Andrew Reid

Well I suppose with Olympus with their back to the wall financially, they have to drive up the margins somehow. A mere hood is a very unimaginative and poor value way of doing it, and people are rightly annoyed about it. But the lens itself is a gem especially on the EM-5 with IS. Much of the price is due to current exchange rate / yen problems, not greed.

[quote author=MJP link=topic=788.msg5728#msg5728 date=1338324306] It looks like Vitaly isn't interested in attempting to hack the OMD.  I've been very interested in purchasing the camera but the limited frame rates and sub-standard encoding has kept me from doing so.  I don't get the sense Olympus realizes the enthusiasm they would generate by providing these features! http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/2071/olympus-em-5-topic/p1?Sort=newest [/quote] A shame. Need more hackers.

[quote author=KlausCR link=topic=788.msg5726#msg5726 date=1338312017] Thanks for the review, Andrew! You mentioned: [i][color=blue]"... and the HDMI output requires a proprietary Olympus cable not provided in the box..."[/color][/i] Not quite correct  ::)  The HDMI port requires a common micro-HDMI cable.  ;) [/quote] Micro? Not mini or standard? OH CHRIST not another one!!

I do agree that a bit more collaboration is needed. Panasonic have more experience in video than Olympus. For the interests of Micro Four Thirds as a whole they should be advising Olympus on the best approach and providing solutions. But the small issue of codec aside, Olympus are doing a superb job here!! The 5 axis IBIS, the quality of the new lenses, styling of the bodies, first with a OLED screen... All impressive stuff from a company with fewer resources than Canon, Panasonic, Sony or Nikon. And they feel like photographers tools too.

The full review will have a comparison to the GH2. Should be interesting. The GH2 is certainly better for video - but the Olympus might have the edge on colour and dynamic range - I shall find out soon. Really a hack could not be better on this camera... please lobby Vitaliy to do it, everyone!

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSCF3450.jpg[/img] For me the OM-D is a superb stills camera with question marks for video. So satisfied I am with it as my main stills camera I’ve replaced both my Fuji X Pro 1 and NEX 7 with it for stills. Much better AF and the lens range were certainly a factor in that, but this camera also combines the retro good looks of the Fuji with the operational fluency and advanced featureset of the NEX 7, as well as offering superb 5 axis image stabilisation inside the body. But how does it do for video? [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/8149/olympus-om-d-e-m5-first-impressions/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]

I don't think it's overpriced. Internal focussing Very fast and silent AF IS is in the body (and as I'm finding with my OM-D - it is f***ing good!!) Very high build quality Optical quality is outstanding from the reviews I've seen A lens is a much more worthy investment than a camera body. Would it be nicer if cheaper, of course. And I was expecting it to be a bit cheaper than it turned out to be... But there are good reasons for the high price. Sometimes there isn't, and that is when something is classified as 'overpriced' for me.

The stabiliser on camcorders is always better as it is integrated into both the lens and camera's design and is optimised for video. The best DSLR type camera for handheld stabilised shots is the Olympus OM-D E-M5.

Simco123, is nobody is going to be put off by a score of 82, it is one of their highest on record for any camera. The fact remains video was a disappointment. I think you need to redefine your expectations of what such a camera could have been. We waited nearly 4 years for an update to the 5D Mark II, yet there is hardly any difference in image quality and video feature set apart from at high ISOs. Sure moire is fixed, that is the minimum they could have done. It certainly doesn't match the D800 with a bit of sharpening in post.

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/5d-mark-iii-review.jpg[/img] [url="http://***URL removed***/reviews/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/"]Read the full comprehensive Canon 5D Mark III review at DPReview[/url] DPReview have now delivered their verdict on the 5D Mark III, with a contribution to the video section (as an independent voice) by myself, Andrew Reid. I felt it necessary to be frank over the shortcomings, as it is only right you are aware of them on a $3500 DSLR body. But do keep in mind that the 5D Mark III is still capable of stunning video, like the 5D Mark II before it but a little bit more refined. [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/8138/eoshd-at-dpreview-final-summary-of-5d-mark-iiis-video-abilities/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/samsung-nx20-vs-nikon-d3200.jpg[/img] There are two new cameras are on the DSLR video radar. The new NX20 is Samsung’s answer to the GH2 and similar in many ways (though crucially not one, as we’ll see in a moment). A nice surprise is that it has a 1920×810 2.35:1 anamorphic cinemascope mode. It is also interesting in that it’s one of the first ‘smart DSLR’ style cameras with features that make the iPhone and Galaxy S such a compelling photography tool. The Nikon D3200 is a much improved (in video terms) entry level model for just $699, nevertheless featuring a spectacular 24MP sensor and Expeed 3 image processor from the $5999 D4! [url="http://www.eoshd.com/?p=8129/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/panasonic-12-35mm.jpg[/img] The weather sealed 12-35mm is Panasonic’s new top of the range Lumix zoom with a constant F2.8 aperture. It’s also the lens most likely to be offered with the (also expected to be weather sealed) GH3. Panasonic have taken a huge step with build quality on this lens and I’m expecting the GH3 to be a big improvement in this area as well. DSLR Magazine have taken a look at the new lens, and here’s my view on it. [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/8125/first-review-of-the-gh3s-kit-lens-panasonic-12-35mm-gx-vario-f2-8/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]

The Hypergonar is one I've not yet tried - and I might be interested in doing so - however do you need to rack focus with both the prime AND the anamorphic, or just on the anamorphic?

