Thanks Tom for your review. I've had this camera for about 6 months now and primarily use it for wildlife. For this price-point, there is nothing out there that competes for 120fps 4k or cinema-4k at 160fps. I almost always have it at 160fps. For a monitor and to control the camera, I bought a locked Applephone for $50 and use the USB port for this purpose and to keep the phone charged. I have it attached most of the time to a Metabones (non-speedbooster) adapter with the Sigma 100-400mm lens. I have also used it for indoor use using the low-noise option that's available at 24fps and 30fps. Wi-fi also works exceptionally well with phones and tablets for monitoring/settings. All in all... I love this camera!
Personally prefer this over the pockets. I mainly use it for wedding and event videography but also in the commercial industry as well. Have some examples on my page. I plan to do a lot of behind the scenes content working with it in the future. If you're going to rig a camera, the z cam is the way to go. If you're not, then the pocket. Also, as others have said I completely disagree with your view on the low light. This camera loves light, but you can simply increase the ISO and bring it down in post for a really solid look. Focus on exposing right below blown highlights and you'll be amazed. Happy to see you review this, it needs some more love! I think it's the best cam in the market for its price range! Blackmagic has the UI and Braw, for now.
I love my E2! I use an iPad Mini (via lightning to USB-C) as my monitor and I find the menu system even better than what I see with the BM5. Latency is also very low. You can also use your phone although I find the Android version lacks a few features compared to iOS. I think the wireless functionality is awesome so I can easily give someone a tablet or phone and they can wirelessly monitor the feed. No need to buy any other accessories. Seems to be using the same sensor as Pocket 4K and GH5s, but I love the color science on this. The battery door does suck on this. One tip I found was to tie a small string around the flap so you can always pull it open. Mushy buttons too. Get yourself a top handle for the Smallrig. It makes carrying that thing way easier. I appreciate your honest reviews!
Im actually stuck between choosing this and the pocket 4k. Coming from a GH5 (love it for shooting run and gun short docs). WHat kind of things do you shoot and what made you choose this of the pocket4k?
@@ThisWayUpTravel I make UA-cam videos. Almost all of my recent stuff was shot on the E2. I didn't like the form factor on the BlackMagic. The battery life is bad and probably because of the big screen I wouldn't end up using anyway. I've previously owned the BMPCC back in the day and didn't have a good experience. It seemed like I needed to use Resolve to get the most out of it and I prefer FCPX. End of the day, it was the feature set of the Z Cam and the supportive FB community surrounding it that sold me. The owner and engineers are there and respond to questions. It's NOT perfect, but I love it!
Good to know Joe! Curious to know if ZCam has an app that stores proxies like the DJI app does. I'm toying with the idea of editing footage from this and a DJI drone all on an iPad. Any thoughts?
@@FilmCrafter Yes, the Z Cam can automatically store lower resolution proxies directly to the iPad. That can come in handy as a backup in a pinch. I've messed with Luma Fusion on the iPad and I'm confident I could edit 4K video on a newer iPad. I probably wouldn't want to, but I could.
Some things are wrong: 1. HD 240fps: the artefacts you see are not caused by H.265, they are caused by the sensor readout mode: line skipping. The same happens with GH5s. This is the reason for a lot of moire. It is a technical limitation. At 4K up to 160fps there is NO lineskipping: it looks really great. 2. E2 and BMPCC4k & 6k: there is a big difference. E2 uses analog gain and 4K & 6K use digital gain/CineEI. Analog Gain on E2: you can easily shoot up to 10.000 ISO and you should do so, because zlog2 curve needs light. With analog Gain you don’t loose nearly any DR. Digital Gain: The lower your iso, the cleaner your blacks/information below middle gray (iso 100), the less sensitive your camera is. The higher the iso, the noisier your black gets, less information below middle gray (iso 1000). All mentioned in DR chart from Blackmagic. It is sad, that you don’t mention/know that, it means you did not properly used e2 in lowlight. 3. With E2 your DR mapping stays the same through all ISO: 6,5 stops below middle gray, 7,5 stops above. With P4K & 6k it changes with every ISO setting. Just look at their DR chart. 4.This is the reason why it is not so easy to compare both cameras, especially since ISO numbers don’t actually represent their real sensitivity. 5. RAW: BRAW is not true RAW! It is already debayered, denoised and resharpened in camera. To me, it is just another compressed lossy codec like prores, with raw options implemented (iso settings). Z Cam soon will be able to output ProresRAW over HDMI. ProresRAW does not demosaic/debayer, and gives you more flexibility in post. Actually you will have two raw options in one camera! ZRAW and ProresRAW. ZRAW is partially debayered like BRAW, no noise reduction though, and ProResRAW is not debayered. One of those two surely will be implemented within Davinci, sooner or later. I think E2 and 4K&6k are great cameras at this pricepoint!
Hi you seem to have a lot of experience with all the different cameras. I currently on the GH5 but was looking at either the Zcam E2 or the Gh5s to match up with the GH5 and as a camera for low light situation . With your experience which would you recommend. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks JF
Personally, I've been very happy with the E2. So much so that I've stopped using a RED Scarlet and am moving to the F6 as my A Cam. I chose this camera over the Pocket for a bunch of reasons. I'd be happy to answer questions, but really quickly the things I prefer on the E2 are: Being able to shoot almost 4 hours at 4k on a single npf-970, the form factor and build quality, the better internal processor really comes into play when shooting high framerates, ISO performance is fantastic (analog gain), I love the way this camera handles highlights, built in wireless is great for art direction or a Director's monitor, and just overall I feel like the camera feels a lot more comfortable to use on set and run and gun.
