fuzzynormal

I almost always turn to old lenses for shooting video. Modern stuff can look great for a lot of stuff, particularly stills, but for motion pictures that one wants to look cinematic, the imperfections old glass offers are very rewarding.

I hope y'all realize I'm not being religiously prejudicial. I'm just curious about the culture and if it might be affecting the practices. As I said, a religious business trying to operate in a secular society can cause a problem if the business isn't savvy about things. Just because I'm raising the thought, don't assume I have some certain disposition. I'm really just interested as I'm ignorant about it. BTW, I read that B&H are not Hasidic, but Satmar. (I'm assuming that's different from Hasidic somehow, but maybe it's a sub sect, I dunno) I will admit to being skeptical about the ultra devout being able to successfully assimilate into a broader secular society, such as the USA. That challenge goes across all belief systems though. I mean, there's a scientologist in my family, and the attitudes of those ideas and ideals tends to illustrate how beliefs can skew rationality...as it's easier to see how belief impacts thought when there's not centuries of acceptable cultural dogma to wade through. For me, it's all a kind of social study. I'm not commending or condemning, just trying to observe objectively. Anyway, if you bop around the net, you'll find lots of stories praising B&H, but knowing how the media operates, it's not too surprising to find great PR about businesses online. That's normal. http://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-electronics-store-earns-gelt-with-orthodox-business-model/

I don't know much about Orthodox Judaism, but is the ownership of B&H having a hard time balancing a religious social bias with the demands of operating a business under secular labor rules? Obviously, if so, that's not a problem unique to their particular belief. A lot of US businesses with stringently devout religious attitudes have to tangle with that reality. Anyone know if their religious culture might be the sticking point, or is it more just old-fashioned exploitation? I dont have much context in that regard. Any that can be offered by those closer to the situation is appreciated.

Xpro2 arrived today. I'm smitten. It's a device to be used a dedicated stills camera...but who knows? Maybe video in the future as well. I mean, I've been desiring an actual affordable camera that operates like an actual real camera, (how hard should that be? I mean, really.) --with the easy and basic knobs that let one expose simply an efficiently. This camera does it. Iris ring: check. ISO dial: check. Shutter dial: Check. It can be a truly authentic manual camera. Thank you Fuji for delivering an affordable Leica! This sort of thing is bliss for this old fart photog like me.

The f2 35mm lens is faster and quieter in AF than the f1.4?

Welp. Just bought one earlier this afternoon. Should be in hand in a few days. As I found with my EM5II, sometimes the mechanical mojo just matters more than the specs. If it's fun to use, it's fun to use ...and I certainly enjoy using Fuji cams. heck, the old x100 still shoots more photos than all my other cameras combined.

Heck, There's no reason to look at tribal culture. I have experience with my grandmother as an example. She and I grew up next to each other as neighbors, so I know all about her history. She was born in 1920 and grew up on the family farm. It was hard labor during certain times of the year, but the hard labor side of it wasn't that daunting or time consuming. Most of that farm life was just, as it happened, life. You know, feeding the chickens wasn't really work per se, it's just a chore and something you do as part of your existence. With her, her mother, and her father farming was a certainly a job often, but it was on their own terms and certainly less than 40 hours of hard labor a week. This was during the same time that Flint was upending the manufacturing model with the establishment of the UAW about 45 miles down the road. So, there's context to all of this. It's not like these guys working in the factory didn't understand what their physical limits were. Yes, we can certainly put in a lot of hours of work in a week, but parts of American culture used to know how to balance it and what was reasonable. I don't know if something like the UAW would have happened if car manufacturing set itself up on the east coast --which had been exploiting workers quite harshly since the dawn of the industrial age and where urban life was actually a lot more demanding and competitive. The agrarian legacy of labor expectations lasted well into the American 20th, 21st century. Anyway, you can also look the lives of USA farmers in the 18th and 19th century as well. Assuming they avoided disease and dramatic injury, the quality of life was actually pretty good. Lots of recreational time while waiting for things to happen seasonally. It was actually normal to go to bed early, wake up in the middle of the night, spent some hours just relaxing or socializing, then going back to bed 'til dawn. Sort of a reverse siesta. Farmers in the States (and most USA citizens used to be farmers) played by their own rules as they decided how and when to do what they needed to do. 2/3rds of our social history was a result that rugged individualism, so if you've ever been curious why Americans culture is the way it is, there's a clue... I'd say Americans and Aussies have a very common kinship... but I'm rambling now. Time to get back to a corporate edit and suck on some irony.

