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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/31/2015 in all areas

  1. How do some of you people upvote tugela for going on the attack and needlessly acting like a passive-aggressive dickhead to the op? Depressing. Do you regularly go up to strangers and insult them tugela?
    3 points
  2. $3180 for all that FS700R kit... and I thought the consumer stuff lost value quick. Wow pros really are prepared to dump their old stuff for nothing aren't they!! The 1D C is also massively undervalued right now. Both superb deals! Well done on the FS700... you will need to spend another $2500 on the Odyssey though! Personally I would take the A7S II over the FS700... the 120fps slow mo is very good and Super 35mm when used with speed booster. The 4K is internal and of course you get the stabiliser, raw stills, EVF and much smaller form factor. The low light is much better too. The FS700 was a bit of a step back for low light over the FS100 due to the bump in megapixels to handle 4K. I am comparing the 1D C right now to the A7S II and it was tempting to sell, before the inevitable price gorging, however there's just something about that image... the colour is still out in front over the A7S II and it doesn't need so much fiddling in post to get it right.
    2 points
  3. First impressions of the C300 Mark II: The Good Autofocus and assisted manual focus so far is amazing. The best autofocus I've used. Even more amazing is it works on all Canon (camera-focus-controlled) EF lenses (tested on the 24-105 F4L and 24-70 F2.8 II, will test more soon). It makes a slight sound, similar to IS noise, but quieter. If using an on-camera mic for run & gun, the noise can be picked up (in a quiet room), however I think with a suspended mic mount the noise shouldn't be audible. No issue at all with a boom or lav. Assisted manual focus helps with 4K critical focus.Color is excellent, as expected. Favorite out-of-camera look so far with: Gamma: Canon Log, Color Space: DCI-P3 (or BT.709), Color Matrix: EOS Standard. Adobe CC doesn't have LUTs yet for the C300 II. One of the reasons for using a C300 II is to get excellent color out of camera with minimal work in post- no LUTs need with those settings (just curves, etc.).Audio is excellent with options for 24- as well as 16-bit.So far in the studio (and my desk) the image is very clean, with no visible recording artifacts (even at 50Mbps LGOP 422 10-bit (limited motion)).CFast 2.0 cards copy very fast to the computer over USB3: 300+MB/s to an SSD.Additional Observations Compared to DSLR-sized cameras, it's huge and heavy.The top handle, external monitor and mic assembly, and side handle can all be removed to make a smaller package, though it's still relatively heavy compared to DSLRs.4K is 410Mbps: the files are ALL-I and are huge (compared to the 50Mbps files we're used to with DSLRs, and 24Mbps files from the FS700). There is no long GOP option for smaller files. It appears Canon's processor(s) aren't powerful enough to handle long GOP for 4K.Premiere CC 2015 (latest) can't handle the new Canon XFAVC files very well (4K and 1080p). Playback is slow and choppy, even at 1/2 playback resolution (might also be a 24-bit 4-track audio issue, testing this). Adobe is offering 1 year of Creative Cloud for C300 II owners, perhaps they'll update Premiere soon to fully support C300 II XFAVC files. Note that I found similar issues when writing the Photon app for 10-bit H.264 support: Premiere ran slowly on those files (sometimes with errors decoding).The A7S II with my tweaked settings look pretty good next to the C300 II in 1080p. In 4K the A7S II has lots of macroblocks/artifacts, the C300 II is clean (with 4x larger files). The A7S II makes a nice B/super-low light camera to the C300 II.1080p60 slomo looks decent, likely as it's supersampled from 4K. 120p is clearly lower resolution being a center crop without the benefit of supersampling (which also helps reduce noise and aliasing). 120p on the A7S II looks better.
