Oliver Daniel

The 5D has video features made for photographers. They want video people to buy the reduced C300 II or the next C100. Anyway, life goes on....

That landscape picture is lovely. Does it really matter there's no colours in the shadows on the left? My eye is looking at the sun, the smoke haze and reflections on the water.

I think the GH5 is the one to watch, as it could have pretty much everything you need. The Canons and Nikons are much more for photographers, hence the weirdness with video features. Give Fuji a couple of years to get video right. Samsung... what a shame! Sony... I'm glad they're quiet for once. IBC is coming. Expect a Canon C100 mk III announcement coming quite soon (going off history), another reason for DSLR video weirdness. The Kinefinity Terra has been delayed til November, Ursa Mini style. What happened to Craft Camera? Those guys are a bit weird. FCPX hasn't been updated since February. New version on the way?

I've used the DJI X5R with the Osmo on 5 shoots now. As I got this to replace my Ronin-M so i could take gimbal shots with me anywhere without hassle, it's definitely working out very well. On previous shoots where I'd be limited to filming static angles (due to time and location), I find myself whipping out the Osmo RAW very often - grabbing much more dynamic movement. The workflow is overstated by others on the net. Maybe they find it to much, however I don't have an issue taking the files from Cinelight to Resolve to export to ProRes. One thing I need to work on is maximising the dynamic range from the raw files, I feel I'm not quite there yet. I've attached two stills, first one is the regular 60mbps 1080p file (not done much 4k yet as it's hungry) and the Raw to ProRes file. These were only very quick, rough grades, so they are in no way perfect (notice the smaller file has better skies, my bad). However see how much more detail the raw file holds against the regular file (look at the grass). In motion, the 60mbps file holds itself up quite well and looks fine for a lot of stuff, besides some minor dancing aliasing on grass. The raw file in comparison feels much nicer, organic and chunkier. To me, it feels like what the GH4 would be like in raw. DJI's colours are a bit more "cartoony" than Panasonics, so that does need a bit of work in post. Should have some proper videos out soon! (when the client decides to release them that is!!).

I'm pleased with my footage from the A7SII. To get nice colour, it's required to modify the Slog2 profile (there's loads of help online), expose the footage at least 1.5 stops to the right and white balance correctly. Then you need advanced colour grading skills - firstly to correct the image accurately, bring down the exposure (especially those mids) and use a LUT as a base for further styling if required. Sharpen subtlety and you have a very nice image. If you don't do any of the above, then your footage will look like a pile of sick. Again, there's so much information on the A7S, LUTS and exposure. You have to put the learning work in to get results. The A7S and other Sonys get the best results through intricate hard work. For those who don't want that fuss, Canon or Nikon is your weapon of choice. Crap though, like you say, it isn't.

Although there's quite a lot of disappointment online about the 5D IV, do remember that the C100 Mk. III should be due within months, going from the release dates of the previous 2. That camera will predictably have a minor update with 4K and all the usual bells and whistles - the 5D IV just isn't the camera for video only shooters, although I'm sure it will be great for stills shooters, who also shoot video and have EF lenses. Unfortunately, I can't consider the 5D IV as the 60p and 120p will likely be mush. And there's no log. I'd only buy it if I had a great need for stills. In regards to Sony, they have their quirks but I'm really happy with my results from the A7SII and FS cameras. I love grading and these cameras in Slog can be great learning experiences in exposing and grading for log. The results are far superior to the standard modes when done right. Also, the GH5 is imminent. My gut tells me it's going to be a huge release....

With anything, the need to storyboard or previz depends on time and budget. A lot of the projects I do are in music, and 98% of the time, there's not enough budget to do it. So the way me and my team do it is to create mood boards (via something like Pinterest) for the scenes like for location, lighting camera movement, expressions, poses, master shots etc. Everyone can sort of visualise the tone and style we are going for. The commercial world is also spiralling in terms of budget. I was luck enough to win a tender for a national campaign, and although the budget was decent, we only really had time to draw up two frames from each scene, and juiced them up with mood boards. My style of filmmaking is generally more spontaneous, on-the-spot, "what looks best at the time" kinda thing. There's always a shot list, schedule and mood board - however there's always a lot of room to try something out and see where it goes. That happens a lot. Even on the most structured shoots. Mood boards can be difficult though when you have an idea in mind, and you can't quite find the right visual references to match your vision. if anyone else does mood boards, I'd love to hear your strategies in finding the correct visual material efficiently.

Having Slog2 on the A7SII is absolutely awesome. As long as you know how to grade and manage the profile, the results are well worth it. Just down to taste, I don't want to use any other camera that doesn't have log. The new 5D won't have it, so........ err, probably not for me.

You cannot beat Ninja Terminator - an absolute masterpiece. My favourite scene is when a toy robot turns up to a Ninja guy's door and threatens to kill him.

