic feeling. The cage can be, however, upgraded to the full cage design with a sidebar, which provides more mounting threads on the right side of the camera. It seems that the sidebar is very subtle, so holding the camera grip should not be a problem even with the full cage mounted. The cage is CNC machined from billet aircraft grade aluminum and offers a huge amount of 1/4-20 threads and couple of 3/8-16 threads. Half cage – LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE for Nikon Z cameras. Source: LockCircle The ZX PRO CAGE integrates the MultiPort for secure connectors locking HDMI/USB-C/Headphone and Microphone mini-jacks. LockPort kits (port savers) are available for the Micro to Full-Size HDMI output. The ZX PRO CAGE baseplate has a mounting receiver for the FTZ Block (adjustable), designed for the Nikon FTZ Mount. LockCircle, of course, offers a top handle for the cage as well. The camera baseplate has two camera mounting threads (1/4 and 3/8 with 1/4 adapter) for safe mounting. There is also a heavy-duty baseplate for heavy cinematic lenses available. A titanium grade 5 camera 1/4-20 screw is coming with the cage. Mounting plates and Positive-Lock Mounts for universal cine-style lens mounting are available. To complement the cage, LockCircle is also offering a modular baseplate for 15mm rods together with the RodRocket titanium grade 5 15mm rods system. These 15mm rods from LockCircle are quite unique with the drilled holes and lightweight design. Full cage – LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE for Nikon Z cameras. Source: LockCircle All along the Focal-Plane, there are several threads for the (AC) tape measurement hook mounting and LockCircle offers an optional titanium grade 5 focal plane pin. LockCircle can make their ZX PRO CAGE with a special Dura-T (Mil-Spec) military look finish on request. All LockCircle cages are manufactured in Italy. Price and Availability The LockCircle ZX PRO CAGE is now ready for pre-order. Prices start at $189 (€169) for the basic half cage and LockCircle offers discounted prices on all ZX PRO CAGE kits until October 31. Delivery should start in mid November 2019. Are you using Nikon Z series camera for your work? Have you been looking for a decent cage? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Today, Canon announced two new cameras – a DSLR camera and a mirrorless camera. The Canon EOS 90D is a new mid-range DSLR with APS-C sensor and EF mount. Canon M6 Mark II is a new mirrorless rangefinder style camera with the Canon EF-M mount. Both cameras sport a new 32.5MP sensor and uncropped 4k UHD video recording up to 30fps with Dual pixel AF. New Canon EOS 90D and EOS M6 Mark II. Source: Canon Today’s Canon announcement included not only two new cameras: The Japanese electronics giant also announced new lenses for their RF mount and firmware update for Canon EOS R and Canon EOS RP cameras. We decided to write a separate post about the Canon RF mount news which will be online shortly as well. This article only covers two new cameras – Canon EOS 90D DSLR and Canon EOS M6 mirrorless. Canon EOS 90D DSLR Canon’s first announcement is the update to their mid-range APS-C DSLR line of camera bodies with EF mount. Canon EOS 90D is a successor to the 80D, which was announced in 2016 already (our article can be found here). What is new compared to the 80D? The new sensor still has the same APS-C form factor with a 1.6x crop, but the resolution has been increased from 24.2MP with the 80D to 32.5MP for the 90D (with the new DIGIC 8 image processor). There is still the great reliable autofocus for video with Canon’s 5481-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF. Canon 90D now also adds Eye-detect AF. The ISO maxes out at 25600 for photo and 12800 for video. New Canon EOS 90D. Source: Canon Video capabilities have also been finally significantly upgraded. While the Canon 80D maxed out at Full HD resolution with 60fps, 90D brings UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording at up to 29.97 fps and Full HD (1920 x 1080) at up to 120 fps. Good news is that the UHD video is now uncropped (!) – finally we can record UHD video with a Canon DSLR camera using the whole width and height of the sensor. While we couldn’t find contradicting information anywhere yet, we assume that the Canon 90D and M6 Mark II both still record 4K and 1080p in an 8-bit 4:2:0 codec. New Canon EOS 90D. Source: Canon When it comes to camera body design, the 90D is not a revolution. It is very similar to the 80D. Only the buttons and the dial wheel on the back side were slightly modified. There is now also a new 8-way multi controller joystick. It still sports a vari-angle touchscreen LCD, monochrome status display on the top right hand side, optical viewfinder, and built-in flash. The Canon EOS 90D DSLR camera is available now for pre-order. The price for the body has been set to US $1,199. New Canon EOS 90D in use. Source: Canon Canon M6 Mark II It is quite interesting to see that Canon actually still updates their APS-C mirrorless line of camera with the EF-M mount, after they introduced the RF mount later on. The original Canon EOS M6 was announced in February 2017 (our article from the announcement can be found here). In July 2019 SIGMA announced to adapt three fast prime lenses for the Canon EF-M mount, so it seems like this mount is far from being dead yet. It simply seems strange to maintain two incompatible mirrorless mounts at the same time – this means headaches for consumers and an expensive lens strategy for Canon. It will be hard for people