Pro Moviemaker Spring 2018PMM_SPRING 2018

GEAR

MINI CAMERA TEST

SONY RX0 £780/$698 www.sony.co.uk SPECIFICATIONS Lens: 7.7mmZeiss Tessar T* (24mm full-frame equivalent), 6 aspheric elements in 6 groups, f/4 LCD Screen: 3.8cm/1.5in 4:3 Sensor: 1.0-type, 13.2x8.8mmSony CMOSwith Exmor R, 15.3megapixels Formats: 4K 30/25/24fps with external recorder, 1080P 60/50/30/25/24fps. Fast frame rates at varying resolution: 200/240/ 250/ 480/ 500/ 960/ 1000fps. XAVC-S, LPCM, AVCHD, MP4, MPEG4 Photo: 15.3-megapixel stills, Raw and JPEG, up to 16fps ISO range: 80-12,800 Shutter speed: 1/4sec-1/32,000sec Interface: Micro USB, MicroHDMI, 3.5mmheadphone jack Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Storage: MicroSD/ SDXC, Memory Stick Micro Audio: Stereo built-in speaker Waterproofing: 10m/33ft Dimensions: 59x40.5x29.8mm/ 2.3x1.6x1.2in Weight: 110g/0.24lb

GOPRO HERO6 BLACK £399/$499 www.gopro.com SPECIFICATIONS LCD Screen: 5.1cm/2in touchscreen Sensor: 12MP CMOS Formats: 4K 60/50/30/25/24fps, 2.7K 120/ 100/ 60/50/30/25/24fps 1080p 120/ 100/ 60/50/30/25/24fps. 720p 60/50. H.265 above 30fps, H.264 below 30fps, MP4 format Other formats: Time lapse, video and night lapse Photo: 12- megapixel stills, Rawand JPEG Stabilisation: Built-in Charging: MicroHDMI Connectivity: Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth, voice command, GPS Storage: MicroSD Audio: Stereo built-in speaker Waterproofing: 10m/33ft Dimensions: 65x45x35mm/ 2.6x1.8x1.4in Weight: 120g/0.26lb

YI 4K+ ACTION CAMERA £299/$339 www.yitechnology.com

SPECIFICATIONS

Lens: 155 degree FOV, f/2.8 LCD Screen: 5.6cm/2.2in touchscreen 16:9 Sensor: 12MP Sony CMOSwith Exmor R Formats: 4K 60/50/48/30/25/24fps wide, 30/25fps ultrawide, 2.7K 60/50/48/30/25/24fps wide/medium, 30/25fps ultrawide, 1080P 120/ 60/50/48/30/25/24fps wide/medium// narrow. 720P 240/200fps wide. H.264, MP4 format Other formats: Time lapse, video and time lapse photo at same time. Photo: 12- megapixel stills, Rawand JPEG Stabilisation: Built-in three-axis ISO range: 100-800 Charging: USB Type C Connectivity: Wi-Fi/ Bluetooth, voice command Storage: 16-64GBmicroSD Class 3 Audio: Stereo built-in speaker

Waterproofing: 40m/131ft Dimensions: 65x42x30mm/ 2.6x1.7x1.2in Weight: 96.4g/0.21lb

THE VERDICT

for a super-compact, full-spec camera, there’s nothing else like it on the market. If it’s a real action camera that you want, then it’s hard to beat the latest GoPro Hero6 Black, complete with its stunning 4K footage at 60fps as well as high frame rate options in HD. It’s easy to use and the touchscreen is fantastic. But, of course, it’s an automatic camera so you lose control of settings. You also lose control of settings on the YI 4K+, but you do get great 4K 60fps footage that’s not far behind the output of the GoPro, for considerably less money. It uses the old-style separate case, like older GoPromodels as well as the vast majority of GoPro clones on the market. But this does add some protection to the lens and improves its underwater capabilities. It’s not quite as intuitive to use as the GoPro, and the app not quite as good, but it’s still very consumer-friendly and a great alternative for the budget-conscious.

These three cameras may all be of a similar size and be waterproof and rugged, but they are far frombeing clones of each other. The Sony RX0 is not sold as an action camera, but can obviously be pressed into service as one. It’s a small production camera, ideal for use as a crash camera or small camera to be used where a full-size camera isn’t practical. It has a big sensor, offers full manual control of all settings like a proper camera and even zebras and peaking, as well as S-Log for maximumdynamic range in post. And there are frame rates up to a staggering 1000fps, for those special-occasion shots – if you don’t mind footage of a lower resolution. But its Achilles’ heel is that is only shoots 1080p internally, and the footage is decent but not as good as the specs would seem to promise. To record in 4K, you need an external recorder which adds complexity and bulk to the package and it still only records in 30pmaximum. But for serious filmmakers looking

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SPRING 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER

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