Andrew Reid

Adobe Creative Cloud finally has some competition. Communist Creative Cloud has been launched today in Berlin! The three PC terminals are subscription based, and are wheeled to you once per month for the important competition of your communist propaganda leaflets. Each terminal comes with a Nikon 1 series mirrorless camera with extremely large format sensor developed in Sochi by the renowned soviet scientist Mr P. Utin. As you'd expect for subscription software, pricing is extremely low starting at $0*. The true price you pay for this is in your committed allegiance to the "Die Linke" party and a green tax where you have to dissemble your entire apartment piece by piece and replace each brick with wood. You may also offer blood. In keeping with the famous Moto "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", the software ships only with the level of tools for your feeble abilities. YouTubers get a version of Communist Premiere Pro with a thumbnail creator containing two special presets - "Amazed face" and "Shocked expression". A special Chris and Jordan mode is available which gives all ex-camera-salesmen the belief they are famous filmmakers for the glorious region of Kamerastalingorsk. All editing tools are removed apart from the digital zoom. Wedding photographers get a special Communist Photoshop that only allows photos shot wide open at F1.2 and a clarity slider that ends at -20. *The use of the terminal is limited to 1 hour due to radioactive emissions from the special CRT monitor. EOSHD hands-off report On a tour of the Communist Creative Cloud offices in Berlin today, I could see a hive of activity. Proud workers huddled around a machine (of course adhering to the mask policy of the German C.C.C.P regime) putting images of Stalin into a transform tool. The beta test programme had gone well with only several deaths, and minor spillage of radioactive material from the Robotron CPU. I was not allowed to go near the software but was informed by a member of the Stasi CC that the Communist Creative Cloud doesn't just feature apps like Premiere and Photoshop. Office productivity tools are included and these I'm told are expected to be a big hit with the Berlin city authorities, like the municipal vaccination coordination offices. Meanwhile you may sign up to Communist Creative Cloud by creating a special personalised profile of yourself and uploading it to the Communist Cloud server based in Moscow moderated by Mr V. Puttit. Dubbed "Sputnikbook", it is part social media photo sharing website and part personal activity tracker. Already 100,000 people have gladly taken part all on their own accord. I am told Communist Creative Cloud (CCC) Premiere Pro can handle 12K video, the K standing for Kosmonaut. For videos not shot with 12 Kosmonauts you are limited to a standard resolution of just 12 green lines and the standard CRT refresh rate of 1 frame per month. Still, more productive than the average leftie! Long live Communist Creative Cloud!!

In terms of size the main competition is the other small interchangeable lens cameras - A7C / FX3 come to mind, as they are also full frame like the Fp-L. For photography, neither of those comes close on resolution. For video, they're very good but don't have some of unique features of the Fp series like internal Cinema DNG RAW, and Sony's colour science isn't as good. A7C codec is a bit long in the tooth as well, and the FX3 is at least $1000 more expensive.

You'd expect them to point out the attachable grips at least 😆

They are coming at it from a marketeer's perspective because that's what they are. Chris at DPReview is an ex-camera salesman. Of course it doesn't occupy the same broad market territory as a Sony. It's a niche camera and they don't get it.

Yes, however sorry to repeat myself but what's the point of the Sigma Fp being just another A7R IV clone? We don't need another copy cat. Not denying the Sony offers a lot of spec for the money if you need a 60MP full frame camera with good 4K. But the Sigma Fp-L offers something different... at least for those who recognise that it's an artist's camera for studio, landscape, portraiture... and for videographers... whereas the Sony is more of an all-round work tool for pros and commercial work. The Sigma offers better colour science, more flexible grip designs, smaller size, internal RAW video, phase-detect AF for L-mount lenses, and there's many other differences to the Sony. It is aimed higher than the original Fp, so of course there's the higher price. The rolling shutter issues and lack of mechanical shutter does hold it back for certain types of shoots, that's for sure. However it is just the first of the future breed of all-electronic cameras. Global shutter cameras will outnumber mechanical shutter cameras in a few years time. They should do a version with the Sony A9 sensor next, faster readout. I think the Fp-L is in the top 5 for image quality... GFX 100, A7R IV, Leica SL2, Fp-L, EOS R5... all good sensors and ultimate in stills resolution. So maybe the price, being lower than all of those is not so bad after all. And it comes in a very small box, with very wide feature set and nice modularity. Besides you get to support directly a family run business which is in it for us and their employees rather than to line the pockets of shareholders.

Yeah it is as if they thought, "well it comes like this so must be reviewed like this". What does he think the quarter inch thread is for? A beer holder? It takes about 10 seconds to attach the official Sigma grip. The box format is about the modular flexibility and they barely touch on it. Would have been easy for Sigma just to do yet-another-clone of a Sony A7. Like Nikon are. Props for having the guts and imagination to step outside the box. Just shows up these YouTubers for how uncreative they are as artists that they can't even be bothered to attach a wooden hand grip.

A lot of them are not even photographers. Canadian guy in the DPReview video, forget his name, goes on about the EVF making it hard to grip. So add a grip then! It's got 4 or 5 grips - I can list them off top of my head!! I have 3 different grips myself for the Fp and attach them at will. Yet he... Chris or something... Is complaining that it's hard to hold a square box with no grip when you have a big EVF attached to the other side. Not a photographer.

