I think you've proven that with your talent you can make just about any camera work for you, and I don't see this particular one as an improvement on what you already own. I also don't think having one will get you any extra client work (someone might recognize RED, Arri, Sony, etc), so the $5k or so could be spent on other, better things
Check the delay or latency you get on HDMI out to a monitor, I think it’s too slow for fast paced video Also film an interview with external recorder and sync it in post. Heard there’s a problem with syncing issue
It should be but it doesn't stop anyone shooting to go out on Netflix. At the end of the day Netflix approved only matters for netflix commissioned shoots and if they are commissioning you to shoot you can pull out the credit card choose or hire whatever you want :D
Those certified cameras are recommended strictly for their Netflix originals. I think they are open to other cameras when it comes to your own film as long as it’s true 4K.
Spencer 3 weeks ago was posting videos like “full frame is a trap” and “why I bought the xt3” and now he’s about to drop $4,000 on a camera :) time moves fast
he was talking about his personal youtube use. He also paired his xt3 with the viltrox speedbooster to make the crop 1.1 which is basically FF. He never stated that he doesn't like Full Frame. For the commercial use, he is using the ursa mini (which is not a ff cam).
@@dna8269 if the only thing you care about is story, then go make a book. Film is so much more than story. You cannot over look nothing. This is why havin good crew is important
Baron R Haha even if they don’t they still will be very competitive. The bmpcc4K and 6K are the best value cameras today by far. Not everyone wants/needs full frame..
Hell yeah, Spenser! I got mine last week and have been trying to do over and under exposure tests to figure it out. This is really helpful and will save me some time testing. Best from Arlington, Texas
I just got the E2F6 with a Ninja V. I love shooting 5K 4:3 with 1.5x anamorphic adapter and its just amazing. There are issues that Gerald Undone has addressed that I feel can be easily fixed with future updates. Great Video!
Camera wise I think we live in an era of wonders! So many good tools and so many choices! It's amazing seeing cameras with such different price ranges comparing with each other. I m considering buying a Z cam in the future. I m hanging on my BMPCC 4K and keeping an eye on the Z cam for now... Great video Spencer, thanks for the effort and time!
Spencer have you seen Steve Yedlin's resolution demo? It's all about how pixel count past a certain point is not a good measurement of a "better" image/ better spacial fidelity. Super interesting stuff.
The blacks on Arri are so clean and neutral 🙌🏻 I was doing some comps with an older shoot i did with the Amira 1080, and a current RED 6K project. Blown away again at the detail and color detail.
Thank you so much for this video, I always loved the ARRI look (who wouldn't) and was sold that z cam might be my next camera unless BMD comes out with a full-frame camera sooner than later.
Please do a latitude test next time. Over & under exposure comparison would show the reason why Amira costs so much, it's pretty amazing how well Arri sensors maintain colours when pushed in post.
I was on the fence a little myself but the F6 has an FF sensor with more sensitivity and more ISO flexibility (dual native and analog gain), wifi monitoring, long battery life, and electronicND is a big big plus.
The pocket 6k even though only a s35 sensor holds up pretty well with the Arri Alexa. Both great cameras but if you only got 3k to spend then a pocket 6k with all the fixings.
Exactly. It’s like people buy cameras just to talk about the specs and show test footage. Then others will make loose talk about making a film, yet three years later they are still just buying to review.
It’s very rare to see something like this on set, unless it’s for a crash cam. There’s a reason you always see Arri/Panavision/Red/Sony - they’re cameras with established working practices that fit into our on-set ecosystems and consistently deliver. I’ve shot night exteriors with the Alexa in 0 degree weather and then taken that same camera body minutes later to shoot next to a fire where it was over 100 degrees - with zero issues. That said, I don’t want to bash, cause this Z-Cam does look great!
@@DastanZhumagulov This thread is relatively accurate but not 100% true. There are at least some of us who do filmmaking full time. I myself do commercials, product promos as well as DP for short films and currently working on two features. Potato Jet is a good example of what goes on. He talks about how he does client work still but you can't really show those sets or BTS because 1: you have to be focused on your work for the client and 2: usually you can't publish BTS footage from another brands set due to confidentiality. Yes its hard to juggle time for everything hence why when my commercial work is super busy I make less UA-cam videos and when its less I make more and post. So while a lot of "film" UA-camrs just do camera reviews and nothing more, its not everyone. I don't know Spencer personally but I believe he does indeed do indie films and other client projects not just UA-cam.
