Leaderboard

Granted the Mac Pro might not be for mass consumers, but there's a much wider market than just filmmakers. And It's not actually a niche product; it's just a high-end version of a product nearly every home and office uses. Any professional who needs a powerful desktop for any reason might consider it. And many more people with more money than sense will go out and buy it simply because they think "it's what professionals use and I want the best". The real genius of Apple products is in the styling and marketing, not in the design or features. It's worth noting that if Apple put out a cinema camera they would likely not be able to include ProRes raw recording internally - they already challenged Red's patent in court and lost. And being Apple, they would probably have a proprietary lens mount with very limited, overpriced lenses. You would have to buy an ipad or iphone as the monitor, there would be no headphone jack, the audio inputs would be some new proprietary type, everything would be touchscreen only, and the mounting threads would be 1/2" instead of 1/4" so that you have to buy a special Apple baseplate for $2499 just to put it on a tripod. Plus it would probably have an internal media and an internal battery that cannot be removed and which does not last for a full 10hr production day (and the charger would be sold separately). Apple are the last company I would want to see release a cinema camera.

So I’ve bought the Z CAM-S6, hoping it would be useful for some upcoming projects. However, I planned to sell it after finishing those projects, unless I find myself in love with this camera. Anyway, I took the camera with some friends and shot a little video. We didn’t plan beforehand because this was meant to be more of a feeling out process and a camera test. I’ve tried very hard to make it a more coherent story, though I must admit it is still very confusing. 1. Modular design is fantastic because you can build it up the way you wanted, however the cost adds up very quickly. 2. Very well built, but the metal body makes it a little bit heavy, despite the size. 3. A lot of codec and resolution options. It’s always nice to have internal ProRes recording and H265 is very efficient indeed. 4. Image Quality is detailed and organic, and you can always shoot in 6K. 5. Battery life is quite good, especially if you use a bigger battery. 6. Control needs time to get used to, and it’s still slower than a proper video camera like the C200 and FS5. 7. CFast 2.0 Card is VERY EXPENSIVE. This forces me to use H265, which sometimes requires transcoding. 8. AF is just as bad as, if not worse than, EVA1. Normally, this won’t be an issue but… 9. The HDMI Output is very soft, for some reason. Maybe this is due to user error. The image is so soft that even using a 6 inch monitor, it is still hard to judge focus sometimes. This is my biggest problem by far. 10. Playback is in LOW resolution. Clients may not like feel confident about the footage you just captured. The whole video is shot in 6K 2.4:1 mode, 23.976 FPS ,with Z-Log2 and in H265. All is shot handheld. I’ve mainly used the Sigma 18-35 1.8 and for one shot the Canon 85 1.4. Thank you. PS. I'm not sure should I make a topic like this. I apologize first if it violates the rules.

This is a really good point. The firehose approach to content delivery isn't necessarily a bad thing as long as the platforms actively weed out hate speech and disinformation. Unfortunately, they aren't great at it, hence our current and soon to be ex-president's seemingly incomprehensible hold on a tragically large portion of our population.. The catch is as viewers we need to be discerning in what we choose to view and use common sense and rationality in how we make sense of what we're viewing. Unfortunately that takes a level and type of education that is sadly lacking in my country at least, BTW, Merckx or De Vlaeminck? Part of the issue is that YOU need to be an active editor and work to train the algorithm to serve you better content, by disliking crap videos you happen to watch, activity using the "not interested" and "do not recommend channel" features to scrub your feed of the types of content and channels you're not interested in, and use the search function to train the algorithm. As individuals, we cannot change the actions of giant players like social medial conglomerates except by carefully organized mass action on a global scale. But we can be savvy enough to reap whatever benefit these channels offer us while negating as much of the downsides as possible.