I agree and disagree. I looked into the zcam as a camera to get but decided to go with 12 bit from bmpcc6k. Zcam is definitely a better option if you dont want raw since ZRaw is no BRaw and honestly it's not super needed. The bmpcc6k is the super35 without adapters making it a very sharp image. For my bmpcc6k I actually have a cage that can hook up npf batteries. But anyways, Its crazy how cameras like the pocket and zcam are actually better than the 10 year old full cinema cameras in most aspects.
@@taylorhaase2370 ZCam does actually have a similarly debayered RAW like BRAW that records internally. With ProRes RAW, a true RAW codec, also being confirmed to be in a future update. They also have an S6 that is a super35 6k camera. The true flagship I think will be the F6 though. A large format 6k body with much better DR and highlight rolloff. The PK6K is not a bad camera, but I'd still prefer the ZCam personally.
@@timekeepermedia5142 No, Zcam is pretty new and my information might be a bit outdated but in the tests I've seen I've preferred the look of the bmpcc6k. It's all opinion really and research is more personal than facts if you ask me. I've seen the ZCam raw but but the reviews I saw it was limited to 4k 😘
Forrest Gibson braw is pretty damn fast on a lot of computers. I tried out a lot of raw options and Braw is by far the best. That’s what sets it apart from other raw codecs
I think prores and 10 bit is awesome. RAW files are usually huge. I would feel completely comfortable shooting a film on this camera. I love the small form factor, and a 4 hour battery is amazing. I can’t believe people would even question this camera for an indie film.
allow me to say that i appreciate these tutorials and reviews that you do. I've literally learned a lot from sound to tech and i couldn't be more glad ,so thank you.
Nice work. Yes, the pocket 4k/6k seems a better deal. I haven't yet properly tested the higher frame rates to see if I shall have buyers' remorse or not. The points you made are very accurate.
Noisy at ISO 2500? did you mean 25,000 because I’m shooting clean up to ISO 10,000 on my E2. And my F6 is even better. You’re right about the buttons and port covers on the E2, but happily they fixed that with better material and tactile response on the S6/F6/F8. And some users have reported newer E2’s have had the upgraded buttons too.
Great to hear that they fixed the buttons. I didn't say it's not usable at 2500 ISO, i show examples in the video I am just saying it's not as good as some other cameras at that same ISO settings like the Pocket 4K. I am doing a side by side comparison right now of the two so it will be better illustrated there.
@@TomAntos I think instead of a problem with the camera's low light performance, you are having a problem with not exposing correctly. Z Cam's engineer's have said that zlog2 underexposes by a few stops. If you expose to the right, you will get a clean image - and in zlog2, there is a lot more ability to recover highlights than shadows. It has almost nothing to do with codec choice. This is entirely a question of learning to expose properly with this camera. The camera is very usable at up to ISO 10,000 and still somewhat usable up to 20,000. After that, it starts to fall off the cliff. In general, don't be afraid to increase exposure by increasing ISO. That or if you switch to the rec.709 profile, you can expose normally and the image will be pretty clean. Also, while I'm here, there is a popular hack for the cfast slot. A lot of people wrap a little gaff tape around it and make a tab. Then it's super easy to open. Costs about $0.02.
Tom Antos doing a side by side you may also see that ISO 2500 at the same aperture is not exposing the same on both cameras. ISO 2500 on my E2 was equal to ISO 5000 on my GH5s. z-cam’s ISO scale tends to be a little off in my experience. Also note that the E2 allocates 5 stops below middle gray whereas the Pocket 4K allocates 9 stops. To compare, I would take the same lens at the same aperture and match the Pocket 4K by changing ISO to put middle grey at 40%, matching the sensitivity of the E2 at 500 or 2500.
Hey Tom, i have the m4 in addition to s6 and f6 and dancing around the noise is a thing with this camera. Guys on the group suggest to ettr by at least two stops. I actually use an in camera monitoring lut that does it for me. I’ve found this to clean up the image significantly. There are times when this isn’t optimal but for the most part it produces great results. For low light shooting i find myself just needing to go higher iso to ettr and then bringing it back down.
Maybe would have been nice to also added to the video they also started making higher end models with 35 and fullframe sensors. One thing they improved is for example the buttons. and they range from 6k to 8k.
I love the ability to get small, affordable, travel friendly MFT lenses at a fraction of the cost and combine with this ZCam form factor, frame rates etc. Wow. Would love to see a ZRaw Vs BRaw comparison in Black Magic? Curious to know how different the workflow would be?
I guess it's just my personal taste but it seems like the image quality out of the Pocket 4k is much more pleasing. The form factor of the Z Cam was incredibly appealing but theres something about the way the image is processed that doesn't appeal to me as much.
@@TomAntos even comparing ZCam prores with pocket 4k prores, the pocket 4k seems superior. I can't put my finger on why. Some cameras seem to produce a very magical image, the ZCam footage reminds me more of cheap Handycam footage for some reason. It's a shame, because I really appreciate what they're aiming for with this product
I'm with you. It's just something about the color, regardless of who's grading it nor for what intended style/purpose. Very unscientific, but nearly anything I see coming out of the bmpcc's just seem so much more pleasing for some reason, vs zcam or sony.
