mercer

Here is my recent test. I used a custom profile with saturation at -8, sharpness at -10, and contrast at -8. I then used the free trial of Color Finale to apply the Alexa to Rec709 LUT and the other tools to further grade the shots. Don't expect much, this is the first footage I have ever graded. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Haha, yeah that is me in all of bald glory. I should have tested the lowlight with a faster lens. I have a couple 50mm 1.4 lenses but with the crop factor, I don't think I can wide enough for the room. But I do have the FD 28mm f/2 lens, that baby should give me enough width and the aperture should open enough to make a big difference with the lowlight test. I'll also try to bring up the highlights and shadows to see what I can save from the darkened image.

I've been using -5 across the board and am pretty happy with the results. But I think I'll give your settings a try. Are you editing and delivering in 4K?

That looks great!!! I have the NX500 and when I go -10 with saturation, it turns it black and white... Did you mean -10 contrast?

Don't get your hopes too high. I saw two other listings for that Soligor, one for 4 something and one for 220 or best offer. Assume you'll get the same, or less, as the cheapest one listed. Even still, between the two lenses you could make a nice profit. Good buy!!!

Copies of that Minolta are listed on eBay for 400 bucks... You may have gotten the deal of the year.

It looks like the 135mm is a Soligor, I'm gonna guess it's an old m42 mount, but I can't tell for sure without seeing the mount. The Minolta might be a projection lens, or an enlarger lens.

Supposedly, that is the case with the a5100 as well, when shooting with the xavc-s codec. I don't record long takes, so mine has never overheated, but once I heard that was a solution to the potential issue, I just open the LCD screen anyway. But that overheating is still a major design flaw with Sony products.

I think it looks great. But I have a newbie question... When you use a LUT, does it automatically set the levels, or is it just a guideline that you have to match your footage to in whatever color program you use? Also, for LUTS, do you recommend Color Finale or FilmConvert for the easiest results? I downloaded the trials of both programs, didn't mess with LUTS, and found I liked FilmConvert better, but like the price of Color Finale. I realize, they're not a hundred percent comparable, but they do seem to share some similarities.

As some may know, I have been messing around with the settings while I test out the NX500. Some of my tests have been moderately successful, and some have been disastrous. A couple people wanted to see some lowlight examples, so I took a few shots in a dark room, lit only by the window, with a Minolta MD 24-50mm f/3.5 zoom lens. Obviously, these shots, especially the middle shot is too dark, as I am entirely silhouetted, but it may give you an idea how this camera performs in such lighting conditions. As always I shot in Cinema 4K at 24p, and used a Custom Profile with the Sharpness at -5, Saturation at -5, and Contrast at -5. From my tests thus far, this is the best straight from camera set up for my tastes. Though this test is straight from camera with zero post, I have been attempting to grade some NX500 footage a little, so in the future I may try even lower settings in the Custom Profile. Thanks for your patience, suggestions, and interest as I figure out the best set up for this camera... for my taste. Like others, I have come from a Canon DSLR background, which is pretty simple to get a decent image with a dialed down Neutral, but the NX500 has thrown my amateur skill set for a loop. So, in no way should my videos be a testament to what this camera is capable of... I'm sure in other hands, one could achieve stunning results... because I am blown away when I receive moderately okay results.

yes, but I believe you get good, basic color controls as well. gorilla grain has nice grain as well, but to have access to the film emulator, basic color controls and film grain in one package sounds very nice. wish they had Kodachrome 40 as an option, though.

Is it worth the 200 clams and is there a difference between the plug in version and the standalone?

so you use color temperature for wb?

Sekhar, do you use custom profile, or standard? I was using standard, but I think custom seems a little better with a test I did this morning. Also, do you set your white balance with color temperature, settings, or auto. I have been using auto, with Canon and Sony cameras, it has always been pretty spot on, especially with consistent lighting, but I think the Samsung auto wb is off, when I switched to color temperature, I was getting better results... Obviously. For my eyes, I think I may have found the best, basic set up. Custom profile - Saturation -1 - Sharpness -8 - Contrast -5. These numbers seem to give the most accurate, true to life, yet slightly muted color.

Yeah, I am definitely gonna keep her, it was too cheap not to. It's just a different beast than the Canon's I'm used to. Canon cameras look pretty good without too much post, which was good for me because I don't know a lot about grading. So, with my tests, I am trying to find a middle ground that balances the high DR of this camera with a baked in look that doesn't require much while I learn more about grading.

I know TL works with the eos-m, and m2, and I am pretty sure it works with the m3. In fact, a lot of people get better results TL on the eos-m than they do with ML.

I gotcha. Don't get me wrong, t2i is a great camera and more than capable enough to capture great video. I just figured an m3 could be a smart move for you to use your FD lenses. Also, TL or ML should work, but then again I'm not too familiar with a "forked hack?"

I haven't seen Drinking Buddies yet, but I heard it was good. Learning about characters and their story through the mundanities of the everyday was very intriguing. I could've done without the full frontal and the live action sex scene with him and his girlfriend, but I don't blame him for doing it. That realism, no matter how exploitative, is what made him the darling of SXSW. I, also really think he has a great model for independent filmmakers... Make as many movies as you can, as quick as you can, then reap the benefits from your catalogue of films.

Swanberg is one of those directors, you almost want to hate. When I heard about the mumblecore movement, I saw Big Puffy Chair first and really enjoyed the minimalism, then I heard about this Swanberg guy and what I heard made me roll my eyes, but when I watched Hannah Takes the Stairs, I had to tip my hat. Somehow he was able to recreate not just the scenarios of ambivalent heart break but also that pit in the stomach emotional loss behind it.

It being?

He had cameras that never became obsolete. Don't get me wrong, do what you want, I was just offering advice. Edmika adapters are at least a hundred a piece, for that money, plus the sale of your t2i, you could get the new eos-m3, have focus peaking, have access to the newer digic processor and sensor, use the same picture profiles, same workflow, use your FD lenses with 10 dollar adapters. I, finally, just sold my t2i after not using it for two years since I had the eos-m, trust me it's a way better camera for video. It makes sense to me, but it's your life... Just offering some advice. With that being said, content is king, so use whatever camera you have and tell a story.

Primarily, I consider myself a writer, where I have had a few successes in the horror genre, with a couple contests. I made one short film that I entered in a few festivals... Haven't heard anything yet. With a little luck. and a lot of perseverance, I hope to be making indie horror and thriller features in the future. In the meantime, I have a few ultra short films in preproduction. If you're looking for some material, I have a few scripts I'm doing a final pass on. Sorry... I just figured I'd put it out there.

thank you for reminding me why I stopped replying to your comments...

Oh yes, I am always looking for feedback... This would be a lonely, arbitrary endeavor if I wasn't. In that test, the one, out of camera, shot I liked, I tried to match with the "Match Color" function in FCPX. But I am new to a lot of this, so my theory outweighs my practical ability. I appreciate your comments, and criticisms... They are always welcomed and that's how we grow.

A lot of times intent gets perceived as inability. My interest lies within stylized genre narratives. Often, I am not looking for natural color. The contrast I will have to work on. On my first outing with the camera, I found the shadow detail amazing on this camera, so any lack of is my experimenting with different settings. I am learning to subtract and add with each test. My posting these videos isn't a declaration that I love my outcomes, it is an exploration of the trials and tribulations of working with a camera that is entirely different than the canon rebel brand.