Vintage Jimothy

Where's the mockup of the F2.8 Nikkor zoom? Can't find a picture of that anywhere. As for the new Nikkor lenses being made with video in mind, I'd say most of that rings true. However there's a rather obvious elephant in the room with the lens design that needs to be adjusted before the new Z-mount lenses are top notch for video: linear focusing. The focus-by-wire design is still a hinderance for video shooters that prefer to use manual focus over autofocus.

I have a feeling the Z6 will really shine once companies start making a bunch of adapters for vintage lens mounts to the Z-mount. Pretty sure @Andrew Reid said something similar about his Z7 awhile back when he adapted an older Leica to the camera, right?

I might get another speedbooster down the line, but I already bought the Pixco for now. And again, I don't have much money- the thirty dollar difference between Pixco's usual $80 price tag and the $50 I spent for mine is what made me bother with getting a speedbooster at all right now.

Oh trust me, I won't be getting rid of my G85 anytime soon. If I get the a7S, I'll be keeping my G85 too for when I need a backup camera or if a gig requires me to shoot in 4K for some reason. I got the Pixco Focal Reducer. Cheap and I have no expectations of it being the best, but someone was selling theirs for around $50, which was actually in my immediate price range as opposed to other speedboosters typically priced $80 or more. Between the focal reducer and the Minolta, I spent around $130 total. A bit pricey for me, but reasonable enough for the moment.

True. And I've been thinking more and more about the a7S as an option moving forward... but that'd probably be at least a good six months or more away from now if I go that route. That was my thought initially too... Ultimately I went with a Minolta Rokkor PG 50mm f1.4. I also found a possibly affordable focal reducer adapter at a reasonable enough price for me to consider going that route, so that might end up being helpful too. While the Rokkor 50mm is not a very different focal length compared to my Helios 58mm f2, I really want to make sure I have a lens that can help with low light conditions at least a bit on my G85. I'll inevitably pick up a 35mm of some sort soon, as well as an 85mm and 135mm... but with the massive crop on my G85 and the nature of my current gigs, I think sticking around the 50mm focal length is a decent option right now since the crop will give me a telephoto reach, even if I get the focal reducer.

I dig 4K a lot because even if I don't typically need it, that extra resolution helps result in cleaner 1080p footage when I downscale to that. BTW, I'm in the process of debating on what lens to get. Initially I was thinking of getting a native M43 lens, but after my Helios ended up single-handedly saving my first video project for my gig I've mentioned in here before, I think it'd probably be better for me to look at other (and faster) vintage lenses on eBay to adapt to my G85 instead. Still looking at options under that $150-200 price range, preferably underneath $100 too if at all possible. So far I've seen a ton of fast Nifty Fifties like the Canon FD, the Nikkor Non-AI, the Super Takumars and various Minolta Rokkors... but I'm not sure which option would be the best overall. Can anyone provide feedback for that? Since I don't have a speedbooster right now, I'm cool with getting another faster Fifty over my Helios so that I'll have a somewhat easier time shooting in low light for the upcoming videos.

It is a bit of a shame, but IBIS is literally what the X-H line is for. All in all, I think the multitude of features that the X-T3 does have and its price outweigh its lack of IBIS.

Definitely. Heck, one of my good friends from film school is still shooting with his old Canon T3i after all these years and another friend of mine is looking at getting the a6000 as his next camera. And admittedly I'm more the type to look at the latest cameras and what's coming out, so I probably don't think enough about older cameras as often as I should. For now, my camera is the G85. I don't plan on selling it anytime soon and even when the time comes that I do buy another camera (be it an old a7s, an NX1, a new X-T3 or Z6), I'll probably keep the G85 as a secondary/backup camera in case of emergencies. That said, whatever my next camera will be, I don't think I'll be sticking with M43 after this. The sensor/mount definitely have their advantages and all, but I think I'd probably be wiser to look for something that's either APS-C or full frame for better low light performance overall. Whatever M43 lenses I get will just be for the G85.

