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So I'm kind of believing that we've hit, for all practical purposes, a kind of pinnacle of digital IQ in motion pictures.* This does NOT mean that cameras stop improving, but I'm implying that from now onward if "you" (a typically casual end-user consumer) buy a newly released camera, you're gonna have imaging that will look great for the rest of your life. Yes, in the future the DR will be wider and resolution will probably be 16+k plus, but even so, watching an image on a 80" monitor from 10 feet away will kinda look similar to 4K, even good 1080, for that matter. 4 decades ago, great motion picture IQ wasn't a consumer possibility. 8mm film stuff shot then looks like it was shot then. 3 decades ago consumers were shooting NTSC video on crappy CCD's. That stuff is dated. It bears the mark of the 1980's. However, if you go film a scenic of, say, Florence this afternoon then it's still gonna look great 4 decades from now and onward, which is kinda cool --and sad in a way. The advance of technology is wonderful, I'm just musing on what's lost when we gain. For instance, personally, I have a tendency to make my pristine footage look retro through lens choices and post-production. I feel images need some sorts of "flaws" to feel authentic. I grew up in a darkroom, so I nurture that aesthetic nostalgia in my images. And, of course, many people love instagramming their stills, so there's still a strong desire to 'analog' the 'digital.' Could this tendency be an attempt to psychologically grasp a past that's easier to comprehend rather than the future that is rushing to us non-stop? Anyway, that's all part of the mix too. This sort of stuff, maybe it matters more to us older folks that have this visual legacy that bears the mark of technological evolution. I suspect new kids aren't hung up on this sort of thing, they just go do stuff, and they get to do it without an obvious technological time-stamp. Any thoughts? * talking' 'bout 2d imaging. 3d and holograms will surely come along somehow, but that's a different story.

If people that watch my videos complain about resolution, digital artifacts, lack of color or any other technical deficiency, then it is not the camera to blame or even the post process. It is my fault that I didn't make a stronger story. But I can't deny I am a gear addict.

After playing for a year with 4K in the Bmpc, LX100 and NX1 I've now moved back to HD. I don't really get any big benefits from it. HD broadcast in Sweden is 720p. 4k and HD on youtube looks the same. And anything looks good if not full screen. Instead I focus on having a proper robust codec that can take some abuse. Also there isn't any 4k cameras that ticks all the boxes of what I need. And if a project all of a sudden require 4K I will rent. (Worth mentioning is that I have never used my own gear for serious work. Maybe a small gig here and there but otherwise my employer takes care of it.) I guess I'm on the same page as the biggest broadcaster here in Sweden. When asked recently where they are in the process of 4K development they said roughly, "We don't care about that right now because it wouldn't look that much better. What really would look better and that we are working on is 10 bit and wider DR. The transition to HD isn't even done yet so no hurry for 4K. I know this wasn't exactly what the thread was asking but it's the thoughts that came to mind when I read it.

Sony (Japan) has been working hard on killing the rumors, with great success. This has started with the A7 II introduction like you mentioned (end of 2014). There have been no real leaks since then. Even Sony PR managers in Europe were surprised by the A7 II and A7R II, they didn't even know there was an embargo. No press release, nothing. I don't think it has to do anything with the hack. It's just Sony Japan keeping everything in a very tight circle.

I filed this rumor with the A99II, curved sensor RX2 and the A9 "pro A7" unicorns SAR has been trumpeting for the last year or so. SAR had nothing on any of the upcoming releases - he was way off with the A7RII, had nothing on the RX10II or RX100IV. He also had nothing on the A7II at the end of last year. All the announcements were a complete surprise. It appears all his insider info evaporated after the hack and hes now just making stuff up. Well, he did get the A7RII about 20 minutes before the embargo was lifted. I'm sure we'll start seeing "SR3 - A7sII to have IBIS, 399pt AF, 4k internal and BSI - will be released later this year or early next year" rumors soon. Followed by "SR3 - A7III getting 399pt AF, 4k internal and BSI - will be released later this year or early next year". You can probably add high resolution sensor shift mode like Olympus has to the rumor mill as well - I would because it will get clicks. He did great work, but most of that's in the past. I still visit the site daily - its just a great resource for samples and tests of all things E-mount.

This one is the best I've seen, and that it includes quite ​a few low-light scenes:

​hehe, well done Sir.

