fuzzynormal

Really? Wow, I never would have thought it would cover aps-c. The lenses are so small to begin with...

No time for that.

I'm a few months in shooting with 2 GX85's. I've noticed one of 'em has had the IBIS get "stuck" a few times. Camera needs to be power cycled to bring it back online. No big deal at the moment, but concerning. Posting the info here to note it. If someone else runs into this issue let me know your camera's symptoms. Thanks.

What cantsin said. And remember, when putting together a prime kit, grab those focal lengths you want from a single manufacturer/era. That way you get image rendition uniformity. I'd really doubt that you'd want a 1950's 35mm Nikkor and a 1990's 50mm Nikkor, for example. I'm using mid-generation Canon FD (1980's) lenses at the moment, FWIW. As for all that other stuff, you'll have to put in the footwork. The market is pretty firm these days from what I can tell. If you want old fast glass, you pay for it, doesn't matter who made it or when. If you want to get weird and cheap, the best value I would suggest would be the prime lenses of the goofy (but super cool) Pentax a110 camera. You can get a 4 lens set for under $200. They're all f2.8 lenses too -- but never mind, they only work on M43 and I see you want stuff for a s35mm sized sensor.

I'm shooting a documentary wherein I'm trying to capture around 80% of the footage with a FD 1.2 55mm on a speedbooster. I think it looks great in an imperfect way. Typically I'm getting most of my shots @f2.8, which is pretty darn sharp with that lens. But, I've done some low light stuff where I open it to f2 or f1.4-ish, and the chroma aberration really starts to be noticeable. Which isn't all bad, depending. It's a "look" anyway. It's certainly nice being able to shoot low-light if needed. f1.2 on a speedbooster with 1600ISO captures a lot of light. I've even pushed to 3200ISO with useable results...depending on what you consider "useable." Here's the thing some people fail to take into consideration when it comes to IBIS bodies and m43 cameras: The cameras are very light. The lack of mass makes them prone to hand held jitters. But, once you adapt some hunking piece of glass and metal to the body, then the weight of the camera actually becomes beneficial for steadier handheld shots. My take is that the ergos are actually better for shooting video when old vintage glass is on the body.

I went with a affordable PC build using Premiere. Was very hesitant to do so, but the price performance ratio was too tempting. I do miss OSX. Ain't gonna lie. Premiere is okay. Not in love with it, don't hate it either. Anxious to see if Resolve will turn into a useable editing platform. My initial go at it was too frustrating, so I gave up on it for now.

I'm thinking that perhaps there's a better place for ALL CAPS political rants. The interwebs is a big place.

Russian media and the word "censorship." Huh. Interesting, that... Man, it's all so weird. Used to be most voters in the States would view anything Russian with heavy skepticism. Now, if info serves to support one's ideological purpose, no problem. The source is almost irrelevant. Augh, political years in the USA. Oh well. I'm burnt out on it.

No budget lighting? Don't use lights. Search for locations that give it to you naturally. Work with that. It's a challenge that's more rewarding than you might think.

