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I've had my Z-Cam F6 for a couple of weeks now. It's amazing what they have packed into this little camera. They gave me early access to the firmware they released yesterday which had a lot of color improvements. I also own an S1H and although i planned to sell one or the other, i'm keeping both. The S1H makes run and gun doc work easy. So when i'm hired to shoot behind the scenes footage by the studios, it'll be with the S1H. It will also serve as a B-Cam to my EVA1 for EPK interviews. The Z-Cam F6 on the other hand has strengths i'd want in a cinema camera that I'd use on productions where I'm not flying by the seat of my pants: shorts, features, dramatic documentaries. I'm loving the pairing of my SmallHD 702 Touch with the F6. I know they recommend the PortKeys BM5 because it can control the camera, but I wasn't a fan of the UI or the quality of the screen.

Man, I needed this. I was thinking of upgrading my G7, but @kye you convinced me to invest in lighting and lenses. Thanks!

I have been playing around with this adapter for the past three or four projects and I am really enjoying shooting with it. For the price I think it’s really worth it IMO. Let me know if you have any questions.

Really? I've bought a few lenses from Japanese sellers over the years and every single one of them has been junk and not as described. Obviously not all Japanese sellers are bad but I've been burned enough to be very wary. Yeah, I'm sure the 24mm f/2 and the 85mm 1.8 would be fine. A lot of people prefer the basic 50mm 1.4 over the 1.2 L, so I'm sure they're really good. I haven't used an FD lens that I hated. Luckily, I am finding that I should be able to intercut the FD 50mm 1.2 with my EF 28mm 1.8 in a pinch. Canon 28mm 1.8 Canon FD 50mm 1.2 L modified to EF... Other than a quick correction, both of these were SOOC with just the default Rec709 conversion in the Resolve Raw Panel. I think with a few contrast adjustments, I can get them to match pretty good. With that said, I'll probably be on the lookout for some nFD lenses and try to build a rag tag set over the next year or two. I've never owned an UWA for FF, so the 17mm f/4 could be an interesting lens. Yup!!! It's absolutely nuts! We've discussed a couple times how nice of a lens it is but I can't believe it's +$2000 nice... you can probably find a Super Speed for that money. You forgot to add my aging eyes and total disregard of skill, talent and craft.

I'm just gonna flag up the Plantar Fasciitis thing again: Both myself, and three friends (not filmmakers) have had it. Very common. More or less eradicated mine with calf raises.

Not unreasonable.... I'm on shoots now and then with an ARRI with lens sets which cost even more than the camera body cost! Isn't at all unusual. Ditto, I was recommending the G7 to people for ages as well. But now the G85 has fallen so far, it is hard to not recommend the G85 instead of the G7 Yeah it was funny how the a6500 had WORSE 1080 than the older a6000 Ditto! Was quite freeing once I accepted my main #1 focus now is the sound department. I shoot on average maybe one paid gig per month as a "cameraman", and I don't actively seek that work. All my other shooting is casually for myself / social media, or vlogs for my YouTube channel. Honestly my Panasonic G6 could last me YEARS longer..... it is just the selfish side of me which wants a new camera ? AND AUDIO!!!! If I ever get serious about jumping back into the cinematography side of things instead of sound, then I will invest first more into lighting modifiers and support gear, such as: cutters / diffs / C stands / foggers / etc etc As even if you're using only "natural light" or just a couple of lights, then how you can tweak those lights can make a massive MASSIVE difference

Those are definitely too strong it feels to me! That is why I prefer a 1/2 Black Pro Mist

They look lovely though!!

With Resolve and its multi-level proxy workflow you can edit 4K content on just about anything.....

Very impressive at -3 stops, doesn't lose saturation like the Pocket 4K and X-T3 do. This guy is not a fan. I suspect he's never graded linear raw before.