No idea what you're all talking about. Z Cam footage looks pretty great to me... maybe it's that thing where people know the footage comes from a camera they like so they subconsciously feel it's better. Tom actually did a comparison video on Blackmagic, RED, ARRI and another I think and without explaining which footage was from which had people vote as to which they thought was best and ARRI came in 3rd place BUT I'm sure had the people Known it was ARRI footage, would've picked it as best
@@phoenixfunny4517 I agree that happens. But I'm no BM fan boy. I actually really preferred the body design of the ZCam but I couldn't find any decent looking footage from it at the time so I went with the Pocket 4k. I think Tom's footage is the best I've seen done with the ZCam. It might just be a matter of personal taste in regards to how the image is processed by the camera. To me it looks overly sharpened and the highlight roll off isn't as smooth as I prefer it to be
Bit depth and bit rate are different, I think everyone here knows, and it was probably just misspoken but wanted to point it out. BTW I'm an E1 owner, and have been waiting to see what your take is on the E2, thanks again for the very thorough analysis!
The video was great, but you didn't expose your shots correctly if you had noise. The Zcam needs ETTR (expose to the right) to have clean image. I can shoot on iso 10 000 with minimal noise!
What I'm really interested to see Tom talk about is the Z Cam color Suite in Premiere and how it is similar to Raw adjustments. Maybe he will cover another follow up vid.
Thanks for the review! Needed a C-cam to my Canon cinema cameras and thought about buying an E2. Although it seems to be a nice camera, I went with the EOS R (which integrates much better with the Canon Cs) and I‘m so glad I went with it. Love to have a small FF camera with DAF! And similar to m4/3 cameras, the EOS R with the new speedbooster is like 2 cameras in one.
Would love to see you do a real-world test showing color correction on RAW vid from the pocket vs. the 10bit ProRes from E2. Side by side, same scene and then push the images in post to see where they fall apart. I've not seen an actual test, only people talking numbers. Thanks for the video!
Interesting vid, I own the E2 and the E2C and I can agree with some of the points here but not all. I respect tom as a filmmaker but I think some points are just opinions of bias workflow. Great vid none the less because it causes the viewer to question all aspects of the cam which they should do regardless before buying. a few things Z Cam did with buttons and Cfast Card door was skimp a little to keep cost down and if you have worked with this cam for any extent of time the buttons become second nature and the door can be simply modified, but I understand his concerns as they are part of his workflow and what bothers him.
Thanks for the comment. Yes these are just my options and different people will have other opinions. Which is the way it should be and why there will never be a perfect camera just as there will never be a perfect world. We all want different things
Umm noisy at 2500? I've seen a test from native iso to 25000. It falls part at 25000 and it's still usuable at 20000 using a denoiser. I know you dig Blackmagic, but come on bs with that.
Did I say it's not usable at 2500 ISO? No I said the image is more noise then I am used to with my other cameras like the Sony A7 or Pocket 4K. Still I shoot with the higher ISO on the ZCam and either make sure to expose more to the right or simply add more light.
I think as long as well lite then the 240fps can be used. Depending on style. Not everything has to be tack sharp. Having grain makes it look more flimic and cinematic.
Thank yo so much! great review , I think the camera is a alternative to the transition a modular camera like a red one, obyously have poor finish and very cheap plactic buttons, but its alternative, Thanks got a success man
it's good, except that u must use a phone/ipad to control. I mean even if you have a monitor, it's better for you to attach a phone to it, since the button is difficult to navigate. So possibly not suitable for super gun and run
Hello Tom Antos Your channel is very informative and impressive. So I bought a zcam camera after looking at the zcam review However, it was very disappointing. 4k 120vfr mode produces great noise, especially in dark areas. I bought a zcam camera because of the 4k 120vfr function All review videos are clean, but I don't know why When I contacted the camera manufacturer, they told me to shoot in ETTR mode. However, the dark noise is still strong. What do you think?
Hi Tom, thank you for the Z CAM E2 review. Can i have a sample of the Z cam footage both Raw and mov if available for me to download and try it out on my NLE? it"s very important.
I think for now its worth to wait for a move from panasonic. A gh6 could end up in a similar price to an mft z-cam, Hopefully better specs and ull get autofocus, ibis and all the goodies.
all im saying is if I'm buying a camera and I've been editing in what ever editor i do not want to have to learn a whole new editor when i get a camera. bm you dont get a camera to change your whole workflow.
the pocket 4k only has restrictions in FCPx and only when using BRAW and it has no prores restrictions where as the zcam is restricted to only 30fps in prores 422 and prores hq and its zraw is not able to be edited in any NLE
Are you using the Vazen anamorphic lens in this video? Another camera to compare to this (and the Pocket 4k) is the GH5s. I'm pretty sure they're all using the same sensor--but obviously codecs, frame rates and form factors are all vastly different
@@TomAntos The a6500 is my main cam right now... Great results with the color checker (learned via your tutorial). My newest demo is all a6500 footage. This video just helped me pick my new A-CAM. Thanks again!
pretty cool! I am thinking of picking up the Z cam e2C for b cam on interviews and whatnot, Did you try using an iPhone as a monitor? if so did the interface worked well? Thanks
Hi Tom Great video, does the IS of the lens work the XL speed booster on the Zcam? I'm thinking of getting this camera and investing in IS EF lenses...
Thanks for the video. How do you feel about powering the camera and the monitor with the same battery? It's something I always did successfully but lately there has been some debates with people reporting to have burned out the hdmi port on the monitor because of it.
