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Some 260fps footage by Philip Bloom.

As a creator I never see the need to analyze or quantify what I like and dont like. Imo Mojo isn't just some fluff word. Its a feature. I know when I see it and I definitely know when I dont. But just like everything within art its subjective. There is no point in trying to transfer it to someone elses eyes. They have to figure it out for them selves. Some like high resolution others hate it. Nothing wrong or right about it. I often get the feeling that it scares certain people. Some people are afraid to stick their neck out and say, "I like this and thats ok". They rather have a group behind them validating their opinion (thats how the fanboy wars begin). Or they take comfort in numbers (enter the spec warriors). I could show examples and go into detail why I think one image has more mojo than another. But I rather not. Because a great artists once said, "The problem with people that don't understand art is that they are trying to understand it". I try to live by that rule. (Ps. Im not talking about anyone particular. Just in general.)

@kye do you like your camera? Does it feel good in your hands? Do you enjoy shooting with it? I had the XC10 and I can say without a shadow of a doubt, I loved that camera, it has great ergonomics and I loved every minute I shot with it. And luckily for you... the image has some mojo. The C-Log in 4K or 1080p is gorgeous. I’ve never used a camera that had better 4K video than the XC10. I think all you can do as an operator is work on the basics. Lighting, composition, exposure... etc... With that statement, I was addressing another member because he seemed to be looking for a formula to get the mojo. And sadly, if there was a formula... other than time, practice and craft, everybody would be amazing filmmakers. However, I do believe that certain cameras have more mojo... it could be the way it’s coded, or the amount of MPs mixed with the color science, or the bitrate, mixed with the curve... the possibilities are endless Thw good news is that almost every camera on the market in the past 5-10 years is capable of great images. @TheRenaissanceMan gave me some great advice when I was starting out. Take a notebook with you and jot down all of your exposure settings, where your light is coming from, time of day, etc... and go back and watch the footage. Rinse and repeat a couple dozen times and you’ll figure out what’s what. Either way, great topic and good luck.

First, you have to ask yourself: is the mojo present in a single frame? Could you compare still images to find mojo? Or does the mojo kick in when it played as a video.

Meanwhile on Germany's huge slashCAM forum. Started a controversial HDR thread there - the first one, apart from one guy who asked how best to achieve a working Youtube upload. Very few fans there as well. The usual suspects, like here. Said HDR would change the way films were lit and framed (finally understanding the vanHurkman thoughts). Was baracked. HDR was for nature docs and candy ads, not suitable for serious storytelling. Wrote, what about *light*? There is no light in SDR, only it's faint reflection. Answer (by a pro DoP): that's enough, brightness is relative. HDR is a gimmick like 3D was, and it will disappear just the same, get over it ... Another article in the news section: UHD TVs bigger than 50" came to 40% of all houses in Germany in 2017, AUO announces 8k TVs for 2018 and projects 10% market share within two years ...

The 120-300mm f2.8 is the one I'd vouch for in terms of pro photography because I have and still do use it in anger. In certain stadiums that have particular shooting positions it actually offers a one lens shooting solution with a D500 in the same way that the 200-400 does on a D5. Video is not something I can attest to its use for but someone does/did re-house them in PL mount so there might be footage around somewhere https://www.ebay.com/itm/Cinematics-Cine-lens-sigma-120-300mm-T2-9-PL-for-SONY-FS7-F5-RED-EPIC-BMCC-BMPCC-/272894807128

@Matthew Hartman I guess, he thanked you for your noble effort replying to this thread and not referring to any specification!

Don't bother than... my broken English Take it as my personal mojo I'm too lazy for searching better words. Or maybe I'm trying to be unexplicable. Or I'm just tired, ES.

My friend, I'm not going to lie, what the hell did you just say? ?

@Matthew Hartman "An operator is going to point his camera towards the talent at eye level. A visionary is going to find ways to do anything but that." Another one concrete/operative suggestion where to, between else, search and how to maybe reach mojo as - many already here suggest - add of personality touch. Thanks. Ask, exchange question and answers, and always say thanks for nice human answer as noble effort - (precondition for awakening truly "personal process and journey").

