Leaderboard

Just got my G2X / Nucleus Nano combo! Beautiful packaging, will test it out with P4K asap!

A few of my 2018 winners would be : "Signpost Award" : Insta 360 One X, not for its actual 360 necessarily but for pointing the way to how much that omni-capture can bring to the table in terms of stabilisation and re-framing for regular flat content. I picked one up just before Christmas and whilst its not my first rodeo when it comes to 360 cameras, its the first one that has really delivered on the shoot now frame later concept. Don't get me wrong, it is full of flaws but it is very close to being there for being the first choice leisure/travel/vlogging camera for a lot of people. It doesn't take much imagination to consider the possibilities for other type of film making as well if manufacturers like Pansonic, Fuji, Sony etc were so inclined. "Hannibal Lecter Award" : Fuji for cannibalising sales of its video centric X-H1 by having better video specs on the X-T3. "Bob Marley Award" : Jointly won by Sony for making everyone Wait In Vain for the A7Siii and Blackmagic for the Pocket 4K batteries Jamming. "Horticultural Award" : The Blackmagic Pocket 4K for sprouting more plants than the Chelsea Flower Show in this forum in September.

Your getting up there in age to maybe take advantage of one of these. Plenty of room for your gear in that bag. I love mine. I love how the wheels look like Canon L lenses.?

Here's my top 5 cameras of 2018. Of course we all know "there's no such thing as a 'bad' camera" any more but there is such a thing as a dull, boring rip off. Then there's the stuff that has a shelf life of a few months, that you just know is a stepping stone before the real deal arrives. In many ways 2018 was a good year to keep hold of what you have and wait for the dust to settle. An eventful one for technology, especially in the second half where we saw some glimpses of the future. In 2018 we had six truly great cameras for filmmakers and a few that didn't make my top list like the RX100 VI but which are nevertheless still useful in one way or another. Read the full article

I do not know the others, but came from another winner the NX1. I have the X-T3 since a few weeks and I am really impressed about filming with the Fuji. Only the size and feeling in hands, battery life ... NX1 still winner. The X-T3 produces colourfull footage also when there is less light. I filmed recently at 'Winter Efteling' in the Netherlands, most shots during evening and even night. Very colourfull and even at ISO 6400 good. For (professional) photography I think perfect... for me ;-)

I am quoting just for everyone to re-read this great post. Insta was in my shopping list for Christmas also, but finally I went full DJI (Ronin S/Mavic 2 Pro). People praising the little Osmo camera but Insta is closer to the future than that.

Good article Andrew. I would like to see you also do an article that is your current top cameras, regardless of release date. I'm sure you'd provide some interesting commentary and some inclusions from previous years that are still holding their own against the newest releases. It would be of real value to those who are in the market too.

I know, but with your history with ENG cameras, you'd recommend this lens as a lightweight run'n'gun option!!

I do not see red or arri implementing good autofocus. So not sure why blackmagic should. Its a cinema camera, and ibis or autofocus are not on my havetoo shortlist. The pocket 4k is on place 1 for sure on my list.

The Z6 uses both phase and contrast detect though

Nice to hear you're having a good experience! In case you're not aware of it, the second level of caching to keep that performance even if you've got a million effects applied is to render the relevant parts of the timeline. To do this, go to Playback -> Render Cache -> set to User. Then on the timeline, right-click on the relevant clips and select Render Cache Colour Output and it will render those clips with the grading you've applied to that clip, like the Render Timeline in days of old. You can also set the Render Cache to Smart and it tries to work out which bits of the timeline to render for you, sometimes it gets it right and other times it doesn't, but it can be useful. There's also the Playback -> Proxy Mode settings, which I'm not that clear on, but I think they reduce the resolution of the preview window, requiring less work to play things in the preview window. Also of note is that Resolve has two playback modes, toggled by the Show All Video Frames option in the context menu on the viewer window (on the top-right corner of the viewer there is a button with three dots which opens the menu). If that option is enabled it will show all frames and if it can't keep up then the sound will cut in and out, and if that option is disabled and it can't keep up then it will play the timeline at normal speed with continuous audio but with a jerky video component. If Resolve can keep up then that option doesn't make any difference. Performance in Resolve is managed by many different methods and settings. This flowchart is old but might still be useful for some.