I have been powering my E2 (and S6 and F6) in this way for around 15 months now with a few different monitors and have done absolutely no damage with it.
Is there a way to achieve some kind of auto exposure when working with this? I would like to mount it to my plane when flying the plane at the same time... I can set the focus to fixed, thats not a problem, but for the exposure, I guess I will need some adjustments to be made automagically. Edit: I just read, that it can be achieved via shutter speed. I think I could live without a perfectly aligned 180° shutter in that scenario...
I'm trying to decide between the zcam e2 and either the bmpcc 4k or 6k. Now that the Zcam can do 12 bit raw externally, which one of those three would you buy if you could only choose one?
Hello Tom First of all thanks for all the reviews. Have really appreciated them, along with the lighting class packages you offer on your website. Well worth the price. So, I was wondering if you could do a review about Camera Handles! The long extented type that are supported either with an Arrie Rosette or clamp to the 15mm rods at the front of the camera. I've looked everywhere but can't seem to find any anywhere on the web. Why? Well, because i've seen some support handles that look either unstable or poorly made. They can be quite expensive so i don't want to go to the hassle of buying a shoddy set only to find that they are not strong or comfortable enough. I'm hoping to support an Ursa Mini Pro 4.6 rig so they have to be sturdy. Hoping to spend around £500/600 or so. If you don't have time or plans to do a review, then perhaps you could recommend a set that you think might do the job. Also: You did a review of a Colour Grading monitor a couple of years ago. Very useful, but maybe a little out of date now. Have you seen anything more recent for around £2,000? Anyway, i appreciate you've got tonnes on Tom so i'll quit writing here. But i do appreciate all the work you do and have learnt tonnes from the insights you've shared, so Thanks for all of that. Stay well Tom. Looking forward to the future. Thanks Karl (incidentally, sorry this has nothing to do with the item reviews above, but i didn't know how else to catch your attention. Thanks again.)
Hi Tom I am looking for an answer regarding this Z Cam E2C. Do you know if, while the camera is sending video via ethernet connection, does also send video through the HDMI port for monitoring in the same time?
Thanks Tom for your review. I've had this camera for about 6 months now and primarily use it for wildlife. For this price-point, there is nothing out there that competes for 120fps 4k or cinema-4k at 160fps. I almost always have it at 160fps. For a monitor and to control the camera, I bought a locked Applephone for $50 and use the USB port for this purpose and to keep the phone charged. I have it attached most of the time to a Metabones (non-speedbooster) adapter with the Sigma 100-400mm lens. I have also used it for indoor use using the low-noise option that's available at 24fps and 30fps. Wi-fi also works exceptionally well with phones and tablets for monitoring/settings. All in all... I love this camera!
Personally prefer this over the pockets. I mainly use it for wedding and event videography but also in the commercial industry as well. Have some examples on my page. I plan to do a lot of behind the scenes content working with it in the future. If you're going to rig a camera, the z cam is the way to go. If you're not, then the pocket. Also, as others have said I completely disagree with your view on the low light. This camera loves light, but you can simply increase the ISO and bring it down in post for a really solid look. Focus on exposing right below blown highlights and you'll be amazed. Happy to see you review this, it needs some more love! I think it's the best cam in the market for its price range! Blackmagic has the UI and Braw, for now.
I love my E2! I use an iPad Mini (via lightning to USB-C) as my monitor and I find the menu system even better than what I see with the BM5. Latency is also very low. You can also use your phone although I find the Android version lacks a few features compared to iOS.
I think the wireless functionality is awesome so I can easily give someone a tablet or phone and they can wirelessly monitor the feed. No need to buy any other accessories.
Seems to be using the same sensor as Pocket 4K and GH5s, but I love the color science on this.
The battery door does suck on this. One tip I found was to tie a small string around the flap so you can always pull it open. Mushy buttons too.
Get yourself a top handle for the Smallrig. It makes carrying that thing way easier.
I appreciate your honest reviews!
Im actually stuck between choosing this and the pocket 4k. Coming from a GH5 (love it for shooting run and gun short docs). WHat kind of things do you shoot and what made you choose this of the pocket4k?
@@ThisWayUpTravel I make UA-cam videos. Almost all of my recent stuff was shot on the E2. I didn't like the form factor on the BlackMagic. The battery life is bad and probably because of the big screen I wouldn't end up using anyway. I've previously owned the BMPCC back in the day and didn't have a good experience. It seemed like I needed to use Resolve to get the most out of it and I prefer FCPX.
End of the day, it was the feature set of the Z Cam and the supportive FB community surrounding it that sold me. The owner and engineers are there and respond to questions.
It's NOT perfect, but I love it!
Good to know Joe! Curious to know if ZCam has an app that stores proxies like the DJI app does. I'm toying with the idea of editing footage from this and a DJI drone all on an iPad. Any thoughts?
@@FilmCrafter Yes, the Z Cam can automatically store lower resolution proxies directly to the iPad. That can come in handy as a backup in a pinch. I've messed with Luma Fusion on the iPad and I'm confident I could edit 4K video on a newer iPad. I probably wouldn't want to, but I could.
@@joentell thanks for getting back to me Joe! Any thoughts on Black Magic Pocket 4K Vs the ZCam. Have you tried ZRaw in Black Magic Resolve?
Some things are wrong:
1. HD 240fps: the artefacts you see are not caused by H.265, they are caused by the sensor readout mode: line skipping. The same happens with GH5s. This is the reason for a lot of moire. It is a technical limitation. At 4K up to 160fps there is NO lineskipping: it looks really great.
