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Yeah the pre-ai and non-ai “K” lenses are great. The 50mm f/2 is one of the sharpest lenses I’ve ever used... along with the Minolta PG 50mm 1.4... great lenses. I ended up going ai-s because I prefer the shorter focus throw since I either focus by hand or use a lever. I guess if I used a proper follow focus, I may prefer a longer throw. And now as I am building my Nikkor set from scratch, I am trying to get the lenses that have 9 aperture blades. The 35mm 1.4 is an amazing lens. I shot these with it... But the 9 bladed Nikkors are pricey for my humble finances. However I did find a little gem with 9 blades... the Nikkor 28-70mm D lens. It isn’t constant aperture but it’s cheap and sharp.

happy thanksgiving guys!!!

I don't think I've ever disagreed with a post I've read on this forum more than I disagree with this one. The features you mention are about as closely associated with the specific look of their respective formats (as well as the style they adopt from production circumstances surrounding the use of those formats) as any in recent history. Sure, 16mm has no more resolution or dynamic range than most mirrorless cameras today, but it has an inimitable physicality to its look (film grain, halation, gate weave, etc.) and even a physicality to the approach one is forced to take. And that offers a distinct (and in my opinion frequently gorgeous) look and disciplined style I've yet to see anyone get close to approximating for the duration of a feature shot digitally. No one at that level is shooting 16mm because it's the best format technically or because it's cheaper than 35mm; they're shooting with it because they prefer the process and the look. Sure, you can compare 16mm and today's video cameras on a technical basis and they're surprisingly comparable. But that's like saying dinner at the French Laundry and a bottle of Soylent are comparable on the basis of nutrition and ending the comparison at that. (They might or might not be, but you get what I mean.) I've seen Chungking Express projected from a good 35mm print at a high end screening facility and the texture and color of it are beyond anything I've seen shot on any digital camera, technically superior cameras such as the Alexa 65 (which can look just as good, only in a different way) included. Not in a way I can easily quantify, but in a way that resonates emotionally. I remember the look of that movie more closely than the story. If you think that film would look as good shot on a GH4, you need to question your own eyes, not Chris Doyle's, and definitely toss aside the resolution chart. There might be less grain on the GH4. It might be sharper. But the dreamlike quality of certain sequences derives specifically from the texture of film. Features shot on 16mm embrace the grain even more. I mean, Van Gogh's paintings don't measure well on a resolution chart. Should he have used a GH4 instead of a paintbrush? Yes, Festen was shot on cheap video. And its success proves a great point that a good story and good performances are more important than "look" for that kind of movie–I agree with you there. But the specific look of the cheap video (no lighting, miniDV) was still made with philosophical (Dogme 95, of course) and aesthetic (it looks like a home video and shares the aesthetic intimacy of one, crucial to the subject matter) intent. It had a large budget. They could choose their camera on the basis of cost. They chose miniDV for another reason. Even if the GH4 were around then, it would still have been shot on home video. It's the filmmakers emulating that look, and not emulating the bad amateur online filmmaker look typically associated with mirrorless cameras and dSLRS (it's not all bad, but I'm just talking about the audience's association with a look), that makes that story work. Another story might look great shot on a 70D. Maybe a story about a vlogger could be amazing on that format. But that would be an entirely different movie! I would try to be less disrespectful of the choices made by DPs and directors who can afford to make choices on bases other than cost or assume their only criteria are technical! I'm not trying to say I know what these filmmakers think, and maybe they would have shot on a wireless camera today if they had the opportunity... I doubt it, but I don't know. I'm just saying that you don't know, either. Furthermore, I think your response is a little ironic with respect to the original topic. Netflix is the company that most specifically chooses cameras based on technical specs; even Amazon and YouTube Red will allow the Alexa's upscaled 4k for original content, while Netflix won't because it's upscaled. And because of that, you have a lot of shows shot on the F55 or C300 Mk II that would look better in every respect (except resolution and again, imo) if they were shot on another camera (or even at 2.35:1 maybe, which they also won't allow). But resolution measures better on those cameras and it's in keeping with Netflix's brand and promise of technical quality, so that's what Netflix uses. I get it–part of their brand is 4k HDR original content. Maybe there are even legal reasons for the choice to stick with "true 4k" cameras, too. And it's fine. Those cameras are close to the Alexa anyway and the crews are super talented and most of the content on there is serialized tv type stuff that doesn't need the look of Chungking Express anyway. But if anyone is drinking Soylent over the good stuff on the basis of numbers, it's Netflix. I do agree with the larger point, made many times on this forum, that amateurs like you and like myself, and those who don't have or don't want to spend the money to rent their format of choice, would do best to embrace what's available to them. Just because Chris Doyle probably wouldn't choose a GH4 if he were to shoot Chungking Express today (then again, who knows, he might) doesn't mean he couldn't shoot an awesome entirely different feature on digital. And I agree that a good story, such as Festen's, would work on almost any format, but I reject the notion that miniDV was used thoughtlessly or arbitrarily...