They sell zoom lenses you know. ?

I see the point however xqd cards should be more reliable and sturdy than SDXC

Hey everyone, I am getting tired of bad gimbal reviews. I rarely have time to make them, but trying to do more and more when I can. Here is my honest opinion on the weebill lab.

Recently got the EVA1 because it’s Christmas and cameras rule the world. Took it out for a spin first time on a major project in Amsterdam and Iceland. My entire kit was a right heavy bugger to carry around, silly me. GH5 came too. But will it service my creativity / ability or is this just a symptom of the camera “want, need” sickness? BRIEF GOOD THINGS - Body is nice overall. I’d look twice ? - 4k image is super lovely. I could marry it. - 2K 120fps better than competing cameras. Doesn’t look like an infected toe. - Codecs. Lots. Same as GH5. Woo. Party! BRIEF BAD THINGS - The LCD makes a good mirror. As a monitor? Get a hammer and smash it. - Switching sensor modes and HFR could make you feel unwell quickly. Slow. - The hand grip moves a bit when locked. Makes you sigh a lot and say “f*****g hell” under your breath. - More user error, but I had my IBIS hands on while shooting. Sort of forgot I’d be back to wobble club. Overall, it was robust and performed well. Images look lovely. Matches GH5 nicely. Looking forward to shooting more and not throwing it in the bin. Extra note - I used the new SWIT 55C as the Monitor which I also want to marry. Great deal! Here’s a photo from the shoot....

I would say if you aren't doing a lot of color work you aren't going to need 10 bit capture. Flog works pretty well in 8bit in general, more prone to banding of course. I think 10 bit can help in terms of dynamic range. 10 it color should hold up better in shadows, when raising in post. That said again if you aren't doing much in post you probably won't really notice the difference between 10 and 8.

No truer statement has been posted but I think since Oliver was seriously considering the C200 for a few seconds, that it kinda bled over into this thread. With that being said, I think the EVA1 is an amazing camera and with @Zak Forsman ‘s EVA1 price drop news, the EVA1 becomes even more attractive to me and I’m sure to anyone contemplating a C200 or FS7. However, a lot of you guys could shoot in Pixelvision and get a great output. I’m not saying the middle codec isn’t important to a lot of productions... I’m sure it is. With that being said, I don’t think I am properly getting my point across, so I will concede to your knowledge of the needs for the professional market. As a hobbyist, narrative filmmaker, I’m obviously out of my depth here and have no inner knowledge of the Greek broadcast production standards. But I never said I couldn’t afford a C200, I merely said that it doesn’t fit my run and gun production needs at this time. When and if I am in the market for a cinema camera, the internal RawLite from the C200B will be a contender, as will the 5.7K Raw output from the EVA1 and the ProRes Raw output from the FS5/II. @Zak Forsman have you tested the Raw output from the EVA1 and if so, what are your thoughts, or better yet, do you have any clips to share?

I know Nikkors turn the “wrong way” but it seems more natural to me. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve owned so many lenses that turn that way, so I’m just used to it or if my brain wants infinity to turn toward the right. I have more trouble with my Canon lenses. Luckily I can adjust my muscle memory fairly quickly that it’s never an issue. I’ve also learned to yell “action” well after I hit record. I actually like 50mm lenses. I’m kinda obsessed with them and definitely have tested more 50mm lenses in my life than other focal lengths. But with my love affair with the Nikkor 35mm 1.4, I’m unsure if a 50mm would add much more that I couldn’t get with a quick camera replacement than a lens change. As I shoot more and more, I am really enjoying this one prime lens concept. As @kye suggested, I am really getting a feel for composing for specific projects based on subject/thematic material. Plus it lets me find and use a few gems from different manufacturers. Of course, lens tests can become just as much of a hobby as filmmaking can be. In fact, one of my goals for 2019 is to produce more films and one of the ways I want to go about doing that is to make micro short films. So when I do get a new lens that I like, I will instead make a short film with that single lens, instead of just going out and doing a test. By doing this, I’m hoping my eye will become more trained while I also get more accomplished. With all this Nikkor talk, I figured I’ll flip the script with another framegrab from the Canon 35mm f/2 shot from my film...

