Oliver Daniel

@IronFilm, what's your take on this? (not recording with a Zoom btw) On the premise you give me great sound capture advice, I will help you acquire superpowers beyond your wildest dreams.

Thank you all for the advice. @IronFilm, I've had the Zoom H4n since I created my first DSLR kit. Still got it. Never use it. The difficulty I have is the conflicting advice about setting audio levels, like gain and volume.... "Never go over 0db... use -6db as your peak.... don't go below -12db....use -9db as your sweet spot" blah blah. So I do this and the audio will be a nice volume but "hissssssssss".... Then I'll set a lower gain and the "hisssssssss" will be gone but the volume is very quiet. So overall, in general, what is the critical "must do" of audio recording settings for clear, simple recorded audio? p.s The audio i've recorded on an FS7 seems ok, but on the GH5 it's a piece of shit. What the beef am i doing wrong?

Hello Audiophiles. I've really not payed attention to my own audio recording skills over the past few years. It's my weak area. I would usually have my sound guy cover this for me, but recently clients have been asking for testimonials and sound bites on set for "social media volume". I'm primarily shooting on the GH5 - and the audio gear I currently have is Rode NTG-1, Zoom H4n, Saramonic UW9 transmitter, receiver, lav mic and radio mic. So with the Saramonic Lav - it's pretty difficult.... "hisssssssssssss"... With the Rode and Zoom.... better but too quiet or too loud. In between, tearing my hair out. That Hugh Brownstone guy has really clear, crisp audio in his Vlog videos. That's what I want. TEACH ME. p.s If you do, I'll tell everyone you are the best person since sliced bread!

On paper, the only thing this camera is missing is a tilting/flip screen. Bugger. They must of had to compromise that one. I bet someone or BM themselves will bring out a very cost effective, thin secondary screen you can put on the thread at the top and be able to swivel it in all directions (without having to go SmallHD or Atomos). Like you say, I'd like to see a very compact docking that sits under the camera which will power the camera for a day, and also provide a small SSD docking for the USB-C. It would be awesome if this could power a secondary screen to sit on top of the camera (like i said above). It will be exciting to see what accessories are made for this. On windowed HD 120fps, I do hope it's not too windowed. I think a Speedbooster will be essential for users of this mode. I know I'll be using it a lot. This is a really strong year for Micro 4/3rds. GH5S, BMPCC4k and that E2 Cam thing - the format is really cementing it's position as a serious filmmaking option.

Well, I pre-ordered one. You have to love Blackmagic for what they have done.

@Andrew Reid - thanks for the article. I'm with you that technology has changed a lot since the last Pocket. However the main reason I liked the original Pocket was down to the charm, the mojo, the classic look - 99% of cameras with IBIS, great low light, HFR are still being beat by the original Pocket in this regard. Also you have to remember that this camera is for cinematic application, and is designed to be used as such. Not really the type of camera to run and gun with in a cave lit only by glow flies! As an affordable, S16, cinematic device - everything to me sounds good so far. Bit concerned about this external stuff though and hope it's perfectly manageable in the hands.

Is that a little groove I see on the right of the LCD? I really hope that screen flips out!

I owned the original FS5 with the Shogun Inferno - sold it because the setup was not fun in terms of ergonomics, plus I found there to be barely any difference between the internal XAVC files and the Raw>ProRes. (4k slo mo was great though!) @Andrew Reid, the FS700 also had 4k 120fps raw recording. The only "new" thing going on here is improved colour (which, btw, is very positive). Overall, this is basically an original FS5 with the paid licenses. They could of at least put in 4k 10 bit.

Wow at last! Didn’t buy the original but loved using it (due to the image). My wild prediction: - S16 sensor - Detachable 4” touch screen (fit it on the camera or off camera) - CFast slot and SD slot - 4K 60fps (at a stretch, I’m expecting at least one “wow” feature ) - Canon LP-E6 batteries - 13 stops DR - ProRes RAW in future firmware - Price $1295 I hope it will be like that..... please. They’ve had 5 years to make it. I hope it’s as charming as the original.

