Cinegain

Oh, 1000%. That f/2.8-4... it's just not for me either. I don't really get it. I mean, for that price you can probably get a Nikon speedbooster with the Tokina AT-X Cinema lenses in their stills versions (11-16, 16-28 & 50-135mm), f/2.8 throughout... boosted on top of it! Probably has better mojo too, because to be honest, there's nothing about the f/2.8-4 I've seen that really screams 'Leica' like their primes do. Then again, I'm thinking about video use and MF, probably follow focus, set-ups. I guess enough people want a versatile daytime walkaround lens with a certain quality level for shooting stills, for that, this might be sorta alright. But as I said before... I wonder how much the Leica then adds over the Lumix... except for a couple of hundos in price, it just doesn't offer much more 'fun' to stick with that. The Leica kits are sold out all over the place here, so people are taking the bait, just... I'm not particularly convinced either. Yeah, exactly, Fuji needs to embrace the future, add that sensor stabilization, front-facing touchscreen, overlays, etc! Sony needs to address those issues! What use is a small compact body (cause for the issues) when you hardly offer any interesting APS-C lenses and have neglected that line-up for years in favor of everything fullframe? Axx00 cameras are now only good as a stepping stone for fullframe? For people who want a A7/A9 series camera but can't afford it? They should make it a focus. Just to make a proper APS-C camera and eco system. If Panasonic and Olympus can make incredible camera bodies... and even Samsung and Fujifilm are ahead of you... you have to re-think things. But like I said... three years, give or take? Wouldn't someone finally figure out something proper? It's a wait 'n see game for now. Showing MFT some conservative love in meanwhile.

Which I think is actually a point that speaks against it I'd say... because, will you still be shooting micro four thirds in 10 years? That's especially where people with multiple systems have a hard time picking MFT over Canikon mount lenses. Within say the next three years there's a chance that atleast one of the following will have something compelling to offer... Be it Sony that might get their shit together... Canon might finally embrace enthusiast cameras with exciting features for consumers, Nikon might enter the mirrorless world and Fuji might continue the good thing they've got going on, they just need to loosen up a little (goes for any of them: less tradition, more forward thinking). We might even see BlackMagic do a handheld compact all-in-one shooter with S35 sensor? The real benefit of Panasonic then is the size of the lenses that ultimately makes it a compact system. I don't like the Sony system that priortizes fullframe lenses for their camera systems, Canon has a so-so compact mirrorless line-up, Nikon isn't in it and Fujifilm does alright, but a lot of lenses without stabilization and a body without sensor stabilization has become a hard sell. There are speedboosters and smart adapters for MFT, so it's very compatible... the real question is... is it very capable as well? Personally I can move within the boundaries of MFT cameras, but that does mean it takes a lot for you to consider when shooting, that ultimately makes you a better shooter, but it would be so so nice to have some of these restrictions lifted. Like I find dynamic range still a little on the challenging side... of course noise performance has been improved, but ISO6400 would really be nice to have clean. Set stuff is one thing, being out in a city at night or something, you might not have the means to go about it another way. Instead of looking for alternatives that do work, you're then just in the moment without 2nd guessing if it would turn out alright or not. That's a nice thing to have. Also, I do find a Canon, Nikon or Fujifilm a little richer/more organic. Partly color, partly crop, probably just different sensor interpretation making it less videoey. I'd say that it's likely that in the next few years I'll make the switch to S35. Also, speaking of stuff that lasts. Although a 1299 lens is epic to have, what if you don't buy the flagship lenses and spend a bit more of your budget on support gear, lighting and audio for example? Or renting a serious camera and some anamorphics. -- btw, I agree with you that a camera body is probably the least significant thing you can upgrade. Last year I figured that by now I would probably have already replaced the E-M1 and GH4 with their successors, but I find myself not really caring too much about the new ones right now. Guess in summer, when the updates have rolled out, I will upgrade to the GH5 though, but I'm quite liking both GX80 and G80 right now, might not be as productively laid out... but they're troopers when it comes to fun. Really loving sensor stabilization and adapting non-stabilized primes. That Leica 15mm f/1.7 is so neat too... it's super compact, nicely designed (though would've been cool to have had the Olympus manual focus clutch here), Leica mojo, affordable. You haven't checked that one out yet, now have you? And yeah, totally, when it comes to lenses everybody is always so enthusiastic about 'em. Guess it's like people, everybody has their own character, but we can all mutually accept and appreciate one another (well... sorta, the world is a messed up place, guess some people are more messed up than some vintage lenses). Lenses are the canvas, the paint and the brushes all at once. It's what paints the picture. Guess that's why it's gear that perhaps speaks to us the most on an emotional level and why we are so fond of them?

