fuzzynormal

I'm doing 6 30 minute docs for a local PBS series. Using 5-axis for these 6 episodes has been beneficial, no question. However, I also shot a 30 minute doc in Japan two years ago on a GM1 and GX7. All b-roll was handheld. Honestly, I'm liking the vibe of my previous work more. ...some of that has to do with content, but the visuals just have more verve to 'em. No slow mo, no IBIS.

I've been enamored with shooting 5-axis stabilization. It's undeniably a great tool and I do rely on it for a lot of work. Utilizing it for over a year now, and now the motion pictures are tending to look uninspired to me. I'm finding myself drawn back to the sloppiness of true hand held. I don't know. Maybe because strong IBIS has been such a constant in my work, the opposite approach is now more tantalizing than the current? There's an organic energy in the connection of a (good-not-bad) hand-held shooter to the camera. A 5-axis camera can dull it. Add to the fact that I've really leaned on using slow-mo and combined it with 5-axis...for no good reason other than I can do it, if I'm being honest... Eh, is it true when they say, "the grass is always greener?" Anyone else that been dabbling in 5-axis questioning it? Perhaps it's because my work has been "rely"-ing on it...maybe that's the issue. Why should I rely on a feature that much? Is it necessary? Maybe in my older age I'm just yearning for nostalgia and basic simple shooting reminds me of that? It's interesting because I'm old enough to recall how the hand-held aesthetic upset so many traditional cinema folks as it came into wildly adopted vogue years ago. Is my 5-axis romance just a "phase?"

Occasional? I scan channels on my G3 before every shoot, set my frequency, and I still get interference often. Been in the city a lot so I guess that's the issue. Lots of radio waves flying' 'round. The spectrum is only going to get more crowded into the future. How viable is wireless in these environments, really? Here's the thing, the work I do, if something is going bad I really can't do anything about it in the moment, so ultimately (and god help you if you're an audio guy reading this) monitoring a wireless system does nothing but tell me what I'm getting might be dropping out or squelching every once in awhile. So, that's nice to know, but again, I can't really interrupt the moments and do anything about it... and, since that's the case, why not just carefully place a wired lav on my subject and hope for the best? After all, that's what I'm doing with my G3 wireless anyway. I'm one guy with a camera following my documentary subject. Yes, there's the "right" way to do audio, and then there's the "actually-productive-on-a-shoe-string-budget-way." Poo-poo that if you must. I'd love to be able to monitor and fix all my audio with whatever problems arise, but there are times I just can't. Wireless that's monitored is usually the best solution. Maybe in other situations it is not. Audio solutions are like video solutions. I'm not shooting 8-bit on a GX85 because it's the best camera. I'm using it because I think it's the best solution for my particular job. Similarly, unmonitored wired solutions like the DR10L is a viable tool for certain gigs. I kinda feel like it's deserving consideration.

How about $1,499? 'Kuz that's the rumor. Specs this. Specs that. When it hits, I'll check it out for realsies and go from there.

FWIW, I've been doing proxies with Premiere (CC 2015.3) and it's been breezy. Attempted it with Resolve, had to give up; not ready for PrimeTime. Testimony I hear from FCPX says that proxies work well. Basically, proxies allow me to edit documentary work easily. Makes the editing interface snappier. I can do everything I need to do quickly. Upon final export, the renderer uses the 4K source files, so it's really a good way to go. No need to transcode to a mezzanine format. I just use the default low-res cineform template when importing footage into my project. BTW, even with a snappy PC loaded with ram and Navidia1080, I use proxies. I can absolutely edit h264 4K on my machine, but it will get laggy with longer edits, so why bother? Just let Premiere make proxies and get to work. In fact, the assistant editor accesses the proxies across the LAN and works on the same Premiere project as me using an 8 year old iMac. On the other hand, I'm not comfortable on Premiere quite yet. It does the job, but it feels slightly clunky interface-wise. Not fond of the way it handles media in projects. Whereas on FCP7 I could import sequences from project to project without importing the corresponding media used in those sequences. You can't do that with Premiere. If you bring in a sequence it needs to have the media clips residing independently inside the project. It's been a hassle with adding steps to my workflow. Nothing I can't handle, just a nuisance. I'd suggest you could edit 4K footage via proxies on a machine like that for years to come. Sure, you'll need more time on the output render, but at that point I usually like to get away from the project. Still, a scraming machine will crunch the numbers faster. Sometimes that's required. BTW, the GUI works better with Premiere and OSX than Premiere and Win10. I often have to double or triple click the "triangles" to activate them. Keyframing with Premiere for Win10 isn't as smooth as OSX. So yeah, GUI responsiveness, never really something on a spec sheet, but take my word for it, they aren't equal. OSX (even an old Mac computer with OSX) works better.