2. E2 and BMPCC4k & 6k: there is a big difference. E2 uses analog gain and 4K & 6K use digital gain/CineEI.
Analog Gain on E2: you can easily shoot up to 10.000 ISO and you should do so, because zlog2 curve needs light. With analog Gain you don’t loose nearly any DR.
Digital Gain: The lower your iso, the cleaner your blacks/information below middle gray (iso 100), the less sensitive your camera is. The higher the iso, the noisier your black gets, less information below middle gray (iso 1000). All mentioned in DR chart from Blackmagic.
It is sad, that you don’t mention/know that, it means you did not properly used e2 in lowlight.
3. With E2 your DR mapping stays the same through all ISO: 6,5 stops below middle gray, 7,5 stops above. With P4K & 6k it changes with every ISO setting. Just look at their DR chart.
4.This is the reason why it is not so easy to compare both cameras, especially since ISO numbers don’t actually represent their real sensitivity.
5. RAW: BRAW is not true RAW! It is already debayered, denoised and resharpened in camera. To me, it is just another compressed lossy codec like prores, with raw options implemented (iso settings).
Z Cam soon will be able to output ProresRAW over HDMI. ProresRAW does not demosaic/debayer, and gives you more flexibility in post. Actually you will have two raw options in one camera! ZRAW and ProresRAW.
ZRAW is partially debayered like BRAW, no noise reduction though, and ProResRAW is not debayered.
One of those two surely will be implemented within Davinci, sooner or later.
I think E2 and 4K&6k are great cameras at this pricepoint!
so if I buy the camera now the E2 I will need to download an update?
Hi you seem to have a lot of experience with all the different cameras. I currently on the GH5 but was looking at either the Zcam E2 or the Gh5s to match up with the GH5 and as a camera for low light situation . With your experience which would you recommend. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks JF
Personally, I've been very happy with the E2. So much so that I've stopped using a RED Scarlet and am moving to the F6 as my A Cam.
I chose this camera over the Pocket for a bunch of reasons. I'd be happy to answer questions, but really quickly the things I prefer on the E2 are:
Being able to shoot almost 4 hours at 4k on a single npf-970, the form factor and build quality, the better internal processor really comes into play when shooting high framerates, ISO performance is fantastic (analog gain), I love the way this camera handles highlights, built in wireless is great for art direction or a Director's monitor, and just overall I feel like the camera feels a lot more comfortable to use on set and run and gun.
I agree and disagree. I looked into the zcam as a camera to get but decided to go with 12 bit from bmpcc6k. Zcam is definitely a better option if you dont want raw since ZRaw is no BRaw and honestly it's not super needed. The bmpcc6k is the super35 without adapters making it a very sharp image. For my bmpcc6k I actually have a cage that can hook up npf batteries. But anyways, Its crazy how cameras like the pocket and zcam are actually better than the 10 year old full cinema cameras in most aspects.
@@taylorhaase2370 ZCam does actually have a similarly debayered RAW like BRAW that records internally. With ProRes RAW, a true RAW codec, also being confirmed to be in a future update.
They also have an S6 that is a super35 6k camera. The true flagship I think will be the F6 though. A large format 6k body with much better DR and highlight rolloff.
The PK6K is not a bad camera, but I'd still prefer the ZCam personally.
@@taylorhaase2370 you're not the best researcher are you lol.
@@timekeepermedia5142 No, Zcam is pretty new and my information might be a bit outdated but in the tests I've seen I've preferred the look of the bmpcc6k. It's all opinion really and research is more personal than facts if you ask me. I've seen the ZCam raw but but the reviews I saw it was limited to 4k 😘
Forrest Gibson braw is pretty damn fast on a lot of computers. I tried out a lot of raw options and Braw is by far the best. That’s what sets it apart from other raw codecs
Śledzę Pana od jakiegoś czasu i duma mnie rozpiera, że rodak tak wiele osiągnął! Gratulacje i pozdrowienia :)
I think prores and 10 bit is awesome. RAW files are usually huge. I would feel completely comfortable shooting a film on this camera. I love the small form factor, and a 4 hour battery is amazing. I can’t believe people would even question this camera for an indie film.
The slow motion will be awesome for sports, those specs are way better than anything 4K for that price. Cheers for test.
allow me to say that i appreciate these tutorials and reviews that you do. I've literally learned a lot from sound to tech and i couldn't be more glad ,so thank you.
Nice work. Yes, the pocket 4k/6k seems a better deal. I haven't yet properly tested the higher frame rates to see if I shall have buyers' remorse or not. The points you made are very accurate.
Super czapka!
Ciekawe czy wie co nosi😉
Just a slight correction: 10-bit, 12-bit, etc. is in reference to bit *depth* not bitrate.
I love my E2! best purchase i made. And we have the best facebook group ever!
Noisy at ISO 2500? did you mean 25,000 because I’m shooting clean up to ISO 10,000 on my E2. And my F6 is even better.
You’re right about the buttons and port covers on the E2, but happily they fixed that with better material and tactile response on the S6/F6/F8. And some users have reported newer E2’s have had the upgraded buttons too.
Great to hear that they fixed the buttons. I didn't say it's not usable at 2500 ISO, i show examples in the video I am just saying it's not as good as some other cameras at that same ISO settings like the Pocket 4K. I am doing a side by side comparison right now of the two so it will be better illustrated there.
