An Interesting Week for Cinema Cameras. Thoughts on the Canon C50, Nikon ZR and Fujifilm GFX Eterna (and iPhone 17Pro)
Last week was a very interesting week for those who want to shoot video professionally. We saw the launch of 3 cinema cameras. Well, four if you count the new iPhones. At IBC in the Netherlands, Canon, Nikon and Fujifilm announced their new cinema cameras. For Canon, it was a new form factor and price point for their cinema lineup, and for Nikon and Fujifilm it was their first entry into this space.
Canon EOS C50 and Nikon ZR
Canon and Nikon both launched new cinema cameras in a similar form factor: the FX3 like box design. However, despite being similarly shaped, I think both of these are quite different in some respects. People have been comparing the two, and obviously with its cheaper price point, many are saying that Nikon upstaged Canon here, but I’m not sure. I actually think they’re two very different cameras aimed at different segments.
The Canon EOS C50 is basically a smaller version of Canon’s cinema line. As such, it has various higher end features specifically for pro video. These include numerous mounting points, an included handle and xlr adaptor, timecode input and proper professional tools such as waveforms. While this may be overkill for those doing YouTube, these will be welcome additions over the more traditional mirrorless designs for those who want to use these in a professional environment. They also included open gate, and quite a cool feature that allows you to record both vertical and open gate video at the same time.
Much has been made of the lack of IBIS in this camera, but I think this has been a bit overblown. For a start, none of the other EOS cinema cameras have IBIS. In fact, most cinema cameras don’t. There’s no IBIS in the Sony Vegas, or The Sony FX9 or the Arri Alexa, and pretty much most cinema cameras apart from the FX3. Canon also has a decent range of lenses with optical stabilisation, and going by the sample footage I’ve seen, the digital stabilisation seems to do a decent job. Most professionals will be rigging this camera up anyway, so it’s not a big deal for the target market. I’m sure that some people will never be convinced of this and so for them, they will have to look elsewhere, but I honestly think it’s less of an issue than most are making out.
The camera’s inclusion of open gate is also pretty great. It’s good to see more manufacturers jumping on this. Interestingly, they have a feature where you can record vertical video simultaneously with the open gate footage (or perhaps it’s simultaneously with the 16:9 version - this isn’t clear from the information I’ve seen) and you can even position the vertical crop within the frame. I don’t think any other camera has this feature.
This is a good thorough video of the C50 with quite a bit of technical details.
Good video from CineD featuring a short documentary piece shot with the camera
The new Nikon ZR, on the other hand, has a lower price point and marks the first integration of Nikon and Red technology. However, even though it is labelled as a “cinema” camera, and while it has a good sensor and good image quality, it seems to be missing many of the higher end professional features of a pro level video camera. For a start, it only has micro HDMI. It has no mounting points, and doesn’t include an XLR adaptor (Although it does have a digital hot shoe so it can be adapted). And while it has what appears to be a fantastic 4” screen, it lacks pro level exposure tools like waveforms and so on. It also doesn’t appear to have things like external timecode support.
It does, however, have RedCode Raw. So if you’re primarily interested in pure image quality, and the lack of higher end pro level monitoring tools and connections aren’t an issue for your kind of shoots, then this is a great camera. I would also imagine this will work as a great B Cam or Crash cam for other red shoots. I think in many ways this could be considered an alternative form factor of the Nikon Z6 mark III with the addition of redcode raw. In fact, I’m surprised they didn’t just add Redcode to the Z6III.
I think this is a great camera and I think plenty of people will buy it, especially at the price point, but I don’t think it’s the same kind of camera as the Canon. I know this will get me lots of hate mail (“but the IBIS”) but it really isn’t. The Canon is more of a higher end production tool for professional video, albeit in a smaller form factor. If you’ve never shot with a professional video camera, you probably won’t even know what I mean by this, and think “what’s the big deal?”. However, if you work in professional video, television production and so on, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the difference. I think both are great cameras, I just think they’re aimed at slightly different segments of the market.
Good video from Matti with some good footage and examples of the quality
The Nikon is more of a step up from their mirrorless cameras and I think will be especially appealing to individual creators and aspiring filmmakers who don’t necessarily need the more complex production tools. Both are great options, both will shoot great footage, and both bring a range of functionality and quality to a lower price point that was previously only available in higher priced systems. So regardless, it’s a great day for creators.
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The Fujifilm Eterna GFX
While Fujifilm had previously announced their new GFX Eterna camera, this was the first time people got a look at the finished product, and we also got to see more of the details. It’s now called the GFX Eterna 55 and it’s a very interesting camera. The camera is a medium format cinema camera based on the sensor from the GFX 100 Mark 2, but optimised for video. This includes dual base ISO and an optical low pass filter. It’s also the only camera of the three that has a built-in ND filter.
The biggest selling point of this camera is the large format sensor. Not only does it have a large format sensor, but it also shoots open gate, allowing you to shoot anamorphic lenses. It also has professional connections, including SDI ports and a V-Mount battery. This is the highest end camera of the three, but for what it is, it’s also pretty inexpensive compared to other large format cinema cameras from the likes of Arri.
Short film shot on the eternal. Showcases the quality and “look” of the footage. Watch full screen in 4k
They haven’t put out a huge amount of sample content with this yet, but the clips they did release look amazing and very film like. It’s certainly not the camera for everyone, but it’s an interesting option, and I’ll be interested to see how it does in the market. I can see this being used for independent films a lot.
The Apple
Now, I know what you’re thinking: The iPhone isn’t a “cinema” camera! And yes, that is absolutely true, but it’s being used increasingly for professional productions. Apple seems to be acknowledging this, and this year’s iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max bring even more high-end tools to the iPhone. In particular, it can now shoot ProRes RAW, and even more importantly, it can now also shoot open gate, opening up a raft of possibilities. They also added support for external timecode and genlock when using an external accessory.
I’m not sure how many people realise this, but the iPhone is used quite a lot for news-gathering and other similar productions. It’s particularly popular in this field because of its compact size, even when rigged out, and the fact that it is essentially a computer and a communications hub all in one. News shooters can upload (or even stream) directly from their phone without having to offload the footage first like you would with a more traditional news camera.
They’re also being used more and more for creative shoots too. You may think: “why would you do this when there are much better cameras out there?”. I think a lot of it comes down to the form factor, which allows it to be used in places a bigger camera might be more problematic. The results can be great.
Of course, for most people this isn’t ever going to be their primary “cinema” or even pro camera, but the capabilities keep growing. For times when you have nothing else, it allows you to shoot pro quality footage, and integrate into bigger productions.
Conclusion
This has been a food year for professional video cameras, and I think there is something here for all levels of the market. There has been a lot of excitement, particularly regarding the Nikon ZR. I also find it interesting that these are being launched at IBC rather than NAB. Is it just a better time of the year for these kinds of launches, or is NAB loosing its lustre? I also find it interesting that so many camera manufacturers seem to be focusing more on video functionality rather than stills. But that’s a post for another day!
