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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/05/2019 in all areas

  1. BTM_Pix

    Lenses

    If you are looking for a really terrible value for money, slow but actually decently performing standard zoom for an APS-C L mount camera (and frankly who isn't?) then here are some samples from my Leica 18-55mm f3.5-f5.6 from a few days ago. Its not going to rock your world but it acquits itself well for travel stuff like grey train stations and goats operating a self service buffet.
    6 points
  2. Andrew Reid

    Davinci Resolve 16

    Let's hope they don't revolutionise editing too much. FCPX magnetic timeline anyone?
    6 points
  3. The expectations for the A7Siii are so high and very unrealistic.
    5 points
  4. I bought one used. it's about 1.5 stops better in the shadows than the c300 ii and same in the highlights (3.5 stops over key) - https://cinematography.net/CineRant/2018/07/30/personal-comments-on-the-2018-cml-camera-evaluations/ which makes it almost as good as any camera - well better than the alexa in shadows but, still alexa is the king in highlights. it shoots pro res. it does everything you wish the c300 ii would do. well not raw light - i don't know why it doesn't do that - maybe I should ask them. here's some stills with a zeiss 28mm standard speed - doesn't quite have full frame coverage. i'll post a video soon to show more tests with it.
    4 points
  5. I think the delay in the A7Siii is obvious: the expectations/market has moved in a direction that outpaced Sony's tech and they're playing catch up. Last year was a huge year. Panasonic was still riding that GH5 wave for most of the year, until they announced their full frame camera. The full frame mirrorless announcements from Nikon and Canon. Nikon and Fuji made HUGE steps in their video capabilities. At the beginning of the year the A7III looked like a real impressive camera (and it still is despite its flaws) but by the end of 2018, not so much. Heck, the GH5s, and all of the new full frame mirrorless cameras even made their low light performance look less impressive: maybe not as good, but definitely in the ballpark. In a sense, they're probably not lying by saying that it's simple to add 4K/60p but to DO 4k/60p with their current mirrorless tech probably isn't so simple without overheating. The longer they wait though the bigger the expectations are going to be. It's not an enviable position to be in. At this point they're going to need to release something ground breaking because they've got a lot of companies gunning for them, and they're all very capable foes.
    4 points
  6. mojo43

    Davinci Resolve 16

    Amazing. I moved to Resolve last year and haven't looked back. For my editing I think I have sped up my workflow by about 30-40%. Plus it doesn't crash every 5 minutes. Bonus!
    3 points
  7. BTM_Pix

    Race to the bottom

    It was only when it came to doing the formal portraits that the bride began to have her suspicions.
    3 points
  8. I've heard the A7siii will make all cameras obsolete.
    3 points
  9. I am single handedly claiming the credit for the announcement of this product today as it was clearly triggered by me buying the Sennheiser version less than 24 hours ago !
    3 points
  10. SR

