ZCam E2 4k footage in the wild, including ungraded and 120fps

[newfoundmass]

It's kind of cliché but you only get to make one first impression. I'm guessing this is why, for instance, we haven't seen any Pocket 4K footage. It really did them no favors releasing this, even IF they improve the quality before release.

Just putting the camera on a tripod in public and hitting record isn't really a great way to feature the camera's capabilities. It's lazy. And why are they uploading 120 fps video to YouTube? Ha ha. 

[tweak]

Think you're all missing the point of these videos... The purpose (as far as I understand) was for interested parties on their FB group to check the footage and give feedback to Zcam, they are not an example of a finished product and have never been promoted as such. But since 3-4 people on EOSHD think it's a bad idea their product is probably doomed  .

[BTM_Pix]

I think everyone knows it's a work in progress, just quite surprised at the current point of progress in that work.

If the purpose of it was to gain feedback then I don't get the differentiation between it coming from their FB group or the wider world to be honest. Unless they've got a Reduser scenario going on there of zero criticism I expect the feedback was similarly lukewarm?

Don't take this as being snippy because it's not meant to be - I'm actually rooting for them - but if the people on here who weren't thrilled with what they saw and they were in the market to buy one, then it might not be doomed but extrapolate that out versus people who were thrilled with it and it's not great.

As I say, I'm not looking to contradict you necessarily but I think there is some relevance to the perception issue they've caused by putting this out there. Especially as its on their YouTube channel and not just a closed FB group.

[anonim]

History in general and recent history obliged us to believe in Chinese marketing even if it sometimes looks strange...

[tweak]

58 minutes ago, anonim said:

History in general and recent history obliged us to believe in Chinese marketing even if it sometimes looks strange...

True.

[newfoundmass]

4 hours ago, tweak said:

Think you're all missing the point of these videos... The purpose (as far as I understand) was for interested parties on their FB group to check the footage and give feedback to Zcam, they are not an example of a finished product and have never been promoted as such. But since 3-4 people on EOSHD think it's a bad idea their product is probably doomed  .

I mean they really shouldn't need feedback on that footage, given its flaws should be quite apparent. What has the reaction in their Facebook group been? 

Did they explain why they needed to denoise footage shot in broad daylight? 

It's supposed to start shipping next month right? 

[tweak]

Have a look yourself, you seem interested enough.

[newfoundmass]

Not that interested 

[IronFilm]

On 6/7/2018 at 5:07 AM, DBounce said:

Nothing special.

They (Z Cam) really really really REALLY need to put their camera in the hands of an experienced pro DoP!

These little tourist like clips of real life are doing themselves no good at all (quite the opposite, it is doing harm to their marketing!). 

Even a new ALEXA mk2 from ARRI would suffer if it was marketed like this. And Z Cam doesn't have the luxury of the ARRI brand name, they need to do promo videos like RED does (or at least BMD). Something which I think Kinefinity has recently been sort of half cluing into as being necessary. 

On 6/8/2018 at 7:55 PM, sanveer said:

I couldn't agree more. These are the very first samples from the camera. They seem to have neither log nor any flat profile, and the fact that the CEO is playing with the football in the video (which incidentally nobody else seemed to notice) seems to indicate how casual and informal (non final) the nature of this video is.

That was the CEO? Well, glad he is focusing on cameras rather than a soccer career! :-P 

[IronFilm]

On 6/9/2018 at 7:15 AM, BTM_Pix said:

Manufacturers have a difficult enough time as it is with people making their products look bad by shooting garbage with them without joining in with it themselves.

You can go too far the other way and make a glossy promo film of a £1500 camera with an unrealistic hidden supporting cast of gear and crew so it's fine to show something that is more realistically obtainable.

But it still has to be aspirational surely?

Yes, it is better a manufacturer errs towards doing "too much" with their promo videos than "too little". 