who start with an M-mount camera to upgrade to RF cameras easily – they’ll have to replace their lens collection. When it comes to the new mirrorless Canon M6 Mark II, it is again a very compact rangefinder style camera. It seems to share the same image sensor as the new Canon EOS 90D. The resolution is 32.5MP as well (the Canon M6 had 24.2MP). It also has the DIGIC 8 image processor. The ISO maxes out at 25600 for photo and 12800 for video recording. New Canon EOS M6 Mark II. Source: Canon The camera can shoot stills at up to 14fps with autofocus and up to 30fps RAW stills burst with 18MP resolution. The M6 Mark II also takes advantage of Canon’s 5481-point Dual Pixel CMOS AF, so autofocus for video should not be a problem. I hope the Dual Pixel AF will be finally available for all recording modes – in the Canon M50 it was not available for UHD (and it only was a cropped mode too). New Canon EOS M6 Mark II. Source: Canon While the original Canon M6 maxed out at Full HD resolution with 60fps, M6 Mark II brings uncropped (!) UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) video recording at up to 29.97 fps and Full HD (1920 x 1080) at up to 120 fps. It also has a clean HDMI output and a microphone jack. There is also a Bluetooth and Wi-fi connectivity available. There is no further info about the exact bitrates and codecs yet, although I expect it to be a H.264 codec with 8-bit compression in a 4:2:0 color space. The EOS M6 Mark II incorporates a 3.0″ touchscreen LCD, which has a 180° tilting design for front-facing shots. The camera does not have a built-in viewfinder. The auxiliary EVF-DC2 electronic viewfinder (which attaches via the camera’s hot shoe) is included with the camera when purchased with certain lens kits. Otherwise it can also be purchased separately as well. New Canon EOS M6 Mark II in use with the detachable EVF. Source: Canon The Canon EOS M6 Mark II mirrorless camera is available now for pre-order. The price for the body has been set to US $850. What do you think of the new Canon cameras? Would it fit well into your shooting kit? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

The LUMIX S1H is Panasonic’s new flagship mirrorless full-frame camera that was revealed a couple of months ago at Cine Gear. Now, this “video-first” mirrorless has been officially announced. This 6K camera was designed with filmmakers in mind. Let’s take a closer at everything the S1H has to offer! Panasonic S1H – Photo credit: cinema5D The Panasonic LUMIX S1H is pretty similar to the LUMIX S1 in terms of photo capabilities. This article is focused on all the video functionalities of the camera. 6K, Full-Frame 4K, Super35 Crop – All the Resolutions In our previous article, we already knew that the Panasonic LUMIX S1H would be a camera that can record very high-quality/resolution footage. Now we know for sure that it can record in 6K at up to 24 frames per second (in a 3:2 aspect ratio for anamorphic shooting) or 5.9K at 30p in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Also, you can shoot 10-bit 4:2:2 4K/C4K footage at up to 29.97p internally with a bitrate of 400Mbps, and up to 60p by feeding an external recorder via the HDMI output. Below is a complete list of all the recording formats available. The list of recording formats available internally. Image credit: Panasonic. The list of recording formats, frame rates, resolutions, and bitrates is impressive and extremely extensive. We can’t think of another mirrorless cameras which offers this amount of flexibility. A dedicated new custom list of recording formats can be created to speed up your workflow. It allows you to recall your most-used settings combinations quickly. Most resolutions are available in full-frame mode, which means the camera uses the entire sensor to record the image, and there’s no crop. A Super 35mm mode is available too if you want to crop your footage to the traditional frame size, while maintaining 4K resolution. What’s most impressive is for one that the camera can record the full 3:2 sensor in 6K resolution for anamorphic shooting. This mode, too, is recorded in a 10-bit color space, albeit with 4:2:0 color sampling, and at 200 MBit. When you change to the 16:9 full-frame mode, you can shoot 4K DCI (what Panasonic calls “C4K” in their table above) in 4:2:2 10-bit in 400 MBit, and that’s the other – even more impressive – feature of this camera. Image credit: Panasonic. If you want to shoot anamorphic, you can de-squeeze the image in-camera for viewing purposes. Depending on the lenses you use, several de-squeeze aspect ratios are available: 1.30x, 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.8x, and 2.0x. 6K Test Footage Shot on Pre-Production Version of LUMIX S1H for Download My colleague Johnnie was able to have an hour with a pre-production version of the camera to take some shots. Just to “prove that it works”, he set the camera to 6K resolution (which comes with the 3:2 aspect ratio for anamorphic shooting) but he used normal spherical lenses. So if you want to download some original shots with an unusual aspect ratio in 6K, you can do it here (2.9 GB download). In-Body Stabilization The Panasonic LUMIX S1H incorporates a 5-axis Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) to stabilize your footage if you are shooting hand-held. If you combine the camera with an O.I.S. lens (Optical Image Stabilizer, 2-axis), you have access to the Dual I.S. 2 technology. This stabilization combo and technology, which you can already found on the LUMIX GH5, can be expected to work beautifully. For some reason, this