Mhmm, no arguments there. As I said earlier, a lot of this comes down to "wants vs needs." I'd want a camera that can handle better in low light. I don't necessarily need it though.

I mean, it's not like I'll be getting an a7s (or any new camera for that matter) by springtime anyway, unless I apply for another job to get more income faster. But ultimately I might opt to look into changing to a different camera so that I have something more geared to my needs as a filmmaker right now. We'll see. No arguments there. I love my G85 and I still think I made the right call in picking that as my first camera. But it's been a bit of an eye opener to get a feel for its weaknesses and how that impacts a lot of my personal needs as a filmmaker.

Got back earlier from the first night of shooting for the first gig. Overall, I'd say it went quite well. It wasn't at a traditional theater, so the lighting was a lot better (albeit also probably plainer looking) than future videos will be. Having said that: Thank God I had my Helios on me, because that lens saved my life tonight! Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to the actors and stage as often as I'd have liked (it's a bit of a weird stage in layout), so I mostly had my G85 placed on my tripod with the Helios and pulled focus manually as the actors rehearsed the play and I moved my tripod across the room from time to time to get a variety of shots from different angles. Seriously, never imagined that I'd (mostly) enjoy shooting at a 116mm (plus) focal length, but that extended reach helped immensely tonight. Just had issues from time to time with the tighter framing and messing up my focus pulls, though the latter is on me and not the lens. EDIT: That said, I'm starting to think more and more about @webrunner5's suggestion of picking up a used Sony a7s. It's hardly my dream camera and normally I'd flinch at the thought of buying an even older camera than the G85 to replace it as my main workhorse. But realistically, it does seem like an ideal option within a reachable price range: Higher dynamic range, vastly superior low light capabilities and shooting in 1080p isn't the worst thing in the world. Plus if I need to get back to shooting 4K footage again, I can pick up an Atomos Ninja V to get dat 4:2:2 4K footage externally. Either way, that's a transition I won't be able to move towards for awhile now anyway. There's other gear I need to pick up rather fast too and it'd take awhile to save up the $800-ish needed to buy a used a7s and whatever additional money needed to pick up one or two vintage lens adapters and a couple more vintage lenses.

Any chance you'll upload some video footage of the Z7 + Noctilux combo, Andrew? The photos obviously look stunning, but I really want to see just how cinematic these new Nikons can be when paired with the right lenses.

Agreed. I was surprised by how often the EOS-R and A7iii would lose focus on a subject for a bit, whereas the Z7 seemed to stick to its subjects like glue.

Or so we tell ourselves! I've got enough for tonight and mostly everything I need for these gigs from now to spring. The only real necessity I need is a faster prime lens. I've got my wits, a tripod, an external mic and a camera. Those are necessities. I've also got a gimbal for my iPhone 8 Plus, which isn't an awful camera in its own right either, so I'll likely use that quite a bit tonight for my "exciting B-roll footage" for Video #1. After all, I shot a whole commercial with just that iPhone and gimbal this past summer and it turned out quite well. The issue is what I have looks embarrassingly "starter-ish" (which I am) and there's always that itch of "Oh wouldn't it be great if I had this piece of gear so I can do this shot more easily?" in the back of my head. Besides this is the first time this theater group has opted to enlist someone to make promotional videos for their plays. I'm not getting paid this year (they don't have the money for it and its my first gig, so I think that's fair). At the end of the day, these videos are for experience and to help build my portfolio and reputation. If things go well this year and they want to work with me again next year, then I think I'd be in a better spot to talk with them about money.