@@blakelarson8373 while I agree for the most part, that is changing. Z Cam is starting to be used as A Cams in a lot of productions from Comedy Central, Samsung and LG commercials to Movies in the Chinese market and Planet Earth. I myself have moved off of using a RED to using a Z Cam for most sets.
Noticed that skin looks too warm on the F6. Noticed the same in some other comparisons with the S1H even which should be closer to ARRI, colder and brighter/smoother skin.
Netflix approved cameras has people confused. The Netflix approve camera list is for Netflix original movies and series only. You can actually make a movie on a7iii and get it on Netflix it just won’t be a Netflix original.
Very good review brother ! Can you please talk more about the size of the files (RAW) and I'm wondering if there is a record time limitation ? Thanks !
You can use Video Suite to transcode the Z-Raw into something else depending on your platform. I'm working on experiment recently to build a hardware accelerator using FPGA and AI for facial recognition systems. The input shall be raw footage in real-time processing. Software encoding Raw can be very hard task, but FPGA will slice that like a hot knife through butter.
I love seeing these comparisons with the Arri cameras. Non of the comparison cameras are ever that far off and people will still swear that they can tell the differences. And to that I'd say yea, I hope you could see the differences between a $40k camera and a $2k camera.
I LOVE everything I've seen about this camera, and thanks for trying the 18-35 on it as I wasn't sure what S35 lens looked like on it! I hope BM do bring something out like a FF6K w/ interchangeable mounts; but I also hope they drop the P4k (or even P6K) sensor into a a body style like the old Micro Cinema Cameras for gimbal work! Thanks for the video :D
Sounds like you raised the ISO to 800 to change the DR shadow/highlight range balance but that isn't how it works on the F6. It uses analog gain for every step except ISO2500, where it uses conversion gain (dual native ISO). The response curve stays the same. That means by raising the ISO to 800 you were just clipping 1stop of highlights, not bringing up the shadows 1stop. Unless I'm misunderstanding your meaning, it would have been better to push the ISO400 exposure in post by about a stop with a LUT or grade. Would have really helped to have a scene with more DR that pushed both cameras to their clipping point and required pushing the grade and seeing both how highlights and shadows break or not in comparison. It's unclear either of the cameras ever clipped in your test, so perhaps a cheaper camera with less DR like a BMPCC4k might have performed pretty similar too in that scenario of not pushing the DR too hard.
Sigma 18-35mm has an EF mount and not EF-S. Although it is make for apsc sensors but I have used this lens on a 5d Mark III couple of years ago for stills. With a little bit of zooming we didn't have visible vignetting at 22 or 24mm. Thx for your video. Watching them all
At 8:08 I was struck by how much more three dimensional the Amira footage looked - is it the sensor or ist ist the different lensing due to the S35 sensor?
Hey Spencer, there is a quite pronounced shift in the blacks. Amira is "blackier", specially on your t-shirt... Besides that Amira has a bit more DR on the sky back there... I'm impressed.
Thanks for sharing - Just FYI there is no 2k version of the Alexa sensor, The classic downscale the 2.8k sensor to 1080/2k - They are all the same sensor just in different shapes - same pixel pitch. - As you mentioned about the LF
Great video! Quick question. Color science? Does the z cam have comparable color science? Your tests seemed very black and white. So good to see something that you could get a great image for cheaper, but does the color science favor one or the other?
How did you convert the 6k raw footage to prores 422hq please? Second question : did you use the ninja V or the shogun 7 for the captation with the Zcam? Thank you :)
I will definatly be purchasing your lighting course. Thats the least I can do to repay you for all the value that you have provided over the past year or so.
Spenser, can you share the original files? It's so hard to make an accurate assessment with youtube compression, the zcam does look damn close though. I would love to dig into the files with resolve.
I find myself looking forward to your videos more and more.... good stuff man... also, thanks to you I got into Mindhunter and watched the whole thing in like 3-4 days... how dare you! :D
Thanks for sharing I would like to see some challenge footage with contrast latitude, bright highlights to see the detail, and see how it feels cinematically speaking in terms of texture
The Amira was released in 2014. It may have been 10x more expensive at launch, but the premium price puts you 6 years ahead of the competition. I'm not surprised that they look similar under ideal conditions, but I'd be curious to see how they compare when over/under exposed. My bets are still on the Arri.