feature did not find its way into the GH5’s sibling, the GH5S. Image credit: Panasonic. No Recording Limit, Optional File Segmenting In every S1H recording mode, there is no recording limit – so you can record non-stop as long as you have enough power/memory cards. Keep in mind that files could be segmented, but the recording won’t stop. Also, there is an optional “segmented file recording” option that can be pretty handy to avoid losing data if the camera runs out of battery in the middle of a take. With this option, the video can be recorded while it is divided into 1-minute segments. The video is saved as a single group. The camera uses a newly developed 24.2-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor, which measures 35.6mm x 23.8mm. There is an OLPF (optical low pass filter) that should suppress moiré. Active Cooling System If you ever shot for an extended time with a DSLR/Mirrorless camera, you probably know that they are prone to overheating issues. The cameras usually stop or shut off because the sensor is getting too hot. To solve that problem, the team at Panasonic put an active cooling system into the camera, near the sensor. This fan should help cooling down the sensor and allow you to shoot for an unlimited period even in hot conditions (or so it is claimed). We do not know yet if this negatively impacts the weather sealing of the camera. Image credit: Panasonic. Dual Native ISO This sensor features Dual Native ISO technology, and a Venus Engine then processes the signal. In normal mode, the two native ISO are 100 and 640 (max. ISO: 204800). If you decide to shoot in V-Log/V-Gamut, the two native ISO jumps to 640 and 4000 (max. ISO: 51200). Finally, in HLG mode, the native ISO are 400 and 2500 (max. ISO: 204800). V-Log, HDR/HLG, Monitoring Tools and New Articulating Screen The Panasonic LUMIX S1H features various recording modes and picture profiles, including Cinelike Gamma, V-Log/V-Gamut, and HDR in HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma). You can finetune the color profiles by adjusting the knee control and the master pedestal level. According to Panasonic, if you shoot in V-Log/V-Gamut, it is easy to match the camera with other VariCam products. You will get access to the “VariCam Look” and a claimed 14+ stops of dynamic range. We can’t wait to get our hands on the camera to test the dynamic range of the S1H in our lab. If you already have a VariCam LT/EVA1, it makes the LUMIX S1H a good B cam “on a budget.” As opposed to the GH5/GH5S, this is the “full” V-Log from the Varicam line, not V-Log L. The LUMIX S1H features the full V-Log picture profile. Photo credit: cinema5D Also, you can record video in HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode. The camera records this Hybrid Log Gamma-video with a designated gamma curve compatible with ITU-R BT.2100. With that many recording options and formats, the good thing is the S1H comes with a bunch of monitoring and viewing assist tools. For example, there is a Waveform Monitor – that you can scale and position where you want it on the screen – a vectorscope, zebra pattern, color bars, 1kHz test tone, video frame marker (to show the frame aspect), and V-Log View Assist. Tally lights are equipped on both the front and rear sides of the camera. A red frame indication can be displayed on the display/viewfinder when the camera is rolling. Image credit: Panasonic. Talking about monitoring, there is a 3.2-inch articulated LCD screen on the back of the camera, as well as an OLED viewfinder. The LCD screen is 150% brighter than the ones on the LUMIX S1R/S1/GH5/GH5S. Even more importantly, the screen adopts a new mechanical structure and design, which means you can tilt/rotate it without the need to unplug an HDMI or USB cable. I like that because having to disconnect cables on the GH5 to tilt or rotate the built-in screen is a significant pain. The new mechanical structure of the LCD screen. Photo credit: cinema5D Also, the OLED display features a handy Live View Boost that boosts the sensitivity just for live view purposes. It should make your life easier when you are trying to frame your shot in low-light conditions perfectly. The large Real View Finder.Photo credit: cinema5D High-Resolution OLED Viewfinder, Status LCD on Top The “Real View Finder” as Panasonic calls it, is the same as the S1/S1R. It is an OLED display with a 5760k-dot resolution and a 10,000:1 contrast. It’s the highest resolution viewfinder there is in any camera right now, Sony uses a similar one for their latest Alpha series cameras. Latency shouldn’t be an issue with a time lag of only 0.005 sec. The 0.78x magnification ratio can be switched to 0.7x or 0.74x. The Status LCD screen. Photo credit: cinema5D Finally, on top of the camera, there is the Status LCD, a 1.8-inch monochrome LCD with a backlight. It is “always-on” – as long as there is a battery inside the camera – and consumes minimum power. It shows you various information like your photo/video settings, how much time you can still record, the remaining battery life, and so on. Quite nicely, they have also put the audio meters on top of the cameras, which means that you could switch them off in the LCD or viewfinder for a “cleaner” feed of your video recording. Autofocus Regarding the autofocus, the S1H uses a technology that combines “lens, sensor and engine” according to Panasonic. In short, it means that the lens and sensor communicate at a maximum rate of 480 fps, and the engine does all the processing. You will have access to continuous AF with subject tracking, face, and eye