Gearing Up for 4K Production, Part 2: Cameras and Lenses
In part 2 of our 3-part series on gearing up for 4K live production, we'll explore the cameras and lenses available today for professional 4K production.
4K Camera Options
Figure 6 (below) lists a handful of 4K-capable cameras that are currently available. The big thing to keep in mind is that not all 4K cameras record internally. Three of these cameras, the Sony a7S and FS700 and the Canon C500, feature UltraHD-ready output. They're 4K, but you have to use an external recorder to get a 4K signal out of the camera.
Figure 6. A range of 4K camera/camcorder options. Click the image to see it at full size.
The Panasonic DMC-GH4 is a small DSLR that offers UltraHD internal-recording. The Sony PXW-X70 is a $2300 1”-sensor camcorder with a planned upgrade to 4K (it the camera on the bottom right in Figure 5).
SDI Out
When we think of Ultra HD camcorders in the context of an entire live production workflow, SDI out, as discussed in Part 1 of this series, is a crtitical feature. All of the models listed in Figure 7 (below) are UltraHD-ready and have SDI out.
Figure 2.7 UltraHD-capable cameras that offer SDI out. Click the image to see it at full size.
One model on this list that takes an interesting approach to UltraHD is the JVC HMQ-10 with its quad HD recording, because Ultra HD is actually four times HD resolution. With this camera, JVC takes four quadrants of the image and records them to four separate cards. Then you have to recombine them to make 4K. Although this was an ingenious way to get an early UHD camera out there when the codecs weren’t really ready, I doubt anyone is going to use it.
Form Factor
As alluded to earlier, form factor is an important consideration when choosing a camera, and it’s no different with 4K/UHD. A palmcorder is not going offer you the same capabilities as a full-size camcorder or a large-sensor camera in terms of all of the controls. Professionals film everything in manual.
When I'm at a trade show, it drives me nuts when I pick up a camera and everything is set to auto. I wonder, "Who sets these things up like that?" Like any other professional visiting their booth, I suspect, I have to switch everything into manual to properly assess a camera.
Monitoring and Recording
When it comes to monitoring and recording, Atomos offers the Shogun (Figure 8, below), which is starting to ship now. It accepts 12G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 inputs and records in 4K, using both the ProRes codec and CinemaDNG raw. It also features a 7” HD IPS monitor and records to hard drives, SSDs, and CFast cards—all for $1,995. For the 4K workflow, it's the de facto standard now, even though it hasn't really launched.
Figure 8. The Atomos Shogun
In Part 3 of this series we’ll delve deeper into storage options for 4K production, as well as switching and delivery, and we’ll touch on postproduction as well.
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