Great video!! I was just wondering what all this talk of OpenGate was about. Thanks for the clear education. You guys are always so informative and fun.
There is a person here on RU-vid who’s channel name is Grainydays and he has recently started making his videos in 4:3 aspect ratio and as someone who mostly watches RU-vid on iPad, it looks amazing! The videos fill the whole screen and looks so freaking nice!
I agree… on all points. And it is time to start calling it “Full Sensor Recording” because with that terminology, no one will want the camera that can only record in crop mode… which is what most cameras are actually limited to. The idea that the $6K Canon Eos R3 can only record in crop mode should be an embarrassment to Canon. Same goes for the Sony A1, A7Siii and FX3. We need to demand the ability to record full sensor. No more crop!
Fujifilm Xs20 is very capable camera that can do full sensor recording. And very cheap too compared to others. This is the only camera this around 1300 dollars that can do that.
Full sensor recording sounds a lot better to understand than Open Gate. I have used my GH6 to record some footage in 5.8K then cropped it to 16:9 in editing and got a 5K (5120 x 2880) video from it which would technically be the highest resolution 16:9 image you could get from a GH6, if the GH6 actually had a 5K mode. With the video frame marker overlays you can turn on, it makes it vey easy to frame and shoot open gate on the GH6 as it shows on an outline on the screen around where your crop is for different aspect ratios when shooting in 5.8K 4:3.
Great video and I, too, was confused by this open gate and wonder how it compares to a 360° shutter - is that open gate too? I'll happily get on the "Full Sensor Recording" as that really is what it is- since there's no "gate" in these cameras and anything other than full sensor is a sensor crop.
Great video, as someone who knows nothing about digital video I was confused about 'open gate' and had no idea I didn't already have 'full sensor recording' in camera. I'd assumed I had full sensor recording (why wouldn't I?) and everyone cropped in post production.
Using the full sensor makes a lot of sense as an ✨option✨. I'd love my X-T4 to be able to do it, but it's already got some rolling shutter (readout warping?! 😆) so I assume full sensor would be worse. Tempted for that X-H2S! When you're filming wildlife it means your footage is more forgiving on the vertical plane for a 16:9 crop. Studio footage reframing is a doddle. Lots of benefits.
If you are panning back and forth so fast that you get rolling shutter, you have very poor technique and should learn proper filmmaking techniques. No one shakes their camera back and forth quickly.
I actually enjoy open gate video for being able to frame some subjects better where 16:9 would make me have to move further away/zoom out and losing detail. Nature video recording in particular, also becasue of the massive pixel count it is possible to zoom in more on open gate video than 4k so i love it
Thanks, a great explanation as always! This has nothing to do with open ga...full sensor readout, but here's a topic suggestion/request: shooting straight into the sun with modern cameras. Cinematographers do it, plenty of RU-vidrs do it (you guys included) and yet there's plenty of people online saying it could damage your sensor, especially at longer focal lengths/smaller apertures. Not sure if it merits a whole video, but I'd be very curious to hear what you have to say about all that.
In most camera's the sensor has an IR filter in front of it, so in theory the heat of the sun shouldn't reach the sensor directly. So probably it's not a problem for short periods of time.
Great explanation. With cameras that do allow this feature… the aspect ratio markers are key to confirm your vision is captured. Otherwise, I suppose you zoom out to capture more making sure everything is in frame then crop afterwards. I also see where cropping afterwards adds more time in the editing process where in theory you could have captured what you needed during recording
One thing I have forgotten to mention before is that, no matter what recording format is used, I would like a user defined outline frame in the display. When I record hand-held without any stabilization (like for a Sony a6400) having such a "outline frame" would help me maintain my composition on - the - fly. This idea would go especially well with open gate recording, but really, it is something I have always wanted. Let me try to be clear. My a6400 has 3 options (80%, 90%, Off). What I am suggesting is user input X% wide and Y% high. Something like that.
Sony camcorders like the FS7 and FX6 have exactly what you're requesting. It's called User Box. So it shouldn't be much work for Sony to implement that in their DSLMs.
I had zero clue what "open gate" was prior to watching, but now I'm stocked. Was 50/50 whether to upgrade to the Lumix S5 or GH6, but now it's GH6 all the way. Great vid!
I don’t think we should dumb down the name. I think we should keep it as technical as possible to keep the clients confused so that we can make more money.
Open gate leaves wiggle room for both re-reframing and shake removal in post. IMHO, the decisions of most camera companies to limit video saves only to EXACTLY 1920,x1080 or EXACTLY 3840 x 2160 pixel resolutions makes no sense. With exact in-camera crops to delivery resolution, ANY shake removal done in post involves a crop followed by an upres. ANY reframing in post involves a crop followed by an upres. In either case, image quality inevitably suffers. With open gate, or even a mathematically simple in-camera down-res/resampling to something beyond delivery resolutions, more of the detail captured can make it thru post.
Thanks, very informative there is though a problem with the idea: How much skill will it take for the 'average' video shooter to plan and execute shooting full sensor with a view to editing different ratios from the one shot in post ! For a lot of people the 'safety blanket' of a fixed ratio for framing their compostion as they shoot might be a lot better :)
Does it not throw off your framing a bit if you film in Opengate 4:3 and then have to crop? When I film in 16:9 and deliver in 16:9 I'm doing the framing in camera. I get that you have more work with and use the whole sensor if filming in Opengate but it just seems a bit silly to me for framing purposes. ya know?
Thanks for this guys. As a strictly stills shooter I'm pretty much ignorant of all the video lingo. At one time I I had an inkling of what long GOP meant but that's gone, so now I have a new term I can throw into conversations to make myself seem less ignorant.;-)
Could you guys do a video like this for electronic shutter? I've never quite understood how a 1/100th second read out sensor could take 1/500th images. Maybe compare that to mechanical shutter as well?
