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What is it that makes Cooke cinema lenses so special? Read the full article here

Hey guys, Been following EOSHD for ages, and sometimes get to implement things I've learnt on here, at work (for a small DLSR based production company). I wanted to share a recent experience we had in the office when testing out the DitoGear OmniSlider which we saw the review for on the main EOSHD blog. We were playing around with the "repeat movement" programming we stumbled across a pretty cool technique - something we then went on to use on a paid client job! Check it out:

The only camera I noticed looked like a classic Rolleiflex TLR, but I couldn't tell for sure which model it actually was, as I got distracted by some other more compelling details. Who cares what gear was used to shoot them. I like the way you made your point, and in this case, point taken. ;-) At least I believe that's the point you tried to make. Well done.

I am so Intrigued by the Sony A7 as my camera for stills but the price (1300EUR) compared to a used Mark II for 900 EUR gives me a hard time to decide. I love the RAW files of the A7 but the video-mode, as Andrew recently posted, is a major let down. And, Mark II would be RAW with the possibility of a correct live-view of an anamorphic setup. And I might be afraid the Sony is cause of its size just to small for a Helios and Isco for example... But I really like that compact setup Sebastian. Its really nice. How difficult is it for you to judge regarding focus?

I love zoom lenses too. I have 4. They're great run and gun lenses for getting the best focal length quickly. I bought my last one specifically to do one shot in a western movie, and that was just to do a direct homage to a Sergio Leone film I like. Plus, the shot was part of a montage meant to convey an unnatural/uncomfortable scenario. I'm not condemning the lenses when I say "Zoom" I'm complaining about how they're too often used. I don't like actual zooming during shots unless it's well considered. The human eye doesn't work that way, so if you use a zoom, you better regard seriously how it fits into your narrative. Too often I see video where people do a pull or push because they can, not because they should. I come from a broadcasting background. Lenses are built to do "zooms" on those field production cameras and lazy TV shooters abuse the heck out of it. It drives me nuts and it's an unfortunate visual cliche' when done wrong.

Yup. You'll find the settings you need on ebay. Sell the GH2 and buy a G6. You'll get verything you get with a GH2, plus more, plus Canon-like colour.

Not bad. I'm not partial to shooting with a shoulder rig myself, but if you find it helps, no problem. Using that LED light though? I'd ditch it. IMHO, that's not going to do you any favors with creating an attractive image. I'd say, at the most, use it as a rim light on subjects. Have a assistant hit 'em from the side or behind if need be, but direct like that? Nah, not a good thing. No assistant? Roll with natural light and then find your angles that compliment your subject. This is a much better approach to documentary style film making. Modern cams are great in low light. Keep it naturalistic and try harder to find your shots rather than just illuminating the first thing you see. Is that the Oly45mm on there? If so, that's a great focal length (90mm Full Frame Equivalent) for portraiture and will look awesome...but not handheld --unless you're some sort of zen master shooter. You'll need a tripod or at least a good monopod. If you can handle it, I'd recommend shooting the whole thing longer lens @2.8/fps50/and a shutter speed of 100. (adjust exposure with ISO and/or ND filters) It would make your work look much more elegant and cohesive. But again, only if you can effectively control the lens movement on that longer focal length. Easier said than done. More practically, shooting @50mm (FF equivalent) would still look nice and give you a bit more flexibility with space. Personally, I'm not a fan of wide angles with documentaries. Useful for a few special shots, depending on the subject, but I stay away from them if I can. I like to pick one prime and shoot at least 80% of my footage with it. Good luck!

40 !! thats insane ......Im gonna start making camera Ice packs (Red users will already have one !!)

I just got back from 10 days shooting in Los Angeles - all done stealing shots using 2 Panasonic g6s on small custom made shoulder rigs I made up - and amazingly nobody said anything to us, we had a crew of 4 and blended in as tourists!! The G6 is small enough not to attact attention at all..... and we had superb weather too 28 degrees C , its bloody freezing back here in the UK now.

Yeah, I'd say lucky. There's lots of headlines and political posturing regarding the flight of film production from not only California but Los Angeles in particular. The attitude of authorities and the film commission and how difficult they make the process aren't insignificant factors in this ironic phenomenon. It's a film unfriendly city in a film unfriendly state. It wouldn't stop me, of course. I do well with cops and would show them how normal and "non professional" the camera was quickly removing a few embellishments to reveal the DSLR underneath it all. Play dumb. Play the student. It likely wouldn't work with a RED or Arri or even a Cinema EOS though ;)

  £1250 per lens :) I was just extremely lucky. They are $8k each new. I'd never pay that much for gear. Never.

I got the adapter friday last. testing, no definite conclusions as of yet.but pretty good so far. Setting up on a 5D Mrk3, full frame. Very easy to use. doesn't really flare that much. You can pull focus. you can switch out lenses pretty quickly on the right rail system. Its heavy but you can shoot hand held. (40mm canon pancake very practical) So far very slight vignetteing on the sigma 35mm. Big advantage seems to be possibly to shoot wide open,( f 1.2 on 50mm canon) stays sharp For anyone buying; It won't really connect properly without the Letus filter rings, the lens support adapter is essential but doesn't really fix in place it just supports. Also warning it has a quirk, it falls in to 2 pieces when not tightened, we almost dropped the lens. Warning; the rear element of adapter moves quite a long way towards camera so be careful it doesn't end up touching the glass of your taking lens. set up with adapter set to maximum distance (another reason to buy the lets adapter i guess.)

wow that's a lot. My wish-list: better dynamic range less moiré focus peaking if possible, image stabilization similar to Olympus EM1 better electronic viewfinder (doesn't smudge when you move your eye sideways)

GREAT! Wonderful you achieved this with the tiny GH2! You(!) obviously don't need super-expensive gear and lenses and, and, and... This is also encouraging for other people. I was recently thinking about buying Canon 5D... I will stick to my GH3 I think :)