Leaderboard

I have been spending too much money on equipment in recent years, and WAY too much time researching it. I really don't need anything else in terms of kit. What I do need is to replace my wardrobe and make some repairs to my home and my vehicle. Also, I'd like to spend more time producing passion projects. So, I'm making a commitment that I will not buy any new gear between November 30th, 2023 and November 29th, 2024 (got to give myself the option to take advantage of Black Friday deals). If I need a specialty piece of gear, I will rent it. The exceptions are expendables and direct replacements, should anything I'm using break down. I've never done this before and I'm posting this to help keep myself accountable.

I saw it almost twice because I have a friend who works at a theater where they were showing it and I went to catch it. The script is nothing much and it gets lost in the end. Just another movie. Let's face it: it was discussed so much for a very simple reason: all independent filmmakers and the kids (including white-haired ones like me) je***ng off with their little cameras in the backyard thought: if he made a blockbuster with my own little camera, so can I. But picking up on the thread title "Will The Creator change how blockbusters get filmed?" I venture to say that This was a whim of a very particular director (his resume proves it) but the film industry doesn't give a shit about the camera used for the film and nothing will change. As I said 8 pages ago, if there is one reason the film will be remembered and may change the way these blockbusters are shot, it is the visuals. The film is a visual treat. But not because of the camera or the lenses used but because unlike 99% of other similar films they chose not to create everything by computer but to use real locations as much as possible to which, in post production, the necessary modifications were applied (mainly for budget reasons i suppose). There are scenes shot in real Buddhist temples in Nepal, ruins in Cambodia, hotel, train station, and Bangkok airport, to which they added futuristic details. The futuristic lab you see in the trailers is a real nuclear accelerator in Thailand. the result is mind-blowing. The locations are real and fuck if you can see it. The visuals have a great scope that the Star Wars productions look like South American soap operas in comparison. In short seeing the total CGI reconstructions of entire landscapes in other much more expensive and famous films you get the impression that perfection has been achieved. Then you see this film and knowing the technique used (I would almost call it augmented reality) you realize that there is still a long way to go. Here, in my opinion, this will be something that will change the approach of other productions.

I too was tempted to go give a lol reaction instead a like But I support @QuickHitRecord on their impossible mission!

Lots of great discussion, which I find very helpful--thanks guys! I thought I'd offer some clarification of a few things. First, let's avoid too much talk about wasting money and motives. As I've said, I'm just a hobbyist and spending $10K on a new camera is not a financial burden at all. As I originally stated, my main application is scenics. Not necessarily wildlife, except where wildlife happens to be present--we don't go out of our way to shoot birds and other wildlife, hence we have no need for long lenses. Weight and bulk aren't too big a concern either as most of our work is done close to the car or within a mile of the car. I have a cart that I use to carry things when walking more than a hundred yards from the car. My prior still photography experience is large format, so I'm used to carrying big, bulky things. Several have mentioned budgeting for other equipment. I already have most of this covered as I have a nice Sachtler fluid head and tripod, a Zoom sound recorder and Rode shotgun mic, filters, etc. Sure, I could upgrade some of this, particularly the microphone as some suggested, but I think I have most of the basics covered. Regarding sound, most of what we record near the camera is unusable due to crowds of people talking, cars passing on the road, wind noise, etc. I end up replacing 95% of recorded sound with music anyway. For lenses, I plan to start buying cine lenses in PL mount. I wish I could afford ARRI Signature Primes or Zeiss Supreme Primes, but that's not in the cards. I'm looking more along the lines of the DZO Vespids, so in other works, around $1000-1500 per lens. I'll probably get these in FF even if I end up with a Super35 camera, just to make them a little more future-proof. One big want is reliability. I try to buy the most reliable things I can. As a private pilot, I'm especially sensitive to reliability concerns--I've never had to make an engine-out emergency landing on a golf course or highway, and I prefer it that way! I want my camera equipment to be just as reliable. Covering some of the other points people raised: Slow motion. Don't need it. I think it looks too cliché in nature videos. DR. Yes, important. Sharpness. Important. Low-light. Somewhat less important. Twilight yes, nightline shooting, no. AF. Absolutely not needed. TC. Not important. Gimbal compatibility. Not important. Shallow DOF. Not important. I prefer lots of DOF. RAW. I think I'd like having RAW based on experience grading RAW footage I've downloaded. Rolling shutter. Not an issue as I shoot on a tripod 100% and do slow pans. Battery life. Not a big deal as I'll have spares close by. Internal ND. A real plus, but not a dealbreaker. Anamorphic. Nope.