Like I said there 'Now, I'm not saying higher quality lenses do not justify the higher price'. But to actually be willing to get one at that higher price is something different. It's a matter of personal perspective. Just, if you get the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 you're really getting a good deal, because they nail it at that price. You really get for what you pay. For me they're like spot #2 on the graph: Spend very little and there's not much reward, spend a little bit more and increasingly you will probably be able to find a better deal. At some point the curve flips and the more you spend, you do get better quality, but you have to spend a whole lot more for very little increase in results. Now, especially at the high end, you're not just paying for those extra few percents of results, it's an exclusive market and therefor alone prices are higher (like I said, target audience has deep pockets, drop in quantity results in higher pricing for same overall gains compared to say a kit lens that they sell a boatload off). I'm merely speaking for myself, but, I tend to dangle at the 2 and below section of the graph. I think it's also one of the reasons I'm not a mac user and my phones over the last couple of years came from chinese manufacturers (so not even Samsung, etc). So, when would the 42.5mm f/1.2 come in question for me? Say, at 1049, it's 250,- off from 1299, still over 1k, but then I might atleast consider it. It might roughly be where the results meet the price for me personally. The Voigtländer 42.5mm brings f/0.95 to the table at 999 bucks. And the lens cap won't say 'Lumix G'. :P Like it, for me, there are so many interesting options on the market, native, third party, speedboosted, that there's plenty of alternatives. I don't feel forced to have to go the Leica route at all. Especially not at 1299. Speaking of 12mm primes. I remember the Olympus 12mm f/2. I thought that would be an amazing one to fly on a glidecam or even when the Nebula 4000 appeared that got me excited. But at 999 launch price, there just was no way. It has come 300+ bucks down in a couple of years. Ultimately they have to become the price more people are actually willing to pay. But... if you care about the best of the best only and Panasonic/Leica is absolutely right aiming at you with your deep pockets... then... it's a match made in heaven, no? I'm not opposed to that. Besides, you can prance around in exclusivity, because you have the absolute best of the best and others do not. Just... I wouldn't be so easy to dismiss those others. Sure, lenses are one thing, but there are a lot of still really great lenses and people that can do marvelous things with 'em... a lens isn't going to tell a story by itself. Of course, I myself hate when people use extreme examples, like there's nothing in-between, so yeah, obviously the best gear in the best hands leads to awesome things. But, for me I don't have to have the best of the best at literally all costs. That's why we're shooting on Panasonics, Samsungs and what not and not everything on ARRIs. For me it's more about the value, and that's something on a personal level and very very subjective. Of course it's also because most of what I shoot is with lenses 35mm or wider (speedboosted 50mm (0.71x) ~ 35mm as well), that's another kind of thing you could take into account. Or perhaps you want to establish a consistent image character throughout your focal range and the Leica would be the odd man out.

Ah yeah, I've actually seen that pass by as well. Didn't put 1 and 1 together. Also 'Powered by Google search skills' didn't help me here (then again, I was looking for ML RAW). Good job.

