jgharding

They appear to be doing a lot better than Letus so far.   The Letus single-coated flare was nice, but it's huge and very fuzzy. Like a bear.

I still have one question for Black Magic... Why isn't it camcorder shaped? The shape makes no sense to me, since you actually cannot use it handheld like a compact camera, due to jello, and it doesn't take stills. It's like tradition has stepped in front of design for purpose... Come on, be a bit more... well i hate to say it... be a bit more APPLE!

Tiny firmware update for the OMD EM1 would mean big sales boost I feel! 

if they can make this really good, and tame the flares a lot, it bodes well for reverse engineering some of the greats of the past, does it not?   It's a pretty acorn to start with, so the oak could be a sturdy bugger.   What a bad analogy... but you know what I mean? This may not be 70's cinema glass, but the fact that production has started, and with some improvements (the close-focus mode) is good. It means there's interest, we're underway...   I think I'll wait for 1.5x, I think you need at least that to really kick the anamorphic look up! Beautiful waterfall bokeh, oval lights... That just ain't gonna happen at 1.3... but I do hope that enough buy this to justify future lenses.

I don't know about that, I'd assumed that slot wasn't as fast or didn't have the buffer...

Amazing how brutally sharp the lack of OLPF makes the BMD cam!   I've never been a big fan of brittle sharpness...

I've been shooting 400ASA UltraMax recently, I love the unrealistic colours!   I definitely get more keepers with film...

I saw that one at the cinema, I thought it was great, really trippy! You could definitely tell what it was shot on, but of course it didn't matter in the long run... The colour changed incessantly from shot to shot, but because it fitted the disorientation of piece it worked. I think a more traditional story with such jarring tonal vibration would distract the viewer, but here it actually enhances the piece! It's a matter of personal taste from the creators point of view. We're lucky to have such a pallete of cheap tools to paint with!

Ah I love THX!   we must cease phone tagging one another and actually meet!

In part it will be good for them, as it's global shutter so handheld is good!   It's just that the material won't show off the full abilities...

Well the first Komputer Bay I bought tested at two thirds the speed most people's are testing at 64GB, only 72MBs, Maybe the bubble of quick cards has burst... back it goes...

I think it'll shine in drama and so on, documentary doesn't show it off

If that OMD EM1 had had a decent bit rate and 25p, I'd have one by now.

The 5D MKiii has no hinged screen so I'm looking at alternatives. A bit of research says it doesn't display most frame rates correctly...

As Andy says above I'm not intending to use raw for full projects right now, but to learn it for when it's more practical (IE when storage is faster, cheaper, so on). Right now all the storage and conversion wouldn't work for a lot of the things I do. The 5D iii stock video is great though, as is the G6, it's a matter of both footage and tool and process preference. Next time I do a personal short I'll try the raw.

I'm interested in this, it's certainly a bargain price but has anyone tried it?   I've used some dire and some very good cheap monitors, so I'm unsure what to think!!!   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Feelworld-EVF-3-5-HD-LCD-Screen-Electronic-View-Finder-For-HDMI-Video-Camera-/140907534435?pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item20cebe5863    

That's interesting about the cooling, I don't know what it means though! Is there an explanation somewhere? I'm by no means militant though, I may end up with a G6 if I can justify another body. I don't think it's necessarily a DOF issue that puts me off it, but I'm ready to be shown otherwise. I also took issue with GH2 regardless of bitrate or DOF, I felt is was a bit plastic... but still, I'm open to be shown otherwise! In fact I'd like to be! 1080/60p would be nice!