I tried one single outdoor tracking sequence from around 50 feet away (face tracking mode) and it locked on body immediately, went to face as the subject got nearer and then eye at about 10 feet. Pre new firmware, if that is going to make any difference... Locks and tracks nicely indoors. I will give it a proper run this afternoon with one of my unwilling subjects but it’s looking good. Will I use it for stills? No, but only because I moved from Fuji to the L Mount system for a reason and that is so I could continue to shoot S35 video and full frame stills in one system. Will I shoot any APSC stills at all? Yes actually, but not with any of the Sigma APSC lenses and I will be getting all 3 as part of a single camera/3 lens dedicated video set up. I made a final decision on my stills lenses late last night after wrestling over every possible combination and came to the following conclusion and that is neither the f2.8’s or the big/heavy f1.4’s (such as the Sigma 105) are going to work for me. Instead, I am going to weld a Sigma 35mm f1.4 to one body and the new Sigma 85mm f1.4 to another, but when I need to (ceremonies and speeches) flick to crop mode to get a ‘130mm’ in camera crop. I need small and light and fast and portable as possible and for my needs, I have cracked it now. Final line up: Static video = S5 + Sigma 30mm f1.4 + tripod + power bank. This unit for ceremony & speeches only otherwise 20-60mm kit lens goes on and unit lives in my belt as my wide angle stills lens. Filming = S5 + Sigma 16mm f1.4 (dancing), Sigma 56mm f1.4 (indoor) and Pan 85mm f1.8 (outdoor) giving me 4K 50p focal lengths equivalent to: 24, 84 and 127.5mm. This unit lives on the freestanding monopod. Stills = pair of S5’s mated to the Sigma 35mm f1.4 and Sigma 85mm f1.4 which can be extended in crop mode to 127.5mm. I also have the super-wide 20mm focal width of the first unit all day except ceremony & speeches when I don’t need it anyway. 4 bodies + 7 lenses and it’s all still one backpack and one small camera bag with the monopod in hand, including my tiny folding carbon tripod, light stand, lighting, audio and drone. Phew. A lot harder than I thought but I remain convinced there is no better system for my needs right now than the combination of L Mount Sigma glass with S5 bodies.

Incorrect. The market that is “shrinking” is the smartphone market. Everybody already has one, and apple has marginal advantages over the competition. Again, apple hasn’t seen growth here, which is why it’s pivoting in other industries - and succeeding. The iPhone wasn’t the first smart phone, nor was the iPod the first MP3 player, nor was AirPods the first Bluetooth headphones, nor the Apple Watch the first smart watch, and so on. But they were the most successful because they reimagined existing products. The pro camera market has been shrinking not only because so much money/innovation has been put into the smartphone race, but also because of the lack of innovation by Sony, canon, Nikon, etc. That’s exactly the kind of good opportunity for Apple. They don’t invent products, they reinvent them. The key issue is you’re stuck in that same mindset...pro cameras haven’t peaked, the existing companies have peaked. See also Tesla and the automobile industry.

But then you'll fall into the same problem as mainstream media has fallen into, why do you think they've declined in appeal over the years? Individualized feeds is a *good* thing. You don't want to see all the Cycling Racing videos that I see in my YT feed, neither do I want to see all the videos about cooking or painting (in Mandarin! Which I can't understand at all) that my girlfriend sees in her YT feed. Her YT feed on her laptop and mine on my PC look radically different, zero overlap. Having an identical ("curated") feed pushed onto everyone is also a dangerous path to go down as well, if anything, that gives even more power into the hands of YouTube / The Curator. A "One Size Fits All" approach is not good. Yes, YouTube's algorithm is not perfect, and has downsides. But going back in time to having a small handpicked selection pushed on everyone, would be an even worse outcome.

I purchased both the AFX and MMX and cables. The idea of having auto focus on my manual lenses is irresistible. and it is more than that... BTM_Pix is making real products to meet film makers needs and that is worth supporting!

