scotchtape

It sucks, and maybe I am too old now, but it's more or less always been like this for SONY in general... like back from the walkman/discman/minidisk players. Once the next big thing is released, that is pretty much it, the product you have almost doesn't exist anymore. I'm actually surprised they even do firmware updates at all. I'm not saying it's good, just unsurprising considering the company as a whole. Not sure why they don't want to develop good will with the camera community, but I guess if it doesn't hurt them financially why would they care.

The BP-TRXs are pretty noisy in general, what mic are you using? The one with the BP-TRX timecode kits are trash (W lav) and I get a similar noise out of them. When I used the mics in the full duo rx kit (w lav pro) I didn't have the same problem. I can't use my MKE-2 with them unless I make an adapter which I'm not going to bother doing. If it's anything like the experience I had, it's the lavs that were picking up interference, try another lav that is compatible. I had the same thing with the BP-TRX where in record only mode the w lavs were ok, but turn on the transmit mode and it went to poop. Even the Sennheiser AVX units I have get weird popping noises (not from plosives) and those cost a fair chunk more.

Interesting. Hopefully someone compares 600D and this 450D in a softbox to see if they do have similar total output. Still looking for something cheaper though 😄 $1/W or less!

RC450D looks like it only consumes 400W so... only 400W output. I can't find any more info on this new to me light but it's apparently 600W, NiceFoto LV-6000B. Could be a contender if it ever becomes widely available... https://en.nicefoto.cn/Products/LED_Video/LED_COB_Light/2022524.html Fotogenic in AUS has it listed for $940USD though... not sure what the actual AE price will be, but I think still a bit too high considering the 3000B seems to be around $300USD. Their YT video says $699 USD... The removeable back panel that turns into a controller is pretty cool though!

ZSYB light. I'm assuming the 3 diodes near the caps on the bottom are to control the current to the LED. Not sure what the caps do, smoothing? That is the output to the COB, the black and brown wires on the bottom. The transformer is the yellow block in the middle, I guess it changes the AC to DC at the same voltage?

Wow, the AR LX light they sent was a piece of junk, not sure if they sent a knock off of a knock off, it draws 100W. Dispute here we come!

The cheapest models lack usability features for work and have questionable light quality - for example on your first link - no display on the unit, no control on the unit itself. Remote also has no display. Not to mention no color metrics for product. Also very old design with open front for noisy airflow if the fan is not quiet. The other Colbor stuff looks ok if you need RGB, but are low output. We are talking about getting high quality powerful lights for cheap in this thread 😄 The ZYSB is magenta initially (good because they green up over time). I think the meter said around +1 green, so not great, but for me it's not the end of the world.

For the ZSYB light I only tested at undervolt settings and the readings are good, haven't bothered to do a full test at 300W. I bought the Yinleader 1000W transformer, it's like $60USD on Amazon. I just plugged it into a wattmeter initially because the output was halved compared to the FS300, I checked with the transformer and it's drawing 300W so all good there. @j_one I'll update when the other light comes in the mail, might be complete trash. It's this one (can't even search by name, there is no name in the listings and I couldn't find any others lol): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005003436322681.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.0.0.18031802IdPYPY The photo says QinYue AR-LX0101, tried to search for reviews etc but found nothing except listings in Thailand. It's $120USD on AE. The handle mount looks like crap and the remote has no display, but if the light is good it should work in an array for sun fighting power, plus it looks very compact. Sound might be an issue though since the front looks like the old design where there is airflow through the front (yuck). At $120USD it's 1/3 the price of Nanlite FS300 which already was the cheapest "good" 300W LED at launch of $350, now $380USD. The ZYSB at half price would have been amazing if not for the power issue, I don't know enough about PCB circuits to determine what to replace on the board, if anything. If anyone is interested in helping that would be appreciated because it would be a killer deal on a light for the price... Quiet, powerful, lightweight, remote, cheap (and cheap build quality) but good quality metrics. I did test the voltage of the DC leads to the COB and they measured at mains voltage, so I'm not sure what the coil transformer on the PCB does. But that probably saves weight since there's no need for a transformer to change the mains voltage for the LED.

