Interview with Director Raafi Rivero — An In-Depth MAVO LF Review
Raafi Riverohas shot more footage and logged more hands-on time with the KinefinityMAVO LFthan almost anyone else, producing a uniquely insightful review as a result. This interview is byNewsShootersenior editor Matthew Allard—not to be missed if you want to know what makes Raafi's review stand out, and why he lost his beloved MAVO LF.
An Intimate MAVO LF Review
Matt: What initially attracted you to the Kinefinity MAVO LF?
Raafi: I've actually been following Kinefinity for a while, and took the plunge with the TERRA 4K in late 2017. I have 15 years of industry experience, and before the TERRA the only camera I'd ever worked with was the Canon 5D Mk II. So I know full-frame very well—the appeal of shooting again with a full-frame camera with solid specifications was very real for me.
____
Matt: What do you think sets the MAVO LF apart from other cameras at similar price points?
Raafi: Kinefinity cameras require very few accessories and have a flexible, user-friendly operating system. Beyond being able to use affordable SSDs for storage, Kinefinity cameras are compatible with a wide range of lens mounts—PL, EF, Nikon, and even mechanical-aperture E-mount lenses. ProRes is another major advantage, and then there's the high ISO sensitivity—you can practically call it a night vision camera. Some cameras may beat the MAVO LF in a single specific area, but very few can surpass it across the board, especially considering the price.
____
Matt: What specifically appeals to you about full-frame or larger sensors?
Raafi: I shot with the Canon 5D Mark II for many years, so I'm very familiar with full-frame. Maintaining focus is a little more challenging in full-frame images compared to a smaller sensor, but that's exactly what makes it compelling. The choice of focus point is also one of the characteristics that distinguishes 'cinema' from 'video.'
Full-frame has another hidden advantage: high ISO performance. Because the image is gathered by more pixels across a larger area, noise is much lower.
____
Matt: Your review stands out as genuinely different—why did you choose that approach?
Raafi: Whenever I talk with colleagues, someone always says 'facts' that make me want to roll my eyes. I wanted to shoot a few relaxed, intimate short films about what it was like living with the MAVO LF day in and day out for several months, rather than trying to hit every single point in a traditional review. I also captured plenty of footage about crop modes, highlight headroom, and dynamic range—but when I sat down to edit it, I found it genuinely boring.
____
Even before the MAVO LF was stolen, I hadn't planned on dwelling too much on camera specifications. I had already covered the size, weight, and physical design in my TERRA 4K review—none of that changed—so there was no need to repeat it. The final section of the review was new material I added before the MAVO LF was stolen.
Despite the incident of losing the camera during the review process, I feel very fortunate to have been able to complete it, and I wanted to share my enthusiasm with everyone.
Matt: How long have you been using the MAVO LF?
Raafi: About eight months.
____
Matt: What projects have you shot with the MAVO LF?
Raafi: We received the MAVO LF in late November 2018. So far, our team has used it on three major projects: a sci-fi short, three documentary-style commercial spots, and a one-hour documentary that will be released in June.
____
The MAVO LF was the A-camera on the documentary, with the TERRA 4K as the B-camera. We spent three weeks shooting on the roads of Oklahoma, with the final week in New York—making it a solid reliability test for the MAVO LF. The project was sponsored by a large corporation, and before we started, my client asked: 'Is your camera ready?' I told him absolutely yes. On that trip, we were using a lot of lower-cost gear—and most of it didn't make it back to New York in working condition. The MAVO LF did.
Matt: What are the MAVO LF's biggest strengths and weaknesses?
Raafi: The biggest weakness is definitely audio. There are no manual rotary pots for quickly adjusting levels during fast-paced shooting—you have to go through menus every time you want to tweak settings, which feels a bit clunky. And the two audio channels can't be independently adjusted.
____
That said, Kinefinity's new OS and menus are a major improvement, but I expect the audio will also take a leap forward. For me, the MAVO LF's greatest strength is its color science—this camera doesn't lean toward the look of any other brand I know. It's a color that's genuinely pleasing. When grading time is limited, using the camera's built-in LUTs minimizes the time needed in post.
Its compact size is another major advantage. Strip off the accessories and you can use it on a handheld gimbal or carry it like a DSLR. Or load it up with accessories and it becomes a serious cinema camera.
I also love using SSDs for storage rather than any proprietary medium. When I'm not shooting, I can use the SSDs for other purposes.
____
Matt: Who do you think the MAVO LF is best suited for?
Raafi: I'd describe it more as a cinema camera than a documentary camera. Most documentary cameras have ND, autofocus, and better audio solutions. So I think film and commercial shooting may be its ideal use case. That said, it performed very well on our large-scale documentary production that took us through four cities.
____
Matt: Your camera was stolen—can you tell us what happened?
Raafi: I made a fundamental mistake and paid for it. In the past, even with old, beat-up cameras, I always brought them into the coffee shop or restaurant—because everyone knows you cannot leave gear alone in a car. Never, ever!
I was visiting one of my favorite film school professors with some friends, and we parked right next to his office. The windows were tinted, and the MAVO LF was inside a black backpack on the car floor. I thought the gear was definitely safe.
A few hours later when we came out, someone joked: 'I hope it's still there.' It wasn't. I don't have a house or a car, so because of this stupid mistake I lost the most expensive thing I owned. It was genuinely devastating. Telling the story through the review was also a way of processing the grief.
____
Matt: Does the MAVO LF reach the bar required to produce outstanding imagery?
Raafi: A few years ago I wrote down a checklist of requirements for a cinema camera: 4K resolution, 13 stops of dynamic range, 10-bit depth, S35 or larger sensor, and in-camera ProRes recording. Today, if a camera doesn't meet these specs, you won't even look at it. And here we are!
Matt: What is your final overall impression of the MAVO LF?
Raafi: The images speak for themselves. For me, the MAVO LF performs outstandingly well across a wide variety of conditions. The feeling of having a full-frame cinema camera is genuinely incredible. I believe the MAVO LF delivers outstanding images and creates tremendous value. I just want another one!