This post seemed relevant for two threads, so here it is again edited a bit. two birds and all that:   I just had to make a choice, and went with 5D MKiii. I previously had a preorder on BMD 4K Just about the best stills camera around, aside from medium format ( I have used a Hasselblad H3D out and about, foolishly enough. My wrist hurts just thinking about it.). Nikon D800 may pip it, but it's quite clunky in use and the video sucks. Raw feature and Magic Lantern in general will mature as the cards and storage catch up, so it's relatively future proof. Now raw is impractical, in a while it won't be. Harder than Chuck Norris in a Viagra factory - it won't break if I take it to a desert. If it does Canon will fix it more quickly than most other companies. Size matters. No moire issues. A tiny bit of softness doesn't distract. A tiny bit of moire does. Enough resolution. I don't care about absolute resolution, pixel peeping is silly really. I like 16mm film best of all formats. The feel of the image is more important than razor sharp eybrow hair. See also The Hobbit. Brilliant low light performance. Menu systems that I understand. All my lenses are adapted to EF.  Full frame means buying one longer lens though... A huge range of accessories, as it's industry standard. It's familiar to my collaborators - on a corporate shoot recently, we all knew what we meant when we chatted settings. I got a good price second hand, which was important. The retail is a bit high IMO. Depreciation will be minimal, comparatively. So far 5D MKiii raw appears to look more electronic than Alexa/Red/BMD. I feel this is because many tests are relatively unprocessed, too saturated and sharpened, and I look forward to taming it creatively as it becomes practical to use technically. I may still keep the 600D with Mosaic filter, just for the 3x crop video mode. I wish Canon would put this mode in the 5D. In short, yes I know they are cynical with feature splitting across SKUs. I do agree that it's frustrating. But at the end of the day a creative tool needs to  work on many subtle levels. Being the best at one thing doesn't cut it. Having a good all-round package, whether I like to admit it or not, does. So they get the cash.

I just had to make this choice, and went with 5D MKiii. Just about the best stills camera around, aside from medium format ( I have used a Hasselblad H3D out and about, foolishly enough. My wrist hurts just thinking about it.). Nikon D800 may pip it, but it's quite clunky in use and the video sucks. Raw feature and Magic Lantern in general will mature as the cards and storage catch up, so it's relatively future proof. Now raw is impractical, in a while it won't be. Harder than Chuck Norris in a Viagra factory - it won't break if I take it to a desert. If it does Canon will fix it more quickly than most other companies. Size matters. No moire issues. A tiny bit of softness doesn't distract. A tiny bit of moire does. Enough resolution. I don't care about absolute resolution, pixel peeping is silly really. I like 16mm film best of all formats. The feel of the image is more important than razor sharp eybrow hair. See also The Hobbit. The G6 has a video feel IMO. I'd rather have a softer image that's more cinematic. Brilliant low light performance. Menu systems that I understand. All my lenses are adapted to EF. Full frame means buying one longer lens though... A huge range of accessories, as it's industry standard. It's familiar to my collaborators - on a corporate shoot recently, we all knew what we meant when we chatted settings. I got a good price second hand, which was important. The retail is a bit high IMO. Depreciation will be minimal, comparatively. The G6 is sharp and has 1080/60p, but I don't want to be swapping bodies a lot and I feel it would likely be superseded swiftly. I prefer to learn one and keep it for a long time, much like an instrument. I also feel the image quality itself is pretty video-like on the G6. This is hard to pin down, but laymen (and wives and girlfriends too, often) will use terms like "cheap" or "TV like". That's important to me as it's audience reaction, not geek reaction! ;) I had an RX100 for a while and though it's impressive, it just has a real video look that stood out when I cut it with Canon EOS. As far as I can see the G6 feels similar. Just a personal preference, your mileage may vary, but I can't buy off a spec sheet, I must purchase on real-world application. I won't repeat mistakes. I would buy and RX100 in a heartbeat for documentary or TV work. It almost renders camcorders obsolete I feel. It's just not very "filmic". So far 5D MKiii raw appears to look more electronic than Alexa/Red/BMD. I feel this is because many tests are relatively unprocessed, too saturated and sharpened, and I look forward to taming it creatively as it becomes practical to use technically. I may still keep the 600D with Mosaic filter, just for the 3x crop video mode. I wish Canon would put this mode in the 5D. In short, yes I know they are cynical with feature splitting across SKUs. I do agree that it's frustrating. But at the end of the day a creative tool needs to work on many subtle levels. Being the best at one thing doesn't cut it. Having a good all-round package, whether I like to admit it or not, does. So they get the cash.

