Jimbo

Thanks guys! Really helpful. I think the headrest mount would be good for testing, but tripod and strapping down will be more stable and I can get the camera in the perfect position. If I can get the tripod head tight enough to the seat then that might just do the trick. Good to know about vibrations with magic arms. Nice idea on the longer plate @Hans Punk ! Might be just enough and prevent need for cost of rods and what not.

Hello, I need some advice for rigging. A client wants to record a 360 video from the point of view of a car passenger and after googling for a number of days I'm struggling to come up with a solution. They don't need full 360 video so I'm going to be testing with a GH5 + Sigma 4.5mm Fisheye for a 360x180 and if that goes well I will probably invest in a Entaniya MFT 250. For this job a one lens solution to aid fast production is the best choice. So, on to rigging. I've ruled out glass suction and floor-ceiling rod because it will be seen in final video. In my mind I've been imagining strapping a tripod to the back seat/floor behind the passenger seat and then somehow extending that platform horizontally out so that I can suspend the camera at passenger eye level. The most promising thing I've found so far is a Manfrotto Magic Arm: https://www.manfrotto.co.uk/magic-arm-with-bracket But I am unsure how I would attach the spigot to the tripod? Or whether using a tripod is even the best solution? I also thought I could buy some rods etc. and extend out but not sure where to start with that. Unfortunately my limited experience with rigging is hampering my imagination with the options are out there! Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, James

I'm surprised too! This is my goto for lower budget commercial work. Great quality for the price and I find the search better than other sites.

Guys, looking at the specs it looks like the GH5 doesn't have 30 minute recording limit in EU/UK -- is this correct!? If so it will be the first GH product I've bought from UK.

Loving the colour here:

I love my Olympus 12-40mm on my GH4. No other general purpose lens has managed to topple it yet due to combination of 2.8, zoom range, weather sealing and most of all the great manual focus ring. However, I do prefer the colour signature of my Voigtlander, Nikon and Panasonic lenses. The Oly seems to come up a little warmer/yellower which I find myself subtracting. Anyone else find this?

Okay... just realised that the Sigma has a 180 degree field of view and projects that image circle within APSC sensor. No bending physics for more field of view for me today =) Would be interested to hear if anyone has tried this lens with GH4 and speedbooster?

Content is going to be on youtube/facebook for now. Having talked to the client, although the 360/VR experience is critical for the application, I think we can get with 250 horizontal/180 vertical, and as I have GH4s, and its going to be interior shots of vehicles, that has obviously brought me to the Entaniyama 250 MFT... and then the £2700 price tag. Still though, it seems a pretty elegant solution; 1 camera, 1 lens and no stitching... Then I discovered the Sigma 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM Circular Fisheye Lens (as used above in the Mini video by the looks of it!) and thought I could use this with a 0.71x speedbooster and achieve a pretty tasty 3.2mm f2 lens for £600-700! Very similar to the Entaniyama coverage. This would get me very close to 250/180 degrees (the 4K crop on the GH4 will shrink it) for a fraction of the cost if my maths is correct!?

Thanks for the info @rdouthit No problem, I am on the verge of pushing the button here. Only hesitation is that you mentioned about the minimum recommended filming distance and your trouble in cars. I think this is going to be a problem for our filming too. Does it make car work impossible? Guessing it affects the ability to stitch smoothly? Thanks in advance.

Hi @rdouthit Thanks for your post man. It does sound like an intensive workflow! It might be worth it for this particular client as the commercial applications should pay off for them. I've watched a lot of videos now and it does look like the 6 x GoPro 360 rig option will produce the best possible image clarity short of going the Nokia route. Image quality, particularly detail, is important for the job. I can see that 8K (as much as the filmmakers in us groan whenever we talk about upping the megapixels!) will be an important evolution for this surround tech. I might be interested in buying your OMNI off you? PM me with what you're looking for if you like. I'm going to research the other 360 rigs like the Freedom 360 too. Would you say stitching in post or pre-production setup of the OMNI is easier? I appreciate you could be biased as you're trying to sell your OMNI ;-)

Guys, thank you all, some awesome information here for me to research. I wasn't sure I'd get much response but this forum delivered again. I like the idea of testing the client's concept with a cheaper consumer product first. Will let you know how I get on and if I have any more questions!

