Standards come and go, and it seems a new one is forming right before our eyes. With the recently announced Panasonic LUMIX S1R II, I believe a critical mass has been reached – enough to suggest a new standard for professional hybrid cameras. Full-frame sensors, high resolution, fast burst rates, robust codecs, and reliable autofocus now define the category. These features are shared across the Canon R5 II (and its predecessor, which arguably kicked off the trend), the Nikon Z8, and now the S1R II. And what about Sony? Sony is currently taking a different path. Let’s dive in!
Is it a coincidence that Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, FUJIFILM, and Sony all offer 40+ Megapixel 8K capable cameras with various video codecs and features, as well as a robust stills-oriented feature set? As with all good questions, the answer is both “Yes” and “No”. We won’t dive into a conspiracy rabbit hole; we have enough of these elsewhere. We will, however, try to look into the emergence of a new professional standard: Why and how it’s formed, what makes it a standard, and what happens to those who won’t comply with it.
What is a professional standard?
In the mostly unregulated world of filmmaking and photography gear, a standard is mostly set by the available gear, its popularity, and professional adoption. It can describe a specific feature or a set of features that become thoroughly adopted by professionals, hence forming a standard. For example, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a commercial wedding videographer or photographer who does not use a dual-card slot on their camera. This feature is so well implemented that a professional not using it may find themselves being sued for malpractice in the event of losing footage in some countries. This is not legal advice, of course, but as a professional, I’d strongly recommend in-camera backup.
There are also sets of features that form professional-standard gear. Most professional cameras will have interchangeable lenses, autofocus, image stabilization in the case of hybrid or stills cameras, robust metal construction, and more. Some may say a Full-Frame sensor is also a must. I don’t share this view regarding videography and filmmaking, but it is undoubtedly more prominent in the still-imaging department, with FUJIFILM being the one company to challenge it.
A short history of professional standards
Cine cameras are mostly compliant with industry standards. They went from SD to HD, from 2K to 4K, and now to a loose “more than 4K” capture with 6K, 8K, etc. There have also been some significant changes to scanning and sampling: From interlace to progressive scans, from 4:2:0 to 4:2:2, and more in some dedicated cine cameras and external recorders, from H.264 to H.265. We’ve also recently seen a leap towards internal ProRes and RAW video recording emerging as a new standard.
In the stills department, we’ve seen a major shift from APS-C sensors to Full-Frame, with Canon leading the way by a long shot with its EOS 1Ds series and the (now classic) EOS 5D. Nikon only joined in 2007 with the D3 and later with the D700. Being the most popular camera brand for decades, Canon also led the 20+ Megapixel standard with their EOS D1s Mark III and later with the legendary 5D Mark II, which also introduced FHD video capabilities. This was the humble beginning of the hybrid revolution, and since then, we’ve seen 24-megapixel, 4K capable cameras gaining a long-lasting prominent position as the professional market workhorse of choice. This list includes some of the most popular cameras we’ve used: The Sony a7 III, Nikon Z6, Canon 5D Mark IV (with a heavily cropped but existent 4K capture), and up to the EOS R6 II, FUJIFILM X-T2,3, and 4, LUMIX S1, S5 and many, many more. However, this era is now coming to an end.
The current shift
Like other professional standards, the current one also started with a giant awakening. The R5 wasn’t Canon’s first EOS RF mirrorless camera, but it was the first one built from the ground up to fulfill the historic “5D segment“. One camera was insufficient to declare a new standard, but it wasn’t long until others joined. Sony launched the a1 flagship, though at a significantly higher price tag. Nikon answered with the Z8, FUJIFILM has announced several 40+ megapixel cameras with the X-H2 boasting 8K video, and with Canon’s EOS R5 II and Panasonic’s recent S1R II, I believe we’ve completed the shift – the 24 Megapixel 4K is dead; long live the new 40+ 8K king!
Should I throw my ancient 24/4K camera away?
Of course not! The emergence of new and improved gear does many things, but it will never make your current set worse. Twenty-four megapixels are still a lot. It will still give you ample details for large prints, cropping, etc. 4K capture is still great, and among the current crop of 24-megapixel hybrids, some models offer 6K capture at 10-bit color depth. Even an 8-bit 4:2:0 100Mbps footage can tell an amazing story if done right, so no, there’s no real reason to ditch your current gear.
Saying that – as professionals, we should tune ourselves to the pulse of our respective clients and sense if our gear is holding us back from getting the projects we want or from getting the footage we desire.
The new hybrid roster
So, which cameras are the new standard? The Canon EOS R5 II sits atop this list both in terms of price and performance. While its spec list isn’t far off from that of its competitors, it adds a layer of usability with its eye-tracking EVF, and it has honed autofocus to virtual perfection. The Nikon Z8 isn’t far behind. Like the former Canon, it’s based on a stacked CMOS, providing it with very fast readout speeds (a tad faster than the EOS R5 II). The Nikon Z8 launch price was $4,000, but at the time of this writing, it’s discounted by $600 to $3,397.
Panasonic took a different approach, omitting the expensive stacked CMOS from their S1R II, compromising read speed for a $3,300 launch price. But other than that, it’s arguably better rigged for video. Panasonic’s mechanical and electronic stabilization is considered the best in the business. The camera also has the best tilt and swivel LCD mechanism and an active cooling fan for longer recordings.
If you want a 40+ Megapixel 8K hybrid camera but can’t afford these beasts, FUJIFILM has got you covered with the excellent X-H2. Opting for the smaller APS-C sensor bears some compromises but makes the camera (and glass) more affordable and more compact. As you may have noticed, one major manufacturer is absent – so why doesn’t Sony have a “professional standard” camera?
What about Sony?
Sony launched one of the most influential 24-megapixel 4K hybrid cameras – the Sony a7 III. So why doesn’t the company create a successor? If the a1 flagship trade blows with the Nikon Z9, where is Sony’s Z8 equivalent? Well, here lies the problem with defining “professional standards. I believe no one will argue with Sony’s prominence in the professional hybrid camera market. The company makes some of the best, most popular workhorses around. It’s a different strategic approach to camera segmentation that is used in the design of Sony’s camera line.
Sony opted for a lower resolution, “Jack of all trades,” with the a7 IV. The camera boasts a 33-megapixel sensor capable of delivering highly detailed 4K footage oversampled from 7K readout. It won’t go toe-to-toe with the 40+ Megapixel / 8K brethren, but it also costs much less. Stills shooters who want higher resolution will go for a current a7R model with respectable video features. If you just want a 4K workhorse, you’ll go for the classic a7S or FX3, and if you want Everything Everywhere All At Once, the a1 is your choice.
A new age?
Hard to say – history really only makes sense with some distance. But chances are that 40+ megapixel / 8K hybrid cameras will follow the same path as the 24MP workhorses before them: becoming mainstream, standard tools for professionals. You can still get great results with other cameras, but no one wants to be stuck using gear that feels outdated for too long.
Will you plan on replacing your current gear with a newer, higher-resolution kit for both video and stills? Or do you think cameras and their specs aren’t an issue if you can craft a good story? Let us know in the comments.
