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I think it's quite possible to comment on the "look" of a lens after using them both for a bit. It doesn't necessarily require a controlled side-by-side test in scientific conditions. That helps, but it's not strictly necessary. I'd rather have Zeiss or Leica glass on a shoot than any Canon L Lens. They render more 3-dimensionally, have nicer color, and a generally more cinematic look. But that's just my taste, and YMMV. I also disagree that the difference in look between different lenses is too subtle to see. Take this test by Shane Hurlbut. I see huge, dramatic differences between these lenses with no trouble whatsoever. https://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog/2015/04/film-school-online-micro-43-lenses-3/

One word: trypophobia.

I'm definitely doing this edge blackening on the next few days! Great thread, these DIY things are awesome and I miss them more in our community. Thanks for sharing, James!

You might be surprised from approaching an established post company or a professional colorist directly. Sometimes at post houses people get trained up on Baselight or Resolve by taking on lower budget/ indy projects to get more real-world project experience. No harm in asking nicely, you may get lucky. I've seen it work before, some post companies are grateful if they can use it as a test project in their down time for a trainee or if it is an uncommon file format/camera for them to usually expect, sometimes it is good for them to test. I worked on a project a few years back where Technicolor did the Di for free, simply because they wanted to test how far lowlight 5Dmk2 footage could be manipulated (or not). Pretty hilarious that a virtually zero budget short film could put 'color by Technicolor' on it's credits. A quality grade is almost as important as getting a good sound mix IMHO. There are some great looking films online that people can do in their bedroom now with a free version of Resolve, but very few will be using correctly calibrated monitors or have properly learnt the craft. If they had, they'd be working in the 'biz' already. Just my two cents.

Says so right here: Apparently with a setup like so:

TBH, I think your corporate video looks great. well lit, perfectly suited to the company. clean, tech, etc your interview shots are really nicely lit, if anything i felt the only thing that was missing was camera movement- tripod use throughout I think might be keeping the energy down. and also exciting b-roll shots. b roll clips seem a bit long and slow the pace. A corporate video is only as good as the client/brand and i think you are limited with how interesting you can make something like this look - geeks on computers making kids apps are not as interesting as a flamboyant fashion designer or artist. If you did exactly the same for Harley Davidson you'd have more visually interesting stuff to fill the b-roll with. There's nothing on that video that makes me feel like the a7s is at fault, nor the canon zoom, but I think if you went in with just a 50mm/2 summicron and used the ff/aps-c crop for getting wider or tighter framing you'd work differently, you'd have to move around more, and it would express the feeling of multiple camera ops running around. your zoom is allowing you to set the tripod up then frame which I think is reducing some of the wow due to lack of movement.