Indeed. It's one of the fascinating things to me regarding US politics insomuch as the pro biz party also has in its corner the evangelical religious folks, who you'd think would be pretty clear headed about the morality of things. Then again, maybe they're not really that concerned with a philosophical morality, only how they perceive their own. Anyway, I'm on record as saying I don't think capitalism makes it out of the 21st century. That's not exactly great insight. Many people smarter than me are on board with that assertion. I mean, look, less than 100 people have more wealth than 3.5 billion people on the planet. I mean, I'm not against affluence, but hoarding wealth is just not healthy for a culture. It is immoral. Society is just going in the wrong direction; does;t mean we're doomed, just that we need to adjust. Enterprising people and moneymakers will always be around, but the system and culture of modern capitalism is too reliant on gluttony and exploitation to survive the social and economic stresses of the future. I suppose it could be argued that it's gone already, if it ever really existed in the first place. How does one see an "invisible hand" anyway? ;-) I doubt Adam Smith would even approve of the twisted version of his system as practiced today. Unions are really the only effective way, right now, to push back against those that willingly exploit. And unions aren't needed everywhere. I assert a business, any business, can be healthy and generous without maximizing profits at the expense of their employees. Their are nobler goals to strive for.

Oh, I know what 12 was like. I peaked at 12. Empathizing with those that are younger when you're a lot older is the trouble. You do and don't. I can't really explain it. It's bittersweet. One remembers how silly everything was, but recognizing that ignorance from an old fart's perspective is a certainly a blessing and a curse. BTW, Rick Moranis was the funniest character in GB's.

Indeed. I do not relate so well to the young guys these days. Also, it's not as easy to feel empathy for the young when you're old. Young'uns are blessed. They can do things like get up out of their chair without pain. The lucky bastards. And what do they do with that luxury? Sit around all the time. Jerks.

And I'm just one of them. But, really, I do think it skews young and male. They're the people that've got the seemingly unending and disposable hours to burn. My experience is anecdotal, but I have 6 male nephews under 20 years old and they are practically never detached from interacting online. I swear to god, if one of them didn't have Pewdipie's YouTube channel in his life, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

Of course not. I don't like the trailer either. Haven't seen the film yet, obviously. But I'll stand by my criticism of internet culture. I feel it's valid and has some bearing on the kinda negativity this film is getting and has been getting since it was announced it was going to be a female cast.

Well, let's also be honest. The trailer isn't doing the movie any favors. It's bad. Mundane while being too revealing of plot. Maybe Sony should've considered hiring out this guy's editing and storytelling skills:

Indeed. That's the thing about "Muley" Harold Ramis. He definitely pulled his comedy from some weird pathos, and it always made it rather grounded for me. But then, I've been a fan of his since SCTV, so I'm biased. The best comedy, imho, is tragedy. Slapstick is okay, but needs to be moored to some sort of human truth for it to work effectively and resonate. Folks dismiss comedy simply because they view it as silly, but the best comedy is stronger than any straightforward drama --because life itself is a tragedy. After all, we all know how it ends and there's nothing we can do about it!