    Davinci Resolve 16

    The company that keeps giving.
    2 points
  11. gethin

    Race to the bottom

    I just quoted on a job. Required 3 trips to location, 3 lots of drone work and shooting on a roof and a little interview. I quoted $2200 Aud (about 1500 usd) for a 2-3 min finished vid or $275 per hour ($195usd) for the raw footage, only. Got message back that he didn't have a lot of money to spend on the vid, and ultimately that i was too expensive, and I just wonder what folk expect when they phone about that sort of job. $500? I am seeing this more and more. Time to give up on video and become a plumber.
    2 points
  12. I heard that the Canon K35 glass, some of the most desirably vintage cinema glass in the world was based off the Canon FD L series glass. I heard that the Canon K35 glass, some of the most desirably vintage cinema glass in the world was based off the Canon FD L series glass. I couldn't find anything on the web that showed these comparisons so I made the test myself. Results of what lenses are what are below. Results of what lenses are what will be answered soon!!!!
    2 points
  13. Node based workflows are superior to layers and lumetri by a long shot. That feature is one of the biggest and best that DaVinci offers. I used to think otherwise when I was using Adobe alot, but I can not work any other way.
    2 points
  14. The P4K doesn't really have "better codec options" at this point unless you mean braw - and that will probably be less of a competitive advantage when ZCam release the first version of their raw implementation sometime this month. Otherwise, the ZCam has ProRes HQ at up to 4kp30 and ProRes 422 at up to 4kp60 as well as h.265 with decent bitrate. If you tested months ago, the quality of 4kp120 has improved since then - they upped the bitrate on it a bit. In the next release, they are upping it more (I think to 500 megabits/second). And you're very likely right about the A73 sensor - or something similar to it. In general, if you check the features of a Z-Cam vs a list of modern Sony sensors, you'll find that they align really nicely. It's why people keep asking about 4kp120 in the bigger sensor cameras and getting turned down. None of the bigger Sony sensors support it. The BMPCC4K is a great camera and a fantastic value, no doubt about it, but the E2 is also excellent and I'm glad I bought it over the BM. I love that I can rig it on a big heavy shoulder rig with huge EF lenses and F-970/V-mount batteries for long life... or I can throw on a tiny Micro 4/3 prime like the Panasonic 14/2.5 or 20/1.7 and put in an F550-type battery and have a super tiny light camera. The lack of a built-in screen is mitigated very nicely by being able to wire in my phone as a screen which I very much prefer to using wifi - it gives me an excellent 5" or so low-latency screen with a built-in battery. Not bad.
    2 points
  15. I personally love the E2 form factor. I am tired of dealing with DLSR bodies and their tiny internal batteries. Only thing missing internal ND's. If they had that I would probably be sold on them. Prores + H265 and H264 is a huge win as well.
    2 points
  16. If you take history as our guide (and people should do), nothing indicates that such an A7sIII is even remotely possible, for the simplest of the reasons, such an A7sIII would be better than - almost - ALL the professional Sony cameras that exist today. The most profitable Sony cameras right now are definitely the FS5 and 7 cameras. Do you truly believe that Sony will have a better than those cameras in September, for half or 1/3 of the money, while they still sell like hot cakes (especially the FS7mkII is a staple in most low budget productions all over the world right now)?! There isn't even a camera with similar specs to price ratio to the forthcoming Z cameras, or to the P4K for that matter, so the speculation and imagination can't even point us to any possible reality right now.
    2 points
  17. MrSMW