Hi All, Does anyone have any experience with 360 degree cameras? I have zero but I've had an enquiry from a client who is after a 360 video. Anyone know which produce the best quality footage and the pros and cons to bear in mind when choosing one? Cheers, James

I've been a Panasonic user since the GH2 and each upgrade has been fantastic. They've successfully delivered worthwhile improvements in every area of function and image and seem to really listen to their user base. It's an exciting yet reliable system to be a part of. The GH5 looks certain it will continue this trend and two areas of promising improvement seem to be low light and colour given the current videos (an area where Canon has historically had the edge). However, like @Flynn says, a lot of Canon users love the colour science and can't let it go despite the cameras lacking functionality and features. If that specific mojo inspires you to make films then you may struggle with a switch to Panasonic. How do you use your cameras? For earning money, for filmmaking on the side, or a mixture of both? I use them for both so the practicality and features of the Panasonics win the day. I think I would feel like I had one arm tied behind my back if I tried making a living as videographer with a 1DC now. My other thought, was that if your dream is to clear your debts and get to LA (not far off mine!) then I would be making all my decisions based on what would get me there faster. At the end of the day, mojo, lowlight, codecs, and all the jazz we are all guilty of getting sucked into on this forum, are secondary to having a great idea, writing it and shooting it. If you've got something dynamite, it can be shot on anything and other factors such as writing, lighting, acting and editing will be what get your piece noticed. Final thought, networking in LA will probably advance your career more than any camera ;-)

Great, albeit slightly erratic, advice @HelsinkiZim ;-) Which Canons do you use? How do you find them? Yes, it is difficult to get colours straight out of camera that good with anything else. I think you can still do beauty with C100, no? But there is something special with the colour and DOF (and inherent softness) of the 5DMkII which lent itself to beauty.

Both of those Bolex videos... damn. Both magic despite one being film and one being digital.

That film looks great. Stone, Gosling and director of Whiplash shot on film... yes please. I think there have been Alexa moments that I've wanted to scream PUT IT IN MY VEINS. Most recently in Sicario, and memorably in Drive and Only God Forgives too. I didn't enjoy the latter very much, but there are some scenes in there where the cinematography is just gorgeous. But film sure is special. Here's a short from Sundance 2013 I fell in love with. It wasn't until this year when watching it again I realised it was shot on film:

Lovely! Be great to see your final video when you're done.

Wow, impressive sound for such a small device. I agree, I love simple technology. Some of my clients (usually people giving speeches) aren't very comfortable being 'miced up' but these would be painless (and quick!)

Hi Jimmy, I've been shooting weddings for 5 years so hopefully I can help out a little. I shoot with 2 x GH4s and a mixture of fast glass (adapted and native). The GH4s do a great job and I love the small size (as I'm very sensitive to being unobtrusive). However, I would suggest, as others have, that the C100 MkII is the dream camera for weddings and events if you can afford it. I've been very close to pushing the button a number of times but I'd have to switch my lenses and get a larger Glidecam and I'm not willing to take the financial hit at present. The C100 nails lowlight, skintones, internal NDs, small file size and great audio, pretty much all the key elements to the technical side of weddings. But... I've seen people craft beautiful weddings films with pretty much every camera we discuss on these forums. You're A7sII is no slouch for this kind of work, although record times, reliability, battery life stopped me going down that route and sticking with the trusty GH4s which have never let me down. If there is a particular camera you just love shooting with, then you can make the technical limitations work. Regarding size of C100, I wouldn't worry too much about that, even in the UK. It's not too big, and I think what's most important is the way you approach the filming. Some people won't like being filmed whatever camera you use, but an apology, smile and some self-deprecating humour will usually win over even the most vehemently shy/grumpy guests. Most people are fine. I would suggest the other key area of investment is sound, especially decent lapel mics . Mic the groom for the ceremony (vicar/registrar too if they don't mind) and mic speaker for speeches individually if possible, or get them to hold a mic, or take a feed from the venue's PA system (if you are working at one specific hall then you should get this down pretty quickly!) I think killer audio from the ceremony and speeches is one of the areas that can boost your films to the next level, and the sound bytes can drive your highlights films too. A few tips off the top of my head: - Attend church/hall rehearsals where possible, good to ingratiate yourself with vicars (some have had bad experiences with photogs/video guys) and good to suss out all your angles ahead of time, and meet the close family and friends. Getting them onside can make the days so much easier. - It's invaluable for ceremony, speeches and first dance to have a wide "safety" angle set up to cut too - Editing is a real bitch when it comes to weddings, if you're like me you are going to feel that intensity to film EVERYTHING but every shot you take is going to have a knock-on effect with your editing pipeline. My footage is better when I shoot less and observe more; waiting, looking, for special angles and moments. Of course, sometimes you've just got to grab what you can given the day's timings. - Don't overcomplicate your gear. I personally find it very easy to get bogged down into lens decisions, shall I go Glidecam now, shall I get the tripod out? Ultimately, I've found my best footage comes from when I'm stuck with a single lens (usually a prime) and I'm handheld or monopod and I'm just enjoying the filming. Weddings isn't my dream work either, but wow is it a good place to learn fast, and work with footage that involves beauty, emotion and story... all key ingredients to narrative films. If you can handle weddings you can handle just about any filming environment too. Not to put you off, you'll be fine, but you have to get creative and think fast and plan ahead to get good shots in an environment you don't have control over. If I can help any further with specific questions, feel free to message me or what not.

