mercer

I love the 3rd one. Are those frame grabs or stills? There's something about the original a7s color that I like. It screams indie film to me. I didn't know that about the older version having more aperture blades... interesting. I desperately want a 24mm 1.4 lens and the only one that makes sense for me is the Samyang/Rokinon. I already have the Canon 28mm 1.8 which someone will have to pry out of my cold, dead hands. The Sigma gets good reviews but then I'd feel compelled to buy the Sigma 50mm... which I don't need... especially since I adore the Samyang 50mm so the 24mm could make the perfect two lens set for me. I just can't seem to find one for the right price.

Great shots!!! As you know, I have the FD 50mm 1.2 L and it is one of the best 50mm lenses I have ever used. Even wide open it is pretty damn sharp. I'd love the 24mm but the prices on them are just obscene. I guess the endless comparisons between the aspherical S.S.C FD lenses and the K-35 lenses, combined with the low supply of on the used market, have inflated the price. If you think the nFD versions are expensive... look at what people are asking for the earlier S.S.C models that the K-35s are rumored to be modeled after. The question is... how long can 30-50 year old lenses command such high prices?

No worries. Sometimes I wonder if ZachGoodwin is a real boy or a character someone has created. With that said, I'll play along... I think the point of the "hometown" documentary was supposed to be a simple assignment to get you working on a quick and small film. So, I wouldn't worry too much about the demise of the project. But if there is a business or even an interesting person that would allow you to make a film about them and it intrigues you, then go for it. I think the greater point you need to think about is that a filmmaker needs a film to make to be a filmmaker. I always thought you wanted to be a narrative filmmaker, so why not spend your time making 60 second short films? Write it, cast it, shoot it and edit it. Then wash, rinse, repeat. Good luck.

Like art, topics like this are so subjective that they usually don't end well. I usually try to avoid such topics, but I will add... if you think you're an "artist" or creating "art" you probably aren't one and aren't creating it. The greatest artists of all time were passionate craftsman first and let history decide if what they created was "art." As far as this specific photographer... I know if some drunk looking homeless guy stumbled in front of me and flashed a picture of me or my family I would think he's a pervert and not an "artist." With that said, his work is interesting, but the same effect could be achieved with different equipment that doesn't require him to invade people's personal space. Just my opinion.

Dang, I haven't really been following the development of this product because I don't own either cameras, but after skimming the manual, this is pretty effing impressive! With the lens database, and your product, the Pocket 6K has just become a lot more interesting to me. Unfortunately, I'm a ways off to a 6K upgrade, but if I get there, you can count me as a customer. Just curious, how does the calibration and your product work with zoom lenses?

But those 3 stops allows you to choose where you want to use that extra dynamic range.

I really like the look from the FS7. I'd probably go a different route if I had that kind of money. I just recently saw an amazing video shot with the FS7 and a Samyang 24mm cine lens... I'm really interested to see more from the FX9 and its little brother.

Idk, I love what Sage is doing, but there's more to an image than just the color science that just can't be replicated with a color space transform. There's a reason why the Alexa is King and has held the throne since its release and no 4K, 6K or 8K camera has dethroned the beautiful 2.8K image from the Alexa. With that being said, the Ursa is an amazing camera and seems very capable for the way you intend to use it. It's definitely a smarter buy for your purposes. In fact, that and your X-T3 is probably all you would ever need.

They're not necessarily Plastic Fantastics, but I think every single one of those lenses represent the point of this thread... inexpensive glass that pull a lot more than their weight. So, yes please do the test if you have the time. I personally love the Zeiss Jena Tessar... if I could only find a copy that isn't mechanically unsound... so I'd be interested to see how it fares up against the Planar. Speaking of the Zeiss Jena 50mm 2.8, I wonder why nobody has made a modern Tessar?

Another one of my favorite Plastic Fantastic lenses is the Nikon Series E 50mm f/1.8. When the Series E lenses were released, Nikon was chastised for their poor build quality. But in comparison to today's lenses, they're built like tanks. About 6 months into filming my movie, life took a turn and I went through a rough patch that's really just beginning to smooth out. Unfortunately, that rough patch forced me to sell all of the lenses I was using to shoot my film. I dug deep into the gear closet and pulled out the Nikon 50mm 1.8 Series E. This is the result of that test... In some weird way, the rough patch I went through was a blessing, it forced me to look at my film in a different way and eventually led me to probably my favorite of Plastic Fantastic lenses... the Canon 28mm 1.8. I've posted plenty of shots from that lens, so I won't bore anybody with them, but that is one lens I will never sell. By lens metrics, it's not even that great of a lens, but its rendering oozes character and mood. In my opinion, it's probably my favorite lens of any lens I've ever used. Canon has a few Plastic Fantastic lenses. I would love it if Canon came out with a budget friendly cine lens lineup using these lenses' formulas in proper cinema housings.

Haha, I hope so. I soooo want to like the FP but I'm on the fence about it so far. I almost feel I need to wait for it to drop significantly in price before I'll give it a go.