Almost 24 hours to close the campaign... time to the last lucky bastards join the party ;- )

Looks great! I think your color is spot on. I actually disagree on rigging expenses--particularly if you use a tripod or gimbal. I don't rig my M4 at all, and my 2nd hand iphone monitor was free. 3rd party NPF batteries are very cheap. You can add simple side handles for next to nothing as well. You can position an iphone above the handle and still have easy access to all controls as well. CFast is very expensive, that's my only complaint in terms of accessory cost. I have a single 32GB CFast card, and I'll probably get another before doing a long shoot. It would be nice if they had an SD slot as well, even if it could only do H265, or 4k60. Do you have HDMI set to 1080p or 720p? 1080p is of course sharper, but has very bad latency I found.

Use V90 cards. Get used to the joystick as it’s a stubborn little bugger. Other than that, it’s very easy to shoot with.

Well, yes, there is a point of contact at the rear of the camera, and it is...the rear of the camera ! Which you can apply on the top of your pectoral/clavicle, with your screen in your line of sight. And it is WAY more confortable than holding DSLR with a loupe to your eyes, which strains your arms so much. The rotating handle is also incredibly versatile, confortable, ajustable. You can easyly handle your camera in "top shot" position very high, which is not possible with a fixed handle.

I just wished it took stills as well( with flash hotshoe)

That looks great! Makes me want to buy one. (But im going for a hybrid solution for now)

M Motors require an interface cable but you do not require any for Nucleus N motors as these are included with the AFX.

It is incredible that in this age of big data and micro-analysis, the people who make more money in any big firm are those more likely to make it loose money and in the end fail.

Interesting. I use a phone as a monitor so I'm not sure. I'd expect it to be as sharp as the internal 1080p, for external recording, so I wonder if there's a setting somewhere? The Clutch is nice. I got one essentially for free as I bought a large package deal, then sold it all individually except the Clutch and came out about even. The more customizable dials and buttons the better, particularly for run'n'gun (which I virtually never do, hence no rigging). It would be cool if there was a thin, fixed handle that you could bolt on for extreme low-profile handheld shooting with a few ergonomic dials and buttons on it. I wouldn't buy it, but it might appeal to people coming from photo cameras.

Once all the custom buttons are set I find the controls efficient. For focus I have one of the custom buttons set to punch in and I usually use that. But yeah the HDMI signal isn't very sharp. The best solution for media is a Cfast to SSD module. ZITAY CCtech makes them for around $100. The SSD's used are about $100 for 1tb. You can also record through the USB-C but its less reliable as the port is more finicky. I find the Cfast to SSD module foolproof as there is no point of contact where it could come loose and mess up the recording. Although Z-cam now has built in software to require currupt files so USB-C probably wouldn't be an issue either. Definitely not a camera to use AF with, at least not for now. I do think Z-cam will continue to update all their cameras if they continue to develop their AF tech. Building up a Z-cam can be expensive but all you really need to shoot with is a side handle and monitor which can be had for $250. I think the remote clutch grip is probably worth getting at $350, along with a cage $100, a good monitor $300, SSD module $200. So you are looking at $950 plus batteries. But to be fair rigging up anything costs $$$$ and it certainly can be done for much cheaper. I think Z-cam is an exciting company though. They just put prores proxy 4k 100fps into the camera. I think they are working on getting 422.

I'm sure a lot of us feel the same. Nikon name is legendary, just as legendary as Canon. I like the design and look of the Z cams - just the inside don't match the outside. Z6 II & Z7 II should have had more than what they offered - they should've aimed for what the R5 was offering, instead they were offering less than what the S5 was offering.

I don’t wish to see them go. Quite the opposite as I started my career with Nikon and after a gap of nearly 10 years, would have gone back to them. But others meet my needs better than they do so whilst I may be only one single nail, all the individual nails add up... Speaking from a camera perspective which is my only interest in the Nikon company.

