Why I Still Love the Panasonic EVA1.

• When Panasonic first announced the AU-EVA1, I didn’t expect it to become such a defining part of my toolkit. In fact, I pre-ordered it purely for personal projects — a compact “run-and-gun” camera I could use independently of my main film work. What I didn’t expect was that I would end up using it on features, and that it would consistently hold its own beside the industry heavyweights.

• Yet here we are.

• Years later, the EVA1 remains one of the most overlooked cameras in the industry — and one of the most capable.

• ⸻

A Baby Varicam With Serious Power

What first impressed me was the EVA1’s DNA.

It’s not a stripped-down prosumer device pretending to be cinema. It is, in every meaningful way, a baby Varicam:

• True V-Log recording, giving the same tonal response and pleasing rolloff that made Panasonic’s cinema line so beloved.

• Dual-native ISO, producing beautiful footage in low light without falling apart.

• RAW output via an external recorder, for projects that demand maximum latitude.

• Netflix approval, which says a lot about what Panasonic built under the hood.

For a camera its size and price bracket, that is remarkable.

⸻

It Cuts Beautifully With high end cameras such as the Alexa.

This is the part that surprises people.

The EVA1 has been used on several high end productions and every time the reaction is the same:

“Wait — that shot was from the EVA?”

The colour science makes it incredibly easy to intercut.

It is one of the few cameras in its class that doesn’t announce itself the moment you insert its shots into the timeline.

My Panasonic EVA1 mounted on a Steadicam while the 1st AC Oliver Wellman makes some adjustments.

⸻

Why Don’t More People Know About It?

This has always puzzled me.

The EVA1 is Netflix-approved.

It shoots RAW.

It records beautiful, flexible V-Log.

It uses the same underlying colour philosophy as the Varicam.

And yet, oddly, it slipped under the radar of the broader industry. Everyone knows the C300, the FS7, and of course the ever-present Blackmagic cameras. But the EVA1 remains the “best-kept secret” of that entire generation.

It deserves better.

It deserves to be talked about in the same breath as the cameras it regularly stands beside on bigger productions.

⸻

When the Results Speak for Themselves

Over the years, directors, producers, colourists, and fellow DPs have all said the same thing when they’ve seen the EVA1’s images:

“I can’t believe this was shot on that camera.”

It’s lightweight, flexible, and genuinely cinematic.

It gives me the freedom to work quickly without sacrificing the look I want.

And it has enough dynamic range and colour depth to withstand a serious grade — not just a gentle polish.

For personal work, it’s a joy.

For feature work, it’s reliable.

For its price and size, it punches far above its weight.

⸻

Why I Still Keep It in My Kit

In an era where every year brings a new “must-have” camera, I’ve found the EVA1 to be refreshingly consistent. It has never let me down. It has never felt cheap or compromised. And it remains one of the few small-body cameras that I trust to deliver imagery that feels genuinely cinematic.

It may not be the loudest or most hyped camera on the market.

But sometimes the quiet ones are the ones worth keeping.

Mark

You can see my Panasonic EVA1 reel here: https://vimeo.com/1115869240