    Race to the bottom

    I am in the wedding business, photography & video and have mixed views on this. First of all, there is a lot more competition. a LOT more. Since I started out close to 20 years ago, there are at least as 10x as many offering a service. Also, the competition is a LOT better than it ever has been, both in quality of output and in regard to marketing it. Video is less crowded than photography however as the learning curve is steeper and the production times longer, - less appeal for many ie, less see it as a fast buck, whereas with photography, everyone with a camera thinks they can do it. Bollocks, it takes years and dozens of different scenarios to get really good at it. I came from 5 years of college and uni photography and reckon it took me nearly 8 years until I felt I really knew what i was doing without having to really think about it. Then there is this 'race to the bottom'. It's been talked about for years and to an extent, it is true...but at the same time, not completely. The trick of it is twofold. First, you need to be offering something that is on another level to 'the rest'. I am not saying you need to be the best in the world, but better than anyone else they will probably look at. Ideally, you need to have a number of 'points of difference' and deliver this message with clarity. People have increasingly shorter attention spans. Second, you need to be found by the type of people that are your clients. This may only be 1% of the entire market. Or less. If you are trying to appeal to all and catch fish with a massive net, you might actually be better off with a rod and fishing for one species only. In regard to the latter, you can try and have a broad appeal and try to snag that 1% through the sheer volume approach or target your marketing and have a much smaller volume of contact, but a much higher booking rate. I've found the latter works for me and prefer the 'larger fish in the smaller pond' approach works better. Over the years, I have seen so many 'young bucks' come into the industry. First of all they are full of enthusiasm and it drives them for a while and all that energy helps compensate for the relatively low prices most charge, fully intending to put them up once established. They then try to do that and the work begins to dry up. Most then give up and go back to their 9-5 day job with all it's securities when they realise the reality is not swanning around the world at their clients expense and editing on a laptop in coffee shops. One other thing I have found is that 'good enough' is not good enough and you need to go above and beyond simply to maintain your position. It's extremely easy to get sucked downstream and incredibly hard to swim upstream/against the current. The latter can be done, but to get that extra 10%, often requires another 100% effort. Is it worth it? Maybe... But yes, I 'lose' out sometimes to the sub 500 photographer who either promises the moon on a stick, or more often than not, don't and they (the clients) know they won't be getting much...but that exists in all kinds of services. Or the client deludes themselves that the cheaper option will work out for them only to regret it. Doesn't help us if they do however as folks rarely pay twice and in weddings, never. To conclude, another couple of attributes any small creative business needs are a thick skin and a lot of drive/determination. I would not want to be starting out in photography/video today knowing what I know and would persuade my daughter against it. The bottom line though is that there IS a market still and a very good one but it's a case of finding the right one for you and working it. Continually. Just like an athlete, there are some people who are naturally gifted, but they can and will be beaten by someone with not so far off genetics that grafts harder then the rest. Oh and one other thought, I have tried several times unsuccessfully to get into the commercial market and in the end gave up concluding I could just not make it work for whatever reason, so I plod along with weddings which I genuinely enjoy shooting. Not overly keen on the whole industry and what goes on behind the scenes, but that is another story...
    2 points
  18. 2 points
  19. You forgot Mojo!! I agree. Comparing a Corolla to a Ferrari requires some accommodation of pricing. I like the "X vs Alexa" because it serves as a good reference for the state of the art. It also does some small good to educate people that are new to this space and think that their $3k camera setup should be the best in the world. I also like that it (can) spawn some interesting conversations around various cameras having strengths and weaknesses. A cellphone is a lot more 'professional' a camera when the shot required is wide angle and in plenty of light with deep DOF, for example. That knowledge is useful to those people who respond to the "$100k movie camera" clickbait titles. We could definitely do with more nuanced debate around things though, sadly it seems that the world has become more polarised and succumbed to more black-or-white thinking now that globalisation is really kicking in. Watching on a phone is actually more meaningful than you might think. The differences between 1:1 RAW and 12:1 RAW are visible, even through YT compression which must be hundreds-to-one, which tells you something about the nature of compression and signal processing through a signal path. It's the same with resolution, although most phones are 1080p displays now. Besides, most camera tests are completely useless at worst, or just a reflection of how well they were graded. Content and story loose neither dynamic range nor resolution when viewed on a phone...
    2 points
  20. Right, I meant in terms of higher frame rates. I'm amused by the way Sony claims its "easy" to do 4k60, but has yet to do it, while other companies like Z Cam forge ahead into double that frame rate--using a Sony sensor, of all things. Strikes me as funny.
    2 points
  21. I am curious if there's any reason I shouldn't return my XSW-D and get this instead. Besides the locking connector it looks better in just about every way.
    2 points
  22. Just came across this post from Hal Hartley on Instagram. He's updating a bunch of his old films, including Surviving Desire. He included a screen shot of updating the colour of Surviving Desire on DaVinci Resolve. Of course, we know filmmakers all over the world use this stuff. Still, it's cool. And if you haven't seen any of Hartley's films, do yourself a favour.
    2 points
  23. It came in a very nice box though so I'll be keeping it on that basis.
    2 points
  24. When this system was announced, there was a discussion over the internal rechargeable battery not only in terms of run times but also over longevity and if it failed would that be game over for the units. At the time, I speculated that based on the power spec quoted by Sennheiser and the shape of the units then it was likely that it was going to be a standard off the shelf battery (a 3.7V/850mAh 14500) so not only should it be possible to replace a dead battery, it shouldn't be that much of a challenge to make it swappable if you needed really long run times in the field. So.....now that I actually have one, I thought I'd have a look. And, yes indeed, it is a standard 3.7V/850mAh 14500 battery. You can pick these up for less than £1 each and a charger will set you back about £5-7. The connector to the board is also just a standard connector so if you really need the longer run times and swap out capability its pretty straightforward to fashion this yourself and have all day run times for both receiver and transmitter for under £20. Now, where did I put that warranty form....
    1 point
  25. kye

