Oliver Daniel

I reckon the 6k spec could be a clever marketing ploy to grab some much needed attention at NAB and beyond. (as well as a monster feature for resolution.) They will grab some headlines for sure (and some dealers!). The cameras do cater for Europe at HD Videoshop in Berlin. You can pre-order them now.

I have quite a few FD lenses and I love them all. The only one I don't like is the 28mm f2.8, the image looks kinda flat and out of focus areas look blotchy. Have been thinking about getting the FD 35-105mm, worth it? I've been seeing a few Canon FD fit Carl Zeiss too, these are the East Germany type right? Any experience with those?

I don't know anyone who does, or know of any name that has created something decent with them (besides the filmmakers who made Journey Of Love) featured on the website. They desperately need more skilled content to show what the cameras can do, which I'm sure they must of sorted pre-NAB.

You get the benefits of the Speed Booster too, making the lens a stop brighter. Constant aperture is the way to go, although a stop lost isn't much, considering it only changes to f4.5. Andy is right about the focus thing, have you ever tried focusing anything on a wide aperture? Especially on full frame, its very tricky. Most cinematographers shoot drama scenes at f4 -f5.6 as the widest aperture because of this reason.

Heard a lot from people banging on about the 35-70mm too. What is your Yashica prized possession?

Just found this thread on the RED cam forum reagrding Zeiss Contax lenses.... http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?92044-Contax-Zeiss-Survival-Guide What do you make of that? Its a pretty unique line of lenses and I'll be keeping my eye out on some gems.

These cameras look very exciting, and are far more enticing than the flagship Blackmagic model. I have been watching this company very closely being a new camera company, and the innovations they offer are just what I need. I'm more interested in the Mini. If the overall quality stacks up, if I have the money they have an order from me. Some people have mentioned they think the quality is poor on these cameras. If you go to Kinefinity's website and look for "Videos Shot on KineRaw'....the quality capability is very high and very beautiful. Other videos out there showing footage from the earlier cameras have been shot poorly, very rushed, and don't show what the cameras can do whatsoever. Looking forward to some skilled, non-lazy footage on these cameras, showing the 100fps, dynamic range and skin tones.

I agree. A lot of hardcore forum users come across as 'camera spec geeks' who do nothing but moan the camera or lens is not good enough, when really, it is usually themselves that isn't. There is a very good reason why they spend a lot of time time on forums as opposed to actually shooting (and yes, cats and shots of bushes don't count!). Ignore them anyway and believe in what you think is worthwhile. :)

Cheers for that, I'll note that one down. What is your opinion on the G-RAID hard drives?

Thanks the pointers here guys, appreciate it. I'm set on the new MacPro and just need more well paid bread and butter jobs to raise the cash. Will the Promise Pegasus be worth it? They are expensive, but when you consider it will be used professionally for years.... hmmm. Sounds viable. I'm stuck on the display options though. I don't have the budget to ALSO grab an expensive 4k monitor. I'll be delivering in 1080p, if I had a 4k monitor that would be for my own pleasure, plus the price will be bound to be cheaper once I actually need 4k for delivery :). Any monitors you would recommend?

What version of the Zeiss Contax lenses do you prefer? Is it the AE coating or the MM coating?

I personally thought that test footage was a little bit rubbish. Always the case with test clips. Why don't these testers use a bit of imagination and do a wider variety of shots? Why do testers hardly ever film peoples faces for skin tones? Is it a lack of time.....? Who knows. The DR does look better than a GH3, but I wouldn't know for sure unless I used the camera myself. I never base any opinion from a test clip, only when a skilled user has actually put the camera through its paces.

I own all types of lenses for different uses, depending what look I'm after. I'll use vintage primes for narrative/music video work, as they are more organic than clinical electronic lenses. For run 'n' gun or corporate video, I'll use the two Panny zooms, 12-35mm and 35-100mm. I find these too 'electronic' looking for a filmic look. Too sharp as standard. Fantastic lenses though. MFT is loved for both its small size and ability to adapt pretty much any lens. I personally future proof first, and purchase the odd MFT lens here and there, as they are incredibly useful for certain jobs.

Blackmagic + Speedbooster would do the trick, with a 14mm Rokinon. Only there isn't any EF Speedbooster out for MFT yet. For what you want though, waiting for a 4k camera won't cut it. You need more dynamic range and a higher bit rate for your images. By the time you are ready to buy again though, there will probably be an affordable camera out that can do all of the above brilliantly.