The X5R is much easier to use on the Inspire than the Osmo (I do have an Inspire 1 V2 aswell), however there are still SSD issues with Cinelight and Mac. I think this is the biggest drawback at present, until DJI release an update. I also think the X5R is potentially great for the Osmo too. The ability to pull out a stabilised, lightweight and portable raw camera out your bag and get shooting within 2 minutes is awesome. As I'm really used to the Ronin-M for movement, it's a little head scratcher adapting to the Osmo's behaviour. The reason I sold my Ronin-M was because it was crippling me physically and I'm limited to where I can take it, with the size and setting up/balancing constantly. So I got the Osmo for the X5R. I do think we will see greater potential once the Osmo 2 is released really. The original does feel a teeny bit unfinished.

Awesome! Thanks for the share. This device could be ideal. Pulling focus would be spectacular mid-shot on around f2. I've done another shoot with the Osmo now - I've found the general gimbal behaviour (Osmo) is vastly different to the Ronin and other 3-axis gimbals. Just need to get my head around how I can get it to move the way I want. Not quite there yet. The most issues I've had are with Cinelight and the SSD. Quite a few error messages and stubbornness about actually mounting the drive. DJI need to sort this out, not good enough for a high end product.

Log modes are always darker. For instance, Slog2 is much darker than Cine4 on the A7S. The information is shared more across the curve.

I've had some time to play with the DJI X5R and for the first time, put it knee deep into a professional shoot with lots of flashy stage lighting (the video is a high end "fake live" shoot for an international events band. So far, using this device is a very slow burner and I can't really make a judgement yet, but here's some things I've found. There are many negatives at first, however I'm trying to solve them and see what difference it makes in the long run. What I do know is that this combination has a lot of potential, however this camera needs quiet a few firmware updates to get there. ProRes on board would be great! I feel DJI didn't test this camera enough before release. Had to deal with lots of annoying issues. Positives Footage in 4k and HD raw an be spectacular - very clean and detailed (but only if you shoot and light skilfully!). Very intuitive to use, combining the Osmo and Inspire 1. DJI Go app responds and works very nicely. Stabilisation and handling is very different to a normal 3-axis gimbal like the Ronin, however getting to know it's behaviour can yield some awesome moves. Walking bounce can be eliminated if you know how to "do the walk". Some shooters online are just not trying at all, letting the vertical movement bounce everywhere. Walk as flat a possible, all is good. Unit is small and light - no balancing required. No big bulky cases. Nice and portable. Low light is better than expected. GH4 level really. Battery extender is very useful, if you need long periods. (lasts about 2 hours 45 mins on constant with Inspire 1 TB48). Proxy files look decent in good light. Handy to have when raw isn't an option. 1080p is very sharp. 4k is ridiculous. The gimbal lock on the Osmo is sweet. You can pull off some crazy dolly moves and pans. Negatives Autofocus on the app isn't great. Takes two tries and it MUST be on something of high contrast to work well. Aperture resets overtime you switch off the device. Bit annoying. As phone is a monitor, you need a USB power bank. I strapped one on the back of the mobile phone holder. Phone (iPhone) lasts 45 mins otherwise. iPhone monitor image breaks up sometimes and lags quite a bit. Annoying if you are trying to do a smooth movement or judge focus/exposure. Changing settings such as aperture can be fiddly. It just won't let you choose what you want sometimes. Sometimes the unit goes into sleep mode a few seconds after you switch it on. SSD fan noise is like a shit hoover. The internal audio with the cheap mic add-on is absolutely garbage. It's hard to hold the X5R on the Osmo with one hand, while using the thumb controller. Two hands is better. The SSD card reader is shockingly temperamental with Mac. Sometimes it doesn't mount at all. Have to use USB keyboard input on Mac. Doesn't work on the normal USB inputs. DJI Cinelight is rubbish. Transcoding is very slow and the tweaking options are very basic. Memory fills very quickly. HD is about 2 hours per SSD, where 4k is about 25 mins per SSD. For long shoots , another SSD is almost essential. Just very very pricey. Focusing can be difficult on apertures between f1.7 and f5.6 using the app. Seems like the expensive follow focus would be ideal (not on your wallet). Normal OSMO batteries last about 7 minutes. D-LOG on proxy files is a HUGE HUGE no-no!! It looks and grades horribly on the teeny 60mbps codec. That's enough for now! More soon...... with images!!

Grey imports are even more expensive than UK prices now. Not everywhere. But majorly! The Inferno is sexier, but that elusive 4K 120fps..... BUT......The 7Q annoys me with the own brand SSDs and the license thing.

I'm thinking about the FS5 again. The 7Q stuff looks may better than the internal XAVC-crap the camera currently has. 7Q all together though is very very expensive - and a bit large for the FS5. Anyone know if the Inferno will do everything the 7Q can with the FS5? Also noticed the FS7 has increased in price by around £1500.

Ed, I'm in full agreement. While cameras get hyped up a billion times a year, the general enthusiast audience almost ignore the most important thing a camera needs. I love lighting beyond cameras. Due to the technology, I've changed all my lamps to battery powered units, so I can go anywhere I want and light anything without messing with tangled cables and mains power. I've got: - 3 Lupolux Dual Color lamps. Very bright and versatile. - 6 Scorpion Lights. Little bendy lights that can go anywhere. Very handy. - Aputure Lightstorm LS1-C. Very impressed. Terrific brightness. - Shit loads of gels, diffusers, reflectors. These are a much more important toolset than my cameras (I hardly buy any). It makes an incredible difference compared to "just another" camera image.