@@TomAntos I think instead of a problem with the camera's low light performance, you are having a problem with not exposing correctly. Z Cam's engineer's have said that zlog2 underexposes by a few stops. If you expose to the right, you will get a clean image - and in zlog2, there is a lot more ability to recover highlights than shadows.
It has almost nothing to do with codec choice. This is entirely a question of learning to expose properly with this camera.
The camera is very usable at up to ISO 10,000 and still somewhat usable up to 20,000. After that, it starts to fall off the cliff. In general, don't be afraid to increase exposure by increasing ISO.
That or if you switch to the rec.709 profile, you can expose normally and the image will be pretty clean.
Also, while I'm here, there is a popular hack for the cfast slot. A lot of people wrap a little gaff tape around it and make a tab. Then it's super easy to open. Costs about $0.02.
Tom Antos doing a side by side you may also see that ISO 2500 at the same aperture is not exposing the same on both cameras. ISO 2500 on my E2 was equal to ISO 5000 on my GH5s. z-cam’s ISO scale tends to be a little off in my experience. Also note that the E2 allocates 5 stops below middle gray whereas the Pocket 4K allocates 9 stops. To compare, I would take the same lens at the same aperture and match the Pocket 4K by changing ISO to put middle grey at 40%, matching the sensitivity of the E2 at 500 or 2500.
@@TomAntos No matter in what scenery you shoot. Always overexpose 1 or 2 stops when shooting in Zlog2.
@@EatsTooMuchJam thanks for the tips!
Hey Tom, i have the m4 in addition to s6 and f6 and dancing around the noise is a thing with this camera. Guys on the group suggest to ettr by at least two stops. I actually use an in camera monitoring lut that does it for me. I’ve found this to clean up the image significantly. There are times when this isn’t optimal but for the most part it produces great results. For low light shooting i find myself just needing to go higher iso to ettr and then bringing it back down.
Maybe would have been nice to also added to the video they also started making higher end models with 35 and fullframe sensors. One thing they improved is for example the buttons. and they range from 6k to 8k.
Well this is the review of the ZCam E2 camera, I will be revewing other ZCam's later on so sign up to my newsletter to stay notified.
Piękna czapka :D
Dzieki Pawel!
@@TomAntos Pozdrowienia z Polski! Czy oglądasz coś na Polskim YT?
@@mjolsztyn czasem tak... a co rekomendujesz?
@@TomAntos Włodek Markowicz, Polimaty, jakbyniepaczec, na gałęzi,
What small cinema camera is the best right now in your opinion? Let me know what you prefer and why.
I thought of buying z cam f6, but after your review I am no longer sure I should :(
Alexa LF and Signature primes.
I love the ability to get small, affordable, travel friendly MFT lenses at a fraction of the cost and combine with this ZCam form factor, frame rates etc. Wow. Would love to see a ZRaw Vs BRaw comparison in Black Magic? Curious to know how different the workflow would be?
if its in the hands of tom antos....any camera will do!!!!!!!
BMPCC 4k price to performance is unbeatable by anything on the market.
I guess it's just my personal taste but it seems like the image quality out of the Pocket 4k is much more pleasing. The form factor of the Z Cam was incredibly appealing but theres something about the way the image is processed that doesn't appeal to me as much.
Yes I also think the quality because of the BRAW on the Pocket 4K is better.
@@TomAntos even comparing ZCam prores with pocket 4k prores, the pocket 4k seems superior. I can't put my finger on why. Some cameras seem to produce a very magical image, the ZCam footage reminds me more of cheap Handycam footage for some reason. It's a shame, because I really appreciate what they're aiming for with this product
I'm with you. It's just something about the color, regardless of who's grading it nor for what intended style/purpose. Very unscientific, but nearly anything I see coming out of the bmpcc's just seem so much more pleasing for some reason, vs zcam or sony.
No idea what you're all talking about. Z Cam footage looks pretty great to me... maybe it's that thing where people know the footage comes from a camera they like so they subconsciously feel it's better. Tom actually did a comparison video on Blackmagic, RED, ARRI and another I think and without explaining which footage was from which had people vote as to which they thought was best and ARRI came in 3rd place BUT I'm sure had the people Known it was ARRI footage, would've picked it as best
@@phoenixfunny4517 I agree that happens. But I'm no BM fan boy. I actually really preferred the body design of the ZCam but I couldn't find any decent looking footage from it at the time so I went with the Pocket 4k. I think Tom's footage is the best I've seen done with the ZCam. It might just be a matter of personal taste in regards to how the image is processed by the camera. To me it looks overly sharpened and the highlight roll off isn't as smooth as I prefer it to be
Thanks so much for your honesty. Your info, also on your site has helped me a lot! Cheers.
Bit depth and bit rate are different, I think everyone here knows, and it was probably just misspoken but wanted to point it out. BTW I'm an E1 owner, and have been waiting to see what your take is on the E2, thanks again for the very thorough analysis!
Glad you liked the review.
The video was great, but you didn't expose your shots correctly if you had noise. The Zcam needs ETTR (expose to the right) to have clean image. I can shoot on iso 10 000 with minimal noise!
Brawo za czapkę Tomku! Keep up good work!
Dziekuje!
Great video like always Tom. Thanks mate.
What I'm really interested to see Tom talk about is the Z Cam color Suite in Premiere and how it is similar to Raw adjustments. Maybe he will cover another follow up vid.