Does anyone know about Kamlan? Any Chinese based folks here even perhaps that can tell me a little bit more about 'em? http://kamlan.com.cn From a quick Google it seems that 50mm f/1.1 is a production version of a Kodak branded lens concept that was suppose to come out at some point in time ( https://***URL removed***/forums/thread/3993060 | http://www.43rumors.com/sakar-launches-new-micro-four-thirds-lenses-branded-as-kodak )? 55mm f/1.2 sounds lovely. It's been a highly succesful recipe in the past (think especially: Tomioka, but also Nikon & Canon have some history here. We even saw Kinoshita bringing back the oldschool formula: https://photorumors.com/2015/10/01/new-kinoshita-kistar-55mm-f1-2-lens (pricey!)). And what about Kerlee, that gives off some real OTUS/ZF, IRIX wannabe vibes? http://www.dzoptics.com/en/product2/1/ CEN/LEKO stores lists 'em on JD.com: https://item.jd.com/10510623470.html (EF: 2799 CNY/RMB ~ 409 USD) & https://item.jd.com/10558918481.html (EF: 3280 CNY/RMB ~ 479 USD). Can be found on Taobao as well: https://jj-movie.world.taobao.com/category-1248423012.htm (& Samyang store: https://samyang.world.taobao.com/category-1282217127.htm ?). Usually international pricing is somewhere about 1.3x up to 30-ish USD, though the good ol' Roxsen eBay store is asking for way more: http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/Lenses/3323/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=roxsen&rt=nc&_dmd=2 (Australian dollars, mind you. I always use .com.au as .com alone gets you only '22' hits instead of '68' here for example). Of course, the more well-known Chinese lens brands are ZY Optics/ZhongYi/Mitakon, SLR Magic, Laowa and maybe even Yongnuo, Meike & Neewer. Less known are Zonlai ( http://zonlai.com ; same as Hengyija? So... a Kenro sub-brand? ), Kaxinda and Wesley for example. Then there's the whole brandless section, like the 'green circle' lenses: https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale?ltype=wholesale&d=y&origin=y&isViewCP=y&catId=0&SearchText=green+circle+lens&blanktest=0&tc=af , C-mount lenses that cover APS-C (just the previous C-mount APS-C labelled lenses (more CCTV-style, like the Fujian) in a new coat). Same as the CEN branded ones here from the company mentioned earlier with those mentioned brand lenses ( https://jj-movie.world.taobao.com )? It's like it's all connected. -- Even Sirui (known quite well for their tripods) seems to have been working on 35mm & 85mm f/1.2 lenses? http://mob.sirui-photo.com/newsshow.php?newsid=170 Maybe it's just me, but find this market rather fascinating, if someone has more info, love to hear about it! --- Aahh, articles and video: http://www.digitalrev.com/article/kerlee-35mm-f-1-2-hands-on-review-fastest-35mm-lens-for-dslr | http://www.photobyrichard.com/reviewbyrichard/35mm-prime-lens-shootout/ Still sorta fresh on the market. But, well, I guess sorta typically chinese as well. :P

Some other little pieces of random gear that in this case both have a crowdfunding background: http://www.rogeti.com ( https://www.indiegogo.com/individuals/11984945/campaigns ) And if you're more into fixed value NDs than those vNDs, these sound super promising and the campaign is still going: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/breakthrough/dark-cpl-and-x4-gnd ( https://breakthrough.photography )

I'm surprised I haven't really seen anyone here talking about the JTZ line by Fotga, looks incrediballs!

Hum... I wonder... does this actually work with the 2-handle set-up?

Ah, good find. So that would be: http://ironglassadapters.com / http://www.ebay.com/sch/ironglassadapters/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&_dmd=2 / https://www.facebook.com/pg/Ironglassadapters-180601889122103/posts/

Just MFT makes it so easy to adapt from anywhere. Say... what makes you go with Panasonic or Olympus when you can have a set of these puppies for example? (You'd throw 'em on a ZY Optics/Zhong Yi/Mitakon Lens Turbo II EF - M4/3 (or Metabones of course, but again: value!) with a C/Y - EOS adapter) Or instead of going for a 1299 42.5mm f/1.2, get one of these for like a third of the price and throw it on your speedboosters (again, L/R - EOS -> boosted EF - M4/3) : Even the Veydras have been way less than 1000 a pop (12 & 85mm came out later): Love primes as well. Primes, boosters, IBIS. The holy combo. To me/us atleast... maybe we are a select few that delve in a little deeper than going to our electronics store and letting the sales guy advise us on what to get... but to me, there are so much alternatives to pick from that in my eye are so much more bang for the buck... you'd have a hard time selling me that 1299 lens. But they're sticking to it, in fact, it seems the focus is shifting towards the high-end (which kinda makes sense, because smartphones are getting better and better and it's harder to sell people cheap cameras that can't really set themselves apart from smartphones in terms of looks and quality, it's starting to take more to make a difference, so we are seeing more expensive options and even more entry level, still high-end, medium format gets offered now for people to set themselves apart even more) so it must be working.

