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I've been considering the Panasonic FZ2500, and have also tried out the long awaited EOS M5 that nobody was particularly waiting for. Read the full article

Just shoot both in LOG mode and apply the same LUT to both, then tweak any differences. But here's an even better suggestion... if you want cameras to match, buy two of the same cameras. The main problem here is it it seems like you have been convinced by online marketing and advertorial that you need all this extra shit. On the GH4 you don't need a v-mount battery for interviews... Unless you consider changing the GH4's battery every 7 hours to be an unsurmountable problem. You also don't need a cage or to attach anything to the GH4 at all, like a shotgun mic. For interviews you should click a wireless lav mic onto the subject. Not use a mic on the camera. XLR is also overkill for an interview. 3.5mm jack just fine. Problem solved. You also don't need a monitor... the screen on the GH4 is just fine for interviews. Works as well as the screen which comes with the FS5, does it not? It's even a similar size! Guess that solves the cables part as well. Speed Booster - I fail to see the hassle aspect of that. Attach lens. Film! ND filters - for an interview? Were you filming it on the surface of the sun? With such a small amount of movement if it is a locked down shot you wouldn't even notice if it was shot at 1/2000 anyway. Keep it simple. Keep it simple and try again. Relax. Don't buy a C300.

I have had the same thing in a different industry. It is soul destroying when you end up doing twice as much work as you quoted for. Especially when you do what was agreed and they dont like it, then do it until they like it. Then they say forget that part altogether. That is why I never ever deal with clients anymore, I am too nice and end up being their internet monkey scared to ask for more money to cover my time. Now I trippled my rate and will probably add a third on in spring and there are proper contracts, with all face to face and calls communcation going through my business partner. Stress is a thing of the past.

A lot of blogs to feed with affiliate link commission!

Are you on glue?

I know. Terrible...

So today was the most frustrating, ridiculous, soul crushing day I have had with a shoot. I'll explain, but a bit of back story first... I have been shooting digital video since 1998, professionally (man with a camera stuff e.g. weddings, seminars) since 2005. I have also worked to pay the bills as a producer and sales rep in various tv and video production houses in some parts of the world. My wedding and corporate business was a side gig until this year when I went full time solo for various reasons. I took a break for 3 years circa 2012 to do a master's degree in south Africa and the best camera they had was a hvx200, previously my go to camera was Sony z1. So when I left Africa and arrived in sunny Helsinki 3 years ago I decided to see what all the DSLR fuss was about now that I was in a first world country. I joined this forum and perused others, and I fell in love with the community and gear. When I wrote my business plan for yet another video business venture, I was sure DSLR was the ticket to ride. for the price of a camcorder I could have a studio, with lights et al. Today I made up my mind that it is not for me. I had a pretty standard interview which I planned, lit and shot with a gh4 and a micro Cinema Camera as b cam. Yes, I know, but that is not the point. Matching was not what I was worried about, I have come to know them both very well. But the endless, finicky bullshit.... Speed boosters, ND filters, v mount batteries, cages, external sound recorder, screws and cables and screws, monitors... On top of the standard things you need to be concerned about, like exposure, light and focus... Oh, and the actual bloody interview... Its fucking insane. Excuse my language I am pissed off. Yes, you could say I need to practice more, but those hours at my rate fiddling with nonsense and fixing mistakes... I may as well have just bought a all around really good camera. Everything was fine if you do one off jobs, but today was the end of a full week of filming with this apparatus and it is too much for any human to keep track of all the moving parts. Again,, yes you could hire an assistant, but again you may as well invest that money in a camera. Also, this doesn't include post, and trying to compensate for each cameras numerous ridiculous quirks. So, in short, I will be investing in a camera in the near future that lets me do my job. The only things I am now used to is small size. So maybe it's the fs5, I guess I'll see how next year pans out.

You are so right! Problem solved, phew...

The pocket's candence, and blackmagic cameras in general, is far better than other systems within their price-range, but still not to the degree in which it feels truly cinematic, to my eye at least - though for the price, you can't really expect this either. I was on a shoot the other week in which shot w/ 2 x Amira's and a pocket as a C cam. I actually pulled the footage into post to compare candence between the two, amongst other characteristics. The pocket holds up really, really well to the Amira, as we've come to expect, but the difference in motion was there, and noticeable. 8-bit C-log is indeed nice, but as you point out yourself, best to have 10-bit plus and be covered, for either a more intense look, or encase anything goes wrong in-camera. Your last paragraph sums up my current thoughts nicely. The plan is to spend the next few months mulling over a decision, especially with all this feedback now behind me. Sure - here's a selection of stills from the last narrative piece I shot w/ the pocket back in March, and here's my Instagram for further examples (though I don't update this as regularly as I perhaps should) https://www.instagram.com/martinmcgreal/ I could never debate that camera is more important than story, but if it wasn't important, we'd be out the job. Anyway, a debate for another day this, shall we say ..

