Panasonic EVA1 Super 35 5.7K Sensor Cinema Camera Body

Overview

The Panasonic EVA1 is a compact, lightweight and tailor-made for handheld shooting, but also well suited for documentaries, events, commercials, and music videos. The newly-designed 5.7K Super 35mm sized sensor can capture up to 14-stops of latitude and features Dual Native ISOs of 800 and 2,500, which will allow cinematographers to shoot in almost any lighting environment.

5.7K Sensor

Panasonic’s 5.7K sensor is at the heart of this camera. Its high resolution allows for oversampled 4K footage, resulting in sharp images with reduced aliasing and increased colour fidelity over native 4K Bayer-pattern sensors. The video is recorded on widely available SD cards, providing high-quality recording on accessible, industry-standard media.

Dual Native ISO

Utilising a process that allows the sensor to be read in a fundamentally different way, Dual Native ISO extracts more information from the sensor without affecting the image in the same way as increasing the gain or shifting the gamma. This results in the EVA1 being a camera that can switch from a standard sensitivity to high sensitivity with minimal if any, impact by way of image artifacts.

V-Log and V-Gamut Capture

Combining Panasonic-developed V-Log and V-Gamut, the EVA1 can capture a wide exposure latitude and represent a wide color palette. V-Log has exposure curve characteristics that are somewhat reminiscent of a negative film while V-Gamut delivers a color space even larger than film. Having both of these tools enables the EVA1 to be used in production workflows for both HDR and SDR production.

Native EF Lens Mount

Panasonic chose the EF lens mount to enable shooters to natively use the broad EF lens ecosystem, encompassing many brands of lenses. The lens mount itself features electronic contacts for communication with compatible lenses as well as enabling one-push autofocus.

Electronic Image Stabilisation

The EVA1 can electronically compensate for vibrations induced by shooting handheld or shoulder-mounted. This feature is especially useful for documentarians and other shooters that employ the run-and-gun style.

Integrated Motorized Filters

Available in 2, 4, and 6 stops, the built-in ND filter wheel enables the camera operator to have precise control over their image. If you wish to open up your lens while maintaining a set shutter speed, the ND filters can help reduce the exposure to retain your image’s highlights. The IR-cut filter can also be actuated electronically, allowing for night-vision and unique photographic effects.

SD Card Recording

Proprietary media can be expensive, but the EVA1 uses relatively affordable SDXC memory to record video. V60-rated SD cards support all internal recording modes, including the 10-bit 4:2:2 4K modes. Dual card slots mean you can continuously record from card to card, or record to both cards simultaneously for a backup.

Recording Modes

The EVA1 can record in several formats and compression rates, and offers up to 10-bit 4:2:2 sampling, even at 4K resolutions. For in camera recording, you can capture in 4K (4096 x 2160), UHD (3840 x 2160), 2K (2048 x 1080), Full-HD (1920 x 1080), and HD (1280 x 720). For high-speed capture, the EVA1 offers up to 59.94 fps for 4K, up to 120 fps for 2K and Full-HD, or 240 fps with an image sensor crop.

I/O

On the body of the camera, you’ll find dual balanced XLR audio inputs for professional shotgun mic, lavalier microphones, and line outputs. The HDMI and SDI video outputs are both 4K-capable and each can be adjusted separately, allowing HD to be fed to a viewfinder or other third-party monitor while 4K is sent to an outboard recorder or monitor. The camera is also equipped with standard Time code functionality.

Included Battery and Charger

Bundled with the EVA1 is the AG-VBR59 battery, which should give approximately an hour and a half of continuous operating time and a charge time of approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes. Optional separately available VBR batteries can extend the runtime of this camera.

Built-In Monitoring Tools

As a professional video production tool, the EVA1 contains several professional imaging tools, including Peaking, Expand (Image Zoom), Waveform, Zebras, and Spotmeter. The EVA1 also utilises Focus Squares, a feature originally found in the Varicam line which displays an array of green squares that grow in size when their local area appears to be sharp, to enable shooters to achieve critical focus.