A DIFFERENT PATH Sony is going its own way with the tilting EVF on its FX2 hybrid, a detail Canon and Nikon said no to
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Nikon’s ZR, on the other hand, leans totally into creator culture. It’s the hybrid that wants to do it all, such as social content, documentaries, weddings and maybe even art-house stuff as well. While its rivals’ hybrids have lots of mounting holes to fix accessories, the Nikon is a camera you can use without any. The most interesting divide, however, is in image quality. Sony’s camera is the only one without internal Raw recording. The company decided that 10-bit 4:2:2 and external capture are good enough, a curious stance in a world where even smartphones are flirting with Raw files. Meanwhile, Canon and Nikon are doubling down, offering the same quality options once reserved for cinema cameras costing three times as much. None of them are wrong. Sony’s FX2 is based around a slick, proven system that’s fast, dependable and easy to use. Canon’s C50 is the most cinematic, designed for those who think in terms of lighting ratios and shot lists. Nikon’s ZR might be the most forward-looking, understanding hybrid as a complete mindset shift, not a compromise. Three cameras, three philosophies. It’s not about who wins – it’s about what kind of storyteller you are.
There’s something fascinating about watching three giants of imaging head in three different directions while all chasing the same central idea. The hybrid camera, once a compromise child of stills and video, has finally grown up. But if the latest trio of releases – the Canon EOS C50, Nikon ZR and Sony FX2 – are anything to go by, nobody can agree on what a hybrid really is. Sony, the pioneer of the category, clearly sees refinement as progress. Its new FX2 has a bold new addition – an electronic viewfinder (EVF). It’s something users of the FX3 and FX30 have been begging for, Sony claims. It’s a return to old-school ergonomics in a world obsessed with minimalism. The irony is that Canon and Nikon have gone the opposite way, deciding that the EVF is dead weight. Canon’s C50 belongs to the clear logic of the Cinema EOS family: this camera is meant to be used by new-school content creators who’ve been brought up looking at a screen and not using a viewfinder. While its more advanced users will use a rig, as it’s unapologetically a filmmaker’s tool. If you’re shooting with professional monitors and recorders, who needs an EVF cluttering things up?
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Pro Moviemaker is published bimonthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. ISSN number: 2045-3892. Pro Moviemaker is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Pro Moviemaker that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted are street prices. In sterling they include VAT (unless otherwise stated), but US dollar prices are without local sales taxes. Prices are where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
ADAM DUCKWORTH, EDITOR IN CHIEF
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