    1 point
  4. Hi everyone, I started running some tests on the new Samsung Firmware 1.2 for the NX1 camera. As a lot of users I was very impatient in testing the new Gamma DR curve, seeing if it would improve the dynamic range of the camera. So far in my first tests I cannot say that I have seen real improvement between Gamma DR vs Standard profile in terms of dynamic range. It is very hard to measure the dynamic range of a camera - especially when you don't have the facility/tests procedures. And I don't. So my tests are definitely not scientific. Furthermore I don't have images to share yet (hoping that will come soon and please feel free to share yours). Now there are 4 settings that can affect the dynamic range in the NX1: - Profile mode (standard, gamma, etc.) - Contrast value (-10, +10) - Master pedestal value (-15, +15) - luminance level (0-255, 16-235) From my early results what I can say is that going to an extreme setting (gamma DR, contrast -10, MP +15) result on losing skin tones and might increase macro blocking in bright areas. I had much better results with almost the same settings, but putting contrast at -5. But you'll also notice that if you take the standard profile and tweak the contrast at -10 you will have comparable results. Also setting the master pedestal at +15 increases the details in the blacks, but you also lose details in the brighter areas (and you might find an actor's face to have some light reflections, and you might lose those details). However it can be useful in situations where you will need a lot of details in the blacks. For instance I had the experience of filming a music video featuring a black actor dressed in a black suit - and very little lighting. This is typically the kind of situations where the master pedestal will come in handy (and good lighting also). I noticed that a lot of people rely on the master pedestal to give this "film look" and personally I don't recommend it. It is often underrated how soft highlights participated in the film look. With a master pedestal at +15 you will lose some of that imho. So these are my findings so far, I know that illustrating with videos would help a lot, but I don't have this kind of time right now so apologies to the community. I will be very interested in learning from your experiences with the new firmware.
    1 point
  5. IMHO So I own a NX1 and bought a A7RII. I wanted a FF camera that straddled Video and Still. One camera that was Good at both. Most will say "buy the A7RII cause it does both well". I disagree. I have now had a chance to try the A7SII, which I liked the specs on but was disappointed with the lack of Sony's new PD AF system which I really wanted for my stills. Luckily, I actually own some Minolta glass, a hang over from my days using a A900 which as a still camera I loved. So I bought a second hand LA-E4 adaptor and tried it on the A7SII, Now I remember why I loved those Minolta lenses, They are small , sharp and really perform and with the LA-E4 they work really well. The FF video output of the A7SII is ....Wow.....everthing the A7RII is not, and it is also betters the s35 output from the the A7RII. Plus as a one camera shooter having to shoot FF for stills and S35 for video? Not ideal for me. Sure if you go out to shoot video and only video, but a mix of still and video? and the A7RII is a big compromise. So how is the A7SII as a still camera? Amazing. I remember when I bought a D800E that after 6 months I realised I was just obsessing over my pixel peeping and to really impress anyone I would have had to have a small detail crop in a print to show the high res sensor, but in a normal print it was no advantage. My computer would grind opening ever 36MP file, I eventually sold it for a 5DMKIII. Canon and Nikons pro camera are around 16mp, So, is the A7SII such a "niche" camera? I think not. I would love them to put in the PD AF which obviously means a whole new sensor. But Legacy Glass and Minolta adapted lenses when I need (or want ) AF, is a perfectly fine compromise for me. Plus the Minolta glass is so good and so well priced. The 12 MP images off the A7SII are amazing, great latitude and great colour. Cropping is the real advantage of the A7RII. The quick video tests I have done with the A7SII are really impressive especially the dynamic range and "look" and thats just using PP6 which is the Cine 2 (from memory) setting rather than Slog. As a street shooter the PP6 setting really just seems to work. There is no perfect camera that does everything, but i think I have found the best compromise by far.
    1 point
  6. Sony FS700 with 2 metabones adapters; the speedbooster and the regular. Also got the rig to shoulder mount it. While I loved the 1dc's image, I found most of the things I shoot outdoors I was stopping down to F/8 or even further most of the time. Oh, and I didn't realize used FS700's were under $3k now for ones with multiple batteries with the 4k upgrade already installed. Other reason for selling: I love slow motion. There, I said it. 240FPS is just too fun. So are ND filters and XLR inputs. I will miss that body though. In the right controlled settings IMO nothing can touch the IQ for less than 15k. Price point, Oct 30 2015, USA: 1dc I sold with 2 256GB Komputerbay 1200x cards and 2 128 GB Lexar 1066x cards, plus a spare battery. +orig box/all accessories (35k clicks) Sold on ebay for $6478. FS700R (4k firmware) + Camtree Rig + Metabones II + Non-ultra speedbooster + F970 and NP F770 battery + orig box/all accessories (260 hours) = $3180 shipped overnight. In my view, the 1dc isn't $3300 better than the FS700, and I was worried the 5dIV or 1DX mark 2 would be release anytime and shoot 4k and kill my resale value. I will pick up a beat up 1d Mark IV to shoot sports. Thoughts? Am I having seller's remorse?