Hahahaha! Hey it was a corporate shoot, so I can be forgiven ;)   Well it looks like I'm going for a MKiii soon, so when I do, I'll be sure get one of those crazy Komputer Bay cards at some point and try the raw!   I tried it on 600D.    Man, the storage!   Yeah I think you should swap the lot for a MKiii, especially if you have manual Nikon glass.   So far, and this is really subtle, but side by side with Red (Scarlet) and BMD raw, the 5D iii raw is a tad more plastic. I can't put my finger on it. I think it's a motion thing, which is odd... but I can't pin it down. The colour pallete is a bit hyper, which is the Canon way, but there' a 'feel' that I think you can spot...   Probably only an issue side by side though...   EDIT: Watching a lot of videos I think it's the base colour interpretation. So it's fixable with raw. Motion does seem a little less distinct frame for frame to my deranged eyes. Can't explain that...

Ah yeah I meant 50, I'm a pal man!

5D MKiii raw and H264 don't suffer any great degree of aliasing. You do not need a mosaic filter, this is for other cams like 5D ii, 7D, 6D, 600D, 550D etc.   They perform better than BMD cams in this respect, as far as I've seen.   Footage is recorded to CF card, you can store Magic Lantern on the SD card.   You'll need a 1000x speed CF card for raw at 1080p, it will need to benchmark well. Komputerbay 64GB 1000x regularly do so.   The resulting files must be converted. This can be done in one step with new Cineform software, which supports ML raw. Outside of Cineform it's a two-step process until Adobe Premiere CC updates to support DNG.   Storage is a major requirement, for editing I'd suggest proxy edit and conform for post to achieve real-time playback. Grade afterwards not before edit.   This is all I've gathered from not having done it yet, just watching, so others may correct some workflow aspects.   I have used 5D iii but only in H264, it was a good experience. Solid kit, low-light is great and the stills are gorgeous.   G6 I've not used but I'm also considering due to great sharp 1080p/60

I like the look of the G6 as a second cam for me! The sharp 60p is cool. 

I got a good offer on a 5D MKiii recently, but despite the raw and overall superior image to 600D I've just stuck with the latter for a few things that are coming up because I know it, and the cost won't improve the product enough.   I could also borrow a BMD M4/3 for these shoots, but still, it's an unknown factor and delivery is PAL SD (yes, SD!), so I think the 600 will be fine.   I that situation 4K and raw are overkill, I just want to make the piece and deliver it as quickly and efficiently as possible, quality is not the priority, and would go un-noticed. Five friends who barely shoot ever own 550Ds that I can borrow as other angles! FIVE! That's market share...   When it's my own work however, music videos and films and so on, I'd like the best I quality can get, but still within reason. I love raw manipulation, so much freedom, but right now the idea of having multiple terrabytes of rushes and a long, long workflow feels like it'd slow me down a lot, plus it's expensive to deal with and presents archiving problems...   Shoot ratios on music promo and narrative are both high. Documentary can be insane, 100:1... there I'd probably use an RX100 (and a million batteries) but raw would be project suicide with current technology.   If ML could code RAW compression (down to 10-bit from 14-bit colour, some lossless compression) into the 5D MKiii it may become more practical, but now it's pretty mental to handle, and I keep reading about lost clips and so on.   I think that's why out of all the BMD owners I know, none have actually embarked on a truly ambitious full project with raw.   ***   The last short film I did was for Virgin Media Shorts, I used the 600D with hacked high bitrates and antialiasing filter and I'm happy with it. Sure it's a limited look, but so is certain film stock. I had to work so quickly, I just couldn't have done it with a glitchy camera, too much weight and rigging, or a demonic workflow. I just ran with the look and gave it a grungy psuedo 16mm feel.   If I could've had an Alexa look from a small DSLR box (as BMD promises), complete with compressed ProRes or DNxHD, then it would be the best option, but right now I hear a lot of grumbling from those using those cameras in the heat of battle so I'm keeping clear.   I loved Upstream Colour.... you could tell it was an 8-bit cam and quickly shot in places because the colours were different on every shot, sometimes in the same scene, but it worked with the piece, the confusion and surreal settings, it all added to it.   I think the key is working with what you have. If you have a camera that makes footage look like video, work with that look, if you try and make it look like Red Epic, you end up looking cheap, and so on...   I see a few films shot on Epic where they've tried to emulate film stock and the result is actually too sharp to be believable, so it works both ways.

