There is little doubt that most South African cinematographers would choose thThere
is little doubt that most South African cinematographers would choose the RED Epic or
ARRI Alexa for their next commercial / feature / television production if there was a
choice. But with both of these cameras costing over the R200 000 mark to purchase
and a proportionate amount to rent, going for the top end may not be an option.
How then do the less expensive cameras stack up, and which are the best sellers and
the most used? This is obviously a difficult question to answer as statistics are not
available. However, in order to get some idea we approached various manufacturers
and the results were interesting. In terms of criteria, cameras had to be around the
R50 000 or mark or less, ready to go, and suitable for all the most common genres of
cinematography.
Panasonic
Panasonic’s best seller is the AG-HPX250 2.2MP P2 HD handheld camcorder. This
camera features an integrated 22 x zoom lens and a 2.2 Mp 1/3′ CMOS sensor. The
Panasonic AG-HPX250 not only records DVCPRO (DV & HD), but is also the first
handheld professional camcorder to record the extremely high-quality AVC-Intra 100
Mb/s (10-bit 4:2:2) codec.
Local DOP (director of photography), Willem Viljoen, is a Panasonic aficionado and
owns several Panasonic cameras, including the venerable VariCam.
“I have had the HPX250 for three months now. In addition, I have two VariCams and
the AG-HPX250 slots in nicely – it’s light and although a lower spec than the VariCam,
it shoots the same codec. It’s the best quality for its size that I know.
“The downside is that it is CMOS, but it cuts very well with the VariCam. It’s a R50
000 camera versus a R500 000 camera. I would position it as high end corporate –
where the budgets are limited, and it’s good as a second camcorder – even for
commercials. We shot a commercial for Emperor’s Palace on the VariCam, but we did
the odd bit on the AG-HPX250 too, including tracking shots where we needed a
smaller camera, and it was great.
“The AG-HPX250 is easy to use. You instinctively go for the right buttons and it
becomes so familiar. As mentioned, the only downside is the small sensor. However,
having said that, if I could only get one camera it would be an AG-HPX250,’ says
Viljoen.
Panasonic AG-HPX250 2.2MP P2 product highlights:
- 1/3′-Type 2.2 Mp 3MOS Imager
- Integrated 22x (28-616mm Equiv) Lens
- 10-Bit ARC-Intra Recording at 100 Mb/s
- DVCPRO HD & SD Recording
- Variable Frame Rates & 24p Modes
- 3.45′ 1920 x 480 LCD Monitor
- Dual P2 Memory Card Slots
- Manual Zoom, Iris, Focus Rings
- HD-SDI, HDMI & Composite Outputs
- NTSC & PAL
Sony
Sony advises that the HXR-NX5E NXCAM and the PMW-200p HD XDCAM camcorders
are good sellers. SBSS (Broadcast Sales and Services) in Cape Town recently sold a
PMW-200p Sony HD XDCAM camcorder to Sunel Haasbroek, DOP at Cooked in Africa
films. The PMW-200p is designed to meet the needs of broadcast productions, and
records onto solid state media using 50 Mbit/s 4:2:2 XDCAM HD.
Haasbroek is enthusiastic about the camera. “My first thought about the Sony PMW-
200p was the picture quality,’ she says. “It really is amazingly crisp and vivid
compared to the Sony PMW-EX1. You can immediately see the difference in the image
between the two cameras. The PMW-200p is a massive step up from the EX1. As it
shoots Pro-res 422 it makes sense the quality is that good. It takes up a bit more
card space, but hey, it’s worth it.
“Speaking of cards, the great thing is that all the batteries, cards and accessories
that I purchased for the EX1 work perfectly with the PMW-200p, so one could save
quite a bit of time and money with this upgrade. In terms of post-production, you can
still use the same download and conversion process as well.
“The actual handling of the camera disappointed me a bit. It has a fixed handle,
which takes it back to Sony PD170 standards in my mind. The adjustable handle is
one of the best things about the EX1, especially if working handheld 90% of the time,
so I had to get used to the fixed handle. The camera is also quite light, which is
great, but sometimes the weight helps with handheld stability and movement. The
menu itself is very similar to the EX1 so it wasn’t too hard to navigate for the first
time set up.’
