Trek of Joy

NZ is beautiful, I actually looked into a work visa so I could apply for jobs - but I could not qualify despite a college degree and lots of professional experience. As far as my brief research went, you need to work in a field that's heavily in-demand, and journalist/digital marketing/social media is not one of those fields. Puerto Rico requires nothing for an American to move outside of the cost of getting there. That said I'd still like to spend a few years in NZ. Chris

I have the Lowepeo Flipside Trek 450 AW and I absolutely love it, far better than the overhyped Peak Design bags. Mine has been to 40+ countries, on countless planes, trains, busses, tuk-tuk’s and so on. It’s survived Africa, Patagonia, hikes up 10k foot volcanoes, treks through Indian cities and it still looks like new. It’s comfortable to wear all day in 100f+ heat, does a great job in heavy downpours and protects your gear well. I use it everyday and if lost I’m buying another immediately. Check it out Chris

This is c700 territory. Seems like $20k is a little low. Canon certainly isn’t going to sell a Global shutter camera with this spec sheet for $4000. The 1dc was what, $15,000 when it was released? Chris

That looks destined for the Cinema line. They're not releasing a 10mp hybrid and they're certainly not releasing a 4k60p hybrid or something that does 12-bit internal given how conservative they are with 5d4 or EOS R video specs. Its a Cx00 sensor if anything. Chris

So far so good, after a couple weeks its becoming very intuitive - almost as fast as FCPx with better audio editing tools. I'm focusing on my three needs -- audio production, grading and most of all editing. I'm really liking just about everything about it. Its replacing FCPx & an older version of Protools, or Premiere and Audition depending on the project. Its really well sorted on just about all fronts, if you see the logic behind it, it really makes sense. That's why I like the BM video so much, they show a lot of really great features that I hadn't discovered in other overview videos I've gone through in the last few weeks. What seemed like a really steep learning curve is actually no worse than any other NLE I've worked with, it just has its own process and its actually pretty easy to grasp once you see the basics. And its so easy to move between editing, audio production and grading, I love just clicking on the icons on the bottom and bouncing between media, edit, color and audio. It took awhile to wrap my head around nodes and the ways to link them, how to use them and so on, now it makes perfect sense. I just have to figure out how to get it to show the estimated file size when exporting a finished edit, so I can adjust the bitrate to suit file size limitations like Facebook uploads without waiting for the finished product. Most of the time its not an issue, but I was doing 1-hour versions of a Yule Log project and getting the file size correct took a few tries, at about 4 hours each. Then there was the 8-hour version ( lots of looping) that took 22 hours to export. And it took 4 tries to get the bitrate right and it froze on me a couple of times. Grrr.... But I think the project just overtaxed my ram or video card. On shorter pieces, like 30 sec to 6 min its been fantastic, and really fast from start to finish. And that manual, aye. Seems like a good chunk is Fusion and that one is way beyond most of my needs. I'm not a motion graphics person, so I'm all about the templates. But I do need to learn to animate titles so after getting comfortable with grading, audio and editing I will start work with Fusion basics. The above is a long winded way of saying no regrets about jumping in and making the switch. I really like the all-in-one solution. I tried v12 and didn't like it, but v15 is so much better. I'm now producing photo and video pieces for VISIT FLORIDA and Resolve is going to play a big part in what I do going forward. Eventually a Pocket 4k will too, I shoot a lot of sunrise/sunset stuff so raw will be a welcome addition sometime early next year. Every day I spend 30 minutes or so on a tutorial to sharpen my skills. Thanks for all the help and resources. I check this thread almost daily to see if anyone posts anything new. Cheers Chris

You need to contact Amazon since you were not shipped the correct item. Amazon backs that guarantee, I've exchanged a lens that wasn't a US version and they took care of it promptly. Did you register the serial # after you bought it, I've done that with stuff bought outside the US and got a warning about my address not matching place of origin. Good luck. Chris

Just saw that Blackmagic has uploaded tutorials. The grading tut is linked above, but I found their intro video to be far more comprehensive than any other I've watched so far. If you're new to Resolve, this is where to start. There are a lot of clever tools and time savers that nobody else talks about. As an editor its far more powerful and well sorted than I first thought. I get all of this is in the manual, but I'm a visual learner and things like the edit overlay and how you can choose where your clip is inserted into the timeline is much easier to grasp when you see it in action. Highly recommended. Chris

You know being Sony it will be gimped I’m many ways because they certwill not stop heavily segmenting their models.

A7s3 will get a watered down spec sheet. The rest seems destined for the FS line and above given Sony’s way of doing things. I wouldn’t get my hopes up for anything mind blowing. Just because it can doesn’t mean Sony will let it happen, remember how long we’ve had the same 8-bit 420 video in the e-mount hybrids. Chris

Lots to chew on. Thanks for all the input. I'm considering selling my iMac and my Macbook, then moving to a newer iMac with more power. Maybe I'll just run windows on the Mac. Ran into the compatibility issue today, an agency sent me a file that my PC wouldn't open. So I still have to live in both worlds. Chris

This couldn't have come at a better time as I downloaded R15 over the weekend and started my (super procrastinated) transition from FCPx/Premiere to Resolve. My goal is to complete at least one new tutorial every day. I'm still doing just the basics, but this thread is a bookmark. Thanks Chris

I've been editing some raw footage and my late 2015 model (4ghz i7, 4gb video, 32gb ram, 1tb ssd) slows down considerably. I'm not 100% sold on going Windows as I'd hate to mess with two systems. Its already a PITA dealing with multiple cameras. Just seems to be something that will make collaborating easier, and the iMac Pro's eye watering prices are too hard to stomach. I wonder if those will be any faster than my current iMac. I won't buy something for a marginal gain, I'd rather buy the P4k and grind it out with my current setup. I'm really looking for a noticeable difference. Thanks for the links.