Yes, 10 bit is VERY useful even without less noise for use in well lit environments. (I'm using it regularly on the GH4 with external recorders and I'm not the only one. ) However PLEASE, never ever meassure dynamic range in bits. You can use dB or EV but never bit. A bit is a unit of information. (Much like a "nat", but with a logarithm to the base of 2 and not e.) Dynamic range is a physical range. It has nothing to do with how many bits the ADC on the sensor provides between black and white and it has nothing to do with the bit-depth the codec or output reserves for storing that quantified reading.

So, trying to function as professional in the industry is more about people skills than not. At least that's been my experience at the level I'm at. No one's ever going to hire me because I have a craft level that's superior to those in the upper echelon of film making. I'm just not that guy. Which leaves me in a precarious situation --as most of the time the work I'm doing has been quick boutique "one-offs" wherein I go in for a day or two, gather footage, then take it back to the homestead and edit it together. Rather simple, small and fun stuff to do. Nothing special about that. 12 year olds have better equipment and do the same. The tough situation I'm facing is that my ability to tolerate a difficult client has diminished. Maybe it's a sign of getting older? This is no small thing. Seriously, the desire to coddle a client has seemingly disappeared. For instance, I'm working on a documentary thing where the client is so maddeningly absent minded, she has forgotten about shoots, called me in at the last minute to locations, sent me on location for shoots that are irrelevant to the product, has failed to produce shoots that offer any useable coverage, won't stop talking (about herself) to the documentary subjects on location to allow clean b-roll of said subject, doesn't seem aware that words from an interview require some sort of image to cover the endless droning of a talking head, refuses provide interview (trans)scripts with accurate time-code, etc, etc, etc.... Basically, she's kind of incompetent (from my point of view) to direct documentaries. Nice person, but her choices and process are maddeningly pathetic. Nevertheless, she's paid me a flat rate to do all this stuff for her. Aha! Therein lies the problem. Never, ever, work with a bad client on a large project for a flat rate. --AND ALWAYS assume first time out of the gate, no matter how sweet they are, that you're getting in bed with a potentially difficult client. You'll end up being exploited and resentful; resentful to your client and resentful to yourself for agreeing to such ridiculous terms to begin with. Anyway, that's my advice. How to y'all cope with a shitty client? I drink lots and lots of wine and get fatter. You?

Hey guys, Just wanted to share a promo I just made for DKNY with the Sony a7S. Every shot but the New York B-roll was with the a7S. This was made as a tribute to my beautiful wife, Kari, whom passed in August 2015 from Cystic Fibrosis - a chronic illness with know known cure. I hope you enjoy the video. Let me know what you think! Best wishes, Bradley

Hey, I visited Japan for a week, and tested out the 5D III and to see what it can do with Magic Lantern.

You are still confusing a lot here. Take a well lit scene with some shadowy parts. The darkest 5% of the image will be noisy (unless you add more light or open the aperture or increase shutter angle and are thus able to reduce gain/ISO). The brightest 1% has one or two colour channels clipping but not yet the third one. Dynamic range tells you how dark the black (with details remaining) and how bright the white (without clipping) can be. Going from 8 bit 4:2:2 to 10 bit 4:2:2 doesn't change any of that. It DOES change that you suddenly can distinguish 3 additional tones for each of the 3 colour channels. (That's not 3*3*3 but 3*2^10 - 3*2^8 additional colours.) * So a very gradual fog or sky will have less visible steps. * You may get a much better green screen (although that's mostly by going from 8bit 4:2:0 to 10bit 4:2:2). The darkest 5% of the image are still noisy. That doesn't change. The brightest 1% still clip one or two colour channels. What does change is that the 94% of the image that are well exposed suddenly resolve a lot more colours that have formerly been indistinguishable. What does change is that any colour grading that expands a part of the brightness, saturation and/or tonal spectrum will have a lot more steps to work with and can thus be done more boldly without introducing ugly steps in gradients. This is important to a lot even when delivering the final result in 8bit 4:2:2 . These people are already doing 10bit recording with the existing GH4/GH4R and they do it for very good reasons. So obviously it is important even without increasing dynamic range and/or decreasing thermal noise from what the GH4/GH4R offers. They just can't do it INSIDE the camera yet and have to use external recorders. Having a clean 4:2:2 10bit output was one of the major improvements of the GH4 and GH4R.