I definitely agree that I think I'd pick the Arri in many scenarios if price wasn't a consideration. That said, this test was of him standing indoors, wearing all black, and with a bright window behind him. I definitely think it did well to show the latitude of both cameras and the Z Cam held up surprisingly well at keeping the info in the dark and bright parts of the scene. And the F6 having a dual native ISO would definitely help it to keep up or surpass in poorly lit environments.
Spenser thanks for posting this. I would love to see you run the ZCAM thru it's paces in varied lighting setups that are more cinematic. It would be great to see how this camera performed on skin tones using universally used filters like the promist series. Using the camera flat is a great baseline test but not always indicative of real world actual use. How does the codec stand up when a ND is used during image capture? How far can you push the image in post before it degrades and becomes unusable? I am someone who is very interested in the ZCAM family of cameras and would like to know if they can become tools of quality for the long run in most scenarios we encounter in production.
Great comparison. Z-Cam seems to bring in a little more detail to the skin tones, but looks natural. I think the sensor and form facotr will be tempting for a lot of folks, .. Overall good thing, .. another nice Cinema Camera choice for filmmakers.. I'm still sold on the bmpcc4k's capabilities.
I can’t for the life of me get 4k 60 prores to work on the atomos ninja v with the f6, any advice? Also what’s that premier plugin you mentioned for zraw?
Any issues Gerald undone found? Namely, file splitting. Total loss of footage in power failure. Internal audio syncing issues and the other bugs he found.
File splitting is a feature... he just didn’t research the camera before he reviewed it. You set how long you want the max file length to be. Power loss wise, it creates a temp file which can be repaired using ZCams software. His video was extremely bad IMO, full of stupid “issues” and user error.
Thanks you so much for your thoughts and test. Surprisingly similar but the Amira has likely a lot more going on in terms of image processing and in different scenarios that can make a difference maybe. The z cam was my dream camera but it’s lack of raw, 444 or alt 12 bit colour makes it hard to love. Great fun to shoot with though but once it gets rigged up it becomes a practical issue. Ports and power seem good but is it really a match for a pro camera with integrated hand grip and the ergonomics of a tested form factor. Maybe in the price range it’s king but you can get a lot of camera second hand for that kind of money. Pro res raw might be its saviour. Any thoughts on audio?? Sharpening, IR pollution etc?? There are so many cameras that in these kinds of tests look great via youtube but hard to analyse especially without access to the raw footage. When I have tested it I just couldn’t see the fidelity that something like the kinefinity Mavo LF has immediately with that full frame look. I would love to be convinced but still yet to see an image in the flesh that’s exciting. Thank you so much for the post. Best K
I watched this on a 31" NEC color critical display and the level of detail in the ZCam over the Arri is unarguable (despite the focus being on his ears in the Arri shots) The Arri looks upscaled and suffers for it. I have no bias, I don't own either camera. Given the form factor and clear edge in detail, I'd prefer to shoot on the Zcam and I'm super surprised I'm saying that.
The Z Cam is amazing! its funny that your shirt and beard are more black with the Arri which means you should be able to match them pretty easily. They both about the same, one has more black hair and the other had brown hair and that's the only stand out difference😂
If money isn’t concerned I like the Amira more. Take a look at those reddish, contrasted skin tones on the Zcam in the first few comparisons. I really like the Amiras skin tones more, seem more natural and smoother. But for ten times the price it‘s not worth owning, if you aren’t a rental house :D
I got a Zcam F6 but personally i found so many issues with the body not the image quality. I liked the idea of a square body but is difficult to use it on shoulder. Also the ports are located very close to the Sony type battery so if you do use them and not a V mount battery you will definitely break some cables. Overall great camera specwise but in real world I preferred the handling of my old Ursa G2 and that's why I returned it. I know,Ursas build quality is kinda plastic and bad but the ergonomics were waaaaaay better... Now the Canon C300ii and C500ii might look similar but they are not. Their body is way better. Unfortunately £17K is kinda too much,canon thought they selling an Alexa. Now the studio rented a Sony FX9 and so far is the best of all. Camera is not only image quality,they are so many different factors.
Man, I really don't want full frame on a camera. It just looks cheap and nasty to me, but maybe it's just people shooting wide open just because. If I did that, i'd never get work again. M43 and super 35 are just so easy to work with. I mean, you can make ff work, but it takes more time and effort. What do you think? Is full frame something you need or want?
in at least one of the shots the zcam is focused on the face and the arri is focused on the seam of your shirt running along the shoulder (with the face out of focus)... kinda important to focus on the same thing in a camera test man
Bro get the amira, wow those skintones are unmatched. i know you tried to match them but nothing competes with that ALEV III sensors colors and as humans thats what we really really notice
@@spensersakurai I've seen a couple of youtubers buy them but their tests are shooting daytime exteriors that are of no use to me. They are also not trying to make films that have a chance of bring screened at a festival which his why I appreciate your videos.
