j-oc

Huh. I thought my 1.4 was great. Have you used one? For whatever you'd spend on a lens tech to sort your 2.0 you might as well just buy an AI one on eBay. They are only £70 or so.

The 1.2 is absolutely not worth the money but the 1.4 is really good. Don't know where you read otherwise. The 1.8 and 2.0 are both insane bargains.

They are not focus by wire but they are very undamped and imprecise for video. I wouldn't bother with them. On the other hand you can't go wrong with AI/AIS lenses. Even the 50mm 1.8 series E I can for free with a film body is perfectly fine on a 1080 body.

D7200 - no power aperture but does have zebras. I hear what you are saying. My valuation of equipment has changed a lot since I started making money with it, hence unless I were shooting stills where the D750 is way way better - I'd probably rather have the 750 bucks. Obviously if money is not an issue... then its not an issue.

It's cool right? Have fun! Unless you are doing a lot of still as well as video... probably not. If you are happy with the D5500 then I'd stick with that - its something of a bargain.

This. You'd also lose useful stuff like the articulated screen. If the D5500 has a histogram you are all good in terms of exposure tools.

1. Yes - and they are useful. I use them basically as a sanity check that I'm not blowing out what I don't want to blow out when using the LCD. 2. Yes - although this is the opposite of how I shoot stills with the camera so I do need to constantly remind myself to do it. 3. Yes. 4. Err... not sure? There is a punch in magnification in LV and green dot (electronic rangefinder) when you are shooting stills. One thing that is worth saying here is that the lack of focus peaking on both cameras is a real bummer. I'd LOVE this. I use focus peaking on the BM Video Assist to mitigate. 5. What is continuous LiveView - you mean does it automatically shut off? The D7200 is a nice camera, not as nice as the D750 but still very good. I wouldn't buy it especially as a video camera but if like me you are a professional photographer who does a bit of video it is a really strong choice. If I get some of the projects I'm up for this Autumn I'll probably buy one. D750s is fairly soft.

No idea, I haven't used one. You can on the D750 and D7200.

That does sound annoying. I'd never heard of them until you mentioned them. I just use a grey card I got out of a photoshop manual like 5/6 years ago. Goes in my bag with my photographer's rights card. Let us know what you come up with.

Ok, I get what you are saying. I'm not the greatest colourist in the world either so I like to nail WB when shooting rather than tweak in post. It's not that it is hard or anything but I find that especially with 8-bit footage when you are correcting WB in post the colour shifts subsequently limit the options you have later. Stuff breaks down or starts to look weird much faster. I find it much easier to dial in the correct WB at the time than sort it out later - this is especially true in low light / high ISOs. It gives you much more room to manuver / fix other errors. You average technique sounds ideal if you are running around journalistic style but anything where you are setting up the shot I'd try and select it then and there. Not sure if you can manually dial in WB with a D5500 (I've never used one) but you can probably create presets with a grey card. Maybe try that? Also, yes I meant that I find the standard and even neutral profiles to be honest a bit oversaturated and use flat to fix this. Very much a personal taste thing though. This conversation has made me want to got out and shoot today - excellent. Glad you like the Nikon camera - have fun!

Interesting. I've not observed that on my D750 or the D7200 I borrow from time to time. I've seen a load of D810 footage and didn't see anything in that. Very personal obviously but I do think that the Nikons meter hot and are over saturated for my taste straight out the kitchen. Like you, I prefer a muted look. One thing I would say is that no colour really appears 'wrong', although green grass is very vivid, so dialling the colours down or shooting in flat works just fine. It is interesting though to compare different manufacturers colours and how you perceive them. I shot stills on Nikons for years then went to 5Ds and 7Ds when I got into video. About a year ago I went back to Nikons and Fujis. Comparing the same scene shot on the 5D and the D750 was unreal. My eyes had got so used to the Canon image that the Nikon appeared to have an ugly green cast. Now, if I compare the two the Canon looks orange everything. Orange orange orange. Smeared in orange. All colours equal orange. WB is not bad but I don't use auto if that is what you mean? I do a lot of stuff under mixed lighting so I set colour temp for the dominant source, or use the LCD to judge a creative change.