I agree. The grading is just to die for in those shots. That is what we all strive to get, as least I do. Well done!

@martinmcgreal great images! Have you compared the pocket cadence in prores to raw? I heard raw is notably better

I did both roles for that particular piece, but I'm a dp mainly. It was all shot in ProResHQ. It's daylight robbery how cheap the camera retails for, given it's superior to systems five or six times the price. I'd always encourage even amateur shooters to make the pocket camera their first ever camera purchase. Yes, shooting/grading LOG images can be tricky/daunting at first, but you'd rather learn the hard way early on, than later. The menu system is perhaps the easiest/cleanest interface I've ever seen too, compared to say an A7S. I agree, and this exactly why it's perhaps worth me waiting even longer, to pull together the funds for say a Scarlet. I could make a purchase as early as next month, for a system that may last me a year or two, but for the sake of waiting an extra few months, I could purchase a system that would last me the best part of five years. It's a no brainer, when written like that.

If the Canon had lovely 1080p, I'd get one. But it doesn't. It's 2008 style "720p" from a knackered 550d/T2i. WHY???? I don't like Sony for stills - it's all a bit charmless. This happens more so once you've held a X-T2 or EM1. I really don't like anything with a 1" sensor. Boring. My RX10 II had a very early grave. Aside this negativity, a friend asked me for a quick tutorial on his 5D mk III. While many enthusiasts are giving Canon a lot of stick, there's still a lovely charm when it comes to using a DSLR. Looking through the optical viewfinder and firing those continuous shots just seems really satisfying, although I thought my hands had shrunk when holding the body. Panasonic might have a killer on their hands in the GH5. Looking forward to your G81828384858687 review or whatever it's called. I do like Panasonic. I do.

I think your rant was warranted dude. I feel this way alot about having to deal with ND filters/dual system audio etc. But I'm not able to afford something like a FS5 or anything close. And I like working on a budget so for the ultra low price of my dslr, I guess I just kind of accept the idea that this is NOT a video camera but rather a camera I am MODIFYING for video. Also maybe everything that could go wrong just went wrong that day. Either way. I totally understand your feelings man!

Well, we all know it will be cleaner than GH4, as we see with the G85.

I'll try say it in a better way... It's like I'm filming with a deconstructed lasagna. It sounds and looks good, even taste better sometimes... but sometimes I just want a plate of lasagna.

No that is definitely not true. 10bits per channel offer a much denser space that can improve color reproduction and tonal differences while getting rid of artifacts like banding. Especially v-log with its ~12bits stops of dynamic range will benefit tremendously with the 10bit internal codec. Look at BM cameras for example, much less dynamic range in many of their cameras but amazing colors & tonalities. Here is an illustration of V-log with 10 & 8 bits: http://www.provideocoalition.com/v-log-l-gh4-revisited-part-2/ Part 1 is also worth looking at.

It sounds like you may need some Mark iii ML Raw or a 2.5K BMCC... which are so cheap used now I am questioning why I am going to spend about the same for a new BMPCC...

The best feature I like on a mirroless camera vs a DSLR, aside from the size is the silent shutter. And on the GX85, even when it's off to avoid the fluorescent bulb flicker, it's hard to hear outdoors. I'm pretty sure the M5 doesn't have that. M5 could have at least that going for it and it would have been a good reason to buy for some people. Right now, it's mostly pointless.

These all sounds great however more importantly is there a dynamic range improvement and is there an improvement to the noise floor, if not it makes the whole 10 bit thing not more than a marketing gimmick.

While Andrew offers a good way to simplify things I think you pose an important question that every professional needs to address. The main reason professional cameras cost as much is that they have been optimized for a professional environment and that can mean anything from simplifying the workflow to ergonomics and customization. Now it should be noted that professional cameras can get equally complex or even more with the extra modules they need (look at zacuto for example) and sometimes a mirrorless consumer camera might offer things that a professional does not have like small size or low light performance & sensor stabilization. In the end it is what you need and how much time and money are you willing to spend. And that only you can answer.

don't worry ..it happens first time...metabones "calibrates" to the lens...do a full zoom in-out and focus min-max...then close camera..remove lens-adapter-body and reconnect...everything should be fine now..