High lights look super gone and abrupt on the z cam. I’ve take an Alexa Mini and and Amira and pointed them at a white car in the direct sun on a bright day and still couldn’t clip. There is no competition when it comes to DR. The main downside to the z cam is the Ef mount. They need to put a mount on there that is easily adaptable to PL is they want this camera used professionally
Great test. I’ve been waiting for ZCam be tested against ARRI. I think ZCam is going to be a good competitor and complimen moving forward to RED and ARRI
I think the Alexa/Arri worship is getting out of control. Both this cam and Blackmagics look just as good (or better if you need/like the extra resolution) than the standard Alexa. I actually like the zcam allot better here due to the VistaVision look.
Should I buy the ZCAM F6??
I just watched Gerald Undone's review and he seemed to have a lot of problems with it
Na man, pick up a Komodo
I think you've proven that with your talent you can make just about any camera work for you, and I don't see this particular one as an improvement on what you already own. I also don't think having one will get you any extra client work (someone might recognize RED, Arri, Sony, etc), so the $5k or so could be spent on other, better things
If you do get it, can you please do a comparison between this and the RED Komodo when it comes out??
Check the delay or latency you get on HDMI out to a monitor, I think it’s too slow for fast paced video
Also film an interview with external recorder and sync it in post. Heard there’s a problem with syncing issue
Overall.....the ZCam F6 should be Netflix certified. For $4000, it is ridiculously good! What a time to be alive in this filmmaking age!
It should be but it doesn't stop anyone shooting to go out on Netflix. At the end of the day Netflix approved only matters for netflix commissioned shoots and if they are commissioning you to shoot you can pull out the credit card choose or hire whatever you want :D
Those certified cameras are recommended strictly for their Netflix originals. I think they are open to other cameras when it comes to your own film as long as it’s true 4K.
It’s only because it doesn’t have timecode, if it had timecode it would get approved
Spencer 3 weeks ago was posting videos like “full frame is a trap” and “why I bought the xt3” and now he’s about to drop $4,000 on a camera :) time moves fast
clickbait does amazing things
Keep up Mike ;0
gotta keep talking about gear for the youtube audience that focuses on everything except story line and actually filming
he was talking about his personal youtube use. He also paired his xt3 with the viltrox speedbooster to make the crop 1.1 which is basically FF. He never stated that he doesn't like Full Frame.
For the commercial use, he is using the ursa mini (which is not a ff cam).
@@dna8269 if the only thing you care about is story, then go make a book. Film is so much more than story. You cannot over look nothing. This is why havin good crew is important
Definitely keen for FF Blackmagic :) !!
👋 That would be a real contender for my original BMPCC... :)
If the next camera Blackmagic releases is not FF, they will have a hard time staying competitive.
Baron R Haha even if they don’t they still will be very competitive. The bmpcc4K and 6K are the best value cameras today by far. Not everyone wants/needs full frame..
I wish that the black magic had this form factor
@@Cherub1m7 I really hope BM updates their micro cinema camera.
Hell yeah, Spenser! I got mine last week and have been trying to do over and under exposure tests to figure it out. This is really helpful and will save me some time testing. Best from Arlington, Texas
I just got the E2F6 with a Ninja V. I love shooting 5K 4:3 with 1.5x anamorphic adapter and its just amazing. There are issues that Gerald Undone has addressed that I feel can be easily fixed with future updates. Great Video!
were they fixed with updates?
@@vadergrd Yes they were!
I’ve used the Amira a handful of times and this makes me really want to jump on the F6 (as if I didn’t want to before ;)
Just wait till the new arri comes out ;)
4K S35, Alexa Mini LF formfactor
go watch Gerald Undone F6 Video and make sure you can live with all the cons of the F6
Sonny how much though 🤔
I don’t think a 10 bit color sensor can compete with a dual gain architetture 16 bit color sensor of Arri cameras
Awesome comparison man. I think its the only one on youtube comparing the F6 with an Arri camera.
would love to know more about the z cam plugin for premiere , Thanks
Camera wise I think we live in an era of wonders! So many good tools and so many choices! It's amazing seeing cameras with such different price ranges comparing with each other. I m considering buying a Z cam in the future. I m hanging on my BMPCC 4K and keeping an eye on the Z cam for now... Great video Spencer, thanks for the effort and time!