Camera mojo in the simplest terms.... The "colour science" implemented by the camera technicians in some cameras make it look more "attractive" then "standard" out of the box. So Fuji vs Sony for instance. The codec and bit rate implementation creates more visible and usable data (10 bit ProRes vs 8 bit, low bit rate AVCHD). The sensor size and lens combination (Alexa 65 with anamorphic lens vs RX10 with built-in lens) The dynamic range for smoothness rolloff between shadows and highlights (Ursa Mini 4.6k vs Canon DSLR in standard profile). Shutter angle or shutter speed combined with frame rate (24p at 1/48 = "filmic motion"). Rolling or global shutter (shutter skew or no skew is the main benefit) All the above combined I believe is something the internet calls "motion cadence" (Digital Bolex vs GoPro). While all the above can have a dramatic effect between cameras - remember that the real mojo comes from you. Your composition. Your lighting. Your camera movement. Your grading. Your skill as an artist. Having all these personal attributes will make most cameras that you shoot with... look like the bollocks.

I'd say this would be the most expected scenario: for the A7SIII. Higher megapixel sensor. 4k 50/60 8 bit 4:2:2 at best, still using XAVC-S. 4D Focus like the A7III, A9, A7R III. 120fps in HD with no crop. Updated body design. Hybrid Log Gamma. A potential surprise they could throw in is 4k 10 bit out to an external recorder - I highly doubt this would be internal if it was to be an option given that the FS5 is crippled for 4k, and shows no sign of being replaced any time soon.

Well, I don't usually get annoyed over a new camera release, but this did annoy me. I see it as a completely utterly pointless release like it's some kind of sick joke. It's like bringing out a flying car in sexy colours which doesn't actually fly, it jumps. One inch off the floor.

"No DPAF and a big crop in 4k". Well that's just like teasing people to the brink of excitement, only to then show them the middle finger. Well done Canon, you've done it again.

It will be something stupid like 4k with half the vertical resolution at 3x crop and 5 min limit. The 1080p modes will be comparable to the DVX-100 at 720x576, but a bit worse. Comes with a cable to connect with your C700, so you get a worthless extra screen. Plus a shiny silver sticker that says "best quality 4k" or something. Like everyone else, I want Canon to make their C300 II owners feel well and truly awful.

@Sage, so I've been doing a few experiments with my GH5 footage on your LUT. What I love most about it is the very smooth highlight rolloff you created. It really makes the footage from my GH5 look like it's come from a much more expensive camera! The only real issue I've come across is that sometimes my footage appears to go too red, especially in the shadows. Skin can sometimes look very pink. I can dial this out quite quickly with curves, but do you know what the problem could be? Any user errors of such that you've found are common? (yes, I'm choosing the daylight LUT for daylight white balance etc!) If I want to stylise the footage, I've found that it's best to do my own grade (using Chromatic plugin on FCP) but put the look BEFORE the GHa Main LUT in the effects browser. I find it better than using LogC and an Arri LUT. On a personal side note, as I get better at grading - I've found that I use "film look LUTS" much less often, as many LUTs create many undesired artefacts and weirdness. With your GHa conversion, there's a voodoo which I really enjoy with it, so I see myself using it exclusively from now on. Thank you!

It's no where near the "wallet bomb explosion" that RED cams are with their accessories though. I nearly got a RED once. Super excited, I added it up afterwards, and immediately thought "f*** that!" Kinefinity offer good value for money. The grip seems necessary, but can't comment on it's usability never having used it. AJA Con was dead on arrival. Used that CMV crappy sensor, had 8 stops of DR, it was huge, needed a recorder for the special stuff and didn't have a screen. Yes - if a GH6s had RAW and 10bit across all their frame rates, that would be it. Sort of. Might be.

I've been interested in Kinefinity since the Kine Mini 4k. I saw a commercial shot on the camera and I was astounded at the quality. Then the Terra 6k came, which on paper, seemed like the ideal cinema camera. I'm glad to see the Terra 4k now has a UK distributor! (hooray!) Philip Bloom is a huge asset to push the camera into more hands. Couldn't care less if he's being paid or not. The Kinefinity community are often very positive about the cameras. I think I might try and demo one p.s a lot of people are nervous about buying from a small and little known company, but did you know Kinefinity is actually under the umbrella of a huge, global Chinese aerospace company (specialising in cameras?). Can't remember the name....

