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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/22/2018 in all areas

  1. Just did my first shoot with the C200. A few observations: -It's a small, weird little body. Taller, and maybe even fatter, than it is long. Strange ergonomic choice if you want to get it on the shoulder. Still, the dedicated buttons cover all the essential tools/controls and are easy to find...except the strangely placed operator-side record button, which is hard to find by feel. Comes into play when you're jammed in a little closet. -With Wide DR gamma and Production Camera matrix, the tones and color palette are lovely straight out of the camera. Particularly in mixed lighting, the Canon pumps out predictably pretty results. Can't speak to their accuracy, but for a sentimental narrative it was just what the doctor ordered. -The new 2K XF-AVC is a weak codec. Looks nice with no corrections or grading, but falls apart quickly if you biff your white balance or start to mess around in Resolve/Lumetri. Still, it's nice to have the extra metadata, and they make good dailies/proxies to use until we circle back and link up the RAW Lite files (which we haven't touched yet). -The viewfinder is nice and usable. Not nearly as good as the incomparable C700 EVF, but that costs about as much as the C200. ? For a built in, it does exactly what I need--show an accurate enough, sharp enough picture to operate and review with. The tilt was nice too, especially since I LOVE low angles. -RAW Lite chews through CFast cards like nothing. 128GB cards gave us 15mins each. Now I know how film shooters feel with their limited mag sizes. It didn't hold us back too much this time, but our future days will have longer, more complex takes, and I don't relish the idea of nervously watching our card time tick down. -It's a nice light camera, and moves around easily. In my case, I really prefer more mass to keep things uber steady. Might have to rig her up a bit more for our next go around. -I was fighting the fading sunlight in our last scene of the day (these damn, short Wisconsin days...), but I didn't seem to suffer too much penalty for bumping up to ISO 1600/2000 for our last couple shots. A little NR should take care of it. Ultimately, I think it'll actually be less noticable than the blue shift in the window light. Hopefully I can color it out convincingly. I'll end with a few stills for your perusal, but...for the price, it really is an easy, simple little camera. If the RAW punches as hard as I've heard, then the ease of use vs strength of results ratio is very impressive. I have mixed feelings on the body, but as a nice cheap rental, it delivered exactly what I needed.
    4 points
  2. I just picked one of these up to serve as a b-cam/gimbal cam alongside my Ursa Mini and ran the first tests with it. First impressions; it's a beast. The ergonomics are spot on and as a former 5D2 user I feel right at home with it. The UI is essentially the same as in the Ursa Mini which is nice. And coming from the Ursa, and BMCC2,5K before that, the low light capabilities... they're just like, damn. I just want to go all run 'n gun and shoot my next short with all natural light. I ran a test on how far I could push it while still getting a clean image - ended up fitting it with a speedbooster and a Pentax SMC 50/1.2. I was able to ETTR at 50fps in city areas, and shoot comfortably in even extremely dim locations. In fact, I had to stop down/up the shutter speed on several occasions. The image wasn't 100% clean though - I'm assuming it's like in the previous BMD products, in that noise reduction is only applied in prores. I shot RAW so I had to do some cleaning up in Resolve (a process I've accustomed to with previous BMD products mind you - but in ISO 800 in their case), but the image did clean up very nicely and retained all the detail. It's probably the first time I'm seeing an actual cinema grade camera do low light this well. I felt that I could use a reflector to bounce the available light and the camera would actually pick it up. Attached two snaps from my short walk with the camera. Not very cinematic - but rather tests on how much data I could get from available nightime light. Quite a bit, even in indirect light, as evidenced by the second picture.
    3 points
