In a recent conversation with Chase Reynolds over at LensRentals, we couldn’t wait to talk about all the new “hot gear”. As you now know, the LensRentals.com team sees quite a bit of inventory come and go from their warehouse so it’s always interesting to hear about the different products that are being moved on a daily basis. The two products he chose? The Sony A7R & the Freefly Movi M5 Gimbal.

Listen to the conversation here. (Starting around 25:00)

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Get the show here or get it on iTunes Don’t forget to post a review on iTunes.

Sony A7R

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The Sony Alpha a7R is a high-resolution, full-frame E-mount mirrorless camera and big brother to the Sony Alpha a7. Key features include:

  • 36.4MP Full Frame Sensor. While the a7 features a 24.3MP sensor, the a7R is based around a high resolution 36.4MP full-frame sensor. Despite its small physical size, the a7R packs quite a punch. Its full-frame sensor foregoes a low-pass filter to provide the highest image quality possible. With its normal ISO range of 100-25600, the a7R provides excellent low-light performance.
  • E-mount. For the full-frame a7R, Sony has taken their E-mount and created their line of FE lenses. They utilize the same E-mount, but provide a larger image circle for covering the full-frame sensor. The existing APS-C E-mount lenses are compatible with the full-frame a7R and its little brother the a7. However, you will have to shoot in crop-frame mode or accept any vignetting caused by the smaller image circle.
  • Fast Autofocus System. Since the autofocus system is part of the sensor, the higher resolution a7R doesn’t feature the same hybrid AF system as the a7. Instead, it has a 25-point contrast-detection AF system that provides nimble performance and accuracy. Otherwise, it offers the same features in flexible spot, multipoint, center-weighted, and zone focusing modes. For video and legacy-lens users, the manual focus peaking enables highly visible and accurate operation and can be optimized for full-frame or APS-C-format shooting modes.
  • High Res EVF & LCD. The built-in 2.4M-Dot OLED electronic viewfinder gives users a large live preview of what the sensor sees with 100% frame coverage. The tiltable 3.0″ 1,229K-dot rear LCD can also be used for image composition and review when shooting at arms length.
  • HD Video. The a7R shoots Full HD 1080 video at 24p/60i/60p frame rates. It supports both AVCHD and MP4 codecs, as well as uncompressed video output via an HDMI connection. It has both in-camera stereo microphone and external stereo mic input for audio capture.

Read more specs about the Sony here and read Mark Morrow’s review here.

Freefly Movi M5 Gimbal

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The Freefly Systems M?VI M5 is an advanced stabilization rig for lightweight camera systems. Key features include:

  • Majestic Mode (Pan/Tilt) Patent pending Majestic Mode allows for a single operator to intuitively control the pointing of the gimbal by moving the handles without compromising the stabilization of the image. The gimbal takes the operators movements and intelligently converts them into stabilized pan and tilt movements.
  • Live Wireless Tuning & Graphing. The M?VI features real-time bluetooth connection to the gimbal, which outputs all pertinent performance data and allows for live adjustment of any of the gimbal parameters in a fast, intuitive and user friendly GUI (graphical user interface).
  • Silent Drive. Capturing on-camera audio is no problem with the M?VI, as the system is virtually silent. Because the entire motor/drive system was designed with audio in mind, the noise frequency signature of the gimbal is virtually inaudible.

Read more specs about the Movi here.

What do you think, are these hot pieces of gear to you? If you’ve used one of these pieces of equipment, let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Or join the conversation in our and Google+ groups.