Yes, it is a pity. I haven't found it too frustrating though. I guess it depends how you shoot. I generally only use AF when I'm filming something static. I haven't used Canon glass on m43, but I've read the AF is slower than native glass. We should all be using Voigtlanders anyway ;-). Nothing beats that manual feel!

I owned the 12-35mm, great lens. The focus ring itself is nice enough, but I found it very difficult to consistently focus pull. Unfortunately it does have that annoying acceleration. For comparison, I find the Leica 15mm much better for focus pulling. Although narrow, it's a nicer ring, has smoother action and has no acceleration. I sold my 12-35 (for financial reasons, optically it's superb!) and then some months later I bought the Oly 12-40mm. Optically both zooms are amazing, but the Oly is so much better for focus pulling due to the clutch mechanism and no acceleration.

Anybody else seen this yet? Amazing resource! Pleased they put the Nikons in there, although I did question the 28mm 1.4 ai-s as pretty sure that doesn't exist. They are hoping to expand it over time, includes zooms etc. Side by side at the bottom: http://blog.sharegrid.com/ultimate-vintage-cinema-lens-test

Congrats @Frank5 on getting the job! I'm not sure I can add any value above what other people have said, but may I ask how the TV channel found/approached you? Hope it goes really well.

I feel your pain @dvcrn! There really is no free lunch and it's very difficult to make informed decisions sometimes as there's so much noise you need to cancel out to get a clear picture. Investing in glass is wise as lenses can basically last you a lifetime and resale is always easier with minimal loss, but it's still tough... Do you buy lenses that can move with you through each system if you need to change, or go native so you get the system benefits? I'm always chasing my tail on this one and have ended up with half my lenses being native m43 and half Nikon AI-S. Clever move from Canon with DPAF, again strengthening investment in their glass. It's just a shame you have to spend at least £4k on a Canon camera to get solid and sharp 1080p in 2016! All good fun!

Nice post, @Cinegain. Very true. It's very tough in this consumer world where we are all gearheads-cum-filmmakers not to get pushed and pulled by marketing at every turn (especially these last 5 crazy years), researching until our eyes are bleeding, when we could be jotting down some ideas for a short film or practising our lighting/camera work/grading etc. instead. I am constantly having to slap myself out of it, remind myself to stay on target, and ask myself these questions when I've been scrolling and refreshing all day and working out how I can possibly afford something: - What's my long term goal with this work? - Will this time/money spent on researching/changing gear help my long term goal? Now, if you are just here for fun and have no money problems then hell, enjoy the ride! If you are like me, making a small living with my work and trying to carve as much time as possible for speculative, creative work then I have to keep a keen eye on my time/money. Therefore, getting around to the OP. @dvcrn, I would suggest stick to your Canon for now, especially if DPAF either gives you great enjoyment or helps you achieve the results you want the fastest. There is nothing comparable to this tech yet. However, given you mentioned the EM5II, I think medium term you should keep your eyes on the EM1 Mark II, because you know full well someone will do a comparison (probably against the 80D specifically) regarding autofocus. If you like what you see, then in your position I would be super tempted to hop fully into the Olympus world and have 2 cameras that hopefully play well together in terms of colour/usability/lenses if two camera setup is useful to you. Top priorities for me when choosing cameras 5 years ago when I started my business were small, reliable cameras with lots of features so it's been GH series all the way. They've never let me down, incredible battery life and I can adapt pretty much any lens on the planet on them meaning I can prioritise investment in lenses. Also, I know Panasonic are really in touch with users so the upgrade path has been fantastic! This has given me more confidence to invest in m43 lenses and suitable rigging for these size cameras and have really enjoyed the progress through GH2-3-4 and undoubtedly 5. I feel sorry for Canon users who really love the DSLR form factor and have invested in loads of Canon glass. DPAF aside, they have not been looked after well from my perspective.