Dynamic range has become a big marketing tool used by companies to promote their new cameras. We wanted to take several of the newer cameras: Sony FS7, ARRI AMIRA, Blackmagic URSA, and the Canon C300 to see how they might perform on a latitude test.
In layman’s terms, dynamic range is the distance between the lightest light a camera can see and the darkest dark it can see. What you’re getting with a camera that offers you good dynamic range, is the ability to go into a wide variety of lighting situations and get a decent looking shot.
For reference, we did a very simple comparison shot for the purpose of this test. We shot our model with a chip chart behind him and a really bright light bulb on his other shoulder.
Watch the video of our dynamic range test below:
Our thoughts after the test?
- The AMIRA performed really well, no surprise there. It is, after all, a $60,000 ARRI camera.
- We thought that the FS7 performed almost as good as the ARRI AMIRA. We haven’t had much time to shoot with the Sony FS7’s since they are so new, but this test made us very excited! Not bad a less than $10K camera! Stills from the Sony FS7:
- Even though the C300 is a few years old, it still holds up very well. It’s no wonder this camera has been an industry favorite since its release.
- The Blackmagic URSA was a little underwhelming when it comes to dynamic range. Of course, this was the most “budget-friendly” of all the cameras tested, but it really does start to fall apart after just a few stops over or under.
For more information on how to rent a Cinema Camera for your next project, email [email protected], give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!
