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Sony FS5 II
Best run-and-gun cinema camera
Sony’s follow up to the PXW-FS5, the
FS5 II adds new frame rate options and
VENICE color science as well as an In-
stant HDR Workfl ow on top of S-Log2/3.
The FS5 II can also output 4K RAW via
the SDI output and internally capture
continuous HD video at up to 120 frames
per second.
Along with this new color science, the
FS5 II still features S-Log2 and 3. Plus,
Sony says the camera’s Instant HDR Work-
fl ow can be used to produce HDR content
in HLG/BT.2020 mode without the need for
color grading.
The new FS5 II also expands on the
high frame rate recording capabilities
of its predecessor. It now supports up to
four seconds of 120 fps recording in 4K
and eight seconds of HD 10-bit 4:2:2 re-
cording at up to 240fps. The camera also
supports continuous recording of 120fps
in Full HD.
Users can also pair an external recorder
with the FS5 II to shoot continuously at
up to 240 fps at 60 hertz or 200 fps at 50
hertz in 2K RAW or at up to 60fps in 4K
RAW. Four seconds of 120 fps 4K RAW is
also possible when using a recorder.
Like other cameras in Sony’s Large
Format Sensor line-up, the FS5 II features
an ergonomic modular design. This makes
it suitable for a variety of uses including
gimbal and drone shooting. A built-in
electronic variable neutral density fi lter
and ten available picture profi les add to
this fl exibility. All this makes it an ideal
run-and-gun camera that will still give you
a cinematic image. The Sony FS5 II sells
for $4,750.Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema 4K
Best budget cinema camera
The Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema
4K a uses a Micro Four Thirds sensor
to capture DCI 4K video with up to 13
stops of dynamic range. It’s also the
fi rst camera from Blackmagic Design to
feature dual native ISO. This should help
improve the historically limited low-light
performance in Blackmagic cameras.
The camera can record DCI 4K, UHD
4K and full HD video at standard frame
rates, with off-speed frame rates of up to
60 frames per second (fps) in DCI 4K and
120 fps in windowed HD mode. Sup-
ported codecs include 10-bit ProRes and
12-bit CinemaDNG RAW.
With the addition of dual native ISO,
the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K can shoot
at ISOs up to 25600, a signifi cant im-
provement over its predecessor. Black-
magic Design also promises a reduced
crop factor with a 4/3 sensor specifi cally
designed to match MFT lenses. The Pock-
et Cinema Camera 4K sells for $1,295.Best Cinema Cameras
Even though cinema cameras
look a lot like camcorders, they
produce an image that looks
more like actual fi lm.Best Cinema Cameras
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have a crop factor. The focal length
listed on lenses is based on that 35mm
standard, so it will correlate to the ac-
tual field of view captured by the lens
when paired with a full frame sensor.
Cameras using full frame sensors
will generally be more expensive, but
there are several other common sen-
sor sizes that you might encounter.
The first is Micro Four Thirds. This is
one of the smallest sensors offered in
cinema cameras. Its crop factor is 2x.
With that crop, a 24mm lens will have
an effective focal length of 48mm,
meaning shooters will have a narrow-
er field of view and will have to back
the camera further away from the
subject to achieve the same framing.
The next sensor size to know when
shopping for a cinema camera is Su-
per 35. Super 35 has a crop factor of
1.4x to 1.5x crop, again depending on
the manufacturer. A 24mm lens would
have an effective focal length of about
36mm using a Super 35 sensor. Super
35 is the most common sensor size
in high-end digital cinema cameras
and emulates Super 35 motion picture
film. If you want to achieve the closest
possible look to a Hollywood film, this
is the sensor size for you.Depth of field
Besides crop factor, sensor size also
impacts the appearance of the depth of
field of an image. Depth of field, or the
distance from the closest object to the
camera in focus to the furthest object
from the camera in focus, is influenced
by the image sensor, the aperture and
the focal length of the lens. The wider
the aperture, the smaller the depth of
field. The larger the image sensor and
larger the focal length of the lens, the
shallower the depth of field will appear.