Spencer have you seen Steve Yedlin's resolution demo? It's all about how pixel count past a certain point is not a good measurement of a "better" image/ better spacial fidelity. Super interesting stuff.
The blacks on Arri are so clean and neutral 🙌🏻 I was doing some comps with an older shoot i did with the Amira 1080, and a current RED 6K project. Blown away again at the detail and color detail.
Did you see the greatness of the arri Amira over the others ?
Thank you so much for this video, I always loved the ARRI look (who wouldn't) and was sold that z cam might be my next camera unless BMD comes out with a full-frame camera sooner than later.
Please do a latitude test next time. Over & under exposure comparison would show the reason why Amira costs so much, it's pretty amazing how well Arri sensors maintain colours when pushed in post.
exactly
BMPCC 6K or ZCAM F6 is the question 😞
I was on the fence a little myself but the F6 has an FF sensor with more sensitivity and more ISO flexibility (dual native and analog gain), wifi monitoring, long battery life, and electronicND is a big big plus.
Bmpcc 6k easier to work with.
The pocket 6k even though only a s35 sensor holds up pretty well with the Arri Alexa. Both great cameras but if you only got 3k to spend then a pocket 6k with all the fixings.
Z-Cam always. Full-frame at 6K and 120 fps 4K with Z-RAW... 15 stops of dynamic range...
Have you copped yet bro?
Does anyone actually make indie movies with any of these new cameras or just youtube videos or music videos?
@@TackJorrance Also I believe most of the people who are really in the business of filmmaking do not have time to run a proper youtube channel
Exactly. It’s like people buy cameras just to talk about the specs and show test footage. Then others will make loose talk about making a film, yet three years later they are still just buying to review.
It’s very rare to see something like this on set, unless it’s for a crash cam. There’s a reason you always see Arri/Panavision/Red/Sony - they’re cameras with established working practices that fit into our on-set ecosystems and consistently deliver. I’ve shot night exteriors with the Alexa in 0 degree weather and then taken that same camera body minutes later to shoot next to a fire where it was over 100 degrees - with zero issues. That said, I don’t want to bash, cause this Z-Cam does look great!
@@DastanZhumagulov This thread is relatively accurate but not 100% true. There are at least some of us who do filmmaking full time. I myself do commercials, product promos as well as DP for short films and currently working on two features. Potato Jet is a good example of what goes on. He talks about how he does client work still but you can't really show those sets or BTS because 1: you have to be focused on your work for the client and 2: usually you can't publish BTS footage from another brands set due to confidentiality. Yes its hard to juggle time for everything hence why when my commercial work is super busy I make less UA-cam videos and when its less I make more and post. So while a lot of "film" UA-camrs just do camera reviews and nothing more, its not everyone. I don't know Spencer personally but I believe he does indeed do indie films and other client projects not just UA-cam.
@@blakelarson8373 while I agree for the most part, that is changing. Z Cam is starting to be used as A Cams in a lot of productions from Comedy Central, Samsung and LG commercials to Movies in the Chinese market and Planet Earth.
I myself have moved off of using a RED to using a Z Cam for most sets.
They were so damn close. I was split. Liked the Arri better in some, and the Z Cam in others.
Noticed that skin looks too warm on the F6. Noticed the same in some other comparisons with the S1H even which should be closer to ARRI, colder and brighter/smoother skin.
so technically the ZCam should be Netflix approved 👀
There is more than just resolution and framerate. Timecode Sync for example is one, although not specifically stated so.
Netflix approved cameras has people confused. The Netflix approve camera list is for Netflix original movies and series only. You can actually make a movie on a7iii and get it on Netflix it just won’t be a Netflix original.
Also takes money and an application process
Netflix is not the only film and documentary distributor in the world.
@@andrecruz100 nobody said it was, Andre.
Very good review brother !
Can you please talk more about the size of the files (RAW) and I'm wondering if there is a record time limitation ?
Thanks !
You can use Video Suite to transcode the Z-Raw into something else depending on your platform. I'm working on experiment recently to build a hardware accelerator using FPGA and AI for facial recognition systems. The input shall be raw footage in real-time processing. Software encoding Raw can be very hard task, but FPGA will slice that like a hot knife through butter.
Dude...how'd you get the instrumental to this song? Cody Fry is sick!