Concerning that... here's a silly test set-up with a perfectly fine Angenieux: Here is one with a fungus (or something) infested Tokina: It even has bokeh with a texture to it:

Yeah, that's another thing. 'Regular' storage or batteries even. Concerning storage and GH5 capability: So here as well I felt like only paying for something I think was worth it and ended up with SanDisk (R280/W250), the brand I've been putting my trust in since the hacked GH2 and BMPCC days, we'll have to see if the math/interpolation and logic pans used here pans out... but savings then are around 30%. I see ADATA has joined the party as well: http://kz.adata.com/en/specification/449# . Kind of interesting. They have these series of cards labelled V90, now the 64 and 128GB get around that R280/W250 mark with an even better R290/W260 rating... however the 256GB version drops down to R275/W155 and still gets the V90-label (I guesstimated max. rated to continuous supported would be around factor 3 and V60 being around 180. Though for 400MBit/s - 50MB/s, W155/3 ~> 52MB/s should still suffice). Maybe there's no real indicators after all... or people will indeed start running into issues with that one. Same for Delkin & Integral V60 that seem to have popped up... around the 280MB/s mark readspeed and W100. Dunno. But the R95/W90 by SanDisk that we all know and love has been given V30 with later versions... I imagine they might do the same to the R280 & R300 ones as well (but V90). Concerning batteries. Official Panasonic DMW-BLF19E around 69 bucks. Patona Premium battery replacement: 16,90. There's a lot of saving potential everywhere and all the little bits add up considerably... and indeed, there's so much you could do with that, like getting a serious serious lens such as the Voigtländer 17.5mm f/0.95. Really got to check that one out btw. New they're close to that 1000 bucks, locally even as much as 1299. Locally as well I've seen one on the 2nd hand market that's around 650... but it has a bit of wear and tear... should be cosmetically only, mechanically and optically it's claimed to be in fine condition and working order. Still though, I kinda never go and get lenses that are availlable new and modern 2nd hand and even vintage ones I usually get as NOS (new old stock) or mint condition (exceptions are made for super vintage exeptional lenses, like that one Jupiter-11 red 'P' and 'cm' markings that has a few external cuts 'n bruises). Kinda get what you love about the Fuji lenses. Just... for me... the adaptability is indeed limited... and most of those come without built-in stabilization and Fuji refuses to implement sensor stabilization... so natively... not that eager to switch either (amongst some other things, like not having a touchscreen, or a frontfacing one for that matter... or support for smart adapters). Agreed about reviews these days. Also whoever shoots promotional stuff for the company themselves. Like Olympus just launched a new camera, right... hypes all the features ( http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/tg-5.html ) 'spectacular Ultra HD 4K video', 'jaw-dropping 4K', 'Get creative with TG-5’s Full HD 120 fps High Speed Video for slow motion' and 'Sensor Shift Image Stabilization', then has this to show for: I mean... a reviewer not doing your camera justice is one thing... but how am I supposed to get sold on that coming from the company itself?