A shallow depth of field is desirable
when you want your subject to stand
out from a background that is in soft
focus. It’s also generally considered to
have a more cinematic look. A larger
depth of field is more desirable for
shooting rapid action where maintain-
ing focus on a subject is challenging.Dynamic range
One of the main advantages of using
a cinema camera is the expanded dy-
namic range these cameras typicallyHow to choose
Cinema cameras are designed to
be true video-first cameras. They’re
especially appealing to cinematogra-
phers because they combine the best
from both camcorders and the DSLR/
mirrorless form factor. These inter-
changeable-lens cameras offer larger
sensors without sacrificing ergonom-
ics. They’ll also often offer higher-
quality codecs and RAW recording, all
in an effort to give editors and color-
ists more latitude in post-production.
Larger than a DSLR or mirrorless
camera, cinema cameras also have
space for more accessory mounting
points. This helps reduce reliance on
full camera rigs or cages. Cinema cam-
eras usually also have XLR inputs as
well as HDMI and/or SDI out for send-
ing a clean video signal to an external
recorder. They also come complete with
the external controls and input/output
options you’d commonly find on a
professional camcorder. The most obvi-
ous difference from the outside is the
cinema camera’s interchangeable lens.
But even though cinema cameras look
a lot like camcorders, they produce an
image that looks more like actual film.
Not all cinema cameras are created
equal, however. Let’s go over some of
the most important features to look
for as you shop.Sensor size
Generally speaking, most cameras are
priced based on their sensor size. The
smaller the sensor, the more likely that
the camera housing will be affordable.
This is because the sensor is one of the
most expensive parts of a camera. Cin-
ema cameras most often use the Su-
per35 sensor size, but there are some
that use the smaller micro four-thirds
format. More expensive models will
even have larger full-frame sensors.
Sensor size is most apparent in the
way it affects the field of view of a
shot. Smaller sensors come with a crop
factor, which is used to figure a lens’
effective focal length when used with
that sensor. The effective focal length
of a lens is based on the standard of
35mm photo film. A full frame sensor
is considered full-frame because it’s
the same size as actual 35mm film.
Full frame sensors, therefore, do notBest Cinema Cameras
offer. The dynamic range of a camera
determines how well it can capture
details in both dark and light sections
of the same image. A camera with a
small dynamic range will force you to
compromise in your exposure when
shooting in mixed light intensity,
while cameras with a larger dynamic
range will give you more latitude.
A larger dynamic range means the
camera captures deeper shadows and
brighter highlights in the same shot
without losing detail.
Cinema cameras are designed to cap-
ture video with a dynamic range that,
at least, matches that of film: around
13 stops. Modern cinema cameras can
reproduce 14 or more stops of dynamic
range. This gives you a more cinematic
image and incredible flexibility during
the color grading process.Sensor size and dynamic range
One way camera makers achieve this
is through the use of larger sensors
with larger pixels. This allows the sen-
sor to gather more light at once, which
increases low-light performance and
reduces noise. It also allows each pixel
to accept more light before beginning
to clip from overexposure. That means
you get more information in both the
shadows and the highlights.Log shooting
Another way to get the most dynamic
range from a given sensor is to shoot
in a logarithmic picture profile, usually
abbreviated to log. Log picture profiles
use a logarithmic curve, rather than a
linear curve, to assign exposure values.
This allows for a larger number of gra-
dations in some areas of the spectrum.
Log captures more of these gradations
and lets you assign what they’ll be in
post using lookup tables, or LUTs. The
end result is a more flexible image with
more dynamic range. Log shooting is
considered a more practical alternative
to shooting raw while still giving you
extra flexibility in the editing suite.
This process produces a flat image
that can make shooting in log incon-
venient. In post-production, colorists
apply a LUT to transform this extra-
flat footage to a more natural looking
color space, but in-camera, log looks
pretty weird. Some camera and exter-385 B02 Cinema Camera BG.indd 17 4/23/19 1:58 PM