Gahhh, you're talking way too much sense for my liking @kye. I think you've crushed any argument I have for purchasing a new camera, especially when you take into account that I only shoot for fun. Looking at that video (which is awesome by the way), it's crazy to see how far cameras have come in such a short amount of time and how spoiled we are with all the low cost options that are available today. Imagine what filmmakers would be thinking if you could go back in time 15 years and show them something like the G7. They would be blown away. Meanwhile, here I am, a casual hobbyist at best, thinking that I need gradable 10bit footage to shoot some video tests that probably no one is ever going to see. Hah! Thanks for putting things into perspective for me. My wallet thanks you. Ok scrap everything I just said. NEW CAMERA! NEW CAMERA! hahaha

They haven't told him that its price is more than double than his product

I'm grateful for the abundance of cheap equipment and software. But I'm also grateful to the thousands of people who spend their time freely sharing knowledge on sites like this, from the retired pros with decades of industry experience, to experimental newcomers with more ideas than experience, and everyone in between.

"Pocket 4K footage is precisely transformed to match the color science of the Arri Alexa, without compromise. This is achieved without artifacts, while introducing a smooth, organic rolloff." For the better part of the last year, I've been working to map the color of P4K BMDFilm to match my Alexa's LogC, as measured under sunlight and halogen. To do this, I wrote an interpolation program in C++ that can accept an enormous amount of data (~40k samples per camera), and interpolate smooth internal contours, or 'waves' between them. Exposure compensation conversions were made with the same interpolation engine (transforms replicating sensor color response with variant exposure). Another significant element of the project was to recreate Arri's Rec709 to maintain the entirety of recorded LogC gamut, in a film-derived envelope (for the display variations). This was particularly difficult, as the correct RGB primary behavior needed to be exactly replicated within contiguous 709, but smoothly diverge to HDR-like handling of far gamut (where Arri's Rec709 ends). This new envelope (EC Gen.4) is particularly impressive, and I may release it for the Arri, as it is significantly preferable to normal Arri Rec709. P4Ka PDF Emotive Color

RED Komodo 6K Features (we know so far): Fixed Canon RF mount RF to EF (and PL) adapters available many more adapter options Phase-detect Autofocus support There will be some sort of Global Shutter Mode 6K/40fps full-sensor; 6K WS at 50fps in Global Shutter Mode REDCODE Raw recording options Anamorphic support CFast 2.0 recording media first RED camera to use non-proprietary media Komodo is both the name of the new sensor and camera body Komodo is not DSMC2 or replacement for it Not DSMC3 either: it’s an auxiliary camera in the lineup 4K SDI output (can be 6G or 12G-SDI, that’s TBD) 3.5mm audio in, headphone jack 2 x Canon BP style battery slots, hot-swappable Top touchscreen menu and live-view display Wi-Fi for remote camera control and monitoring Cube-like form-factor, smallest RED camera to date Release sometime in 2020 https://www.4kshooters.net/2019/11/19/red-komodo-6k-anamorphic-global-shutter/ Price: $5K-6K or slightly more Hydrogen get’s you some sort of discount

Sigh! ANOTHER thing I now want. It will not replace my all time favourite 17mm TSE but to use on some of my FD lenses (and Tamron adaptall lenses with FD adaptall) would be fun to try. Time to go beg on the street corner to be able to buy it.

Here's something I shot run n gun style and I just set the whitebalance to daylight for the whole day. Bear in mind this video was made on the G80 in CineD and then I used CinedD -> vlog pre lut and GHa Daylight Linear for grade

Scene dependent really and what you're looking to achieve. - Outside with clouds - you can set zebra to 100 and when the clouds clip you can recover some of that because the green and red channels won't have clipped (getting a RAW clipping indicator for each RGB channel would be really useful) - If it's dark and you have latitude, better to expose up and bump up the ISO and then take that down to get cleaner shadows - But if you're going to clip the highlights you really need, then bumping up the shadows will the best bet - as you say. In reality it's probably safer in a full dynamic range scene to expose 'properly' and have a bit of latitude for moving stuff around. Just be mindful that the shadows, at the sensor side, have progressively less tonality the lower you go and all sensors are like that! cheers Paul

Ya I wasn’t certain how the effect works in post. It’s not exactly possible to replicate it righ? Because the effect is just a 2d effect in post and when used on camera is it 3d? Not sure if this is right or wrong?

