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Here’s my horrible Voigtlander 25mm 0.95 video shot wide open. This was shot with a BMMCC, a truly unremarkable camera and lens combo, unfortunately... This really sucks so be forewarned...

@maxotics "Better to set up a cheap mic well, then set up the best mic badly. The more post you have to do, the more you have failed." Definitely. 100%. But if you do not have the right tool for the job, nor the knowledge, then you have failed miserably, and most of the times, bad sound is NOT fixable, that is why there is a lot of ADR happening in huge productions - but similarly, the ADR budget is huge too, so they made it just right. It is not so simple to do a "sound workflow" description with the terms you used (your "post" explanation was completely wrong, by the way!), unfortunately it is more complicated than that, reflections are a huge part of what we do, and you need specific knowledge of physics (acoustics) plus experience, while a child can understand an image is to his liking, or not, sound is working also subconsciously and with no clear "image" of its presence. It is not irrelevant that US government accused Cuba that attacked US embassy employs in Havana with sonic "weapons", or that music is creating emotions and responses in just a few seconds. Also, if you remember the film "The Artist" (2011) which is a modern silent film classic, the most powerful scene in the film, is the dream sequence, that we have, SOUND! I explained a few things with the simple way I could in my previous posts, I even proposed some equipment, if anyone want to go the shotgun route on a camera (I wouldn't), can't go wrong with the MKE600, seriously, a 416 on a camera is just a waste of a -potentially- good microphone. I will say again, that MKE440 is a very interesting mic for these kind of uses. Also, http://www.sankenmicrophones.com/production/shotguns/cms-10/ http://www.sanken-mic.com/upload/pdf/en/cs-1e_rev2.pdf My opinion, just choose one of the 600 or 440, and forget about it, you can not do a lot more pointing a mic to a general direction that some action occurs. It is like having a 50-100mm lens pointing at a tree, and you are waiting to catch some squirrel footage. Yes, you will, if there are any squirrels, but it is just luck, not ability. As of the ENG using 416, in those situations they just need to get some sound, anything, on a war or a fire or an emergency you need to catch some sound, and 416 is one of the sturdiest mics ever built, also, it is industry standard since the 70's, they just do not know any better I guess!

Lots of 'news gathering' video setups have a 416 on the camera. It's been used for years and it sounds 'right'. When you hear it against a cheaper mic in an ideal setup you will instantly be able to tell it's better. It will suit your purposes and be a good investment. A camera mounted mic is not ideal / really bad idea for good sound capture but for a one man operation you don't have much choice. Also be aware that shotgun mics are very sensitive to wind / air movements so also budget for a good wind shield. Even moving a 416 about in still air can cause rumble. There are lots of good sound repair / noise reduction tools in NLE's these days but it's a lot of extra work when editing - a lot of extra work! When you add it all up in cost and time it's just better to pay a sound recordist to work with you and ensure you have good clean audio. The fact that you are making a significant investment in a camera for this job suggests this is a serious project so skimping on audio may be unwise.....

Not so much expensive for once-to-a-life unforgettable pleasure-grief dating, I dare to state... Of course, just R (i. e. fire-ones, censured-ones version are accounted: I got 35mm and 50mm Summicron for 250e and 200e respectively, even 28mm 2.8 could be find for about 400e. Even 28-70 zooms are just of the same silksexy touch for about 300e.

Oh, no - not so pricey Zeiss Contax Distagon 35mm 2.8 (and its Voigtlander Scoparex clone), Zeiss Contax Distagon 25mm 2.8 and Leica Summicron 35mm f2. Actually, I like small and precise constructed manual lenses on m43 body. For me it is so lovely to rotate smooth focus ring and be more envolved in shooting process. IMO, autofocusing is so boring and cocacola styled (Being VIP-importantly in hurry and get some fast sugar emulsion for keep condition for our choef-d-oeuvre's shots!)

Your LG OLED can show in theory the infinite amount of dynamic range in black room. For example from 0.001 Nits to 700 Nits = contrast ratio 700 000:1. It is about 20 steps of light intensity difference. Another thing is how much the files contains captured dynamic range and how coarse is the reproduction of that brightness scale. 10bit has less banding and smoother gradations than 8bit but the extreme whites and blacks are the same. So there are at least 3 different factors of dynamic range: 1. captured (scene) dynamic range (GH5 about 12-13 stops, Cine camera 15 stops) 2. Display contrast ratio difference from black to white (LCD about 1:2000 and OLED 1:infinite). 3. Display/file ability to show smooth gradations between black/white and ability to show wide range of colors in all brightness levels (LCD better in whites, OLED better in dark tones). To show extreme dynamic range we dont need super bright display. We can have better dyn range also by darkening the blackest black levels. It is the difference (contrast ratio) what matters.