Cool story, but nobody's asking you your opinion of how they spend their money. If the OP has more than $4k in their pocket and wants to buy the best camera for what they're doing, that's their choice. They don't need some toxic internet person yelling at them about other ways they could spend the money. Not everybody bases their spending decisions on purely utilitarian criteria. Keep in mind that I'm not saying I'm a Roger Deakins or a Hoyte von Hoytema (and not even close), and it's likely that the OP isn't either, but please do go lecture either one of them on how dumb they are to shoot with multiple $100k Arri kits and $50k Venice setups. Anyway, there are also "literally millions" of other ways that you could spend your time, other than criticizing other people's hobby budgets. Maybe you should find some of them.

If this helps, you technically wouldn’t be using the full potential of the pocket 4k either, you would just be wasting less money.

The Pocket 4k has good dynamic range. Above 12 stops when using davinci highlight recovery. You can mount a small Sony NPF on top the camera and get good battery life pretty easily. Variable ND's are very easy, you can get a magnetic one for quick removal. Variable ND's aren't great for skin tones but he's shooting landscapes. M43 lenses are tiny and cheap, but if he wants he could just get EF mount or something to future proof. If you aren't making a lot of money off your cameras it makes little sense to spend $4000+ on it. The Pocket 6k Pro is a good compromise though. You can get them for under $2000 used. Battery life is better and the built in screen is really nice. Honestly when I am not on set I like to have the smallest camera possible. The FX30 has been great for me. I want it to feel like there is no camera at all. On narrative film productions that is when I prefer a cinema body with all the bells and whistles. Carrying anything substantial around when I am doing solo or non paid stuff is a pain in the ass. Honestly the FX30 would be a good choice. The image looks great, especially for landscapes. Lens options are cheap and tiny. Good battery life too. The weight of the camera feels like you are carrying nothing.

My Priorities for Panasonic: 1) Release a VERY SMALL M43 camera body with PDAF and full-sensor readout in 4k NOW! 2) Release a GH7 with variable ND and PDAF. 3) Release a high-end video camera with variable ND and PDAF for L mount. 4) Release a pancake (28mm or 40mm or both) lens for L mount.

I think the low DR with the video on Canon mirrorless cameras is also quite disappointing if you're coming from Panasonic - have gone from Canon R6 to the Panasonic S5ii and the increase in DR is noticeable. Had to use the S5ii alongside a Canon R5 recently and the Canon was struggling to keep up. Not sure if DR has been improved in the R3 but I doubt it

XF-AVC on the C70 is, unless I'm mistaken, a 10-bit 4:2:2 version of H.264 in a fancy wrapper. I think there's an all-I mode so it should be alright, but it won't stop editors from giving me an unhappy look when I hand over footage. Regardless of technical merits, people really like ProRes. 🙂 For a lot of stuff, I'll probably use the lighter of the two raw formats that it offers (except for overcranking past 60fps where it's not available). It's just not good for quick turnaround (like 48 hour film project stuff). Yeah, the integrated (or small first-party add-on) EVF is really nice to have. I'm sure that Zacuto make some sort of rubber band contraption that can go on the integrated screen for like $3,000, though. Then you can pretend you have an EVF and lose all use of the touch screen. As far as the cine lens size/weight, I've used CN-E's a lot with my E2-F6 which is smaller and lighter than the C70. By the time you add a handle and screen to the body and put rails on the front for your focus motor, etc, the "small" cinema camera bodies become "not so very small" and I haven't found the size/weight of CN-E to be a problem, at least. If OP wants to use Arri Master Prime, that might be a different calculation. 😉

Looks interesting, curious to see the 8k 24fps quality once is available, the 2x zoom sensor crop seems kind of ok so I expect the 8k to be quite good for this type of camera. Also curios to see how the "AI" motion blur works compared to do it manually in Resolve. From the first videos around low light it is still not great but much better than any other action cam on the market. A pity that it seems to be missing 10bit log and user replaceable lens. I wish they would also offer an add-on even wider lens for POV like the MAX MOD 2, very useful for MTB, Ski and Snowboarding. 8k at 25fps would have been nice too as it is only 1 fps more so probably doable, maybe with firmware?. As @eatstoomuchjam mentions insta360 studio and I also add the iOS App are the best from any action cam manufacturer and they continue to improve them.

