mercer

In my previous post, I mentioned that I was going through my lenses and thinning the herd. Well today I have a few samples from the Zeiss ZF Classic 50mm 1.4. I bought this lens a couple years ago for VERY little money. The body had a little wear, but the price was so good, I decided it was worth it and if I didn't like it, I could EASILY recoup my costs. When the lens arrived, it had a couple issues... the Nikon F to EF adapter that was included (a "bonus!" according to the seller) was stuck on the lens... the lever that is used to release the adapter from the mount was broken off. At the time it wasn't a huge deal because I was using it on an EF camera. Here's a frame from it on my 5D3 with ML Raw... So it seemed to be a good sample but when I tried to attach a VND, I quickly realized that the threads were messed up... I could screw the filter in but it definitely wasn't right. By the feel and sound of it, it seems like the lens was dropped in the dirt. Luckily, nothing was affected mechanically, or optically, so it's no huge issue. Eventually, I'll buy a step up ring but for testing purposes, a filter will screw on with enough patience. Anyway, I bought a Sigma FP last fall and since then I have been testing different lenses with it looking for a simple little set up. So far I like the camera. It has a pretty nice image, but I'm not wowed by the IQ like I was when I first bought my 5D3... but that's a story for another time. As I mentioned in my previous post, I built a basic set of fast Nikkor ai-s lenses and I plan on selling off everything else. I'll keep a few random lenses that I really like. Back to the Zeiss... to test it with the FP, I needed to remove that damn bent adapter. Well it was no match for a pair of dykes and some needle nose pliers. In mere minutes I turned the "bonus!" adapter into a pile of metal shards. So, after enlisting my actor friend, I decided to take the lens out for a test run with the FP. Here are the results... As I mentioned earlier, I have a hot and cold feeling toward the FP, but on that day, maybe it was the light, or the beat up, pseudo-modern Zeiss optics, I think I have one of those random keeper lens... Now I just need to refrain from building a set of Zeiss lenses... Easier said than done. Thanks for reading my long, unscientific, anecdotal review.

At least it doesn't have vertical audio.

As far as being a fanboy... I don't really care about brands. But I must say that I have always gotten along better with Canon cameras than any other brand. In fact, I am tired of using other brands and being disappointed. I'm probably going to go all in with Canon from this point forward. If that makes me a fanboy... of Gawd... I'm too old to care.

Canon only exists to make a profit. That is their, and every other company's, sole purpose. They make a profit by providing products that the market wants/needs. It's really quite simple. As far as 'going against nature' or science, I can only assume you're referring to vertical video... based on your previous statement. I agree with you... I despise it. Luckily, in its natural form, this PowerShot camera shoots 16:9 video but you can turn it if you want vertical video. That seems fairly acceptable to me. As much as I hate it, I understand that, due to smartphones' inability to make 16:9 shooting simpler and peoples' inherent laziness, there is a desire for vertical video and since Canon isn't in the smartphone business, they need to offer that possibility. But out of box, this vlogging camera shoots 16:9 in its natural form factor.

We're not talking about communism here. We're talking about a product that was designed and manufactured for a specific usage. Most of Canon's products are designed that way. They always were. I'd imagine in the 70s when most manufacturers/consumers were heavily invested in SLRs, the Canonet line of cameras probably seemed pretty pedestrian, but that didn't stop Canon from putting a pretty spectacular lens on it and marketing it to a specific consumer at a reasonable price point. Even the Canonet line had different entry levels. As far as this camera goes, the biggest omission is a tripod thread. Otherwise, for sit down, YouTube Vlogs... what more do you need? Only a thoughtful eye can tell the difference between a $500 camera, a $3000 camera or even a phone in YouTube videos. I mean, they're not marketing it for indie filmmakers. But... since it shoots 24p, an interesting film could be made with it if someone could see past the limitations and see the possibilities.