Well, as a source, don't forget about Alan! http://www.vintagelensesforvideo.com/ & https://www.youtube.com/user/alanbesedin/videos

Tito does his own mods (you find him here on the forum as well as): https://www.youtube.com/user/tferradans . But yeah, it's a shame Rich doesn't have the capacity to cater for a larger audience and has devoted himself to the small production quantity, high quality lenses with a far better effort to profit ratio. Couple of years ago I was close to hitting the PayPal buy now button on a customized DSO FF58 with Nikon mount, probably specced like this one: Do have to admit that I jumped the Neptune set at earliest backer tier, I'm a sucker for cooky character lenses and these are sorta configurable too, curious how that will pan out. Other than that... vintage anything. Before you buy that Meyer Optik Görlitz hipster bullshit, look at the real deal from back in the day (-- in addition to the Lydith and Orestor mentioned before me as well the really affordable Domiplan!) and also anything Russian... If you're in the market for a new Russian, check out the 40-2 85mm f/1.5: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_PrefLoc=2&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=helios+40-2&_sacat=0 . Also take a look at the Mitakon 24 f/1.7 & 42.5mm f/1.2: http://www.mirrorlessons.com/2014/11/17/the-zy-optics-mitakon-24mm-f1-7-and-42-5mm-f1-2-micro-four-thirds-mount-complete-review/ ...as well as their 25mm f/0.95: Of course, it doesn't take Russian lenses to get a nice vintage classy character, low-contrast Tokina RMC or e.g. : --- also, revisit the topics you started earlier xD

I'm also kinda suprised that a lot of pretty legit companies (e.g. RedBull Media House) tend to check out my LinkedIn profile.

Yeah, if I see another 'any filmmakers want to support eachother?' or 'hey, I saw you're into filmmaking, check out my channel, I've got lots of cool stuff going on there!' copy & paste forced desperation comment on YouTube, Imma smack a bitch! But there's few filmmakers that can generate genuine excitement by just sparking your curiosity... of course crowdfunding has taken things to new levels, more than ever you're able to involve people and creating excitement and recognition for your work. Then there's Facebook. Like, the amount of housewives and Starbucks hipsters etc that will share your project pages... it's insane how many people you can reach. Just... get and keep them interested and hungry for more, that's the real trick of course. Like Oliver's saying, social media really has become part of business and it's an industry on it's own with its own professions, so of course it's easier said than done.

I feel the high-end is definitely overpriced by give and take 300 bucks easily, just because they're aiming it at people with fuller wallets and know they'll sell less quantity and therefor need a bigger markup to get to the same profit margins as the budget lenses that they sell a ton of. Now, I'm not saying higher quality lenses do not justify the higher price, but there must be people like me that will wait a year or longer for those prices to drop those 300 bucks and get to the price that actually better represents its value. The price of freshly launched lenses is at its peak at launch, but personally I hardly ever buy anything at MSRP (manufacturer suggested retail price), pre-order discounts, freebies, discounts in general, combine & save, grey market... usually waiting for that kinda thing. I'm a sucker for a good deal. Thing is... if we can have lenses like the Panasonic/Leica 15mm f/1.7, Olympus 75mm f/1.8 or Sigma 30mm f/1.4 at (partially way) less than €749,-... for me there then is just about no way I'm going to pay upwards of a 1000 bucks for the Panasonic/Leica 12mm f/1.4, 42.5mm f/1.2 or Olympus 25mm f/1.2 PRO. Like, I'm willing to spend up to 999 for something like that, but a buck more and they better have something else up their sleeve. The only exception to the 1000-rule here has been the 7-14mm f/2.8 PRO so far, which I got right at its release. Just the rectilinear design, having the zoom flexibility with the f/2.8 throughout and a manual focus de-clutch... it's something else! Of course it isn't perfect, it's huge and heavy and there's no filter thread, but I think that's one of the very few occassions the value is there. Think the 12-100mm f/4 PRO is another one to set itself apart, just I'm a f/2.8 or brighter kinda guy. Don't know, but Olympus is killing it on the PRO zooms. I was hoping for the 40-150mm f/2.8 PRO to come down in price a little bit more significantly (kit with teleconverter; would compliment the 7-14 & 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO superbly), but it isn't really budging. What I really like about the Olympus lenses is the look, feel and manual focus de-clutch. I love all metal, all manual lenses like ones by Voigtländer, SLR Magic, Veydra, Kowa and even ZY Optics/Zhong Yi/Mitakon, but of course there's a place and time for electronic/automatic aperture control and autofocus as well and the way Olympus tries to kinda respect both approaches and cater for most people is admirable. I also think the new Leica zooms are too expensive, especially being f/2.8-4. I don't really see that much added benefit to the Leica 12-60mm compared to the Lumix 12-60mm; I'd basically end up using 'em in the same situations, meaning treating them as non-sensitive lenses for daylight purposes. The Lumix 12-60mm costs close to nothing in a kit, even has weathersealing and built-in stabilization and optically holds up better than its price would suggest. Like... I basically got it for free because I imported my camera from the UK and the kit was the same price as body only here (plus: the shop threw in a Panasonic 64GB card and Panasonic themselves a free battery grip)... the Leica 12-60mm they're asking 999 for! From what I've seen from this lens... it's not actually worth it and I also kind of don't see the Leica mojo back in it. Now, we in the EU are lucky with kits... so the kit with the Leica costs 600 bucks more than the body only. That's saving you a whopping 399! Although even then I wonder if the value is there. I also think the new 12-35mm and 35-100mm f/2.8 II lenses are overpriced. They basically admitted that you'd go for the new one for 'freeze proofing, color design, little better iris control for video (smooth not steps)'. Initially the older ones were scheduled for Dual I.S. 2.0 compatibility with firmware upgrade, but the folks at marketing probably scratched their heads saying 'uhhh... no we're not, it's amazing that this is technically feasible, but we've got lenses to sell!', though you still get Dual I.S., just not with the tiny little extra bit of stabilization 2.0 offers... to me though... is the 12-35mm II worth 999 bucks? A couple of hundred more than the older one? A whole lot more even if you'd consider the 2nd hand market? Don't think so. If here as well you could save like 199~399 bucks by getting the kit... that's probably a move I'd make... but at 999, no way. Still waiting for the GH5 to possibly appear in that kit variant around here for that reason. Also, I think the summer upgrades are sorta worth waiting for, I think the camera has a lot of unreached potential. So yeah. That's my whole take on it. Of course if you have the money: Gillette, the best a man can get! Just out of principle I don't want to spend more than I think something's worth.