Kowa B&H Close Focus Mod & other 'Tweaks' Recently I picked up a very cheap Kowa B&H that needed a lot of internal cleaning and a fresh re-lube. Since it was my 'Spare' Kowa, I have a chance to illustrate/share my findings on some simple modifications that I discovered a couple of years ago on another lens. Since I already have a 'Standard' Kowa to compare with, it should prove easier to illustrate the difference in performance before & after modifying such a lens. These principles will work on many lenses of this type that share a similar construction. Following these steps are at your own risk. The modifications allow: * Minimum focus to be reduced from 5 feet down to 3 feet. * Reduction/elimination of 'Veiling Flare/ Barrel Glow' that is common with Kowa lens types. * Overall sharpness improvement. Close Focus: To achieve closer focus from the 5 foot factory standard is pretty easy.The focus mechanism transport is done by a helicoid pushing/pulling the front element that is seated within a tube, guided by brass tabs/stoppers within slots in the housing.These brass tabs/stoppers ensure that the linear travel is straight and true (ensuring correct alignment with rear optic). By cutting these tabs to be shorter, the travel of the front optic assembly is allowed to seat closer to the body - allowing closer distance between front and rear optic. This allows an increase in optic proximity to be achieved. This modification effectively allows the focus ring to turn to it's maximum close focus position, and not restricted by factory limits. Veiling Flare/ Barrel Glow - Reduction: A common artefact of Kowa lenses in bright light situations seems to be a strong Veiling glare. It is similar to a strong vignette of light that happens when the front optic is hit with off-axis light. Although this can be a desirable artefact, often it is too overpowering to the image when purposely flashing the lens to pop a flare for effect. A simple solution I found is to blacken the edge of the front optic - this is the edge that gets hit by light and pools the image with a 'Barrel glow'. Taking a fine tipped marker pen does the job well (without needing to disassemble lens) - even better would be black paint and a fine brush and a steady hand if you wanted to eliminate glow completely. I personally tried the marker pen method, as you can carefully remove or thin the ink with a tiny amount of lighter fluid on a brush - creating a reduction/dulling effect, rather than remove the glow effect completely. At least it is good to know how to minimize the glow effect, especially when shooting in bright sunlight without a mattebox and you don't want everything to be washed out all the time. Overall Sharpness Improvement: This came from a few year back when playing on another Kowa lens and is the nicest find I've discovered so far (about most projection anamorphic lenses). I found that when removing the brass tabs that are used for alignment, you can separate the front and rear optic assembly for cleaning etc. But If you do not re-install the tabs into the pre-set positions (using the screw holes aligned in the factory) - you can often tweak the alignment and fine focus to be even sharper. As a pure guess, I can only presume that back in the day when most of these lenses were made the tolerances for alignment were only considered for image projection, rather than image acquisition (iscorama/bolex types an exception) I found that by freehand rotating the front optic assembly (when attached to camera) - It is possible to achieve more finite sharpness from the alignment. Using high magnification on my camera and additional magnification on my EVF + focus peaking at a reference at infinity - it was possible to rotate the front element assembly to what is probably fractions of a millimetre from the factory alignment, then glue the brass tabs into a very slightly new position. Glue works well, as it does not require additional holes to be drilled to re-seat the brass tabs, or forever alter the lens. The glue does not bear any load of consequence, mealy seats the tabs to prevent rotation. The lens can be easily returned to its original alignment by dissolving the glue with solvent and returning the tabs to factory position. I’ve found that the very slightest tweak to factory alignment in 3 out of the 4 of these Kowa lens types I've owned, improves the sharpness noticeably.

I put on sale my precious and rare ISCORAMA x1.33-16 / 9. General Condition (optical-mechanical-aesthetic) perfect - like new! No wear, no mold or dirt. Perfectly smooth focus rings. A kit comprising a set of 4 diopter filters (Nikon +0,5 / Kood +1/2/4) with an anodized Redstan adapter ring + a lens support for 15mm rods. This is also the last good quality génération (perhaps the best ...) after the Iscorama 54. This is perhaps the most sought release by fans of the series ISCO. The image is beautiful and provides access to the inimitable CinemaScope anamorphic. - - - Lens and camera / cage (on one of the attached pictures) are not included in the sale, of course ... - - - Prices on average: (as for ISCORAMA 54) between 3500 and 4000 €. I sell my ISCORAMA x1.33-16: 9 and kit ready for use, for € 2990 Price is FIRM. (+ shipping (UPS) € 30) I prefer the Shipping to the European community. International possible. Payment method: bank transfer or Paypal Contact: koemzoprod@wanadoo.fr

So, I need a hand in grading my 30-minute doc. I'd really like to hire someone with serious skills in coloring, but outside of the "biz," because I can't afford those types of rates...although I CAN afford to compensate reasonably. Very indy, you know? I've dabbled, but I tend to end up making stuff look somewhat ridiculous rather than polished, so I really need to rectify this issue. Also, I'd love to watch the process and ask dumb-ass questions along the way so I can glean some knowledge. I'm not sure if this sort of thing is an appropriate request, but it doesn't hurt to ask, so I'm asking. And if this should be posted elsewhere, let me know. Are you self-taught and really good at coloring your own stuff, but would like to make some U.S. dolores showing an idiot how it's done on his short film? Or, do you have a friend that's talented and is looking for a gig? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Or...heck, even some advice would be appreciated...