detection. The LUMIX S1H also incorporates Advanced AI Technology that detects specific subjects – humans and animals. The camera keeps tracking these subjects even when they turn their back to the camera. We know that autofocus capabilities in Panasonic mirrorless cameras have improved significantly over the past few firmware updates. We tested and compared results in GH5 and GH5S updates that were released in October last year, and we saw a significant improvement in facial recognition. Panasonic informed us that there were additional enhancements since then that have found their way particularly into their S series full-frame cameras, which should have improved autofocus for video even further. We will test the autofocus capabilities of the S1H once we receive it for review. LUMIX S1H Body, Card Slots, Connectivity, Lenses and Accessories The Panasonic LUMIX S1H main structure is composed of a magnesium alloy full die-cast top/front/rear frame. Every joint/dial/button is weather-sealed, making the camera splash and dust resistant. If you are shooting in cold environments, the camera is freeze-resistant down to -10 degrees celsius. This is significantly better than most of the competition who often only guarantee the functionality of their cameras to 0 degrees celsius – which can quickly become a problem during an outdoor shooting in winter. The right side of the camera. Photo credit: cinema5D On the right side of the camera, there is a double SD memory card slot that is UHS-II and V90 compatible. Relay, backup, and allocation recording options are available. It’s kind of amazing that it seems to be possible to record every format simultaneously on both cards, even the highest-bitrate ones. There is also a “card lock” function which activates an alarm if the memory card door is opened when you are rolling. This option can be turned off. The left side of the camera. Photo credit: cinema5D On the right side, you will find a 3.5mm jack input, a headphone jack, a USB-C port that can be used to charge the internal battery, and the full-size HDMI port. On the front of the camera, there is a flash synchro terminal. This port doubles as a time code in/out port with the included BNC cable. The battery life is around 2 hours, and charging the battery takes the same time. The Panasonic LUMIX S1H flash synchro terminal that doubles as a time code in/out port. Photo credit: cinema5D There are two record buttons, one on top of the camera, and one on the front for easy access. The second record button in front of the camera. Photo credit: cinema5D The S1H is an L-mount camera, so it is compatible with every L mount glass by Panasonic, Leica, or Sigma. In total, there should be more than 46 lenses and mount adapters by the end of 2020. Alongside with the LUMIX S1H, Panasonic also announced two new lenses that will go with it – the LUMIX S PRO 24-70mm / f2.8 and the LEICA DG SUMMILUX 25mm / f1.4 II ASPH. We will report about those two lenses in a separate post. The S1H comes with a lot of things in the box, including a useful HDMI cable lock holder. A couple of accessories will be natively compatible with the S1H, like an XLR adapter (DMW-XLR1), a battery grip (DMW-BGS1), a large eyecup (DMW-EC6), a DC coupler and so on. You can find an extensive list of all the accessories in the image below. List of compatible accessories. Image credit: Panasonic. The S1H is Bluetooth 4.2a and Wi-Fi 5-GHz compatible so that you can control it via an app and a smartphone or tablet. Pricing and Availability At the time of writing, we were informed that the Panasonic LUMIX S1H will retail for around €4000 and $4000, respectively, and should be available at the end of September already. Final Thoughts Panasonic was extremely late to the party with their mirrorless full frame cameras, and when they first announced the S1, we weren’t so sure that they still had a chance to convince enough customers from the filmmaking crowd to jump ship from their Sony or other full-frame mirrorless cameras, and change to Panasonic. Now with the S1H in particular, and seeing all the incredible attention to detail and dedication for designated filmmaker functions that they put in this camera, we have to revise this worry. While we haven’t tested this camera yet, it is safe to say that this looks like the most fully-specced “pro video” mirrorless camera on the market so far. It’s missing very little of what a filmmaker can expect from such a camera (we’re still hoping for build-in NDs in these small interchangeable lens cameras, but one can only dream ….). From the small stuff like tally lights and adjustable flip screen, to the “bigger” stuff like high-resolution viewfinder, adjustable waveform monitor and LUTs, to the “big” stuff like 6K anamorphic shooting and 4:2:2 10-bit full frame 400MBit DCI 4K video, Panasonic is obviously VERY serious about taking this market by storm. And they might do just that, if enough people take a closer look. We’ll certainly take a closer look as soon as we get our hands on the camera for a proper extensive review. Stay tuned to cinema5D in the coming weeks! What do you think of the Panasonic LUMIX S1H? Will you consider buying it? Let us know in the comments! Disclaimer: This article includes significant contributions by site editor Nino Leitner (including but not only the final thoughts), who attended a Panasonic press event about the LUMIX S1H in Hamburg, Germany. Panasonic invited us to attend the press presentation among many other press colleagues from Europe, and paid for the flight and travel costs for the one-day event. 

