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If only there was a member of this forum who uses L Mount for video and Sony for stills who has been praying for a ‘one & done’ constant aperture f2.8 lens ranging from 28 to about 100mm whilst weighing max 1kg. If only there was a member of this forum this lens was designed for…

@Ninpo33 What exactly is your point? Is it that the DJI Ronin 4D is a good camera for me, individually (responding to my 2nd post here)? Or are you saying that DJI should market and sell a hybrid primarily on image quality instead of their cool focus and wireless tech (responding to my first post)? Because all I'm saying is that I consider as many options as I can with the info I have, and that the Ronin 4D is not among the top viable choices that I have for the projects that I am writing. My group and I discuss every option, from renting an Alexa 35, to buying a 4D, to getting a ton of mirrorless cameras and saving time by shooting multicam. Hybrids are on the table, but generally lower than a Ronin 4D in terms of pros/cons. I'm only saying what makes sense for my wallet and projects, which I don't think is being unnecessarily skeptical nor am I disrespecting people who use DJI cameras. Outside of my personal purchasing, I don't believe that the wider film community currently flocks to DJI as a leader in "color science" in the numbers that rally to "Canon color" or "Nikon color." So my opinion is that a DJI-brand photo camera will gain more traction if they include and advertise innovative accessories, rather than their image quality. Specifically regarding the video that you shared, I do find it a bit monotone and flat colored for my taste, which can obviously be grading. But like I said, the nuance is not whether the image is "good" its "how good" vs. the competition vs. ease of use (in many scenarios) vs. cost vs. upgradeability. My comparisons are all over the place because I try to consider every angle, and I don't have the money to do all of them! It's like deciding whether to hire a CGI artist, or a craftsman to build a miniature, or plane tickets to shoot on location. Totally different options with almost incomparable pros and cons, but ultimately they have to be compared.

Why would you not include hybrids? You’re comparing image quality for price aren’t you? A rigged out hybrid might get you a better image that you don’t consider as “meh” LOL. Honestly, my same buddy I mentioned before has used the DJI on a bunch of commercial shoots for Samsung and I bet you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference while watching one of those spots on TV. And again, why even make the comparison between the other cameras you mention? Like what’s the point of comparing bottom level pro-ish mostly Super 35 Sensor cameras around the same price point that don’t even offer full frame, similar specs or features? If you buy a used C70 or C300 etc… and add LiDAR, a gimbal that can do Z Axis, handle controls, wireless transmitting etc…(close to $3,500) you’re close to $10k. Also on the DJI factor in pro res raw internal, 6k 60p external recording to SSD’s over USB-C and Full frame be Super 35 options. As far as modular, I meant that the head comes off to be able to act as a pole camera/Jib arm with the flex unit or fit between small spaces, etc… that’s something the other cameras you mention don’t even have the ability to do. Again, why a smaller hybrid mirrorless camera with IBIS comes in handy. You’re entitled to your opinion of course but I just think your comparisons are kind of all over the place. And I guess as you said, it’s not a camera for your use case so in the end it doesn’t even really matter. Just curios, what is it about the footage from the 4D that you can identify as being “meh”? Specifically, compared to a C300mkii or Komodo?

I think the Sigma 28-105 2.8 and the 16-28 2.8 look a real killer combo.

I’m sure he was a character from Viz back in the day? Fnarr.

It certainly is for Matt Granger and his unfeasibly large shorts. He'd have had a good shot at getting a Phantom 4 in them.

That’s what I think. Did Nikon just buy it so a competitor did not, or do they actually have a plan? Because if they do have a plan and don’t get the fuck on with it, that ship won’t just have sailed, but most likely be sinking fast. Time will tell, but I suspect the former owners of RED who cashed in are breathing great sighs of relief when Nikon signed and then actually gave them money.

So, business as usual then but you've just shifted the decimal point a couple of places to the left 🙂

Seen as though my retro tech hobby is now completely out of control I decided to get a 2007 MacBook Pro for FireWire duties today, cost 80 euro. Came with some nice music and the SSD upgrade (500GB) which was popular back in the day, and seller chucked a 4S in with the deal. there’s a number of aspects to it that suggest modern Apple have not necessarily gone in a forward direction!!

At the end of last year, I almost…almost, went to Canon and the R3 for a number of reasons, body and glass, but what stopped me from pulling that trigger was their used ‘like new’ prices, so I temporarily went Nikon with adapted Sony E Mount glass. The latter is another story and in the end, I went fully E Mount for all my stills needs, but the ‘funny’ thing was, MPB dropped the price by around 1k shortly after. It was almost as if someone had got the pricing wrong and then realised or it was dropped in anticipation of the R1…but then they put it back up again! Not all the way up, but IMO still over-priced. I think sometimes it’s just a timing thing with them because I have had some great deals from them on kit, both cameras and lenses and sometimes if you are not desperate, it’s worth having a stock list email set up with them so when new stuff comes in, you get pinged. Wish I’d held on to my Leica 24-90 now as those things are selling at around 200% of what I sold mine for last year 😏

I think Canon has joined the ranks of the rest of the disposable world, where nothing is expected to last more than 2-4yrs and right at the end of that 2-4yrs they will have a shiny new object for you to buy, and of course when it breaks they expect you to blame yourself for "using it wrong". I don't know much about Nikon, but I have held a few of their bodies in the retail stores and I can say without a doubt, between Nikon, Sony, and Canon, Panasonic's bodies feel the highest quality by far. It is odd to me though, when you put away all of the charts and pixel peeping and actually get out and shoot, the DR still seems about the same as the R5, there are a few YT videos where they just shot the same outdoor scene with them side by side and the difference did not seem that dramatic; it definitely did not look like the C70's amount of DR. The R5C to R5II comparisons seemed like even less of a difference in real world shooting. The inclusion of CLOG2 will help with highlight rolloff and make it easier to match the R5II to the C70 when using it as a B cam; in my opinion that will make a bigger visual difference than the DR improvements. I am noticing in Davinci Resolve that CLOG2 also seems to affect saturation when using managed color, so I will need to brush up on how to properly color grade CLOG2. Exposing properly seems easier than CLOG3, but color grading it even with managed color seems a little more difficult.

Someone should let them know that "like new" is supposed to apply to the condition, not the price! C'mon, give us the deals, MPB!

Sadly not. The cards themselves were way too expensive for my wallet !

I will likely be over there in a couple of weeks for more sorting so I’ll dig them out and have a go for you. The last time I saw the HV20 it had a spinning 35mm adapter on it so that might be interesting to re-visit! The big challenge might be batteries and/or charger though for it but we’ll see.

For anyone with a BMMCC (and a 3D printer) looking for the Digital Bolex ergonomics this might be right up your street.

For you vintage lens fans, here's an oldie but a goodie... I was able to get out over the weekend with my FP and I finally tested the 10bit cDNG mode... hat tip to @BTM_Pix for recommending that mode... feels really solid while saving some storage space... and I brought out the Minolta MC 55mm 1.7. Wide open it's a little glowy, but not bad, but stopped down to 2.8 and I feel it shines...

That’s really interesting to know as I was considering that lens with an Fp-L (yes, I’m considering doubling down!) as a kind of sort of nearly improvised Leica Q3. Despite the typical pissing down on a Sunday summer afternoon weather yesterday it was still bright enough to have to use have the Vari-ND on max on those shots as I was using vLOG. I used this one which I have to say does live up to the promise of no X pattern even when at max.