jax_rox

Can you put a PL mount on the URSA broadcast? Your effective field of view would be cropped in compared to a S35 sensor. You’d effectively have a 44-124mm equivalent S35 FOV.

Sell my a7sII for this or wait for the a7sIII.... ?

A rear-mounted EVF is, honestly, useless. You can't judge the ergonomics without trying it out, and I think it's far superior ergonomically to the FS5 and at leas on-par with a C100/200. Dual Pixel AF it doesn't have, sure, but for me personally auto-focus isn't even a factor I really consider when buying a camera like this... To suggest that is also to suggest that the FS5 and Blackmagic URSA also remind you of a video camcorder rather than a 'cinema' camera. What even is a 'cinema' camera at this price point...? To me, a cinema camera is an Alexa or maybe an F55 (F65 without the ridiculous recorder back). The C100, C200, C300, C500 & C700 do not resemble that in any way. If you make the suggestion that a C200 and a RED Raven and an FS7 and a Blackmagic URSA mini and an Alexa are all 'cinema' cameras, then you can't also say the EVA1 isn't - every single camera I mentioned has entirely different ergonomics and sizes and weights and body shapes and designs. Yet the EVA1 isn't a cinema camera because....? Have you even seen one in person...? Why would you crowd the market with incremental cameras...? What sense does that make..? How do you further differentiate each price point..? Secondly, the GH5 consumer division is entirely separate to the Pro division of the EVA1 and above. The EVA1 is actually currently Panasonic's cheapest 'cinema' camera, whilst the GH5 is Panasonic's most expensive/flagship consumer DSLM. I do think the EVA1 is a touch too expensive. Yet you seem to think that your Western European mindset is more similar to middle eastern, Indian or Philippines.... And you also seem to think that your analysis of developing markets is better than companies that throw literally millions of dollars at research. They're different markets. They're not looking for $6k middle of the range cameras. Not right now anyway. You mention all the manufacturers developing specific models for these markets. And yet major companies aren't developing $6k middle of the range cameras for them. You think it's because they're just dumb? That they just never thought of the developing markets? That no-one's ever said 'hey, you think we should put our products into the Philippines or India?' Or do you think that maybe these companies have spent millions on research, and have people on the ground in the markets and they tend to see what actually works and what doesnt..? No. That's not how markets and business works.

Why? That's basically what the EVA1 is...? Yes they do - but the market now consists of SLR/SLMs bodies rather than the bigger bodied brethren. Also the FS5 is around that price range, and I think is the perfect camera to sit at that price. I think the EVA1 is a little too expensive, but the FS5 is at a good price point IMO. Believe me, if this was the case, the wheels would already be in motion. See Apple re iPhone 5c, for example. These are very different markets, and projecting a European mindset of cheap cameras onto it doesn't really make all that much sense. Don't forget, Sony and Panasonic are headquartered in the middle of Asia... Here's the thing: A builder needs drills and saws and hammers. A painter needs a canvas and paint brushes and paints and paint tools. A cameraman (usually) needs a camera. If it's a hobby for you, you use what you can afford. The expensive cameras on the market are not aimed at hobbyists for the exact reason that hobbyists cannot afford $10k for a camera body.

I beta-tested this app and can confirm it's pretty good! Not a replacement for a real monitor at all, but great.

I'll check screen brightness settings and test again. FWIW, I've never felt the need to change the screen brightness, even when shooting in 'sunny weather'. Based on the video, it looks as though you could quite easily mistake things for properly or overexposed in the bright monitor setting when it reality it isn't. I think I'd personally rather an accurate depiction of exposure. But I'll test anyway and see if I can replicate. As always YMMV.

Yeah, I've just checked it again now and it doesn't do it. Unless there's a particular setting that triggers it that I don't use...

For reference, my A7sII doesnt do this in any way. I bought mine this year and it is running newer firmware. YMMV, but I've not experienced this issue.

I mean, isn't this every single shoot-out of anything ever...? I thought we all knew this already...? Right tool for the job? Don't let the tools get in the way of your creativity/ability etc. etc. etc.

Works great in FCPX. FCPX is actually fantastic to work with on the new Macs. I tend to edit XAVC on it as it seems to handle it the best of any program I've tried. I also use it for quick edits that I don't want to spend a whole lot of time on. I'm yet to really try out Resolve as an editor, but FCPX is more attuned fir the new Macs than Resolve anyway

It's about 7lbs heavier (body) than the RED One. Keeping in mind you'd need an Arri baseplate and dovetail to get it on a tripod. +battery plate and battery, + lens etc. It's a nearly 8kg camera (Alexa) vs RED One's 4.5kg. And the RED One is a heavy camera! If you can get a heavy duty for <$500 then great. Most won't. As for rental, it's extremely dependant on your market. If it's a struggle to hire an Alexa where you are, it could mean that there's no demand for it. It could mean there's an unfulfilled demand. Without knowledge of your market, I couldn't say. Locally, in my market, you'd struggle to hire out an Alexa Classic, particularly if you rig it up with cheap accessories (SD card SxS adapters, for example....). Everyone wants Minis. You can't hire out Amiras. It's Studios on high-end stuff and Minis for everything else... For what though...? Your F3? The F3 body is 2.4kg. The Alexa is almost 8kg. You can get away with a much lighter tripod for an F3, even rigged out, than you can with an Alexa. I mean, you can try and put an Alexa on an inappropriate head to save some money, but man I don't think I would...