Hey Phil, Jons seems to have been read wrongly. He does not evaluate the quality of your shooting, which is fine looking indeed. He recognizes a lack of resolution in the material. Afterall it´s the longest and maybe most read thread in the web, which is all about lenses. So the quality of your shooting skills reamains untouched by Jons enthusiastic praise for the Noktons:) Hope this can put a smile back onto our faces. @mercer, man you are always pulling off awesome compositions and framing. The shot at 0.40 is especially beautiful. Cannot wait to see you shortfilm!

I think Jon looks for different things in a lens than some of us, which is perfectly fine of course. Seems he likes a perfect lens, he has a track record of owning and shooting with some of the best lenses for the system, incl. the Panasonic 12mm f/1.4, 42.5mm f/1.2, Olympus 75mm f/1.8, 25mm f/1.2, Sigma DC DN 30mm f/1.4, Veydra Mini Primes etc, where it's all about resolving power and sharpness, where they are absolutely smashing it, you can't really argue that. It just doesn't seem he 'gets' people that put character first however (which is funny itself because he didn't feel Phil A's footage had any, but okay)... like shooting a 17.5mm f/0.95 wide open or using anything vintage. Takes offence himself when people find a lens to render 'boring', meaning not that he himself has shot something boring, but that the lens has a reliable and clinical look of perfection to it (maybe that is the sort of 'character' he wishes to see, to me that's prefering a vodka over a whiskey, where as well, nothing is wrong to put one over the other, personal preference and all). To that person. Yet you know, it's okay if people aren't on the same page, an opinion is something subjective, there's no one true way... and one should really be accepting of that and letting others do their thing. To me it matters more that someone is having fun shooting and makes great content in terms of mood, composition, 'story telling' however limited applicability perhaps. If you have blinders on and can only tell if someone's work is good by pixelpeeping, then you might be missing the point (but atleast you'd have every pixel). So I personally was able to appreciate said video and post, because it isn't always the main goal to capture something pixel perfect, but to capture something that elicits something beyond that. And Jon's said it before himself... he might've shot and uploaded a video with the white balance, framerate or audiosync off... and never finds anyone in the comments complaining and pointing it out. That's all because they look through the pixel peeping and rather just focus on the essence. If your content is good, it's probably good because of the bigger picture, not just the individual pixel. And even if you don't see it that back with someone else's work the least you could do is give them some constructive feedback... the lowest thing you could do is dismiss what they've done altogether and regard it as someone clowning around (discouraging them to ever post something again). A bit of mutual respect goes a long way.

should i update? any known issues for filmmakers? im scared as usual lol

In December 2016, I wanted a stills camera. After some thought, I was swayed by the A6500 because of the video features. (typical!). I've been testing this camera mostly on the excellent Zhiyun Crane (on a price / value ratio I'd say it's the best gimbal you can buy). On my most recent shoot, I put it in the deep end. I used Slog2, the 18-105mm kit lens and exclusively used autofocus for the entire shoot. Felt weird. (stills attached) Overall, this has the potential to be a very special camera... but it's not...quite...there...yet. Here's my mini mini mini review: PROS The 4k image is the best 8 bit 4k I've used. Certainly the best in Sony's lineup. There's a very special sauce going on here - it's super gradeable, detailed and the A6500 colour is much improved. Colour is improved? The image and skin tones are very, very pleasing - both using a standard everyday look and a stylised look (which I tend to go for). Sony look? Not here. Autofocus is very responsive. Absolutely essential on the Zhiyun Crane, makes it so much easier to focus on the shot as the image is 99% always in focus, even at shallow DOF. Compact power. Very nice to hold in the hand without a rig. Super light. 120fps is surprisingly good. Sharpened up and exposed nicely, it's a stellar 120fps. CONS Rolling shutter is a problem. It's easily avoidable however it can be annoying and ruin a shot. There's very little in the 120fps mode. Battery life is poor. This is a constant issue with Sony mirrorless. Even if they make the bodies a bit bigger for a higher capacity battery, needs sorting! The LCD dims very low. Maybe this is to manage heat or whatever. But the LCD does dim quite significantly. LCD gets scratched easily. These cameras need a cover to come with the camera, or flip the other way round. Got 3 scratches on my LCD from transit. Some of the buttons are flimsy and thin. Sony need to extrude the buttons more. The wheel on the back i especially fiddly to use. CONCLUSION The 4k image in XAVC-S is absolutely fantastic - I've not been wowed by image quality in a while. But it do get giddy when editing it. What's going on there? The shortcomings do dilute the experience a little - and Sony should sort them out for the A6700. With other expected updates, this would be a classic camera. There should be more love for this camera, as it sits under the hype shadow of the GH5. (I expect the GH5 to be awesome, but haven't used it). Overall - it's a very useful tool in the bag with some stunning features, great for stills too.