Today, DJI announced the newest addition to their “Ronin family of gimbals”. Please welcome the DJI Ronin-SC. It is smaller and lighter than the Ronin-S, features a maximum payload of 4.4 lbs (2 kg) and brings some new features like Force Mobile and ActiveTrack 3.0. Ronin-SC Gimbal. Source: DJI Last year, when DJI announced the Ronin-S, they were entering an already quite crowded market of one-handed gimbals. Because of their good name and popularity of their bigger Ronin-branded gimbals, the Ronin-S too became quite popular. The number of views on our DJI Ronin-S Review and Tutorial walk-through video only confirms its popularity. As many filmmakers pointed out, one of the specs of the Ronin-S didn’t make them so happy. Mostly its weight: The DJI Ronin-S gimbal weighs 4.1 lb (1.86 kg) which is ok for a short shooting, but not so comfortable for longer shoots. To make handling of the Ronin-S easier DJI released the Switch grip dual handle. You can find out more about it in our article from last week. The truth is that the Ronin-S can carry quite heavy payloads – up to around 7.94 lb (3.6 kg), which is twice its own weight. Many mirrorless camera setups are, however, much lighter and don’t need such a high payload. The problem was that DJI didn’t offer a smaller Ronin gimbal for lighter setups. Until today. What is the new Ronin-SC like? DJI Ronin-SC – Smaller and Lighter One-Handed Gimbal As I mentioned above, the new DJI Ronin-SC (C stands for Compact) is a single-handed 3-axis gimbal aimed at lighter setups. The maximum payload is 4.4 lbs (2 kg), which should be enough for most mirrorless cameras with native lenses. It might even work with certain DSLR lenses with adapters, but there is always a danger of the resulting setup being too front-heavy (proper balancing is often limited by the roll arm of the gimbal). Ronin-SC Gimbal – 360 degree roll. Source: DJI The new Ronin SC weighs 2.4 lbs (1 kg), which is 41% lighter than the Ronin-S. It can be easily taken apart to fit into backpacks and cases. Like its larger sibling, the SC also features good and durable build quality with materials like magnesium, steel, aluminum and composite plastic. Its dedicated battery offers users up to 11 hours of operation. Thanks to feedback from the Ronin-S users, DJI now incorporated 3 axis locks on the pan, tilt and roll axis of the Ronin-SC. This simplifies balancing the camera as well as transportation. Additionally, the Ronin-SC features a new position lock system. Once the gimbal is balanced, it is much faster to remount the camera and start working again. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Sport mode. Source: DJI Similar to the Ronin-S, users can control the gimbal movement with the responsive joystick and easily access different modes and gimbal settings with the use of the Mode (M) button and the front trigger button. New Intelligent Modes Using the redesigned Ronin app, users can set up to 3 different custom profiles, adjust various settings such as motor output and run balance tests to ensure that the camera system is properly balanced. The popular 360-degree roll movement can be saved in one of the custom profiles by simply selecting it in the app. Sport mode, which increases the response speed of the gimbal, is easily accessed by holding the Mode (M) button. The Ronin-SC offers the same modes as Ronin-S but with several new additions, including Force Mobile and ActiveTrack 3.0: Force Mobile (similar to Force Pro) synchronizes the movement of the connected mobile device (currently it only works with iOS devices) with the Ronin-SC gimbal. This works at a max distance of 82 feet (24.9 m – tested in an open unobstructed environment) using the new Bluetooth 5.0 connection. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Force Mobile feature. Source: DJI ActiveTrack 3.0 can make the Ronin SC accurately follow selected subject using a mobile device. The new algorithms include deep learning and optimized calculations for human figures. Similar to the technology found in some DJI drones and the Osmo Series, ActiveTrack 3.0 uses the mobile phone’s camera view and sends this information to the Ronin-SC. Users can mount the mobile phone to the top of the camera’s hotshoe with the included phone holder mount, open the Ronin app and select the subject to follow automatically. Ronin-SC Gimbal – Active Track Feature. Source: DJI Other intelligent modes inherited from the Ronin-S include: Virtual joystick: Control gimbal movement remotely using the virtual joystick,  useful when the Ronin-SC is mounted on a tripod or monopod. TimeLapse and Motionlapse: Create timelapse content, adjusting settings including interval, clips and frames per second. With or without movement. Motion Control: Set movement paths with Motion Control by selecting up to 10 different points. Panorama: Automatically capture panoramas in multiple rows or columns. The Ronin-SC is compatible with a variety of DJI accessories including a new, lighter external focus motor, Command Unit, DJI Force Pro, DJI Master Wheels, and some third-party accessories. Ronin-SC Gimbal is compatible with various accessories. Source: DJI Pricing and availability The DJI Ronin-SC is available now – we included links below our article. There are two versions of the Ronin-SC available: Ronin-SC Standard includes