Ever wished you could search and compare camera specifications without having to trawl through retailer spec pages and switching between numerous tabs? Cinesurf from Law, a commercial director, can solve this problem.

If you hire cameras regularly and work with a variety of client requirements, you might already have a ‘go to’ setup. But occasionally, to throw a spanner in the works, an alternative camera with different functions could provide better flexibility than your usual choice.

Cinesurf is an online camera database whose search results you can filter by many categories including, but not limited to:

Hire budget

Purchase cost

Resolution

Dynamic range

Lens mount

Frame rate

Anamorphoc

XLR connections

Having a clear comparison tool can narrow down the search for cameras clearly and concisely, which no doubt can speed up research time when selecting a camera to hire or purchase. After entering the required camera specs, the results appear almost instantly, giving you a range of potentially suitable alternatives for the job, as well as their full specifications.

In an environment where many shooters are choosing to hire cameras rather than purchasing, accuracy in choosing the ideal camera to work with is key, especially if you haven’t worked with it before. Perhaps you are shooting a documentary where an ENG style camera would suit over a production camera? Cinesurf can broaden your horizons to find the right tool for the job.

Cinesurf is still in beta stage at the moment, but you can still search the database here for your potential next camera. The hire budget estimates and purchase cost filters are still in US dollars only rather than Euro or GBP, so we will have to wait and see if this will be added in the future.

Let us know how Cinesurf works for you. And a big thank you to Law for sharing Cinesurf with the Cinema5D community!