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  1. very interesting thank you. Can you share just 1 frame of the original 4k and the same frame downsample to 2k 10bit? Just to experiment in post to test the difference
    3 points
  2. Hey guys, I've written a really simple command line app for Mac that will resample GH4 footage from 4K 4:2:0 to 2K 4:4:4 using pixel summing. This will give you real 10 bit data in the luminance channel, so it's not just doing a brute-force bump from 8 bits to 10 bits. There actually is some interesting pixel finagling going on here: http://www.mediafire.com/download/f7h950spj5hrn9f/gh444.dmg There's no GUI, so you'll need to run it from the terminal. Do this by copying the app into the directory that contains the GH4 MOV files and using the following command in a terminal: ./gh444 INPUTFILE.MOV Make sure you cd to the current directory first if necessary. You can do this by typing "cd" into the terminal, add a space, and then drag the folder containing the MOV files into the terminal window. It will automatically add the path to the cd command. It'll look like this: cd /path/to/gh4/files The app will spit numbered DPX frames out in a folder named "dpx_out." I'd love for you guys to give it a try and see if you find it useful!
    2 points
  3. Hmm. Seems to be exactly what yourself are doing, looking to buy cheap. The difference between us seems to be that you want to buy cheap and the resell to make profit. People in this forum on the other hand exchange information about lenses and buy lenses from one another for privat use primarly. After using a lens for a while folks might sell the lens further, a few want to make a few hundred bucks while others dont want to lose their investment. You on the other hand play in a different league. Buying cheap and reselling x3 times the value. The problem with your first statement, saying that you're american is that you're refering to north america. Excluding, central and south america. Second, you're a capitalist. You are the guy that stand for an ideology that segregates people, widens the gap between the richest and the poorest. Lowering the costs in order to increase production, benefiting of people in third world countries depriving them from good health. Be my guest if you want to be that guy.
    2 points
  4. Above: Prospect, a short film shot on the 2.5k Blackmagic Cinema Camera The Blackmagic Cinema Camera was the first foray for the company into the camera market and was announced 2 years ago this month. I know many users were expecting more from firmware updates in the meantime to add basic features and also features promised by Blackmagic themselves. Many were expecting these to be announced this week at NAB. Instead Blackmagic revealed new cameras, one in particular the URSA being packed with new features. So I asked Blackmagic some tough questions and here are the answers... Read the full article here
    1 point
  5. http://nofilmschool.com/2014/04/blackmagic-design-addresses-concerns-regarding-bmcc-bmpcc-firmware-updates/ About time I say, but makes sense
    1 point
  6. bring it on! 4k medium format is great , I shot stills Medium format for 15 years so all those cool Zeiss lenses are back in business!
    1 point
  7. Square would be great indeed. Btw, I placed a isco blue star in front of a mamiya rz67 with a 110 2.8 and it doesn't vignette as much as it does on a 60mm in full frame, if you crop to 16:9 you wouldn't see it. I can imagine a iscorama 54 or even 36 will do wonders. One thing that makes medium format shine against 35mm 3:2, is the aspect ratio. 6:7 or 6x6 gives you a much wider view compared to 3:2, this is also what gives the extra shallow depth of field. So when you shoot a 44mm wide sensor in 16:9 aspect ratio the medium format lenses won't really shine, even with 54mm backs it still wouldn't be comparable to the sensation you get with 6x7. Obviously if you haven't worked with 6x7 stills you probably won't miss it, and the depth of field works a lot nicer, so you can shoot wide open with the background blurred out and still have the relevant things in nice focus (it just looks so great). Another nice thing about medium format is that most good lenses cover a lot more than they need, so you don't get the ugly cat eyes in the corner specular bokehs (like on the 50 0.95 noct, which looks horrible to me).
    1 point
  8. Sorry guys, been on shoots. Will upload the videos tomorrow.
    1 point
  9. "Already I am hearing reports that the rolling shutter on the A7S is really quite bad" Source? I believe we are all very curious about rolling shutter skew in this camera compared to the known Canikons...
