I did not see this coming. Rather, I didn’t see this coming so quickly. OmniVision has announced a 16-Megapixel sensors that they claim are capable of capturing 4608 x 3456 at 30 fps or 4K2K (3840 x 2160) at 60 fps (!) for use in still and video cameras as well as high end mobile phones. So far, we haven’t heard any news of the chip being incorporated into any specific device, but the fact that it’s possible is staggering. This means that in the very near future, the average person can shoot video from their phone that will have enough resolution to be projected onto the big screen without up-scaling! Read the rest of this entry »

PENTAX K-30 is a camera that can allow you shooting independence. This DSLR joins a special class of cameras that are capable of both recording quality stills and video and withstanding water and dust. The weather sealing and rubber grip will let you operate the K-30 in the fog of a mountain and down in a dusty desert – both locations would be great for capturing 1080p video and photos. Composing landscape and establishing shots will be most effective with the full frame view coming from the K-30′s APS-C CMOS image sensor. The Prime M image processor is optimized for video and should present you with smooth monitoring.

Two more great features found in the body of the K-30 are image stabilizing via the sensor – so no need to have a lens that is stabilized, and an Advanced SAFOX IXi+ autofocusing system good for different lighting situations. If the auto focus weren’t enough there, try the 77-increment light metering with a respectable 100-25,600 ISO range.

Shooting with the K-30 can really be tailored to your style with two programmable dials and live view focus peaking. These two features should allow you to take control of your image without pulling away from the viewfinder. If you really can’t keep your eye on the viewfinder, the 3-inch 921,000 dot LCD should be ample. In either event, having power options is always nice, PENTAX offers an optional battery pack that will accept AA batteries to more than double (that’s more than 10 hours of playback) the standard battery’s life.

The full compliment of KAF K-mount lenses (PENTAX’s lenses) should be applicable with the K-30, as will be your stash of SD/SDHC/SDXC cards. If for some reason you’re interested in capturing audio while trekking the mountains or the desert, be advised that there’s no mic input. By the way, if you’re tired of having a black camera, the K-30 can also come in blue or white.

PENTAX’s K-30 makes a great bid to become your mid-range DSLR by coming with a 18-55mm lens for $900.

Let us first take the SLT-A37, this Translucent Mirror Technology camera is another first-step available for those that are curious about DSLRs.

Shooting will be a joy with the 1,440,000 dot resolution in the electronic viewfinder, and how would we maintain creativity without a tilting 2.7-inch LCD? As for the core of the SLT-A37, we’re looking at a 16MP Exmor APS CMOS sensor with a BIONZ image processor, this is going to be consistent with the strong points of other more expensive Sony cameras, so it becomes great news when we find that the price comes out at $600 with a 18-55mm lens.

The SteadyShot shake reducer is housed in the body of the SLT-A37 and that frees up the A-mount lenses to be constructed without stabilizing mechanisms. There are a couple auto functions to assist the user in some of the more tedious aspects of shooting, such as Auto Portrait Framing which employs the rule of thirds – before you say “there goes my creativity!” Know that the camera will save both the full image and the cropped image. Then there’s the 15-point auto focus and auto mode that will adjust settings according to your scene and subjects.

The SLT-A37 has Pixel Super Resolution Technology which should provide two times the focal length without changing lenses, it will require some trial here to see if there is any error, since we’re usually leery of digitally zoomed shots. Video capability is up to par with 1920×1080, 60i captured in MP4 on SD or Memory Stick PRO cards. So, ultimately, we definitely would love to see how the SLT-A37 feels to a camcorder convert, and at $600, this is quite attainable.

Now for the NEX-F3 we’re looking at the same sensor that’s found in the SLT-A37, so this is exceptional since the form factor with the lens detached will be suitable for your pocket. This time around, you may use E-mount lenses, and experiment with better battery stamina. This notion of powering electronics is certainly coming to the forefront with other devices, and likely since there’s much more power being utilized inside said electronics, and that’s really just a long way to say – we like more battery life.

Aside from form, the different set of available lenses and an optional OLED attachment, the NEX-F3 shares video and auto capabilities with the SLT-A37. Coincidentally, the price is a repeat here, $600 for the NEX-F3 with the 18-55mm lens.

It’s an amazing time we live in where you can buy a mobile phone that’s as powerful as laptops were about five years ago. That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the HTC One X. Of course, high powered super-phones are being released all the time, but we at Videomaker want to make sure companies are being recognized specifically for advancing mobile video capabilities. The HTC One X is the worlds first phone that not only takes 1080p video, but allows you to shoot still photos while recording HD footage. To top it off, we’re not talking about 1920 x 1080 stills here. Rather, the One X will capture full, 8-megapixel widescreen images (3264 x 1840) without interrupting your video. Similarly, you can grab 1920 x 1080 stills from pre-recorded video with  a simple tap. Other features include the ability to adjust white balance, exposure, contrast, saturation, and contrast.

Tomorrow kicks off CTIA Wireless 2012, and while this show isn’t one that Videomaker normally covers, more and more we’re seeing the video industry embracing mobile technology. It seems like many consumers would rather shoot video straight from their phones rather than mess with a dedicated camcorder. If that’s where the industry’s headed, what does it mean for those of us that want to be a little more creative with our video? Fortunately, we we haven’t been forgotten. Read the rest of this entry »

Spotlight: Blackmagic Cinema Camera

For all the cinema camera’s we’ve looked up, none look like the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, this one almost has an Apple-feel in its unique silver casing, black rubber grips and hard drive-esque form.

With resolution at 2592×2192, images captured by this camera have the potential for the cinema and the format may be either 2.5 RAW or at 1920×1080 ProRes or DNxHD. One incredible feature is the capability to capture with a dynamic range of 13 stops.

The LCD is 5-inches and is a versatile touch screen much akin to a smartphone and will be used to enter metadata directly onto the files on the SSD which will really speed up the whole workflow.