Obviously, after asking about your budget I'm going to completely disregard it !!! If you can push the budget and don't mind it being fixed then this 400mm f5.6L is a good value. https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-lenses/used-canon-fit-lenses/canon-ef-400mm-f-5-6-l-usm/sku-704965/ If you think you might be in it for the long haul then one of the best routes to 400mm if you are only looking at the f5.6/6.3 area is to get a 70-200 f2.8 and a later generation 2X convertor. The advantage of that is that you get a much better and more flexible lens for when you're not doing this assignment and then can match the reach and quality of the sort of lenses you're looking at with the 2X as and when you need it. You can usually pick up a 70-200 f2.8L in decent condition for around £700 if you shop around and a latest generation 2X convertor for around £250. Another alternative is the Sigma 120-300 f2.8 and their 1.4 convertor which you can often pick up as a package for similar money. There are 3 generations of it but this one (the 2nd) is the best value for money version of it. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Used-Sigma-120-300mm-f-2-8-APO-DG-OS-HSM-Lens-Canon-Fit/232683031372?epid=101725619&hash=item362cfd4b4c:g:-LMAAOSwisZak~mD However....just for balance If you are looking to upgrade later and just want to get in the game for this assignment and don't mind it being rough then you can save yourself a few quid with this Sigma 120-400mm https://www.mpb.com/en-uk/used-equipment/used-photo-and-video/used-lenses/used-canon-fit-lenses/sigma-120-400mm-f-4-5-5-6-dg-os-hsm-canon-ef-fit/sku-711854/

@Frank Glencairn there was an email 11 days ago from you saying there will be an update next week. Not heard anything since, looking forward to seeing what this amazing news is. It sounds like it's close, I'm looking forward to reading the news and getting the final product. Can we expect it soon?

It's not so much the crop itself, but the inconvenience of it if you're using it as a hybrid camera

"With a crop factor of 1.6x (or 2.56x total crop relative to full-frame) the video mode is almost unusable." The stock photo literally has a 15mm lens on it. Sounds useable to me. The pocket is 3x and looks better than any Sony or Panasonic DSLR. Will there be a speed booster for this camera? Canon color + 4k for 800 is great. Depends what youre using it for. I imagine on a gimbal or for interviews this could be rad. You really don't totally need auto focus with a crop so high.

As I've said before.... What I like, you might not like... etc... etc... I think that instead of over analyzing the word "mojo" and what that word refers to.... You are better off trying to replicate a scene from a movie that you specifically like.... So, pop in that DVD find that scene that you like, pause it.... Take a screenshot and try to copy that.... Now... If you feel that you are not able to copy that after your first attempt.... Don't give up... Try different settings..... Come as close as you can in-camera before moving on to post.... Adjust in post, but don't over do it. If after a hundred attempts, you are not able to copy it exactly.... See if someone with more experience and better grading capabilities can use that camera to replicate that scene and learn from that...if after all that... It's not to your expectations..... May be then you can blame it on the camera and may be try a different camera...

"Mojo" is different than "lighting and composition skill" And again it is all down to taste, even with the most famous of painters certain people will and wont like their work. For example I REALLY do not enjoy this frame you posted. The grade is over-the-top, with shadows pushed up. Some may love it, I don't. Also to go even further I loved seeing The Desolation of Smaug at 48 fps, I loved it and I loved the 3D. For me high frame rate is perfect for 3D films. The majority of the moviegoing public think differently.

The shutter is the best thing about the camera - honestly. You need only the slightest half press to focus and little bit more to trip the shutter. Despite this, it is easy to apply the right pressure for the right task. And it is sooooooooooooo quiet.

Now that Sony has such a competitive camera for video at the $2000 price point can they finally add picture profiles to the A9? With the A73 at $2000 with that level of video quality they can't possibly expect the A9 at $4500 would be cannibalizing any sales for video-centric buyers. Just give us the damn picture profiles already. Of course it could be Andrew's interesting theory that it's the silent shutter flagship mode of the A9 that caused issues with picture profiles and thus was left out so as not to cause problems with that mode, not any sales/marketing/cannibalization concerns. I bought an A9 a little while ago, which I wouldn't have normally since I don't need that level of performance but I got it at a discount (working for a division of Sony) and really wanted the touch autofocus. Now I just want Andrew's EOSHD Pro Color for it, which worked great on my A7R2. Still hoping Sony can find a way to make it happen, but guessing they won't because the A9 owners are such a small group and most are focused on stills and don't care about picture profiles. I may just have to sell it and get an A7III, or wait for the S3... Anyhow, apologies for the digression.. now back to your reguarly scheduled A7III discussion..