I love seeing these comparisons with the Arri cameras. Non of the comparison cameras are ever that far off and people will still swear that they can tell the differences. And to that I'd say yea, I hope you could see the differences between a $40k camera and a $2k camera.
I LOVE everything I've seen about this camera, and thanks for trying the 18-35 on it as I wasn't sure what S35 lens looked like on it! I hope BM do bring something out like a FF6K w/ interchangeable mounts; but I also hope they drop the P4k (or even P6K) sensor into a a body style like the old Micro Cinema Cameras for gimbal work! Thanks for the video :D
Arri is a bit out of focus on some shots, especially the closeup, you can see eyes are not in focus, its a bit backfocused..
Thanks for this comparison man! Love your content and would love to see even more Z cam stuff - really considering getting the S6 :)
Sounds like you raised the ISO to 800 to change the DR shadow/highlight range balance but that isn't how it works on the F6. It uses analog gain for every step except ISO2500, where it uses conversion gain (dual native ISO). The response curve stays the same. That means by raising the ISO to 800 you were just clipping 1stop of highlights, not bringing up the shadows 1stop. Unless I'm misunderstanding your meaning, it would have been better to push the ISO400 exposure in post by about a stop with a LUT or grade. Would have really helped to have a scene with more DR that pushed both cameras to their clipping point and required pushing the grade and seeing both how highlights and shadows break or not in comparison. It's unclear either of the cameras ever clipped in your test, so perhaps a cheaper camera with less DR like a BMPCC4k might have performed pretty similar too in that scenario of not pushing the DR too hard.
Do you do location workshop incase someone wants to fly you out?
Keep up the great work Spenser
Good comparison. Wondering, to your eyes, how ZCAM f6 4K RAW 12 bit
image compares to Sigma FP?
Sigma 18-35mm has an EF mount and not EF-S. Although it is make for apsc sensors but I have used this lens on a 5d Mark III couple of years ago for stills. With a little bit of zooming we didn't have visible vignetting at 22 or 24mm. Thx for your video. Watching them all
Saw you responded in this video review to what me and others were saying about ZRAW - good to know the F6 is getting the praise it deserves.
At 8:08 I was struck by how much more three dimensional the Amira footage looked - is it the sensor or ist ist the different lensing due to the S35 sensor?
Nice video... just wondering what that device is plugged in to your laptop?
Hey Spencer, there is a quite pronounced shift in the blacks. Amira is "blackier", specially on your t-shirt... Besides that Amira has a bit more DR on the sky back there... I'm impressed.
Thanks for sharing - Just FYI there is no 2k version of the Alexa sensor, The classic downscale the 2.8k sensor to 1080/2k - They are all the same sensor just in different shapes - same pixel pitch. - As you mentioned about the LF
Great video! Quick question. Color science? Does the z cam have comparable color science? Your tests seemed very black and white. So good to see something that you could get a great image for cheaper, but does the color science favor one or the other?
How did you convert the 6k raw footage to prores 422hq please? Second question : did you use the ninja V or the shogun 7 for the captation with the Zcam? Thank you :)
Zcam vs bm ursa?
What about shooting in the field with it?
I will definatly be purchasing your lighting course. Thats the least I can do to repay you for all the value that you have provided over the past year or so.
Spenser, can you share the original files? It's so hard to make an accurate assessment with youtube compression, the zcam does look damn close though. I would love to dig into the files with resolve.
Great video, Thx. QQ - You have the Ursa Mini 4.6k or 4.6k pro right? ie. not the G2..? Do you think G2 would fare any better against the Z Cam?
I find myself looking forward to your videos more and more.... good stuff man... also, thanks to you I got into Mindhunter and watched the whole thing in like 3-4 days... how dare you! :D
Thanks for sharing
I would like to see some challenge footage with contrast latitude, bright highlights to see the detail, and see how it feels cinematically speaking in terms of texture
How does your Mac 16 handle these files? Do you run proxies and relink ?
The Amira was released in 2014. It may have been 10x more expensive at launch, but the premium price puts you 6 years ahead of the competition. I'm not surprised that they look similar under ideal conditions, but I'd be curious to see how they compare when over/under exposed. My bets are still on the Arri.
I definitely agree that I think I'd pick the Arri in many scenarios if price wasn't a consideration. That said, this test was of him standing indoors, wearing all black, and with a bright window behind him. I definitely think it did well to show the latitude of both cameras and the Z Cam held up surprisingly well at keeping the info in the dark and bright parts of the scene. And the F6 having a dual native ISO would definitely help it to keep up or surpass in poorly lit environments.