If you can't tell the difference in a camera with about 14 stops of dynamic range at SNR=1 and a camera with 12.1 stops of dynamic range at SNR=1 - or you can't see the difference in 28ms of rolling shutter vs 9ms of rolling shutter when the camera moves, then you probably shouldn't be dispensing camera advice to anybody, ever. It's not to say that a camera with only 11 stops of DR and 30ms rolling shutter is unable to produce a nice-looking image. I was thrilled with my 5D Mark II at the time and compared with modern cameras, it had terrible DR and RS. Especially with ML, you could shoot with that camera today and come up with something that looks better than half of what I see entered in local film contests. Similar things could be said of the GH2 or GH5. However, the question asked by the OP isn't "what low-budget camera can I buy and find ways to work around its limitations to get the results that I want?" Also, some of the nicer options suggested (including the C70 that I was just talking about) are already pretty light and remove the need to buy a decent set of ND's.

im not yelling? i could make the argument that this consumerist driven attitude is more toxic? i think the 50/100k arri/venice setups are actually necessary for the context theyre made for, and i think there’s a decent argument to be made in regards to getting those and making a profit from renting those out. Almost every camera now performs almost exactly the same. this means that theres no little to no difference in image quality between the lower budget options (pockets, fx30s) and the mid tier (canon c-whatever, fx9, red). you’re not going to see that price difference in the end result. if you’re going to be shooting basic stuff in nature where you dont need a bunch of bells and whistles, you might as well get the lower cost options that let you record in a good or decent codec, which also happen to be light. your back will be much happier afterwards. you can save some money with which you could buy a decent set of lenses, nds and a great tripod.

Certainly has to be considered, but 'proper' video cameras are just so much nicer to shoot with. I'm a mere hobbyist, but I just far prefer the ergos of a decent dedicated video camera. In fact I'm currently eagerly awaiting the 370hrs FS& I just magaed to pick up for GBP695 (trading in my Lumix G9)!

170Mbps... not terrible. Let's see what the implementation is like, especially the sharpening, NR, and auto-awesome AI. I like the idea there's two of them, with the "Pro" one having a larger sensor and more resolution etc. I feel like most action products are the generic model and somehow they never release the higher up models.

1) there is no "settling", the 4/3 sensor (especially a bit larger than average 4/3 sensor, such as in the P4K and GH5S) is quite close to the industry standard S35 2) the MFT mount is not dead. Both Blackmagic and Panasonic just released this year a couple of fantastic cameras for MFT mount. And of course there are all the other camera companies which have supported MFT mount, such as: OM, Z Cam, DJI, Kinefinity, Chronos, Insta360, Kandao , and more. And many many more lens manufacturers which have supported the MFT mount! (more so than any other mount) Really good DR you meant to say Definitely not what I'd describe the P4K as! The original one?? Yeah sure, ok. But still, not even for the OG BMPCC do I think it was the deal breaker people thought it was. As I'd just slap a BP-U30 battery mounted to the top of my BMPCC and I'd be able to shoot for ages and ages. So just do that, and treat the BP-U30 (or NP-F970, or a mini V-lock, or whatever else you prefer) as your "main battery". Ditto for the P4K, just think of the internal battery as an awesome feature that allows you to always hot swap the main battery! Nice! Or you could get the battery grip and be able to shoot for two hours with that. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1472973-REG/blackmagic_design_grip_ccpoc4k_pg_pocket_cinema_camera_4k.html (the battery grip for the Pocket 6K Pro allows three hours of shooting: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1625668-REG/blackmagic_design_pocket_cinema_camera_battery.html ) So? Lots of other cameras have been discussed as possibilities in this thread which also don't have an internal ND, such as the RED Dragon X, or Panasonic BS1H. 1) basically any cine lens on the planet can be adapted to MFT (well, except maybe a few B4 mount cine lenses which are tricky for that. But it's a far better idea to use B4 cine lenses on a MFT camera than another other modern cine camera!!) 2) there are plenty of great cine lenses purely designed for the MFT mount, such as from DZOFilm, SLR Magic, Kowa, and Meike As even you yourself say, the P4K is sufficient. Arguably even more than sufficient. Would a 20 stops of dynamic range 20K resolution camera that has 1 million ISO low light with 18bit raw files truly make a major difference to the images produced? Nope. It really puts into perspective that debating over if this camera with 1/2 stop more DR or slightly cleaner shadows is basically a bunch of navel gazing. But still, there are lots of different cameras here that are "the right answer" for @Jedi Master, I've myself in this thread advocated for top end premium cameras such as the ARRI ALEXA Classic or Panasonic Varicam LT, and even mildly advocated for the likes of the RED Komodo (although, I don't think it's a great choice, just the best out of the pick at that price point if buying a new RED). But yet, even the humble BMD P4K (or 6K Pro, or the new Cinema 6K camera with the L Mount, or a Z Cam E2 series camera, or the Panasonic BS1H / S1H) could be a great pick! The ease of use and portability will be benefits when getting the shot. And the lower costs shouldn't be overlooked either, that can be put into getting perhaps a bit better lenses than was otherwise planned (I feel this hasn't really been discussed enough, which lenses did you in particular have in mind @Jedi Master? Or at least a lens budget?), or experimenting a bit more with accessories and extras. Perhaps buying a wide range of 4x4 filters to shoot with for instance, having a spare grand or two to put into that could make a real difference. Or splurging on a Sennheiser MKH8030 & MKH8040 for a M/S microphone setup could really make a big difference on the final video. Or getting a few other microphones. Or spending a grand on a weekend trip away to a stunning location to film. Don't be silly, the Canon C70 would depreciate more in just the first year than the entire purchase price of the P4K!!