Good points except I think it is good... if I am to assume that the frame of the woman is a sample from the camera? I don't mean this next statement for anyone in particular and especially not you, but the shooters that think in terms of gear first, never understood Canon, so it's easy for them to criticize Canon and this is the perfect example. Canon makes products for specific groups of people based on their needs.

Or an Arri 65 https://m.imdb.com/title/tt11858890/technical/

I just picked up a newer ai-s 50mm 1.2, for a steal, and it's one of the best 50s I've ever used. Even wide open it's fairly sharp and dreamy at the same time. The ai/ai-s 1.4 were okay, but I love the non-ai S.C. 1.4... probably the best $40 I ever spent.

The problem I have always had with zooms is that I was either compromising the shot for the luxury of not moving my setup, or I kept moving to get the sweet spot (pop) of the specific focal length I was zoomed in/out to... so the old saying about primes... Zoom with your feet... was still necessary to hit the sweet spot. Of course, time was still saved because I didn't have to change lenses, but I also found that I was mostly using a small portion of the zoom range... usually between 40-65mm. At that point it's easier to split the difference and swap out the heavier zoom for a 50mm, and use my feet to zoom. But then I was losing IS, so I needed a monopod or I wasn't able to hit that lens' sweet spot, so I started going a little wider, but then I'm compromising my specific style for the mechanics of the shot... Point being... there are always compromises with run and gun.

I know you're in school, but is it your end goal to be a videographer or a filmmaker? Camera choice aside, if your end goal is to make films... either as a cinematographer or a director, or both, you may want to consider building a collection of manual focus/aperture lenses. The Nikon F mount is a great option with a long history of amazing lenses. I recommend trying to get the fastest lenses you can. They're a bit more money, but in the end, when you've decided you need them, you'll be happy you didn't waste any time with the slower lenses. To start out, the 28mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 are great lenses that can be found pretty cheap if you go with the non-ai or ai versions. If you decide not to stick with Nikon cameras, Nikkor lenses will adapt to any camera you may upgrade to. With that said, if you are considering filmmaking (narrative or other) you may want to look for an inexpensive camera that you can experiment with for short films, music videos, docs, etc... perhaps an OG BMPCC or even a P4K as it seems the prices for them are coming down on the used market. Good luck with your choice.

Just get an R7, if you're in the US, they're on sale now.

I've been running some tests over the past 6 months or so with different cameras and lenses trying to simplify my entire workflow and gear. Over the years, in search of the perfect camera/lens(es) combo(s) I've become a slave to the gear that collects dust in my closet. Anyway, I feel like I know which direction best suits me, but I figured I'd share some of my results. Here are a couple frames from the Sigma FP and Nikkor 24mm f/2 ai-s lens. I've never really been a huge fan of wide angle lenses but there is a good reason to have one in my kit. On other cameras, I have found the Nikon lens to be lacking and it's flaws show, but I could always recognize that there is something funky and great about the lens, especially wide open. It wasn't until I shot it with the FP that I saw its true potential... My color work probably needs some tweaks, as they look a little too contrasty for my normal tastes.

I just picked up an old Pentax DSLR for stills, film is just too expensive to keep shooting regularly. Hopefully, the magic of CCD will give me a little of that filmic image quality I fell in love with while shooting negatives. @Andrew Reidare you still planning on starting a photography sister site to eosHD?

Nice, those look good. Subtle. For some reason I was imagining more negative fill like some kind of film noir interview.

Hey sorry I just noticed this. I still have a few Minolta lenses. I can't use many with my 5D3, but there are a couple that can be easily modified. I believe the one you're referring to from the harbour is the 58mm 1.4. It's a great lens, especially what I paid for it. It's an older model so the coatings aren't as good as some of their MD lenses, but it has a specific look, like most Minolta lenses. I started shooting some film stills and got a great deal on an old XD11 that had a 35mm 1.8 attached to it. I recently used the lens with the Sigma FP and got some pretty good results. I think the older MC version may be a bit better but the MD versions are so tiny and light that they're hard to not like if you can find one for a good price. Another one I always liked, but don't own anymore was the 28mm f/2. I had the new MD version and it was excellent. I like a lot of the new MD version for their smaller size and more modern coatings. With that said, I have been building a set of Nikkors so my Minolta obsession has been put on hold. I also don't know how much longer I'll have a camera that can use my MDs. Here's a shot from the 35mm 1.8 MD on the FP...