If I'm exclusively making 2.4:1 narrative films, is there a practical application to using open gate? I guess the creative options for cropping in post?
Thank you so much for explaining a term that I'd never even heard of before. Thank you also for the idea of calling it "full sensor recording" instead. The problem is of course, as I'm sure you know, that old habits die hard, and probably the people who are used to calling it "open gate", might not be easy to persuade. But the term is terrible, so of course it should (as we say in Danmark) go into The Forget-Book.
I like this open gate. Btw I first corious what the connection Open Gate with Sony FX30? Does it the new features? It turn out it not related with the FX30.
I've been asking for this on the Z9 since the announcement video. Clients are requesting 4x5 and 9x16. Starting from the full sensor 3x2 ratio would help tremendously.
Can't you shoot in the native 3:2 format and then drop the capture into 5:4 and 9:16 timelines in Premiere Pro or whatever you use for post? As I've posted farther below, what I need isn't necessarily "open gate," it's framing guides for a lot of different possible crops.
Thanks for the timely video. Just heard the term for the first time last night in reference to the x-h2s. Could you possibly do an instructional video on how to alter the crop in post?
Have a look at this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QsdJ9ail9gM.html I found it very helpfull in this Open-Gate-Thing and used it a few times with my GH6
Would love a software update for all the Sony Alpha and Cine cameras made in the last few years that would give us 3:2 recording, even if it was only up to 30p due to "limitations" on some cameras I'd take it 🙏
@@tobiaslofi oh man I love the look of the VG line, that pro-sumer camcorder design, if I could have an A7Siii or FX-30 in a VG style body that would be so cooool ❤️
@@chazable my trusty old VG-20 is still a great 1080p camera… clean HDMI output for streaming, power supply and battery power that lasts 2-3hours, headphone jack, alright ergonomics with both side grip and top handle and buttons for iso/gain, f-number, focus/autofocus etc and possibility to activate full Auto everything …. it’s a great Allrounder. But Sony intentionally crippled the software with only “normal color” or “cinematic color” profiles that can’t be customized in any way (no gamma, contrast or LOG)…
I agree, and want to shoot more in open gate with my GH6.... But I almost always need 50P/60P ... So I don't. panasonic brags about having a 120hz sensor and can't even scan the full thing at 60hz it's a shame... Hope it'll come with a firmware update, i'm a panasonic user since 2014 and they never disapointed on that side.
Great video, thnx! Personally, I think these legacy terms of the film era are charming. Let's honor the roots of our craft and keep 'open gate'. (also..full sensor readout and full frame sensor are confusing)
I think i need to test open gate mode on the S1H and cropping to 16:9 in post, to say recording 16:9 in camera. Perhaps any downscaling would be better is Resolve than in camera.
The only problem I can see with open gate is if they don't have options in the menu to visualise your crops in-camera. Say I want to post crop a 9:16 for socials and I'm kind of a casual with a gopro on vacation. If I can't see the crop visualised, I'm probably going to accidentally frame for the full image every time, and end up cropping too much off the sides anyway. Open gate is the pro feature version of more easy to use menu crop options that a lot of manufacturers are stingy with. Relying on expert users generally leads to frustrating design choices.
This happens in the marketing department where I work... BIG CHEESE: We want a nice simple video of [thing] that we can post on social media. You've got to shoot it in the 15 minutes before the big meeting, so no fancy setup, no fancy editing, just a nice, professional-looking basic video. And no big cameras or lights! Remember, we want to keep it simple. ME: Okay, where on social media do you want to post it? BIG CHEESE: We'll need it in 16:9 HD so we can show it in conference rooms, and we need to put it on on Facebook and Twitter, and square for Instagram feeds, and 9:16 for Instagram reels. But nothing fancy or complicated, okay? [etc.] Yikes! This is where I need "open gate", but more than that I need to be able to see all frame lines SIMULTANEOUSLY so I can make sure I'm shooting loose enough to crop them all. Anybody got that covered? I admit I have resorted to drawing on my phone's screen with dry-erase markers, but that's kind of janky...
Full sensor or open gate is not very specific. The Komodo shoots full sensor and it’s a 16/9 aspect ratio. I think it should be call 4/3 or whatever measurement it is. Thank you for your magnificent videos!
Do you have a list of cameras available that do that and can be used for vlogging and content creation? Or is this only available in GH5 & GH6? (No action cameras do not count for me)
All I need now is a 16:9 sensor. Yes, I'm one of those guys, photos and stills. I use a PC for everything, not my phone, and the photos look great on a 27inch monitor.
The only issue I with m43 is that you crop a lot of that anamorphic goodness out because of the lens coverage of the smaller sensor. Ideal would be full sensor recording in a full frame camera.
The best alternative name to Open Gate is Full Frame. That will make things much more clear to everyone and not be confusing at all. Finally, Four Thirds users will be able to shoot in Full Frame.
I love you guys, I really hope that it won’t become a trend to shoot movies in 4x3 format . For real when i see a movie in square format or other format than full screen or 16:9 i just don’t watch it … we used to have tv’s in that format .. it was ugly …
Arri use the term Open Gate for the Alexa, and did so before the rest of the manufacturers started responding to customer demand for it. If the term 'Open Gate' is good enough for Arri, then it's good enough for the rest of us.
Open gate on the GH5 is "6k" or some high resolution which is close to it. When you go in menu to Anamorphic mode and it asks for resolution, you'll see 4k options but then you need to move the menu direction up and 6k options are above it, for whatever reason. You can also get "6k" in photo mode but you don't get 24 fps.