I'm trying some really cheap Chinese lights. I actually found one really good 300W but unfortunately it only works with 220V - so if you're in 220V land look up ZSYB LED on ali express ~ $180USD!!! Comes with remote and the metrics with my C800 read very good, nanlite and aputure level. Fan is also quiet - amazing! I bought a 110V>220V transformer and it works. Only works on half power here with 110V 😞 Ordered a different one to test that is even cheaper but works with universal AC 😄 still in the mail. I have a 4x nanlite FS300 array which was amazing at the time for price/performance with the fan mod, but on a recent shoot wanted even more lights, found even cheaper lights now 😄 Am looking forward to a cheaper 600W fixture, but the current crop of 600/1200Ws are that they are overbuilt for mass market and quite heavy, 4x 300W are lighter and cheaper and take up less space so it's hard to justify getting a 600W/1200W unit, way more $$$, heavier, and takes up more space... I'm thinking at least 3 more years before we see any of the cheaper bigger boys that are lighter.

I was annoyed that FX6 only had no lower bitrate options, I think 24p is 400mbps Hasn't been as annoying as I thought after the initial SD card purchases. Working projects on SSD or M2 and archived on HDDs.. B-roll and B cam is A7SIII XAVC-S 4K 60fps 200mbps. 24fps is 100 I think, wish it was higher oh well. 200 or 250 is good but 400mbps isn't terribad if you have lots of 256gb cards.

Went to Sony land. More or less satisfied. Any system has its pros and cons. A7SIII does many things sufficiently to make money with. Also went with FX6 for a bigger camera but I only use it on sticks. Otherwise I use a gimbal with the A7SIII. Depending on your style the IBIS may work - it's decent for static shots, but for walking shots it's not so great unless you're using a gimbal. On the other hand if you can live with the current process for the gyro stabilization, you can use that as well. I much prefer what I can get out of the Sony color wise. I use the usual slog3 except I typically use the Phantom luts, although I must say I don't like the current version and still use the older version. I will say that the NR is very heavy handed in low light. Since COVID times I haven't done any events so I haven't explored that area myself, but I know the A7III I used was streets ahead of the GH5 so I think I'll be fine. I really hated the color and DR from my GH5 even if the weight and IBIS were good. Most GH5 footage seems to be from either (no offense) wannabe filmmakers where the grade always looks like something is wrong with the contrast curve, or from videographers who don't have an eye for color. There's a few people who can make it sing and I definitely couldn't, but maybe you can. Otherwise the S5 low light looked very very good color wise, but there's the trash Panasonic AF and the lens selection... Manual focus during fast paced weddings - good luck for the average person.

As an update, I did manage to record a full 128gb card with 60fps no overheating, weird. I tried the HDMI output for you, set to 4K 24fps 100mbps, dual card rec (IBIS and AF on, shading comp off) to Shogun 7. Weirdly the Atomos screen showed 4K 60fps input... and the HDMI record trigger does not work. Poked around on google and someone said do not use auto settings for HDMI. I changed it to 4K out and Shogun accepted 24p signal. HDMI record trigger still not working though, HDMI input cut out intermittedly with a 1080p cable, replaced it with 8K cable and it was fine. Anyhoo, recorded for 1.5hr total without issue (several short restarts with settings changes) then I cut the test short. 🤷‍♂️ Maybe point a fan at the camera? I thought I would get rid of one A7SIII when this came in but I don't think I will. This poor A7IV has only been subject to tests and not even used yet! I'm assuming you know you're supposed to flip the screen out etc?

I think it's coming from the pan motor.

I actually took apart the Zeapon slider motor because the resonance was horrendous, there is no acoustic insulation at all in there, just motor bolted to hollow plastic chamber. I added some rubber washers and sound insulation, didn't do much but at least the tripod stopped being a giant speaker for the motor. Also I couldn't figure out how to remove the gear from the stepper motor, there was no set screw I could see so no go on replacing that one. Ifootage basically said talk to the vendor from Ali express which is basically like saying go pound sand. I might try buying another one from BH to see if it's just this unit.

Does anyone else have this slider? Is it just me or is the motor noise really annoying? It sounds whiny and is definitely not silent, and slowing it down doesn't seem to help either. If I use put 0 for the motor settings, it's quiet enough (not picked up by boom or lav) but then it's very shaky. If I use auto-tune with the camera on, it is stable but is loud enough to be picked up by mics. The zeapon with Pons at similar speeds is quieter, but if you try to run it faster than a 40s full slide it starts to get noisy in a hurry. 😞 It's 2022 and sliders are still too loud, what gives? The silent stepper motor drivers are crazy good compared to the olden days...