I mean you kind of can. I've used 5 different light brands Aputure, Clar, Godox, and a couple others which names slip my mind. All bowens mount. I've used 4 different brands of bowens mounts accessories across these lights too. Only one of the lights I remember having a difficult time with one of the attachments, but it still went on. Yes its probably most convenient to get all the same brand but if you wanna save cash its not the end of the world mixing and matching. I mean worse comes to worse you can always return a mount for another brand. But my point was you'll be able to find a spotlight attachment for the Forza. In regards to durability I can't speak on the Forza. However I dropped my Clar illumi 300 from 20 feet onto hard pavement and it still works. I've also ran it during pouring rain and it still works. I was really surprised honestly that it didn't break. However it means I am going to be buying their higher powered 500w lights. For the price of one aputure 600D I can buy almost three 500w Clar lights. Which is actually what I am going to do. If you have the cash the Aputures are probably better but for me definitely not worth the money. Unfortunately I think all of these lights are relative rip offs compared to hot lights. I can get a 30 year old hot light that looks like its been through hell and it still works. Wouldn't be surprised if it still works for another 30 years. I'd guess these LED's will probably last 1/3rd the life of that. That said I've been getting rid of all my hotlights and getting LED's. The tiny power output is just too convenient to not utilize.

Well, that's a matter of opinion, as you say. I think it makes sense and anyone who's worked in broadcast can instantly pick up one of these (or an FX9 or FS7), start shooting, and find most of the controls they're used to. Apart from setting the right res/codec for the project or formatting cards, you can often get through an entire days shooting without ever needing to enter the menu's with these cameras. And usually you can find the button you need without even looking. You literally push one button. The video you linked shows you how to change your S&Q settings, but once that's done, it's a single push of a button to get into slow-motion mode. It will be far from "less cluttered" once you have 2x xlr cables (+ adapters to full-size), headphones and HDMI cable coming out of the side with all those little rubber doors dangling around. Not everyone will need that, but it's just as easy to criticise the C70 design as the FX6 (even more so in this regard). The FX6 has the ports right where you need them on a set - on the dumb side. It even has the ports recessed enough so that you can avoid obstructions when using a battery plate. Unless you need to shoot any high or low angles, or on a shoulder mount, and can't use the non-rotating handle. In that situation you have exactly 0 nice dials. FX6/FS7/FS5 style handle is very versatile and convenient. Fair point, in some cases. But if you're stripping the camera down, say to shoot on a gimbal or to mount it in a car, are you really going to want audio in-camera? All those cables/mics/receivers would just get in the way and go against what you're trying to achieve. You'd probably be recording externally anyway. A deal-breaker for some, (eg if you MUST have in-cam audio on gimbal), but for most it's a problem that is easily solved when it arises. This comment shows just how out of touch you are with most people who will actually use a camera like the FX6. The reason people will build a rig is to improve ergonomics (for their particular preferences) and reduce fatigue. It also lets them use all the tools they'll need when they work in a crew with a 1AC, soundo, director, etc. It lets them go from tripod to handheld to shoulder faster. It lets them put the shoulder mount and top handle directly in line with the COG for perfect balance. It lets them put the camera down on unbalanced surfaces without getting damaged or falling over. It lets them power everything from a single battery. It also gives the camera more mass which reduces shake and gives a more natural feel to the images (and if done right, makes it easier to balance and operate too). The only people building rigs to impress other people are those who care more about THEIR image than THE image. Again, we're all entitled to opinions. But you're also making pretty outlandish statements that show how much understanding you lack about this product and the people who will use them. It's the equivalent about me writing an article claiming the Isuzu N series is a "monstrosity of stupid design" because it doesn't fit into the average household garage.

First one looks like a early 20's shopping tv commercial. The second one looks a lot better, allthough it does still have this cheap feel to it.

It is a slippery slope! For only slightly more money than a G5 you could get a G6 😉 Which is a greatly improved camera. But if you're going to buy a G6 then why not spend just a teeny bit more for a G7? And get 4K! But then a G85....

I guess this initiative has cleared overcome any initial expectations on both ways, kudos to you man! Any filmmaker outside of this deal has no idea what is missing. Only to say the least : ) Salivating for next release!