  3. I was pretty busy yesterday with other things. But I did have a brief play with the Z6 in as fairly dark room. I took pictures at 6400 ISO. They came out really clean. I have a feeling this cameras is going to live up to the hype regarding low light performance. Some notes: the camera feels light. It's clearly well made, but not heavy. The only lens I've attached so far is the 24-70mm native lens... I like it. I love the size. I mostly shot with the Canon yesterday as the Nikon was charging. The Nikon feels like a feather next to the 1DXMk2. As we bought the Nikon to be a go everywhere camera, the small and light combination checks a lot of boxes for us. I usually associate light weight with poor build quality... in most products. But this is strangely not the case with the Nikon. The camera is solid and of high quality. Holding it you feel confident that it will not let you down. I can report that I do like the ergonomics, but I do miss the battery grip with shutter button. We always opt for a battery grip on our cameras. Nikon missed out on some tidy profits by omitting this option with the Z6/7. I suspect I will miss the portrait tilt of the X-T3. Who knew that was a thing? But once you've had a screen with portrait tilt, it's something you realize is pretty handy. I don't miss the flip out screen of the GH cameras. I always use an external monitor or recorder when shooting video anyway. Single card slot is a non issue for me. Menus... I like the menus... they seem really easy to navigate. The learning curve is not too steep if you are familiar with modern cameras. It's a very different camera than the X-T3 and Canon in feel and handling and vibe. It beats the GH5/S in hand. Overall, I would say it reminds me most of the Sony... if the Sony was more refined. I plan to do some shooting with the Z today. I need to understand how it compares to the Canons... both the 1DXMk2 and C200. I want to know how easy it is to match the footage with the Canons... the C200 in particular. I know the C200 can be made to look like the Nikon... RawLite has a lot of depth. But can NLog bend to look like the C200 without breaking? A word about the EOS R... that was the camera we wanted to purchase. The cats out of the bag. I'm confident it would have matched perfectly to the C200. But Canon just had to pull a Canon. Cropping the 4k video to essentially m43... but without the ability to offset the extreme crop with a speedbooster. Hey Canon, Nikon and Fuji send their regards. With that out of the way, I REALLY want to love this camera. It's off to a good start, I'll know more soon.
    3 points
  4. You want the look of a heavier camera, you need to make the camera heavier. Period. The extra weight/mass is what makes bigger cameras look better handheld. Either you're willing to do it for the look or you're not. There's no way to "fake" inertia. Gimbals and steadicams will give you steadier footage with a light camera and eliminate micro-jitter, but it's not the same aesthetic at all. On a recent short, all it took was popping the F3 on a simple shoulder pad, and suddenly beautiful handheld was effortless. I can PM you a link if you're interested.
    3 points
  5. Great work Sage! I have been using you're luts the last couple of weeks, and it just works perfectly. Im currently shooting on a gh5 with atomos ninja V Here are some stills. The video can be seen here
    3 points
  6. I'm disappointed that the very vocal global shutter religious fanatics online have mislead Z Cam to waste their R&D resources on such a poor return for them. No Yes No. You could even ask the question: Is a global shutter camera really even necessary for 99% of professional filmmaking/videography? Answer: No.
    2 points
  7. I think a list of IR filters have been posted here maybe page 331 or 332. Check Firecrest and Hoya among others
    2 points
  8. There is some confusion in the metaphor you're making about film stock and digital sensors. One the one hand you say that you want companies to produce custom made sensors, then you conclude by saying you purchased a Z-cam because it uses the same sensor as the GH4. There are several layers to the way digital images are made and the sensor is just one of them. The color science of the camera matters as well - the Blackmagic CC4K and AJA Cion were released around the same time and were widely reported to use the same sensor. Both companies were known primarily for making breakout boxes and postproduction hardware. Both decided to move up the image chain to make a camera. The BMCC4K was Blackmagic's second camera. Blackmagic still makes cameras, and in fact the most popular thread on this website is about one of them. AJA produced an ergonomically superior camera. AJA released a video where the skin-tone of the models was not pleasing. AJA failed because of poor color science. So, you see, the sensor itself is not the dominant factor. Otherwise sensor makers would just make cameras. Engineering meets aesthetics in a camera. The manufacturer must have an appreciation for both - in the build and design of the camera body itself, and in its appreciation for the types of images the camera will be used to produce. Kinefinity's engineering prowess is clear. No other large format camera delivers such specs in such a small package. The aesthetic question is, of course, more subjective. I believe the Mavo LF is capable of creating excellent, cinema-quality images.