According to Haasbroek, a couple of the camera’s ‘amazing new additions’ are the
ability to shoot 1080 at 422, black balance, and the built-in back focus in the menu.
She continues: “The picture profile has changed slightly in terms of gamma options,
but it’s also still quite similar to the EX1. One of the features that is very welcome is
that it has time-code out! When shooting with five cameras rolling at the same time
it’s an absolute must have. The low light capability is a few stops more on the censor
as well.
“What I fear most when filming in semi-arid deserts is dust. And the Karoo has lots of
fine dust that likes to go into everything and use all of my dust-off in the first day.
The PWM-200p has a lot of vents and holes, so I have to cover it up with a porta-
brace dust and rain cover. About two weeks into our shoot, with another two to go,
the PMW-200p developed a purple spot on the censor. My immediate thought was
dust. But it wasn’t – it turned out to be damage from the sun. So in the robustness
category I have to say it’s a step down from the EX1, which is just a machine. So if
you shoot like us, shade your camera as much as possible.
“Overall I am pleased with the Sony PMW-200p. As it is the first generation of a new
range of cameras, we all know there will be a few glitches, but it will be worth your
while using one of these on your production.’
PMW-200p Sony HD XDCAM Camcorder abbreviated product highlights:
- Three 1/2′ Exmor CMOS Sensors
- MPEG HD422 at 50 Mbps
- HD422 1080p at 24 & 30 fps
- HD422 720p at 24, 30 & 60 fps
- Fujinon Lens with 14x Zoom Ratio
- Four Channels of 16-bit Audio
- Articulated LCD with 852×480 Resolution
- Timecode & Genlock Input
- Cache Recording Up to 15 Seconds
- Dual Express Card SxS Memory Card Slots
Canon
The last, but probably best known camera, in this review is the Canon EOS 5D Mk 11.
This remarkable stills camera has become the camera of choice for many DOPs for its
ability to shoot stunning visuals. It punches high in terms of both resolution and
features, headlining: 21 megapixels, 1080p video, 3.0′ VGA LCD, Live View and a high
capacity battery. In other words, a camera that aims to leapfrog both its direct rivals,
either in terms of resolution (in the case of the D700) or features (in the case of the
DSLR-A900).
There are innumerable 5D Mk11 cameras out there, both in private hands and through
rental houses, and they are used for anything from commercials to features to TV
soap series (M-Net’s soapie The Wild was shot on 5D.)
Well known DOP Tai Krige owns several Canon cameras, including a 7D. “I shoot on
the 5D quite a lot when I don’t have the budget for an Alexa or a RED,’ he says. “In
my opinion the 5D has a really nice look and the images, without any extensive post-
production manipulation, make it the camera of choice. It is great value and I really
like the look of it.
“However, you have to transcode it to ProRes (or whatever) to edit it, but if you have
lit it correctly and are happy with what you are getting on the camera screen, and
your exposures is right, the look is gorgeous.
“You can’t play with it – it’s just 8 bit, so you can’t go into the colour space and
change or do fancy grades – but nevertheless it’s just wonderful as is. You can use
custom Picture Profiles and download them straight into the camera – this gives you
much more latitude and helps the grade – windows don’t blow out so much, and so
on. So unless you want something unusual grade-wise, the 5D is great.’
Krige points out that the camera has a massive sensor – full-frame 35mm. “This is
not full-frame for film, it is full-frame for stills (36 x 24mm.) It’s huge and can handle
extreme low light. The main thing is that it has very little depth of field. You are only
sharp where you focus, which is a look I love.
“I have just shot a Danone Yogurt ad – top-end high-budget, on my own 5D
purchased from Digital Experience in Fourways Crossing, a normal retail outlet. It cost
in the region of R17 000 for the Mk11.
“Now that the Blackmagic Cinema Camera is available I may well have to consider a
change, as it has the ability to shoot 2.5K RAW uncompressed!’ states Krige.
Canon EOS 5D Mk2 abbreviated product highlights:
- 21.1-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor
- 14-bit A/D conversion
- Wide range ISO setting 100-6400
- Body only, lenses sold separately
- DIGIC 4 Image Processor
- High-performance 3.9 fps continuous shooting
- Live View Function for stills
- Full HD video capture at 1920×1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip
- HDMI output
- Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with
a full-frame sensor
Compiled by Andy Stead
Screen Africa magazine – April 2013