    Davinci Resolve 16

    Apart from the update @BrunoCH mentioned, I recommend you overcome your lack of calibration by keeping the demo videos of the ARRI and Canon cinema cameras handy and comparing your grade to clips in those videos. I specifically mention these two brands because both are known for their excellent colour science, but have very different approaches to skin tones and other aspects so it kind of gives you a couple of data points that you can place your grade anywhere between and it'll be fine. Also, demo videos are their finest example of footage and will have been graded to perfection from a high-end colourist so you can be sure that the quality is there and you're safe using them as a reference. One could theoretically download them, pull them into Resolve, find great frames and capture stills so that there is a range of reference images right inside Resolve only a few clicks away at any point, but copyright issues obviously prevent anyone from doing that Nodes is definitely a different way of thinking and takes some work to understand, but the advantage is that nodes can do things you cannot do with layers, or cannot do easily (depending on the software) so it's worth the effort to work through it to get familiar with them. I agree that the database method only suits a particular way of working, and I haven't found a way around it. I don't know how they would change this but I can see how it would be useful - once again I think this is a hang-over from Resolve being an industry-leading tool scaled down to software-only rather than a PC tool scaled up to have industry-leading functionality.
    1 point
  26. To do a friend a favor or get a foot in the door. There's an interesting story I heard, not sure if it's true, about this guy who shot a (for charity) calendar with all these A-list celebrities and he did it for free, at a loss. Now he has a portfolio of high end photos with Justin Bieber, etc. That guy was making a shitload of money the next year. If you're not a professional yet, there's market for lower budget stuff, and sometimes that goes somewhere. I see a lot of AFI grads taking this path rather than going to AC to operator or whatever. It is not an easy path. I personally work cheap for friends, sort of a barter economy thing with a little cash thrown in. I will almost always work cheap if I'm doing something I'm not quite professional level at. This has gone wrong at times though. That said, it's a great question. Full rate jobs are almost always easier than low rate ones because EVERYONE ELSE is doing a good job, making your job easier (if you're semi-competent). You make an extremely good point and anyone who's a working freelancer would do well to take your advice. There are reasons to take low pay work, but competing on the basis of being the cheapest will just make you successful at being the cheapest. Nothing to aspire to imo.
    1 point
  27. we can hope That Joker movie looks great tho.
    1 point
  28. I will do it for €50! I've only had a brief test of it and it is fine but I haven't tried it in any densely saturated areas although our apartment does have the equivalent of a small town's worth of 2.4GHz devices humming away at any given moment ! This is a fair and accurate appraisal of it that I would agree with based on my own short time with it.
    1 point
  29. Anaconda_

    Davinci Resolve 16

    Anyone looking to learn new software like this, I would advise you to just make yourself a sweet ass new showreel, and if possible do it from the original camera files so you also have to re-grade everything. That way have to learn how to use the tools to match a grade, or make it even better. There's no deadlines so you can take your time and get to know every inch of the software that's relevant to you, and since the showreel's job is to promote yourself, then you'll want to put the time in to get every little detail right. It's always worked for me. As for the organisation of projects, I just let DaVinci use it's database while I"m working on it, and then when it's finished, you can go to the little Home icon in bottom left, right click on a thumbnail and go 'Export Project' This gives you a .dpr file that you can save next to all your media for archiving.
    1 point
  30. I hope in the future as the VFX tools we have at hand get better and as crew awareness increases then we'll be able to happily have booms in shot much more often for the sake of improved sound. This is already common place on many shoots such as "House of Cards", and advancing VFX technology will lead to an expansion of situations booms can be put into shot. https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/adobe-releases-content-aware-fill-tool/ https://www.jldiaz.com.ar/lectura-en.php?name=houseOfCards
    1 point
  31. BrunoCH

    Davinci Resolve 16

    On mac the problem no longer exists. Enhancement list of version 15.2.3 : "Improved color consistency with QuickTime player on MacOS when display color profiles is enabled" I tried and it's ok, now it works. If you check (in prefence general system) « Use mac display color profiles for viewers » the final export seen in QT is the same as seen in the Resolve viewer.
    1 point
  32. MeanRevert

    Davinci Resolve 16

    As someone who's recently moved from premiere, I agree with previous posters about premiere's strength in organization. There's a little bit of a learning curve moving to resolve's color panels but once you get some time in your belt, I think it's a far more intuitive approach using nodes vs layers. If I were Adobe, I'd be worried.
    1 point
  33. SR