[quote author=HurtinMinorKey link=topic=738.msg5485#msg5485 date=1337383990]I got it. I was informally digging on handheld shots because another poster called it the lowest-budget method of all. The truth is, a lot of people use hand held shots because it's a hell of a lot easier (in most cases), and not because it's the best style for the scene.  [/quote] That didn't come across. Anyway... so what if most people shoot handheld because it is convenient? If it works it works. Not everything needs to be shot on a slider.

I am buying that shirt as a moire test!!

Why is it gone? Philip's girlfriend emailed me, was polite, was upset, asked me to remove some of the stronger negative comments towards him. Was a nightmare to clean up and so I just deleted the whole thing. It isn't coming back. Please do not attempt to reopen the fight. This thread is now closed.

[quote author=HurtinMinorKey link=topic=738.msg5477#msg5477 date=1337366303] [quote author=BurnetRhoades link=topic=738.msg5476#msg5476 date=1337366002] Maybe "misunderstood" would be better.  It's hardly lazy.  [/quote] I'm just saying that, for the most part it takes way less effort to do something hand-held, as opposed to setting up an equivalent sequence of static shots, pans, and dolly shots.  But that's not to say that it can't be just as effective. [/quote] You are not understanding this. It isn't about effort, it is about choosing the style for the scene.

In all fairness to Red, had the shootout been projected in 4K the results would probably be quite different!

[quote author=Redbaron link=topic=738.msg5450#msg5450 date=1337275221] They are already whining over at reduser.net! ....grabbing popcorn 8) [/quote] Hilarious thread so far http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?79297-Hacked-GH2-(choice-over-RED)

[quote author=HurtinMinorKey link=topic=738.msg5448#msg5448 date=1337270364] My guess is that they didn't include the 5D because they didn't really want the full frame aesthetic to play a role in the comparison. [/quote] But the Revenge concept is all about aesthetics...

http://www.theinspiration.com/2012/05/bill-murray-with-his-own-camera-at-the-cannes-film-festival-2012/ Some Minox crap  ;D

[quote author=AaronChicago link=topic=738.msg5443#msg5443 date=1337264277] I dont agree with statements like "cameras dont matter" "good story is all you need." Some people are camera operators/cinematographers ONLY. That's their job to care about the fine details of a camera. Leave it to a good writer and director to create the good story. [/quote] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grRit8dwWuU Yeah... have to say I agree with you. Since when did a cinematographer also have to become story teller? They're there to service the story, to assist with telling it. They not writer, director, sound guy all rolled into one. The larger the film, the more specialised each role gets. There's some great non-narrative cinematography on Vimeo, and I am tired of people moaning that it lacks a story to be honest. Let's appreciate the art of cinematography in isolation, as well as great content. But I will say this... hire a good writer!

[quote author=fugue_state1 link=topic=728.msg5413#msg5413 date=1337193145] [quote author=Andrew Reid link=topic=728.msg5406#msg5406 date=1337176168] ...an acute filter and taste is necessary and he certainly has that! Kubrick famously said that he didn't always know what he wanted, but he ALWAYS knew when he saw it. [/quote] Very True!  Walter Murch (sound designer on the Godfather films) said in his book "The Conversations" that the director is more than anything the immune system of the project, strengthening the elements that should be there, and eliminating those that should not be there, regardless of their individual qualities.  And like the body's immune system, the director's sense of what belongs doesn't necessarily operate on a conscious level...  Without this healthy immune system, a work lacks bodily integrity, such as when you get a movie that seems to be cobbled together from parts of other successful movies, or from data gleaned from focus groups.  It seems like it should work on paper, but the finished product is a pitiful behemoth that can barely stand on its own legs... [/quote] The immune system analogy is superb.

[quote author=lubricated link=topic=738.msg5436#msg5436 date=1337256458] GH2 rocks, no doubt about it. But sometimes, just sometimes people chase codecs and pixels too mush don't you think? [/quote] Yes I agree. But there is a place for chasing codecs and pixels on codec and pixel chasing websites isn't there? In filmmaking, the broad sense of it, they should play a small but crucial part. What frustrates me quite a lot is when an article goes up about creativity and it gets ignored, then one goes up about a codec and BOOM. But again - there is a place for that. Nobody should not be surprised that a gear site (and this is partly one of them) should create a lot of discussion about gear! A balance is needed between creative use of gear, and the gear itself. I try to strike that and I think Steve is doing a similar thing with these tests.

[html][img]http://www.eoshd.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/zacuto-revenge-of-the-great-camera-shootout-2012.jpg[/img] The Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout is [url="http://store.zacuto.com/116.html"]Zacuto’s[/url] antidote to pixel peeping camera tests. It airs June 15th online, but preview showings have been taking part around the world. It aims to show how any camera from the very top (Alexa, Sony F65) down (to the iPhone) are viable filmmaking tools. Whilst I agree with Steve that creativity is overlooked too often and gear gets all the attention, I wouldn’t go quite as far as Steve in claiming the camera does not matter. The camera and lens – like lighting, like set design, like a location, like actors – has an aesthetic quality that goes into the production and heavily influences the mood of the film. I would use anamorphic lenses as my trademark style, because I feel that particular ‘brush stroke’ suits my kind of filmmaking, helping to create the moods I want. So yes, the camera matters in my view! Here’s an interesting audience reaction to The Revenge Of The Great Camera Shootout… [url="http://www.eoshd.com/content/8114/audience-reaction-to-revenge-of-the-great-camera-shootout-puts-gh2-in-3rd-place-behind-alexa-and-f65/"]Read full article[/url] [/html]