Post Magazine

May/June 2019

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www.postmagazine.com 35 POST MAY/JUNE 2019 SPECIAL REPORT: CAMERAS demonstrated the ProRes RAW video firmware up- date for the Z Series, which is expected later this year. Steve Heiner, senior technical manager at Nikon, who spoke with Post just prior to publication, says, "We don't come from a long line of video or cinema cameras. Since 2009, we've had cameras that can shoot HD. The D90 was the first, although it was a 720p camera that was born out of interest from our long-time still photography/wire services clients who realized they needed their photogra- phers and shooters to produce video content as well. Then we had the DSLR revolution. We were watching the NAB Show and then went for a few years, because we were confident that the D800, the D810 and the D850 were all competent full HD cameras —the D850, a 4K UHD camera. But it wasn't really until we decided to fully embark on our full-frame mirrorless system late last year that we felt confident going back to NAB with a real pair of viable products. This year was sort of our re-birth at NAB, if you will. We finally came back and [the Z Series] was received extremely well." The Nikon Z Series is what the company de- scribes as an innovative, full-frame mirrorless cam- era system that combines advanced video features with Nikon's recognized optical quality. Features of the Z Series cameras — the Z6 and Z7 — include 4K UHD recording, timecode, focus peaking, uncom- pressed HDMI output, N-Log and more. In addition to its advanced content capture capabilities, the Nikon Z Series offers a range of fea- tures that seek to enhance the video workflow and offer ultimate creative control in post production, such as 10-bit HDMI output, N-Log, timecode and focus peaking. Features will also continue to adapt and evolve — currently in development is a LUT for N-Log, as well the upcoming addition of 12-bit ProRes RAW video support. "I think we've realized a lot in the years that we've been doing this that really this sort of small footprint type of product is something that not only photographers can bridge out into a level of filmmaking that helps bolster their own businesses but also allows for people to create very high-end content for online purposes," Heiner says. "We will continue to demonstrate with the mirrorless Z Systems that we now have a platform that doesn't have the limitations that a DSLR does. The mirror- less platform makes this possible." PANASONIC UC4000 FIRMWARE UPGRADE The latest free firmware upgrade to Panasonic's (https://na.panasonic.com) AK-UC4000 4K/ HD HDR-capable camera system adds V-Log output, incorporating the full power of the col- orimetry of the company's line of VariCam and AU-EVA1 cinema cameras and making the cam- era useful for post production workflows. With the inclusion of V-Log, the AK-UC4000 has earned approval from the Netflix Post Alliance for creating Netflix-approved content, joining Panasonic's VariCam 35, VariCam LT, VariCam Pure and EVA1 on the sanctioned list. V-Log delivers a very flat image if observed on a standard monitor, yet maintains all of the cam- era imager's color and contrast information. This provides a great level of play when images are put through post production processes. The sensor of the AK-UC4000 achieves a wide color gamut (which is the complete color space of the camera) and achieves a color palette that is wider than BT.2020. ISO-recorded V-Log content has log characteristics that are reminiscent of scanned film, and V-Gamut delivers a color space even larger than scanned film. With the AK-UC4000 in the V-Log mode, the AK-UCU600 CCU will output 4K and HD signals as V-Log so that they can be recorded as V-Log or run through an appropriate LUT box to be shown live to a display. Meanwhile, the camera head outputs and viewfinder will show a standard ITU 709 image suitable for standard HD displays. With available V-Log, the AK-UC4000 be- comes fully compatible with the Cinelive work- flow of the VariCam LT, as well as the EVA-Live workflow of the AU-EVA1. This allows for accurate camera color matching across productions and fosters creative options. Users can download the firmware upgrade with V-Log online. JVC 500 SERIES STREAMING HANDHELD CAMCORDERS JVC Professional Video (http://pro.jvc.com) has expanded its Connected Cam product line with the new 500 Series of streaming hand- held camcorders. Designed to optimize both image processing and IP performance, the 500 Series consists of three compact 4K cameras: the GY-HC500 base model, GY-HC550 with advanced streaming and graphics, and GY- HC500SPC sports production camera. The cameras can record to solid state drive media in 10-bit ProRes 422 at 4K resolution and 50/60p frame rates. They can also record several other native 4K UHD and HD file formats to support a wide range of workflows. The GY-HC550 adds MPEG-2 and MXF recording as well. When paired with any ProHD Bridge product, all 500 models provide reliable 1080p streaming per- formance up to 20Mbps with SMPTE 2022 forward error correction, low latency (less than 500ms), and return video and IFB. The GY-HC550 also in- cludes dual external antennas with built-in wireless LAN, integrated GPS, and Zixi error correction with automatic repeat request (ARQ). All 500 Series cameras feature a one-inch 4K CMOS imager and integrated 20x zoom lens with built-in ND filters and manual zoom, focus and iris control rings. For creative flexibility, the cameras record HDR footage in the HLG (hybrid log gamma) mode or 10-bit J-Log mode, and support 120fps slow-motion HD recording. Both the GY-HC550 and GY-HM500SPC in- clude integrated lower-third and full-screen titling options for recorded or streamed video output without an external character generator. The GY-HC500SPC also offers high-resolution score overlays for a number of sports, and users can add logos or icons to customize graphics. Camera operators can update scores using a WiFi con- nected smartphone or tablet, or receive realtime data automatically in venues where a Sportzcast Scorebot is integrated with the scoreboard. The cameras are expected to ship in June, with an MSRP starting at $3,900 for the GY-HC500. At NAB in April, JVC also demonstrated its GY-HC900 and GY-HC900ST Connected Cam models. Both cameras feature three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors to produce full HD images, plus an industry B4 lens mount and four-position optical filter.

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