mercer

Unfortunately, I sold my NX500 right before they hacked it. Luckily, I sold it for more money used than I paid for it new. It was a great little camera even if it took considerably longer to transcode the h.265 files to ProRes than it does to process my 5D3 MLV files through Raw Magic to CDNG and then through Resolve for a correction/grade to ProRes.

Obviously, for me it's the 5D Mark III and Magic Lantern Raw. I have been using it for almost 3 years now and it is still the best camera I have ever used. Since I bought it, I have measured every new camera against it and I have yet to see an image that I prefer. Now everyone is entitled to their opinions but I am going to go against the grain here and say that the NX1 and the GH4 were ahead of their time but shouldn't have been released until 2016/2017. And before I get a ton of dislikes, hear me out... I still feel that 4K was pushed onto the consumer a couple years earlier than necessary. The camera manufacturers hadn't even perfected a 1080p image before moving onto 4K. With a multitude of Oscar nominated films and Sundance films still being shot on 2K, to this day, with an Alexa or an Amira, I just feel that those cameras were pushed out too soon to help sell some TVs. Just my opinion. With that said, I've owned an NX500 and to this day I don't know if I ever used a camera that felt better in my hand. Now if I'm speaking objectively, I'd have to say that the OG BMPCC is the camera of the decade and more specifically the fire sale during the summer of 2014 was probably the best moment of the decade. That camera was nicknamed the Baby Alexa and ushered in a wave of cost effective cinema camera features from most manufacturers. In 2019, I really like what Panasonic has done with the S1H. And for the price, the Sigma FP is almost a no brainer purchase for me next year. I'm looking forward to seeing what BM releases during this NAB and I hope the rumors for the Canon 1DXiii are accurate. I still foresee myself primarily using my 5D3 for the next couple years but I may rent a couple higher end cinema cameras next year. One thing I've realized this year is that I don't need to own every great lens or new camera that comes out on the market, but for a small fee, I can use almost every camera on the market if a project calls for it.

Merry Christmas!!! I'm thinking about renting an S1H in the New Year and after looking at the specs, I was wondering... Can DCI 4K 10-Bit VFR be used in in 24hz mode? And can True 24p be used in 4K anamorphic mode?

I should have been clearer... I didn't mean that the 8 bit image was better than 12 bit... I simply meant that with the camera's limitations, I don't know if I'd sacrifice the size advantage of the camera for 4K 12 bit with an SSD. For me, I'd shoot mostly 1080p and use the 8 bit 4K for establishing shots. And for some projects, the 8 bit raw is probably good enough. Yup, I regularly use the Raw Histogram/ETTR hint with ML, but the spot meter is all you need for consistent results. Recently, I've been trying the Spot Meter in conjunction with the Histobar to get a quick visual of my highs and lows. I'm really surprised no camera company hasn't stolen half the features from ML. Canon should just hire A1ex and implement MLV into every camera above $2000.

I guess the Z6 is a good hybrid? I don't shot stills so I'm not the best person to ask. As a raw camera, I wouldn't want the external recorder. What type of stuff do you shoot? Have you considered having two cameras... one for video and one for stills? The z-cam e2c is a cheap cinema camera that shoots raw, ProRes and h.265 and you can use your phone to monitor and control the camera. As you mentioned the G9 has become a pretty good hybrid with excellent IBIS and 10 bit video. The only camera out that I would forego raw video is the S1H... but it's a bit pricey IMO.

Idk, I don't own the camera so it's hard to say, but I do know with proper exposure tools, and exposing to the right, I can pull highlights down insanely well with raw video... but I've never used 12 bit linear, so I suppose there are some limitations. Based on Noam Kroll's review and Andrew's comments, it seems that internal 8bit raw would be the way to go for me... especially considering the limitations linear raw apparently has at under 14bit. Slap on the Sigma MC adapter and an IS Canon prime and you have a small and inconspicuous camera that could be very useful for certain projects.

I don't blame you. I've been shooting raw video for 2 1/2 years now and every few months I consider convenience over raw but then I look at the files and I get pulled back in. Also after getting used to the post controls, WB... etc... it's hard to go back to compressed video. But it can be tedious sometimes. This idea that raw is for everybody, just isn't true. If you aren't shooting narratives or music videos, I don't know if Raw is worth it. IMO. Even being a narrative filmmaker, if I was buying a camera today, I'm fairly certain I'd be saving up for an S1H.

I don't understand how 12 bit color, or less, would affect the ability to pull down the highlights... linear or not.

It's a shame Sigma didn't include better exposure tools for its raw video and haven't developed a recommended post workflow, or even a plug-in, for different NLEs. What camera are you thinking of getting?

Why are you selling it?

Sorry... $870 for a Sirui lens... ouch. To each their own, but I don't like the idea of funding manufacturing for an established company like Sirui.

Damn... $1000 is a whole lot of money for a Sirui lens.

Interesting. I wonder what their process is/was for choosing which glass to use to build their lenses. I must admit, I am just getting interested in proper cinema lenses, not that I can afford any of them, but reading about them has been fun.