Hi Julian, thanks for the feedback. I agree with you 100% but the thing is this was a favor for a friend so naturally I had to include all the shots of his daughter's team to full extent haha. Thats why those odd long shots are there. I would say he's some sort of a client even though he's not paying me or anything. I also agree about the engine sounds but I just couldn't get a consistent track together because half the time I was too far away from the riders to capture any decent volume sound and the slomo mode doesn't capture any sound on the GH4. If I had enough time to edit I would've sort of faked it with sounds from other shots but had to edit in a day. Anyways really appreciate the comment and your honest opinion. It's really something I value as most people don't care enough to be honest about my work. Thank you.

You've got some pretty cool actions shots in there. Mostly in the 2nd half of the video in my opinion. I really love the shot at 2:42! Overall I think it is too long. I don't like the intro. Some of the slow motion scenes are boring (when nothing spectacular is happening, slomo is just annoying). And I want to hear those engines scream...! Even if you didn't record proper audio, maybe you can try to put some of the internal audio under the music? I think a shorter cut, with just the action, only the best shots, and some engine sound, would make a pretty good action video.

In 10 years you will notice awful colors and relate them to this period, among motion qualities,etc...

​The issue with using 4k to simulate camera movement is that there is no effect of parallax. I do find it effective as a subtle dolly though. Just recently, I shot a video in 1080p with absolutely no consideration for resolution. I "destroyed" the image by cropping in to stupidly low resolutions, made the grade fuzzy and pixelated, blended images over images over images, used "crappy" old lenses to make sure the image wasn't sharp and had loads of flaws...the list goes on. I did this because the project required this style over the full duration of 4mins30secs. If i made it all "perfect" looking... it would of cheapened the video. Yes that's right...it would of cheapened it. This video would of looked like garbage in pristine 4k and 14 stops of dynamic range. Next weekend, I'm shooting a high end music video funded by a beer brand on the Sony FS7 at the highest quality the camera can record in. It's got to look classy, modern and sharp. A massive difference to the other project. It would also look like garbage if I did the same principle then above. It's awesome that we have these options these days. As with anything, you have got to have your reasons for using the technology - but never let the camera specs dictate your creative output or you have already lost.

I do like that DR has become an important factor. The problem now is having such a range with only 8 bits per channel. You might be able to grade the image to achieve specific colors, but the color tonality will be near impossible to get. I just hope now camera companies implement 10 bit internal encoding on high dynamic range cameras such as the A7sII.

I had a chance to cover an amateur fashion show over the July 4th weekend at a local (Anaheim, CA) cultural event. I had only my NX1 and thought I'd share a few of the interesting uses I found for shooting in 4K. My video is at https://youtu.be/PsHTzuANSHo. 4K on 1080p sequence will give you a free (and great quality) zoom. And that lets you go wide (by scaling the 4K at 50%) and then tight (by going to 100%). Which gives you: A way to fake a two-camera shoot. See the first part where the adults do the walk and you see the wide and tights shots back/forth.Or you get just go tight without a zoom, like I did in the girls (100%) or boys (~60%) sections.You can get just the composition you want after the fact by cropping as needed.You can also fake a zoom in/out and pan to cover the people you want as I was forced to do in a few places.What I'm saying is: even if you don't care for 4K, shooting in 4K can be of real/practical help/use. Let me know your thoughts. And please go easy on the models, they were just attendees and their kids.

​I gave it a go. For some reason I couldn't import it in Premiere nor AE (too high bitrate?). Opened it in MpegStreamclip and exported it to quicktime AppleProres 422HQ. Then Graded the clip with SyntheticAperture in Premiere.

Hmm, please do not imply that somebody cannot do correct colour grading when he express his opinion about Sonys Color Science... - by the way, I find it always funny, when the battle starts about the qualities of different cameras...:) - but immediately I also start with mind-monologs about my own opinion... a kind of stupidity!:) At the end of the day, it seems very simple: different cameras, different requirements, different tastes, different decisions! - subjective decisions! And that´s ok!:) About objective facts there is nothing to dispute; resolution, for example - It´s the trend of the time and can be measured absolut precise - in this point some cameras have a significant advantage. The same with sharpness-evaluation (EVF) and so on... Personally, I´ am just interested in the overall image quality which comes out... In this context, I´ am always rating the rendering of colors (from lenses and cameras) a bit over sharpness and resolution. I think, Canon Cameras (also the Nikon and Blackmagic Cameras... and the NX1 too) have a real strength in this point, over the wonderfully Sony Cameras. - ). Because probably some users react allergic about the skin tones theme - let´s talk about the color rendering of sunlight... For me the most important question about the capabilities of a camera: Is the camera be able to reproduce a clear and truthful reproduction of the sunlight?! Here an example from one of the first 5dmk3 ML raw videos: Sorry, I haven´t seen any similar convincing clips from the A7s till yet...:) one of my first MLraw 5dmk2 test clips:

​To hell with you guys. I'm going to shoot an entire film in real time, with 28 different scenes, and in one take --from the top of the empire state building. http://gearburn.com/2012/06/the-aware-2-worlds-smallest-and-fastest-gigapixel-camera/

I often like to make slow zooms to have some dynamics in my shots, especially if it's static shots just to keep some interest going. That was also my main object going from 1080p to 4k when I got my GH4. I tested out a Nikon 28mm AIS some time ago and put that kind of fake dolly/slider into this little test:

​Nice find. I've been waiting for that camera. Suddenly it seems even more interesting

Dual iso on the new a7000. 15.5 stops. http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr3-sony-a7000-is-the-first-e-mount-camera-with-15-5-stops-on-sensor-hdr/ Hmmm, I'm tempted, let's hope it works in 4k and in slog2

While I can grade the A7S color to look pretty good, it's always extra work. More importantly, talent and clients always prefer 5D3 colors over the A7S, even after color correction and grading. The A7S provides better low light, more DR, more resolution, and slomo. For stills and skintone, the 5D3 is superior. I recently upgraded to 95+ CRI lights and the 5D3 still produces much better skintones for far less effort. If Sony would at least license Nikon color science (perhaps possible since Nikon uses Sony sensors), that would be a huge improvement. If the 5D4 only has (actual) 1080p with 60p I'll will purchase them over the A7II or A7S II. Or maybe it's time to just get a C300 II or ARRI mini- color is the most important feature for professional work. In other words, if color isn't great, all other features are irrelevant if shooting mostly people/skintones.

It won't be the usual full review I'm afraid. Limited resources means I returned the camera, can't justify keeping it. I found it boring as a GH4 owner. It doesn't need a fancy review. It just needs a few lines of explanation really... The battery is smaller, and 4K video eats it up quite quickly which is a shame because the GH4's strong point was run time for 4K on a single battery. Good points - image almost same as GH4, as near as makes no difference and the price is excellent. No LOG mode is coming though and there's no 10bit HDMI output so the decision is pretty simple, if you need to save money and don't care about long battery life, LOG or HDMI get the G7.

​ I think it's the robotic quality of the motion (or lack of motion) - exactly how most cgi misses the point since it's often created by people who have little to no experience with physics and the laws of physics. the lack of limitation within a digital world means the people responsible for having to produce realistic cg means incorrect levels of physical constraint are included in the brief. IS is a new thing - in film terms (regarding miniature mechanical IS- in lens, moving sensor etc) . the fact that it's not within an Arri 435, an IMAX camera, Mitchell cameras, Panavision Panaflex's, AATONS, Alexa, F65, Red Epic. or in any of the flagship film making lenses used in Hollywood from day one. From day one (lets say 60 years ago) the lack of IS (as it is currently implemented in consumer cameras and lenses) has meant film makers have not had it imparting its look onto the picture. Since we're way past the golden age of cinema - it is going down hill on the whole. The golden era of hollywood started and died pretty much in unison with when John McTiernan started and stopped making films. There are some film makers still doing it right, Nolan, Tarrantino, etc but the new kids are coming and making films without doing their homework or paying their dues to the glory days. Who knows, if commercial cinema continues the way it's going IS will be commonplace in 50 years. But I know when I'm sat in my deathbed and kids are wondering why films like the Hateful Eight look so much better than the shite we'll be seeing in 50 years only a few remaining humans will know about what kept us in the real world. Physical objects, with weight and value. I know I'm mad and old fashioned in my views. But I'm pretty sure Tarrantino would agree if he had the time and desire to talk on forums:)

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That shot is spellbinding. It has a 1940's technicolor look to it. Almost unreal. If you are going to push colour this much in post then it just has to be raw. Full frame helps a lot here too, with the separation of the foreground subjects even though there's a lot packed into the shot, it's quite wide. I think it's time for me to dust off my 5D Mark II again for raw (5D 3 is going to be sold soon so can't use it) and see if the 1D C's log can do the same fascinating 'extreme' colour grades, without falling apart. If this shot looks rubbish to you, it's time to get a proper monitor that can do colour right.