    1 point
  10. the main issue with these cameras is that they use sensors which are not quite true medium format. they're somewhere in between medium format and full frame. they can have all the resolution in the world, but in order for the actual medium format look to be felt it needs the actual jump from full frame to medium format (6x6, or 4x4.5). ie. approx 55mm wide sensor area. these miss the mark by 7mm and effectively it's like the difference between full frame and aps-c. the fact that the lenses tend to be f2.8 fastest isnt a problem when you're using a true medium format frame, but once you crop away 7mm off the width the depth of field / field of view ratio isnt worth the lack of lens speed. an 80mm f2.8 on medium format will smoke a 50mm f1.2 on full frame in terms of overall 'big' feeling (due the the in/out of focus separation being that much more beautiful when rendered with a longer focal length) while matching the field of view and depth of field. The same 80mm f2.8 lens on the 'almost' medium format sensors of these new breed of so called medium format cameras therefore no longer quite competes against the 50mm f1.2 on full frame - a combination now easily accessible thanks to the A7S. Come back to me when someone creates a proper 55x55mm sensor and a set of anamorphics to suit:)
    1 point
  11. Andrew gives me a strong impression that he just want to push people to just get the gh4. His comments always gives the vibe of "as compared to the gh4". The thing is that the gh4 just doesnt work for everyone. Yes it is awesome, yes is amazingly priced, yes it gives amazing images.. etc. but the problem is people have heavly invested on the canon lenses and some people dont want to sell their canon lenses to buy m43 lenses because m43 are less of a standard in case you want to upgrade later on. I could use my canon lenses on almost any camera but with m43 we simply cant. And yes the speedbooster exsist but we dont want to run through adapters and other quirky work arounds. There are just many things like this one i pointed out that are just too many problems...The thing is that i just want people to realize is that the gh4 is not perfect and you shouldnt just jump ship because of the hipe... and i know andrew is not puting a gun on anyones head to buy any one camera, hes just giving his opinion which is very valuable, I just feel like these articles are not as objective as they could be because of the hype. Just my two cents.
    1 point
  12.   Great stuff!! Thanks a million James.
    1 point
  13. Julian

    Medium format 4K!?

    According to PhotoRumors: If true, wow! It has the same Sony 44x33mm sensor as the Hasselblad H5D-50c, up to iso 6400. Wonder what bitrate/format it will shoot...
    1 point
  14. Too much numbers for my tastes: someone could please verify if the downscaled version grades better than the original?
    1 point
  15. Kasper Mols

    Medium format 4K!?

    I wouldn't like to be a focus puller on a shoot with one of these... :P
    1 point
  16. Darktide Media

    My Trip to NAB

    Thought I would share my thoughts on NAB this year and some of the things that I saw and tested. If you have questions feel free to ask, I will do my best to get back to them and whatnot. For those who dont know, I shoot action sports and own Darktide Media. A company based out of San Diego Ca. One thing that we did this year was said a few weeks before NAB, we are going to NAB to find our 4K camera system. What will fit us and what can we use day in day out for production in the dirt and rain if needed. We are not a huge company by any means but growing. We punish our gear to no end so that is a big part of what system that we want to invest in. Lets Begin...... To start things off I will just come out and say this, we are happy that we pre-ordered the GH4 camera, we have chosen this as our camera of choice for the fact of it works and it does some really really amazing things for what you are paying. I will explain this more in a bit. BlackMagic Design - I have never used or really seen a BM camera in person before this show, all I know is BM is great in everything they do except cameras. The BMCC was great the 4K was a joke from many people I have talked to. The lack of firmware is also a joke. They need to fix that and get it out. One this I have to say is that the URSA is a real camera, a pro cinema camera and this is what everyone wanted I believe. The main drawback to me is the weight and that just cant do for our company at this point. The way its layout is and the big 10 inch fold out screen may look weird but in person its amazing, pulling focus off that with focus peaking is so easy. The two touch screens are great as well. I dont understand the CFast Card over SSD but we will see soon. The other huge thing is 60p at 4K. This is amazing at this price point no doubt. I talked with some of the BM people and they had a lot to say to me. I have no doubt that this camera will be out in July. They dont want to mess up. They know what