Yeah, I think if you approach it in the way that you aren't going to be shooting some high end production on it then I definitely think that it has more about it for casual use. We were on a bobsleigh run a few days ago (on rails but still scary enough for me thanks!) and to be able to just hold the camera and then create a really dynamic faux multi-camera piece from it on an iPad straight after in any number of formats or extract stills or just keep it as a 360 piece is incredible really and a ton of fun. You can do a similar-ish thing with the Pocket but you'd have to be choosing the camera orientation points on the fly which are not only destructive but also pretty difficult to pull off while you are screaming and making sure you don't soil your undies !

I sort of agree. However they certainly could make their offerings more attractive. An M43 camera with 4K up to 120fps and better high speed HD would still be very attractive. Especially if it had IBIS and the GH5's low light capabilities and PDAF.

I don't think 10 bit is overrated. Its just not needed for every project.

The middle codec thing is a real thing for TV professionals, I thought that was clear until now. It is in the technical specifications on most of the contracts we sign with the TV stations here. You just can not deliver whatever you like. So, if I am spending 10.000€ for a camera (+accessories), then I would like to be able to use it for TV work and not rent, or the production company rent from me. Right now S-log is the most popular in our industry. Literally hundreds of FS7 cameras in TV stations and production companies, while I know 2 guys owning a C200 and for the very first time in history EVAs and UMP are more than a C model. This is the cheapest C camera that shoots 4K also, which is ridiculous in my opinion, there is a huge hole in the line up. So, this really is: either a hobbyist's camera, with most of them - including you - can not afford, or internet creators's camera that do not have specific specs to meet and the less choices give them ease of mind. Both of the above groups are amazing, just not the appropriate path for some of us. If I want to play with Raw for a couple projects per year I am getting a P4K, then another camera to do my other 8bit jobs, and buy a Sachtler flowtech with an FSB head, and probably buy a couple of new led lights.

Serendipitously, Panasonic announced a price drop for the EVA1 today. $6495 MSRP, down from $7345. I'm doing my best not to pull the trigger on a second one. but also wondering if this drop is in anticipation of an EVA2 (or EVA1 Mark II) announcement in the coming months.

Btw we should be really focused on EVA1 not C200 on this thread

I think that most gimbal manufacturers have very poor operational / app instructions. Don't know about the Weebill, but have a Crane M and now a Feiyutech A1000 and their instructions are both terrible - and missing crucial features. When first using the A1000, even balancing perfectly the gimbal, the camera starts shaking with a minimal gimbal movement and never stops. Saw a lot of similar remarks online. But one person said that it an initial shake is normal - is a gimbal feature to measure the camera weight and auto-adjust the strenght of the motors; but it have just to do it in start, and about 1 second max. With this information, entered in the Feiyu app to see how the motors were calibrated and found a disabled checkbox (do not remember now the label), related to it. Marked the checkbox, and after that the gimbal was rock solid both with a GX85 or with a DSLR (put my S5Pro just to check it). The gimbal shakes briefly at the start, and after that works perfectly. And this checkbox was not mentioned anywhere in the Feiyu documentation.

But you can say "image good enough to tell a story" about most of the cameras in market today... even on some smartphones. You can also say "forget specs and just shoot" about any camera. All these general sentences teach nothing when you try judge a camera.

