BUYINGUSED GEAR
on sale, the Ursa Mini Pro 4.6K is an undoubted bargain. For Canon users, the C100Mark II has been replaced by the new EOS C70 hybrid camera, and doesn’t shoot 4K. But for HD shooters, it’s a great option and a real bargain. The Canon C300Mark II has been a popular production camera for years, with its impressive spec of 4K DCI, 2K, and Full HD internal and external recording to CFast 2.0 media, as well as 4K Raw output – and there are plenty of themused. If Canonmirrorless is a more preferred choice, then the EOS R was its first full-frame version – and is a cost-effective way to get into the latest system. The 30.3-megapixel EOS Rmight not shoot 8K and internal Raw like the EOS R5, but it has a flip-out screen, amazing autofocus, external 10-bit 4:2:2 Log output and stunning colours. Sony users are spoilt for choice when it comes to previous- generation cameras, although we wouldn’t recommend the A7S II, as it uses five-year-old technology and is outperformed in pretty much every way by the newer Sony A7 III, which is far more useful. It has fantastic quality, resolution, tonal range, sharpness and colours. There are no waveforms or 10-bit internal recording, but the 24.2-megapixel A7 III shoots 4K at up to 30p, and FHD at up to 120fps, with Log and HDR options. It’s in the cinema camera world where real Sony bargains can be had, as the full- frame FX6 and FX9 are the ones everyone wants, leaving the older Super 35 FS5 and FS7 ranges ripe for bargain hunters. For the FS5, the later Mark II version has better colours, higher frame rates and a Raw external option, but the original FS5 is now a real bargain – and another £500/$500 on top usually snags one with the high frame rate and Raw firmware upgrade. The FS5 uses the Super 35 sensor of its big brother – the FS7 – in a smaller body and at a lower price. Just as the FS5 was upgraded to the “Why not take the chance to invest in some real cine lenses? Either primes or zooms”
the flagship for filmmakers, and is ideal for stills photographers who want to get intomakingmovies. While Panasonic’s full-frame Lumix mirrorless cameras are all still very much the latest models, the Lumix GH5S was the flagship Micro Four Thirds camera aimed at filmmakers, but has now been overshadowed by the GH5 II. The GH5S uses a high-sensitivity Live MOS sensor that goes up to 51,200 ISO, and this can be expanded to 204,800. There’s also Panasonic’s Dual Native ISO technology, which reads the chip in two different ways. One setting has a lower native ISO of 400 for maximumdynamic range. The other is ISO 2500, aimed at minimising noise. And to aid the filmmaker for multicamera shooting, there is a timecode in/out port. The GH5S records 4:2:2 10-bit video at high 400Mbps in Cinema 4K 30p/25p/24p for strong colour reproduction. At 60fps in Cinema 4K, it’s 8-bit footage recorded internally, or at 10-bit if you take the signal via an external recorder. The GH5S also comes with V-Log video profile tomaximise dynamic range, which comes pre-installed on the camera. It’s still a great option.
Mark II version, so was the FS7. The Mark II has a rotating lens mount, Rec. 2020 colour space and variable ND filter, but the image quality and functionality remains the same – such as 180fps continuous shooting in HDwith no buffering, as well as 4K shooting to a pair of XQDmemory cards. All versions are available cheaply, and have an hours meter, so you can see howmuch use the camera has had. For any fan of the Super 35 sensor, the FujifilmX-H1 is a great buy, as many overlook it for the newer X-T4. The 24.3-megapixel X-H1 remains
OLD, BUT GOLD A Red Raven (above) and Canon C100 (below) are senior models, so are avaiable at a a fraction of their price new
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