But that's exactly my point. If you think you're going to get a workable Alexa package for 'just' $10k you're sorely mistaken. You're probably looking at $500ea for V-Locks that will be viable. $250/filter for proper IRNDs. $5k for an appropriate head. Thousands for dovetails and base plates etc etc.

When you're buying a $10k camera, is saving a couple hundred bucks worth risking the safety of your footage...? CFast cards are about as expensive (or more) as well.... I'm talking about comparing an SD card that would even come close in terms of the read/write speed of an SxS. Don't underestimate the Alexa It was my understanding when talking to this rental house that they'd tried using a standard SD card in an adapter and the Alexa did not like it at all. YMMV of course, but again - what's the point of risking it? I don't and will never understand the logic behind spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a camera body and then attempting to cheap out on the very media that saves the precious footage - the footage you spent the thousands to try and produce! We're not talking about thousands of dollars per card. It's a few hundred extra dollars. Though, you're right (and here's another problem with using an Alexa without a crew) - a 64GB card gets you very little recording time in ProRes 4444... which then means you need someone on call all day to dump data...

I know what you're saying, but this was the talk I heard a few years ago when I was discussing with a particular rental house about this exact thing a few years ago. I know technically an SD card may be fast enough to record ProRes HQ in HD, but the Alexa may still have a tough time recording to it. Actual SxS cards are not that expensive, and if you're taking the plunge with an Alexa anyway, I see no reason why you shouldn't simply use the appropriate media, especially given that SxS is significantly more robust and safer than SD. XQD is likely a different story, though there still may be compatibility quirks. At the end of the day, I wouldn't really be too interested in risking it.

SD would be neither quick enough nor robust enough, I would imagine. Basic SxS cards are 400MB/s read and 350MB/s write. I was under the impression that you couldn't use the SD card adapters despite being able to use them on the F3 because of those kinds of limitations. I haven't considered it for a few years at least. XQD cards could potentially work, but I don't know that I'd really want to try it out on something mission critical. Realistically, if you're looking at SD cards that are high speed enough vs SxS cards that are second hand, or the original ones - you're not really saving all that much money, and I'd rather just go for the proper cards. Here's the problems I see with a second-hand Alexa that will affect you differently depending on what you shoot, how you shoot, who you shoot for and who you shoot with: -they generally have thousands of hours on them, which is one of the biggest reasons for me to steer clear. The cheaper ones could easily be 7 years old, and could easily have 5,000-7,000+ hours on the sensor. A sensor which is difficult and expensive to service. -you have no way of knowing what condition it is in or what it's been through. Whether it's been serviced at all and if it's been serviced by reputable companies. Arri are usually very hesitant to touch second-hand cameras and if they do, it comes at a very high cost. -the things are ridiculously heavy. They're not really built for much hand-holding. It can be done, sure, but it's far from the best option for handheld. -they're designed for use with a camera crew. Most of the settings are dialled in on the assistant side of the camera. Basic stuff can be done through the EVF and on the operator side, but to really do much you need to be on the assistant side. Fine if you're shooting with a crew. Annoying if you're not -they often don't even come with a battery plate, so you have to buy a plate for the camera before you even buy batteries. -they suck batteries like nothing else. If you haven't got stupidly high capacity (and therefore very expensive) V-Locks, you'll be lucky to get 20 minutes from a single charge. -you need a (not inexpensive) license to shoot 60fps -you need a (not inexpensive) license to shoot ARRIRAW -they're overall much slower cameras to work with than any modern camera -they require much bigger (and therefore much more expensive) support and other equipment to make them 'work' or usable for a shoot. Handheld rigs are in some cases 10x the price, and it's still far from ideal for handheld work. You're going to need a pretty decent head & legs to support it. You're probably looking at $5k+ for an appropriate head. PL glass. IRNDs, and a whole set as there's nothing internal... If you can deal with, or get around, all of these things (and some are doozies - like not knowing the state of the sensor, nor how far away things are from carking it), then it could be a potentially viable option. I think this is the reason you don't see many more Alexas out there. You have no idea if the RS port is on its last legs, or anything like that. The things are put together just-so. You have no idea if you're going to buy it and then need to replace the sensor within a few months because you happened to damage a part that just so happens to be a part of the sensor wiring (I've seen it happen). If you have the cash that you don't mind, then sure. For the type of jobs that operators who would be looking at the $10k mark for a camera, the Alexa Classic is one of the least appropriate options on the market, despite the fact that it's got the best image on the market. At most budget levels where an Alexa would be a consideration, you would generally have the budget to cover the hire anyway. If I had money I was happy to throw away, I'd probably take a gamble on it, but I don't have $10k USD to potentially throw away on an Alexa body right now...