I don't get why he went so negative on it. Overall, there aren't many RX1 sized cameras with interchangeable lenses and the latest 61MP full frame sensors. On the video side, not many full frame cameras do internal Cinema DNG without Magic Lantern's help either.

Know we know what the L stands for in Sigma Fp-L. Landscape, or possibly large prints! Although the new sensor takes aim at photographers needing 9.5K resolution, it maintains all of the 4K Cine modes, frame rates and codec options of the original Fp. The big news for cinematographers is the addition of phase-detect AF for the first time with an L-mount camera, which is what many have been asking of Panasonic. This is a very good move and should make the Fp-L much better at subject tracking in video mode. New blog post: https://www.eoshd.com/sigma/sigma-fp-l-adds-long-awaited-phase-detect-af-to-l-mount-system-61mp-sensor-and-4k-raw/

Yeah the NX1 and NX500 go for high prices even now. All the other Samsungs are dirt cheap. Even the really old NX10 has a great sensor. But it is only nice for stills and nothing else.

Nope.

Idea not realised at all yet, going to try and launch the competition on the forums next week. If you want to join in, you can of course get a head start and look for a bargain any time you like

This image shows the upcoming Sigma Fp-L, with the new EVF-11 module attached which gives it a nice rangefinder-style form factor. Cleverly, the EVF attaches directly to the HDMI port with no cabling. It's able to communicate via USB C and is powered by the camera. Since the Sigma Fp-L (and original) have quarter inch threads on both sides of the camera, a 1/4" screw secures the module in place (as if it were attached directly to a cage). New blog post: https://www.eoshd.com/news/sigma-evf-11-is-a-masterpiece-of-design/

Surprised at the S1R too... 5K... 10bit.... HGL! Practically gone and done a Leica SL2! Release dates for downloads here: https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/firmware_update.html

Panasonic has announced a big firmware update today. It's especially good news for S1 owners. Also - BRAW / anamorphic goodies coming for S1H shooters (via HDMI). New blog post: https://www.eoshd.com/news/firmware-update-turns-panasonic-s1-into-an-s1h-with-record-time-limit-in-demanding-modes-like-6k/

I am excited for this and will want to see what the Huawei P50 Pro is like as the Mate 40 Pro I am using now is incredible for photos. Biggest step has been with the smaller sensors and periscope folded zoom optics though. With the iPhone 12 Pro Max the step to a larger sensor didn't make much difference although it still has a much less capable chip than the P40 / Mate 40 Pro. I think image processing on phones is so good at getting more out of smaller sensors, it does somewhat mask the step to larger physical surface area. Larger sensors can even introduce some compromises in terms optics, with ugly bokeh and poor corners. Eventually I see phones being able to match full frame cameras for dynamic range (some they already are), low light shooting and even get closer in resolution terms but not optics. The look of lenses will have to be simulated with computational photography and depth maps. You can already do this with third party apps and it does work very nicely - pick your lens style (Helios 44-M for example with bokeh swirl, or even an anamorphic) and it applies the fake bokeh very convincingly. We're a while off this being as convincing as a real full frame camera or it working in realtime at 4K/120fps though.

Good deal for stills but no 4K 🙂

GH6 here we come...

Exactly, why should the A1 have a monopoly in this niche. Nikon should invent their own technology and try and compete against it.

Another candidate: Yi M1 https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sdigxiayim11240b&categoryName=cameras-compact-system&superCatName=electronics&title=xiaomi-yi-m1-4k-20m-12-40mm-f3.5-5.6-%2B-42.5mm-f1-b

Close. £275 in UK was cheapest I ever saw one of those for. They are pretty rare though. https://uk.webuy.com/product-detail?id=sdigzcae1min4kbob&categoryName=cameras-compact-system&superCatName=electronics&title=z-cam-e1-mini-4k-interchangeable-lens-micro-4-3-(body-only)-b

Just to prove it is actually possible Some more finds... https://www.ebay.de/itm/Panasonic-DC-GX-800-in-schwarz-mft-Kamera-im-guten-Zustand/393096284448?hash=item5b865d4920:g:SzoAAOSw30dgAIBL&mkcid=1&mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&siteid=77&campid=5336727214&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-GX8-20-3MP-Digital-SLR-Camera-Body-Only-/174680815073?mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&siteid=3&campid=5336727214&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1 Only catch is the GX8 4K is a hefty crop from the full width of the 20MP sensor and the GX800 doesn't have manual control in 4K mode. Amazingly good deals though.

4K from a large sensor first arrived for $15,000 with the Canon 1D C. Later, Panasonic democratised it with the GH4. These images are as cinematic as ever today, but can we really go full on socialist 4K? 4K for $400? No - too expensive! How about $200? I went on an eBay hunt to find out. NEW BLOG POST! https://www.eoshd.com/news/4k-for-200-is-it-possible/

Hot tip https://www.ebay.de/itm/SAMSUNG-NX-1000-SPIEGELOSE-SYSTEMCAMERA-OHNE-OPTIK/274673807983?hash=item3ff3d5b26f%3Ag%3ABiUAAOSwZpJgHnYF&LH_BIN=1 20MP Super 35mm sensor for 50 quid Dived deep into the bargain bucket for that one but since I already have my CRAPtastic camera I'll let someone else grab this potato. Maybe as part of the challenge we share our treasure hunt discoveries as we go along? Adds a new dimension to it.

Yup that's how it works 🙂 Bye.