As in I shouldn't have said "amplify" which is, thinking about it, incorrect? Or something else? Also, interesting that you bring up ADR. I notice a lot more of it and it's not all good, no matter how good it sounds Because you lose something of the real emotion that was in the scene. All the more reason to get good sound in the first place.

Thanks Dave, The quality of the Sony is really on another level when compared to the gopro. P.S. Your videos have come a long way since last time I watched one, I really like the flow. That audio though... The lav is clipping quite a bit...

Did an extensive comparison with RX0 and new GoPro Hero 6. Bottom line, I actually really like the RX0 now.

Forget Premiere in macbook pro.... Fcpx is the solution.

yeah man! Just looked up my order receipts. The most I paid was $268 for the 90/2.8 I got them on KEH, which the prices are normally good, but if you wait, every month or two they'll do a 15% off or so sale, which really helps on the leicas. I've also bought they cheapest ones you can really get, which means they have odd filter thread sizes because they're mainly series 6 and 7 filters. I was able to find step up rings for all of them though, and have gotten out of it pretty cheap and really really like them so far. They're built like tanks, they're hefty and heavy as hell and all metal, but god damn they're smooth and look great. I'll get some footage together this weekend and post it early next week

Just a heads up that if you use CUDA, it hasn't yet been patched for High Sierra and won't be available to use.

This is in fact also very true in video! It's called inverse square law . Try placing a subject 5 inches away from a light, then try 10 inches way. You'll find that intensity is exponentionally lower aswell. However since we don't close-light subjects like we do audio it doesn't really matter. You won't get a dramatic amplitude difference if you place the mic some-ways away from the subject (not too far ofcourse!) Then a new problem arises and that is reverberation will come into effect if the distance is too far. About the 'right placement' of the mic has more to do with the way sound radiates. Where lower frequencies will often have a wider angle (up to 360 degrees), and higher frequencies are more dialled in. Placing the mic outside these radiuses will decrease the amplitude in the corresponding frequency area (a natural EQ you might say). Less directive mics negate this effect to some extent. Take the flute for example: The chart shows where the different frequencies would travel, and we can tell that we'd get the 'richest' sound from placing the mic facing the subjects head. Different instruments and sound sources share different characteristics. I might be wrong about something here so don't quote me on this! Obviously things are going to sound good if you mic it correctly with microphones of fitting characteristics & acceptable noise floors, regardless of the microphone you are using. However this doesn't have a lot to do with on-camera mics, with camera terms I suppose you could say that this subject is more about the ISO, shutter speed and aperture. In post you can very easily adjust exposure. And to quote @Kisaha, color-correcting audio is not something people usually do. What I'm trying to figure out is what microphone has the 'best color tonality' for your money as an on-cam mic. You can ofcourse do EQ and compressors to make speech or instruments sound better, but this doesn't fix the "color science" a microphone might have. It's just really confusing when theres a million options to choose from & they are all similarly priced. Again on-camera mics is not something I've experimented enough with, I've always borrowed the mke600 and went with it, but as I find myself using the audio from it on a lot of projects (and I need to purchase my own mic) I'd like to know that I'm not spending too much when "Mic-X" does the same job for a 100 bucks cheaper

I am running it since the early betas. Haven't encountered any problems with the official release.

Working fine for me.

To be clear - unless you can get the 416 close and on axis then it's going to be 'sub -optimal' to say the least. If you are building up a sound capture system the 416 is a good investment. If you can hire an assistant you can get it off the camera and on a boom pole over or under the subject out of frame. Shotguns are close distance tools like macro lenses - they are not like telephoto lenses where you can stand back and focus in on the sound.

