The new Panasonic AU-EVA1 Compact 5.7K Super 35mm Cinema Camera sure made a lot of people sit up and take notice when it was announced at Cine Gear Expo last Friday.
Sitting somewhere between Panasonic’s already impressive GH5 and VariCam LT, the EVA1 boasts a lot of features not found on cameras at it’s price point.
The Panasonic AU-EVA1 features native EF-Mount support, meaning users will have access to a broad range of lenses, including cinema-prime and zooms from various manufacturers.
It also boasts Electronic Image stabilization to compensate for camera shake and blurring for those who like to shoot shoulder mounted or “run and gun” style.
The integrated ND filter wheel, mounted behind the lens, works in 2, 4 and 6 stop increments and also features an IR filter that can be swung out of the path of the sensor with the push of a button.
The newly designed 5.7K Super 35mm-sized sensor samples down to 4K, UHD or 720p. Capturing images at a higher resolution and then down sampling, results in a much wider range of colour information being captured, creating a finer and more accurate finished image.
Furthermore, the EVA1 also utilizes a 10bit 4:2:2 ALL-I codec, V-Log and V-Gamut colour space and can record 4K at up to 60p and 2K or HD at up to 240fps on to SD cards.
Dual Native ISO is a feature found in the more expensive VariCam line-up, and has now been introduced in the EVA1.
Having Dual Native ISO allows you to quickly switch back and forth from standard sensitivity to high sensitivity without having to worry about degradation or additional noise which is a definite bonus.
The EVA1 weighs in at only 1.2kg / 2.6 lbs (body only) which makes it extremely versatile. It’s light enough to be mounted on a handheld gimbal rig or drone and won’t wear you out when shooting handheld. Another bonus to its tiny size, is that you can throw it in backpack and take it just about anywhere.
In terms of input/outputs you’ll find dual balanced XLR audio inputs and 4K-capable video outputs in both HDMI and SDI and Panasonic says that a future firmware upgrade will offer 5,7K RAW output to 3rd party recorders.
The Panasonic UA-EVA1 is going to be a great tool for documentary style shooters, talking head interviews and B-Roll shots when working in the field. It is also well suited for news shooters, event/wedding videographers and even sports shooters.