people want and firmwares are coming to fix alot of issues. The whole sensor thing is just great as well, now we know what we are buying will not be out of date. There is some talk of 120fps at 4K as well....so we shall see. AJA Cion - Not much to say about this camera except this is amazing. The footage is amazing, the layout is amazing. They really though this one though from every angle of shooter. Cant wait to see more footage from this camera in the hands of film makers. If you are looking for a great 4K camera in this style of layout but dont like the BM and dont have the budget for RED, take a good hard look at this system. RED Once again not much to say. The new things they came out with are great for those who own REDs or are looking at adding the RED camera to your company's productions. I will continue to rent these cameras when the project calls for it for the sole fact of it hurts my wallet. The Dragon is king. It is the most amazing camera I have every seen. It has soo much power I don't understand how they did for this price and in this size and weight. They were pulling 6K frame grabs, exporting to photoshop for some basic editing and then to print in huge prints that were amazing. They looked better then most DSLR I have ever seen. Lucky I was also one of the 600 to get my hands on the RED 2014 book, that alone should cost around 50 bucks. It is amazing the detail they put into it. Canon - Sorry not much going on at this booth for my company needs. I had Canon at one point but they are way behind if you ask me. 3 Axis Gimbals - These were everywhere, just every way you look there was a company that had one and somehow it was the best. My thought was that FreeFly really does make the best. The M5 is just one hell of a tool, made to withstand small and large productions. Defy was right behind. I dont really understand the G2 gimbals to be honest. Its good but if you want Defy save a bit and go G5 its great as well. The one gimbal that stole me away thought was the new Silk gimbal from X Heli Pro. Its made for the GH4 and Pocket Camera. Its very light weight and cheap for what it is. The battery is amazing as well. If you want a G2 look at this first if you have a big dslr look at the G5 or M5. My thoughts though as well that the kits online will save you money if you dont mind building you own. This is one path i may end up taking to just save some money. Atomos - As a buyer of the new GH4 I had to stop by once I heard about the Shogun Recorder. This is be amazing, I was a big bummed that we didnt see a HyperDeck Shuttle from BM but this is way better. Cant wait to see more and get hands on with it. The other one to me that I will buy for sure is the Ninja Star. They were really talking about this with GoPros and all that and I for sure think that will be a major use but I will have this on my GH4 as soon as I can. Something this small that will give me 10 bit off the GH4 is amazing. If anyone knows please let me know but will the Star do HD at 60p? I would hope since the Hero 3 is doing it and the GH4 is doing it and so are the Sony Cameras. So I know this isnt much but there is so much at this show its just crazy. These things are the ones that I really thought were good and stood out to me. With so many cameras and new toys we had to ask our selfs what camera and really the choice was easy, the GH4 will be our go to camera for sure in 2014. Let me start by saying this is no camera like the GH4 right now. Its small, cheap, and easy to use. It also is very unique in the fact that out of the box it shines but also is very basic. To us at Darktide, this is a huge selling point. We can pull it out and shoot no problem, or we can go crazy and put PL glass, a full rig, a 10 bit recorder and more and make this camera shine. Then take that huge set up and strip it down and put an AF lens like the 12-35 on it and put the camera on a gimbal and record some great footage and then take it off there and put it on a heli. Get those shots then throw it in an underwater case and go swimming with it. Then when back home we can pull the 4K frame grabs as well for some of the photos we might need. If you have a 10 bit recorder on this and are shooting 4K then the frame grabs are that much better as well. No its not a RED or a RAW shooting camera. We dont need that on most stuff, most people dont. The GH4 is amazing that its such an open system. Also at this price point we can have a few of the cameras for new angles by the end of this year. We will have a full review of the camera our site as soon as we get it our hands as we start to shoot our new film. Thanks for reading, there may be mistakes. I just fly back from NAB. hope this helps a bit and free to ask me on here or message about things we saw.
    1 point
  17. After reading most of this thread, one of the conclusion can be that the headline to this post is very misleading! The developper himself tells us that you get 10bit in the luma channel only! Which is nice. But never does he mention full 10bit 4:4:4...
