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Historical context happens when you zoom out......

Happy Holidays! Since Covid-19 has made shooting possibilities pretty limited, I've decided to shift to micro short films. Here are some test frames using the Canon FD 50mm 1.2 L...

S5 with Voitglander 35mm 1.2 @ 1.2 and DJI Focus https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zfdaF9VfxQ5PPJ0PXOFygTKcnzbUHqjq/view?fbclid=IwAR18VZmAs2U24wxr0-3UnFtwKCxlr0mnmzgp3imrbngTKoN7CcwKqrM97zc

I think it is a real shame too that they are in this situation, they offer every feature imaginable and then some. They put together some fantastic cameras but I really think they are too dependent on others to be successful.....sensors made by Sony, very limited selection of L-mount lenses, even their EVA body is dependent on the EF mount. The L mount "alliance" was the reason that I didn't buy the S1, S1R, or S1H, and if it weren't for the Sigma EF adapter I would not have bought the S5. The release of the S5 made me go back and look at their offerings and that's when I discovered that there was now an EF mount adapter. I don't think they can just focus on video because hybrid is so important these days. Even though they already seem to be mostly focusing on video, the further they move into that niche I think the worst off they will be. The FF space is very crowded and specs are very similar across all of them; if all you do is listen to paid YouTubers you would never know the little details that really set Panasonic apart from the rest, simple things like dual slot video recording, the XLR module, WFM, 1/320 flash sync speed (S1,S1H,S1R), aspect ratio guides in camera, internal intervalometer that will take more than 99 images, etc. etc. I think Panasonic has almost no inroads with photographers because they rode the m43rds train for so long and photographers are taught from day one that "real" photographers only use FF. Then when they finally went to FF they ended up with sub par AF and a new lens mount that means expensive new lenses or loss in some functionality if you use adapted lenses. All the while the market is shrinking and Sony and Canon are pulling ahead in other areas. I just don't see any scenario here where Panasonic comes out ahead.

Given the recent article by @Andrew Reid I just spotted this vid and thought it may be of interest here:

So, to paraphrase... In March, GoPro stocks were down to 3% of their 2014 peak But they've gone up from 3% to 10% of their peak The rise was unexpected In a conversation about a companies business model, where that business model hasn't really changed in the entire lifetime of the company, I would suggest that "down by 90% since 2014" is a more relevant figure than what they did in the last quarter, month, quarter-of-an-hour, etc... It's relatively easy to select any time portion you like to prove a point. For example, in the last few days they lost over 8% of their value. At that rate I guess they'll be bankrupt by the new year. Unless, of course, you think I'm taking the most current data out of context and I should zoom out a bit? 🙂

@mercer Happy holidays too, dear Glenn and everybody! Black magic micro. You are one brave man.:) A perfect setup for this is tricky and pretty expensive. The original Pocket has risen in price again, running around 500USD, the Micro for much more. Would love to see your gem coupled with some of your c-mount lens treasures!

The oldest preserved photograph (adjusted), by Nicéphore Niépce. Taken around 1826 using a box with a hole in it, a lens and a pewter plate coated with natural asphalt. 🙂 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_from_the_Window_at_Le_Gras https://photo-museum.org/niepce-invention-photography/

They're selling for around US$3K-ish these days for the body only if you get lucky

The LUT is made so you expose at normal exposure. Exposing higher will result in cleaner footage though I would say it’s not necessary like it was on Sony cameras with Slog.

There are exposure conversions for -2, -1, -.66, -.33 and the same with overexposure. Of course you can expose lower it just doesn’t guarantee the same color accuracy.

If you want to match your camera to an Alexa it’s the best tool for that job. I personally love it on my Panasonic S1. Makes saturation and highlight roll off really pleasing.

I think another factor is that the expectation for quality is also dropping. It's become so easy with cell phones that anyone can do it so now the "viral" photos are based on who is in the image vs. the skill that was required to create the image. A horribly lit and composed cell phone picture of Kim Kardashian will get 50M views yet a photographic masterpiece that took weeks of planning and years of experience to create will barely get seen by 1,000 people. Another factor is no one prints anymore, so even if a camera were to advance by the magnitude of a decade or two....the typical viewer would never be able to tell the difference because it would never be viewed on anything other than a cell phone. The same thing can be said for video....who needs 8K raw when the average viewer is going to watch the final video on YouTube using their cell phone? If your client can't tell (and isn't going to pay for) the difference in quality between a $15K camera and a $2K camera why would you buy the $15K camera? I have to face these harsh realities each time I consider my next equipment purchase, I would love to own the Inspire 2 but my clients are not going to be able to tell the difference between the Inspire 2 and the Mavic Pro. Likewise the C70....why bother buying the C70 when my clients are going to pay me the same if I use the S5 instead. Thanks to cell phones which are "just good enough" for most people they are less and less willing to pay for quality.

If you get a a7siii, shoot on vintage or not too sharp lenses, and get the luts from https://www.joelfamularo.com/colour-a7s3 (or use the official SLOG type A lut from sony as a free alternative), it will be as cinematic as it can be. Modern lenses have way too much contrast, and cinema cameras tend to have stronger low pass filters than still cameras (the ones on RED cameras are extremely strong for exemple), the cinematic feel is all about softness and contrast in the shadow.