In fact, I'd argue it is near on impossible for a camera manufacturer to go over the top with their promo videos! They could do a full on next Avatar or Lord of the Rings productions purely to promote their new camera and it still wouldn't be too "over the top"! ha

On 6/9/2018 at 7:15 AM, BTM_Pix said:

Showing such half baked and half arsed footage is not going to convince anyone that the company is in it for the long haul with this product. 

I'm guessing they leaked these out purely by accident, it wasn't intentional?

Edit: nope, I browsed around the videos and I see comments and replies from the YT channel, this wasn't any "accidental" uploading, very intentional!
 

On 6/9/2018 at 7:48 AM, sanveer said:

Also, if ZCam wants to start improving the official footage slowly and show the improvements to people ovwr weeks or months, they may have understood the mindset of prospective customers all wrong. If people start seeing great footage from the 20th or 30th video, most perspective buyers would already have migrated to things. I doubt anyone has the patience to see the magic happening. They should not give us Alpha and Beta. Just come final product in terms of video quality.

Exactly. 

It is great to improve the camera after release and push it forward. BUT you still at least have to start from a fairly high level of competency! 
 

16 hours ago, tweak said:

Think you're all missing the point of these videos... The purpose (as far as I understand) was for interested parties on their FB group to check the footage and give feedback to Zcam, they are not an example of a finished product and have never been promoted as such.

At the very least they should have been unlisted videos, to help indicate this. 

[Don Kotlos]

23 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

I think everyone knows it's a work in progress, just quite surprised at the current point of progress in that work.

Instead of going social, it would have been easier to just rent a professional cinema camera and try to imitate the look. 

[BTM_Pix]

22 minutes ago, Don Kotlos said:

Instead of going social, it would have been easier to just rent a professional cinema camera and try to imitate the look. 

At the very least they could have got one of the kids from the team in the background to do the keepie uppies as they surely would've been better at it

 

[deezid]

 

29 minutes ago, Don Kotlos said:

Instead of going social, it would have been easier to just rent a professional cinema camera and try to imitate the look. 

You mean by putting s***loads of sharpening onto the footage?


Btw. Phillip Bloom uploaded lots of Kinefinity Mavo footage. 
https://www.facebook.com/pg/philipbloom/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155309555785426

That's how demo footage should look like. 
Fantastic color science, fantastic detail, no sharpening nor noise reduction, amazing DR.
Am in love. ?

[anonim]

I personally find that such marketing approach looks so nicely naive, fresh and... well... different.

At the NAB presentation that football-fan CEO merely spoke English, but without doubt he radiated rays of pure confidence and enjoy (and yes, I'm totally aware that I'm not the best person for commenting interesting linguistic bravuras in someone's broken English...)

So, I suggest to wait and see. Maybe we will be simple witnesses of the born of such new term as, say, "exponential update".

[newfoundmass]

Pre orders are open. It'll be interesting to see this possibly in capable hands, given how meh the footage Z Cam has released. I don't have high hopes, but we'll see. 

[Trek of Joy]

Discount for early adopters. Says its shipping this month. 

 

[newfoundmass]

Anyone here taking a chance on this? 

[Cinegain]

Was a fan of the E1's concept. The E2... not really. I'll pick up a BMPCC4K due to its all-in-one nature.

[webrunner5]

Unless you are thinking of opening a Colonoscopy Business, and need to stick this thing up peoples butts, I see no need for it for the crazy money they want..

[IronFilm]

15 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

Pre orders are open. It'll be interesting to see this possibly in capable hands, given how meh the footage Z Cam has released. I don't have high hopes, but we'll see. 

I'll let others be the early adopters, but if say 12 months from now it sees a substantial discount on the price, perhaps let's pretend a 50% reduction then it would be easy to put this camera on the top of any short list as a new buy. I can't see a better camera coming out in the next twelve months that is better at the sub $1K price. 

But at $2K it is has fierce competition from the BMPCC4K/GH5/GH5S.