For Pocket4K/6K where we control the focus of the electronic lens then yes this would be a possibility. No, it is only the cable for the N motor that is included. Every M motor that you use whether it is directly connected to the AFX or connected to the MMX requires an adapter cable. We use the N port size as the "standard" to keep the footprint and cost down as the M port requires the much bigger and obviously far more expensive 7 pin connector. The N motor is also far more common than the M motor amongst our users. Therefore, every M motor used requires a cable to adapt to that "standard". So, for anyone just using an AFX and a single M motor, they need to buy either cable type 1 or cable type 2 depending on whether they want the USB outlet to power the AFX or if they are OK to just run it on its own internal battery. For anyone using an MMX, the first M motor that they use must use cable type 3 as this is the one that will power the MMX itself and with its USB outlet it can also of course power the AFX. For subsequent M motors that they attach to the other ports of the MMX they will need either cable type 1 or cable type 2.

But, would it be able in the future to use the motor of an autofocus in combination wiht a gear for the Anamorphic scope. Just an Idea.

N is the smaller (and cheaper) motor and can be powered by 5v but it has less torque, although that can be boosted using a larger power source. The three different cables for the M motor are 1) Data only for connection to the AFX. 2) Data connection to the AFX with USB outlet supplied from the M to power the AFX. 3) Data AND power connection to the MMX with USB outlet to power the AFX. So for the AFX, the choice is with or without USB dependent on what the user wants. Cable 3 is ONLY required for the FIRST port connected to the MMX (as it will be powering it) and any additonal M motors that are connected to the other ports can use either of the two other ones. No additonal cables are required for the Nucleus N motors as you are provided this with the AFX and an additional one if you buy the MMX. Yes, N is Nucleus Nano.

Komura Kodak/Eastman Kodak But I am not sure how compatible all of their lenses are with your focusing system...

This is a second other one of my very own fav special set.

Self-regulation is the answer on an individual level. I’m not sure which is worse though, Fakebook or MeTube...but probably the latter as for so many it just seems to be a soapbox for people to spout their vitriol. Both my mother-in-law and father have been banned from various groups and I am ‘friends’ with neither. Which says a lot. YouTube has some really great content. Some exceptional content in fact. But also a million tons of shit and I’m not sure what is worse, that million tons of shit or the misinformation purported as fact from so-called ‘experts’.

Here I am ; ) Russian lenses other than Lomo and Zenit or Mir? https://www.onestopfilms.co.uk/elite-anamorphic/ https://www.thephoblographer.com/2020/04/12/beautiful-and-affordable-7-vintage-soviet-lenses-to-adapt-to-your-camera/ And yet that Takumar beyond Pentax brand ;- ) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takumar Without mention one of my fav lenses ever! Ask one of our friends @Tito Ferradans about ;- )

All YouTube video AI chains end the same- insane, violent, bizarre, and extreme. It doesn't even matter what you start with... eventually it goes there and you have to choose which road accident to watch, or you need to be more intentional on what you let yourself watch. PS: I give this thread two days before it goes to crazy land and gets shut down.

We have YouTube on the TV and not seeing the toxic comments section makes it ten times better. However, thanks to that "helpful" algorithm my hitherto discreet interest in the Leica Q2 has been headed off at the pass by the other half, alerted as she was by review videos of it being plastered all over the front page after I'd made the mistake of watching one. So, yeah, aside from all the sinister stuff, YouTube is also a grass. And no one likes a grass.

