GEAR
HYBRID THEORY
The latest crop of crossover cameras are becoming mainstream for filmmaking WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
F or more than a decade now, lots of cameras have been described as ‘hybrids’. When DSLRs started to add video functions, they were often labelled hybrids due to their ability to shoot stills and movies. Next came some fixed-lens cameras that looked a little like camcorders, but had stills capacity. These were the ‘new’ hybrids – such as Canon’s XC10 and XC15 – billed as perfect B cameras for cinema cam users. They weren’t a massive hit. Quickly gaining ground were mirrorless cameras, their features aimed more at filmmaking. The Panasonic Lumix GH5 led the way, along with Sony’s A7S II. When Panasonic went full-frame, the S1H arose with a cooling fan and Netflix certification. True hybrids, or so you’d think. Yet recently, the term ‘hybrid’ has become even more divisive. Goalposts have been shifted and there are cameras redefining what a crossover model is.
traditional Super 35 sensor. Both of these are nothing like the EOS C300 and C500 cameras that sit above them in the Cinema EOS pecking order. Both are true hybrids, but very different. Mix in the not-pocket-sized Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera line, the truly unique Ronin 4D and the Sigma fp series, and there is a huge range in this new hybrid wave. So take a look at what’s out there – and what you should consider as your next purchase. “The term hybrid has become more divisive... there are cameras redefining what a crossover model is”
The successor to the Sony A7S II was the A7S III, surely the epitome of a hybrid model. But then followed the Sony FX3, featuring the guts of the A7S III in a much more cinema-style body and officially part of Sony’s Cinema Line series. Now there’s the brand-new FX30, which can be thought of as an FX3 with a Super 35 sensor, rather than a full-frame CMOS. These are the next generation of hybrids. Panasonic’s GH5 successor, the GH6, is now not necessarily considered a hybrid, despite its huge filmmaking spec. The BGH1 and BS1H box cameras are more obvious hybrids, as they are built to be rigged up like cinema cameras. For Canon, the lines are even more blurred. The EOS R5 is a mirrorless with amazing filmmaking spec, but the similar EOS R5 C has a cooling fan and is officially part of the cinema camera collection. Yet, sitting just above it in the range is the EOS C70, complete with a unique body and
TO BOLDLY GO Canon is pioneering into new territory with reimagined cameras like the EOS C70
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