Does this camera crop in when you change the settings such as resolution and frame rate?
Spenser thanks for posting this. I would love to see you run the ZCAM thru it's paces in varied lighting setups that are more cinematic. It would be great to see how this camera performed on skin tones using universally used filters like the promist series. Using the camera flat is a great baseline test but not always indicative of real world actual use. How does the codec stand up when a ND is used during image capture? How far can you push the image in post before it degrades and becomes unusable? I am someone who is very interested in the ZCAM family of cameras and would like to know if they can become tools of quality for the long run in most scenarios we encounter in production.
Sir whitch mond of lence details reply me
Actually the ALEV III has exactly 14 stops of dynamic range (snr=0.5) measured in IMATEST.
Other manufacturers are just lying and have way less.
My original A7S one also claimed 14 plus but yeah.... ARRI
Can I ask why you never review canon cinema cameras ??? not that am a fan of canon or anything .... Just curious
how about the rolling shutter on the Z?
I have been so interested in these cameras. These a budget friendly as hell compared to the expensive class.
did you visit chop!
The sensor is not all in a camera, the image processor and firmware count for a lot also in how a camera render the image!
Great comparison. Z-Cam seems to bring in a little more detail to the skin tones, but looks natural. I think the sensor and form facotr will be tempting for a lot of folks, .. Overall good thing, .. another nice Cinema Camera choice for filmmakers.. I'm still sold on the bmpcc4k's capabilities.
does the m4 looks as good as this one?
Rolling shutter test?
Zcam super 35 or the Red Scarlet-x (used) I've notice used Red cameras prices used has dropped.
So many choices...
Very good video...
F6 vs Mavo LF?
Man that Arri is so gooooooooood!
Any thoughts of Z Can Vs Kinefinity since you used the MAVO LF as well
I am using both, MAVO LF is over priced but MAVO do has better color or easy to work color and kinefinity offers the complete cinema camera package.
@@LucasHJX thanks for replying. Maybe MAVO Edge might be better
Hey Spencer, great vid as always! Absolutely off-topic though: what's the docking hub on the MacBook?
I can’t for the life of me get 4k 60 prores to work on the atomos ninja v with the f6, any advice? Also what’s that premier plugin you mentioned for zraw?
Have you checked the Facebook page for ZCam? They have answers to everything there
Any issues Gerald undone found? Namely, file splitting. Total loss of footage in power failure. Internal audio syncing issues and the other bugs he found.
File splitting is a feature... he just didn’t research the camera before he reviewed it. You set how long you want the max file length to be.
Power loss wise, it creates a temp file which can be repaired using ZCams software. His video was extremely bad IMO, full of stupid “issues” and user error.
Thanks you so much for your thoughts and test. Surprisingly similar but the Amira has likely a lot more going on in terms of image processing and in different scenarios that can make a difference maybe. The z cam was my dream camera but it’s lack of raw, 444 or alt 12 bit colour makes it hard to love. Great fun to shoot with though but once it gets rigged up it becomes a practical issue. Ports and power seem good but is it really a match for a pro camera with integrated hand grip and the ergonomics of a tested form factor. Maybe in the price range it’s king but you can get a lot of camera second hand for that kind of money. Pro res raw might be its saviour. Any thoughts on audio?? Sharpening, IR pollution etc?? There are so many cameras that in these kinds of tests look great via youtube but hard to analyse especially without access to the raw footage. When I have tested it I just couldn’t see the fidelity that something like the kinefinity Mavo LF has immediately with that full frame look. I would love to be convinced but still yet to see an image in the flesh that’s exciting. Thank you so much for the post. Best K
Z Raw is RAW, 12bit, and 444.
I watched this on a 31" NEC color critical display and the level of detail in the ZCam over the Arri is unarguable (despite the focus being on his ears in the Arri shots) The Arri looks upscaled and suffers for it. I have no bias, I don't own either camera. Given the form factor and clear edge in detail, I'd prefer to shoot on the Zcam and I'm super surprised I'm saying that.
I don’t think a 10 bit color camera can compete with a 16 bit color camera ad is Arri
Resolution is less important than color in narrative filmmaking
@@sixsoxsex1 Neither do I, but couple it with a Ninja V and I think the 12-bit ProRes RAW capture at up to 6K30 can definitely compete.