the essentials and is priced at around $439 US (€359) Ronin-SC Pro Combo adds the focus wheel along with the external focus motor and the Remote Start Stop (RSS) Splitter for $539 US (€459) Ronin-SC Gimbal is compatible with various accessories. Source: DJI DJI Care Refresh is also available for the Ronin-SC. For an additional $49 US (€39) it offers comprehensive coverage as well as up to two replacement units within one year. DJI Care Refresh Express is available for faster replacements. DJI Care Refresh also includes VIP after-sales support and free two-way shipping. Covered regions for the Care Refresh are US, Canada, EU, Switzerland, Norway, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China. What do you think of the new DJI Ronin-SC? Would such a compact gimbal fit well into your workflow? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

That one got us by surprise! Along with the introduction of quite a few new lenses for Sony E-mount as well as L-Mount, SIGMA has just unveiled their newly developed SIGMA fp camera, sporting a full-frame 24.6MP backlit sensor! It comes with some welcomed tricks and fresh ideas such as a dedicated switch to set the camera either in stills mode or in cine mode. So here it is: SIGMA’s first camera with true dedication for cine applications. It’s based on a traditional BSI Bayer sensor but this camera is unlike any camera I’ve seen in a very long time. According to SIGMA, this camera is free from genre or categories and it’s designed to be a true user-centric camera. SIGMA fp Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera The camera itself is really tiny, more a box than an ergonomic camera. That’s because SIGMA wants this camera to be as modular as possible to be able to cater for most shooting scenarios. From stills shooters to indie filmmakers, the SIGMA fp can teanform into anything you like it to be. That’s the idea. The back-illuminated Bayer CMOS sensor is 36x24mm with an effective resolution of 6,072 × 4,056 pixels, resulting a total of 24.6 megapixels [in an earlier version we mistakenly wrote 60 megapixels]. The camera uses the new L-Mount which makes total sense as SIGMA is part of the L-Mount alliance and already produces L-Mount lenses. SIGMA fp with attached viewfinder The SIGMA fp comes with a dedicated switch for putting it into either stills or cine mode. And each of the modes transforms the whole camera system in order to only display the items of importance to each use case. No more digging the menus for that specific video setting! Very nice. Furthermore, it comes with a dedicated video record button. Video Recording The SIGMA fp records either raw CDNG in 8, 10 or 12bit (externally to SSD) or it records plain h.264 into a .mov container either in all-i or GOP mode. Supported resolutions include: 3,840 × 2,160 (UHD 4K): 23.98p, 25p,29.97p 1,920 x 1,080 (full HD): 23.98p, 25p, 29.97p, 59.94p, 100p, 119.88p I couldn’t find any intel about color sub-sampling yet but will add these information once I have them. Another thing which is still a bit unclear is the fact that SIGMA states a 1.5 crop in the specifications. Maybe that crop applies to video recording (or UHD recording, at least). It also could be just an option (as seen in the menu – video above @ 2:34), which would be the best possible solution, of course. We will update this article as soon as we know for sure. still from the presentation of the SIGMA fp. For external recording, the video feed can be send out through USB 3.1 (GEN1) to a fast outboard SSD or through HDMI (4:2:2 8-bit only as it seems) to an external recorder. SIGMA specifically names ATOMOS Ninja Inferno and Blackmagic Video Assist 4K as supported devices. More makes and models should follow I assume. Note: The in-camera playback function of recorded CinemaDNG frames will be implemented later with a firmware upgrade so as of now you can shoot CDNG but you can’t play it back on the camera itself. Another curiosity: In their press release SIGMA claims that the fp is able to record 12-bit raw CDNG externally through USB 3.1 while further down in the specifications it reads that the camera is able to record 12-bit raw CDNG internally. We will have to wait and find out what’s actually the case here. Audio is being recorded in Linear PCM (2ch 48kHz /16bit). The fp camera records to one of the following types of media: SD / SDHC / SDXC Memory Card (UHS-II compatible). Furthermore you can use an external USB3 SSD which will be bus-powered. The BMPCC 4K springs to mind! Stills Mode vs. Cine Mode Since this camera sports not one but two cameras in one body, let’s run through the features of both modes! In general, this is really a nice (maybe even overdue) feature to have in modern mirrorless hybrid cameras. Using the dedicated switch you can flick between stills mode and cine mode effortlessly without any menu digging. stills mode vs. cine mode Furthermore, in each mode you only get the relevant information displayed on the screen and these information reflect the mode you’re working in. For example you’ll get a 16:9 image in cine mode without any overlaying icons. You can, however, enable some overlays such as audio meters or a waveform monitor. Additionally frame guides can be displayed (and adjusted of course). TC will be displayed in cine mode but not in stills