I find them all pretty terrible to be honest. None of them give you that true control over dynamic range that a decent and dedicated video camera does. Hopefully this will change with the GH4. I've used Technicolour Cinestyle, thought it was a nice idea, but felt it made the relatively soft consumer Canon DSLR image too soft, and too drained of much useable information. To truely get the colour you want, on a budget, you'd have to go Blackmagic.

Wide angle on The Panasonic GH4..... its an MFT mount and costs quite a bit more, but the SLR Magic 12mm. It's quite unique because it has this weird macro ability, making 'close-ups' with this lens very interesting. Awesome for a riff shot on a guitar! (I do many music vids.) I picked one up for 350GBP on eBay. Thanks to this topic, I'm now going for a bunch of Carl Zeiss vintage primes and zooms. Always wanted them before, so why not?

I hope that you are also able to edit the profiles, any idea if you can? Or any indication of how far you can push the custom profile? (As I know this camera has Master Pedestal, something I haven't used since the Canon XHA1!). As a GH3 owner, the more I see of this camera the more my GH3 is likely to be on eBay!

Oh crap yeah! I get mixed up. Would you recommend the 28-70mm? Also for a cheap macro lens which is absolutely stunning, I picked up a Canon Fd mount Vivitar 55mm. Unbelievable lens for about £70!

Found a 24-70mm CY mount here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ext-Contax-Carl-Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-28-70mm-F-3-5-4-5-T-MMJ-MF-Lens-C-Y-Yashika-/271417767169

Cheers. Need the advice, as I'm more camera/lights than computer! You are exactly right, its worth pulling the trigger on the beast if business is at stake. I've been told that I don't need a Mac Pro for what I intend to do. I think this person failed to see I need a machine that will blast every project. Massively. No hiccups. I think I will probably wait to til top 4k monitors reduce in price. What do you think are the best alternatives? As for external hard drives, do you recommend any other than the Lacie 2big?

I'm sure I've seen the 24-70mm in a Contax mount, although it may of possibly been modded? I have a bunch of nice FDs, but I do much prefer the Zeiss. Not used the Yashicas yet.

Hello. I'm looking for some advice regarding the purchase of a new Mac setup, and I have my eye on either the highest spec iMac or a 6-core Mac Pro. I understand the Mac Pro is more expensive as you need an extra monitor, and it looks like a powerhouse investment that could last many years. Saying that, will the highest spec iMac be enough? (by enough, I mean that I want the machine to rarely lag and operate like a bullet.) External hard drives is all good. (Lacie 2big Thunderbolt). I currently: Edit in FCPX (a lot of multicam music videos.) Mostly edit in ProRes 422 or H264 natively. Perform simple to medium graphics in Motion 5, occasionally After Effects. Edit RAW stills in Lightroom. Use Photoshop and Illustrator for occasional graphics work. My small business is attracting higher end work, and we have been working (and will be working more) with cameras such as the Blackmagics, F5 and F55, 1DC, plus the workhouse GH3s. The higher budgets mean we have more time to work with higher quality applications, such as RAW, downsampled 4k and serious colour grading. The vision is to have a machine that will last and perform near enough faultlessly. (Our current machine can't cope!). We intend to: Transcode RAW files when needed. Watch 4k footage without a hitch. Apply serious colour grading through DaVinci Resolve to both RAW and ProRes HQ files with high performance. Run FCPX like a dream. Speedy read/write for saving footage quickly. Will the top end iMac fly with this? Or should we gulp and get the super duper trashcan? Many thanks

Think of picking up a bunch of Zeiss Contax lenses myself..... the 45mm, 60mm, 85mm, 24-70mm... any experience with those? I've used a 50mm before and it was the creamiest lens I've ever used. Another prime getting a lot of hype pre-release is the Sigma 50mm ART lens. Looks like it could be a powerhouse prime!

I would never base a purchasing decision from footage you have seen online. 90% of the quality is down to the operator and how they have edited it. Try first, then you will know for sure. Whenever that will be.

I'm not going to pull the trigger until NAB has passed and I've seen a bit of footage, such as the 10 bit HD recorded with a Ninja compared to downsampled 4k internal, see how much of a difference it is to 1080p on GH3. Even then, I might just sell my GH3 and get this anyway. And I bloody wish Metabones would hurry up with this EF Speedbooster!