Thanks for the reminder about tilt-swing/tilt-shift adapters. Nice video! The "miniature" gag is what most associate with these adapters, but I prefer the look when tilt-swing is used subtly for effect and to direct viewers' attention. A big problem that prevents the use of such adapters is that camera manufacturers unnecessarily commit their cameras to EF and PL mounts, instead of utilizing shallower mounts. Trying to duplicate the tilt-swing effect in post only works when the camera is locked down and when the objects in the frame are grouped in an orderly fashion from front-to-back.

AFAIK it's a mode on the sensor itself so the data coming off the sensor is binned in that mode. This is why the rolling shutter is so much better in that specific mode. It is also 12 bit even to SD Card. However the FHD can show aliasing on smooth lines IMHO you are better shooting UHD (even in 8 bit) and downsampling to HD in post. Much, much better result assuming you can achieve the frame rate you want. The sensor (if it is the one we all think it is) does have a 4K DCI binned mode in 14 bit - this would be really nice to have. Otherwise all the cDNG formats are 12 bit max, so you will only see 12 stops max (real stops) from the image. I have tested stills DNG with cine DNG and can quite clearly see the missing stops at the top end. I would say it's closer to 1 to 1.5 stops difference. But.... If you look at the S1H for example (same sensor perhaps?) in 6K mode C5D is claiming 12.7 stops of range. Well the difference is that the S1H is *probably* doing highlight reconstruction as part of white balancing and baking out a movie. This would yield a few more stops on a wedge chart (it's ideal for wedge charts!). It would be interesting to see a RAW test with the S1H. But the fp will get you the same range, with reconstruction (Lightroom does it anyway and resolve it's a checkbox) perhaps more. Colourwise it's good. I can match Red footage but the Red has more range, at least 2 or 3 stops more on a practical basis. I've shot side by side through ranges. The ISO matches fairly well as well but i would tend to expose the fp slightly higher when possible to protect the shadows. As for those Videos - RAW is not simple to handle properly - simple as that. The second video shows the guy really has *no idea* what he's talking about or understands what RAW is and sensors in general, it's almost comically bad. The bad blacks - it's difficult to say without seeing the RAW he shot - i suspect it is massively underexposed and he's pulled the shadows up. The thing about RAW is that with no compression you will see each pixel the sensor saw. As there is no noise there i guess the ISO was very low therefore probably just failed to expose correctly. Because it's linear - as i keep saying - the first 3 stops are represented in 7 code values. Usually compression just screws this totally and they're expanded out and noise from compression hides this but this is what the sensor (any sensor!) sees cheers Paul

Come on.. if SOME of the image being out of focus is good, then surely ALL of the image being out of focus must be FANTASTIC!!! I really do like the organic look of the Helios, I must admit.

Just looked at the first clips I shot with the 7.5mm Laowa and there's no visual traces of distortion at all - it's straight lines all around with this one. Definitely worthy of additional testing

Good thorough review - interesting to see it copes considerably better than the Canon c500mk2 with dynamic range when pushing over and under exposure using internal Sony XAVC and Canon's XFAVC respectively. Wonder how the internal raw on the Canon compares? Also the AF on the Sony seemed to kick in and track a lot earlier than on the Canon. Be good to see some more thorough testing between these 2 cameras

In terms of feelings, the second one of these two makes me feel like you either included it by mistake or you need to sort out that focus peaking ?

I don't disagree! I agree with you. However nothing you said there requires using a camera from Netflix's list for shooting your pilot. Feel free then to pick whatever you prefer: GH5S / E2 / BMPCC6K / X-T3 / Z6 / whatever!

