The Truth About Open Gate

[@mauriciolee7349]

As of today, January 15th, 2025, out of more than 7 videos arguing for Open Gate, this is the BEST because it provides COMPREHENSIVE reasons. Thank Ordinary Filmmaker.

[@LukeBrownFigmentoFilms]

Open-Gate has proven very useful to me. Much like we would expect RAW in our cameras, we should also expect to be able to use the full potential of our sensors.

[@ExpeditionsInLight]

Open gate is the creators social media shortcut tool. Shoot once and format twice for 16x9 and vertical. It is a time saver.

[@JamesJacksonFilmz]

Just want to quickly point out that LUMIX and Fujifilm are not the only companies shooting open gate. Blackmagic Designs, Z Cam and Kinefinity have all been using open gate since the beginning. Also another point of order, “Open Gate” is not just 3:2 or 4:3 it simply means “using the entire sensor of the camera”. If your camera only has a 17:9 and shoots the whole sensor (Blackmagic Pocket 4K or RED Komodo for exp) then they are by definition open gate cameras.

[@joeXjoeX]

I'm pretty sure he's only referring to hybrid cameras coming from the usual consumer/prosumer brands.. I don't think he has a single video about any of the cinema/box-style camera brands you're listing.

[@amermeleitor]

The XM5 can shoot in open gate too at 6.2k. Well, all Fuji with the latest processor and the 26mp sensor shoot open gate. I wish the 40mp models add that in firmware update, even if they need to line skip or pixel binning the image, I mean they can use four pixels in one to get a 10mp open gate image.

[@CrawPhotography]

Not gonna lie. I'd never really heard of Open Gate in terms of Photography. But honestly the amount of times I have cropped a birds wing or head, a wing of a plane or whatever else. Honestly it would just be nice to be able to see the full resolution image of the sensor. I mean when we buy a camera, really we should be able to use all of the sensor. It just makes sense...

[@benp712]

I think most likely scenario would be them „selling“ you open gate with their new cameras and sell it as a feature. I doubt they will update older cameras to support it unfortunately.

[@TECH3_]

to be very honest if sony can give us a cropped 3:2 mode ? i would love it

[@mathiaserichsen8177]

Open gate is one of my most requested features and I find it baffling that so few camera manufacturers have managed to implement it in their hybrid models.

[@AMGOSUK]

One of the reason for me is when using anamorphic/squeeze lenses.

[@GinoFoto]

One of the main advantages of ‘open gate’ is its ability to fake smooth movement without losing any quality, this is especially powerful when the output is 21:9.

[@aldolega]

Mmmm, not really, in my experience. At least not for big/fast moves and if you're close to a 180-degree shutter. The motion blur doesn't look right because it's reversed to what we expect- the background will be sharp and the subject blurred, where with an actual pan/tilt it's the opposite. You see this a lot with 360-cam footage in lower light where a slower shutter is being used and the footage is cropped and panned in post. Works ok at high shutter speeds though because everything is sharp.

[@michaelbell75]

I’m only 10 seconds into the video and I can already tell you my request for open gate. We are mostly paying for a sensor and I’d like to use that full sensor for my video, not just part of it.

[@johnclay7644]

insightful video Thanks Simon

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

Thanks John!

[@scotthime6928]

Even if I'm not using it, the ability to use my whole sensor appeals to me. Being prevented from using my whole sensor doesn't. BTW - I like the breaks with titles in this video. I don't remember you doing it this way before, but it's attention-getting, and really directs my focus to the idea at hand. Thumbs up.

[@ErisedMediaCo]

I really think they need to add open gate to the R5c. It’s a cinema camera and they’ve added more desqueeze functions so it’d be helpful.

[@aronaldharper543]

Its crazy that we're talking about open gate. Lumix had it in 2019 or 18 or so. They were doing pre-focus as well. Bonkere that manufacturers sont have it in every camera

[@JojoJoget]

How useful open gate is, is entirely dependent on the sensor’s physical ratio, not merely it being open gate, they should just make square sensors.

[@WernerBirdNature]

Thanks for explaining Simon ! For video the benefits are clear. For stills it would only make sense when open gate is provided in raw, as jpg shooters are by design much less interested in editing. I'd also see the most use when shooting wide angles and slower fps, where it provides more info to keep a larger image after lens corrections and perspective corrections. For fast shooting, it could help avoiding to clip the wings of a bird, but it will come at the price of reducing the fps and usable buffer. So for wildlife, I don't think this compromise is worth it.