    1 point
  18. Here's a 16 bit PNG file, converted from a DPX file output by gh444: '>
    1 point
  19. Well guys, I have been testing the camera for a couple of hours now and here is what I have found so far: RAW Photo: Brightening the shadows from high ISO (~3200) files produces purple colouring similar to the Nikon D5200. The GX7 does not do this (see figure 1). The a6000 does clip less at the very extreme of highlights. Not near enough to make a difference to photographers though. Colour depth may be slightly better on a6000. I'm not sure how to test this exactly. Video: At the same exposure and similar contrast settings, the a6000 is more prone to blowing out highlights than the GX7. There is noticeably less picture detail. But also more aliasing and moire than on the GX7 (see figure 2). The noise is quite nice. On the GX7, noise is very dancy and distracting. On the a6000, noise seems more calm; less sharp; less chroma. Some may even say film grainish. The trade-off however is that there is less detail. (see figure 3) The colour might be more accurate in low light on the a6000. I need to do a bit more testing. On the flip side, the GX7's video is so sharp that the codec has trouble fitting it all into a 24mbit/s file and I often see artefacts when viewing at 100%. Handling: The EVF is miles better than the NEX 6 and GX7. There is no rainbow tearing and the refresh rate is fast. Everything is clear. Usable in low light too. Even the eyecup is better. The menu system is miles better than the NEX6. On the whole, I still find the GX7 to be more usable due to the AF/MF switch, front/rear dials and touch screen. Strangely, the focus peaking becomes less intense whilst shooting video. The AF is indeed very good. It can focus in even less light than my GX7 (which has incredible low light AF ability). The AF tracking is good too but not great. I'm not sure if it could actually handle a cyclist riding towards you. I've tested with both the kit lens and the 16mm f2.8. The latter doesn't have Phase Detection, but the contrast system works just as well. When you manually focus, a distance scale comes up on the screen, which is very nice. I don't think the NEX 6 had this feature. Only problem is it doesn't work whilst filming. Samples below all shot at 25p @ 24mb/s. Dynamic range settings were tweaked to bring the images closer together. Noise reduction turned off (although honestly there isnt any difference that I can see when turning it on on the GX7). Figure 1: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1094036/a6000/raw_shadow_adjustment.JPG a6000 left, GX7 right. f3.5, 1/50th, ISO 3200. Lightroom Shadows +100 Figure 2: '> a6000 top, GX7 bottom. f5.6, 1/50th, ISO 400 Figure 3: '> a6000 top, GX7 bottom. f3.5, 1/50th, ISO 3200, WB 5500k. Overall I'm thinking I'll probably send the a6000 back. There is not enough improvement to justify me swapping systems.
    1 point
  20. Camera operator looks like he just woke up at the waffle house sleeping off a Vegas Bender.
    1 point
  21. The stretch factor changes with your focus. If I remember it right, the stretch factor they put on the lens is for infinity focus.
    1 point
  22. If you have it just test it, shoot a round object and see how much you have to stretch it to make it round again. These lenses are almost never what they say the are, usually a little less. The Isco's say they are 1.5 but are actually ~1.41.
    1 point
  23. The star of the show at NAB is not the A7s, the AJA, the Blackmagic Ursa, Studio... ....it's the Kinefinity Cameras, and they deserve more press than they are getting. Much more.
    1 point
  24. Indeed so let's not say we will pay more than $2000 for it.   The sensitivity and XAVC-S is nice and I will definitely sell my A7R for it but the price doubles when you want to make use of the camera's biggest selling point, 4K, whilst that is not the case with the GH4.
    1 point
  25. I can guarantee that the internal XAVC-S 1080p from the A7S will not look as good as getting 1080p from the 4K output and doing your scaling in post with all that processing power available on your desktop.   8bit 4K 4:2:0 = 10bit 1080p 4444 remember. If the maths have complications and gotchas, the image to my eyes does not. The GH4's 4K looks like 10bit when you grade it and when you look at it on a 2K display. Gradations are smooth. Colour is fantastic. Sampling shows no signs of pixilation or jaggedness at 2K. At 1:1 at 4K you do see some aliasing and jaggies from 4:2:0 sampling. They disappear when scaled correctly to 1080p or 2K.
