Movie Mavens: New Video & VR Cameras

November 10, 2017

By Greg Scoblete

Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro
Editor’s Choice

Like the earlier Mini, the Mini Pro offers a 4.6K image sensor with 15 stops of dynamic range. Unlike the original, the Mini Pro will ship standard with an EF mount that can be removed by the user to be replaced with a PL or B4 mount. The Pro also offers built-in ND filters with IR compensation (2, 4 and 6 stops). There are also more external controls, and each control is redundant. You’ll be able to record 4K/60p footage internally alongside 2K footage at 120p in high-quality codecs direct to CFast cards. You’ll also find a pair of SD cards for Ultra HD and HD recording.
Price: $5,995
blackmagicdesign.com

YI Technology 360 VR Camera

Designed to compete with two-lens action cameras from the likes of Ricoh and Nikon, the YI 360 VR can record 5.7K resolution video (5760 x 2880) at 30p via a pair of 220-degree wide-angle lenses and two 12-megapixel CMOS image sensors. 4K/30p 360-degree footage can be stitched together automatically in-camera, saving you time during
post-production. It can also live-stream footage
and be controlled with an included Bluetooth remote control.
Price: $399
yitechnology.com

LucidCam

LucidCam is betting that Google’s recently unveiled VR180 format has the legs to outpace spherical competitors. Unlike 360-degree solutions, the LucidCam can only capture a 180 x 180-degree field of view. But in contrast to most 360-degree cameras, the LucidCam captures a stereoscopic 3D image for greater realism. There are a pair of f/2.2 wide-angle lenses and sensors capable of recording 4K video at 30 fps. The video is processed in camera to create a 3D image. You can save footage to 32GB of internal memory or to a microSD card.
Price: $500
lucidcam.com

Canon Cinema EOS C200B

The C200 aims to ease filmmakers into the high dynamic range era. It records 4K video (4096 x 2160) via a 8.85-megapixel, Super 35mm-sized CMOS sensor with a sensitivity range of 160 to 25,600 (expandable to 100 and 102,400). It delivers 13 stops of dynamic range and supports two new 4K file formats designed, in Canon’s words, to make “HDR recording more accessible to filmmakers.” The C200B model is the body-only unit. The pricier C200 includes a 4-inch LCD monitor, LCD attachment, camera grip and handle, and a 1.77 million dot OLED EVF. Those can also be purchased separately, as needed.
Price: $5,999
usa.canon.com

Ricoh Theta 4K

The newest Theta 360-degree camera boasts a number of upgrades, starting with 4K video recording and spatial surround sound audio capture. Another new trick: it can live-stream spherical footage. The Theta 4K can transfer data to mobile devices 2.5 times faster than older models and boasts 19GB of internal storage for storing up to 4,800 spherical stills or 40 minutes of 4K footage. The Theta supports both H.264 and the newer, more efficient H.265 compression codec.
Price: $430
us.ricoh-imaging.com