Rongnongno Loc: FL

I looked onto this since it seems everyone and their little brother 'speak' about it...

Basically it is a scam as everything that is described existed before.

The idea is to use a camera full sensor and adjust the video size by cropping in post. Oh, and yeah, you can shoot a vertical video just like a 'smartphone'!!! This is progress today...

Sorry, there is NOTHING new. Cropping/resizing are already part of post-processing a video.

It is similar to Adobe promoting 'smart objects' as a new item when it existed before, the difference they sued for their 'new' 'smart object'? It was ACR default. Since the default has returned to a rasterized default layer with a whimper.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

Never heard of it. I should know about scams. Six and a half YouTube minutes and now I know enough to use "open gate" in a complete sentence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9n74NtErS8

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

It's not a scam. It is a recognition that the use of 4:3 or 3:2 sensor area has benefits. 35mm cinematographers have had open gate (that's where the term came from) for decades. So why not allow it in video? As mirrorless cameras adopt more and more video features, it is becoming increasingly important for the industry to compete on that front. Panasonic has had open gate since 2017 or so. My son uses it freely in his Lumix GH5. It is a big help for certain situations.

4:3 open gate is also a nostalgic ratio similar to the "Academy" aspect ratio used decades ago by filmmakers. It is used to video "flashback" or historic context scenes in the middle of an otherwise widescreen film.

I welcome open gate as another tool in the box. Few people will use it outside the advanced creative community, but that is how it should be. If you don't like it or need it, don't use it. Most folks don't use their video in dSLR or mirrorless cameras anyway. It's there for those of us who need it.

EdJ0307 Loc: out west someplace

I must really be out of the loop if "everyone and their little brother speak about it" since I never heard of 'open gate video'.

I also found the video bsprague referenced. I still feel like I'm out of the loop.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yeah, Chris and Jordan have used Lumix GHx, S5, and S1H cameras for years, now. Open gate is a staple of Jordan’s work.

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Rongnongno Loc: FL

The same things (cropping to ratio, resizing, orientation) have been possible ever since digital video post-processing has been used.

That one format has greater advantages is also nothing new.

The whole thing is repackaging in order to fool folks into thinking they have something unique. It is not.

Is there anything new in video with a camera? Kind of... The removal of the time limit used to prevent folks from using a DSLR as a video camera. Trouble is... Very few videos are made of continuing recordings.

Something else that is new... The quality and frame per second offered by said DSLR.

Open gate video? Nope, sorry. A marketing ploy.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Yes, cropping and scaling in post have been around for a long time. That is not “open gate recording.” The latter is an acquisition tool, not an editing tool. It makes the editing tools more usable.

What has NOT been around until the last five years or so are reasonably priced hybrid (stills and video) cameras that offer the entire sensor area to the user who *records* video. There are circumstances in the field where open gate offers HUGE advantages to the editor over video recorded in a more restrictive crop.

What is also recent, if not completely new, is the presence of pro-grade video production tools in “consumer grade” hybrid cameras. Just a few of those in the Lumix GH6 that I'm familiar with:

Color bars in three international standards
Wave forms and vector scopes (not just a still camera histogram!)
Four channel audio recording and XLR mic inputs via an external adapter
Audio level controls with a wide range of attenuation
Switchable audio peak limiters
Log video recording with downloadable LUTS
Recording to external SSD drives
Unlimited recording in all modes
Multiple record buttons
Multiple tally lights
7-stop image stabilization
Compatibility with anamorphic lenses in several formats
Compatibility with hundreds and hundreds of lenses, via adapters
Shutter angle control for video
Frame rates from 24 to 240 fps

It is now possible to buy hybrid camera bodies from multiple manufacturers for under $2500 that meet the specs necessary to get a film on Netflix and other streaming platforms. That was unheard of just a few years ago.

Many of us prefer the still camera form factor for video, despite decades of using traditional video cameras. So this is a huge deal for us.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

Likely a scam but vertical video sucks no matter how it is made.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I'll agree to that one. Instead of allowing it, the phone manufacturers should have displayed a message: "Turn your phone to horizontal so the video fills your TV screen."

srg

Who needs the attic when we can all get excited about crop size factor right here.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Sometimes folks need a gentle, *virtual* whack in the head to make them think, “Oh, I’m about to do something really stupid…”

Bill_de Loc: US

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pego101

Everyone speaks abour it LOL. Never heard of it. Being not new does not make something a scam BTW

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

The concept is simple. Whatever the sensor used, the video is created and saved from the ENTIRE surface area of the sensor so it may be cropped in editing. It is usually used to afford compositional choice AFTER videography. However, in 4:3 aspect ratio sensors, the look is natural "old-time analog TV," or "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences standard" from way back when. (Think: Casablanca format.)

This has been very difficult to achieve until recently, due to sensor overheating, insufficient processor speed, etc., so cropping in on the sensor has been common. That narrows the viewing angle recorded, compared with stills.

Another VERY appropriate use of "open gate" recording or "full sensor area" video recording is to use anamorphic lenses. With popular anamorphic aspect ratios, the image is squeezed into a 4:3 aspect ratio, then "desqueezed" in editing software to create the wide screen effect. Some cameras now support the use of anamorphic lenses for cinematic wide screen production.