Well, as you hinted at, I find those vids all annoying. Those "vlogs" are basically informing me that I need to accept that I'm now an old -- 'kuz I really don't get it. Thats fine. I can't begin to explain how grateful I am for that. It's just not my speed. Y'all do your thing. Be successful among your peers. Exploit your privilege. Worry about the stuff you worry about. Especially cameras. You guys do more with them than I do anyway... Alrighty. I'm gonna go play Yahtzee with my grandmother.

There's always, always "that guy." Same dude, different generation. The only consolation for those of us that will never be "that guy" is the fact that they'll be the first to go during the solar flare apocalypse.

No country for old men, I guess. See, if it was me, I'd set the focus to a certain distance and just stay in that space. That's my preference. But I like things to emulate analog and don't really rely on dem dere fancy gadgets, whatsits, and knobbery snickerdoodles. But hey, if I did a blog nobody would watch it as it would just be me standing on the front porch yelling at the whippersnappers to get the hell off my fresh cut lawn.

Well, if you're serious about best quality, you can take the advice of Policar and get an Alexa! It'll shoot like it's built for professional use, log endless hours on it, no problem. And while I hear it's got half way decent IQ. No flip screen or ibis though, sorry! Anyway, I'll still maintain that any decent hybrid camera from 2015/2016 will be fine and will produce a good image, even when considering all the other things you just mentioned. The ironic thing to me is that the young folks that are doing this manonthestreet vlog stuff need similar gear as to what I'm searching out for my film documentary productions. ...and that's where I'm coming from too. Honestly, id feel fine shooting with just about any new small hybrid camera. If you gave me a Fuji Xpro2 or a Panasonic GX85 or a Canon whatever, I feel I could get out of it what I want.

Agree to disagree then. Seriously, it's just vlogging. Any hybrid made in the past year will work more than adequately. And it doesn't matter a whole lot what camera one uses in bad light. Bad light is bad light.

It's a vlog. Just about anything will do.

3 second equals 180 frames. 180 frames is 7.5 seconds when conformed to 24fps, so, hey, useful for some stuff if you want to do a slow-mo montage or some such. Personally, I wouldn't be basing an entire purchase around RAW burst mode, just saying it would be fun to have and I could see utilizing it productively if it was there.

Actually, when you consider it, people have also, and often, made feature films using still cameras.

Yeah, we'll see about that. If two really fast SD cards are used and we can squeeze out 3 or 4 or 5 seconds with a minimal delay to the next burst, then it could be a very useable tool. There are numerous way that would be helpful, even for me, a guy that does mostly doc stuff. Nothing to do but to wait and see what the reality is when it hits the streets.

Aren't all cameras that capture motion picture images capable of this?

I concede.

Are you suggesting that a visually subjective cinematic choice is actually not subjective? If so, I'd argue that reality is subjective.

And, FWIW, I shoot "stabilized" most of the time with my hybrid cameras. But, I will shoot with the stabilizer off for certain looks. Sometimes, the immediacy and organic-ness of an unstabilized shot is ideal.

6.5 stops of stabilization with their sync lens(es). 4K video. Seems too good to pass up. Unless they botch the IQ tremendously (which they most likely won't) I'll be considering it when released.

Of course, but wide FOV and shallow DOF requires a large sensor. If that's the look you want or need for certain somethings, you have to yield to the laws of physics. Mostly, like you, I don't worry about it too much. Other times it's the best option.

Yes. Sometimes you need a specific tool to do a specific job. I've even considered using medium format for reasons such as this. I don't like to use extreme DOF, but it's often needed to create a decent esthetic in an ugly setting. Also, if you're a shooter that does a lot of productions with "talking-heads," large sensors makes the job much much easier.

Agreed. I like what Oly offers now, so it's only getting better. I'm certainly glad that they seem to be taking a big leap rather than baby steps. We'll see what it actually looks like for reals, but I'm encouraged. I love this rapid, awesome, IQ technological development in gear. My take away is this: Everyone is going to have cheap great cameras. The question is, what are you going to do with that camera standing in a room that's better than Bob, your uncle, standing in the same room with that same camera? It better be something creative and interesting, 'kuz cheap cameras with amazing IQ are a pretty big equalizer.

Some of my colleagues watched Hertzfeldt's stuff and just didn't get it. Personally, I love it. The way he can animate little nuances into his work is impressive. I really like his writing too, but the way he crafts it into motion pictures is the most enjoyable part.

Honestly, I am more interested in getting the best shots in my situation than I am with getting the highest IQ. There's always a piece of gear that will do something slightly better --so I don't fret about that a whole lot. I'll use what gets me to my "happy medium." For me right now, that's 5-axis in body stabilization. I'm currently a documentarian. So my needs might not be your needs.

Yes. For what I'm doing gimbals are somewhat impractical. Also, mostly I'm not trying to emulate gimbal or steadycam moves. I'm basically looking to "quiet" handheld shots.