    2 points
  9. Definitely suits the aesthetic, nice work It's a ton of work to learn a new package so I can understand not moving from FCPX, but what I would suggest is getting familiar with the colour tab and what you can do there. Watching a good 10-20 minute walkthrough video showing you all the controls for colour will pay dividends almost immediately. For example, did you know that in the Colour tab you can highlight any number of clips, and then right-click on a graded clip and select Apply Grade (I think that's what it's called) and it copies the entire grade onto the highlighted clips. Also worth noting is from a Still you can choose Append to node graph, so you can have stills that have parts of a grade and you can just build a grade from there bit by bit. I've messed around in the past having Stills that had different converter nodes, nodes to desaturate the shadows/highlights, the Glow OFX plugin, etc etc.
    2 points
  10. Oh I am not surprised it is pretty good. BMD has good Color Science that is for sure. And with ProRes, Raw it is a winner no doubt. Even at 12bit the Raw is some great stuff. And the bRaw thing ought to make it really useful. I still may look into it. You guys need to get some footage up on here for us to view. I sold my Sony a7s and all my Sony lenses, battery grip this week. So I am in the market LoL.
    2 points
  11. Sure, buddy and I will tell you that I am surprised with their AF too. It is not perfect. A bit of pulsing is their unique flaw though. You don't even miss continuous autofocus. In the beginning, I thought it would be useless to even think to ever use it. My bad. Some other lenses later and I realized that was only the product of my laziness. A few primes or even the 35-100 f/2.8 II to follow up (so zooms as well, but the newer the better) could actually show me a much fitter and totally distinct outcome. Tap-to-focus really works precise, accurate (had the chance to stress it under low light circumstances, go figure) and in such huge monitor for so lightweight device; you get the mirrorless weight for the balance of a good solid brick-and-mortar. Any hint what the boys of Nouvelle Vague movements would think about, more than 50 years from today? ; -)
    2 points
  12. This is kind of a ridiculous statement. Not sure how you can make such a sweeping judgment not having shot on the camera. re: S35 vs Full-Frame - one of the cool things about shooting on a full-frame camera like the Mavo LF is you can always bump down to S35 mode and shoot on a traditional frame size in 4k at any time. I did it the other day.
    2 points
  13. Well those cameras line up with the mavo, not the lf. I said large format. (Equivalent of 35mm or larger). So all those cameras you mentioned failed to meet that criteria. if you want to buy a great super35 camera there are many excellent options. But if you want to venture into the large format realm, the mavo lf is much more obtainable than competitors large format cameras. You seem to have missed my reason for bringing the cost into play. The Mavo/Mavo lf will likely have quirks, but the at the price there is nothing that can match it spec wise (Lf) with the same size sensor. I personally find the colours from this Mavo Lf footage to be much more pleasing than the venice footage you posted.
    2 points
  14. Yeah right they are selling the hell out of them. Sure they are. Yeah I see them every where I go. I don't see them in even the rental houses here.
    1 point
  15. I am trying not to waste time on internet personas, rather exchange experience and knowledge on forums such this. We gave too much importance (and time = money = they get all the money!) to mediocre wedding photographers and videographers, while the real filmakers just do their job, somewhere out there, without insta posts and tweets (or whatever the new trend on social media is). Some people here know, it is a very hard work, you can work for days straight, needs physical and mental - and social - strengthness, and the last thing you care about is to inform your followers how fantastic and amazing is to work in the film and video industry with the new (insert paid advertisement here) and use the (another one here), while looking gorgeous, fresh and well slept! It is great for them (the youtube personas), glad ain't them!
    1 point
  16. Hmm, I think that is actually being performed as is set up. I need to play with the GH5 rig some more. My biggest problem is that I bounce around from the X-T2 rig, and the GH5 rig, hard to keep up sometimes. Anywho, family Thanksgiving is beckoning, later... Happy Thanksgiving to EVERYONE!
    1 point
  17. heart0less

