GEAR
KINEFINITYMAVO LF
THE VERDICT If you’ve dreamed of a full-frame cinema camera, youmight actually be able to afford or even just rent, Kinefinitymay be the camera you have been waiting for. It produces very detailed files in lots of different frame rates in ProRes or Raw, with that unique large format look. And with Kinefinity spreading its wings by having ProAV in theUK, that will take a lot of the fear out of buying and using the camera. When we tested the standard Mavo, we said there were lots of other Super 35 options available, such as a Sony FS7Mark II, PanasonicEVA-1 orC300Mark II, which were cheaper but all quite different to the Kinefinity Mavo as it is modular. Move up to full-frame and a year ago there was not much else at even close to the asking price available. That was until Sony launched the FX9 and Canon the C500Mark II. Both with full- frame sensors and both within the same ballpark price as the Kinefinity, if you compare body- only or kit prices. That doesn’t take anything away from the Kinefinity, which is a stunning camera that gives top results.
So far, Connaughton hasn’t encountered any problems with his Mavo. “It just worked. So far I’ve been super impressed with it. The image is fantastic and I’vehadplenty of time to get used to the camera and the menus,” he says. “You look at full-frame compared to a Super 35 image and there’s a scale to it you just can’t replicate on a smaller sensor. There is something very immersive that really pulls you in because of the vastness that you can achieve with it. “Obviously the bigger sensor area allows more light to come in. One of the advantages of that is for me to focus more on quality of light rather than output. You’ve also got the dual native ISOs, the 800 and the 5120, which for some of the night-time scenes really helps. Some of the lighting set-upswehavebeenable to simplify because of the ability of the camera in low light.” Raw is obviously one of the biggest selling points of the camera, but Connaughton says he hasn’t got the budget for storage to shoot it yet. “We’re going to shoot KineLog in ProRes 4:4:4 rather than Raw, which is oneof the compromiseswehave to make, but in an ideal world I would have shot Raw,” he says. “They have recently released a guide to get it to interpretcorrectlyinDaVinciResolve “So far I’ve been super impressed with it, the image is fantastic”
ABOVE The modular design means large- capacity batteries like this Swit can be fitted to provide day-long power
whichworks really well. Once you’ve got those settings, you can import the Raw in and it looks incredible.” Connaughtonhasalsomanagedto save somemoney by using consumer SSDs for storage – Samsung 860 Pros and SanDisk Ultra IIs – as the KineMags are more expensive. In use, Connaughton found the camera easy to get to grips with, with sensible menus that are simple to understand. “There’s an option in the menu in ‘Shooting Formats’ and you choose what you want, including MFT and Super 16. There’s no camera restart, you just select it and it’ll reboot itself, but it’s not like a full restart. It’s much quicker, it just refreshes everything – it takes maybe a second or two,” he says. One thing he likes is that the camera is being developed and tweaked to improve it. “I’ve already had a few updates for the camera, and there’s one that’s about to drop that activates the side panel menu to give you ISO, frame rate read-out. The Facebook page and the group are really helpful and also ProAV emails me when there is anything new.”
HOW IT RATES
Features: 8 No ND filters or AF, but it has the rest covered handsomely Performance: 9 Lots of frame rate options for slowmotion, great full- frame images Handling: 9 Can be stripped down and lightweight or rigged up like a real cinema cam Value formoney: 8 It’s a bargain if you compare it to ArriandRed.Notsomuchagainst the new Canon and Sony though
BELOW The camera can be stripped right down for genuine handheld use
OVERALL RATING: 8/10 If you want the unique
advantages of a full-frame cinema cam, it’s a winner Pros: A great option for full- frame filmmaking Cons: NoAF,NDor touchscreen
More information
proav.co.uk
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SUMMER 2020 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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