Bioskop.Inc

Hey Andrew, really good news! I've just been filming with the Pocket, using the combo of a Nikon 24mm f2.8 & Iscorama (makes it about a 48mm). Its absolutely the perfect combo for a workable FOV & it seems that its the widest one can go with the Iscorama. So the question is, will this combo still work with the new SpeedBooster on the BMPCC or will i be forced to use a less wide lens?

Lucky i work with FCP then! So do you think i should use/keep to 24fps when i know the projects will go somewhere else? Love this place, loads of info just being handed around! Thanks!

Lovely, thanks guys - i knew i was onto something, just got mixed up a bit. So i'll carry on with 23.98fps then, unless i get delussions of grandeur!

So on BM cameras you get the option of 23.98 & 24fps, so what's the real difference & why would they give you both - I mean 0.02fps can't be generate that much of a difference. I ask because I always thought that 24fps was really 23.98fps, or is 24fps a digital thing & 23.98fps is a celluloid? I know its a pretty basic question, but before I film a String Quartet tomorrow, I thought I'd ask the question.

Here's a suggestion & its a cheap one. You've got 2 5D3s & a collection of Canon L glass, yes? Install a stable version of Magic Lantern for the 5D3 - NO, you're not going to use RAW! In the Movie menu, at the top, there's this setting that will increase the Bit Rate of the H264 video. Now because the 5D3 will accept fast CF cards, you should be able to increase the recorded Bit Rate & record sound (you'll have to experiment how far you can push the Bit Rate, but anything over 2 will be good - 3 would be great!). If you use a good PS (VisionColor is v.good), this increase in Bit Rate will give you a lot more room to CC & even sharpen your footage in post. Quite frankly, that's the only/best solution for you - a Nex isn't going to be better than a 5D3, not today, tomorrow, never. Furthermore, for any detailed GVs that you might need, which don't need sound, you could use a short burst of RAW. Other than that, I just don't see what your dilemma is - you've got 2 5D3s, use them Goddamit!

WOW! That's just so crystal clear - it just stopped me in my tracks!

After a week with this little thing, I've found the ProRes to be the best thing from this camera & the RAW will be useful for a few difficult to get shots. As far as lenses go, wide open isn't the way to go at all (& never was really with any camera) - for me, the Super Tak 35mm f3.5 is the only lens that will perform well wide open. Because this thing needs light, coupled with the native 800ASA, you can easily stop down to get a sharp picture & if you're still not satisfied, you can sharpen a little in post. Its not too bad in low light, but if that's what you need in a camera you should look else where - RAW could help here, but won't solve everything. For the FOV arguement, i like the fact that you've now got room between the camera & any subject - never liked being right on top of things. Also, it will encourage a different way of filming & should teach people that the wide shot isn't something to be abused - but i do like CUs! The speedbooster will help give you some breathing room as well. Its quite obvious by now that this camera isn't for everybody & will really challenge you, especially with your lens & shot choices. I also think that this camera should be used in conjunction with another & maybe not solely on its own.

Still waiting for my Nikon to MFT adaptor, so still can't comment on this lens setup. However, the Super Taks are really nice with the Pocket - the 35mm f3.5 is now perfect due to the native 800ASA. Because the Pocket has preset WB choices, the warm tone of the Super Taks becomes a non-issue since you have to adjust WB in post (minor tweeks only).

Really Nice! & I agree that shot of the girl walking down the stairs was sweet...

Soz - double post accident!

The whole thing was very well put together, but as JG said its the quote at the end that just might be turning people off - you've given them too much. If the whole objective is to get them to your website then you should keep your cards close to your chest & the reveal should come when they go to find out more - get them curious first & foremost!

I think maxotics has said it all - this camera for the price is just simply stunning! RAW - unbelieveably spectacular. ProRes (Film) - amazing. ProRes (Video) - v.v.useful. Sound - Good, but only if you plug an external device into it & then you have an acceptable backup if anything goes wrong. This really isn't a pick it up off the shelf (expression, rather than a reality) & go shooting camera - i think the designation of it being a "Cinema" camera should have rang out loud & clear to any/everybody buying it. I think the QC might have gotten better as mine has no problems what-so-ever, apart from 1 minor querk - a pinky grid pattern when panning away (left or right & only for a split second) from a strong light source in a high contrast situation. All indications/tests show that it is caused by lens flare from a vintage single-coated lens & can be eliminated by an ND filter or by stopping down the lens. I would gladly pay (& did) the £700 for this camera, with the full knowledge that i would be saving thousands of pounds. If its your first camera then you're going to have to spend extra money on stuff - as is always the case in this situation. There is no equivilant on the market & probably won't be for some time. The good thing at the moment is that people are being very open about any short comings - this was not the case with DSLRs when i bought mine! But hey, i've now got a v.nice photography camera & an awesome video camera!

Thanks Rudolf...the music always helps, you're absolutely right & festivals can be very exasperating places to film - you've no control & its always very hit'n'miss!

I've only done one thing with RAW & the post work on it was a bitch. Andrew's comments were a bit insulting really - yes its easy to film in RAW (DOH!), but Resolve is a no go for me & my computer, also storage (over 1 hours worth of footage for a 5min video) & not forgetting matching up the clips when colour correcting etc... Using RAW is a very long & expensive process - hobbyists just don't really understand the need for fast turn around. I used Transcend Class 10 cards & if memory serves me well i was shooting with a crop of 1280x854 (3:2) with a x1.5 Anamorphic, which gave me 13secs bursts. I used RAWMagic to unpack the files, Raw Photo Processor 64 to generate TIFF files (for speed I only added a touch of Sharpening & left them with a flat log colour space) & then QT7 to create ProRes 422 HQ .mov files so i could import into FCPX. Basically it took me a while to get a good/easy workflow going & shooting, as always, was not the most complicated part of the process!