    1 point
  7. This is a first of a series of test. The goal is to save money and still shoot stuff that feels like film or vintage-y. It was my first camera, the dvx100, and this The DVX100 was my first camera. I bought it with inherience money. I was nervous to spend 3k on a camera but my dad told me if it doesn't work out I could sell it. Well I sold it about probably 7 years ago. I used it with the redrock micro m2 adapter, then I think a letus extreme adapter. Then I went to HD with the HVX200. So I just rebought a Panasonic DVX100 on ebay for $200. Hooked up to an AJA Composite to SDI signal converter then into the Sound Devies PIX 240 which can upres SD to HD! But I kept the bars and zoomed in resolve for 16x9 - you can crop it via the PIX but it added I think some artificial sharpness. I shot CINE-D which is the flatest I think (If I can remember Barry Green right) and FLOURESCENT as the matrix - turned sharpness all the way down. Don't know if there is a way to shoot with less contrast. Oh well. In resolve, I put on REC 709 to Impulz Lut Kodak 5209 50D CINEON color space. Added Gorilla Grain and actually unsharpened it even more. I messed around a ton with color - has some weird telecine-esque deinterlacing to do since it sends out a signal as 60interlaced. And just messed around. I think it feels a lot like super 8mm and bad 16mm and maybe if lucky bad s16mm. The motion is nice, not too smooth. Shot at 1/48 shutter. Anyway it's kind of interesting. I like super8mm film stock but I don't like how expensive it is to shoot and develop and do a telecine. Sorry film friends. This is cheaper and a way to try to make digital feel less like digital. Next time I'll put some soft fx over the lens to make it all feel more defracted or that glimmerglass to add some shininess. Shot this in really crappy light. The last shot I used a astra 1x1 light to make it look a little less poopy. I am putting the dvx100 at 400 ASA up to maybe 640ASA on a good day. Shot wide open which I think is a 2.8 on the lens. No idea really.
    1 point
  8. 7 Lakes

    GH4 4K / Music video

    Hello all. Here is our new music video, shot on GH4 half a year ago.
    1 point
  9. Nikon already beats the A7s in dynamic range with its flat profile. Its imo pretty even with the Blackmagics at 13stops. For me LOG would be nice but not at all needed unless it also meant higher bitrate. What they are doing with their bitrate today is simply mind blowing to me. I cant believe the quality/mbit compared to other brands. Thats why I hope they dont go down the 100mbps 4K road. Imo its no good. For 4k it needs to be minimum 300mbps to become worth it for me. I rather shoot high quality HD than brittle 4k. So Nikon, if your reading, you have something good cooking here. Dont get cought up in the Panasony race. Play it cool. Focus on your great DR and implement things like peaking and false color. 4K can wait and 100mbit isnt worth it. Might as well upscale the HD and save the space. Your ace in the sleeve is your color.
    1 point
  10. I have a thick skin - I thought it was funny, like tongue-in-cheek funny. I was happy with the1dc - loved the image, but didn't feel super emotional about having it. The workflow was a bit of a pain IMO, but the colors were amazing. I have a hunch the 5dIV or 1dx mk2 will be announced/released soon and I'll probably get one of those. I didn't see that much difference stills-wise from the 1dIV in good light, nor the 5d3 (other than the burst speed). I'm not here to bash the 1dc at all. There is just something to 240FPS in 1080p that really does it for me.
