EphraimP

Looks like I've bitched enough about my old box's performance in Premiere with 4K files that my accountant (aka the wife) has authorized the purchase of a new editing machine for 2020. My current system is a gaming laptop with a 4-core i707700HQ processor @2.80GHz, 15 gigs of memory and a GTX 1050 Ti card. I'm currently running Premiere (hope to migrate at least some of my editing to Resolve this year) and a mix of ProRes, h. 264 and h.2645 files. I'm definitely going to dump the memory up to at least 36 gigs, and want to get as close to doubling the processor as possible (it is possible, right?). I'm really not a computer specs guy and do zero gaming or other computer intensive work besides photo processing and a tiny bit of graphic design. I've used Macs in the past but am most comfortable on PCs and don't intend to switch my OS. I'm looking at the new Nvidia RTX studio laptops, plus workstations/desktops. Not sure if the Nvidia program is more marketing than actual functionality-oriented building, but it does make sense to buy something that has been purpose built for graphics heavy work. I've never built a computer but I haven't entirely ruled out building my own system because I assume it could help me same some coin. On the flip side, it could lead to a lot of trouble shooting and a lack of back end warranty support. What I'm looking for now is info to help me select a processor and graphics card, or range of cards and processors to look for that tick the right boxes, especially value for money. Budget is $2,000 to $3,000-ish, maybe a little more. Some of the Nvidia builds have RTX Quadro cards, which I thought were the go-to for graphics related work. However, I recently read a comment that the newer GeForce RTX cards using the new Creators drivers instead of game ready drives are pretty much just as good. I'd really appreciate feedback from those of you with experience with the new RTX studio builds and computer knowledge in general.

Fun videos. Are you using autofocus for these and stopping down to get more depth of field to keep the subject in focus?

No. That's the a7s III, of course. Just today I talked to a Sony shooter who was hanging on to his S II and dreaming of when the S III will show. I've been shooting on the T3 for less than a year and I bet you I'll have the T4 before he gets his fantasy camera. 🤣🤣🤣

This, so much! As soon as I read the topic header, I thought, "naw, we don't need a full frame hybrid, we need a Fuji cinema camera." Personally, as a newer Fuji shooter, I'd go bananas for a X-mount cinema camera with internal ND, XLR jacks and TC & SDI. They wouldn't even need to make their own monitor, and I wouldn't even care if they gave us a 10 Bit 422 internal, as long as they still played nice with Atomos and BM monitors. Honestly, being able to record straight to a 1-4 terra sd that I can plug directly into my computer is the bomb, and I can use the internal cards to capture proxy-style backup files. To get a cinema camera that matched well with my X-T3, I'd definitely go for that. A GFX version is a nice pipe-dream.

One can only hope. I know everyone gets their rocks off bashing Canon, except for that Mokara dude. And rightfully so, perhaps. But damn if I didn't grow to love the flippy screen on my 80D... and I never shot a Vlog once. On the other hand, once I got a a 5-inch monitor for my T3, hot damn! Even if I had camera with good internal codecs and cheap storage, I couldn't go back to relying on even the nicest of 3 inch camera screens. It so easy to miss stuff on those little screens, like the reflection of a boomed mic in a window, and it's soooo much nicer to pull focus on a big screen.

You know, the beauty of treating a mirrorless/hybrid as a build-it-yourself rig is that you don't actually have to choose between an external battery + MixPre3/external preamp + variND (and hell, let's add on a Ninja V and a follow focus unit to go all in) or a gimbal setup. It's a false dichotomy. With a cage like SmallRig's, which has a quick release rail build right in, I can pop the top handle off my T3 and pop it off the mini-cine rig and slap it onto my Ronin S in a minute or so. It takes a bit longer if I want to move the monitor or mike over to the gimbal but it's doable. People get caught up debating whether handheld rigs are better than gimbals or vise versa, when the reality is they're both just tools to get a particular kind of shot. The real trick is picking the right tool to get the shooting style that helps tell the story or at least doesn't get in the way of telling it. With gimbals coming down in price and rigs being so modular, its not unrealistic to set up both systems. Personally, I like handheld/shoulder mount and sticks for doc work and a gimbal for brand stuff that calls for slick movement and modern transitions, plus some event work. You know, with the T3 and probably every other major camera out there, you can run a dummy battery instead of a usb cable to your V-Mount. Other than that, yeah, of course it's less hassle to run a full cinema rig like an FS7, C200 or what have you (unless you need something that can also strip down to be very small). But one of those used is in the 5k range. You can pick up a mirrorless hybrid like the X-T3 for less than 2 grand (a fair bit less most of last year) and start shooting right away, and build your custom rig as cash comes in, plus use stuff you may have from other camera setups. And you can still come in at less than the used cine camera. I will be thrilled when I can relegate the T3 to a b-camera/permanent gimbal camera, yet it is awesome to have a camera system that is cheap to get into and has a ton of utility and is worth building out for the stage of the game I'm at. It's the tool that will get me to the place where I can drop 5-15K on a single camera. I'm sure may others are happy about that too.