[@Pixels_And_Petrol]

Sounds like something camera manufacturers would rather gatekeep with the cripple hammer. SO many cameras could be better with a firmware update but they would rather promote E-waste then providing longer support updates for cameras. I want to see camera makers release new firmware revisions. or eventually maybe a modding scene can open back up like how we used to have magic lantern with custom firmware flashes.

[@steve8register9]

Ever since the advent of digital sensors, I have wondered why all sensor data, including the area outside the image circle, is made available in post. I never knew it was referred to as "Open Gate." It sure would be nice to have, even for us lonely photographers.

[@aronaldharper543]

Photographers have it.

[@waveland]

Is there an example Simon of a hybrid system that added open gate later in a product cycle via firmware? Perhaps we’ve seen OG announced at launch but not finalized until months later? But if anyone was going to drop open gate later it would have been Nikon with the Z9 and since they have not I suspect there’s some underlying engineering that gets in the way. Beyond that, OG has limitations. Increased rolling shutter sits at the top of that list. Plus of course increased data rates to store and manage. For me it falls into the category of nice to have but not essential until the sensors and cards are fast enough to provide a full range of frame rates at 3:2. And one thing I think is certain, Sony won’t be cramming it onto CFExpress A cards any time soon.

[@amermeleitor]

I think Nikon Z6III would be the most possible candidate to add open gate via firmware

[@waveland]

@ I’m definitely not holding my breath.

[@sonicck]

Fascinating, but for photography I don’t see that in the top 5 firmware updates for the R5mark2

[@samuelboatengyt]

Because in photography you’re already using the full sensors read out which is open gate, 3:2, only in video it switches to 16:9 or 17:9 if it is in DCI, and does not use the 3:2 as lumix and Fuji mirrorless cameras do

[@sonicck]

@ okay gotcha

[@gregorylagrange]

We don't see or notice things in the 16:9 ration. Video in a 3:2 is more like our own field of view. And people who go from just photography to also doing video of the things they photograph would like it since they buy lenses that get them the field of view they desire for the subject. And the 16:9 finds them maybe needing a slightly shorter lens.

[@michaelgaraphoto]

Can't believe I didn't know about this!? What is the true aspect ratio of Canon's sensors? How much resolution am I missing on my R5/r5ii?

[@OrdinaryFilmmaker]

All Canon stills hybrid cameras are 3:2. That is why a 45mp sensor is required to deliver 8K UHD.

[@michaelgaraphoto]

@OrdinaryFilmmaker so, purely a video thing?

[@MrJapanforce]

Once more, Lumix is the way to go. The one and only.

[@danielosborne8228]

Firmware update that's actually valuable? No. No they will not do that. Nothing a camera company hates more than 'open' anything. They'll control every option so they can provide 'better' features later, and sell the marginally better in body corrections.

[@FindMagic365]

I could only see Panasonic doing this i wish canon could follow up

[@LukeBrownFigmentoFilms]

Panasonic were the first to do this and have been doing so at least almost 10 years.

[@vidthreenorth4007]

Is there an Open Gate setting for a Lumix G85 or Sony a6400?

[@aldolega]

A6400 no, G85 does have an anamorphic mode, or it might have been called 4K Photo mode at the time.

[@vidthreenorth4007]

@@aldolega Hmm. I never tried "4K Photo". 3 options: 4K Burst - Rec while shutter is pressed, 4K Burst(S/S) Press shutter at Start, Stop and Rec., and 4K Pre-Burst Auto rec frame pre and post shtr. ..."

[@vidthreenorth4007]

I ran a quick test. Actually, now I remember that I did try it back when I first got the camera, but only once and I forgot about it. The resulting file is an "odd" MP4 file with a 3328 x 2496 frame resolution, (roughly 4:3 frame as per the M43 sensor), about 30 fps Data rate (this test file) 87421 kbps (image), Total bitrate 87539 kbps (there is a dummy sound track recorded). Maybe I'll start using it. . . . ?

[@EricLouisYoung]

If a camera doesn't have open gate I will not buy it. The fact that the big dinosaur tokyo camera companies don't retroactively add it to all their recent cameras that can do it is all the evidence we need to prove that they hate their customers. Seriously, it's like a dozen lines of code.

[@pitterpatterlf]

Too bad Panasonic open gate is so crippled. If they would actually release a S1H2 maybe it would be decent.

[@ricardocarvalho1184]

great

[@599miata]

👍👍🫎🫎