Canon don't make hybrids - they make speciality cameras. So if you want all the features, you have to buy 3 different bodies. For instance: C300 - documentary/events. 1DX II - sports, wildlife and photo journalism. XC10 - run n gun, low budget news shooter. 80D - Youtubers. This sort of model is exactly why they leave C-log out of the 1DXII.... "oh, we have EOS cinema cameras for that." Thos who want an all-in-one only have Sony really.

I honestly don't think the X5R could take a Speedbooster and a bigger Nikon lens. There's no balancing at all. It's so tiny. Makes the BMMCC look huge. I think anyone buying the X5R should do if they want an intuitive, quick and easy light setup with no bollocks - for the Osmo and Inspire. The reason I got it is because I wanted a very high quality imaging device, with little setup, portable, light and intuitive to use. I had the Ronin-M before. Used my A7SII. I loved the results but the gimbal is heavy after a couple of minutes. Monitor rigging is a pain. And the size of the package while transporting is a beast! Move not had enough of a play yet. I feel it's something that will take a bit of time to get the best movement out of it. Like learning to ride and bike, and then doing wheelies and grinds. Thanks for sharing. I think the Osmo X5R will probs need a well practiced Ninja walk to eliminate any walking bounce. Or a post stabiliser may help with that such as Coremelt Lock and Load. I've heard there are plans to bring out a Z-axis for the X5 cameras - however I'd prefer not to have some bouncy spring thing as part of the rig. Im working on getting the joystick movement nice and smooth. Feels a little abrupt on any of the factory settings.

Awesome thank you!

Did a couple of test shots. Everything is very very purple. Looks like a crap colour effect. Actual proxies are fine. I think I need to reinstall Cinelight and see what happens then. The hurdles of a new product. It's like they don't test them first.

Early setup experience.... My early setup experience has been quite mixed. Good Things This thing is very, very slick. With all the features, the app, the sleek black design... it looks and feels super cool. It smells like a new car. It's light and easy to handle. The controls seem very nice and responsive. Viewing the image on a smartphone is awesome.... (why don't other cameras fully do this?). Shallow DOF is very achievable. Could do with the wireless follow focus but that costs $100,000,000. Autofocus beep makes me laugh. Selfie mode makes me laugh. Battery extender thingy is a cool idea!! Very useful. Bad Things Firstly, the firmware came up as "unknown" and the preview image would be horizontally inverted, until you hit record. WHYYYY?? (edit: fixed after firmware update!!). Upgrading the firmware has been frustrating. The firmware instructions for the X5R aren't very clear as it behaves differently to the other models. DJI should say this really in their guides/tutorials. (you have to wait until the green/red light will flash for about 3 mins before firmware starts uploading. At first you think it's broke). Autofocus is either good or awful, they need to improve that. The fan is loud. Sounds like next door have got a crap, wimpy hoover on. This is not a device for dialogue! Also, on the Osmo, the fan and ventilator are facing up. Don't shoot if there's a chance of rain. Dust? Hmmmm. May need a regular clean. It feels a bit flimsy. It will very likely break if you drop it or crash. Battery extender adapter fits very flimsy on the Inspire TB48 battery. LAZY. I've ordered a custom 3D printer adapter to hold it in place. --------------------------------- Usually, the bad things get reduced overtime as with anything. Looking forward to what it can do in the field!

Most of the stuff I shoot will be on a "proper job". I've got a sock puppet video on Monday where it will be ideal for some shots (hopefully).

Thanks for the response. So far, I've barely took the equipment out of the case. On first look of the X5R, the camera part is absolutely tiny. Much smaller than I thought. Must be careful. Most of it is a 15mm lens. The SSD's are very small too. I can't get my head round why this accessory costs so much. The Inspire V2 is a beast, as we all know. 2 controllers in the package. Ace! Because of the SSD thing, and the fact I haven't got the spare dosh for a spare,I'll be shooting mostly in HD and 50/60fps. Will do a few 4k. Money shot maybe? I've got 3 edits needing their final amendments due today, so once I've done them, I can whip this bad boy out!

Be careful not to turn this into another Ebrahim thread, they are watching you....... When I got my first camera (Canon XHA1), I had no idea what I was doing, so I forced myself to read complex posts in forums like this until I "got it". This forum has a vibe that others don't. It's a good vibe.

The DJI X5R arrived today to go with a recently purchased Inspire V2 and Osmo handle kit. Having owned a BeSteady One gimbal and DJI Ronin-M - I loved what these gadgets can do but I despised all the annoying fidgety blocks that went with it. I also didn't like the lack of portability. Due to client requests, I've got the portability and also the "bonus" of aerial (which I'm training for now, bollock ache but highly compulsory). I'll be powering the Osmo X5R with Inspire 1 batteries, using the battery extender thingamabob. I'll be taking it for a few spins within the next week. Any feedback requests from anyone? I'll be glad to share