The first port of call for me with wides like that would be the edges, for both sharpness and curvature so a brick wall is usually the simplest way to do that. Anything upright vertical on either edge of the frame will suffice though so if you are shooting indoors a couple of pencils etc could be used. Its a very obvious basic test but with ultra wides it might save a lot of time in additional testing as its likely going to be the most important determining factor as to whether you find the lens acceptable. The subtleties of all the other parameters may be rendered moot if the overall image is distorted enough to act as a quasi fisheye. If it passes that test then you can move on to picking out the bits you need from this guide. https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2010/11/how-to-test-a-lens/

I'm lucky enough that most of my shoots are happening either at the beach, or on a fishing boat, or along outback tracks where you're constantly wading through tropical creeks, etc, which means most of my shooting has been done barefoot for the past few years (hence the handle). Back when I shot weddings, Dr Scholl's were the go-to shoes for those shooters who were often on their feet for 15+ hours a day. I never needed them myself but they were highly recommended by many colleagues.

I know what you are talking about foot pain, believe me , I tried a lot of different shoes, some are too soft that bothers you, no stability at all, others not comfortable enough for the whole day, forget about nike, adidas, etc...either get some working shoes that has been designed for people to be on foot the whole day....or buy a new balance shoes, but not all the new balance are the same, try the new balance 860 THOSE are the best ones, comfortable and with support you can use them the whole day and no problem at all, hope this help you!!

Changing to another type of shoe in the middle of the day has helped me and others keep our feet refreshed and not aching. Try it, and see if it works for you.

I've been using the Pixel on set which is 220w, definitely has some fan noise but its not bad. I wonder how much worse it is on the Godox and neewer. I may just get one along with a 60w. I like throwing light in through windows so it could be used for that if nothing else

Nice images - I particularly like the compositions In terms of how the lens resolves on 4K cameras, it's too old for online tests but you can shoot a few RAW stills and get a sense of what the resolution is. Just find something with fine detail and sharp edges in the house and use a fast shutter speed and then pixel peep, that should tell you what resolution the lens is. Ken Rockwell said very nice things about it, including that it was sharp, so the limitation in whatever setup you end up with will likely be something else - the sensor / codec / anamorphic element / etc....

Wise words, man, pity people tend to forget them : -)

I'd love to get the 24mm 1.4 but they doubled in price over the past year or two. I'd see them sell for around $700 but now they're hard to find for less than $1500 with some Japanese eBay sellers asking over $2000. I don't want it that bad. With that said, if I was forced to own only one lens, I could make do with the 50mm 1.2 for sure.

I've been using the Canon FD 50mm 1.2 L lens I had modified to EF mount a lot lately and I must say it is quickly becoming one of my favorite lenses. I'd be curious to know how this lens resolves on 4K cameras, if anybody has any insight. On my 5D3, with ML Raw, it's slightly soft, some may say organic, but it has great separation... both color and subject. I find I like it with muted tones, though. I can really see why Canon used the optical designs from the FD lenses for their K-35 cinema glass.

Remember when the CEO of Atomos, Jeremy Young , came out and said Z6 RAW was coming out soon...”by Black Friday at the LATEST”. Well. Look at the date. Where my RAW? Where is it Jeremy ??

Eff lighting and lenses... NEW CAMERA! ? That's really good advice, honestly. I'll still be filming on my GH5 for years to come and will likely sell my G85 and buy a second GH5 used when the used price lowers down even more. One, it's an incredible camera, and two, your camera isn't all that important, especially these days when you can get lovely images on a $300 camera. My lenses, mics, lights, filters, etc. are all things that will carry over with me for years and years to come. One thing I would suggest is, if you think you're going to move away from M43 in the not so distant future it'd probably make sense to invest in lenses that can adapt to other cameras. I have two Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 lenses for my multi camera / sports / event work because having a native lens in those situations is beneficial. The rest of my lenses are pretty much all vintage and manual lenses with other mounts that I can easily adapt should the day come when I move to a different system. Switching systems can get pretty expensive, especially if you have to get all new lenses. Another reason to stick with the G7 is that it still has a very nice image. It's a little limiting when it comes to color grading, dynamic range, etc. but to me it's still a relevant camera in 2019 and beyond, especially for beginners and hobbyists. Though I've started suggesting the G85 to beginners and hobbyist since the used price has gone down so much, the G7 is still a killer little camera.

