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Magic Lantern for the Canon EOS M really does turn this little camera into a cinematic pocket rocket. Shame so much fine detail and grain is lost with the upload. Post Process: 1. Convert video files in MLV app to Arri Log C 2. Render out from MLV app as ProRes 422 3. Color Grade Arri LOG C files in DaVinci Resolve under a Kodak 2383 Emulation LUT 3. Edit & Render out as ProRes 422 Filmed with a small DIY Anamorfake filter that I made a while back which sits behind the lens. No lens flares, just a certain aesthetic that I personally like :)

Yeah the EOS M is a beast. If someone ever stole my camera and I needed an emergency dirt cheap replacement it would probably be one of these ML cameras, EOS M or 5d II 🤣

I haven't tested any of these things but from what I've read online there's very little to worry about. I think I remember reading that you can set the fan on low if you're worried about fan noise with an onboard mic. It's too mild in Ireland to test these things. We're supposed to be experiencing Europe's heatwave at the moment. Here in Dublin the highest temperature today was 27C 😂

Good point. My Panny's are all 150Mbps 420 10 bit and my grade is fairly mild but a lot of 50% Slow mo. I tried very briefly (once) jumping up to the 400Mbps option...but never again. I didn't see any benefit and it chewed through cards at a crazy rate. 150 therefore is Goldilocks for me.

Use however much you need, but be aware that how much you need can vary radically depending on what you're filming. 50Mbps is tonnes if you're filming a talking-head with a blurry background, but point you camera at a tree while there's lots of wind, or during rain or snow, or at the ocean, or from a moving vehicle, and the 50Mbps you were loving before might make you cry. Also, if you're filming in higher frame rates and then conforming to normal speed to make things appear in slow motion then your bitrate will get stretched accordingly. 50Mbps is 25Mbps when viewed at 50% speed on a timeline, etc. You can't add bitrate in post!

It also depends on the specific flavour of codec, not only related to bitrate but its "magic" as well. The S1 without the VLog and 10bit 422 update it had a h265 10bit 420 codec in HLG and with 75 Mbit. It had definate flaws in homogenously coloured surfaces such as painted blue wall fi. In these areas the material was full of artefacts, specifically cluster of blocks, which were easily revealed by a strong contrast curve. The 4K 150mbit h264 422 10bit codec, as well as the 100mbit 10bit 422 HD flavour are pretty much seemingly unbreakable. I assume one could film a valid cinema project with it. The 4K8bit 100mbit codec was not shabby at all neither for its proposed use in 709, though paling in comparision to its fantastic 10bit counterpart. The 4K 8bit 100mbit flavour on a Sony A7S2 on the other hand sucks pretty much for more elevated grading needs, even in comparison to a tiny GX85. GX85 flavour of 4K 8bit 100mbit is no slouch if not overwhelming it with the task of serious low light, like above 800Iso under Golden Hour fi. Then mushiness will sneak in, also with noise reduction set all way down to -5. cheers

Postscript: My wife tried reading my last post. She didn’t get very far. She said we’re all crazy. No doubt, She’s right.

For sure! ;D

Helium balloons?

https://www.xdcam-user.com/2020/06/raw-myths-you-cant-change-the-white-balance-of-the-camera-or-iso-in-post/?amp=1 The comments are as interesting as the article.

Like I said the 150mbit 422 10bit on the S series and the GH5 is an anwesome codec. Highly recommended even for feature work I must say. Talking about acquisition of course, but that should of course be clear, if talking about codecs in cameras.:)

Like with everything, there's diminishing returns. If you're not doing a ton of tweaking in post, you really don't need huge files, especially if it's only going on YouTube. For a lot of my work 50mbps (or 100mbps in h.264) is more than enough, given the final edit will end up on a streaming service that will stream it at maybe 1/4 of that. That's not an argument against higher bit rate options, as there absolutely are plenty of good reasons to have that as an option, but not everything needs to have 400mbps just as not everything needs to be filmed in RAW.

This. Do your own tests and trust your judgement, but here's my opinion. If all you care about is how it looks on YouTube, 50 is perfectly fine. No one can tell the difference between a 50 and 100 source file on a 7" phone screen, or a 65" 4k screen 12' away with window glare across the front. I care more about how my content looks in Resolve than on YouTube. And even then, I use 100 mbps H265 (IPB). When I had an XT3, I shot a few full projects at 200 mbps and didn't see any improvement. I've done tests with my Z Cam and can't see benefits to >100. I'd be happy with 50 in most scenarios. It might be confirmation bias but I think I have been in scenarios where 100 looked better than 50, in particular when handheld. Keep in my also, on most cameras, especially consumer cameras, the nominal rate is the upper limit (it would be a BIG problem the encoder went OVER its nominal rate because the SD card requirements would be a lie). So while I shoot at 100, the file size is usually closer to 70, so it might not even be as big a file size increase as you think. But for me, 100 mpbs is the sweet spot, when shooting H265 IPB.

Will this be edited in post or will it be connected to a switcher? If it's being done in post then you've got a lot of options. Pretty much any camcorder that allows you to custom white balance will work. I filmed lots of multicam shoots with the Sony hdr-cx580. It's an older camera, but it was decent in low light and worked really well. If they're doing it live then two GH5 cameras with primes would work. Even if they do the editing in post the GH5 is a great option, but I specifically say this because it has the full size HDMI out. If they prefer camcorders then the Panasonic HC-MDH3 is the cheapest camcorder you'll find that has a full size HDMI, at least that I know of.

OP said that the cameras will be used in a "talk show" setting. So, they will likely be on sticks and require a lens that can get fairly tight, with smooth zoom-in/zoom-outs.

second hand sony pmw 150s, panasonic AG-AC160s, or panasonic aj-hpx255s if the p2 cards are included? new panasonic HC-X1s or sony PXW-Z150s?