Sincerely, best evf and back screen for most, very very good Full frame IBIS, very very good video autofocus, outstanding body construction (lensrental rivaling best DSLR ones), 10 bit and log. What did you expect, it beats the A73 in everything except native lens choice (The adapted Nikon lens are still very good on the body). I don't what some people expected, perhaps a coffee machine option. The only body that would beat it depending if you want better slowmotion and internal 10 bit is the Fuji XT3. Now if for you IBIS and better low light is more important and the FF look, then the Nikon would win. As for the Sony, when the next one comes out, then we can compare to the z6, because for now the z6 is in every way better.

I use a Ronin S. But it's nothing I carry casually. I almost never post stabilize. If I want stable footage I will use a jib, slider, gimbal, or if I need repeatable movements, or working alone, I will use a full blown motion control system.

That is a hell of a good deal! If the camera is in otherwise good nick, and has no known flaws, then I'd be pulling whatever deals/loans/favors that I could if had that offer to buy a FS7 kit at that price from a local rental house.

Not exactly... But Thunderbolt. https://mi.ingrammicro.com/_layouts/CommerceServer/IM/ProductDetails.aspx?id=MI01@@9600@@10@@8W3085

I just wanted to report, after shooting around the holidays with my A6500 in 4k 24fps and 1080 120fps, I wanted to test Davinci Resolve's Optimize Media render times. I must say I am IMPRESSED. I was able to make ProRes LT proxies and now my timeline is buttery smooth. The real kicker is the speed at which it was able to do this for me. In the past I had tried to use premiere to do this, but my computer would wind up crashing after 40 minutes. I was able to get around 80 4k clips and 40 120fps clips (various time lengths) optimized in around 45 minutes. I've been going crazy researching for a new laptop but my gosh perhaps, I can hold off and keep saving in the meantime with this awesome feature. Another tick in the pro's column for Davinci Resolve and another ding in the "Going Back to Premiere". (So far I really don't see myself going back..considering I'm on the free version and it's doing just fine...)

Oh I am not suggesting it was exposed wrong. Most cameras work on Contrast detection for AF and there is very little in a normal Log. Contrast and Saturation is 2 things you have to add in post.

Ok, I have solved the mystery of why the Nikon Z6 AF performed so dismally during my testing. I can confirm that IT IS A BUG and is easily reproducible. See the below video for a complete demonstration of the issue and how to reproduce.

XQD and CFast cards are both pretty robust. SD is more of a concern. But are you shooting to both cards simultaneously when shooting video? I don't think so. That is unless you are shooting on a C200 with 8 bit proxy files. Though I think the GH5/s have this feature also.

And you didn't loose all your pictures because of the Single Card Slot

Well its certainly do-able. This is an interesting project on the BMCC (same horse, different jockey) that shows the possibility. In this instance he's gone for an Ursa style but if you look at the internals there is no reason why it couldn't be taken in a different direction. The screen is kind of defining the size (as well as the heat sink) but it would be interesting to know if it could be changed to a smaller one, or even lose it altogether but keep the controls, obviously, and use an EVF instead.

A proxy workflow is what you make of it. Essentially, you create an exact copy of your entire project in a format that plays back smoother on your system. At any time, you can toggle between using the "online" media and the "offline" media. If you wish, you can do ALL your post production on the proxies (editing, color, sound), and only toggle back to online media for the final export. Or, you can do some editing, switch to online media, do some color, switch back to proxies, do more editing, switch back to online media, edit more--etc. Or you could use proxies to edit, switch back to online media for color correction and export, and never use the proxies again. On the other extreme, you can do a proxy workflow where you never switch back to the online media, but then it's called transcoding. You can make proxies for any format. You can even make your proxies BE in any format. You can make HD ProRes proxies for 8k 10 bit H.265 footage, or 4k H.265 proxies for an HD ProRes project (not sure why you would want to though...). That's all quite abstract, though. In practice, proxy capabilities depend on which software you are using, especially if you are using the builtin proxy generator. In Resolve, if you use Optimized Media (essentially, proxies) you can switch between optimized and original media at any time, like I described. However, you are limited in the formats that you can make proxies in, and I've often found that Resolve "loses" optimized media all the time. Personally, I make proxies in ffmpeg, and manually switch out which files my timeline uses. That way I have maximum control over the proxy format, and can easily troubleshoot problems. A decent workflow should allow you to do crops/reframing and variable framerates without issue, but it depends on the software you use. In general, the only pro is smoother playback while editing. However, proxies are also a huge benefit if you have a remote editor and need to send files over slow internet connections. My 500 GB project is only 10 GB in proxy form. I can use Google drive to send the entire project to an editor, and all they have to send me in return is an XML. Cons are a messier workflow, having files become unlinked if your workflow is not perfect, tons of headaches. But all of those problems can be avoided if you know what you are doing, and rigorously test your workflow before using it on a project.