Disrespect is sometimes a path to creativity. Who has such a thin skin that they can't handle a bunch of kids mucking things up with their youthful ambition? If a person has skills, is willing to develop skills, has half a brain and is not a hack, then let them do it with whatever they get their hands on -- they may may create something wildly new. Who's to say? Who wants to hold the keys to the gate and say who gets the keys? Snobbery to do so, I think. It's akin to a 13 year old guitarist that learns how to play incredible stuff sitting in his room on a beat up $100 Fender. When someone is naive, then they're gonna stumble onto something new that a crusty 'ol fart like me would never consider. That's kind of how it works with youth, the absorb it, mush it around, and push it back out in a new way. Aside from that, the value of offering technical capability is just going away. That's all there is to it. The gear is cheap so now so is the value. (The music industry, pretty good example there, I think) At the end of the day, if you want to make money at motion pictures, you got to be able to do something interesting with whatever camera you bring to the show, 'kuz there's not a really huge gap in quality between an Alexa and a GX85. 3.5 stops of DR? Meh. Nice to have, not terribly important for telling the story. You might be able to tell the story in a more attractive way, but, really, does that attractiveness truly matter a whole lot or is it a lipstick/pig sort of thing? I watch a lot of indy films as part of a film festival and I can attest that there's a lot of hogs in the pen. To be fair, things are still on the cusp both ways. Folks'll still pay for a big 'ol crew and a nice rig of a RED camera. Great work if you can get it. But I think that just isn't going to hold for the next generation coming up. Yes, there's always going to be big productions, but is the camera going to be an expensive part of that production? More important, is the camera going to be valued when practically everyone that wants a good camera can go buy one at WalMart? Those that hold onto their RED and Alexa hot rods and treasure them above all else are the next anachronism, I think. That said, having the latest stuff is always a blast. Hard not to be impressed with cutting edge camera IQ.

Yes. If you want the stabilizer to be most effective. I use only manual primes, so this ain't a problem for me.

What the heck? You live in Kansas or something?

I've often strategized that I should make a doc or two and pander to a specific ideological market. It's not a bad way to make a living. You can exploit people that are eager to hear the choir sing. But, I guess I just can't be so cynical to do that. It would feel too gross. I'm always trying to see things from all sides. For instance, my best friend is sort of a hard core right-wing religious socially ultraconservative dude, but he's still an awesome guy with a lot of love in his heart. So I don't care for caricatures that refuse to see people as whole. FWIW, I consider myself to be in the middle of the ideological spectrum, leaning left. (by USA standards) We're a wonderfully weird and messy nation. Corrupt and noble simultaneously. Prejudiced and fair. Violent and compassionate. Hey, we're human. And we're not homogenized, so it's never going to be easy. People are people after all. Tribal. There's comfort in in being tribal, so I get that desire even though I like to think I can avoid it. As things like this D'souza documentary continue to polarize opinion, I don't see it as a healthy shift in American culture. But, we've always been a bit nuts in that regard. Lot's of pundits tend to be incredulous about the current level of discourse, but it doesn't seem any more vexed than previous elections; it's just that those wildly contentious elections took place before any of our lifetimes. We've even had weirdos like Trump on major party tickets before too. Those guys tend to be forgotten as time passes. This year the GOP is in disarray. (has been for awhile) It's pretty much like a retired guy that's upset kids are playing on his lawn; loud, cranky, attracts a lot of attention, but wildly outnumbered. What's happening this year is just a fever. It'll eventually break and then we'll be inoculated for awhile until the next virus hits. In the meantime, the only cure is more cowbell. An economics movie that was so ideologically loaded it caused that sort of uproar? Can't think of anything mainstream that came down the pipe recently which would cause such a reaction, unless you're in a really ideologically biased community. Was it more of a fringe movie like "Hillary's America"? And was it more of a righty film or a lefty film?

I vote for the low light cam with a fast lens for the wide shot.

Amen to that. Include 4k for a little post-cropping and things just keep getting better. Fun times.

Nope. I'm watching the trailer and I've read a few think pieces about the film's content. Also I know the guy's MO. He's a fabulist. So what? Look, it's kind of funny when the trailer features a shot of a proxy Clinton stomping down the hallway while an intern cowers in fear as she walks by. Say what you will about seeing or not seeing the movie, but it's obvious it's a film catering to political ideologists and it's not objective. And again, I can't fault the guy for trying to make a buck. It's nothing that Michael Moore doesn't do, but let's not kid ourselves here. We're better than that.

I think it'll be very good for those of a certain sensibility, no doubt. Not a complaint, just acknowledging. BTW, what exactly is the big "secret?" All the stuff in the flick is American history I remember from 8th grade high school. And then there's the American history and political shift that starts in the 1960's that apparently the film seems to ignore. Which is rather odd considering Clinton was, ironically, a Goldwater Gal. Anyway, much like Michael Moore stuff, it looks like cherry picked facts dramatized for an extreme ideological narrative. Well, melodramatized and reenacted actually in this case; certainly not objectively journalistic. At any rate, what I just wrote is way too wonky for this blog. Apologies.

