Andrew Reid

  That's a little dramatic!   The BMCC and BMPCC sensor is rated for 13 stops according to Blackmagic.   However usable dynamic range is what we should really measure.   The lows on the Blackmagic cameras are noisy and the lows on the GH4 are compressed (by the encoder allocating more of the available datarate to the mids).   So to get optimal range we shoot exposed to the right on the Blackmagic and on the GH4 we use the in-camera settings to move the black level up so that the encoder deals better with the lows.   Even now we should not measure dynamic range yet (like in SOOOO many test videos I've seen in LOG or with a flat profile!!) because the curve of the image has reduced colour saturation and contrast, it's too flat.   What is magic about film and a very high end camera like the Alexa is that they have a high dynamic range even when graded and not just with the LOG curve.   In our grade we're dealing with usable dynamic range. For example we crush the shadows until the noise goes away and we apply an S-curve to get our lovely colour and contrast back.   At this point in my tests I concluded the GH4 and BMPCC dynamic range was roughly about the same... Around 10 stops. Still less than the 14 stops of film but still up there with DSLR-stills photos.   Furthermore when we oversample 1080p from 4K in post, we get 10bit luma and 444 colour sampling so the GH4 is not deficient there either, with very smooth transitions between shades and no pixilation around high contrast red edges for example.   On DXOMark the 5D Mark III's sensor is rated for about 11.5 stops and the GH4's sensor is rated for approximately 11.5 stops also (similar sensor as GX7 and GM1). If you look at the raw stills from both cameras you get a nice 11.5 stops, or roughly close to that figure anyway.   The way to think about the GH4's 4K video dynamic range is to compare it to a JPEG still shot on the camera in stills mode or on the 5D Mark III, but bare in mind that the video is more compressed in the shadows, so you do lose some USABLE dynamic range compared to a still.   Same situation though with the BMCC due to noise in the lows.   So there you go.   And as for low light performance again they are evenly matched, especially with Speed Booster but I do find the noise grain and tonality in the blacks slightly better on the BMPCC.... Not by much but there is a small difference.

The Panasonic GH4 is $1699 and available here at B&H Photo Video Today only - tune into the B&H Studio GH4 live broadcast here (starting 1PM EDT) The Panasonic GH4, is it a cinematic monster or a wimpy video camera? It's a monster. Even compared to the full frame 14bit raw from the 5D Mark III the GH4 holds its own. It represents a big return to form for Panasonic, a consumer camera that pushes way beyond the image provided by the GH3 and AF100. As a 4K camera never has the format been so practical to shoot as it is with the GH4. With file sizes 8x less than on the nearest competitor and a price 5x less expensive than the Canon 1D C, the GH4 is the most exciting camera I have ever shot with at EOSHD. Read the full article here

Watch the B&H Studio GH4 live broadcast here Starting 1PM EDT, Tuesday, May 27, 2014 Today B&H will be holding a live webcast discussion about the Panasonic GH4 with filmmakers and Panasonic's Mathew Frazer. My GH4 review will be published today and there's also a chance for you to win a GH4 at B&H by tweeting a question with the hashtag #BHPhotoLive here Then following the review, this evening my Panasonic GH4 Shooter's Guide book will be launched. Stay tuned to EOSHD on this busy day for GH4 users!Read the full article here

Download 6K Red Dragon footage compressed to 4K at 15Mbit/s with Google VP9 codec. To play the video you can use the latest VLC Player or Google Chrome The H.265 codec has a rival - YouTube are currently testing the next generation "H.265 beating" VP9 codec for high quality 4K streaming. The file you see linked to above is nearly 2 minutes of 4K clocking in at under 200MB. The quality is astounding for 15Mbit/s and that in a nutshell is what the next generation codecs are all about. The new codecs have the potential to give us ProRes 4444 quality for 1% of the file sizes and make streaming of 4K video over current internet connections a reality. The VP9 codec is developed by Google and already has the backing of Panasonic, Sigma, Sony, ARM and others. Interesting to note Sigma in that list, but I digress... Read the full article here

Of course there's the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 if you don't mind the shorter range! It ends up like a 12-25mm F1.2 in Micro Four Thirds terms.

  Yes tested it. Nice lens on both GX7 and GH4. A worthy alternative to 12-35mm if you can find it cheaper (it usually is... by half!)   It is sharp and the OIS really works well for video... I use the Panasonic Four Thirds adapter.   The 14-50mm comes in two flavours... there's the Leica version which came with the Digilux and the Panasonic-Leica version which came with the L1. Just cosmetic differences I think but not tested the Leica version yet.   However consider the Speed Booster and an APS-C F2.8 zoom if you want a shallower DOF. The Tamron 17-50mm F2.8 for example is even cheaper.

  The GX7 is the same as the GH4 in low light when it comes to in-camera 1080p. The GH4 pulls ahead when set to 4K and downsampled to 1080p in post though.   Araucaria... Real filmmakers don't use auto-focus ;)   Yes AF is fast for stills on both cameras... VERY fast... Not in video mode. It is lame.

  You can't just strip a sound track off an edit and replace it with a completely different one... Well you can, so long as you're not basing the entire concept of the video around that crucial song, the timing of the edit, the mood, the meaning, the lyrics, the soundscape and the pacing!   :)

  Nah, it really isn't.   With all due respect to Cameralabs they're not video guys and thus clearly do not know how to shoot video. The GX7 clip is a write-off car crash of a shot because it is interlaced. 1080i selected by mistake. Oops!   Also the focal length for the most part is completely different between the two shots and the depth of field looks like F11 or something, making it very hard to judge the effect of the different sensor sizes, indeed even the difference in overall image quality properly.   The GX7 is superior for video. Better codec, less moire, finer noise texture, better high ISO performance in video mode. I've been shooting with the pair of them for about a month now :) See the latest blog post.   http://www.eoshd.com/content/12822/best-small-camera-108060p-panasonic-gx7-a6000-review   You just can't compare the two Cameralabs shots, but feel free to pick a better example where both cameras are shooting the same shot and both handled optimally.   I'm not saying the A6000 cannot shoot nice stuff. It can.   I am saying the GX7 is better overall... more detail, better low light, better codec.