Yeah, it's a tricky gig to say the least. Unfortunately for your suggestion about getting an A7s, I don't have the money right now to buy a new camera. Maybe in a year or two, but at the moment I have to work with what I've got and can afford to pick up for the sub-$200 price range (per item) from now until springtime. That includes lenses, LED lights, cage, monitor and slider. This first video in the gig that I'm doing in a few hours is going to be shot at a different location than the rest, so the lighting environment will be at least a little more forgiving (still a bit dark though). I'm aiming to go with a "mini-documentary" style video for that one by doing quick interviews with the cast and crew in a decently lit area for quick soundbites and gather up various (and hopefully exciting looking) shots of B-roll to edit all together. I might opt to just shoot it in 1080p instead of 4K tonight though for a quicker editing process (have to have this first video done by Saturday/Sunday), plus my client is only planning to release these promos on Facebook and Instagram. I'll be sure to keep everyone here posted on this gig as I continue working on them.

That makes sense. I might also opt to pick up a couple of LED lights to bring with me to help lessen the extreme lighting contrasts, since my promo videos for these plays are going to be shot during rehearsals and not the actual performances.

Do you have any advice on how to handle that on a G85? At the moment I'm working with a very limited rig. Just my G85, kit lens, Helios 44-2, tripod, Zhiyun Smooth 4 and my iPhone 8 Plus.

Yeah, I'm not too worried about the actors on stage, since they should generally be well lit. I'm more concerned about the props and stage that aren't as well-lit on stage.

Well, I'm not going to be working solely from the sides of the stage. I'm sure I'll be getting quite a bit of stuff from the front and elsewhere in the theater. I was just using the sides as an example because that's the spot I'm most worried about lighting (they're quite dark, presumably to help hide crew and cast members from audience view when they don't need to be onstage). Besides, as far as reach goes, I already own one vintage lens- a Helios 44-2 58mm f/2.0. Unfortunately my adapter for the lens isn't a focal reducer, so it acts as a 116mm lens instead. I'm sure that will see a fair bit of mileage, but right now I need a fast lens that's either a wide or standard focal length. So I'm pretty sure I'm getting the Panny 25mm f/1.7 for now, since that's within my current sub-$200 price range and doesn't require a focal reducer. I'll probably pick up the 42.5 f/1.7 (or a similar lens of its ilk) in due time though, since it does seem like a great lens. My main lens priority after getting the 25mm though will probably be the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, since I typically prefer 35mm focal length over 50mm. I just don't have the extra money to pick up the Oly right now and I need to get a fast lens quick.

Looks like my G85 is gonna start seeing a lot more work now. I just landed my first series of videomaking gigs for a client! Basically I'll be doing promotional work for a series of plays from now until the springtime. I know from my own experiences in the past that the theater stage can be quite dark, especially from the sides of the stage, so I'm thinking I need to pick up a fast and relatively affordable f/1.7-ish type lens soon. Would the Panasonic 25mm f/1.7 work for now? I still really want to get that Olympus 17mm f/1.8, but it's out of my immediate price range for the moment.

I feel like it's only a matter of time before we see people slapping on various vintage M42-mount lenses on these cameras. BTW, @Andrew Reid, can you comment at all on the camera's battery life? I've seen some wildly opposite reports on the performance there and would love to have a better idea of what's going on there.

I'm still pretty green to filmmaking and cinematography, but I love pretty much every option between the 18-40mm range of focal lengths for various purposes. Typically though, I think I tend to lean more towards 35mm, due to its sheer level of versatility.

Yeah, something like the Tamron would be a great boon for either Nikon or Canon's new mounts at this point.

Actually I was referring more to reporters on YouTube that were at Photokina. Plenty of folks took the time to go look and report on the two new Zhiyun gimbals (and to be fair, the Weebill Lab seems like a masterstroke), but the only videos out there so far on the Air X are either all from Moza's official YouTube channel or are just a general video sharing basic details Moza already gave out.

That's actually the Moza Air X. The Air 2 is basically Moza's version of the DJI Ronin-S. But yeah, I'm stoked about the Air X. Seems more versatile to me than the new Zhiyun Crane 3 Lab, so I was surprised to see hardly anyone talking about it while Photokina happened.