I take sharpening all the way down on the D750 and add it back in post, but otherwise just leave it as it is. To my eyes it isn't a super flat profile like Cinestyle or C-Log but yep, it does give you a bit more in the shadows. At reasonable ISOs it just really easy to push it around to create a nice look. If you don't have the time or inclination to grade what you are shooting I've also noticed that a slightly desaturated STANDARD profile is really useful. Its pretty vivid but realistic enough colour-wise that it looks bright and cheerful, rather than wacky and artificial.

The VA records whatever your camera is set up to record so, yes if you have a shotgun/lav etc plugged into the cam the VA will record it. The massive gotcha here though is that the 5D doesn't output sound over hdmi so you can't use the VA to record sound from that cam. You have to record separately and sync. I haven't used your other two cameras so whilst I assume they would be fine you'd want to check that. Yep, the little VA doesn't have any separate audio inputs. Jeez this tablet is difficult to format quotes for some reason.

Another D750 fan here. Fabulous stills camera with very capable autofocus and amazing DR. I was musing the other day that it is a better camera than the pro D3s I had a few years ago that was something like 3/4 times the price. As a video camera loads to love as well. Clean, attractive image that is easy to work with. 60p looks good. Handling and battery life both excellent. Something else that people seem to rarely comment on is that price wise it is a total bargain.

Interesting question. I think some of the replies have missed the point a little. The OP has already decided to shoot his interviews on video so discussing VR or 3D is a little like saying why don't you write a stage play or a book. They are different mediums and the OP is interested in e source material being available for 2D video. VR and 3D will be a thing at some point in the future but there is no point second guessing such infant technologies. FWIW I think you should either shoot on film as per Bioskop, or shoot on something 4K and create a master in the highest quality, most common codec you can. Which is probably Prores, right? Stuff disappears digitally when it is stored on niche hardware or with a niche codec that becomes quickly obselete so go with something popular and make new masters each time this changes. Good luck!

I'm in the same boat as you. I use the D750 + 24-70 as my main tool and have the same issue. I've used the Tokina f2.6-2.8 on a 5D and it really is excellent if you like the softer look. It does have a stiffer / more damped focus mechanism which makes it a bit nicer to use although the throw isn't very long. A couple of other options would be the older AI/AIS Nikon 35-70 which have a much longer throw. There is also the Sigma 24-105 ART which I borrowed once and really liked. I'm going to see if Sigma releases a 24-70 ART at some point and test that out. Let us know what you eventually decide on!

I did think that, but tried a good wiggle and a jiggle on all the cables and it was solid. Definitely only when using the FF - which made me think maybe it was static of some kind.

Morning All, I was shooting to a VA connected to my Nikon D750 with a 70-200 lens last night and noticed an odd glitch - wondering if anyone had encountered something similar. When I rotated the follow focus, if I hit an end stop or made a sudden movement, the screen on the VA would briefly glitch and recording would stop. This happened often and was replicable.I was powering both the VA and the camera from ac power adapters. I later tried the identical setup but but powering the VA from batteries and couldn't recreate the problem - implying that it was something do with AC power. All the weirder was that I shot with an identical setup the previous night, except with a 24-70, and it was all fine. It wasn't the end of the world with the job but it it's an odd problem and one I'd like to get rid of. Anyone seen this before or got any bright ideas?

Bounced to eBay

Yeah, it's always feels a little bit like one is running up a hill when it comes to the pound and exchange rates. I'd have to check to be sure, but I reckon after purchasing the lens, shipping, taxes, import duty, the mod itself and the adapters I basically selling it for what it cost me. It ain't going to appeal to anyone back across the water but someone in UK might feel the need for a little organic loveliness in their image.

