8K video
Sony just announced its latest mirrorless offering: a flagship camera that can record 8K video, among other impressive specs.
The Alpha 1, as it’s called, is not the first to offer 8K video. Canon’s EOS R5 debuted last summer and was soon criticized for overheating problems and short recording times (30 minutes) … if it didn’t overheat first … and a long cooling period before it could be pressed back into service.
Preliminary tests of the A1 by reviewers like Canada’s own Gerald Undone (who was provided a copy for review by Sony) back up claims by the company that the A1’s heat dissipation design will take care of potential overheating issues caused by the challenge of processing huge 8K files. Undone was able to record for up to 90 minutes and cool down time was short. Using an external battery, recording time was extended to over 3 hours, before he ended the test.
Who needs 8K?
Many people ask “Who has an 8K TV.” Not many. But that’s not generally what 8K video is about.
When I first got the chance to shoot 4K video, I wasn’t experienced enough to exploit its advantages beyond the slightly improved detail afforded by UHD. But, since then, I’ve learned to use the greater resolution in editing to create pans, zooms, and tilts on a 1080p timeline — think of a big window, moving around behind a smaller one.
As I mention in the video above, today’s digitally-shot movies (much to the chagrin of Quentin Tarantino) are most often recorded at a higher resolution than they’re finished in. For instance The Revenant was shot mostly on Arri Alexa cameras at (mostly) 6.5K and output at 4K. If you haven’t seen it (at 4K) you’re missing a modern epic. Much of it was shot in the Canadian Rockies.
So, whether needed or not, 8K is the new “must have” mirrorless feature. And it doesn’t come cheap. The Canon R5 retails in Canada for over $5,000; if you want the A1, be ready to shell out $8,500CA.
Now, what will Nikon do? It’s all rumours at this point, but those rumours — the most reliable ones — say Nikon’s flagship Z camera, rumoured to debut this spring, will also offer 8K output. It’s price tag will also reflect its top-of-the line standing.
Camera wars
Of course, all this technological sparring makes fodder for fan boy Warriors of the Internet, which has nothing to do with the tools themselves, only tools that feed on tribal rivalry. Creatives get on with making things with the tools at their disposal.