This was brought up in another thread, but I did not want to derail it too much. So, for those who hadden seen it yet, this video showcases the Coen brothers and their way of filming dialogue on a single (semi) wide lens: And to quote Ed David:

Thanks for reviving this thread! I love some of the Coen movies (and have an overwhelming urge to go watch a clip of "Man of constant sorrow" on YouTube). One thing that I would like to know if anyone uses (or wants to try) a camera in the middle/single camera, with a fast wide lens and a Sony camera and using clearzoom instead of camera movement?

I stand corrected. Pretty amazing that the GH5 can turn you off to your Red set up, but I get it. However, I still think you should be making feature films with an Alexa.

Andy, you better get your tush back here and inspire our spirits with your passion and knowledge! @andy lee Awesome post always need awesome contributors like you!

When I started I had zero money for lenses, so I bought the cheapest brand name vintage lenses I could find. So I bought a lot of Pentax and Minolta lenses, a few Nikon Series E, a whole set of Tokina made M42 Vivitar lenses, Yashicas, etc. As my interest grew, and my bank account, I started getting some better ones and now I have too many. I really like the Pentax M lenses and would recommend them to a lot of beginners, but they don’t resell that easily, unless you just want to get a couple bucks for them. So right now I just want to get rid of as much as I can and have two to three good sets of lenses. But I rarely change focal lengths, so my Nikkor “Set” May end up being two lenses... the 35mm 1.4 and hopefully the 85mm 1.4. I may pick up the 50mm 1.2 or 55mm 1.2 but I may not. I am also a big fan of B&W and that 60s, 70s film look. I think that most cameras on the market today can mimick that, so I am also building a small set of Takumar lenses. I tried to get into Contax Zeiss, and Leica but the really good lenses cost an arm and a leg and recently I have been only using my Canon 24-70mm f/4 and the 35mm f2, So I really don’t have enough projects on the horizon to warrant the expense. If I knew then, what I know now, I would have built a good set of ai-s lenses from the start, or the Rokinon/Samyang cine lenses. But now after using Canon L lenses with IS, it’s hard to go back to a manual lens and a tripod. But I do like the option to.

Hey Jon, always thought it was a A7RII I think video shows a nice example of muted color. It´s from Richard Gale himself. I remember when it was posted here the first time. So it´s an A7s then. Some people know how to treat that camera indeed:)

I think the better question is why do people who need good autofocus buy the GH5, knowing it isn’t top in class? It has plenty of great features, as Jon repeats ad nauseam but AF just isn’t one of them. For a lot of videographers, AF is essential... so buy an a6300/a6500 or a Canon.

Lumix GX90/95... my guess is Panasonic is in the process of redefining their camera lines. The GH5 went up $4-500 higher than the GH4 as the continuation flagship camera. The G9 jumped up about $8-900 but turned into their flagship stills camera. So the GX80/85 will jump up to $1200 and have a little more oomph as their mid-tier video/photo hybrid camera.

Canon C200?

No its not that extreme. If you want to change it you can go into the stabilser options in the menu and the focal length settings are in their. The annoying thing is that even if you choose not to change the focal setting the camera will ask you to confirm the setting each time you turn it on..a possible future firmware update would be great to remove this..

Ok received the Zhongyi lens turbo yesterday along with a normal nikon to m43 dumb adapter to use with the nikon sigma 18-35 with the GH5. First impressions - No issues I can see at all with Vignetting and if it is there it is not noticeable, at the wide end with the Zhongyi which is around 13mm after conversion and it seems fine. In terms of image quality I am finding it hard to see any noticeable difference between the image out of the Sigma through the dumb adapter or the Zhongyi which is great news to me. I shot some stuff in doors and saw comparable quality in terms of sharpness and resolution throughout. The zhongyi might be more prone to flaring when pointed at a light source but that is avoidable.. In terms of the IBIS and focal settings you have to input every time you turn the camera on. I think you pretty much have to stick to the focal length setting that relates to the focal length that you are going to use on the lens. So if you set it at 18mm, shoot at 18mm and you will get good stabilisation. if you set it at 18mm and then zoom in at 35 you get strange warping effects and issues. there is a delay from when panning to when the sensor \stabilisation recognises the pan and then catches up. if i set the focal length in cam to 35 and shoot at 35 again this looks great and stable, but if i then choose to go to 18mm i get the same issue, strange warping effects and delayed panning. The issue is the focal length setting in camera can only be changed when you are not recording. this means you cannot while filming both change your lens focal length and the in camera focal length setting. You basically have to choose what focal length you will be shooting at before you start recording and stick to it unless you want some adverse effects.... If you had to stick with one setting I would say you get better results going with the widest setting, so for the sigma you can set it to 18 and get great results at 18 and then the performance gets worse the more you zoom in. I think this option is better than setting the focal length to 35 which then only gives you great results at the far end, and then degradation the more and more you zoom out. all in all in terms of the Zhongyi...I would not hesitate to recommend it as a very cheap alternative to the speed booster.

