mercer

It still powers on and seems to function... considering it has 4GB of Ram, it may take a while... but if my memory serves me, the transfer was practically in real time anyway. I also have a 08/09 MacMini but it never really worked right and it doesn't seem to have a firewire port. The iMac is an interesting option if my 05 MB can't handle it. Thanks. Do you have any experience with the HVX200? That was a popular camera for low budget narratives back in the day. I remember it being way too expensive for my wallet, but the P2 cards seemed like a cool alternative to tape.

Don't know how often you get over there, but I would LOVE a test of that set up, if you're so inclined. The HV20 has a special place in my heart and especially that "Cinema" mode. Am thinking of picking up an XA10 to have a "modern" access to it.

Before I'm attacked, I should correct my previous comment by acknowledging that miniDV is digital video and not analog.

Btw, love this discussion. There are so many great camcorders out there. I posted about a cool workaround for HV20 footage... since it has a clean HDMI out and a full HDMI port, you can use a Ninja Star or Ninja 2 and record straight to ProRes with that vintage analog vibe. And since the 24p requires a 3:2 pulldown, I believe the early Ninja recorders did that on the fly?

The world can be a coincidental place sometimes... I am in the process of trying to get old miniDV footage into my computer. My old laptop... circa 2005 has a FireWire port and although it still works, I don't know if it can handle a transfer. My "new" computer is 10 years old, a MB Air, this doesn't have a FireWire port... so I thought I could just use a DVi to USB-A cable... but I assume that's too easy?

I've tested many cheap ones and have found that the cheapo Bower vnd well worth having in your bag... hard stops and no color cast. Dugdale did a huge VND comparison test years ago and although not the best for sharpness, it did well with color casts. The other brand I use is B+W Vario ND... it also did well in the comparison for color cast and sharpness. And it has hard stops but it maxes out at 5 stops. So I keep both in my bag and use accordingly. Often times I end up using the Bower because I find I prefer a little extra softness to the 4K raw Sigma FP image and I often shoot in dusty, sandy locations so it's much better to muck up a $25 vnd than a $150 one. Finally, I have used those Fotodiox ND adapters... not the electric ones for EF, but the dummy ones for various vintage lenses and think they work really well on some lens mounts with minimal color cast (if any) And really finally... the other day I was looking at some old footage from my eos-m and at the time I was using the ultra cheap Fotga VND... no hard stops so you have to be careful with them and the X pattern and there is a heavy green color cast... but it's almost like a built in color grade if you're looking for that kinda look. And they're really cheap.

For you vintage lens fans, here's an oldie but a goodie... I was able to get out over the weekend with my FP and I finally tested the 10bit cDNG mode... hat tip to @BTM_Pix for recommending that mode... feels really solid while saving some storage space... and I brought out the Minolta MC 55mm 1.7. Wide open it's a little glowy, but not bad, but stopped down to 2.8 and I feel it shines...

My friend has that lens for his S5iiX. Steady with IBIS and the AF works well with it... and yes it is razor sharp and contrasty. He originally had the Sigma 24mm but when shooting vLog, at 640 iso on a bright, sunny day with a VND, there was some heavy vignetting. So he returned it and decided on the Panny 35mm.

It looks great. Love the motion you captured in the still. Still really like the color too. I've been so tempted to try out a Sony camera... eventually the FX30 probably.

Never mind... I didn't read your comment thoroughly enough. Or it would appear... at all. Haha. Still a nice shot, though!

That's a really nice image! Love the color work. Was that with the Micro? Nah, it's gotta be from a 4K, right?

The XA50 I've been messing around with for the past few weeks has brought a new joy to filming that I haven't experienced since I first started shooting with my 5D and an IS lens. The top handle and the hood with its flip switch lens cap makes carrying and shooting a pleasure. With other cams, in between locations, I'd take off my VND filter and then put the camera back into my bag. With the camcorder, it just sits in my lap until I'm ready to shoot again... which is such a quick process... flip open the lcd, flip the lens cap switch, check exposure, record... I can grab shots from standby mode to record in about 3 seconds or so.

Just to be clear, as long as you hold the button pushed in, the footage will be in slow motion, when you release it, it goes back to regular motion. Such a cool feature that no other camera has. Here's a video I shot with the camera many moons ago. This video just demonstrates the camera in slow motion, not while using the push to slow function. Looking back, I'd probably make the grade a touch less brown, but it was kind of a cold, brown day...

We've discussed this a bunch of times. What an amazing camera. After my 5D, it's one of my favorite cameras I have ever owned. If they upgraded this camera with internal ProRes, I'd preorder it. I also wouldn't mind a smaller lens, even if I lost a touch from the long end. The ProRes 1080p out of the GH6 and S5iiX, I've tested, looks damn near as good as their 4K. But even as is, most people do not need much more. I remember one of my favorite features is the touch to slow motion. I'm sure you remember but you can set a button for slow motion and while recording, push the button and it will ease into slow motion. That feature is right out of old Super 8 cameras.