    1 point
  11. Hey, Thank you very much, im glad you enjoy it My current camera settings are Gamma DR (although you can try some other on the NX500, im sure you can get it similar) and Saturation -1, Sharpness -10 and contrast-3. When shooting I just look at the viewfinder, and expose it ot the left, exposing to the right will overexpose the highlights, making it look digital. Heres what a shot of mine look, completely RAW and then edited :http://imgur.com/a/u4W8D My grading settings for some of these were : M31 Lut rec709 intensity 56,7,faded film 29,4, Contrast + 22 and the curve with a very soft S shape, on top I also add film convert and then tweak the settings a bit more on each individual clip. I live in Madeira-Portugal, it is quite a beautifull place, Im in the process of doing a little video showing of the island, ill share when its done
    1 point
  12. Just saw on Twitter that John Brawley will have some footage from Ursa 4.6K soon
    1 point
  13. Yeah, I actually followed the bread crums and it brought me back from Zomei to NiSi actually. Could just be that NiSi puts on a 'high-end' face... perhaps they're taking the ODM services from Zomei and rebranding them as NiSi... then selling 'em for 3x times the Zomei. Thing is, the NiSi does look a little suspiciously cheap for its price and actually rather similar to the Zomei package as well. Just slapped their name on the filter, pouch and packaging? Both are called F-Stopper PRO on top of that. Could be the other way around... that Zomei wants to benefit from NiSi... but to be honest, before that Newsshooter video I'd never heard of them, so that makes you wonder why they'd bother over at Zomei. Those new NiSi '6K'-filters they showed in the video, do look to be on another playing field, admittedly. Just not sure what to make of it. I'm trying to figure which piece Zomei is in the puzzle... but I gut feeling says they're probably the original design manufacturer behind it and are providing rebranding services for NiSi, Camdiox, ICE, perhaps Haida even. Anyways. They are claiming Schott glass, unbiased colors 'that will not affect the photographic camera color balance' and so on... my guess is that they must be a definite upgrade from let's say Fotga, for not too crazy prices. Not sure if anyone has bothered to look into them before, didn't see all that much, so you indeed would have to feel like a little splurgy to go and actually find out. But it will be something I'll keep in mind. - They've got other filters as well (VND, CPL, etc). Found some store fronts: http://stores.ebay.com/2014bingozomei , http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/bingozomei , http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1582034 , http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1261904 & http://www.aliexpress.com/store/518684 . They're on AliBaba as well: http://zomei.en.alibaba.com . http://www.zomei.hk . I'd say be careful about the really cheap filters in the Fotga-price range, I'd only consider the actual glass ones to have a certain quality to them.
    1 point
  14. I think a lot of what we think of as the super-8 look is due to 2 big factors - amateur shooters and that most of those films have faded with age. Amateur gives you really blown highlights and jerky motion - and the aged film has reduced saturation but a lot of reds since those dyes last the longest.
    1 point
  15. I've never liked Sony's image even though I've used their cams a gazillion times. (F55 is better though!). It's cool that the A7S has great low light, however it comes with a HUGE side effect, and that's poor colour. I feel anything beyond 6400ISO on the A7S looks very sickly. That's why I haven't got an A7S.
    1 point
  16. Same here. I tried it out and I'm not a fan. I've tried so hard to like Sony but I guess it's just not for me.
    1 point
  17. Have just been having a similar discussion with my business partner... BM 4.6k, RED Raven or C300 mk II..... Such a difficult choice. Colour and DR are top of the want list. I have been using the BMPCC alot this week and have fallen in love with their image again.
    1 point
  18. Shall I rename this forum DVXrefugees? Personally, I wear my ban as a badge of honour.
    1 point
  19. Red was pretty important in the shift of the industry. They effectively, along with the Canon 5d Mark II lowered the price by hundreds of thousands of dollars of cinema cameras. They also kind of spurred the movement where younger nontraditional people could advance faster to positions of directors of photography. So they have that to thank for - and I own two red one mx. They are a fascinating company. Jim Jinnard is a fascinating leader - he is like the weird billionare guy on "Silicon Valley" or like Mark Cuban - and he made the company pretty exciting. He is like the Commandant from "Beasts of Nowhere" - kind of a bully, but a father figure. But now it seems like Blackmagic design is disrupting the system with Resolve and their cameras. Also now Sony is back into the game. And Arri has survived the transition to digital from film. I think on a nerdy level it's all pretty interesting.
    1 point
  20. So a very talented and creative skateboarding filmer Fred Mortagne has already filmed the first clip using SL for Leica: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-37VZ2dXCI