Fuji is coming on strong for the underdog Super 38/APS-C mirrorless. The X-T3 is mighty tasty to shoot with a few choice accessories. And now the X-T4 is about to drop. I'm sure curious to see what it's like. I'll almost certainly rent one for a job on the week of March 18 if the rental houses have them by then. I did that last year with the T3 and my 80D's been pretty much collecting dust ever since. Anyone want to buy a used 80D? It's got pretty low mileage, the tires are still good and it doesn't leak any oil ?

I agree. When McKinnon started out, for instance, I'd watch his videos the second they dropped, guaranteed. It was bound to be an interesting tutorial with a bit of Pete's fun personality thrown i. Now that he's a big successful brand, I don't watch nearly as much of his content. For one, his fun personality has grown a bit obnoxious and I don't need ANOTHER tutorial on how to shoot b-roll of making a cup of coffee in some exotic location. He, and others like him, have gotten a little navel-gazely about their success with their blogs. But that's fine, there are always other channels out there to discover. YouTube is still a great Skillshare platform. You just have to look harder for it. I think the fault lies with YouTube, not the creators/influences who are charismatic enough and clever enough to have figured out how to make a successful career off of the platform post Adpocalypse. When YouTube decided to slash the ad revenue going to channels and aggressively demonetizing them, it changed the platform. We all know how much work it takes to produce good videos. If you can't earn enough ad revenue off of your creative content to make it pencil as a business venture, you either have to figure out how to get other revenue streams, hence the growth of the channels we're talking about, get off of YouTube, or only due it as sort of a hobby. Some folks, like the Crimson Engine guy, are figuring out ways to split the difference. He for one, posts a fair bit of gear review, but he also posts some technique stuff and interesting content about the business side of making indie films and other content. YouTube is sort of a jungle; if you want to find worthwhile content you just have to keep hacking a way at it. Sometimes you'll find interesting trails to follow (channels) and they may take you somewhere awesome and they're just as likely to peter out. That's my take on it, anyway.

Thanks for the feedback, btw. I suspected as much. I decided to pass on the lens... for now... As much as I'd really like to play with anamorphic shooting, I can't see thing lens paying for itself, let alone making me money in the near term with the kind of work I'm doing. Personally, I've got to start being really careful about not just giving into GAS and treating my gear purchases as investments. I am hopeful that this lens spurs other makers to put out lenses in this class and I'm looking forward to seeing what Sirui comes up with next.

I think one thing to remember is that flashing/reviewing/showing off all the new gear is part of the business model some of these YouTubers use to make their living. It's the affiliate links. The key for channels like Potato Jet, Matti Happoja, Crimson Engine, Peter McKinnon, Kai W, etc, etc, etc, is to get reviews up as often as possible, especially when flashy new gear comes out, to pull in viewers. Yeah, they only make pennies per view, but they make a lot more through affiliate link purchases. The next $ tier up is the big brand deals that people like McKinnon get to fly somewhere posh like Dubai and shoot ~10 minute advertorial/blog videos about products. And the bigger the channel gets, the more likely big companies will loan or give away gear for a video review and little/new/Chinese companies will just send random product to them in hopes of getting a mention. Matti Happoja has mega swag-opening sequences pretty regularly on his channel that highlights this phenomenon. I wonder how much of brands' marketing budget has shifted from TV commercials, magazine ads and other traditional media purchases to social media placement. For marketing people, it's all about the impressions per $ spent.

I have a question about the lens flair color. Tito showed that it's possible to select the flare and push its color into the greens in post. Would it be possible to push it into the warm part of the color spectrum without it falling apart? The lens looks nice for the price, apart from really strange lack of focus gearing. For a project I envision using it for, the aesthetic wouldn't work at all with blue flares, but orange/yellow, or even reddish flares would be nice.

I don't know, maybe that CEO suit is windy AF. He looks like the type.?

My Meike 25mm cine lens has some pretty intense flaring, which can be great if I want that kind of look but not so great otherwise. A matte box with a good eyebrow flag would definitely tame this behavior. I just saw this new Titla budget matte box that looks like the ticket for use with photo lenses and small cine lenses with filter threads. It has space for a single 4x5.56 filter and works with standard thread on filters too. At the intro price, what's not to like about it?

You should have mentioned something in 2016 when I bought these lenses for my 30D to shoot news, nature photos and local sports. ? As it is, I'm looking to see what I can do with what I have. If I was investing in new glass, it would be native and/or cinema.

I want to like this lens, but the flairs are a bit out of control. I think you're right that it is going to get old fast, especial since it triple flares so easily. If it had a warm flare, I'd be all over this lens in a heartbeat. It seems reasonably sharp and the no-hassle appeal of a single focus lens with no adaption necessary under $600 is super appealing. Hopefully this will spur other lens makers to get in the game. I can see Meiki and Rokinon competing in this space.