It's just plain basic misogyny. I don't know why anyone should be shocked by this sort of reaction. The internet is run by 15 year olds. 15 years old, literally and figuratively. Insecure dudes need a scapegoat for their sexual anxiety. Also, they have a hard time relating to gals as regular complex human beings. As such they don't want anything other than the simple objectified stereotypical woman in their pop culture. Which, by the way, I think they view pop culture a little bit as their entitlement. --And I would note that, in a sense, they deserve to feel this way as MOST successful pop culture and commercial marketing caters directly to them. And they like that stuff segregated. The ladies can have their own stuff, but their response is to relegate it to the dismissive Chick Flick category, "Put it in the corner. There we go. Okay, that feels better." When a well regarded pop culture franchise goes against the norm, they get bent out of shape, simply because they're not very sophisticated people. Some of them might be some day, but at the moment many are not...might not ever be. I suppose it's good to try and push back against this ridiculousness, but it's like trying to push back the tide with a broom. So, dial up the SJW umbrage if you feel you must. Be aware that most young guys are just stupid and confused. Although, might as well try to get through to a few, I suppose. Worse things to do. All that said, hey, it might not be a great movie.

As shown with the film you shot on the EM5II. Many flaws with that camera and they're all successfully minimized -- and the strength of it is on full display. Of course, the great thing about high-end gear is that it's forgiving and gets you where you want to be easily. (aside from the dent in the pocketbook) But, any image capturing device can be used in a creative and intriguing way, for sure.

You know, I'm not sure I would recommend this for most shooting, but if we're talking about perceived sharpness and motion cadence, there's always the option to consider of shooting a 0° shutter. Personally, I kind of like it for some stuff. It definitely takes the video-edge off whatever you're doing. It removes the clinical "too-clean" nature of digital motion.

I find this stuff fascinating: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mermaid-stephen-chow-comedy-about-human-impact-earth-becomes-chinas-biggest-film-ever-1545558 As is pretty obvious, filmmaking is a global biz. Sony and Disney are trying hard to figure it out. Ultimately, I think that the system will continually fracture a bit. Smaller more niche stuff will thrive to fill the gap as studios continue to try and prop up their tent-pole franchises. And, by necessity of having to strive for broad appeal, ignore the more artistic and narratively challenging side of cinema. Those smaller/better ideas are migrating to prestige TV and the internet. Which is perfectly fine for an aspiring-late-career-documentarian like me. It's hopeful. In the meantime, that goofy Chinese flick is outperforming (per screen) Deadpool by double.

Ii desu yo! If nothing else, it's good PR for both sides of the table.

If only I didn't have that one damn client that demanded 60p video... Well, I'm glad I have the client, just wish she wasn't so enamored with 60p, it would make my purchase decisions a heck of a lot easier. Normally, I would never consider that price for the Dx. I know there's other camera options for video, but I just have to decide if spending that much is justified for my needs. (of course, maybe they're not needs, just personal desires ;-) )

Everyone seems to like the camera, for good reason, but that price... Ultimately, what do you think? Good value?

Seems like there's enough there to do whatever you want with it.

I shoot almost all my m43 stuff @f2. But, I do like my f1.2 lenses in case I need that extra brightness in a dark room. It's good to have that ability even if it means some annoying CA and softness. A f1.2 lens stopped down to f2 looks sharp. I'm shooting old Canon FD, but I've used Nikon and Pentax with success as well.

I'd sure like 60p 4K for one of my clients...

Same. But I really do small fry corporate stuff for the inter webs, so it's adequate. This year I'd like to bump up to new hardware, but we'll see. In the meantime, I shoot 8-bit, transcode to 422, find my sound bites, edit the story with a nice music bed and nat sound. Create the "radio" edit, then lay in my b-roll as needed. Dress it up with some basic graphics treatment if required, then go into the color grading via FCP. Pull my colors together with 3-way color correct, and then start a little Magic Bullet "Looks" on shots that might need extra help. That's about it. Still don't get too fussy about tweaking IQ too much as the storytelling is more a priority. As it is, I expect the technical craft needs to get better to compete now-a-days, but I do think I'm adept enough at delivering solid enough stories, at this level, to get by.