I've been there before, messing with loads of bits, batteries and nonsense. But like you said, camera like the FS5 offer an all-in-one solution. Simply just add a mic and use an all-round Sony lens, like the 18-105mm kit lens. Use a baked-in look you're happy with. Modern lighting is battery powered. Very portable. Loads of options. Add a tripod and that's all you need for interviews and things similar. Unfortunately, my kind of work requires all these nuts and bolts. I just have to deal with it.

That leaves just us! Seriously, I doubt 0-255 is a big deal.

do you mean 16mm? - just confused, but if that's what you meant, you can speedboost it to help that (as well as low light) also, a few things your top requirements are now the most subjective (cadence, good color, softishness) I was pretty sure the pocket was supposed to have some of the best cadence. you can add the 1dc to the best cadence list for sure by the way. the f3 was the camera Ed used on his film Five Star. all handheld style filming, great test of cadence. maybe "not perfect", but "better than some" could even be an understatement maybe make sure you're comparing to the kings in the cadence arena too (f65, alexa, film) and that you're not just now discovering a problem with your display or noticing 24fps as a problem or something, because of suuuper intense pixel peeping I'm confused how you like graded 8-bit c-log you're seeing, but you're concerned about how well it holds up to grading (your looks may be more intense I suppose, or just in case there's a problem shooting you can correct it - but 1dc/c300 footage doesn't look too thin or artifact filled at all). also, I assume you have experience with the anamorphic lenses in question, but that glass has potential to both make sharp 4k more cinematic (especially opposed to online tests using L-series lenses or god knows what) - and not be a problem for good 1080p to cover. probably all of your options and more have been suggested though. it's okay to have opinions and be picky here, it's a big purchase. but maybe the only thing you can do now is mull on it. remember the audience could be amazed by just about any of those suggested and/or not notice the difference (not that you shouldn't fall in love with the camera, but if you hate all of them.. that's too far the other way)

Thought the colour and skin tones looked great on my computer.

Preorder 4 months before delivery?

Yeh the IBIS on the G80 will compensate for the Oly. The Oly is by far the better option imo. It's slightly cheaper, sharper, better handling of flares, more zoom range, And of course the focus clutch.

Will do. What I can tell for now after a quick test: the focus ring is awesome, nearly on the same level as the the one of the Voigtländers - nicely damped. Vignetting is clearly visible in normal photomode and (although less) in 1080p. Only in 4k, when the additional crop is applied the vignetting disappears. I yet have to see whether the vignetting appears when electronic stabilization is added. Yet, the lens itself is quite the monster... my hands were getting tired quite soon. No joke... I totally dont get it to be honest, already mailed the Metabones support, no reply yet. When i fully zoom until 35mm, the lowest aperture I can set is f3.6 - something is not right.

Really? I'll have to test out the PPs in jpegs. And what's this about preview in manual mode? Just last night I was playing with WB in manual mode and could clearly see a preview on the LCD screen if that's what you mean. I'm using an A6300.

My overall personal experience after having a Bmpcc , GH4, a7s + recorder and some production with them are that ... I m done with dslr style camera . Either the codec or the battery or the colors are issues (or rolling shutter ect)... So I decided to move to something more professional and also considered a red one , a kinefinity terra and a Ursa mini ( I m doing creative work so I need a bit of slow mo, so no canon) At the end of the day I went with the ursa mini 4.6k . The red one is just too heavy, won t have warranty and the accessories are not transferable with the more modern red cameras, it s fine if you have small crew around you , but as the solo operator it s too hard to manage IMO ( and no 4k 60fps ) But the image is great and the workflow too. I actually pre ordered the terra 5k, but canceled it after so many delays, also one of my a7s died on shooting and made me realize how important it is to be able to send your camera for repair easily, with Kinefinity you have to send your camera back to china ...so also a no go. Red mx brains (either scarlet or epic ) prices are dropping but the accessories are still quite expensive .

I didn't want to reveal my prototype slider that's still in developement stage, but seeing as a thief (who I know well) on DVXUser has stolen my idea, maybe I should. You don't even need a tripod at all, and it's fully mobile being on wheels. It's a 2 rubbish bin slider and for extra stability you can fill the bins with beer and ice. I'm thinking of getting a kickstarter campaign up and running for 100 shareholders at a bargain $500 a share. I'm calling it The Wheelie Good Slider. I'll even offer $100 cash back up front if you send me your Bank Account and pin details in advance via Western Union, Cairo.

Looks great. Was that graded or SOOC? Wow, that is a big swing and miss from Fuji. They need to fix that. Not sure if this has been posted but this dude's video shot in Astia Soft looks great. I'm beginning to think that's the best profile to use.