    Davinci Resolve 16

    I'm a photographer by trade, so nodes seemed intimidating at first, but nothing you can't get over with an hour of mucking around and tutorials. In fact, I find Resolve much more logical and just plain wonderful when color grading, even if Premiere does seem simpler at first. There's a reason why so many Hollywood films are graded in Resolve.
    1 point
  34. Great test, thanks! I recently learned the same thing about these lenses, which led me to buy an FD 50mm 1.2 L. Of course, the K-35 version is a 55mm and most likely based off the FL/FD SSC version since the 50mm wasn’t even released when the K-35s were released... but I prefer the 50mm focal length over the 55mm, especially since it’s supposed to be closer to a 45mm. I’d love the 24mm, but it seems the prices on that lens have went up almost a grand in the past year or two. To add, I’m on the fence and almost prefer the FD version due to the extra bump in contrast. They both flared fairly dramatically so for the difference in price... the FDs are a great substitute. I look forward to your real world test. Also, the old FL 55mm is a nice little, low con lens that has a really smooth look. It can be had for peanuts. Edmika does a mount conversion to EF through Simmod.
    1 point
  35. Thanks Ed! I think with this particular focal length and aperture the difference in price is not worth it, though there is a difference and I believe more money in the instance equals better flares / less flaring which I like better.
    1 point
  36. A lot of people here thought it would be 4K60 8 bit and that no 10 bit would be possible. Now Sony says 4k60 10bit is easy and below what they will release. Interesting.. probably either/combination of those: - global shutter - raw - massive ergonomics improvements - massive sensor improvements With the new AF update on A9 being best AF of the industry, this camera will be very exciting for sure.
    1 point
  37. Unless you are deliberately throwing in red herrings, you might want to check 1:03 and 2:59 mate
    1 point
  38. kye

    Davinci Resolve 16

    You probably already know this but there are present keyboard shortcuts for people used to the other NLEs that might be useful. Not saying there aren't other significant differences, but every bit helps..
    1 point
  39. mojo43

    GO Taiwan

    There are so many differences. I am just really privy to the nuances of what they are. Normally we are hired to bring in a westerner's point of view to a country. For example our last couple of gigs were in Japan and their culture is pretty much the complete opposite of ours, but we weren't there to shoot like a person from Japan would or else they would have hired someone from there.
    1 point
  40. IronFilm

    Panasonic LUMIX G91

    Just one product, different names for different regions
    1 point
  41. Huh??? Get a Deity Connect Exactly, Sony UWP-D11 are solid semi pro wireless. Everything else discussed in this thread is not.
    1 point
  42. I don't think you and I are far off a remake of this film as we try to uncover the truth ! "If you look here, Sigma aren't making any L mount zooms. Is that the price they had to pay to be in the game?"
    1 point
  43. As I said...Panasonic is so predictable. Only added V-Log L, headphone jack and 1080p120. Same crop as the GX9 - stupid move, as 10bit modes, 4K60 and other better specs would be enough for segmentation between this and the GH5 / G9. Will be a good camera, as the G80 was; but if you don't need weather sealing and/or IBIS, the XT-30 is a much better camera.
    1 point
  44. mojo43

    GO Taiwan

    Interesting discussion. I believe that it has peaked for people who watch and have watched travel videos since the beginning (like myself). There will of course be other styles that come out that will push it further, but essentially I feel like it is becoming more of a cliché than anything. Story is what will change the genre in the future imo. This video however was us going out and shooting for fun. We are pretty much always shooting what the client wants so it was nice to put story aside and just shoot some fun transition shots in an epic place where no one really films travel videos haha... That all being said, most of the world has never seen a travel video with transitions like this and are still new to this genre. We were specifically targeting an Asian audience with this video so hopefully it will be new to them and Taiwanese people will see Taiwan like they have never seen it before. Thanks for opening up an the discussion!
    1 point
  45. MrSMW