Well the thread title states Speed Booster and Tarantino Crash zooms. If you look at that video again you will see that most go around 60-250mm (s35)

And this Bob And for color this... https://***URL not allowed***/canon-c100-mark-ii-review-exclusive-footage/ Bob

Ibrahim and User I had the 1Dx and loved it .... Now the C100 Mk II ... I use it without the handle with ... mainly manual focus Nikon mount lenses ... with a Wooden Camera quick release for video tripod use ... it is smaller and much more ergonomically friendly than any DSLR. I passed on the Leica S007 with 4K gave up my Sony A7s ... color issues and love the files from the C100 Mk II. Truth be told ... the day the Canon 1Dc II arrives your investment is toast. No one will give you what you paid for it ... 1000 exposures is nothing but ask yourself why are they selling it. Biggest problem with the C100 is the ability to capture amazing amount of file with minimal effort ... so you need a big computer to deal with 4K files but with the C100 you will have 10 times the video in focus and correct exposure to deal with ... without thinking about it. Those NDs are to die for ISO starting at 850 ... unlimited higher range. My sense is that glass is golden and sensors will improve... buy what will work camera wise and invest in the best lenses you can find. They rarely depreciate like the cameras. Makes more sense to me to buy a C100 and a discounted BMPC 4k for when you just have to say I got more real estate than I know what to do with.... This video convinced me that the original C100 and the Mk II were sufficient ... Bob

My 24-105 definitely loses focus zooming in. I've been shooting with a 70-200 2.8 IS (not sure which model), and while it might not be completely parfocal, it does seem to retain focus pretty well when zooming in.

I don't think there are many still lenses that are really parfocal but some are better than others. Still lens mounts are not accurate enough for them to be anyway. In order for a lens to be parfocal the flange focal distance must be correct and the lens needs to be designed to do so. The reason why some say the canon lens is and some say it isn't is due to the in-accuracy of the lens mount. Basically some are closer to the correct distance than others so results vary. The speed booster is actually a positive because it can be used to adjust the back focus of the lens. If you adjust the booster until infinity hits its mark then you will have better results than you might otherwise. You may find that the canon lens is parfocal enough if you do that. No guarentees I have never tried it. I don't recall which but some of the rumored parfocal canon zooms are only parfocal when zooming tele to wide.

I would like to add that editing native 4K 1DC clips will require a heavy machine. The C100 files will be much easier to work with without the need of transcoding. And don't forget to add additional backup storage which you will need when shooting large files with the 1DC.

I'm 99% sure that the 70-200 f/2.8 Non-IS is parfocal, i used to have one back when i shot canon. Tarantinos crash zoom often end with a very long focal length so 200mm (300mm FF equiv.) will be perfect for what you are doing.

You are both wrong: This is the only (super sharp and multicoated) focusing 1.33 ratio adapter made by Isco. It is very rare and very sought after. (not only by filmmakers) Same like the other Iscoramas. If I had the cash I would like to buy it. Maybe for home cinema...

This looks pretty good for a dark hall. Would like to see a 4k version. The XC-10 looks like it could be a pretty good compact doc camera. Edit: This was supposed to quote the Fro guy walking around the Canon Expo from the previous page, quote is whacked.

I think you overlooked the part where the X5R shoots 4k and the BM Micro "only" 1080p.

Isn't the raw version of the x5 around 3 times more expensive? Wouldn't it be better to just buy a pistol grip gimbal for $500-600 and add the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera for $995. Then you have something on a gimbal that can shoot raw for $1,600 instead of $5,500.

I did not see this lens marked as ISCORAMA, which is 1.5X and single focus lens to my knowledge. The 1.33x lens has less value at least IMO.

For a future version, it would be really cool to have the MFT camera built into the pistol grip with wireless focus controls (like Aputure) on one side of the grip and pan/tilt on the other. Then this would be one of the most crazy gadgets ever for cinematic work!

Hi Bold, First of all: what a Bold statement, hahahahaha, but seriously; thank you for the advice! My company liked the footage and they want me to use the kit on the next shoot we'll be doing next week, so I want to make sure I get everything right on the day (I threw away a lot of footage I recorded on the day of the film above because of distortion, etc.) - What would you recommend using when you say 'using a high-detail test pattern'? A focus sheet? - I have a nice looking 15mm rail platform to operate on (although it's a bit heavy for my tripod sometimes, as you'll notice in the film): It also has a nice Mattebox system for all my filter needs! it's really encouraging to see that I'm not getting too shunned from using a projection lens; but hey! I'm working on a budget! So thanks a lot for all the great tips, Bold, I'll make sure to print out goodies (like focus sheets) to put me on the right track. Francois

Hope it handles the aded weight or a speedbooster + lens.

