Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/680196
www.postmagazine.com 27 POST MAY 2016 PANASONIC VARICAM LT Panasonic's (www.panasonic.com) VariCam LT (model AU-V35LT1G) is a great and solid addition to the VariCam family. Anybody who has shot on the original Panasonic VariCam has loved every minute of its blow-you-away, beautiful images, crazy-mad resolution and stunning cinematic imagery. But the original VariCam is pretty big and not all that portable. That is until now. Weighing in at a very respectable and manageable 5.95 pounds, without a lens, the LT was a delight to get up on my shoulder. The LT is very nicely balanced with an old-style handheld feel, but with the wallop of VariCam technology. And, VariCam LT boasts an incredible array of shooting options that mirror many of its big brothers. VariCam LT inherits the same super 35mm sensor and superb imaging capabilities as the VariCam 35, but with significant reductions in size, weight and price. It also delivers 14-plus stops of dynamic range with V-Log, and the dual native ISOs of 800/5000. The VariCam LT records in multiple formats ranging from 4K, UHD, 2K and HD, and like the VariCam 35, is fully capable of High Dynamic Range (HDR) field capture. The new 4K camcorder offers Apple ProRes 4444 (up to 30p) and ProRes 422 HQ (up to 60p) support. New codecs introduced in the VariCam LT include AVC-Intra LT and AVC-Intra 2K-LT, both designed to offer capture rates up to 240fps in imager crop mode. The VariCam LT also offers in-camera color grading, with the ability to record an ungraded 4K master along with all on-set grading metadata. A new color-processing feature is "V-Look," which acts as a blend of V-Log and video. This new camera addition will be a solid choice for handheld, SteadiCam and weight-rated drones. ■ QUICK LOOK 4K up to 60 fps, 2K/HD up to 240fps, dual native ISO 800/5000, 14-plus stops of dynamic range with V-Log, simultaneous dual codec recording, selectable gamma curves, lists for $16,500. CANON ME200S-SH BOX CAMERA Canon (www.usa.canon.com) introduced the new ME200S-SH box camera this year, a unique addition that drew quite the crowd at the company's booth. The camera features an 8.2 megapixel Super 35mm sensor and has both high sensi- tivity capacity and a really nice cinema look. While not a recorder, this camera can easily be connecter via SDI/HDMI to any external device. The ME200S-SH boasts 1920x1080/60p, 50p output, Dual Pixel CMOS AF. I can envision this cam- era as a standalone device for documen- tary work, in HD studios, concerts and sporting events where space might not even be available for a camera operator. It's perfect for a high, over-the-top shot in a lighting grid. But it can do more. The ME200S-SH camera includes both Canon Log and Wide DR Gamma, pro- viding end users the high dynamic range and the ability to choose their own post production strategy. ■ QUICK LOOK Canon Super 35mm CMOS sensor; dual pixel CMOS AF (auto-focus); up to 204, 800 ISO; 12 stops of dynamic range; 1080p/720p video up to 60fps; 3G/HD SDI terminals; lists for $5,999. GOPRO OMNI Call me crazy, but I think this might be one of GoPro's (www.gopro.com) best offerings yet. The GoPro Omni is based on the Omni rig; an aluminum housing that holds a synchronized six-camera array of GoPro Hero4 Black cameras (the sync function ties them all togeth- er). I love the fact that the housing is aluminum, not some cheesy, easy to break plastic. If you are out and about in the wild, things are going to get banged around. Press 'record' once on the master camera and the others will start sync recording as well. So essentially, you now have six Hero4 Blacks shooting in 4K. The demo that I saw on an iPhone showed off some crazy-great, impressive footage. For the burgeoning VR market, this set up is going to be killer. ■ QUICK LOOK Six Hero4 Black cameras act as one: Interact with the primary camera in the array to configure settings or initiate the start/stop of recording for all six cameras; Omni may also be used for "over capture" — capture at 8K and extract HD deliverables. Hero4 Black specs include 4K/30, 2.7K/60 and 1080p video; capture 12MP photos at 30fps; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity; system with cameras lists for $4,999. SONY HDC-4800 The HDC-4800 is the newest Sony (www.pro.sony.com) camera system that combines 4K and Wide Color Space Lytro's Light Field Camera (above and opposite page) captures data, rather than images. This opens up lots of options for post and visual effects. Panasonic's new VariCam is lighter and more portable. Canon's ME200S-SH 'box camera' can be used in a range of applications. POST MAY 2016 GoPro syncs six Hero4 Black cameras in this VR rig.