Just have a nice Talk in messenger with Luca he can make this for us using EF-S lenses he is a HERO keeping NX alive!

I have to say that anybody who is both a hockey fan AND a fan of Wong Kar-Wai is ok in my book. Are you located in the Bay Area by chance??? I remember watching Days of Being Wild at the World Theater on Broadway in The City back in 1990 or '91 when it was first released. That was probably the closest to film nirvana I have experienced.

That A7R2 + batis 85 + 35mm 2.8, Slog-2 iso 800-1600, and literally hand held , I did not had all my equipment with me that day, but I usually have a zacuto marauder and it s not as shaky.

Well, it was already rumored that Panasonic would split their flagship into flagships... like Sony did with the A7, A7R and A7S series. So... now that they've decided to give us the photocentric G9... maybe up next indeed a low MP count GH5s with lowlight focus (clean ISO6400, usable ISO12800?).

"The Middle Path" A ***** **** Short", I count five starts followed by four stars. Making a five letter and four letter term? "A Lumix GH5S Short" then? GH5S, what could that be?:)

Oh, I'll be impressed only if Jon secretly, and without any announce in advance, adopt some of your vampire content inclination, and as result, in next test shot, we suddenly see Vietnamese beauties in the same zombie state (and, of course, by night - I really don't remember any Jon's night shot). And me personally will be full of delight if this content deliberation would be made with assistance of Atlas anamorphic lenses. THAT will be wow positive influence - or, so to say, vampiresque blood mutation - of this marvelous site! (And if Mercer post the same attempt with row sound of his canon... but about that dream I must only make a whispering... he is sometimes so serious - but, seriously, I'd also like if GH5 has resulting image of canon ML raw seductiveness. BTW I'm origine of Hopy Indians - and, Panny, as you know, our time is not as other's - so probably and mine so-called smartness in some reverence mind. But one day I'll certainly shot movie about that deep reflective topic, and being - as you are shure - so deeply impressed with your last polaroid thanks so sincerely and frankly adressed to me - I think I'll choose some other color style.

@Dimitris Stasinos I am not being harsh, but what you suggest is the lower of the low, not a middle solution. A middle solution would be a Zoom F4/8 and a 416 or a Sound Devices MixPre 6/10 with a 416. Good shotguns are above 1500€ (I assume you are living in EU?), and good recorders are to the thousands (a lot of them!). Then you have to add a whole lot of accessories (a good boom pole is essential, Ambient is amazing for the price), and if you start with wireless, that is a nightmare, I still haven't managed to make a worthy wireless kit. Also, you would need a whole set of microphones for different occasions and uses. Dynamics, Omni, cardioid maybe, stereo, recording atmospheres etc They do not have to be exceptional, all of them, but you would need some sort of "arrows in your quiver", as the more experienced sound men like to say! IronFilm has some suggestions in his blog/site, and already mentioned and discussed in this forum. Do a little search, but H5 is a no go for me (better get the Tascam 100mkIII), and MKE600 is just so basic, I do not know what to say about it. 14 year old kids doing their blogs with the 600!

Ah, so we do have enough in common to attend LAS meetings. The never ending quest to find the holy grail look (if you're a bit of an audiosnob, it's comparable to searching for that perfect audiosignature; as it happens to be I don't particularly have a single set of IEMs/headphones either, lol). Well, I have like 35 native M43 lenses alone, add tons of Nikon mount lenses (be it Nikkor, Sigma, Tokina or Vivitar for example), quite a few Contax Zeiss primes to make a set, only 2 Leica Summicron-R primes and a boatload of older really vintage stuff, like all the Russians and other quirky lenses in M42 mount, FD zooms and primes, Pentax-M, Minolta MD and a bunch of C-mounts or other stuff... and it's fair to say it might've gotten just a tiny bit out of hand. Good call on shrinking the collection, will probably follow your lead before I do a country swap and move 1000+ km away. Moving away is always a nice excuse to finally get rid of some stuff that doesn't necessarily enriches your life.

A handful of these and you have a good start at a 360VR set up!