NB: Sample videos will come next week If you want a nice 1080p camera that is packed with features and doesn't cost very much then there's now two really nice options available from Sony and Panasonic. The A6000 is certainly Sony's best performing mirrorless camera yet for video with an APS-C sized sensor vs the Micro Four Thirds sensor in the GX7. I've been shooting with both to decide which one to keep. Read the full article here

  Yes, I was out of my tree with excitement :)

  There.   Be less annoying. Thank you.

  It really wouldn't :) Just add the GH4's codec to the A7S and you nearly have it ;)   By the way I much prefer the GH4, E-M1 and X-T1 ergonomics to the Sony now... Makes my A7R feel so clunky!

  Do I need to spell it out for you... really? For the guy who doesn't know what the word 'filmic' is in relation to cameras, I better not even bother!

Copyright isn't designed to stifle creativity or prevent artists from creating new work, but that's exactly what it is doing in the case of the Vimeo Copyright Match system. And the big shame is, every time a match is made and the clip deleted or muted, the potential to make money for the rights holder of the song is squandered.   The problem is law makers and businessmen are not artists, they don't understand the process or even the very concept. Again they all need to get round the table and thrash out a new world order, otherwise the music business will go bankrupt and the creative scene will die from a lack of inspiration and new talent coming through.

I would offer some of mine but have decided they are copyright.   I want 1 million dollars for each one.   Sorry about that ;)

Fair Use exists for a reason. Please do look it up...   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use   Although it originated in the US it applies all over the world including in the UK.   The easiest solution to all of this is still to pay the musicians.   The current system for doing so is shit.   It needs a ground-up rethink and all the recording industry bosses around the table with the major internet companies.   Copyright law also needs amending as a lot has changed with the internet age.

What's the ultimate cross-breed camera of 2014? If we take all the strong points of the manufacturers and put them in one camera, what do we get? Full frame sensor from the Sony A7S 4K internal codec from the Panasonic GH4 Big EVF from Fuji and their lovely X-T1 5 axis in-body stabilisation from Olympus (working for video with any lens) Cine lenses by Sigma - their 35mm F1.4 and 50mm F1.4 are that good Bundled grading / editing software from Blackmagic - Resolve 11 Ergonomic styling by Fuji I'm very sorry but I couldn't think of a single class leading technology that Canon and Nikon have brought to the market in the last few years to complete my dream camera! Read the full article here

I did no noise reduction or FPN removal at all for Aerogirls yet it is clean.   I shot Video Mode, exposed for Video and that's just the way it came out!

  No actually, it qualifies as Fair Use under copyright law.   However the Fair Use system is useless.   Say for example a musician is busking and singing a cover version.   Nobody tips and they die of starvation... That is non-commercial use of the cover, so Fair Use.   As soon as someone tips him, he risks being sued because he lacks the required license.   Copyright infringement is one thing... Quality of life quite another.   The current system is not fit for purpose and it doesn't protect the earnings of musicians, it decreases them.   I am sure the uploader of that Staff Pick would gladly pay for a license for the sound track if they could be granted it with some certainty, quickly and affordably (i.e. within their means).   There simply isn't that system in place.   ----   I'm sorry Andy I don't agree it is stealing. Nobody is denying the right of musicians to sell their work. By taking their work and creating something new with it - in this case a rather brilliant video - that is the same as The Beatles being influenced by 50's R&B.   New stuff cannot exist if you put legal roadblocks in the way of creating it.   Therefore new careers and new businesses cannot exist...   It is stupid creatively and stupid economically and something really needs to be done.   It is ridiculous we are all ok with listening to such a broad range of commercial music on the radio and on Spotify, where the musicians get rewarded monetarily, and yet there is not a licensing system at Vimeo for the exact same music.   I'd much rather listen to music this way (i.e. with the video playing above) than to switch on the radio.   Have you listened to the radio recently!? Oh dear.

  Well since it is arriving this week, and this week being 'the future' I don't have much to spill at the moment. I know what it is, but before I have it in my hands, it would be silly to blog about it wouldn't i!

  Please do not do this again on my forum. Thank you.

  Theft or inspiration?

Above: my sample showing no fixed pattern noise in low light at ISO 400 on the Production Camera - it's all about the grade Almost all Blackmagic Production Camera users have experienced fixed pattern noise - a banding effect or grain texture over the image - and they are quite upset at Blackmagic over the issue. But is the fixed pattern noise problem on the Blackmagic Production Camera a case of faulty cameras OR is it a limitation of the spec? This is a complex issue and every user seems to report something different. However in my own experience with the camera and of looking at the experiences of others I have to say that all units look to perform in the same way. It is a limitation of the spec, not a case of a large number of faulty units being shipped out. Yet many users - over 200 of them - are now putting pressure on Blackmagic to acknowledge a hardware or quality control 'fault' and to do hardware replacements. Sorry but I just don't think this is right. It is best to look at how to handle the camera in order to avoid the FPN in the first place... Read the full article here

According to Photo Rumors, Samsung will launch a flagship APS-C camera for pros at Photokina called the NX1. It is to feature 4K video. Read the full article here