mode. Exposure correction is a feature stills photographers need, video shooters not so much. You get the idea. I think this feature alone is a huge breakthrough for video capabilities on small mirrorless cameras such as this SIGMA fp. Other manufacturers should think about separating both modes of operation as well! Other Specifications The SIGMA fp is a tiny camera, indeed. With overall dimensions of 112.6×69.9×45.3mm and body weight of 370g, without battery and card, the SIGMA fp is not your average mirrorless camera. Maybe that’s why the fp stands for fortissimo & pianissimo: Strong and light at the same time. The rear TFT screen can’t swivel or tilt. It sports approximately 2.1 million dots and it’s a touchscreen, of course. The camera offers a 3.5mm mic input and, as a scratch audio source, a built-in stereo mic. It also offers a tiny speaker for audio playback but somehow SIGMA forgot to implement a headphone jack. That’s really a bit strange since this camera is clearly aimed towards video (at least in cine mode), so I can’t think of any reason to not implement a headphone out.. Maybe SIGMA adds this with a future module of some kind. Let’s just hope proper audio has not been forgotten here. The SIGMA fp offers a a so-called director’s mode, i.e. director’s viewfinder. With it you can mimic another camera’s sensor size as well as film cameras and even anamorphic lenses. Available and build-in camera profiles include the ARRI ALEXA LF, MINI LF, AMIRA, Sony VENICE, RED MONSTRO 8K and many more. So this camera could even be a directors accessory on fully-flegded productions. Not exactly necessary but still a nice addition. In a later firmware upgrade you will also be able to record and playback video while in director’s mode. With a whole stack of accessories for this new camera, SIGMA lets you transform it into whatever camera you like. Add a handgrip and a hot shoe for adding a flash? No problem! Need a proper viewfinder and a large handgrip along with a mount converter for shooting video? Not a problem! You really can transform this camera to match your exact needs for the given job. Pretty neat I’d say. For a full review we need to go hands-on of course but from what I can see here this SIGMA fp could be a really capable tool for stills shooter and indie filmmakers alike. In terms of power, the fp uses a SIGMA lithium battery (Li-ion Battery BP-51). And since the camera sports USB, you can charge the battery through that USB port, but only if the camera is turned off. SIGMA fp – Combating camera body heat. Pricing and Availability The SIGMA fp is set for a release later this year (around fall) but there’s no word on pricing yet. SIGMA’s Kazuto Yamaki holding the new SIGMA fp. I love this photo. A moment of pride Links: Website What do you think? Is this the camera you’ve waited for? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Zacuto recently introduced a new baseplate system designed for mirrorless and DSLR cameras – or any camera up to 50 lbs – called the Zacuto Polaris. Zacuto Polaris Concept The Zacuto Polaris is a lightweight yet robust baseplate built around an Arca Swiss compatible quick release system. Otherwise, the Polaris plate and QR receiver are not a traditional Arca Swiss mount. To attach your camera, you first have to snap it in the QR receiver. To lock the camera down, the Zacuto Polaris uses a knob that you have to screw 1 1/4 turn. Finally, to release your camera, you have to turn the same knob 1 1/4 of a corner and pull the knob to release. Like every Arca Swiss system, it has safety locks so the unit can’t slide out if the knob isn’t all the way lose. I prefer the clamp locking system of the Kessler Kwik Release system which is – in my opinion – much faster, takes a smaller footprint, and less prone to operator’s errors. Zacuto Polaris Baseplate The Mirrorless Polaris Baseplate kit includes a camera plate, a mounting plate, a 15mm rod support base, and a set of 12″ rods. The rods are tightened with two mini ratcheting levers. The 15mm rod support base is height adjustable to align popular cameras to standard matte box height. Also, various accessories are available if you need to extend your rig, like a Polaris Shoulder Pad. You can purchase additional Polaris camera and mounting plates if required. Finally, some of the camera cages from Zacuto, like the GH5 Basic Cage will be updated with a built-in Arca Swiss compatible plate to be “natively” Polaris compatible. Other cages for the Sony A7 III/A7R III and A9, Blackmagic 4K Pocket Camera, Nikon Z7/Z6, Panasonic S1, and Fuji X-T3 should be updated pretty soon. Or, if you already own a cage, you can screw the camera plate at the bottom of your cage. Of course, the Zacuto Polaris is compatible with all 15mm rod accessories from Zacuto like the Z-Drive, the Tornado, and the Trigger Grips. Indeed, it is also compatible with every Arca Swiss and 15mm rod standard accessories you might already have. The Zacuto Polaris Shoulder Pad Pricing and Availability The Polaris Baseplate System will cost you $350.00, but there is currently an instant saving of $70.00 at B&H. Individual parts are also available for pre-orders. Shipping will start in about a week. What do you think of the Zacuto Polaris system? What type of quick release system do you use? Let us know in the comments down below!