What was That 5:00 ??????????????????????????? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for the video!
The Z Cam is amazing! its funny that your shirt and beard are more black with the Arri which means you should be able to match them pretty easily. They both about the same, one has more black hair and the other had brown hair and that's the only stand out difference😂
Wow. That is amazing... I have been trying to convince myself I don't want the Z Cam, but I am failing.
Man that little piece of camera... it's nice bro!
I have the E2M4 slow motion videos of birds in flight is great
Everything's great but could you please limit your sound a little higher?
If money isn’t concerned I like the Amira more. Take a look at those reddish, contrasted skin tones on the Zcam in the first few comparisons. I really like the Amiras skin tones more, seem more natural and smoother. But for ten times the price it‘s not worth owning, if you aren’t a rental house :D
I got a Zcam F6 but
personally i found so many issues with the body not the image quality. I liked the idea of a square body but is difficult to use it on shoulder. Also the ports are located very close to the Sony type battery so if you do use them and not a V mount battery you will definitely break some cables.
Overall great camera specwise but in real world I preferred the handling of my old Ursa G2 and that's why I returned it.
I know,Ursas build quality is kinda plastic and bad but the ergonomics were waaaaaay better...
Now the Canon C300ii and C500ii might look similar but they are not. Their body is way better.
Unfortunately £17K is kinda too much,canon thought they selling an Alexa.
Now the studio rented a Sony FX9 and so far is the best of all.
Camera is not only image quality,they are so many different factors.
To rig up the ZCAM is part of the fun and you think it's a disadvantage?
Man, I really don't want full frame on a camera. It just looks cheap and nasty to me, but maybe it's just people shooting wide open just because. If I did that, i'd never get work again. M43 and super 35 are just so easy to work with. I mean, you can make ff work, but it takes more time and effort. What do you think? Is full frame something you need or want?
DP C effort? Can you explain?
?
Update 2 years later. Blackmagic has still not released a full frame sensor camera.
Have you checked “Blackmagic’s” iphone app? That’s a great UX and use
I wish it had video monitoring!
Where's the focus？
in at least one of the shots the zcam is focused on the face and the arri is focused on the seam of your shirt running along the shoulder (with the face out of focus)... kinda important to focus on the same thing in a camera test man
low light test!
Bro get the amira, wow those skintones are unmatched. i know you tried to match them but nothing competes with that ALEV III sensors colors and as humans thats what we really really notice
Thx!
Unfortunately it looks like all your Arri footage was a tad soft and focused just past the eyes :-/
Why not buy or try a Arri Classic ? They are $ 5K on ebay and I would like to hear your opinion!
I look at eBay weekly lol
@@spensersakurai I've seen a couple of youtubers buy them but their tests are shooting daytime exteriors that are of no use to me. They are also not trying to make films that have a chance of bring screened at a festival which his why I appreciate your videos.
workflow is impossible with this caméra export like Magic Lantern on Canon Eos 5D mKII so old !
Prores Raw?
High lights look super gone and abrupt on the z cam. I’ve take an Alexa Mini and and Amira and pointed them at a white car in the direct sun on a bright day and still couldn’t clip. There is no competition when it comes to DR. The main downside to the z cam is the Ef mount. They need to put a mount on there that is easily adaptable to PL is they want this camera used professionally
It has a swappable lens mount. EF, PL, MFT, and a future 3rd party E mount.
9:20 Thats something nobody has ever said about the Sony Cameras iPhone app... Hopefully one day we'll be able to say that but not today
he said Panasonic not Sony
gtothedwig d Exactly. Read my comment again
BRAW is not real RAW. ProRes RAW is.
Haha are you kidding?
He meant ProRes RAW is not real RAW
Amazing quality z cam
Zcam Vs S1H in the next video please!
Z cam had some ir noise was the only thing that I was noticing that was more obvious
Great test. I’ve been waiting for ZCam be tested against ARRI. I think ZCam is going to be a good competitor and complimen moving forward to RED and ARRI
I think the Alexa/Arri worship is getting out of control. Both this cam and Blackmagics look just as good (or better if you need/like the extra resolution) than the standard Alexa. I actually like the zcam allot better here due to the VistaVision look.
I prefer the look of the ZCAM over the ARRI. Crazy
I run the ZCam E2 M4 and I couldn’t be happier. An BBC extraordinary piece of kit.
you can definitely see the 444 vs 422
maybe it's me. maybe its youtube compression. maybe it's maybelline
ARRI skin tones though !!!!