mercer

You are masterful at getting that early 80s film look. Really cool.

Yeah the B&W looks wicked. You can really see the DR the Pocket has.

Thanks, it's ML Raw on the 5D3.

Nice work. With all of the, deserved, attention to the GH5, it's refreshing to see you testing and reviewing other cameras for us non-GH5 users. This camera continues to amaze me. Without a doubt, purchasing it was the best decision I have made for my filmmaking. I'm sure you go over this in the guide, which I plan on purchasing, but a quick question I hope you'll divulge... is the image, at least, centered in live view? I may buy your guide today and test this build tomorrow if it's centered. Also in your review you mention you have a color live view in 3.5K but it reverts to grey scale when you hit record. Is there any benefit to having grey scale enabled the entire time? Sorry, I assume you go over this in the guide, but just a few questions before I decide to test it this week.

Oh okay, you're using the experimental build for your establishing shots. Obviously not good for close ups with the liveview issue. Makes sense.

Yeah, I get that this camera isn't for everyone, but for those filmmakers interested in narratives... it's a $7000 Alexa. Unbelievable.

Hey Nikkor, it's a suspense thriller about a man who comes home after spending some time in a mental hospital. The familiar people and places begin to dislodge hauntingly, faint memories of his dead girlfriend but the visions seem real and vengeful. It's kind of a mixture between a classic English ghost story and Japanese horror.

Here are a few more screengrabs from my film. The first one is with the Canon 24-70mm f/4... And the second is with the Canon 35mm f/2... Haha, in the first one, the actor looks like he is shaking his head that I am posting these grabs... lol.

Well, there are a lot of times when editing, certain shots are missing to get a clean edit, the old trick if you can't cut it cleanly, then use a dissolve. So although I was being liberal with the comparison, I meant... if I can't think of a good idea or an idea I want to pursue, rather than sit around with my thumb up my ass, I'll read old stories or poems and try to find inspiration there. Sometimes the angle at which certain stories are told or a line of dialogue in an old English ghost story or a line from a sonnet or a parable from the Bible can spark an idea. Of course, I'm a narrative writer, so the process may be different for documentarians. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like the forum police, I just think this is an interesting topic that would be more beneficial on the front page... and get more views.

Thanks for the reply, Ed. I appreciate the input and I don't mean to sound too argumentative, but the slow nature of the Sigma is part of the equation that actually appeals to me. Part of this process is, for me, is to become a more considerate, instinctual filmmaker. By shooting ML Raw with the 5D3, and being a no budget/hobbyist filmmaker, I quickly learned how important it is to take my time and find the shot. Often my shooting days fall together and since I shoot guerilla style, I find I am at the mercy of location conditions more often than not. Since shooting endless footage is not an option, I am forced to slow down and make gut decisions that serve both the story and the photography. Obviously, I am ignorant about still photography... and motion photography as well... lol... but I thought the slower Sigma would force me to find the image and consider composition and light, so I fear the ability to shoot bursts or quickly would be counterproductive for my goal? I do agree ISO 100 is a little of a bummer, but I would most likely get the Sigma 30mm 1.4 kit, so the fast lens would help a little. But maybe your right and there would be too much of a learning curve... Hmm... food for thought, thanks. Btw, I watched that time travel, short film you DP'd... really nice work. Great choice going with the DVX for the "flashback" scenes. Thanks, Mattias... from the photos, the Quattro looks considerably smaller than the 5D3, but definitely something to think about. Obviously, my concern with a Fuji or a Canon is that I'll get out in the world and end up shooting video instead of photos which is why the Quattro sounded so appealing to me. But you guy's are probably right. In that case, I wonder if the M5 would be a smart move since I can easily use the same lenses I use with the 5D3, so lens characteristics and color science will be more similar to what I'm shooting with the 5D3?

I am a screenwriter before I am a filmmaker. One of the reasons I began with screenwriting is because I always had ideas for movies but never the money to make them. So I may look at the storytelling process differently but for me it always begins with a "What If?" I've also always been a people watcher... always curious who is who and what is what. So being in tune with your surroundings and asking rhetorical questions about what you see can also be helpful. There are ideas all around you, they just need to be grabbed. By knowing the types of stories you want to tell helps your brain weed through the irrelevant ones. Also like the old editing adage... if you can't solve it... dissolve it, for storytelling... when in doubt... adapt. There are hundreds upon hundreds of public domain stories, poems and songs that could make interesting modern stories. Since there is no such thing as an original idea any longer, we as modern storytellers, need to embrace that the only key to an original piece of work is our own take on a tired tale. Also, although confusingly named, this subforum is designed to show finished work, so you may want to ask a moderator to move this thread to the main board... especially since, sadly, this subforum is rarely visited.