I have a friend that used to never want to have anything to do with social media. Then again, he also paid for everything cash, because who knows who's keeping track of the digital traces you leave behind. Now that he has started his own business, he's all about social media and without embracing it he probably would never have seen the growth he has now. Unfortunately you're better of being an attention whore than keeping faith you will catch your break eventually. Your content might be king, but if it doesn't reach the eyeballs of someone recognizing your talent because you're hoping they will bump into it magically, opposed to actively promoting your material... then maybe there's something to it after all. Of course, being true to yourself is a noble thing... so if you can manage to get by without selling your soul then by all means stay sane! In the end of it, it's all a matter of perspective... there's 2 things in particular you mention... 'popularity is the only thing that matters' & 'making films I'm proud of'. Which is the more important one? Of course you can do something in between... like just showing some natural excitement for what you're doing by sharing little bits and pieces, keeping people in the loop... rather than just having to come across forced and spammy.

Yeah, I have it on pre-order, thanks for that! I've read the e-mail update that there's some delay, but June's fine too. Eagerly awaiting it!

Yeah, it's when someone makes perfectly understandable sentences and then ends with the note *sorry for my bad English, I'm from <insert country> *, lol. Again: it's all good, we're only human, no bad has come from it, don't sweat it, the intent was good.

Why does everybody always want to delete stuff? It's all good. Although we knew Panasonic was going to announce it at http://www.cinegearexpo.com/ , it's good to make sure which date and time to tune in! Also the topic kinda faded away these last couple of days, so it's a good bump, especially if people hadn't read about it yet. -- is anyone going, actually? Care to play EOSHD reporter?

A little late to the party, amigo. A lot of speculaas has been eaten already:

Zeiss wipes. https://www.zeiss.com/vision-care/en_de/products-services/other-zeiss-brand-products/lens-cleaning-solutions.html#testresults Ran into those earlier today at the drugstore. Super affordable, non-alcoholic, non-aggressive formula with the claim of not affecting the glass and its coatings. Works on e.g. your portable electronics too.

Dang it. Well, gotta catch a cab and call it a night then.

Time to bring out the Salmiakki.