I use RGrain. It’s better than FilmConverts IMO. http://rgrain.com/

Just a quick update, as I've just come back from 3 days of winter camping in the mountains, and I want to share my short experience concerning battery life. So, during 3 days with just below 0°C temperatures, I shot mainly short video sequences (around 30s) from dawn to dusk, milky way photography one night, some landscape photo in the morning and in the evening, and a lot of image reviewing. The camera stayed outside with the battery still inside it (I usually remove the battery from the camera in winter, and take it inside my sleeping bag, but not this time). Right now, I'm reviewing all the material, and the battery indicator displays 3 remaining bars out of 5. I'm quite satisfied... with my Fujis, I would have used 3 batteries ! As usual, there is quite a gap between internets myths and real life experience !

Yeah I think one of them is dedicated to just the Focusing Module.

Canon #1 innovator

Almost there?? https://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=17695.msg209985#msg209985 Happy New Year!!!

Settings Gimbal pitch speed 12, smoothness 20 (makes gimbal movement smoother and less twitchy) Controller Expo settings .25, .10, .25 (makes yaw movement less twitchy)

On a wide lens (24mm) it’s barely noticable and very usable I think, besting the a7III.

If you add in some of the best sensor stabilisation on a full frame camera, the ill effects of rolling shutter are much minimised in hand held footage. I have not seen much of it in footage online, even when using non-stabilised lenses.

I picked up the one that was most readily available from local dealers, which was the Zhongyi lens turbo 2. It's an EF speedbooster and I just have simple M42-EF adapters on my M42 lenses (those adapters cost like 5-10 euros a piece). I think the lens turbo does a boost of 0,74x or something like that, essentially turning it into a Super35 crop. I found it to be optically good enough to mount a Samyang 24/1.4 or a Sigma 18-35 1.8 without noticable aberrations or degradation. I haven't seen any need for an IR filter at least so far - though so far I haven't used it in really extreme circumstances (ND+heavy sunlight) - it's the period of polar night after all. In any case, I think these new blackmagics are way better about IR pollution than the 2,5K. I use a Zhiyun Crane 2 currently. It's... okay. The first setup was a doozy, but it carries the P4K well. Requires a baseplate though due to how wide the camera is. It's the first gimbal I've owned and takes some getting used to. Definitely different beast than an oldschool steadicam, but way more pleasant to use than a full-size Ronin. Not 100% happy with my gimbal skills yet but I'll get there eventually.

Some more observations.... 1. The noise in 2.8k sensor mode for 2K 120fps in VLOG is crazy! Could be user error though as I didn’t black balance. Will test more. 2. Footage feels much smoother and distinct compared to GH5. Colours suddenly look a lot more dull on GH5. Saying that, the GH5 holds its own. 3. White balance temp response seems off. Different to GH5 results in same situation. Maybe user error. Test more. 4. Think you must use the garbage LCD to operate playback. Hope I’m being dumb and there is a manual way. The LCD doesn’t deserve to be on this camera in any way. I’m knee deep editing the project and will share once released!

Yes but come on, A7 III low light level isn't good enough? I think in video FF we have reached an amazing level of high iso low noise now. 24-36mpx is good I think. On top of that it allows for crop mode which the A7S cannot do. Crop mode in video is magical, 2 lenses in one without quality loss.

I'd probably favor the EVA1 simply for the internal 10bit and DR