Yeah, I looked that the guide. Some of the boxes spec'd are $10k+, but the common theme is more cores in the processor and lots of ram, plus a high end GPU. I haven't looked at PC's in years, but with Dell you can add 1.5 TB of ram for a cool $45,000. Yikes. I'm getting a HDR monitor as well, that's not included in the PC budget. Thanks. Chris

So true. That’s a $25k camera. We’re going to get more of the same 8-bit 4:2:0 stuff.

Hate to drag this thread OT, but thanks for the tips. I decided to move to Resolve a couple days ago and it’s been daunting. I’ll check out the manual, I haven’t bothered because most are completely useless. Thanks. Chris

What it doesn't address is carrying another expensive disposable device for people that live on their phones. I just don't see many teenagers carrying this to do something their phone already accomplishes. There are apps that will do exactly what you're talking about with video for instant sharing, and no need for the Osmo, since everyone will still have to carry a phone. Like I said, cool what they're doing, just not sure who its aimed at. Chris

After years of being Mac only and a one-man-band, my work is requiring me to be more collaborative with a few PC only shops. So to make life easier, I'm going to move to Resolve as my main editor and build a windows box. I'll be editing stills/video including h264 and h265 from various hybrids and raw from a Blackmagic P4k at some point in the next 6 months or so. My grades are mostly primaries with a lut, along with lots of titles and music/audio tweaks. I don't do FX. I have a 1tb SSD on my iMac as my main edit drive. Most projects are no more than 4 or 5 minutes long (though I'm doing an 8-hour Yule Log by looping a 30 minute Red shot this weekend, first in HD and then upscaling to 4k), so I do want another SSD. Beyond that I'm not sure where to go. Any advice on where to focus the cash in terms of processor, video cards, ram and so on is greatly appreciated. My budget is $3000-ish for the box, and I'm just going to go with something like Alienware because I don't want to mess with a pile of parts to build, chasing down drivers, figuring out why audio isn't working with certain pieces of software and so on - that's what drove me to Mac in the first place. Plus, I'm knee deep in learning Resolve while trying to wrap 3 edits, along with 3 more shoots coming up that have to be turned around before x-mas. I've looked at the BMD hardware guide, but I'd like some advice from other users as well. Thanks for any suggestions. Chris

I have 4 teenage nieces, they all prefer their phones since the Osmo can’t make calls, text, Instagram, FaceTime and so on. And they don’t edit anything or even use a computer, with the Osmo you have to offload through another device. Travel and vloggers seem to be the target, but beyond stabilization it doesn’t really deliver for either since you need accessories. Kudos for bringing something different, but the Hero7 with a simple handle still looks better to me, and it’ll likely be a lot more rugged Chris

The Osmo is smoother and image looks a little better than the Hero7, but is it a waterproof crash cam? That's the main reason I use a GoPro in any production. Seems like a solution looking for a problem given the volume of action cams sold in the last 5 or 6 years. Plus a phone/action cam gimbal is cheaper and the Osmo IQ doesn't look any better than most current 4k phones. I guess if you don't have a GoPro or a phone and need stabilized video this makes sense, otherwise there are other options that don't require yet another device. Maybe I'm too cynical and just going into device overload now that I'm carrying the Sony's for stills/video, a gimbal for the a73, my iPhone XSmax, a Osmo phone gimbal, a GoPro, a 360 camera, and a Phantom 4 for productions depending on the needs of the day. Chris

I do the same thing with my Manfrotto video monopod and the a73, or my extendo-pole with the GoPro. There’s enough weight to slow the small movements that make stuff look jittery. I have an office video/holiday card shoot coming up and I’m planning on doing multiple takes using my monopod for a more handheld look in addition to a gimbal. Chris

I’ve actually shot with the camera in the US and in 50hz countries. The banding is well documented using ES or when shooting video, as is the solution.

For regions with 50hz lights 25p and 1/50 (or multiples of 50) will eliminate banding in video or when shooting stills with the electronic shutter. In the US with 60hz lights, 30p and 1/60 (or multiples of 60) is the cure. Chris

I’d like to see proof of that, sensor readout speeds with a 25ms RS in 24/5p seem to indicate otherwise.

The video posted above confirmed what I was seeing from the footage. It looks like it can partially be attributed to a better lens on the P4P. The distortion on the MP2 at full FOV is pretty severe. Now I just have to get my FAA certificate.... Chris

That's the strength of m43 and where Panasonic and Olympus are failing. They're trying to take on FF with large $2000 bodies and bigger/faster lenses that cost far more than FF when you factor equivalency - this is enthusiast territory and FF is the $2000+ standard. Stabilization and class leading video specs, an advantage m43 had for years, is no longer enough when everyone else now offers the same. Plus FF is really pushing the envelope for mirrorless AF, m43 is sorely lagging behind. Personally, with FF, I carry lighter zooms because DR is just so good with the recent Sony sensors. I use fast primes for shallow DOF stuff and with Sony I carry the a6300 as a cheap/light backup. Chris