@anonim Ever since i started using nikon 50mm 1.2 ai-s last week, i'm no longer happy with the sigma 18-35mm..... it really bother me. 18-35mm yields very high quality images, but it just doesn't pleases me anymore........ I thought i'm gonna settle down with sigma art, but it appear that the quest of finding lenses just begun. I didn't have any experience with Leica's and Zeiss's, and 50mm 1.2 is my 1st vintage lens....... @kidzrevil love the 50mm 1.2. But the speed booster xl i have is in EF mount. i plan to use adapter to adapt the 50mm 1.2 to ef mount. (the 50mm 1.2 is adapted using zhongyi lens turbo ii now, which is ok....... but could be better with metabones speed booster) I probably gonna use native mft mount voigtlander 17.5mm/25mm on the other g85. @jonpais 1) CAM A: G85 + Speed Booster XL EF + Sigma 18-35mm & Tokina 11-16mm CAM B: G85 + Zhongyi Lens Turbo II Nikon Mount + Nikon 50mm 1.2 (Love the 50mm 1.2, plan to use Nikon-EF adapter, and adapt to the Speed Booster XL) 2) Wedding. kinda different here in Singapore/Malaysia. Very fast paced, run n gun style. usually have to start at around 4-6am in the morning, and deliver same day edit at 2pm (lunch) or 9pm (dinner) 3) No monitor. We need to keep the setup as light as possible, but the smallhd focus seems to be portable. wanted to try it out.

I have downloaded it, hesitate to install it. Will try it on my Macbook first before putting it on my iMac!

+1 and make sure you get the camera as close as possible to the subject. Off axis sound on these mic's ( all shotguns) is not nice as is any room reverb. Make sure you get the 48v and not the T power 416.

I disagree with @maxotics. What sound post production? Do you do a "sound correction" in the sense you do a "color correction? In what way? my experience tells me that most low to middle productions do not even have a proper sound engineer to do sound post. I would advise most to try to get the most appropriate sound during production, post is almost a lost cause, especially if you are not highly educated and experience in sound. Image you can see, sound not so much. I also disagree with @zerocool22, 416 is a standard in boom operators and sound men, a mic in camera is a whole different world. I would say that 416 is highly inappropriate for camera use, most of its sound qualities and benefits for a booman is lost in camera placement. Also, not experienced boom ops fail miserably with this mic, that is why they prefer "lesser" mics, because they cover their innabilities. I would suggest shorter directional with wider patterns, Sanken has a few very good ones.

Just bought a new iMac, should be with me today or tomorrow, & I think it comes with High Sierra installed - if it does i can report back, unless you are worried how it plays with an older machine.

Id go for a used mkh 416. Still a favorite in the industry.

Thanks

One of the the most beautiful rendition of Voigt's that I found - in spite of being upload just in 720p. Actually, what me personally impressed with Nokton Voigt's, is the fact that any of other lenses (IMO) don't render so wonderful even at 720p. As they don't need bite-me sharpness to made an impression. Proof for their high-end microcontrast, roll-of and intrinsic color-science in general?

That’s reasonable. There are more reports about strange behaviour than usual. The main reason to upgrade would be H.265 support. I will wait for the next update with bugfixes and then check on fcp.co if they are fixed indeed (because my main concern is video with FCP). No one is forced to hurry. As for special software, it’s best to check on ML forum.

Ok, fair enough, though have you read Andrew's reviews here for both the E-M1ii and X-T2? Both companies have had abysmal video up to now, but I think both have pulled it together with these two newest cameras. I have the Olympus now, it's video quality is easily as good as the G80. The X-T2 has the same sensor as the A6300, with it's X-Trans business added to it, and it's just as good as the Sony, just with better colors and the same crappy rolling shutter. I've owned all four cameras and all had amazing video quality. But if you're basing your displeasure with Olympus and Fuji on their past cameras, I can understand that.

Ahh, still love my G6, what a fun camera! GM1 is a beauty. I think it´s the prettiest Panasonic camera. If it only had a little wheel on the back like GF1, G6, etc. have. If only my GF1 had that beautiful HD the GM1 has:) GF1 is another beautiful, classic looking camera. Weird, how details make a camera a standout design classic.

Final version of video.