How has this not been posted yet? ?

PC parts to performance ratio/cost is at an all time high! You don't need to $3,000 MBP to be able to edit video. You can edit 4K content on a PC under $1000.

im grateful to be a filmmaker its a long tough road to even begin to articulate your voice with this medium, but its worth it

If what's wanted is an "immersive experience", and anyone's deadly boring life - you know, the one preoccupied with video equipment -- is insufficient, try hallucinogens. Mushrooms can be grown at home, natural and organic, and there's evidence that they have long-term therapeutic effects. Beats 8K any day.

Are you making Netflix commissioned productions? If you are: you'll have plenty of budget to hire Varicam/Venice/whatever! If you are not: then that list doesn't matter at all.

If it doesn’t have any required proprietary bullshit I think this camera will be a big deal for a lot of indie/small budget guys and a gateway drug to more expensive RED cameras. Especially in the light of the new metabones EF-RF speedbooster.

We enthusiasts and pros are the success story of the entire camera industry. The entire DSLR filmmaking, and now mirrorless video revolution happened on a big downward slope for the a camera industry battered by smartphones. Now, with the not very passionate consumers gone, there's only us left...and now the central focus of ALL the camera companies, big or small. We are not a niche any more, and Nikon in their latest financial report expects enthusiasts, hobbyists, artists, filmmakers and pros to account for 90% of sales in the mid to long term. Going to write a blog post about that soon. We kept the passion up, when everybody else was losing theirs.

The CFAST cards suck, an SSD would be way better. Still a pretty compelling camera.

Raven was definitely a more introductory model, but it had a huge flaw compared to Komodo - namely, it was still a part of the DSMC2 system. Which means that even if you could get a cheaper Red camera in Raven, you still had to spend loads of money to get a working model: Red proprietary media ($2-3k), large and expensive V-Mount batteries and chargers ($500-900), Red modules to get any sort of audio ($2k), a Red monitor ($2k), and a few other needed accessories. So while Raven was fairly cheap ($6k), it costs close to $14k to get it rolling on an all day shoot. On top of that, it had an old sensor with a 1.8x crop and bad in low light. And then it was also just as heavy and intense to use as any other Red DSMC2 camera. Whereas the Komodo may be just the price of a camera for a lot of people. Many users probably have a few CFast 2.0 cards, the Canon batteries can easily be found for $25-$40 a pop, lots of people have a good SmallHD or Atomos monitor (and if not, they are only $250-300) already, and the camera uses a brand new sensor that is supposed to be graet in low light and only has a 1.33x crop (or no crop with a speedbooster) - and you can get a variable ND with it with the Canon mount. So, the Komodo really may only be $6-7k to get a full working package up and running (price pending, of course). Big difference between that and the Raven's close to $13-15k. Plus the Komodo seems like it will be a much better, smaller, lighter camera.

It’s a different business model though. ARRIs get mainly bought by rental houses and Hollywood studios. REDs are owned by successfull DOPs & production companies. Hell the Raven was even sold on the Apple store: https://web.archive.org/web/20170903102810/https://www.apple.com/us_smb_78313/shop/product/HK8Q2ZM/A/red-raven-camera-kit-final-cut-pro-x

Even 40mm f1.2 works pretty well on Fuji XT3 APS-C with Bolex Moller 1/32/1.5x. My new lens Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 VM

A nice surprise. Phase-detect AF? Global shutter? $5000? I wasn't expecting that.