I'm tearing my hair out here trying to figure out if there is an EF mount adapter that's worth buying for my X-T3. I have the 17-40 F4L; that range is covered by my Fuji 18-55 so wouldn't be worth adapting without a speed booster. I have a 70-200 F2.8 L USM that I absolutely love and would be the main target for adapting. And I have the wonderfully weird 180 3.5 L macro that I tried to get rid of but never could and am pretty happy I didn't, though I really never use the beast. I know that the Fringer is the best for autofocus, but sounds like it's not good enough for video autofocus, so it's pretty expensive for just iris control. The Viltrox w/out speed booster gets pretty bad marks for iris control and awful marks for autofocus; I haven't heard if the speed booster version is any good. The FotodioX Vizelex ND Throttle Adapter sounds great, but doesn't have any iris control and it seems stupid to have a lens that only works wide open. I mean, bokeh is king and all, but what happens when you make the creative decision that you actually want some depth of field. The FotodioX with an aperture ring gets pretty crap reviews for adding vignetting and not depth of field. The KIPON Baveyes speedbooster with the electronics might be good, but the first Baveyes I tried without electronics didn't even fit right, so I'm skeptical of Kipon. So what have ya'll used and has success with? Should I just say screw it and invest in old Carl Z Jenna glass and Russian primes?

X-T3 is affordable and has one of the best codecs out there in cameras under $5,000 and the images look great with either the built in film looks or graded Log. I think most people would agree. Autofocus is only ok. I can trust it for well lit sit down interviews, but it can be hit and miss for fast action b-roll. Great 60p and usable 120. Not a ton of third party glass, but Fuji's native lenses are nice and not extremely expensive compared to, say, EF mount L glass or Canon's new R mount. It's fine in low light at 1600 and usable up to maybe 8000 if you nail exposure. Fuji has an 8-16 F2.8 and a 10-20 F4 plus wide primes. Their lens stabilization is ok, but not amazing. With the money you'd save over some of the full frame options out there, you could buy a gimbal to get smooth handheld shots or put in on good sticks. I'd say it's worth renting one for a week to see if you like it. That's what I did, and since I made the switch from an 80D I've been happy.

Eterna is great. Also, overlook Classic Chrome. It's also a nice look if you aren't shooting Log. Actually, I wish Fuji made a log to Chrome conversion. If you're shooting h265, you'll save on file size, but, as you probably know, it's a lot harder on your computer.

I use a Windows machine, so sounds like the extFS app isn't necessary. What medium did you use to deliver your DCPs to cinemas?

Good to know.

What I read about it said that the Premiere versions doesn't work well. Maybe that's bad info. Better sound quality? Better features?

You ever work for a nonprofit? It's like squeezing liquid from a stone. And I know, cause I gotta get the liquid in the stone in the first place. Actually, though, I just got them to buy a bit of gear for my next project, coupla drives and a Mixpre3 ii, a year's subscription to Artlist and insurance for my gear. I put a wireless mic on the expense list, but it got stripped out. I'm going to see if I can get it put back in if I get more funding for the project. It's hobby level for now, hopefully I'll be able to launch a business for real when in six months to a year.

I get the importance of story. I'm a former magazine writer and newspaper editor. At the same time, if I'm going to do something professionally, I want it to look professional. There's nothing like being prepared for something when you go to do it. That's why I asked about the technical aspects of shooting/editing for big screen. ? I don't necessarily want to avoid a DCP. I haven't exported this way before, and it sounded like it might be either a bit of a hassle with third party plug-ins or stand alone software or expensive.

The subtlety of my ironic intent was lost in translation to the Internets. I get that the Came light is actually a good deal compared to Arri or other high end lights. On the other hand, I've spent somewhere between 6-8K or more on film gear this year for about 4k of work, aside from the shooting I do at my day job. So every new piece of "affordable gear" that I come across adds up. And it's ok; I'm happy to spend on gear as I get jobs. I'm putting kit together while I have the day job so I can make the jump to full time video production and have a decent little one man band operation. I've still got to drop on a purpose built editing machine and 4k display, so I can quit editing on a two-year-old gamer laptop and 1080 tv. I understand the value of good lighting, and I'll eventually pick up higher quality fixtures when I know they'll pay for themselves. Right now, the crappy little Chinese COB light is serving its purpose. And to people who couldn't tell the difference between a Neewer light and a Mole-Richardson package, it looks pro. I'd be interested to know if the whole package is usable, including the light stands themselves. And if you end up modding them like folks in the B&H reviews did to get rid of the color cast to the lights and the fan noise.

Affordable he says. Good one ? I'm definitely not a big boy yet. No need for one of those shooting interviews for nonprofit/small corporate gigs. Maybe when I make my first short feature. Actually, probably not even then, because that will be a real diy production for a small-time local winemaker with a crazy dream -- if I can every pin him down to launch the project we discussed over good reds one evening at his bar.