    1 point
  26. g6 is way superior to gh2 in low light gone is all the fizz noise in the blacks Ive swopped from gh2 to using g6 now and the whole camera is much better then the gh2 the screens are superb the evf is amazing cant work without it now the iso's are all alot cleaner now alot less noise focus peaking is great I leave it on all the time now and the remote wifi control of the camera on your iphone is unreal I can pull focus and stop start recording change the iso etc etc all via wifi with the camera 100 feet away on a jib arm ! the panasonic image ap is free and very very useful!! g6 is the way to go
    1 point
  27. Hello guy's First of all I would like to start off by saying that I am new to the world of camera's and photography . Up untill about five weeks ago I wouldnt be able to tell the difference between a through away camera and a camcorder ! My dilema is this ? Five weeks ago I asked my wee boy what he wanted for his tenth birthday as I had all his christmas presents in four day's after christmas is his birthday so I was scratching my head on what to get To any readers this story is totally unrelated to the topic in matter and apolagise maybe (eoshd) can transfer this post to a topic that fits. Anyway I was scratching my head on what to get him and he said he would like to get a camcorder for youtube because his friends are doing the same thing so I thought sure noproblem . I done a bit of research online and found that camcorders were a waste of money acording to some sites they are not any better than the smart phone I have in my pocket well the cheap camcorders . I wasnt looking to spend much money anyway being so close to christmas I was skint . Further research led me to beginer dslr camera's Sites were saying they were great for video and you can also take nice family photographs . So this might be the rout I should take a beginner for my boy to learn on if he likes it he can grow with the camera if not then I can recoup some money back something I would not have been possible with a cheap video cam . More research was pointing towards the canon entry levels they had all functions that I needed or "my boy" needed the more I read the more I was learning my self about photography . I dont follow the crowd I usually think for myself and never fall for marketing tricks so when I buy a product I outweigh the pro's and con's before hand At this stage it is becoming obsessive I am now offically hooked to photography The more I keep reading and learning the more I love it for someone who hasn't owned a camera in his life . But is giving me headaches I dont know what camera to buy on a budget ! Five weeks in the making sleeless nights of constant reading about all the different brands learning what makes a camera work disecting every single entry level camera how they work, how their processors work, who has the best processors, wow the picture gets to the processor, video code, very exhausting indeed so I have narrowed it down to what I am looking for in a camera and is still very extensive (haha) For me video first then picture quality so what I have read "bitrate" seems to be the biggest factor in video so the higher the bitrate = smoother video quality I had to find the the best processer expeed 4, digic 5, bionz, after extensive research for me its got to be the expeed 4 built by fuji used by nikon there are the only one to shoot from rooftops that every time they make a new prossecor for the camera its the biggest and fastest and it is not hard to see why . The board of camera's processors is made up of micro processors designed form diffrent tasks like process light, picture, colour, focus, bitrate etc etc, nikon claim expeed 4 can process 600 megapixel per second so if every frame is Say 2 megapixel (1080) still . do the math and work that 600 megapixels into any frame rate giving you plenty of room to run smoothly When a picture is took it is extracted through the sensor in black and white (greyscale) and digitalised into pixels , coloured diodes are added into the pixels (rgb) red , green , blue , and this is were it gets technical each brand has there own Algorithms wrote for these for example picture those three coloured diodes (rgb) mixing together to make the start of a picture like digital jigsaw puzzle Each each diode pixel emulating a jigsaw piece to make the biger picture Each brands algorithm written can be shaped for example iam sure that it is olympus that likes more blue in the picture to complement the sky nikon likes to use more green because visible light as we know is actually in the green spectrum . So algorithms are wrote to bend colours in your favour to which each brand feels will work in there favour. If I were to design a camera for say cinematic use it would be a compact systems camera with the strongest processor to deal with a high bitrate no focus function because it burns a lot of pro power I wouldnt need this function An algorithm wrote to show more greyscale colour for more cinematic experrience Of course there is more to that needs added in the internal side of things but my point is less bells and whistles the better the processor runs less overheating meaning less noise , also aps c sized sensor and adapted to take any cine lens sorted kickstarter here I come ha ha So I have more or less came to my final conclusion on what camera to pick that would suit my wee boy for my budget first wait for the new nikon d3300 , canon eos m and the sony nex 5t, I just missed out on the eos m for a hundred pound with pancake lens I know it is not to everybody's taste but for its price there is no better So as I end with this long post not relating to any topic I was sharing my own thoughts on somebody that didnt have a clue a few weeks back to someone who is now very facinated in photography now And with a little research we can all get a cannon 5d iii equivalent haha ,
    1 point
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