Glad to hear it. I felt the same when I went from FCP7 to FCPX. The entire design threw me way off! ...but then i realised it all made perfect sense. FCPX is nothing like Premiere, it's a new way of "driving the machine" so to say, and that's why it's so damn awesome! A few handy things: 1. Chromatic by Coremelt is a great colour grading plugin. Color Finale by CGC has lost it's relevancy since FCPX updated to 10.4 with new tools (it has much less features than Chromatic), although you can export your own LUTS with both plugins. Coremelt's other plugins like SliceX and TrackX are also awesome (Mocha tech). 2. Pixel Film Studios has the biggest library in the world of FCPX plugins. Lots of them are crap but there's plenty of gems to be found. 3. Crumplepop Finisher is voodoo. Astonishing sharpening plugin. p.s I have been back to try Premiere. It felt like I'd travelled back in time. Tried DaVinci for editing too - this was a better experience. But not FCPX better (minus colour grading tools obviously).

@Andrew Reid, I don't know how many times I've recommended for you to ditch Premiere and go FCPX. I've been using FCPX since the very first version, and because it was so different, I couldn't even put two clips together. But I persisted. To this day, I'd say FCPX has been the greatest creative decision I've ever made. Editing is more enjoyable, it's faster, it's seamless, it's a time saver. You have to regard that FCPX is not Premiere and does everything it can not to be like Premiere. It's a totally different machine. You don't try and drive a car like you would a motorcycle! When you learn to use it fluidly, your head starts shaking in utter shame of the people who trash it day in, day out. Their loss. To me, Premiere feels like a dinosaur with broken legs. It's still editing the "old way". FCPX was an ambition ahead of it's time, and now has matured into what I think is the best editing program today. Persist with it, learn it, and I'm certain you will love it.

Yep, this is the problem. I love full frame. I love DPAF. I love cameras that are great in lowlight. I love great hybrids. Yesterday, I was hired to do some content for a new sports product. In the end, did more stills than video! (with a GH5!) I'm being really strict with new purchases - I willingly get another model / different camera / tool if it's ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. The GH5 is doing it's job very well for the moment.

The guy in this video is right by what he says, however there's something missing from his argument. Most gear talk and hype and all that is a waste of time and a huge distraction from the actual purpose of doing, yet there are times when camera A could offer dramatically better results than camera B with the desired job it fulfils. Some people are just really unsure, because choosing the right camera as a beginner, is overwhelming and daunting. The main message though, he's absolutely right. Yesterday i filmed a studio shoot, and straight away I realised i didn't have enough lighting, and I started adding new lights into my virtual shopping basket in my head. But i had to work with it, used the knowledge I had with lighting and cameras and delivered a decent result. With Casey, I'm not an avid follower but I enjoyed this particular video very much. The editing was clever and the message came through strongly. @webrunner5 - I think the "new topic" is justified as it's a topic that offers great discussion and debate.

On the A6500 with MC-11, the Sigma ART's work well from what I remember - I'll give them another go as I've been using a Sony lens the past year for gimbal autofocus. I don't have any Canon EF's, just Sigma ART's and manual EF lenses. I wouldn't be too interested in the A7R line usually, however I'm being asked more and more to bundles photography with video these days. If the video autofocus performance is up there - that's a huge asset. Might rent it and give it a whirl. Thing is, I've been putting the GH5 on a pedestal and really invested my time and money into making it sing. So I guess my fear is hurting that really focused process. For stills, I do prefer Canon. They're not mirrorless, however the images look so satisfying in comparison to the "emptier" Sony /Panasonic image rendering. DECISIONS.

This. I've took on the GH5 more than I have with any other camera. I look at other models and really, really think whether it's completely necessary to buy. You have to separate the urge from the logic of making the right purchase. Everyone here will admit that camera porn gets in the way. Your regular camera purchases are justified as you run a blog, sell guides and colour profiles. For the rest of us - it's best to get to know the camera you have for a substantial amount of time, learn grading, learn composition, learn lighting, learn how to inspire GREAT ideas.

Awesome! I also have the Sigma MC-11 adapter. How does the autofocus perform in stills with the Mc-11 adapter? Are there any greyed out AF options when using this adapter with photo or video?

Just a few months ago I had an FS5 and Shogun Inferno with RAW update. The kit was great however I didn't't really enjoy using it. So I ditched it and went GH5, and I find the quality of my work has improved due to the creative liberation and portability you get from it. If I did get any of these cameras, I'd probably go C200. Got Sigma ART lenses, Canon colour and DPAF = win! Not at all on the list though. Depends on what I'm doing.