    Race to the bottom

    Actually Bob, yes and no... Ruining the market? No, I don't think so, - there has always been 'Uncle Bob's' (or 'Friend Jane Who Does Photography and loves to top focus her kit lens based camera chimping religiously) and if anything, I have seen less of them in the last few years. Maybe it's my market, (moderately high end but rarely the highest end) but I think it's more the case that the amateurs used to use a DSLR or decent bridge/compact but these days a phone takes such decent pictures but has more limitations, but whatever the reason, they seem less arsed than they used to be! 5 -10 years ago in the UK, there would typically be anything from 1-3 at every wedding trying to shoot the shit out of it and saying things like, "if I get in your way, just shout!". By the time I have to shout...as if I even would, it's too late mate and you already f*cked what might have been a key unrepeatable moment that I'm being paid for, earn a living from and feed my family with, but whatever. I could tell you dozens of stories, but won't... But anyway, does it ruin the market? Not really because generally if you have a client with a decent spend, the choice is rarely going to be pro tog at 3k or Uncle Bob at 0k, same as someone who can afford...and desires a new Audi/BMW/Merc is also not considering a used Hyundai in the same mix. Simply different markets... The yes bit applies only to the fact that if you get one guest trying to shoot the shit out of a wedding, it only sets a precedent for others to have a go when they otherwise would probably not and it can all get out of hand very quickly. Video or photography and both are as bad as each other as the amateur videographer usually shoots far too close and is far too slow but the tog is bobbing up and down left right and centre and again, usually far too close. I could show you a video from last Summer where one guy decided to step out into the aisle during the ceremony when there was a video camera on a tripod recording the entire ceremony from start to finish. If you watched the whole thing (like I had to), you can see he looks back, spots the camera, hesitates, makes a conscious decision to do it anyway. Short period of time, he does it again. A lady a couple of rows back watches him do this a couple of times and decides to do the same, also glancing back, spotting the camera but decides her snap is more important than the production that the couple who invited them and paid for them to be at their wedding have paid for. By the time we got to vows and ring exchanges, we had a huddle stood completely obscuring the rest of the ceremony for the remaining 20 minutes or so. One small ripple became a tidal wave. The only 'positive' I can think of is at least the couple can easily identify who completely f*cked their wedding video. Me,- well I am covered by contract as I have zero responsibility in regard to guest behaviour but the B&G were beyond incensed! The bottom line for me is one of respect and etiquette. The few times I have been invited to a wedding as a guest, phone or compact only and I would not dream of getting out of my seat, or hanging around outside church waiting for the bride and her father to turn up, same as I would not turn up at someone's place of work on a Monday morning and start using their work computer or attending a board meeting. But none of that has anything really in regard to losing a job to some low-ball quote!
    1 point
  46. Kisaha

    Davinci Resolve 16

    This is a complete suite of applications that a professional content creator can use, and is given to us for free when buying some of their product's. How amazing is this??!! In my opinion, this fact gives so much value to products like the P4K, that is both unprecedented and even unbelievable!
    1 point
  47. At entry level production I still see a lot more A7s and canon dslr than blackmagic cameras ( I owned 2 blackmagic cameras and 3 sony cameras ) The truth is that Canon and Sony are simply more convenient to use , you get better low light performance, autofocus, stabilization, size ....of course you loose on the codec side , but considering that most small production never budget proper color grading and that the content end up on youtube, that not as important as getting relatively clean image in a challenging environment . My point is that , even at 5kusd for the 6kFF ( if they offer something similar to the MAVO , that an excellent price), they will still have to compete with a 3.5Kusd camera that will offer better performance and features overall. You can get a a7III for 2k with probably the same sensor as the E2 6k FF , you loose slow mo and 10bits, you win autofocus and stabilization, better screen/evf and form factor. and there is a 3k usd difference between the two option.
    1 point
  48. hoodlum

    Sharp's new 8K M43 camera

    Sharp officially joins m4/3. I expect we will see more details at NAB https://www.olympus-global.com/news/2019/contents/nr01198/nr01198_00001.pdf
    1 point
  49. Sage

    GH5 to Alexa Conversion

    Sure; it depends on what you'd like. Fuji and BMD have very good, usable color. I personally will use P4K with GH5; I hope to have EC to do a production this summer. 8 bit is tricky; I'd prefer to only support 10 bit cameras, though I will try to find a way that will give viable production level results with 8-bit. I think Log is not really in the cards there. Bit of really cool news; last weekend, the director of a film starring Josh Hartnett wrote to me to say that they were using the GH5 with EC as a pick-up cam alongside Alexa Minis and XTs. He said that a senior Star Wars colorist was doing the grade, and said that 'everybody was very impressed' with it. I was pretty thrilled with that
    1 point
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