OK, lens hoarders.... If your lens brand is not on this list, can you add it in a comment so I can add it to the AFX database. Obviously "Anamorphic Dual" and "Generic" will cover a multitude of sins for custom jobs or very obscure ones but if there is anything obvious that isn't included then I'd like to add it. Thanks Angenieux 7Artisans Anamorphic Dual Arri Bausch & Lomb Bell & Howell Bolex Bower Bronica Canon Carl Zeiss Jena Centon Century Precision Optics Chinon Cinema Products Cineovision Computar Contax Cooke Cosina Cosmicar DZO Elmo Exakta Fujian Fujica Fujifilm Fujinon Generic Hanimex Hasselblad Hawk Heliopan Helios Holga Hoya Industar Isco Iscorama JVC Kaiser Fototechnik Kaligar Kenlock Kiev-Arsenal Kimunor KMZ Konica Kowa Kowo Laowa Leica Leitz Letus LOMO Mamiya Meike Meopta Meyer Optik Görlitz Minolta MIR Mitakon Zhongyi Moller Nikkor Olympus Panasonic Panavision Pentacon Pentax Photax Prinzflex RED Rokinon Rollei Samsung Samyang Optics Sankor Schneider Kreuznach Sicor Sigma Sirui SLR Magic Soligor Sony Switar Tamron Taylor Hobson Tokina Toyo TTArtisans VEB Vega Venus Optics Veydra Viltrox Vivitar Voigtländer Walimex WSC Yashica Zeiss Zenit Zhong Yi Optics Zonlai Zuiko

I got my R5 10 days ago and did many tests and then did 3 photo shootings and 1 photo + video, here my observation so far: Regarding the photo part is simply the best camera I had so far, very good resolution, AF, FPS, very quick in all the operations. The EVF is quite good but could be even better in term of color representation there is quite a bit difference between the EVF and the LCD. EVF with a bit more res would also be good. The 1DX III is still better in initial AF acquisition, panning fast and balance with big lenses as with the 200-400 is not that great with the R5 probably a battery grip would help. For the rest the R5 is better. Need to do a side by side scaled down at 20mpix on high iso to see if there is an advantage on the 1Dx there. On 1-1 pixel noise is better on the 1Dx but equalized not sure the difference is so big. On the video side 8K RAW is just incredible and a tad better than 5.5K 1DX RAW, good RS, good DR and great sharpness. 8K RAW is easier to edit in Resolve than 4k h265 10 bit… form factor is great and for gimbal is perfect with the swivel lcd. VND adapter is just so much more practical that front screw ND and VND. Not telling something new here. AF is also great, animal AF is ok with horses but not great did not test with other animals yet. Did test on the Ronin S with IBIS on and off and definitely with on is better still sometimes I have the impression is fighting a bit against each other but need to test more. Strangely the wifi live view on the R5 there is way less latency and more fps than the 1Dx III, the app is the same but is much more usable. 1Dx is basically unusable. For the photo plus video I did ca. 45 min of pictures (380 frames taken) and then switched to video and did capture around 18 min of 8K RAW in the remaining 1h in 1-5 min takes. Had to change the battery almost at the end and no sign of overheating but condition were ideal 12 c°. I did not turn off the camera between takes but I had the LCD timeout set at 1min. Things that they should improve via firmware: The resolution/framerate menu I thought it was better than the 1Dx but actually is bad as if you have on or off the high quality mode it blocks out thing. Why on earth I cannot move from 8k RAW to 4K HQ directly there. The 120fps should also be there and not a separate menu. Zebras and peaking cannot be active at the same time Zebras are not available in 8K RAW with Log on, it is with Log off Histogram while recording would be good but still is not for Canon, even better vectorscopes Clog 2 & 3 as promised Cinema RAW Light as promised (here I expect 20-30% size reduction) H265 10bit 4:2:0 or XF-AVC for easier editing HFR should be with audio and not already conformed to 25 or 30 fps You should be able to assign the audio gain to one of the settings wheels, really annoying that you need to press q, press the audio chart and then you can use the wheel. Improve further the overheating issue Things that could be better but not fixable via firmware : No overheating at all Bigger LCD Even less latency and more fps over wifi I would prefer a dedicated switch for video/photo, only button that you can assign for quick switch is the m-fn VND Adapter should have a way to lock the wheel it is a bit too easy to bump on it Full or at least mini hdmi instead of micro one I would prefer dual CFexpress but I get why they put and SD instead Some frames grab

Im selling all my lenses and switching to plastic Holga lens from now on...........