GEAR
KINEFINITY TERRA 4K
extras that pure ENG-style cameras do: no autofocus, no autoexposure modes, and no built-in ND filters. You control everything manually, which actually can be just as fast as fiddling around with push-buttons and dials. The camera has very few buttons, with everything controlled from a scroll wheel on the left of the camera body, with a second version on the handgrip. Settings are altered via the screen, very much like on a RED. But unlike the American-designed cameras, the Kinefinity screen isn’t touch- sensitive, so you have to scroll and click to change settings. The wheel can be overly sensitive, but you soon get the hang of it. The text on the screen itself is a little small and hard to read though, especially if you are of advancing years with less than perfect eyesight. Push a button on the screen and it expands, though. It’s from the screen that all the settings are controlled, including a wonderfully useful option where you can set up to eight presets. These allow you to not only set the codec but also the frame rate and a corresponding shutter speed, rather than having to mess around every time you want to alter some settings. And instead of the camera taking what seems like an age to reboot, it’s ready to shoot again almost instantly. It’s a great feature that lots of manufacturers could learn from. “Instead of the camera taking an age to reboot, it’s ready to shoot again almost instantly”
a Swit low-profile battery, and others are coming to the market that are the same height as the camera for a totally sleek look. The memory is a 7mm SSD unit, which can be bought from many vendors, although Kinefinity bundles its own 500GB or 1TB version in with some kits. Not using proprietary media, like RED do with expensive REDmag SSDs, means it’s far cheaper to have lots of memory on hand. Set up like this, the Terra 4K handles like a real cinema camera. Add on the Movcam shoulder- mount kit and screen relocator, then it can be used on the shoulder like an ENG camera. That’s up to a point, as the camera is purely manual and doesn’t offer any of the useful
Add on the multifunction side grip and five-inch screen and suddenly you have a very light and compact unit that really is useable. It looks and feels like a medium-format stills camera, and is about the same size. The grip has a standard BP30 battery and can power the camera and five-inch screen for around 90 minutes. Set up like this, it’s not a great deal bigger than a DSLR with a lens on it, yet offers so much more control. There’s an internal mic, but in this configuration, no XLR inputs or SDI connectors. For that, add on the KineBack, which also includes a Wi-Fi unit to allow you to control the camera, but not stream footage. The back has a V-mount, so you can use a large-capacity battery and shoot all day. We used
TOP & ABOVE Out-of- camera Log footage, then with an ARRI-C LUT applied, which shows a very ARRI-like colour palette.
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SUMMER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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