Sekhar

These are all visually appealing in their own way, but I'm not sure any of them was really telling any story. "Rising China" had great drone shots (almost like a demo reel for a drone company); "Watchtower of Turkey" had some interesting visuals and novel cutting; "Gateway to the Ganges" had some exotic images, especially appealing to the western audience. In fact, this is pretty much the norm in the travel shorts I see posted these days: they are all about visual appeal. I guess eye candy usually works when time is short, but it isn't satisfying.

​This is absolutely nuts. Samsung has set a new (high) standard in responsiveness through firmware updates. Yes, there are a lot of quirks in the camera still, but you need to understand this is Samsung's first foray into pro cameras, and by all accounts they've done an incredible job with NX1. Let's give props for that rather than calling them dumb. I'm confident they'll come up with many more fixes soon, it hasn't even been a year since launch for crying out loud!

Well, at least they fixed it now so it keeps MF as long as you stay in standby mode, which is actually not all that bad since you typically keep shooting video. Let's give them credit for that. Before that it would switch back to CAF every time you stop recording! That was crazy by any standard.

As I said, it's possible on LCD, but not on EVF. ​You actually have two options: x5 and x8.

Yeah, but a MAJOR pain with using non-Samsung lenses is that there's no focus peaking in video mode, which is precisely where you need it the most. At least with my Samsung lens (16-50) I can turn off AF on the lens and get peaking in video. If you use the LCD, you CAN get peaking with non-Samsung lenses too by clicking an option on the screen (which is another pain, but at least it's possible), but there's no way to get peaking when using the viewfinder.

OK, go to standby mode by hitting the custom right key on the back, switch to manual focus by hitting the AF ON button, and you're set to record in MF. Then when you stop recording, you'll stay in standby mode and manual focus. You can start/stop the recording any number of times. Just don't switch away from standby mode (by either hitting the custom right key again or taking a still picture, for example), and you're good.

Just turn off the AF on the lens, that's what I do. Or stay in standby mode.

​I once heard a saying: "A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still." He's going to find out soon enough on his own.

Yes, variable ND is way more useful because it rolls many filters into one so you don't need to keep fiddling and swapping. Also, buying multiple filters adds up in cost quickly. For video, it also works as a de-clicked aperture control of sorts because you can continuously vary the light. I have the Tiffen 77mm with multiple step-down rings for different lenses, and it seems to work well for what it costs. Few caveats though, based on my experience: Variable ND is typically more expensive than the £50 you want to spend, though it can save in the long run.It adds a color cast, depending on the model, though it's easy to correct in post.You can't add a lens hood, which might be a serious issue depending on your shooting condition.The biggest issue for me is that it adds flare, which is quite noticeable when shooting into bright areas (see photos below, without and with the filter).Especially for the flare, these days I just reduce the shutter angle rather than bother with the filter.

j.f.r. had an interesting observation on this in an earlier thread. Basically, big budget folks are not going to blur out their $$$ sets and spectacular locations; whereas low budget indies have a lot to hide in most cases. Which probably explains part of indies' infatuation with super shallow DoF.

​Ebrahim, you clearly like the camera. I can't argue with your opinion that the difference in quality shows even on this YouTube clip, because it's an opinion. But I don't think you supported it with anything factual other than saying that the large sensor makes it possible to shoot wide shoots with less distortion. I don't believe that's accurate. As I understand, differences in distortion come from lens design. With the same design, whether you use a small frame with a wide lens or a large frame with longer lens, as long as you get the same field of view you're going to have the same level of distortion. So, frame size plays no part other than letting you go wider with the same lens. I may be wrong though, please point to a credible source if I am.

​I think Jonesy was being tongue in cheek about the DOF because it's actually quite large in almost all the shots. And yes, the visuals are great, but how exactly is that because of Alexa 65 and its super large sensor? I don't honestly see how you can tell the difference from a YouTube clip. There are a lot of other amazing things going on in the trailer.

Is there a way to save all settings so we can restore them after a firmware update? Since NX1 resets the camera to factory default (and apparently not always a full default) I go through every option to set everything back, which is both tedious and error prone.