Thank you for the video! Love the quality of your videos!
Polska :)
Hey Tom, just leave the C Fast card door/flap slightly opened [the bottom]. Just enough to be able to get a grip.
Thanks for the tip
Thanks for the review! Needed a C-cam to my Canon cinema cameras and thought about buying an E2. Although it seems to be a nice camera, I went with the EOS R (which integrates much better with the Canon Cs) and I‘m so glad I went with it. Love to have a small FF camera with DAF! And similar to m4/3 cameras, the EOS R with the new speedbooster is like 2 cameras in one.
Yup that is also a capable camera.
I love, love, love my E2.
Love the hat Tomek 😍👍🏻🇵🇱
Dzięki!
Link for a Lens?
Would love to see you do a real-world test showing color correction on RAW vid from the pocket vs. the 10bit ProRes from E2. Side by side, same scene and then push the images in post to see where they fall apart. I've not seen an actual test, only people talking numbers.
Thanks for the video!
Wilk include this in my next video
Really love your presentation and reviews, keep up the great work!
Thanks!
Well done, commendable! Nose with such a cannon around the city is uncomfortable to walk, and weighs a lot🎥💫
Interesting vid, I own the E2 and the E2C and I can agree with some of the points here but not all. I respect tom as a filmmaker but I think some points are just opinions of bias workflow. Great vid none the less because it causes the viewer to question all aspects of the cam which they should do regardless before buying. a few things Z Cam did with buttons and Cfast Card door was skimp a little to keep cost down and if you have worked with this cam for any extent of time the buttons become second nature and the door can be simply modified, but I understand his concerns as they are part of his workflow and what bothers him.
Thanks for the comment. Yes these are just my options and different people will have other opinions. Which is the way it should be and why there will never be a perfect camera just as there will never be a perfect world. We all want different things
@@TomAntos Agreed!!
The smaller the better. Respect to Polska, btw
Thnx
I enjoyed watching your review, great work
Great review, thank you Tom
Umm noisy at 2500? I've seen a test from native iso to 25000. It falls part at 25000 and it's still usuable at 20000 using a denoiser. I know you dig Blackmagic, but come on bs with that.
Did I say it's not usable at 2500 ISO? No I said the image is more noise then I am used to with my other cameras like the Sony A7 or Pocket 4K. Still I shoot with the higher ISO on the ZCam and either make sure to expose more to the right or simply add more light.
Would love to know what you think about prores raw being available to the e2 now:)
I think as long as well lite then the 240fps can be used. Depending on style. Not everything has to be tack sharp. Having grain makes it look more flimic and cinematic.
Thank yo so much! great review , I think the camera is a alternative to the transition a modular camera like a red one, obyously have poor finish and very cheap plactic buttons, but its alternative, Thanks got a success man
Great review but so many un-skippable ads
I LOVE THAT HAT... and the video is nice, too.
haha... thanks!
U should check out the f6 and the f8.
Tom switches lenses at 03:32 to a Lumix G X Vario Lens, 35-100mm, F2.8, MFT, H-HS35100
thank you for this good sir, I am inspire by your passion. I am motivated 🙂.
it's good, except that u must use a phone/ipad to control. I mean even if you have a monitor, it's better for you to attach a phone to it, since the button is difficult to navigate. So possibly not suitable for super gun and run
Tom, story of this hat is more interesting for me then review ;) can you reveal a little bit of mistery? BTW - thx for review:)
Reminds me of the black magic pocket cam
great review...yeah I agree... I think this is a great specialty camera.... of course just my opinion.
Great hat! Greatings from Poland
Hello
Tom Antos
Your channel is very informative and impressive.
So I bought a zcam camera after looking at the zcam review
However, it was very disappointing. 4k 120vfr mode produces great noise, especially in dark areas.
I bought a zcam camera because of the 4k 120vfr function
All review videos are clean, but I don't know why
When I contacted the camera manufacturer, they told me to shoot in ETTR mode.
However, the dark noise is still strong.
What do you think?
I love this review, now i make up my mind on the beast, i would like to see comparison between z raw and braw about color correction. Thank you
in my next video I will show that
Hi Tom, thank you for the Z CAM E2 review. Can i have a sample of the Z cam footage both Raw and mov if available for me to download and try it out on my NLE? it"s very important.
I think for now its worth to wait for a move from panasonic. A gh6 could end up in a similar price to an mft z-cam, Hopefully better specs and ull get autofocus, ibis and all the goodies.
You can use $100 CCTech CFAST adapter for MSATA storage - $250 for 1Gb of storage. USB-C connection is not reliable and writing errors appears
I loved the e2 but due to the kind of work I do i decided to get the pocket camera and sold the e2. How ever i am looking at the e2c.
all im saying is if I'm buying a camera and I've been editing in what ever editor i do not want to have to learn a whole new editor when i get a camera. bm you dont get a camera to change your whole workflow.
the pocket 4k only has restrictions in FCPx and only when using BRAW and it has no prores restrictions where as the zcam is restricted to only 30fps in prores 422 and prores hq and its zraw is not able to be edited in any NLE
Nice video Tom, what is that song called in the background at 14:00
Tom very nice and interesting review and great hat 👍 Best regards from Poland 👋
Are you using the Vazen anamorphic lens in this video? Another camera to compare to this (and the Pocket 4k) is the GH5s. I'm pretty sure they're all using the same sensor--but obviously codecs, frame rates and form factors are all vastly different
Yes all the anamorphic shots are on there vazen 1.8x 40mm
Hey Tom, great video as always. What lens did you use to get those 'anamorphic' style bokeh?