    Lenses

    This would be a perfect solution, if not for the anamorphic adapter. ? I'm afraid it won't work as good as it should; too much glass, too many variables. Forgot about it! From what I've read, it's an amazing lens, though a bit pricey. Hard to get in my region, as well - not many Pentax users here. Definitely will keep it in mind, thank you. ?
    1 point
  18. No. The EVA has a 10-bit 4K codec, which Sony makes you step up to the FS7 to get. The FS5 only offers 10-bit 1080p and 8-bit 4k. I'd also pay more for the EVA color and dynamic range over an FS5.
    1 point
  19. noone

    Lenses

    Pentax 70 2.4? It is an APSC lens but it does cover FF quite well I believe (not used it). In a pinch you could use a shorter lens with a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter (the better legacy 50s can still be good with a good 1.4x if you can find the right combination). Maybe the Pentax 77 1.8 limited? (ok it is a little longer but it isn't 80 and we don't know the exact actual focal length of most lenses anyway).
    1 point
  20. BTM_Pix

    Lenses

    I can't recommend it yet (as I am still contemplating buying it ) but just for completeness, one lens that might be interesting for you is the Handevision IBERIT 75mm f/2.4 in Leica M mount. Nope, I'd never heard of them either. Here is a review and some sample images from a German reviewer using it on a Leica M10. Google translate has mangled it a bit but you can get the gist. https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=de&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qimago.de%2Fdas-handevision-iberit-75mm-f2-4-fuer-leica-m%2F There are also some other images from a quick LeicaRumours test and these back up the lower contrast look (certainly against the Voigtlander) that the reviewer was referring to, which is not such a bad thing in my view if you are using it for video. https://leicarumors.com/2017/03/19/quick-hands-on-review-of-the-handevision-iberit-lenses-on-a-leica-m10-camera.aspx/ There are a couple of reviews on the Adorama site where they are currently selling it for a much lower price ($379) than €600 the reviewer was basing his review on https://www.adorama.com/kal7524lcmb.html As I say, I can't recommend it as I haven't used one personally but if I can find one in Europe at the price that Adorama are selling them for then I almost certainly will be.
    1 point
  21. I received my Z6 the other day and this is my quick first impression and usage after 2 days. Before I pre-ordered the Z6 I rented the Sony A7III and used for a month and was considering buying it. The Z6 feels very solid in the hands. You immediately get the confidence you can use it in any weather condition without worrying too much. It fits well in the hands. The EVF and screen in nice, big, and sharp. The buttons have a nice feel to it. The menu; a lot simpler than the Sony. I have to say I am fairly familiar with Nikon menu system from past usage but if you were to give both cameras to someone who has never used a Sony or Nikon before, their learning curve on the Nikon menu system will be fast. Within 30 mins, I will say I was very comfortable with where everything was on the menu. I only have the 24-70 f4s lens and I am quite impressed with that lens and the IQ I am getting with the Z6 and that lens. Even more impressive is the low light with that F4 lens. This camera may turn out to be the king of low light with other cameras at that price point. Video AF; sorry Panasonic I am so happy for you for your latest firmware update on the GH5/s but Nikon completely beat you at video AF on their very first attempt on a mirrorless camera! It’s quite impressive, I dare to say on par with Sony. Moreover, you get face detect AF when shooting 4k! On the video side of things, this camera is very capable! Of course, it doesn’t have the advanced video tools the GH5/s has but for most of the hybrid shootings I do, I will be ok. I wish this camera had is eye AF like Sony and better tracking when shooting stills. Eye AF is quite handy and useful when it works. There is quite a latency with this camera with what you see on the LCD and EVF, worse than any camera I ever used. I am still testing to see how long the battery will last compared with my time with the A7III, but I don't think it will measure up to the A7III. Overall so far, I think Nikon did an ok job with their first attempt in the mirrorless world. Are there things that need improvement, most definitely! For my kind of hybrid shooting, I think the Z6 will keep me going for a while. One last thing, I like their mobile phone and camera app (Snapbridge). The only camera that compares is Panasonic. (I have tried Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, and Nikon) It still amazes me how camera companies still haven’t yet made communication between the camera and mobile device effortless. Off to more shooting and testing.
    1 point
  22. You have to win the Lotto to buy it, but here is one. https://www.abelcine.com/buy/lenses-accessories/mattebox-components/bright-tangerine-misfit-mattebox-and-tiffen-138mm-variable-nd-promo-kit
    1 point
  23. My Z6 came in yesterday after much delay. I plan on shooting connected to our Ninja V. I suspect this will give it a decided edge over the GH5/S. Rolling shutter is not a issue in our use case. I think the ergonomics will grow on you. The GH5/S is a great video camera, but I suspect the Nikon will be the more balanced hybrid. That said, we just got this camera, so our opinions may change.
    1 point
  24. 1 point
  25. I thought you were going to pull a Charlton Heston with your a7s: "Pry it from my cold, dead hands!" Maybe @Andrew Reid can start working on a NEW camera profile called a7SHD where we can give new Fuji, Nikon and Canon cameras those lovely green skin tones from the original a7S???