OK, i have a couple of questions for my education, would appreciate your answers: The footage seems to be using only half of the DR (e.g.. nothing above 70%), why would you shoot with such broad DR for scenes that don't demand it? Seems totally wasteful of the precious 10 bits the camera is giving you. Or was it just an exposure mistake?I don't see any detail in the white shirt highs regardless of how I mess with the grade even though everything is maxed out at 70%. Am I missing something? Or is it just a consequence of not using the entire DR as I mentioned above?

​Is the framing mode on when the camera is new? That was the behavior when I first turned on the camera, and that would explain why it could happen after a firmware update. But why with only some cameras (looks like the rest of us didn't have framing mode turn on) and why only certain times? I've had a number of things flip after a battery change, but it doesn't happen all the time.

​No, working fine here. I did have the problem you described when I first got the camera though, it got fixed by itself after I reloaded the battery and fiddled with a few switches (don't remember exactly what fixed it). Try taking out the batteries and/or resetting the camera. I love the NX1 and everything, but it does have these kind of glitches on and off: e.g., I had it reset the DR gamma settings when I removed the battery. Hopefully all these will get smoothed out with future firmware updates.

The headline feature of XC10 is that it's 4K. Yet, footage after footage that's been posted to date has been soft, like it's a HD DSLR. Still, we have have ardent supporters ignoring both the specs and the results and vigorously defending it. It's either an overpowering brand loyalty or a contrarian attitude that simply wants to go against the majority view. Reminds me of an evolution debate where the creationist hears a five minute listing of facts supporting evolution and responds with "I don't believe it." Touche. Seems pointless to engage in XC10 discussions till we have much more footage/results/experiences.

OK, one is a recipe video; the other is an ad. Why are we comparing the two?

I'd tighten the edit a bit. E.g., remove repetitions, like at 0:21 where you put spinach a second time. Also, it doesn't seem too appetizing to me, may be embellish the scene with things we associate with good food? Technically it seems fine, if that's what you wanted feedback on.

​Yes, sharper than 1080p, but we're talking 4K here: it's supposed to be 4x the resolution, you need to raise your bar a bit. 4K out of say NX1 puts this to shame. Going by the footage jpfilmz posted, it almost looks like there's a diffusion filter (it has the soft, misty look even if more detailed than 1080p)...unless the jpfilmz crew actually slapped on a filter of some sort. Or it's just the usual Canon soft look.

If you scale in Premiere Pro, be sure to check the "Use Maximum Render Quality" in the export dialog, apparently that scales at a higher quality. There is some debate on whether or not a CUDA render option automatically selects this option, but it's better to check it yourself to be sure.

​Yep, pretty clear XC10 auto-focus system was designed by a guy!

​Could you post a piece of the 4K footage ungraded and in 4K on YouTube? Specifically one from the outdoor (sunlight) and without too much movement like in the beginning of the clip? The way you posted, the footage seems too soft and contrasty. I expected at least the 4K->1080p part to be sharp. Looking at the original 4K footage will help. It may have been focusing related though since the indoor clip (6:02 onward) looks sharper (although again the focus seems more on her chest than the face) than the outdoor part. The depth of field does look really large, not sure what the settings were. Overall, I thought it has a pleasing, organic look though it is more like a regular HD DSLR than a 4K camera.

​Shooting in 4K helps even if you're doing 1080p: simulate multi-camera/slider/jib/zoom/pan/recomp/etc. See Using 4K to simulate two-camera shoot (and other things) for some examples/discussion. IMO the trick is to always figure out how to take advantage of new technology, not resist it.

​At least you made it interesting with what you had. Covering a runway is a bit different though in that once you have a viewpoint like you had in the video you have everything in the frame, and you can add interest by creative cutting. The challenge with a wider frame, like a stage in my case, though is that you need to shoot at two focal lengths: one to cover the whole stage to show what's going on and one to go tight. My point was that if you shoot with 4K, you can do both in a sense, as if you shot with two cameras and mixed. Which can be a lifesaver. Did you do anything with the GH4 to take advantage of the 4K in particular? Please share if you did. Always good to see others' work.