Instead of redheads/blondes, look at Source Four Pars. They can be had for $60-80 each, produce excellent light quality, and are extremely versatile. Used Mole fresnels are great too--an industry standard, and so easy to work with. A lot of people will steer you toward LED, but the fact is that tungsten is cheaper, produces better light quality, and is generally more robust than its LED equivalents. Supplement a few larger lights with paper lanterns and clamp lights, and you should be set up for a wide variety of lighting situations/styles. 1-2 small LED panels can be nice for some run and gun or accents, but most production lighting kits are 90% tungsten. EDIT: I broke down a lot of my favorite lighting gear in this topic a while back. Most of it is budget-oriented, as I'm writing from the perspective of a student filmmaker.

So, I finally got my Sigma 18-35 in combination with the Canon EF Speedbooster XL. Yes, this thing is huge! But up until now it ticks so many boxes for me, that I am considering to keep it. Just one thing is really weird: when i turn the zoom ring, the aperture (!) changes, no matter which mode I am in, even in M or A?! It starts at f1.1 @18mm which is correct - however it goes all the way up until it hits f3.6 when zoomed @35mm - I dont get it, maybe @conurus could chime in?

You could get TWO of *both* and still probably manage to squeak in under budget!

Hip Hop video clip 4K, shot hand held:

What we learnt at school was that whatever small work we did, there should always be a foolproof contract that ensures that both parts understand what's included and what's not, even if it's a project that takes only a few days. A properly written contract can save you a lot of stress by providing you an exit from terrible clients. A well written contract will also protect the client and make them feel safe about buying services from you. If the client would want to avoid using a contract - that's a warning sign!

Resolution in C-Log on all Canon cameras (C100, XC10, whatever) is EXACTLY the same as it is in the other profiles. Sharpening is turned off in C-Log by default, so that can be one explanation for the perceived difference in detail. However - and much more crucially here and on the other XC10 thread I think - higher contrast is read by the human eye as "more detail". This is just a fact. It's an optical illusion if you like. That's what this is about - perceived detail - not resolution. The resolution is the same. If you want a "punchy" image with well defined lines/detail, you may be better capturing it in camera than trying to get it back in post from footage shot with a log profile on an 8-bit camera. Log footage is low contrast by nature, and therefore perceived resolution will always be lower unless you put all the contrast back in (and probably in the process sacrifice some dynamic range). You can't have it both ways - particularly not with an 8-bit codec. I always used to marvel at how much "punchier" graded HD images from my BMPCC were compared to my 4K GH4. This was because I would be able to put loads of contrast back into the 13-stop prores image without dropping down to an 8-stop result. Whereas I'd always try and coax as much dynamic range as I could from the GH4 and always end up with mushy detail. Of course the GH4 had far more resolution than the BMPCC, but stretching the lower dynamic range resulted in images that were less contrasty. Add the BMPCC's higher bit rate and colour depth to its superior dynamic range and you have what is arguably a more detailed image - certainly a richer one. While I really do love 4K on my XC10, I think there is a real danger on forums like this of pixel peeping in such an analytical way that you forget to look at the image as a whole. Nobody watches films at 300% inches from their screen. 4K is largely a marketing thing pushed by TV manufacturers (yes I'm talking about you Panasonic, Sony, Samsung). It's an easily understandable number that can be stuck on a camera or a TV to sell them as "better". For high-end cinema 4K is certainly becoming an almost-necessity, but we independent filmmakers would be wise to remember most of our favourite films from the past several years were shot on the 14-stop dynamic range, RAW/prores, high colour-depth shooting Arri Alexa in HD/2K. None of us left the cinema saying "I'm going to watch a David Fincher film next time because he uses RED cameras so I can see more details in the actor's shirt." Sorry, I'm having a ranty day. x

Lots of good recommendations in this thread, always fun to see what other people are using. In my opinion, if you're just starting out I don't think there is any need to get too crazy with any huge investments. My first lighting setup was just 3 aputure Al-H198 LEDs, and they took me a long ways. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1114779-REG They're only like $60 a piece! I added AC power functionality for pennies which let me run these tiny, portable, (and dimmmable!) high CRI lights on either AC, double AAs, or rechargeable sony npf style batteries. In other words, very versatile! I've shot all kinds of corporate/talking head kind of pro-level stuff using only these three lights and a 5-in-1 reflector for bounce on occasion. Depending on how ambitious your needs are, the whole setup, with cheap stands and all, is easily less than $200 total. So, a great place to get started. Then later you can assess your needs if you need bigger, brighter. more spot, more flood, fresnel, etc. But for now, I'd start out small. Just my 2 cents! Good luck!