Wasn't looking at it that way. Whenever I think of adaptable lenses, recent electronic AF lenses never come to mind. I'm always thinking about M42, like your Tak, or PL mount, or c-mount or old S16 Zeiss lenses. Love Super Takumar lenses by the way, I was planning on selling off my small and rather basic collection but then after using the 50mm 1.4, even wide open, on my FP, I remember why I bought them in the first place. If I remember correctly, didn't you used to have the Zeiss Flektogon 35mm 2.4? Or am I thinking of someone else?

That said... it's kinda moot because other than Pentax, nobody really makes DSLRs anymore... or better said... they don't release new models. For me, other than IBIS, the 1DXiii is close to my perfect camera. I guess the R3 would be the comparable mirrorless.

It's cool that you are figuring out your perfect kit, but after reading the reasons why, I am brought to the conclusion that mirrorless cameras, when you add lens design, offers little advantage over DSLRs for size. I understand that this may not affect you, but for a lot of folks, you can get a better balanced camera with a DSLR and a smaller lens. With mirrorless, it seems that the script is just flipped. Obviously, that doesn't pertain to everything. There are plenty of small prime lenses that work perfectly for these small, mirrorless cameras, but once you bring fast(ish) zooms into the equation, which are very attractive, the benefits of mirrorless become minimal... especially when you consider the cost for these zoom lenses. I often read that you can also adapt almost any lens to these mirrorless cameras, but it seems that a lot of folks that say that, usually only shoot with native lenses.

I haven't shot ProRes Raw, but with raw cDNG files you can correct WB in post via the Raw Tab on the Color page in Resolve. You should try to set your Kelvin Temperature as close in camera as possible or use the presets. And then once in Resolve you can change the temperature and tint on the raw tab. As long as you know what type of lighting equals what Kelvin temperature you should be able to get it close in camera, or change it in post pretty easily. In FCPX, there are a few options... you can change the temp/tint with the color wheels tool, you can use the Balance Color tool which is an automated process in FCPX, or you can follow some of Larry Jordan's suggestions... search for his channel on YouTube, he is pretty much the go to guy for FCPX questions and more than likely will have the answer for you. On a side note, which could be useful... with the GH7, I think you can have your WB set to auto and then customize one of your buttons to toggle on/off AWB Lock. Toggle off the lock for a couple seconds while the camera figures out the WB and then toggle on the AWB Lock. The S5iiX could do it and I found it to be pretty reliable with the ProRes files I was recording. That said, certain situations... like sunsets, AWB may not get the dramatic orange and pink tones perfectly and will adjust it more conservatively and you may have to tweak it to taste in post.

Speaking of camcorders... here's a video I found shot with an XA10 in "cinema" mode with a monochrome filter applied...

Especially in controlled areas that you can light a little and don't need a lot of dynamic range. The HD out of it is gorgeous. I've even seen a couple videos where people have been experimenting with its full hdmi and clean hdmi out to a ninja star to bypass the miniDV and get ProRes files... pretty cool idea. I miss camcorders, but I don't miss tapes.

That makes sense! Form and function working together creating a new visual style. You can grab shots from two different locations and match them in an edit. You can even shoot one side of a conversation if you only have one actor available and get the other angle another day. With shallow DOF, I can shoot inside a coffee house, on a crowded ferry and grab shots while I look like a tourist with a camera and nobody will come back and say that blurry counter is my coffee shop. So as much as I understand that it can be overused, there's also a very practical reason to use it for me. Just another tool.

Well, that much I knew. But there has been plenty of all-i codecs since and although they look better than their IPB counterparts, they still don't look quite as cool as mjpeg used to look... I don't know... maybe it's a nostalgic thing.

When I bought my first DSLR... the t2i... the exciting part was the ability to use shallow depth of field to help hide our lack of production and art design on DIY films. Those original Canon DSLRs lacked detail on wide angle, infinity focused shots but close ups with shallow depth of field looked great. Unfortunately, wide angle shots became very popular due to skateboarding videos and people's desire to go handheld, so people wanted sharper, more detailed images. With IBIS and AF in FF cameras, it makes sense why shallow DOF has become popular again. Like anything else, it's just another tool. I kinda miss tripod and slider shots if I'm being honest... I imagine they work great now with the great AF and motorized sliders that are available. That said, I was recently watching footage from my friend's old HV20 and was floored by how great it looked in that old Canon "cinema" mode. What it lacked in DR, it made up for in color and atmosphere... and no color grading needed.

Was the original firmware mjpeg and the high bitrate was added, or was the mjpeg hidden in the original FW and turned on via the hack? I had an old Panasonic point and shoot that had a CCD sensor and used the mjpeg codec and I just loved the image out of that thing.

There was also something nice about the use of the high bitrate mjpeg codec in those earlier Panasonic cameras... I think the GH1 had it, or it was added in the hack? I am not technical enough to say why, but there was something about the motion that just looked a little more cooler. It worked in the 1DC as well, I think.