I had a fresh look at some old NX1 files because I can now open them natively in latest Mac OS I was astonished at the high quality of the NX1 h265 files, compared to the Edit Ready converted files I used back at the time (I tried every h265 conversion software) I think if Mac native h265 had been available at the time the NX1 would have been better received I think all the DR problems, heavy contrast, highlight clipping you often see on NX1 footage is due to bad h265 conversion software, the native files look superb on a new High Sierra MacBook Pro

It's a good sentiment, however, in my particular case, this is counter to why I started this thread. I own a camera that I can't afford to replace. Even if there was some sort of magical camera out there that would be better for me than the one I have, I can't afford it. I am 'stuck' with what I have, at least for some time. The purpose of understanding what might go into 'mojo' is so that I can use the tools I already have (Canon XC10 and Resolve) to optimise the amount of mojo that my films have. This was my hope for this thread. I already knew about the 180 degree shutter, but I suspect there are 27 other 'rules of thumb' that I don't know that I could exploit. Maybe there's a ratio of rolloff for grading highlights (I just made that phrase up as an example) and that's how film looks, so that will get me a bit closer. Then perhaps there is something to do with shadows, or vibrant colours, or...... From editing photographs I learned that you want to do a huge number of things that all push the image to be better by just a little bit, and it's the sum of all the parts that makes the overall difference. Just pushing a bit here, pulling a bit there, etc. I want to learn what to do in making films. That's the purpose of this thread, for me at least.

Good to hear things are getting sorted! *thumbs up

Yep, but the point of the article was that: 1. The camera is still too expensive for many 2. The components in the camera are too old and don't really add up to the value of the camera indicating higher profit margins for Canon. 3. You can already get better quality at a cheaper price point

C100 internally is recording 8-bit 420, and externally is 8-bit 422

Im surprised so many call it overpriced, all the stores I've seen are listing it very cheap.

HLG allows more room for highlights. Night video has bright lights surrounded by dark. With little DR (like for SDR), either all the lights are blown out (and thus lack color) or if shot to avoid blow outs, there is zero information in the dark part. So here is an HLG video of a street scene at night:

Yes! Does anyone knows the exact differences between them (except the obvious smaller mega pixel count)?

Interesting, 4:2:2 shows almost no difference compared to 4:2:0. Bandwidth does matter, but 10bit has a clear advantage.

Camera mojo in the simplest terms.... The "colour science" implemented by the camera technicians in some cameras make it look more "attractive" then "standard" out of the box. So Fuji vs Sony for instance. The codec and bit rate implementation creates more visible and usable data (10 bit ProRes vs 8 bit, low bit rate AVCHD). The sensor size and lens combination (Alexa 65 with anamorphic lens vs RX10 with built-in lens) The dynamic range for smoothness rolloff between shadows and highlights (Ursa Mini 4.6k vs Canon DSLR in standard profile). Shutter angle or shutter speed combined with frame rate (24p at 1/48 = "filmic motion"). Rolling or global shutter (shutter skew or no skew is the main benefit) All the above combined I believe is something the internet calls "motion cadence" (Digital Bolex vs GoPro). While all the above can have a dramatic effect between cameras - remember that the real mojo comes from you. Your composition. Your lighting. Your camera movement. Your grading. Your skill as an artist. Having all these personal attributes will make most cameras that you shoot with... look like the bollocks.

hence Kyes current thread. just look at the post yesterday about the 1dxii vs 1dc. or before that newcomer Dave Altizer noticing the 1dc. these posts happen repeatedly about the 3 or 4 cameras mentioned far more than any other since the beginning of eoshd. (other forums as well) I read one thread about a very knowledgeable dp debating ridding himsdelf of his 16 bit raw shooting sony F55 for the ancient F35 because of the image it produces. what is this "something" that folks consistently and repeatedly notice and comment on in regards to the image produced by a very select group of digital cameras? one idea: two of the most talked about cams have charge coupled device sensors, which is the type of sensor used to scan/digitize the film in a lot of the shows/movies we've watched.

I use ShareGrid. Very reliable. They verify your ID, and insurance. I've considering offering my SLR 2x Anamorphic Prime to rent. Also, an Aputure 300D kit.