Jumping in here Boldy... I don't see why not, providing it doesn't vignette. The other thing is that when you are focusing that close the depth of field is so tiny that the image will start to break down if you push it much closer than 20 inches or so. I'm going to have to an hour or so after work tonight to play with this, so let me know if I measure something etc to help you out.

Cheers. It's a sweet little setup.

Are you not seeing them in the first post?

Respectfully, I'm afraid I disagree! The value in this lens is mostly in the modification. If you are looking for a single-focus, close-focusing 2x anamorphic, your other options are in the same ball park price wise: A Kowa 8-Z/16H/B&H is £275-£400 depending on condition, plus a Rectilux (£595) is around £875-£1000. A Cinelux (£200-£300) plus a Focus Module (£475) is around £675-775. A Bausch-Lomb / Sankor / Proskar etc (£100-200) plus clamps (£75), plus an SLR Magic Rangefinder (£550) is around £675-775. All of these, and my B&H, have their own pros and cons but if the price is not for you then absolutely fair enough.

Hi All - I'm selling a B&H Projection Lens which I've had modded at SK Grimes to allow for smooth rack focusing. £750 including insured delivery in the UK. It is a single focus lens. Here's the pics: SK Grimes rehoused the front element diopter so now it can close focus to at least 20 inches and it would be simple to attach a follow focus gear. Focus from near to far is approx 400 degrees, leaving lots of room for subtle focus pulls. It has a 58mm front thread for filters etc and I'll throw in the pictured Redstan XL clamp and step up rings I've been using to attach it to my Nikons. Quick n dirty rack focus here - password: olaf (5D II Raw 1344x1120, Nikon 105mm 2.5 @5.6, no grading) The Good Pretty pretty pretty image. Like, really pretty. It has a lovely look to the defocus areas and is as sharp as the taking lens you throw at it. In terms of usability, it is the real deal. It is single focus, it just works. Optics are clean and good on the front and rear anamorphic block. There is a very small cleaning mark on the diopter which I can't see effecting image quality and I certainly can't photograph it.Flares are controllable, but cool and blue if you want to force it.In terms of value, if you are looking to get started straight away with a 2x single focus unit then this is a solid alternative to Iscos or adding a Rangefinder etc to something else.The Bad The widest taking lens I've been able to use with these is a 105mm on a FF cam, which gives you a horizontal FOV roughly the same as a 50mm on a 5D, A7S etc. You still do get a vignette if you shoot 16x9 but you can either crop off the sides or shoot in a windowed RAW mode (hint: do this) to solve this. Alternatively, you can use a wide-angle adapter to get a wider image.Couple Notes on Usage The sweet spot on this lens seems to be 85mm or 105mm on APS-C sensors. My 7D (RIP) in raw gave a brilliant portraity / close-up shot through this lens. FF anamorphic is a BIG look but to be honest, the depth of field is so shallow that I'd rather use a smaller sensor cam.On some lenses you get better results in terms of focus from backing the taking lens a little off of infinity. Not exactly sure why this is but I assume it is to do with the distance between the taking lens and anamorphic, which is always slightly different with different lenses. If I had time I'd have looked more closely at this, but as it is no big deal in practice I left it as an enigma.Two Final Things I am not the guy selling disguised versions of these on eBay, he is in the US and I'm in the UK. His mod results in a push-pull focus, whereas the work I've had done gives you a standard rotate-to-focus system.I totally love Bold's DIY mod that he is doing on his lens, so this is not an attempt to steal his thunder or bogart on his hard work. But at the same time, I can't leave this hanging around on the shelf doing nothing when I'm basically going to be shooting BTS stills and run and gun doc stuff all next year. I love DIY projects but I had neither the time or expertise to do what he is doing, hence I sent it off to have it done professionally and to a far higher standard than I could ever do. If it doesn't sell at this price I'm going to keep it for a rainy day. Let me know if you have any questions or if you want me to shoot something specific!