The Panasonic EVA1 “footage embargo” has lifted and those with early access to the camera have started to get some footage out. Noel Evans has been shooting with the Panasonic EVA1 and just shared and impressions from the camera on his Vimeo page. The EVA1 has big shoes to fill, as it is billed as a “mini Varicam LT” to a degree, getting a similar Dual ISO feature, a S35 sensor and an EF mount, not to mention a solid range of 10bit internal 4K, 2K and FHD codec options to suit just about any level of low to mid-tier production.
There are many indie filmmakers eyeballing the EVA1 as an upgrade to a Lumix GH5, or as a B-camera to a Varicam LT or other S35 cameras. In any case, Noel Evans has put together a really nice video below sharing his thoughts on the EVA1 and his footage.
Noel Evans talks about the Panasonic EVA1 from Noel Evans on Vimeo.
In his own words, Noel wrote:
This review is meant for the users. It shows B roll style shots typical of documentary / ENG etc shot on latest firmware as at October 9, 2017 and also two sequences that were shot on very early beta firmware (same as other pieces released).
The sequences are virtually identical, however the first is shot very uncontrolled with a basic two light set up. Something like a typical run and gun situation may be like and is what many users asked me for. The second is a full light lock version I’ve called – Light it baby. I have taken a little creative licence with this opting to add a very subtle flaring here and there to suit the mood.
All shots are graded with the standard Color board within FCPX, albeit 7-8 nodes per shot.
We were not provided any resources by Panasonic outside the camera itself and utilising gear provided by Lemac, John Barry Sales, Con Filippidis and myself, put this together very low budget style.
If there’s a will there’s a way.
Panasonic EVA1 Features/Highlights
- 5.7K Super 35 CMOS sensor
- Dual Native ISO (800 and 2500)
- Native EF Mount (non-interchangeable)
- 4K at up to 60p / 2K up to 240p
- 10bit 4:2:2 internal codec for 4K and Full HD
- Up to 400 Mbps data rate for internal
- V-log & V-gamut
- SD Card Recording
- 5.7K Raw Output (planned future update)
- Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)
- IR Cut In/Out
- ND Filter Wheel (2/4/6 stops)
- XLR Audio
- Tool-less design for top handle and side grip
- HDMI & SDI 4K Video Outputs
- 1.2 kg // 6.69″ x 5.31″ x 5.23″ (L x H x W)
- Price: $7,345 US (B&H, Adorama)
To see the three official promo films shot on the Panasonic EVA1, head over to my previous post here. For more behind the scenes check out this post.
So, we have more footage shot with the EVA1 and just like in previous examples I think ISO 2500 is way too noisy compared to ISO 800. I am not sure if it’s just me, but I thought you are supposed to get a very similar noise performance at both ISOs given that’s Panasonic’s USP for this camera? Overall, I think this footage is really solid, albeit a slight bit magenta-ish, but maybe that’s just my screen here.
Over at DVXuser.com forum there is an on going discussion not just on this footage, but also on the rest of the EVA1 footage we’ve seen so far, so those of you interesting in perusing and joining the conversation, click this link here.
What do you guys think? Do share in the comments below. To check out more of Noel Evans’ work head over to his website here.
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Agreed, I really thought 2500 would handle noise a lot better. Looking at that footage it doesn’t look much better than my fs5 at 3200.
It looks washed out to me, but could be the way it was shot or the color correction. Kind of disappointed, especially next to the images coming out of the C200.
I’m not sure if it’s the camera or the exposure but both the “lit” sequences with the martial artist were both noisy. The 2500 was to the extent that I’d much rather use an A7s II at 8 bit 420. Something tells me the DP screwed up the exposure as none of that noise is prevalent in the exteriors, which ironic considering he goes on about getting exposure right. Or it’s just a noisy camera (which I doubt as other footage I’ve seen isn’t as crunchy).
His words on ISO were a bit – say – idealistic. Everything he shot was decently lit and so his shots never needed to be pushed to the absolute extremes.
But lets say you are filming documentary style with an f4 or f2.8 zoom lens indoors. Here you will probably see the same problems that were obvious in Panasonics other promo videos: Lots of underexposed areas with major artifacts and noise. And to be honest, ISO 2.5k is still kind of low, I shoot with the GH5 at this range all the time and the footage looks as clean as his. Where it really gets interesting is ISO 3200-6400 and I cannot see how the EVA1 could handle those gain settings…
There is something going on here – Bad shooting settings or sensor issue. The daylight stuff doesn’t even look very good. A super 35 sensor at this price point in 2017 shouldn’t be this noisy at 2500. And it’s a 10bit less compressed codec so there should be much more flexibility for pulling it back in post. Even the Ursa Mini, which is NOT a lowlight camera is easier to recover.
It looks a bit too clinical. I cant describe the feeling. I feel the motion handling of the C200 is more natural and less high end broadcast.