I wonder what the prices are to rent just their lenses? If a lot of DPs were using the Genesis, then the popularity of the Panavision primes would make a lot of sense because of the bundle. With that said, Panavision lenses are amazing and I believe they source and tweak their lenses for individual needs.

I remember reading somewhere that a lot of Panavision lenses are rebranded and tweaked but I don't remember where I read it or what they rebrand.

I agree. When I hear the phrase, field curvature, I instantly think of the Zeiss 28mm f/2 "Hollywood" lens. By measurement standards, the lens is actually poorly rated but it has that "magical" quality that can be attributed to field curvature and probably some micro contrast to deliver that 3D Pop. This is why I'm such a big fan of Zeiss lenses. The Rollei Zeiss, Contax Zeiss and the ZF Classics offer an affordable entryway into, almost, cinema quality glass with the character that's synonymous with a perfectly, imperfect image. I don't know that lens, but it sounds pretty damn cool. I'm a huge fan of Minolta lenses. One of the biggest drawbacks of going EF mount was losing the ability to use my Minolta lenses. I sold a lot of them but even bought one that was EF modified and plan on making Minolta to EF mods a side hobby now that I have settled on my humble lens collection. I have a 55mm 1.7 in mint condition that cost me 15 bucks. It doesn't seem too difficult to mod. And I need to figure out why the 35mm 1.8 (one of my favorite lenses of all time) I bought won't focus past 3-4 feet. It feels like there may be something inside the lens blocking the helicoid. I just need to find the right screwdriver to open it up with. So far, no micro screwdriver I tried is the right size.

Just get a Cooke Panchro... much better lens.

Sure I'd like the widest coverage possible but that wasn't necessarily the point of my question. I just liked the look of the frame, so I was curious if better trained anamorphic eyes and more knowledgeable members could deduce what lens he was using. Okay, thanks. So much information in such a short time is getting muddled in my spherical, full frame brain. Although the Kowa 16-... variants are a lot cheaper, I keep going back to the Kowa B&H/16H/8z/Elmoscope II scopes. Based on eBay prices, the 16 lenses aren't really that cheap, so I may just save my money and search for a B&H/16H/8z/Elmoscope. In your opinion what is a good price for a very good to mint condition copy of: Kowa 16a, 16d, 16s Kowa B&H Kowa 16H/8z Elmoscope II Thanks again, I appreciate your guys' help! Thanks, I haven't heard of the Sankor before... I assume that's the same one Timotheus mentioned? What are those frames from? Idk, maybe the frame I posted is from an aps-c sensor, I just based my assumption by his surprise of coverage. I assumed he wouldn't have been as surprised if it was shot on a 1.5x crop camera.

I've been doing some research on the Kowa Prominar 2x lenses and I was wondering if all of the models worked about the same (other than the 8z, 16H, B&H) I found an old post on DVXUser where a guy posted this... "I have a kowa prominar 16 (not sure what exact model). The rear element is really really small (<40mm), however I was surprised when I tried attaching it to a nikon lens (55 macro) and discovered that it is not only beautiful and shows minnimal vigneting, but that it was way sharper than the sankor D and allows to focus down to 1.5meters." He didn't mention what camera he was using, but based on his surprise of coverage with a 55mm, I assume he was using a full frame camera. Anyway, I think this looks fantastic, 55mm taking lens or not, so does anyone have any idea which model he could have used based on his description? That was just a screengrab from my phone, here's the link to the actual post... http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?182386-Sankor-Kowa-Anamorphic-Lens-Discussion-and-Footage/page30

That's true, it is an odd way of explaining it but Cooke's are odd lenses... they're defects add to their beauty. I know @HockeyFan12 knows a lot about Cooke lenses, maybe he can shed some light on this?

I think he's using layman terms to describe field curvature and 3D Pop.

Cool! Out of curiosity, how did you guys get those jobs when you first started? Nice small set up. It looks tiny on that tripod. And the SmallHD monitor looks tiny on the camera. What lens(es) were you using?

First I will say, nice shots. It took me a minute to realize what the second one was... and I still am unsure if it's tree bark or a tribute to Allister Crowley. Second I must admit that of all the lenses I have owned over the years, I think the EF 50mm 1.4 USM lens is an underrated gem for the price. Do you remember what aperture these were shot at? And finally, you could get some work color grading feature films. There is such a rich, modern style to your work, especially in the midtones.

In another thread, @thebrothersthre3 was discussing a feature he is filming on the P4K. I'm curious to hear more about the project, or more importantly, how the P4K is working on a long form project. I know you direct as well as shoot, so I guess first and foremost I'd like to know if it's your film, or are you the DP? Also, do you have a picture of the rig? What kind of lighting are you using? And finally, are there any impediments, or have you had any issues, using the P4K for a feature film narrative?

I believe you're correct but the horizontal FOV would be equivalent to a 67mm lens and the vertical would be a 100mm. But I think the crop factor on the P4K is 1.89x, so then it would make the horizontal FOV equivalent to a 64mm lens. I think?