I was doubting about getting a mini pro g2 instead of the 6k, because we use the Ursa's at work and I LOVE their form factor, but the G2 is in such a weird space. It's still 'current', as in they're available new on the BM website, but they haven't been updated in years, so all the new features (gen5, gyro stabilisation, new UI) haven't been available and I doubt they ever will be. Also some quality of life features from the 12k (especially higher nit screen) are not on there. Just a weird model.

I tried but as a resident of France, the only day it was on in original English language, I was in Ireland. And no way am I ever watching anything in dubbed French!

Are you referring to Jedi Master's thread? He doesn't need any of the professional features required by productions. Just needs a sensor to capture pretty landscapes in a slow paced chill manner on the weekends. That's like expecting someone to read an article before commenting on it on Facebook! Totally unrealistic expectations.

Yes, I think the appropriate reaction is the 😂 face... we're happy for you, we are thankful for the idea, but we also know ourselves and thus, the tears!

This is the internet... such things are irrelevant when arguing about technical matters!

Something has to change. Duh! 😂 Let's simply not buy anymore stuff. Though some of the stuff I want to in. Before getting anything I will need to sell something beforehand. I want to trade my LX10 in for a LX100. Loved the LX10 as a personal camera. But that grip and lack of EVF... LX100 means 4K S16 instead of 2/3 as well'':) I have a second LX15 though.:) Bought both of them last summer from a fitness youtuber for 120 EU!

I think a case can also be made for the argument, ‘Just Because’. I’ve done it throughout my career. And life. Sometimes…most of the time, I do things the way they need to be done, but sometimes I don’t. I’ve shot an entire 4 days of Motorsport for a top team with Fuji X Pro2’s with a bag of primes, nothing longer than ‘85’mm. The pro photographers at the event didn’t bat an eye wit their massive long lenses as they had no idea what I was doing which was in fact doing something the polar opposite of what they were all trying to do. Because I could. This whole Creator/FX3 thing is a ‘Just Because’. And what a boring world it would be otherwise…

I have so much (including cameras and lenses I've never actually even shot anything with) and yet how many narrative short films have I worked on in the past year? ONE. Something has to change!

Totally agreed @TomTheDP

They could have just used much smaller spherical lenses and done the look in post like Fincher does. At the end of the day DP's/Directors almost always sacrifice convenience and time for a certain look that the audience won't really care about.

😁 Well, well, this certainly was a long read that took quite a few days.... I have to say it was quite a ride to read. In my case, still using my NX cameras but pretty stock, it was until last month that I found that there were "hacks" for both the NX1 and NX500 and decided to get up to speed and do some shooting. Sadly, I have not been able to find much around. The old NXKS2 hack is nowhere to be found (can someone share it?) I'd like to experiment with that before trying Vasile's method. It seems I lost the boat on accessories like cages, or adapters like the NXL that sadly are not popping up in an amazon or eBay search or anywhere. It was strange as well to see that many of the comparison videos linked here were taken down in one way or another. I still feel very happy with my NX lineup in 2023. I wonder how it compares to whatever others had upgraded in the past years as I still feel it can hold up for a while - in my humble stock mode-. Now I'm anxious to try the hacks from 2016 🙂

..guys.. Camera Cospiracies is completely right.. if for a moment we don't consider the high iso performance, the NX1 is still at the top level in 2020. In 2020! And it was released in 2014.

still a good camera!

Hi, I found this forum looking for some way to synchronize a set of 4 samsung nx500 to take panopictures. I am totally incompetent in electronics. I found a samsung NX500 mod here: https://github.com/ottokiksmaler/nx500_nx1_modding which enables the camera to use fully electronic shutter. I was wondering if someone has ever tried to synchronise these cameras to shoot simultaneously (1ms accuracy) with some sorts of cable and/or firmware/software mod, something like SDM does for Canon cameras which unfortunately do not have electronic shutter. Such a mod would be useful not only for 360 degree pictures but also for stereophotography. Any help and hints would be much useful. Thank you. Regards, Giuseppe .