Leaderboard

'?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> Interesting to see how these lists compare a year later. Resolution isn't everything- I would put the Alexa on top for overall image quality. They designed their sensor after learning from years of experience building film scanners. We used to argue about whether digital effects for audio would ever match or surpass analog gear. Finally a few years ago, even the most stalwart musician friend finally agreed digital matched analog with the Axe Fx: http://www.fractalaudio.com I just watched MiB II again and was blown away with some of the shots in terms of skin tone and color (Eastman EXR 100T 5248). Is it possible to convert my 5D3 (RAW) or FS700 (RAW) to look like that with something like FilmConvert (two cameras I use)? No, not yet, as I don't think anyone has accurately modeled the film process well enough yet to emulate what film does with light. Initial ADCs and DACs sounded harsh and brittle when CD's were first released (folks still dig records and tapes). Now digital audio is fantastic (and most folks listen to highly compressed audio on iPod/Phone/Droid or cheap computer speakers!). Digital cameras are still very much like early digital audio. Matching the pleasing look of film has not yet been achieved with digital; so far ARRI has gotten the closest, and FilmConvert has made a good start. Accurately modeling and simulating film with digital cameras will happen someday. Why bother? Because it looks better, especially for narrative (where unreality and dreaminess are helpful in storytelling). Dynamic range, resolution, lack of aliasing, and accurate color processing are all very important. The last piece of the puzzle is (optionally) being able to get highlights and skin tones etc. to look like film.

Hey guys, A couple of stores in London will have a working GH4 with a Panasonic rep this weekend. The dates are Friday 14 March, Saturday 15 March and Sunday 16 March 2014 from 10-4pm at the following stores: Jessops, 129-131 Oxford Street, London, W1D 2HU Park Cameras, 53-54 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JR Full press release here: http://news.panasonic.co.uk/news/panasonic-announces-preview-campaign-for-dmc-gh4-79357 I'll be there to check it out on Saturday around midday. Looks like Panasonic are also giving away a free battery and battery grip with every GH4 purchased! They are really gunning for it! Adrian

yes please

If you want bang for buck the Canon FD is hard to beat, and they have a very nice Canon look to them without being sterile like their modern EF counterparts. I have 20/2.8, 24/2.8, 28/2.0, 35/2.0, 50/1.4, 50/3.5 Macro, 85/1.8 and 135/2.8 all on a mFT > FD Speedbooster (0.71x). Fantastic collection, which I think I would struggle to ever part with.

I have gone for it! I had a play with one at the photographic show in Birmingham and the LCD & viewfinder where lovely. Also looked at some sample footage on the 4K LCD, which was incredible. It was next to a GH3 so could give it a good comparison (well as much as you can at a show). Along with the other obvious changes I think its also slightly heavier. When I saw the price was just £1299 I couldn't resist. Pretty much the same price as a EM-1 + a free battery grip into the bargain.

That's probably a better phrase than "pixel peeking" to be honest.

Have you sold the Lomo zoom yet? I am curios to see if I can find out some more about it..

All that remains is someone to put out some well shot, edited and graded footage. Some of the footage some testers have put out is absolute junk. Andrew, will you or have you already in your hands on a GH4? I'm thinking about jumping off the Canon ship as is seems to not have much direction. Adrian

I am trying to avoid noisy shots. If I have one, I load it to FCP 7, where I have a stable Neat. When cows fly. Even if FCP X doesn't crash, it gets very slow with just about every plugin you install. I have accepted that. FCP X is a very mighty footage organizer - outsiders just can't fathom how advanced it actually is in that respect. It also is the fastest editing tool - render benchmarks and GPU acceleration set aside, just from the way the edits are organized. It also offers a very intuitive and easy, yet limited, color correction. Everything else, to tell the truth, is in it's infancy.

No one has mentioned Nikkor AI and AI-S primes yet. I have a set of five, cine-modded by Duclos, and I have been pleased with them; first on my GH2, then on my FS100, and finally on my 5D3. I've also had them on a RED Scarlet, and they looked great at 4K. They are compact but well-built, and the lens characteristics match closely across the set. The only downside that I can think of is that the focus ring goes the other way, making a reversible follow focus a necessity. Here's a nice rundown on them by Caleb Pike of DSLRVideoShooter:

  Pretty much a NEX 5N with a worse form factor for a lot more money, so I've never used one, therefore I wouldn't know where to place it on the chart. Pretty close to the bottom I'd say.