As Nikon and Atomos have announced, the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will output RAW video signal via HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V will record it in high-quality ProRes RAW format. During CP+ we spoke with Shoji-san from Nikon, about this new capability. Please note that CP+ is a local show taking place in Japan and as such, most Japanese company representatives speak Japanese only. We chose to highlight this subject and bring you the video in Japanese with English subtitles. (Please turn CC on if needed) As you might already know, in January 2019 Nikon and Atomos have announced that the Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 full-frame mirrorless cameras will be able to output RAW signal through HDMI and the Atomos Ninja V recorder will be able to record that stream as a high-quality ProRes RAW video. My colleague Olaf wrote a nice article about the announcement titled “Why Atomos ProRes RAW Recording for Nikon Z7 and Z6 Could Change our Industry”. Give it a read if you haven’t already. Shoji-san states that Nikon received feedback from their pro photographers, who are being asked to also shoot video next to photo, by their clients, nowadays. That’s why Nikon decided to include pro video features in their cameras. As the company does not have any cinema cameras range to protect, they can include whatever innovative feature they can, in their mirrorless cameras. At the moment, both Nikon cameras record in 8-bit H.264 internally and up to 10-bit with N-log externally in ProRes 4:2:2. Soon, these cameras will be able to output 12-bit RAW signal and the Atomos Ninja V will record the footage into ProRes RAW. The function was developed together with Atomos. We didn’t get any information on when exactly the RAW output will be available, yet. One important piece of information Shoji-san did share with us (without disclosing too much about future plans), is that Nikon is closely looking at the possibility of including high-quality internal recording in their future cameras. Reading between the lines, we won’t be surprised if some sort of internal high quality recording will be available within a reasonable timeframe… What do you think of Nikon cameras outputting high-quality RAW signal? Would you consider buying one of their cameras because of the new feature? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.

Samyang recently announced their first venture into the Canon RF world. The Samyang MF 14mm F/2.8 RF and Samyang MF 85mm f/1.4 RF will be the first in line for native compatibility with the Canon EOS R Mirrorless cameras. The new mirrorless line from Canon brought a new mount – RF mount is much more compact due to not needing to account for a large mirrorbox found on DSLRs. The result is a much shorter flange distance than Canon EF. Canon themselves announced an EF to RF mount alongside the first Canon EOS R camera, but that won’t stop third party manufactures making more practical native-compatible lenses. The first offerings from Samyang are two manual focus, wide aperture primes – the MF 14mm f/2.8 RF and the MF 85mm f/1.4 RF. Looking at the design and specification of these lenses, they use the structure of existing Samyang lenses, just with the longer back end to account for the shorted flange distance. Samyang MF 14mm F2.8 RF Specification Aperture range : 2.8-22 Construction 14 elements in 10 groups Coating UMC Min Focus Distance 0.28m (0.92ft) Mag. Ratio x 0.08 Aperture Blades 6 Angle of View 115.7˚ Weight 800g Samyang MF 85mm F2.8 RF Specification Aperture range : 1.4-22 Construction 9 elements in 7 groups Coating UMC Min Focus Distance 1m (3.3ft) Mag. Ratio x 0.09 Aperture Blades 8 Angle of View 28.3˚ Weight 730g Both are naturally compatible with the full frame sensor format, and are weather sealed “from light rain and snow”, the rubber gasket on the rear also helps with lens-body stability. Expect many more from Samyang here, they have a wealth of manual focus primes that I’m sure will receive the same rehoused treatment to allow native compatibility for Canon RF Mount. Article will be updated with pricing, but current similar Samyang lenses in other mounts are both sub $300. In other Samyang news, the lens we saw back at Photokina 2018 that the Korean company bill “the world’s widest no-distortion full frame lens” has been officially announced. The XP 10mm f/3.5 covers up to 130° angle of view, is constructed from 18 elements in 11 groups, will be available in the Spring (Canon mount first, then Nikon) and cost around €1099. What do you think of the new lenses? Let us know in the comments below.