When I mean "cute" I mean they try to give the photographer a rich photo-taking experience through many dials and features. I favor raw sensor-size and sensitivity. Just my personal taste! My limited experience is the Olympus and Fuji 4K is nowhere close to the quality of the Panasonic cameras, like the G7. So surprised you think their quality as good. Anyway, the achilles heal of the Sony cameras is the big sensors, and the way they're designed, makes video a bit kludgy--still. My A6300 gets hot, especially in 4K. As everyone knows, those Pannys will run forever and not get hot headed However, I use the Sonys because they have bigger sensors for better photography. I won't use an Olympus because the video still stinks. And even though the Fujis have larger sensors, they still have, again in my opinion, sub-par video. I have not noticed a difference in photos between the Panasonic and Olympus cameras (just video). So if Panasonic can leverage some of it's high frame rate shooting, like photo 4K, and now 20 frames per second, knowing it will do so without getting hot, gets my interest. I still miss my GM1. I broke the mechanical shutter, then my daughter broke the screen. Anyway, I just love the all around thinking of the Panny cameras. BTW, I bought my daughter a Fuji X100. She never used it. She took my G6 and basically sleeps with it, even though I have a lot of better cameras in m opinion I understand your interest in advanced CODECs, etc., but my interests are basic. All Panny 4K looks great to me! Doing 20 frames a second, having an LCD display, etc. It's stuff that makes them closer to Nikon/Canon and which I appreciate. All this is predicated on my belief that Panny video is miles ahead of Olympus of course. So curious what other's thoughts are.

Micro vibrations to the sensor cannot be taken out by anything in post. IBIS and gimbals have really decreased this a lot. Steadxp just routes external motion data through onto an audio track through the mic port. Unfortunately andrgl doesn't understand it, or the long history of this company that I have followed. I'm sure you've heard many people say to avoid using electronic stabilisation on cameras. Just don't bother

Thank you Jonasy. Everyone here says the same... If you start filming anamorphic once, you always will do that! I started a year ago and the anamorphic lens is standard on my camera. I love it. There are a lot of ways to start anamorphic filming. I also did investigation which lens I would buy. I made a choice for the best and bought a Bolex 16/32/1.5x. But I also sold him and bought a Kowa 1.5x, Iscorama 36. Those lenses has already a new home and I have now again the Bolex (another one - lucky me).

Once you get your colors right with the Sony, it is a gem of a camera.

I've listened to tons of tests on YouTube with mics, imagine you have too. I can never hear a significant difference--especially after post. Again, there is a difference in noise floor, but my guess more to do with going balanced. If that's true, then go with the cheapest mic you can find on your version of Craigslist. I understand what you're trying to do. It's what I did with the Rode. It distracted me in a bad way Any mic you get is going to have a trade-off of some sort, and the more expensive, the more esoteric those trade-offs are. My view is if you don't know EXACTLY why you want something, based on your own experience, you end up going through a bit of gear....not that that is a bad thing

Thank you @jonpais . You've helped me remember why I normally don't share videos or pictures or anything on internet forums anymore. I'll take the criticism to heart and consider it.

Hey, Jay. Sankor 16c Anamorphic Adapter paired with a Carl Zeiss 25mm Prime. Shot at T2.8. The key is to shoot at ISO 800 which really is the "sweet spot" for these cams, especially in low light. The LUT is a huge help too Best - B.

I like the way the iPhone processing handles highdyanmic range scenes without HDR. I wish my Nikon could spit out jpgs/video the way the iPhone does, it actually renders similar to the way your eye sees it, but the small sensor just can't deliver such DR so it looks desaturated and noisy/noise-reduction. The big cameras really need to catch up on the software side, and even the raw processors are falling behind (adobe camera raw,etc)

If you select Rec Quality MP4 HEVC ("TV or recorder that supports hybrid log gamma is required") on the GH5, then the available options become 4K 72M 30p and 4K 72M 24p. This is different from selecting Hybrid Log Gamma as a photostyle and using the 400M all-i codec, but it still counts as "4K HDR recording"

Here lays the misunderstanding. "A little better", "top display looks pro", "a little faster", etc. For a full time stills shooter these are huge features. Flat out deal breakers. Remember, your needs aren't rarely everyone else's.

Not especialy - the bodies can be found very cheaply but to get a good set of lenses will set you back quite a lot of money. If I were starting a MF digital system from scratch on on a budget I'd be looking at a 645 system.