Looks like he uses the Vazen anamorphic (you can see him using it in some of the B-roll shots where he is using the camera)
KevinKhang DP ah good catch! Thanks
How is this compared to kinefinity Mavo LF
Hey Tom, I use many of your videos to become a better filmmaker. Thank you.
Can anyone tell me if the a6500 will make a good B-CAM alongside this?
The a6500 is a great quality and compact camera. I actually used it on my last no budget film which I will be releasing on my channel soon.
@@TomAntos The a6500 is my main cam right now... Great results with the color checker (learned via your tutorial). My newest demo is all a6500 footage. This video just helped me pick my new A-CAM. Thanks again!
pretty cool! I am thinking of picking up the Z cam e2C for b cam on interviews and whatnot, Did you try using an iPhone as a monitor? if so did the interface worked well?
Thanks
I want this camera, but I am waiting for the Panasonic GH6 actual specs to be released.
Pls.. You put the e2 F8 Test footage and Specifications...🙏🙏
Please look at the Sigma-FP camera and compare
Best regards, Rick
Thanks Rick, will try to look at it when i have some time. Thanks for the idea!
awesome video! How would you compare this to the canon c100 or c300 2015 era?
Its smaller body but is full frame and has better image quality than the Canon c100 or c300
lovely cap!
Thanks!
Great review Tom. Subscribing.
Beautiful videography.
Thanks.
Dude?! When the heck did you come to Allentown, Pennsylvania? That's my hometown!
I'm so glad you did this video. Best kept secret.
Did you get this camera or are you thinking of getting it?
Hi Tom Great video, does the IS of the lens work the XL speed booster on the Zcam? I'm thinking of getting this camera and investing in IS EF lenses...
Let’s first wait for the Red Komodo I guess.
Thanks for the video. How do you feel about powering the camera and the monitor with the same battery? It's something I always did successfully but lately there has been some debates with people reporting to have burned out the hdmi port on the monitor because of it.
I have been powering my E2 (and S6 and F6) in this way for around 15 months now with a few different monitors and have done absolutely no damage with it.
Haven't had any problem yet.
Is there a way to achieve some kind of auto exposure when working with this? I would like to mount it to my plane when flying the plane at the same time... I can set the focus to fixed, thats not a problem, but for the exposure, I guess I will need some adjustments to be made automagically. Edit: I just read, that it can be achieved via shutter speed. I think I could live without a perfectly aligned 180° shutter in that scenario...
Is the RED KOMODO camera a clone of this? Excellent review and information. T.Y..
Not a clone but similar in many ways. Thanks for watching!
propres,raw came soon
Do you feel the need to upgrade to the S6 or F6 model?
I’d love to own this camera.
@2:25 It's not "Bit-Rate", it's "Bit-Depth". Subtle but very crucial difference. Should not be confused.
This video was very helpful only have one question what is the name of the cable that goes from the battery to the monitor to power the monitor?
Thanks! The cable is a DC power supply cable.
I'm trying to decide between the zcam e2 and either the bmpcc 4k or 6k. Now that the Zcam can do 12 bit raw externally, which one of those three would you buy if you could only choose one?
Hello Tom
First of all thanks for all the reviews. Have really appreciated them, along with the lighting class packages you offer on your website. Well worth the price.
So, I was wondering if you could do a review about Camera Handles! The long extented type that are supported either with an Arrie Rosette or clamp to the 15mm rods at the front of the camera. I've looked everywhere but can't seem to find any anywhere on the web.
Why? Well, because i've seen some support handles that look either unstable or poorly made. They can be quite expensive so i don't want to go to the hassle of buying a shoddy set only to find that they are not strong or comfortable enough. I'm hoping to support an Ursa Mini Pro 4.6 rig so they have to be sturdy. Hoping to spend around £500/600 or so. If you don't have time or plans to do a review, then perhaps you could recommend a set that you think might do the job.
Also: You did a review of a Colour Grading monitor a couple of years ago. Very useful, but maybe a little out of date now. Have you seen anything more recent for around £2,000?
Anyway, i appreciate you've got tonnes on Tom so i'll quit writing here. But i do appreciate all the work you do and have learnt tonnes from the insights you've shared, so Thanks for all of that.
Stay well Tom. Looking forward to the future.
Thanks
Karl
(incidentally, sorry this has nothing to do with the item reviews above, but i didn't know how else to catch your attention. Thanks again.)
Z ecam s6 it will be my next purchase
The Z Cam has cleaner color then the pocket4k, 6k.
Do you have a video that outlines the file sizes for each codec for a minute of recording?
Hey Tom, what LUT do you use on your portkeys at 9:09?
Hi Tom I am looking for an answer regarding this Z Cam E2C. Do you know if, while the camera is sending video via ethernet connection, does also send video through the HDMI port for monitoring in the same time?
One Question: Can the monitor control the Z Cam E2-M4 aswell?
Thank you for detailed review!
Have you used it on gimabal? What gimbal can you recommend?
I used it on the Mozart air 2 and once on the DJI ronin s. Iyer worked well on both gimbals
@@TomAntos Thank you!
can this shoot raw ??
Nice, man
Perfect cap! (Yeah, the review is also nice ;))
Haha, dzięki
Hey Anton !! Great Video as always ! Why you have Poland hat ? Best Regards from Poland ! ! !
Im Polish