In my experience, the most significant part of the mojo of most cameras still resides within the circuitry of whoever is operating it. I've made enough bad images with good cameras to recognise it. Prefix it with "Then" and it will be interpreted as such but honestly I'm just not going to engage any more with this. Its no coincidence that every thread that I open that you are involved in might as well start auto playing the theme tune from Rocky. English may not be your first language but antagonism might well be.

I think the ES that @jonpais is using is "Errata Sendorum", which is an old Latin phrase used in English contract law in reference to failing to deliver an SLR Magic Rangefinder

Well strangely enough I 'am' an economist (or have a PHD in Economics from Cambridge Uni (UK))...

I'm not aware of the forum rule that outlaws 'wild conjecture'.

I can tell you as an industry UX Designer there is nothing "light" about this device, other than the obvious stripped down UI. The problem isn't our devices, it's our phycology. The devices exploit our phycology but they aren't the root of that issue, only a side effect, and not the only one. They are a mirror that shows us or tendency to avoid anything painful. I appreciate what this company is trying to acheive, because I think it's trying to address a real issue. I just don't agree with the approach. It's no different than chaining the refrigerator when your doctor tells you you've been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Sure, you inherently lose weight and reverse the disease, but you have only changed the exterior symptom of a deeper cause. As soon as those chains are released, you're headed for a relapse. You're not addressing the core behavior and what's driving it. A healthy person would and should be able to have a healthy and balanced relationship with their digital life irregardless of the vehicle they use to acheive it. I'll let you guys in on an industry secret. Many in my field use devices very little in our personal lives. Maybe it's because we design for them 10 hours a day, but I would be lying if I said part of our job isn't an exploitation of people's insecurities and increasing desire for instant gratification as ordered by business objectives. Anything used to sooth, hide, aviod, escape negative feelings can become an addiction, smartphones are no exception. What we need (and have) are programs that detox people's addiction to their digital life. The trick here, is not to replace it with another type of addiction. A good trend that we're seeing in our industry is a push to make technology more automated and "headless", meaning AI anticipates user intent without the user having to interface with a visual UI at all, which translates to no face burried in screen. We're a lot closer to this than the general public is made aware of, meaning it's already here, albeit in unrefined form. By large, most camera tech is slightly to moderately behind the technology curve. What you're really getting in that brand new shiny camera is already 1-3 years old when it gets released unto the world.

@Mark Romero 2 Sure, bud My only short to get into a couple of big festivals. Also a no budget project with a few friends, shot on a hacked GH2 (Flowmotion) with vintage Nikon AI/AIS lenses.

I think there is a common thread from people that have used canon and tried other companies. A camera is much more than its specs, and that's why I will never purchase a sony again. I used to own a C100 and not only could no other camera at that price point compete with the ergonomics but I would argue that still to this day no dslr comes close to getting as good an image, including the GH5. Canons are just much more cinematic and easy to use. Look at all the films shot on the c300 and the documentaries of the time. They are all still beautiful till this day, and that is with minimal post-processing. That's from a 8 bit camera. In fact, you look at some of the movies shot on the 5d Mark II and damn do they look cinematic. I have a cinema camera but I want a nice portable camera to do quick run and gun type work for which a dslr or mirroless is perfect. Canon is the only company that has the ability to provide something that could cater to all my needs - it doesn't need to be 10 bit. Sony is all specs and no substance. Their cameras aren't intuitive nor do they create a pleasing image imo. Eventually there will be a 4k aps-c dpaf canon camera with a decent codec, and that will be the end of this conversation I hope. Cause if I am honest nothing comes close to competing.

@kidzrevil cool thanks bought a 6500 instead

I read somewhere on canonrumours I think where one of their execs basically said this was their first push into what will be a renewed plan to enter into the mirrorless market. So I am expecting more to come, and when the later iterations do come, I think most people will be pleased. They have to cripple this one to distinguish it from their higher end models (if it isnt simply a matter of hardware limitations in a small body). Once canon get it right, they will be leaders yet again - not because they have the best specs like sony, but because they are able to execute a camera correctly. Ask yourself this question: which camera would you more readily recommend to a soccer mom - Canon M50 or a Sony a6300? I think any rational person would pick the canon. The a6300 is too complicated a camera for the average person to use between the menus and the ergonomics. I've heard it multiple times from people in museums complaining about how they don't know how to use the camera. If they don't know how to use it they will put it down.