mercer

Have been testing a lot of cameras the past month for an upcoming project I have been pre producing. My latest test was with the FZ2500 and although I really like the camera and the high bitrate all-I 1080p, I find the hybrid 5-axis to be questionable at best and for the price, the camera just isn't worth it... so the search continued until the other night when I found a great price for an open box GH4 at Samy's. I know with all of the excitement over the GH5 release, buying a GH4 now may seem silly. But I only have so much in my budget. Anyway, the nature of my project requires handheld video, and at most monopod work, so I am wondering how the 12-35mm 2.8 with OIS is handheld and also if anyone used the 30mm f/2.8 macro with OIS and how steady that lens is... and if it's visually any good?

Sorry, accidentally hit quote when I meant to hit like. I have grown fond of their 200mbps All-I 1080p, I hope they continue it, or expand it with the GH5.

Thanks, but it looks like Adorama already took that down. Even with the bad link, you must assume the price will hold true.

We also must remember that just because Panasonic hasn't had issues with heat dissipation in the past with their 4K video at 100mbps, 400 mbps is a totally different beast, so MJPEG could be a possibility. Also, is the price rumor of $1999 body only still on the table or has that been updated?

Idk, Panasonic used MJPEG for a long time in their earlier models... not to mention what codec can be used at such large files yet still write to SD cards? Honestly, I'm just asking as I don't know the answer.

Almost forgot about this video... it was from my brief stint with the a6300. Very cool camera... amazing resolution with rich, dramatic color. This was shot in cine2 with cinema color. In the end, the rolling shutter was a bit much, but all in all I liked it a lot. Excuse the audio... I should have just turned it down. And if you're offended by boring rack focusing shots, you may want to look away.

Unsure why everybody is knocking the GH4 lately? Such amazing specs and probably the first digital camera from a major manufacturer that really added features specific to filmmaker's needs. I recently bought the FZ2500, which has been described as a mini GH4 and after using it for the past couple weeks, I like it so much, I realized I could have saved a hundred bucks and bought the GH4. Of course... I am also a fan of the 200mbps All-I 1080p and I know most on the forum dislike it... so what do I know.

Nice setup! How do you like the Tokina 11-16mm on the Micro? Are you using it with the EF speedbooster? If so, what's the 35mm equivalent FOV after speedboosted?

Good idea for LUT usage. The original video is replaced. I think it's a little more neutral now, but that IR Cut Filter definitely would have helped.

The slog2 grade looks great, really cinematic! But I like that indie horror look, so others may prefer the more accurate look of the cine4 with eoshd procolor.

I lifted the reds to try and give it a golden, late afternoon look to the highs, but with the LUTS and whatever else I pushed, it just did not go as planned. So, I actually sat down this morning, removed the LUTS and the grain, and basically started from scratch. I tend to be impatient, so it took a little longer but I think it's much more balanced, with a very, very light grade. BTW, I deleted that shot... it's been my Achilles Heel... no matter what I do, I just cannot get it to look right. The new, replacement, version is uploading now, but it's taking forever...

I think Color Finale has the X-Rite function now... so if I get the color chart in my shot at the beginning of each take, then it's just a one click solution in Resolve or FCPX with Color Finale?

How accurate are neutral gray cards? Lately, I have been using Colorista iv and it has an eye dropper, gray card, WB corrector. For instance if I take a gray card, laminate it... so I can write on it with a dry erase marker, and then attach it to my slate can I get an accurate WB using the dropper tool in Colorista? Or do they make a slate that already has neutral gray on it?

I didn't have an IR Cut Filter when I had the Pocket, but I did when I had the Micro... I tried a lot of cameras the past year... and yeah I kept it on the lens constantly, even under Tungsten lights... it definitely helps. But even with IR cut, I still noticed a paleness with greens, I never heard that they can make greens worse in the forest... that's usually where I shoot, I'll test that when I get another pocket. I like a dark, muted image and no matter what I tried, I couldn't get the greens dark enough... maybe I just wasn't used to the extra color information and I'm sure a better colorist can do it... I've seen it done... I'm just at a loss... so to answer your question... yes I used LUTS, to help me darken the greens and I like what the BM 4K LUT does to the image but I have been trying not to use them and grade from scratch. I also did some lazy 4400 degree WB (I know, I was schooled in another thread for doing it) so I'm sure that isn't helping either. But even with the funky colors, I still like the image way better than the pristine 4K image I was getting from the A6300 I tested last month. And let me know what you think about the 23.976 vs. 24. I assume it's probably in my head as I cannot imagine an extra .024 of a frame would make that much of a difference with the motion cadence.