So for your establishing shots, you are able to get more resolution, for more wide angle detail? If that's the case, why not shoot everything in crop mode? Wouldn't that help with close up detail as well, plus open up some aps-c lens options? Btw, what is the total crop on the 5D3 with 3x3?

@Mattias Burling I just saw your Gunpowder "Stalker" photo on Flickr... very nice. This damn thread has gotten me very confused. I've been wanting to get into stills for a long while now and since getting the 5D3, I was hoping still photography would help me get better at the craft for shooting and processing my ML Raw files but I don't want to carry around the 5D3 for stills, so... I was planning on getting some type of hybrid... perhaps a Fuji, or an Olympus, or the D7500, but after reading this thread I have fallen in love with this Sigma image. Since video is my main concern, specifically ML Raw video, do you think shooting and processing Raw files with a photo only camera like the DP Quattro would help me with ML Raw video... or would shooting Raw with a Canon camera... perhaps the EOS-M5 with the 22mm make more sense? There's also the rumor that the upcoming G1X update will have aps-c sensor. So, I guess my question is... in your opinion, would shooting DNG Raw with the Sigma and processing those DNGs, with Resolve be more beneficial than shooting and processing Raw stills from a Canon mirrorless via Lightroom since the color science will be similar between the M5 and the 5D3?

Damn 25 minutes? How is it turning out? Btw, I still haven't had the opportunity to watch your film yet, but it's on my list now that summer is winding down. I admire that you use every camera you test in a short. I tested so many cameras this past year, looking for a specific look, but I wish I had followed your lead. Which camera has been your favorite so far? I intended on making a 10 minute short this summer and I am sitting on about 30 minutes of usable footage and I still have half the story to shoot. So now I'm stuck with either cutting a bunch of good footage or expanding the story into a short feature... I guess there are worse problems to have.

Does anyone have or have used the Sigma 24-35mm Art lens?

That's not official, that's someone talking to an unnamed source at Canon. I would assume it's probable but until Canon officially announces the update, it's not official.

That seems promising. An 80D may be in my future. Also, I vaguely remember you saying that you only shoot in crop mode? If my memory is correct, could you explain the benefits? Obviously, it's interesting to open up a few more lens choices.

What color temp did you shoot this with... the cooler look is great for this piece. Clean shadows too, zebras or Raw Histogram to the right?

Damn Zak, gorgeous. Is that with your Zeiss lenses?

The EOS-M with ML Raw and 3x crop will give a close to 8mm sensor size. Of course, I don't think D Mount lenses will focus to infinity with it, but plenty of old c mounts will and cantsin has some beautiful examples.

This is kinda interesting. I had the Q7 a few years ago and aside from the worst rolling shutter I have ever seen, the camera had some mojo. It worked great with old and cheap D and C Mount lenses Here's a video from it. All the footage is straight out of camera with Cosmicar C Mount lenses. Nothing spectacular but there is an interesting analog look to it... of course I haven't watched this video on a big screen in years. It looked okay on my phone, but who knows...

No purpose really, just curiosity. I am thinking about getting another Micro in a couple months, especially after seeing that the Ursa handgrip works with the Micro's Lanc.

What zoom did you get? I have such a love/hate relationship with BM cameras. I had the BMMCC with the Voigtlander 25mm and loved the image but hated rigging it. I then bought the Pocket with the 12-35mm and loved the image and the handheld aspect of an OIS zoom but missed the 60p. Then I went off on a tangent with a few other cameras until I ended up with a 5D3. I eventually will be in the market for another camera, something with a little simpler post workflow, so now I am thinking maybe I should get another Micro with the 12-35mm for handheld/monopod 60p ProRes... LOL. Anyway... good luck with the Pocket. I loved your F3 work, so I look forward to seeing your Pocket films.

Please post it here if you do. It would be interesting to see how your vision of the video affects the tone of the piece. Btw, did you get a chance to man the camera, or work with the files at all? Would love to hear what shooting with an Alexa is like. Also OT: have you done any creative work with the 80D? Little by little my Canon lens collection is growing and I have almost pressed Buy it Now a couple times, but I haven't seen enough creative work done with one to justify it yet. As an events workhorse camera, it's a no brainer for the price, though.

I was always curious how that 9mm body cap lens would fare on the Micro... how do you like it? I have seen a few videos with it on the Pocket and it seemed better than expected.