    1 point
  21. I believe that it is a recognition of your unique voice. My unbanned virtual self screams conformity.
    1 point
  22. I've actually been thinking the same thing, sort of. I pre-ordered the URSA Mini 4.6k just to get in the queue, with the intention of purchasing if early reviews and a rental test were up to scratch. There's quite a shift in my business at the moment towards commercial & corporate work due to the diminishing funds in music, where music video budgets are in great decline. The URSA Mini 4.6k is going to have an amazing, cinematic image - but there are many benefits to the FS5 that can't be ignored (ND's, 240fps slow motion, reliability, size). I've got a bunch of DSLR sized gear here (sliders, gimbal tripod) that I couldn't use with the URSA Mini 4.6k. The FS5 would fit all of it. Now the Sony image.... I've been shooting on Sony much more than any other brand because of the HFR. Music videos need it. However, I've never loved any of the images. I used a C300 at the weekend on a viral and it speaks volumes how much better the colour rendition on the Canon is compared to Sony. It's softer sure! But overall much more pleasing. Much much more. So for me, I'd have to work much harder with FS5 images and make them sing. It would probably be the better camera to buy that adapts my business model. I'd have to swallow my zest for beautiful Blackmagic images and stick with Sony. But that's not what I want to do. It's sort of personal. The BM image is a massive deal. Massive. As for the A7S II - I'd use this as an A-cam on a very low budget shoot and as a B-cam on others. From all the cameras here - the FS5 is the best option to fit all purposes. But it's not the sexiest.
    1 point
  23. ​ Look great ics, but also there's nothing wrong with luts, many professional colorist use them, have used them and connote to use them on films. Not implying that you said they were, just clarifying since one can get the impression that you can do this from scratch and luts are not needed. Certain luts though simply cannot be replicated through simply curves and colors from my understanding as they truly use film emulsion.
    1 point
  24. I started creating a tutorial for good skin tones on the A7S- higher priority projects have taken my time. There a many ways to get good skin tones on the A7S- creating custom profiles can help, though stock PP6 can work very well as is. Slog2 gamma with Pro or Cinema also works well. It is possible to get good skin tones with the A7S using Resolve and no LUTs at all: everything from scratch (scopes are indeed helpful). Casey posted some test images shot in Slog2 on dvxuser. Here is the thread: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?334239-a7s-skin-tones-slog2-vs-pp-off-(shogun-4k) (IIRC, account login required to view images). Here are the stock Slog2+Sgamut images: Here are my grades (no LUTs- just the basic tools in Resolve): More blue to separate the foreground actor from the background, also changes the mood: Casey's PP Off shot: I prefer graded Slog2+Sgamut vs. PP Off. I use mostly tweaked Slog2 + Pro color and CINE1/CINE2/CINE4 + Pro or Cinema (tweaked). Casey also created some useful Stock PP7 (Slog2+SGamut) LUTS: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?334831-a7s-slog2-3d-luts (based on the F65/55 LUTs).
    1 point
  25. I've posted a thread about this topic some time ago. Everything about the a7s is amazing to me except it's color rendition and how efficiently it deals with white balance. I keep telling myself it's user error/experience, but the more videos I watch, I'm let to assume otherwise, and it's just made up for with decent grades to the footage to counteract any of the usual color quirks from the camera. Take a look at these tests of the a7s against the NX1 done by Andrew, which has been claimed to have excellent colors right out of the camera: 1) https://vimeo.com/115669917 2) https://vimeo.com/115647045 Of course, it depends on the look you're going for in your footage, but in terms of ONLY color accuracy, the NX1 is miles ahead. Of course, the a7s is flatter and has better highlight rolloff. But it seems to have an ugly yellow/magenta bias that pollutes other colors. This is why it's quite difficult to get accurate skintones out of the camera, slog or cine profiles. As someone once described before, the a7s looks like film stock. I'd agree. The sensor produces a beautiful image that the filmmaking community seems to love. But personally speaking, I might not always want the film stock look. I'd rather start with an accurate "close-to-real-life" representation of colors right out of camera, not an image that looks strange and works well with LUTs, but is difficult to get back to a natural look if needed. So, like a cinematographer is supposed to do, its time to do extensive camera tests in various conditions and locations. The following is a link I'm sure you've come across already; it's a popular compilation of popular camera picture profile settings for the a7s. Test extensively, figure out what brings you closest to accurate/lush/natural colors, then compensate the rest with quick grades. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rGxsgFMLk-oATs-05iN6fzb-uGkcgvLBIgJo_2GWvB8/edit?pli=1&hc_location=ufi#gid=0 Best of luck. I plan to buy back an a7s soon and do the same myself, hopefully. It really is a fantastic, special camera, and it's very possible to get accurate colors. It's just a question of consistency, considering how the auto white balance/set white balance tools and features are literally the worst I've used on any modern DSLR/mirrorless camera.
    1 point
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