Yeah, I agree I should have had an IR filter. And I am sure it would have fixed some of those funky colors. I already have a Nikon-BMPCC Speedbooster but I disagree about the Sigma for my purposes. I have some old Tokina zooms and Nikkor primes that will work beautifully with the pocket and speedbooster, but I think the best, most easiest set up is any lens that has OIS. Maybe a native Panny zoom or one of their macro lenses, or an EF zoom with an electronic adapter that powers the OIS... like the 10-18mm or if you don't need the wide angle, the Sigma 17-50mm is a nice lens. Do you have a link to those other threads, I'd love to read your simple rig solutions.

Nice footage. I like the grade.

Irrelevant to this discussion, but I've noticed from recent comments that you really dislike raised blacks?

Do you shoot in 23.97 or 24p? I know the benefits of shooting 23.976 but it almost seems like the motion looks a little more pleasing in 24p... it's probably just in my head though. The one thing I cannot get right with BM footage are the greens... even with IR filtration they just don't seem to react to coloring the way other cameras do. Have you noticed that? But all in all, the depth to the image is night and day compared to the slew of Panny, Sony, Canon and Samsung cameras I have used the past year. I was planning on getting another BMPCC anyway, but now I am seriously comsidering selling or returning all my other cameras (except my D5500 because I paid next to nothing for it and I use it for family stills) and spend 2017 working on craft with the BMPCC instead... unless a 2.5K BMPCC ii is released with 60p at NAB.

I could not agree more! The obtainable image, from that camera, at that price point, is just insane... I don't know why I even bother messing around with 4K this or downsampled 1080p that...

@Cinegain thanks, it turned out okay... I still struggle with color, but I think I am finally starting to get a little better. Anyway, yeah it has its issues... it definitely needs IR filtration and in a lot of instances it needs a VAF filter... the next gen of mosaic is supposed to have an IR filter built into the VAF filter, so that should be helpful. But damn that image is nice... not necessarily mine but I've seen some of my favorite work shot with it. With a native lens and OIS, it can be a true compact cinema cam. It reminds me of old 110 film cameras... just point and shoot the damn thing. I have been obsessing over cameras for far too long and I am really tempted to dump everything, pick up another Pocket and stop reading any post about upcoming cameras... unless it's the Pocket ii... Lol.

Whew what a year, I think I have tested nearly every brand of camera and I keep getting pulled back to the BMPCC. I briefly had it back in October, but my copy had some overheating issues and I returned it. I quickly got caught in my day job and didn't get the chance to process any of the footage. Since then other cameras caught my eye, but I recently sat down and spent some time with ProRes HQ footage. This is what I came up with... Even with my color massacre, I find the image out of that camera to be the most robust, filmic image I have ever achieved on any sub-$1000 camera... so is the BMPCC still a relevant option with all of the 4K consumer cameras on the market and soon to be on the market?

I had the BMMCC and hated rigging it up... so I don't think I could handle rigging the BMCC. I also briefly had a Pocket a few months back, but I had a lemon and the thing overheated so much I could barely hold it. So I returned it. A few weeks back I looked at some of the footage and it looked better than anything I have ever shot. I also used it without any monitor with the Panny 12-35mm with OIS... I basically treated it like a point and shoot. This time I picked up a Nikon-BMPCC Speedbooster.

You would pick the 50mm, but the speedbooster will change the "true" focal length, so you change the focal length to the Metabones adapted focal length... from my understanding.

Sorry, I mean lens' focal length, but then with a speedbooster, the focal length changes.

True focal length, but I think it's different with a speedbooster.