One interesting point that's rarely touched upon is how light-sensor cost-reduction differs from that of CPUs and GPUs.   Both require bulk in order to maintain scale economy, there's a parity, but 'Moore's law' affects them differently. For CPU and GPU the ever decreasing die size (that's the measurement in nm next to a processor) means that less silicon can be used to produce the same integrated circuit, or that more can be packed in and you can gain on various fronts.   Since a light sensor is of a fixed physical size, it's hard (if not not impossible) to reduce cost by reducing the amount of silicon wafer used. Production efficiency and accuracy help, as can research and development and incorporation, (fewer cast offs and QC fails) but it's essentially a complex process and very expensive. Volume or refined production are key, and both are expensive. Hence Canon's incessant re-using of the old 18MP model, hence BMD's troubles starting in a new field, despite their heritage!   Sony re-use fewer types as they license sensors to others to make up numbers. Yet of course they still split one across many SKUs, and that is part of the reason they can make it in the first place: production is justified by return from the design stage.   Those who don't make vast numbers suffer with quality control or price, it's a hard balance. A perfect example is Blackmagic Design and their repeated sensor QC failures. They've managed to actually make Pocket cams because it's the same as the older sensor, just cropped. Now we can see in action why big companies do this. The 4K cams however, use a new sensor, so the problems arise again. Delays, brand damage, cancelled orders, so on.   Canon can pump out a huge number of functioning, identical units with a comparatively minuscule flaw rate. Since they're in a position of no competition (or negotiated competition, perhaps) in this respect and have Magic Lantern making up the firmware shortfall they needn't move too fast, just enough to stay ahead and as profitable as possible. Consumer cams may be in danger from phones, but enthusiast/pro crossover market is always quite small... for the simple reason that people tend to drop one way or the other after a time. They either rely on cameras for a living, or they drop out of "the race".   Blackmagic have shown that such a camera as we all desire can be made, but we all knew that. What they need to show is that it can be made reliably, on time, and be completed when released, supported, and keep working. So far these things haven't happened. Until then, the biggest players (unfortunately) don't have much of a reason to respond to a comparatively niche market... which is a shame... :/   Personally, and for what it's worth, I feel they would have been better off at BMD making just the 4K S35 camera with a bespoke flat mount that takes adapters to EF etc. This should have been the sole R&D on the camera side for all of the development time, been available at announcement and thouroughly tested. Remember there was no competition for this model, still isn't at the price point. It could have been developed more rigorously behind the scenes, perhaps with slightly more up-front investment, and released, Apple like, on an unsuspecting market.   Unfortunately, as it is we have obsolescence within a line that isn't even shipping fully, orders all over the place, glitches, all sorts. This is the Kickstarted/Public Beta method, I feel a 'behind closed doors' method, over perhaps these two years that have passed would have been preferable: one model, one solution, complete and functioning from announcement day. Imagine if we'd known nothing of these cameras until whenever it is 4K is shipping, and could have bought one right then, guaranteed working? Just my two cents.