Idk, as much as I like the idea of putting the camera facing portion in shadow, for a corporate interview, it may be a harder sell to clients?

I had heard it has a 1.5x crop mode but I'm just investigating it right now. As far as ProRes... sure LT would have been nice, but I'd probably end up shooting HQ anyway because why not? You'd still have to use a CF Express card probably, so I may as well get the most data possible at that point. It does C4K and 1080p, up to 60p, in ProRes... what other modes would you want it in? With the dropping price, I must say I am thinking about pulling the trigger on it.

Haha! Adding cinematic helped a little. It's a shame what YouTube has become and that Vimeo is barely even used any more.

Good to know, thanks. Yeah, I suppose. I've always liked the idea of good AF, but it has never been a make or break feature for me. And I think the videos that I'm missing, those filmmakers wouldn't care about AF either. This look wicked. Thanks for sharing!

Hey Kisaha, I've been shooting full frame ML Raw on a Canon 5D Mark iii for the past 6 years, or so. I've also had a Sigma FP for about 6 months. Yeah, this makes sense. Blackmagic offered a lot of features and a compelling image for the price.

After watching at @Andrew Reid's entertaining new YouTube video discussing m4/3, and more specifically, the GH6, I decided to look for some videos on YouTube and Vimeo. Strangely, I had a hard time finding many videos. I am mostly interested in the internal ProRes features of the camera, especially in 1080p and DCI-4K. 5.7K is not really something I would need right now. To my surprise, I had a real hard time finding many samples. The lion's share of the videos were ProRes Raw samples, which look very nice, it's just not what I find intriguing about the camera. I know times have changed and with that interests have as well, but when I saw a c-mount lens attached to Andrew's GH6, I was dying to see some footage of it. And I thought there would be a bunch of samples on YouTube of people experimenting with different optics on the most advanced m4/3 camera ever made... But nope. Obviously, a lot of videographers/filmmakers have moved on from m4/3 to the greener pastures of FF. Being a FF shooter, I understand the appeal, but I still find it sad. So that brings me back to the title of my post... what's the deal with the GH6? I heard there were some issues with pink streaking... has that been solved or has it been discovered why it happens? With all that said, are there any good or creative videos floating around? Have the Nick Driftwood's or anamorphic shooters moved on from GH cameras? I haven't owned a Panasonic camera in a while, but I really enjoyed the ones I have owned/used and I find it sad that the interest is waning. @Andrew Reid can you tell me your experience shooting c-mounts/s16 lenses with it? Do you have any samples you would share?

Interesting post. I really like the GX85 shots. It's a shame that Panasonic hasn't upgraded the GX85 and G85 with 10bit. But I think the biggest takeaway is that Canon sucks.

I'm still using my 5D Mark iii with ML Raw as my main camera for hobby narrative filmmaking. I recently bought a Sigma FP which I like okay enough. I also have a BMMCC all rigged out but I never use it. I think I'll sell it soon so I can hold onto the FP for a bit longer. I'm still unsure about the FP. I like it, but it doesn't feel like an extension of my arm like my 5D does. Here's a frame from the FP with the Nikkor 35mm 1.4 ai-s lens that I took recently while working on a short film... Otherwise, I have a few film cameras I enjoy walking around with when I'm out and about.

This was one of the films I watched right before I bought my 5D3! Great look!

I know a guy who has a film on Tubi and it cost him a few grand to make. I believe he has/had a distributor, so I don't know what kind of deal he has/had.