This thread is for all of those cheapie, plastic lenses that shouldn't be as good as they are. There are a few well known lenses that carry the moniker proudly like the Canon 50mm 1.8 and 40mm 2.8, or the Nikkor 50mm 1.8 D. But there are some lesser known lenses like the Tokina 19-35mm that have a cult following and are often referred to as a "Plastic Fantastic." The first lens I will mention is the Canon 24-85mm f/3.5-4.5. For the price, it shouldn't be as good as it is. Here's a sample frame from the 5D Mark iii with ML Raw... I have a few more on my computer I'll add later today. Do you guys have any favorite Plastic Fantastic lenses? Please share and upload some sample videos or video frames.

Yeah I think between the Ursa and the Arri Classic, the Ursa is probably the smarter buy but man that Arri image is nice. Now if the Amira was in that price range... I'd definitely go with the Amira.

To add to my previous comment... I think this is the problem with cameras over $2500. For only a bit more you can get an S1H. And then at $4000, for only a bit more you can get a C200 or a Red Komodo or an EVA1 or an FS7 or an Ursa Mini Pro. After that price bracket it's a big jump before you get to a camera that has a significant jump in specs and even then, it may be worth bypassing those cameras to rent a Red or an Alexa.

This is why I think I would go the ProRes Raw option with the FS5 or FS5ii... the built in NDs.

Yeah, the FZ2500 is one of my favorite cameras of all time. It even has a button that you can push while recording at 24p and it will go into slow motion. So you can do those cool shots where a guy starts the shot running in normal motion and then you push the button and he will slide into slow motion as long as you hold the button down. Some Super 8 cameras used to do that too. The only downside to the camera IMO is that the lens, albeit really nice, is much too big for the camera body. Here's a stupid test video I did of the 1080p 60p slow motion... The end of the test is the best part but I made the mistake of making the video way too long. It was before I realized that most people only watch a minute of videos or less.

I'd be okay with a m4/3 or even a 1" sensor if it has internal ProRes. I know JVC was releasing something like that, but the price seemed a bit high if I remember correctly. I'd love to see Z-Cam or even Blackmagic pair up with a lens manufacturer to do something similar. I've been half tempted to buy another FZ2500 and a BM Video Assist to get 10bit 1080p. Hell, for fun I've even considered the FZ300. I had one a few years back and I actually kinda liked it. ... Of course, I just spent the past 15 minutes going through the past 5 years of frame grabs, I have on my phone, and as soon as I reached my ML Raw grabs, I started to smile again... I think I may be better off buying another zoom lens than mucking around with a new camera... and I still want the Samyang 24mm. As much as I enjoy this forum, but since it is camera based, it's very easy to get caught up in every new camera out, or every other camera I didn't buy over the past 5 years. I think the reality of the situation, for me, is that no camera other than a proper cinema camera will make me happy after shooting ML Raw and if I ever want an "upgrade" I'm going to have to rent or save up for a Komodo or something similar.

And finally do you recommend a similar exposure process with CineLikeD as you do with vLogL? I haven't read your manual but I assume it's either an ETTR or a waveform exposure putting skin tones around 60 IRE... or whatever!

Including Sharpness and Noise Reduction? I assume you mean as a base ISO and not an only ISO? Obviously, like with most cameras, it's best to stay as close to base ISO as possible.

I may download the trial and give it a go. I love FCPX even though I am forced to use Resolve to transcode the .mlv files to ProRes. One of the reasons I keep considering a Blackmagic camera is for its native ProRes. I actually have a broken P2K I paid $100 for last summer that won't power on. I may try and fix it and set it up with a loupe and that JLG Lanc handle you keep trying to sell me on... lol... pair it with the Panny 12-35mm or an old c-mount zoom with a zoom handle and it will be like shooting Super 8 again.

I assume you have specific, recommended settings for CineLikeD? I'm mostly curious how the highlight detail is with CineLikeD compared to vLogL after it's run through your process? If I can find a GH5 at the right price, 1080p will be my mode of choice so it's good to hear that the quality is so good... especially since you can use the cheaper SD cards.

@BTM_Pix that video looks better than anything I've ever shot. I actually find a lot of the newer cameras kinda boring and am much more interested in shooting with something older... maybe even film... or a camcorder. Lol. I spent a while trying to color grade my footage to give it certain looks but now I just add some contrast and saturation. My next purchase is going to be a monitor though... my MacBook Air's screen just isn't cutting it anymore as I start to edit. How do you like Lightworks? Do you use the subscription model or do you own it? I assume you were using Resolve before?

I may just keep what I already have, add a lens or two and turn the internet off. All of these cameras are cool and I'm always on the search for a second camera but the question remains... do I need it? Will my work really benefit from it? For me, I barely have enough time to use the camera I have. So I'd ask @thebrothersthre3 what are you gaining from having all of these cameras? The short films you've shot with your X-T3 look great.

Looks nice, did you notice any major difference using GHAlex as opposed to the in-camera monochrome profiles or vLog turned B&W in post?

Although I have seen some great footage shot with the P4K, Blackmagic cameras require too many workarounds for the type of shooting I do. With IBIS and a small lens, I can steal shots in public places that wouldn't be possible with a P4K. Plus since I already have a raw shooting camera that I love, the P4K doesn't give me much that I don't already have.