QuickHitRecord

It seems to be working. I can't tell the different when looking into the LCD which makes me wonder if the phone is controlling the camera, but I wouldn't expect to be able to easily see a 1 notch difference in saturation or sharpness or contrast in this little screen. 14641 permutations in the Natural PP at two seconds each would take over 8 hours to record! I had hoped to shoot some footage of my wife reading a book to see if I could get a lock on better skintones, but that would be asking a lot. So I need to be more selective than that. Still, a fascinating tool.

Same thing for me. I'm curious to see if there is a sweet spot for my new G80. The colors I've been getting so far leave a lot to be desired. I got this warning when installing on my Android phone: This app was built for an older version of Android and doesn't include the latest privacy protections. But it seems to have been properly installed anyway. I am hopeful that I can get it up and running. How are you liking the FZ2500? I've looked at it a few times on account of the long zoom range and built-in NDs.

I just learned about this and it's nothing short of brilliant. Did anyone ever post their results?

Thanks! Getting going is always the hard part. And shooting something is always better than shooting nothing. Upgrade obsession is a hollow pursuit. I get sucked in too, though lately I find myself bored by videos that are trying to sell some expensive thing that is going to possibly make an incremental improvement to my kit. I hope you make it down to your art and garden center. I think you'll be happy that you went.

Yes, this was all heel-to-toe ninja walking on uneven ground at 17mm. The focal reducer will add a little weight and widen the shot the next time I go out. My camera also came with a Lumix 12-60mm Power OIS lens that I was planning on selling to bring the total camera cost down to around $325 (if I hadn't found this deal, I would have gone for a GX85). I might have to give Dual IS a try before I do. A top handle kind of breaks the rules in terms of a minimal setup (the whole point of this camera for me), but now I'm curious. I've been mostly a Canon shooter so IBIS is a new tool to me.

A few clips with the G85, trying to answer the question, "can I walk with it?". So, several longer walking shots: I was expecting a resounding "No", but the answer is "sort of". If I had a top handle and had used a wider lens or my focal reducer (or a Power OIS lens), I might have gotten away with it. Not wild about the color straight out of camera, but we can't have everything. This is a pretty fun camera to use. I owned an Olympus EM10iii for a while and I much prefer this. From time to time, I film protests. I think this camera would be a good fit for that.

I have a Red One MX and it produces a beautiful image, perhaps my favorite image from any digital sensor. But it's size, weight, and power consumption have relegated it to my camera cabinet for anything but narrative work.

Funny to see your post about this. I just picked up a G85 (same sensor as the GX85) for the very same reason. I shoot on Canon Cinema and occasionally RED for work but wanted something small and with a high stealth factor that had a good implementation of IBIS for tripod-free shooting. In this case, image quality was secondary. I haven't been shooting casually or for fun much lately and I am hoping that this camera will help bring me back to it. I've paired mine with a Viltrox speedbooster and the inexpensive Sigma 17-50 f2.8. The camera seems to be detecting the focal lengths from this third-party lens and adjusting the IBIS perfectly. I have no plans to accessorize beyond this setup because that would be self-defeating! I hope you share some of your work here.

I've been enjoying my Canon Elan II. It feels almost exactly like my 5Diii and I can use the same lenses too. It definitely produces a look that I enjoy. Been experimenting with different film stocks too: https://distanceelevation.com/blog/2021/7/5/northcascadesgoatmountainheliotrope The next step will be to do some of my own scans.

Thought I'd share that I have now successfully swapped out the fans in both of my FS300s, following the excellent video that @scotchtape posted. The first took me about an hour to do and the second, about half of that. The adapter cable from Amazon mentioned earlier in this thread works well. This modification makes a huge difference in the sound level coming from these lights.

Good stuff. I wish every instructional video was like this. I already have all of the replacement parts. Hopefully I'll get around to doing it this weekend.

My two new FS300s came in yesterday. The build quality is quite good and the output will be plenty for most of my OMB work. If more light is needed, I'll rent or recommend budgeting for my regular gaffer and his 600Ds. It's nice not to have a separate control box/ballast and it means that using the lights with smaller stands is possible. Since the replacement Noctua fans are not here yet, I went to Lowe's and Home Depot to see if I could find a sensible carrying container for these. I tried every ruggedized bin and tool box they had. The best fit I was able to find was the Craftsman 23" tool box at Lowe's (see attached). A little foam cutout on the bottom and I think that these will work nicely. There should be plenty of room for an extension cord too.

@scotchtape Thanks. I ordered that adapter. If it turns out not to work, I'll share that here and post any other findings.

@scotchtape I decided to order two of these lights, largely based on your notes about replacing the fans. Thank you for sharing your discoveries. Is this the correct CRJ cable?

Appreciate the update. The fan is clearly the major weak point of this design. For a few dollars more, Nanlite could have easily and significantly improved this and had a real contender straight out of the box. On the other hand, the fact that it's easy enough to swap the fans out is actually an advantage over the Forza line. How does the FS300 output stack up to the 300D?

Thanks for sharing your notes and glad you found a fan significantly that reduces the noise. When doing the swap, was there any soldering involved?

I don't know much about fans or computer components. The Be Quiet fans are only on my radar because of this video:

Thanks for sharing your findings. I looked around a bit and found a document claiming that it's 1600rpm, moving 55 CFM: http://www.sunon-wh.com/upload/fan/20190312/767df8c97d0717daff833a42ba552f5d.pdf For a fan, what about a Be Quiet Silent Wings 3?

@scotchtape Any luck with the fan replacement? And would you mind sharing the stock fan make/model?

I shot a short film with a BMMCC and three Kern Switar primes in 2019. This was when the cards needed to record raw were simply not available, so we shot in ProRes. I enjoyed working with the camera and generally like the soft, retro look we were able to achieve. Some shots looked better than others. I ultimately decided to sell it and put the money towards a Red One MX, which I think is much more in line with my personal aesthetic. But I do sometimes miss the small size and softness of the BMMCC. Hoping to get back to short films once the pandemic has eased up a little more. I can't share the whole film yet because it's still in its festival run, but here's a teaser.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/4K-Digital-Camera-Video-Camera-for-YouTube-Kenuo-48MP-Vlogging-Camera-Camcorder/274715463111 (Just kidding).

A great read, Kye. Way to roll with the punches. It's neat to have what is probably the only instance of this lens in use with this camera in the world. I look forward to seeing your footage with this setup.

Good news for me, bad news for my camera cabinet. Looking forward to this.

Looks like this idea was realized as a blog post rather than a competition. Glad I didn't snap up that NX2000! I already own too many cameras so it's probably for the best. A while back, I started a Facebook group called 'Junk Camera Cinematography' that is based around this premise of spending as little as possible and shooting with a lesser camera. Here's a link in case anyone is interested. @Andrew Reid What was this camera?

Ah, my mistake. There was a guy who went by 'Tony' back when this forum began. He knew more about anamorphic lenses than anyone. He turned me on to Redstan/Alan's clamps and I guess I always thought they were the same person. Tony was a great resource to us all. This still might be him; I suspect that it is. And even if it's not, I hope he beats this thing. Wish I could change the topic name but it looks like I can't.