    1 point
  26. I just got my Z6 and so far in terms of output I think it has the Sony beat (at least the ones I’ve owned and used, a7rIII and a7III). The video autofocus seems to be on par with the Sonys. Colors out of camera are nicer, the IBIS better, the flat profile with sharpness dialled down looks more organic with a decent dynamic range considering it’s not a true log profile. The Z6 however still has nothing on the GH5-series when it comes to rolling shutter, overall useability and codec.
    1 point
  27. That is a drastically wide range of cameras you've listed there. Almost like they're just randomly thrown together. FS5 vs F5, totally different categories! C100 vs C300, totally different categories! Ditto the Kinefinity MAVO LF being in a totally different category to most of those. Not just AJA CION vs BMPC4K, but also later on BMD reused the sensor inside the original URSA and later the URSA Mini 4K. And we can see how BMD has taken that same sensor they first used in the BMPC4K and pushed it even further the capabilities in the URSA Mini 4K (still wouldn't ever take it though over a UM 4.6K!)
    1 point
  28. I use Lee pro-glass cine IRND 4x4. I also have tiffen grad nds which have a color cast to them at higher stops. I would not recommend tiffen personally. The Lee filters dont have any perceivable color shift as far as I can tell in my grades, so I would recommend those.
    1 point
  29. For small, unobtrusive set up, I’ve been using a long strap, and a Benro monopod, with a Manfrotto tilt head, completely collapsed, with the bottom of the monopod inside the kangaroo pocket of a hooded sweat shirt. Obviously you can’t walk around with it but for quick set ups I am getting some steady shots.
    1 point
  30. Adding weight is one thing (that people already mentioned) but what they didn't mention is adding weight at a distance. A steadicam works because the weights are at a distance from the camera. Here's the physics of the situation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_inertia Something you can try immediately is to use a tripod. Mount your camera on a tripod and try the following tests: Use the tripod with legs compacted and folded together and hold it underneath the camera allowing it to work like a steadicam Same as above but extend the legs most of the way to the floor Same as above but fold the legs out You will find that the first test gives some smoothing in tilt and roll but little stabilisation in pan, the second will be more of the same, and the third will add in some stabilisation to the panning as well because the legs are not all on the same axis. With physics you need a combination of mass and distance, you can't get around it. If you don't want either then do what I did and invest in IBIS.
    1 point
  31. My Friends over at arri told me they don't know you.
    1 point
  32. That might be true, but I am still looking I think at buying a Canon C100. Just a lot less hassle battery, buttons, memory space, and even grading wise.
    1 point
  33. Great post, man : ) The last paragraph is a pearl then : -) Unfortunately, and especially to me and many others from motion picture ballpark, FF is replacing the best format ever -- MFT gives what others will never reach: this craft is all know-how and art of lensing it; no other format offers such versatility from C-mount to FF not only but also when coupled to a focal reducer, let alone the whole leftover. Here's the reason why mainly there are (digital) dinos : D like us who care ; -)
    1 point
  34. Fs7 is the king, it just so happens to be my dream camera as well ?
    1 point
  35. I never said it was as good. Can you name another company that have a large format cinema camera with similar features, under £15k? Even £20k? Otherwise, no this comparison isn't wrong. This camera is obviously not aimed at Hollywood studios... It is priced competitively for what you get.
    1 point
  36. The GS variant will probably have even fewer takers. It has a 1" sensor, lower frame rates, and less dynamic range. Basically, the RS version will be better in every way except that one feature, so I doubt it will influence sales of the RS version much.
    1 point
  37. Weight is part of it, an Alexa weight a ton as do the lenses usually, most often it'll be on easy rig or steadicam vest or both. If not it's on a big tripod. The example looks great, but it does look like a small camera still, it's the quick jitter at the start I've tried using GH5 with Dual-IS2 and a Ronin S recently and it gets closer but it doesn't look like a heavy camera. So perhaps just add a load of lead ? Maybe a Ronin S in briefcase mode?
    1 point
  38. FYI just in case you're not aware, midtone detail is also available in the primary tab and is not a raw tab exclusive control.
    1 point
  39. I'd be very surprised if we see high quality F4 primes (which are not telephoto lenses, such as a 300mm f4, or ultra wide like a 15mm f4). Maaaaybe see a f4 prime if it is a pancake, I'd very much welcome the likes of a 40mm f4 pancake lens for E / R / Z / L mount
    1 point
  40. Super nice! Great to see shooting in some interesting conditions
    1 point
  41. Brandon Lee review seems really nice, it looks like it quite good. As a user of the Zhiyun crane 2, I am not very satisfied by its stabilization and sincerely those heavy gimbal are very hard to use because you get fatigue very fast.
    1 point
  42. IronFilm

    The new Insta360 X cam

    Insta360 ONE X for $319 https://www.joybuy.com/600463705.html
    1 point
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