This video really shows what you can do if you apply yourself with the tools in hand. I recently shot a music video for a friend in RAW with my 60D & well, "Pain In The Arse" doesn't even come close to describing my feelings. Shooting a few RAW snaps of your cats, random [street] stuff, flowers or your kid etc... & then posting just doesn't get close to how much extra unnecessary hassle it really is for a proper project. As far as i'm concerned, if its for web delivery then i'm still going to grab my 60D first without any hesitation, as i know that i can get exactly what i want in-camera & then all i have to do is tweek it a tiny bit in post. IMHO if you are of the mentality that says "we'll just fix it in post", then you really should be spending that wasted time learning how not to get yourself into that position in the first place. Am going to film a short doc with the Pocket (ProRes - as RAW can go F**K ITSELF!), but i just know that it won't be as straight forward a process as using my 60D.

I'm with you all the way - I do love my 60D & yes H264 is just fine, as you said its all about the content. As far as RAW is concerned, it'll be good for certain shots, but not to film everything with it (storage, workflow etc...) - its too much hassle. With the Pocket, i'm more interested in ProRes & the nostalgia of using a S16 size sensor again.

Well, i got my pocket last night & quite frankly if you want 1 reason then ProRes HQ as its bog standard recording codec is that reason. If not, then its size is an advantage & you really don't need expensive "IS" glass to keep things steady - just a few points of stable contact & some practice or a TRIPOD! The screen isn't really that bad if you're coming from a DSLR & Peaking is excellent, no really its excellent. Crop factor takes a bit of getting used to, but with an anamorphic its definitely better - speedbooster will be perfect. Battery life isn't that bad, considering what is going on under the hood - about 1 Hour (if you're indoors then plug it in). Sound is actually good, but only if you use the "Line In" mode from say a Field Mixer or Digital Recorder - a mic on its own ain't great. I've not experienced any HotPixels or anything unusual/distressing. And no, its not complicated to use - well, unless you've never used a proper camera before & that is what this is. I'm with you on the "Test Shots" of RAW, but I think that is down to users/posters & not the camera - I'll have to wait for a new SD card to see.

LOL!!!!! Cheers John, well he's certainly been on some adventures over the years & has got some great stories!

This started out as a favour for a friend & while on the day it was a complete nightmare, the results weren't as bad as i thought. This was almost entirely shot handheld (1 tripod wide shot), due to there not being enough room to swing a cat or should that be mouse!!? Anyways, stage was like a tiny bouncy castle & space was really tight - so no rig either! For the majority of shots I used the Helios 44-2+Iscorama 54+Voigtlander Focar A&B (+1/+2 diopters). There are a few shots were i used the Helios 40-2 & the shit wide shot was with the Mir-1b. This will be one of the last things I'll shoot on the 60D with H264, as i now have the Pocket in my hands...

Basically, anyone who says dual focus lenses are a pain just haven't spent enough time learning/practicing. Its all about being able to judge distances & when you know how far 2m is, for example, you'll get quicker at hitting focus. Once you get good its like second nature & it takes no time at all to focus both lenses perfectly in unison.  Also, its very hard to focus pull & operate a camera at the same time, so the reasoning behind getting an Iscorama, if you don't have a 2 man crew, is a defunct one - so if you are a lone shooter an iscorama might save you a little bit of time focusing but not that much.   Kowa for B&H or a Sankor 16D - they both have large rear elements, will be perfect for a 5D3, Kowa is more expensive & the Sankor has blue flares.

Love the Helios 40 shots - swirl away!

Edit: re-read my post & realised i hadn't expressed myself well!   ETTR for ML Raw is more about getting a cleaner image than getting more DR - well it is on the 60D.   I've found that putting Zebras to 95% & getting a reading of E-0.4 on the ML Raw Histogram is a good choice (see video below). If you don't use the ML tools then its just trial & error till you get it right. https://vimeo.com/67892443   So, you will sometimes clip your highlights & you've got to decide how much.  You can recover things to a certain extent, but RAW isn't a miracle worker & ETTR is more about image quality than DR.   E-0.4 on ML RAW Histogram is the best answer (NB. Nightly builds have moved away from RGB Raw Histogram, but you can use ETTR module to give you a reading, but don't let it mess with your settings by actually using the Auto ETTR function!).

It was a joke! I mean, come on fungus & it won't focus - sellers are unbelievable at the moment. There is another person who's listing a couple of 54s on ebay, but they come with pricey taking lenses - so might be worth asking if he'll sell seperately.   As far as what you've got to offer for one, a 54 originally sold for £1500 - so its easily going to be more expensive. Did you try tferradans?   Have you already got an anamorphic? Because if not it might be worth buying a dual focus & see how you get on first. If you've already tried a dual focus & really need a single focus, as Paulio said, SLR magic's new one might be worth a pop.

Well, if you're looking for a bargin & a headache, then this little beauty should be right up your alley!   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Isco-Iscorama-Anamorphot-Anamorphic-Cinemascope-1-5X-54-Lens-Cap-52mm-Adapter-/181255214840?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a33a716f8   Just think, a lovely non-MC 54 with fungus & a focus ring that's stuck on infinity - I mean it just doesn't get better than this!

Sound Devices gear is really good & one of their field mixers into the H4N will be absolutely great - you'll never turn back!