As a documentarian, I've totally let go of big rigging. While I love to shoot on an Alexa, if I'm rolling through the day with a subject and need to keep a low profile, these stabilized M43 cams are just so incredibly practical. No, the IQ isn't as perfect as other cameras. But, as seen above, it doesn't really need to be. Shoot wise and your footage will look great.

Naw, but I was in the USA mid-west (Michigan) visiting family and the local multiplex had the lobby card displayed. Which sorta reminded me as to why that place has always annoyed me through the years. The management has never ran it like they actually care about cinema. You can just tell there's no serious consideration for the medium, just the business. For instance, the damn preview screens above the concession stand have always been set at the wrong aspect ratio and the freakin' frame interpolation is turned on. There's literally more than a half hour of commercials projected before the film starts. Endless other nits and picks too about the place that bug me. Basically I'm saying this particular business is kinda lame. And running a D'souza movie just confirms it. More power to 'em, I guess. Just ain't my thing. I don't know... I do know there's always a niche market for that sort of ideological rhetoric movie that gins up the wingnuts with propaganda (much less one from this D'souza dude that pleaded guilty to a felony violation of campaign finance law) -- but on the other hand, this local muti-plex has never run any Michale Moore flicks, so there's probably just a political bent with the owner/manager. And who knows? Might even be some sort of corporate thing. So there you go, you now know my inconsequential gripes about my local theater. Oh, and the skin tones in the film look great. Love me some skin tone.

I like slow shutter, so much so I often shoot 24fps 0°. I believe in the "slow" magic too --but so what if someone wants that high frame rate look? There's no rules. Besides, modern TV's do that frame interpolation BS thing by default, so folks are getting used to it.

But just look at that dynamic range and skin tone! Totes on point. What more do you need? That's what it's all about, right?

Personally, my main concern is EVF. I really like using a good EVF. When they work well it makes manual focusing a breeze and fun. And since I shoot manual glass, it makes sense to covet such a feature. Besides, I actually enjoy utilizing manual lens focus hunting in my edits. I don't really know how to articulate that bias. Maybe because it makes things feel more organic and connected to a human shooter? At any rate, Panasonic's GX series EVF's have been very frustrating. And, yeah, having on board audio recording is a blessing. I miss it now that I'm shooting with my GX85's. Still, it's a kick-butt little cam. One can't have every solution in a piece of kit that cost less than a good ND filter set!

Not really sure how this would be a practical concern. At least not for the aerial footage I shoot. For instance, Aerials don't tend to be shot with longer lenses and at right angles from the subject. Nor do they usually involve rapid pans across the frame. Most aerial footage would be perfectly fine. Unless tons of close up horizontal movement is what you're doing while flying the camera in a drone, I don't think rolling shutter is going to be a big issue. Of course many drones are set up for stabilization already, so it's all sort of moot to worry too much about how a gx85 handles things. But, if you're shooting handheld in a helicopter the stabilization sure would help, yes.

I think Oly might get locked into throttling the video side of the sensor tech because of who they're buying 'em from. Some sort of competitive clause, perhaps? At any rate, Oly is rumored to be adding 4k to it's next gen of cams. And I'm a fan of their models. I'd rather shoot with an Oly than a Panasonic or Canon, fer instance. But it's a nuance. I like Oly's viewfinder and ergos, but I use 2 GX85's because the 4k is a good fit for a production I'm doing. Personally I think it's all good at this point, going forward. If you pushed me out the door and told me I had to shoot with any upmarket consumer stills/video camera that came out this year (or next), I'd be fine with that.

Yeah, I'm totally guilty on some of that stuff myself...