You guys are missing the point. This is not aimed at the video crowd. This is meant to be the next step in smartphone photography and I applaud it. The form-factor is there, now we just nee to wait a few iterations for the hardware to be perfected. And obviously, a mobile chip can be added easily, but battery life is probably a big issue with the first generation. You probably heard of multi shot noise reduction - burst of shots to reduce noise. Now imagine using multiple sensors and the same principle is applicable to moving subjects since they all fire at the same time. Also the slight difference in the capture angle gives info on the 3D characteristics enabling more realistic software bokeh? The difference of this and Lytro? This could just replace your smartphone while Lytro would replace your camera - and camera sales are declining. Also Lytro sacrifices so much resolution for a single trick (refocusing). I believe this will leave Lytro in the dust.

another word: arachnophobia

if cuda is installed there should be an option for it in system preferences and u can install an update from there, dunno what the latest update is, im usin opencl with yosemite lol

I recently checked one out at a Microsoft store; it is build very well and is super light in tablet mode. Microsoft claims the screen is color accurate as they are aiming this device at photographers and videographers. The models on display are still prototypes and there were a couple driver related hickups, but these issues should be sorted by the official release.

Cheers for the feedback Volker, no worries. I can see why you think there is a lot of scary stuff with zombies and things. We do have a very offbeat, hyper-stylised way of doing things. That said, I do have a lot of content that doesn't appear in this showreel which is very friendly and fun. Females in music videos eh? I'm glad I film hardly any R'n'B rap videos as the entire reel will be shaking asses! I think next years reel will be much different as my work type is varying quite a bit at the moment!

On a budget? The Nikon Series E 100mm 2.8 is a nice interview lens. Here it is wide open:

That Minolta 1.7 lens was my first vintage lens as well, it's lovely. One of the biggest temptations with the new Sony cameras is that IBIS so I can use old lenses handheld.

I'm in two minds whether to actually change my URSA Mini 4.6k pre-order to a Sony FS5. They are much different cameras, but I think I'm getting bit of sense when thinking about this for business terms. For these reasons: Smaller, much lighter body. (constant shoulder cam on a long shoot really starts to hurt! Health matters).Can use the Sony FS5 with my lightweight grip gear - DJI Ronin M, Edelkrone Slider, Libec Tripod. (too small for URSA Mini). Internal electronic ND means I don't need 100 step up/step rings/combos to put on a vari-ND on each lens. 240fps at 10bit - massive for music videos. (URSA is a worrying, windowed 3.4x 120fps. HFR is a MUST). Much smaller file sizes (decent hard drives + backups cost a lot of money). Much more reliable brand. Less likely to have weird issues on footage where money matters. Very familiar with Sony video products and Slog2/3. Much cheaper media. Can record external RAW in future update. (might be a great way to "upgrade" the camera). Put on a Speedbooster and also adapt all sorts of lenses.URSA Mini advantages: Be able to produce much more spectacular images. Much better colour science. Rolling/Global Switchable - nice to have the option. Larger screen and better EVF. I'm wondering whether the benefits of the URSA Mini 4.6k are enough. The filmmaker says yes, the business person says no.

Lens-cyclopedia has been updated with a reference to this thread

Good point. Canon could try giving a fuck about people shooting movies for cheap.

Canon have responded to filmmakers. They said: Come and purchase our "C" series line-up of professional camcorders and win your Oscar or your Palme d'Or. If not, do what you can with our DSLR's. That's the reality. That being said, the Canon 1D C is still a great DSLR (the best) for shooting feature films. (if you must go DSLR) If not, step up and lay out the big bucks. Canon could give a fuck about people shooting movies for cheap. They want to make money, and they are.

Wow that promo video is going to take some beating for wooden model movements. She behaves like a cyborg. The dirt under my fingernails contains more life than is present in that video. The yellow-tinted clipped highlights are similar to what I get on the FZ1000 for $700. You'd think for $2500 they would have sorted that out. This camera tarnishes the Cinema EOS brand.

May as well stick the 14-140mm on the GH4. But nobody does that because it looks video-ish. GH4 will get LOG soon I expect so that makes the XC10 even less desirable vs the Panasonic.