Tried again with another Sony battery, and set it up on a tripod this time. Got full 128gb 1:15 4K 60fps XAVC-S 200mbs. Dual slots 20C with lens corrections off except for distortion. AF / IBIS on. Overheat warning just coming on as card had 1 minute left.

I got 50mins of 4K60 before shut down 😞 dual slots, XAVCS 4:2:2 10 bit 200mbps. Ambient 20C I think warning came on around 40 min mark, not 100% sure. At least 24p works!

In the meantime you can turn off the auto lens corrections. Also open the screen, battery door and SD card slot, as well as the the port covers. And set the viewfinder to standard quality / fps Heat wise it is definitely worse than the A7III but at least it wasn't marketed as a video camera. On my A7III I would get overheating if I left lens corrections on depending on the lens so I turned it off. On my A7SIII I leave shading correction off and distortion on. Shading correction seems to be buggy - I've had a few "glitches" in video mode where a frame or two will have correction turned off then on again. I've also noticed some batteries run hotter than others - even the Sony ones. I have 3 extra OEMs and one causes overheating more easily in my A7III. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a recall, but with the parts shortage not sure if that can even happen.

Tested mine, 4hr no overheat in 4K 10bit 24p. Ambient about 18C. Camera gets really warm though, even just in the menus. Runs hotter than A7III 😞

Just tested a brand new copy with an A7SIII and the AF-C needs some work. AF-C in video mode is a bit flaky with hunting, at least in my room. In some cases it couldn't find focus! Just like the G1, I'm pretty sure this one needs an update ASAP to be useable... Just posting in case anyone is thinking of selling their G1 before getting a G2.

I'm upgrading my A7III to A7IV, bit disappointed with the lack of FF 60FPS but if you do video work the 10-bit and option for 4K slow mo at least makes it a backup to the A7SIII. I think 6K/8K is going to be here soon so I don't know if in 5 years any camera is going to be relevant!

In my experience of trying to maximize efficiency of lights, the answer is no. In your example, at the same distance if you used the fresnel vs softbox, the fresnel would produce a small hotspot which is totally useless for soft lighting. If you then moved the light with the fresnel back to cover the same area, it would be farther away and the intensity would greatly decrease. If I've learned anything about softlighting it's that nothing beats more power. The most effective way to get more soft light is to literally get more lights.

After looking around for good monitors, atomos is basically the cheapest for a "pro" monitor with decent screen. The small hd stuff is at least 50% more without recording. The rest of the low end has crap screens. So I don't think it's the end of the world for them as they have the medium end of the market cornered. I just upgraded from ninja inferno to shogun 7, and both of those are way better than the feelworld lut 7 pro and desview r5 I also have. Those monitors look like garbage in comparison.

The new freewell "magnetic VND" (not to be confused with their other similar sounding offerings) looks really innovative, I'll probably pick up one when they're more available. Seriously innovative and flexible, VND/CPL/Mist system. All of the VNDs will produce some color shift. Many of the newer ones have negligible effects on sharpness, all of them also have the polarization effect. The fixed NDs are more annoying to use but of course better. I currently have 2x SLR Magic Variable ND filters (and the 4 stop IEND), they are one of the better price/performance. A tiny hit to sharpness, slight warming of image, but you can adjust the polarization angle, plus I think affordable for the quality. They obviously have no marketing department compared to Polar Pro / Freewell but I think it's a great pick. Just based on quality I would say any of the Polar Pro / Freewell (new ones) / SLR Magic / Auorara VNDs are the "best" quality right now. I also just picked up the SLR Magic fixed ND screw on set solely for the 1 stop filter as the FX6 END starts at 2. If you are "serious" about it you'll end up with a bunch anyways. Don't bother with any of the no name cheapo ones, or even the branded cheapo ones. Too much color shift and sharpness loss. The Tiffens VND is just the worst and inconsistent for the price. Unforgiveable!

I suggest getting the same fan I used, it's easier to slow a fan down than speed it up (in this context). It's not that much louder, especially for location work it's a non issue unless you're in a quiet house (and even then it's very acceptable). If you want to slow it down just get a bunch of fan slow down cables or one with a pot.