More from Cine Gear Expo 2017: Panasonic previewed the camera it teased us about last spring at NAB. The Panasonic AU-EVA1 has a super 35mm sensor that records 5.7K video, which means plenty of room to downsize to 4K or less. Like other new cameras released this year (the Canon C200 and the BlackMagic Ursa Mini Pro), the EVA1 seems to fill a gap between the high-end VariCam line and the more entry-level cameras like the Lumix GH5.
Weighing only 2.6 lbs, the compact EVA1 is light and if you spend a lot of time shooting handheld, this really can mean a lot. Clearly designed with handheld shooters in mind, it comes with electronic image stabilization (EIS), something you don’t always see on professional-grade cameras. Given the large 5.7K frame size, there’s plenty of room to stabilize. The Canon EF lens mount means that there is a wide selection of popular lenses available. Other user-friendly features include SD card recording, 3 levels of built-in ND filtering, two XLR audio inputs, and a removable handgrip. Add these features together and you get a camera that is clearly aimed at documentary filmmakers and other run-and-gun shooters.
The EVA1 borrows some high-end features from Panasonic VariCam line. Dual Native ISO is a proprietary process that results in higher-quality low light images with less noise and other artifacts. This is another boon for documentary filmmakers who often shoot in existing light. The camera features control over the infrared filter that also helps with low light and night shooting. The camera records with a 4:2:2 10 bit codec at 400 mbps. It can shoot 4K at 60p and 2K at 240p. The colorimetry of the VariCam line is also built into the EVA1, including V-log and V-gamut, two encoding options that result in better dynamic range and color but until now were reserved for the more expensive cameras.
The EVA1 will be available in the fall for less than $8000.
You can read all the specs at the Panasonic info page here.
Up next: We’ll look separately at the other cameras previewed at Cine Gear Expo, the Canon C200 and the Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro.
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