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USED FOCUS – PANASONIC EVA1
The EVA1 has an integrated, push-button ND filter in two, four and six stops – but no variable ND. An IR Cut filter can be removed via a menu setting for night-vision imaging. Filters and settings may be controlled via a smartphone app that makes the camera suitable for drones and gimbals. mount, this communicates lens data to the camera and allows iris control and one-button AF. But compared to other cinema cameras, the EVA1’s contrast-detect AF is lacking. Contrast AF tries its best to Point of focus As the EVA1 uses a Canon EF lens lock on, but often focuses past the subject, then racks back in slightly – much like most basic contrast- detect systems. The AF point is not adjustable, and there’s certainly nothing high- tech like a face detection system. In fact, continuous AF does not feature at all. If you want that, you’re forced into the realms of manually racking focus yourself. One saving grace is Panasonic’s focus assist. This is an array of green squares that grow in size when their local area appears sharp, allowing critical manual focus. It’s tough going back to old-school focus peaking once you’ve tried the Panasonic way. However, these green boxes can be a bit off-putting, as they cover much of the screen. It’s best to focus with them, then turn off for shooting. For pushing buttons and digging through menus, the EVA1 is simple: common controls are on the left side of the camera. There are nine user- assignable buttons, including one which is mid-position of the toggle “Compared to other cinema cameras, its contrast-detect AF is lacking”
In terms of the footage itself, especially at normal frame rates and native ISO settings, colours are incredibly true to life and noise is well-controlled. Even in non-Log mode for speedy post-processing, footage is bright and vibrant right out of camera. Log leaves even more room for tweaking, helped by the amount of information in 4:2:2 10-bit 4K files. This really helps the dynamic range of the camera and it excels in mixed-lighting conditions with lots of contrast. Very bright highlights are nicely controlled. Dual native ISO of 800 and 2500 works really well, and ISO 2500 footage is very clean, although clearly not as good as ISO 800. You’re not limited to these two values, though. If the base is set at 800, you can select an ISO from 200 to 2000, while the base 2500 setting gives a range of 1000 to 25,600. At higher ISO ratings, the camera performs very well, and footage is perfectly usable up to at least ISO 5000. If you demand absurdly high settings on a regular basis, you’re likely better off with a full-frame camera such as a Sony FX6. Where the latest set of cameras also score is in image stabilisation. But the Panasonic has electronic image stabilisation in-camera, which works with any lens. This means the image is cropped quite heavily, giving the machine enough room to move the image to counter any shakes. It works well, if you don’t mind the crop.
switch that controls white-balance and ISO/gain settings. Info and home buttons bring up lots of settings on the screen, which you can instantly touch. But unlike some cameras, there are no labelled and dedicated buttons for shutter speed or slow/fast motion. If you use the 180° shutter angle rule – where shutter speed is twice the frame rate – that can be set in the menu. But to change speeds, dig in and specify them yourself. Similarly, there is no easy way to access super slow-motion, so you have to go through menus. Without dedicated mic/line audio switches, setting up your mic also requires a trawl through the camera settings. What’s inside counts Where the Panasonic scores over rivals is internal codec. Most users want broadcast-standard 10-bit 4:2:2 4K – in a high bit rate – to affordable media. That’s where the EVA1 is a winner. Like Varicams and even the GH6 mirrorless camera, the EVA1 can record in V-Log/V-Gamut. Five additional scene files apply different looks to footage. These can be customised or even saved and loaded via an SD card, to make them match other cameras. There’s also a scene setting for HDR, which is Hybrid Log-Gamma in the Rec. 2020 colour space. To access the fastest frame rates, set the camera to 2.2K 4/3in crop mode, which also drops the native ISO to 400/1250 and reduces dynamic range by a stop. This mode means recording is at 8-bit 4:2:0 and will increase noise, but is very usable at both native ISO ratings.
BIG RIG The Panasonic can be stripped down and used for handheld work, or rigged up for a full cinema production
SENSE CHECK Having selectable twin SD card slots is a big bonus for the EVA1, rather than relying on more expensive media
More information
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