TomTheDP

It’s gonna need some real sensor magic to compete with the C70’s dual gain. Would be nice to see something with dynamic range that matches an Alexa. 12 bit internal in some kind of compressed format would be killer. No crop HFR is essential and 6k. Honestly cameras are getting so good it’s hard to know what to ask for. A really nicely designed ergonomic body with a great menu layout.

Yeah the A6500 or A6400 AF is stunning. Not really much use for log on 8 bit anyhow. I really wish Sony would release a cheap 10 bit APSC camera.

I am not saying it in a bad way. My z-cam, panasonic, blackmagic, and fuji's colors are all very different than Canon. Ergonomics are different too.

I'd be willing to do this. The R5 does have amazing image quality, at least in RAW. Hopefully they give CLOG2 and 3 in a firmware update soon.

The A7s3 is improved over the R3 but I don’t know I feel like you won’t be happy with it. The Sony A7s3 IQ is amazing but the colors are still Sony. I think you’d be happier with the R5 or R6. There are workarounds for the record limits and there’s always 1080p

I am a little confused on why it doesn't have 10 bit 422 recording. You'd think a smaller sensor would be capable considering we have stuff like the Sigma FP doing full frame RAW internally. Also what's with camera companie's obsession with not being able to dial back sharpening?

RVLVR Labs also makes a grip, maybe its more to your taste. I think the A7s3 is close to being a perfect camera and best hybrid. The reason I wouldn't get one for video is the noise reduction. It can't be turned off all the way which leaves you with a very digital looking image IMO. I guess film grain could help with it and I suppose after youtube compression any quality we are chasing is lost anyways.

latitude looks really impressive in RAW, just as good as the Pana S1.

I would think at least with non variable ND's it would be easy enough to remove. Shoot with your different fixed ND's against a white card and measure how much the WB and Tint is off. Wouldn't that work? Not trying to take away from the usefulness of END though. I am eagerly awaiting getting Z-cam's END module. I also agree client perception matters a lot.

accident double post

Once all the custom buttons are set I find the controls efficient. For focus I have one of the custom buttons set to punch in and I usually use that. But yeah the HDMI signal isn't very sharp. The best solution for media is a Cfast to SSD module. ZITAY CCtech makes them for around $100. The SSD's used are about $100 for 1tb. You can also record through the USB-C but its less reliable as the port is more finicky. I find the Cfast to SSD module foolproof as there is no point of contact where it could come loose and mess up the recording. Although Z-cam now has built in software to require currupt files so USB-C probably wouldn't be an issue either. Definitely not a camera to use AF with, at least not for now. I do think Z-cam will continue to update all their cameras if they continue to develop their AF tech. Building up a Z-cam can be expensive but all you really need to shoot with is a side handle and monitor which can be had for $250. I think the remote clutch grip is probably worth getting at $350, along with a cage $100, a good monitor $300, SSD module $200. So you are looking at $950 plus batteries. But to be fair rigging up anything costs $$$$ and it certainly can be done for much cheaper. I think Z-cam is an exciting company though. They just put prores proxy 4k 100fps into the camera. I think they are working on getting 422.

Alexa>anything else aside from Film of course. Its super odd to me that no one has been able to match the Alexa since the classic came out 10 years ago. I guess 10 years isn't a long time.

I mean you kind of can. I've used 5 different light brands Aputure, Clar, Godox, and a couple others which names slip my mind. All bowens mount. I've used 4 different brands of bowens mounts accessories across these lights too. Only one of the lights I remember having a difficult time with one of the attachments, but it still went on. Yes its probably most convenient to get all the same brand but if you wanna save cash its not the end of the world mixing and matching. I mean worse comes to worse you can always return a mount for another brand. But my point was you'll be able to find a spotlight attachment for the Forza. In regards to durability I can't speak on the Forza. However I dropped my Clar illumi 300 from 20 feet onto hard pavement and it still works. I've also ran it during pouring rain and it still works. I was really surprised honestly that it didn't break. However it means I am going to be buying their higher powered 500w lights. For the price of one aputure 600D I can buy almost three 500w Clar lights. Which is actually what I am going to do. If you have the cash the Aputures are probably better but for me definitely not worth the money. Unfortunately I think all of these lights are relative rip offs compared to hot lights. I can get a 30 year old hot light that looks like its been through hell and it still works. Wouldn't be surprised if it still works for another 30 years. I'd guess these LED's will probably last 1/3rd the life of that. That said I've been getting rid of all my hotlights and getting LED's. The tiny power output is just too convenient to not utilize.

Aren't they both bowens mount? You can get a spotlight(fresnel lens) for any bowens mount light. I am personally going to get the CLAR Illumi Max 500. Its on sale right now for $700. I have their 300w model and its nice.

Alex with emotive color. He has a thread on here about his lut for the GH5. https://www.emotivecolor.com/ Been a game changer for me in terms of color. So much nicer than the stock Panasonic 709. I've been limiting my camera choices to the ones he has luts for LOL. Aside from actually getting an Arri. Only one I could afford atm would be the Classic and its just too heavy and cumbersome for what I am used to. He does have a lut package for the A7s3, although the FX6 color is slightly different.

Yeah they practically make a lot of sense. I think the downsides of the not so quick menu's and layout will be countered by the positives. One may not need to change from 24 to 120fps in 10 seconds depending on your clientele. BTW I just send my E2 S6 to the guy who does the Alexa LUTs so now I'll be able to match my S6 to my Pana S1, once he finishes the Lut.

It seems like a lot of sensors that don't list having dual native ISO actually do. XT3 seems cleaner at 3200 than 1600, which would make sense considering it uses a similar sensor to the BMP6K.

Looks like most of the controls I need are there. Can you set a custom switch for high speed? I realize auto focus settings are probably a bitch to get to which could certainly slow down workflow if you rely on that. Probably a big reason someone would buy a Sony in the first place.

Yeah the downgrade in sensor size is a bummer though of course the smaller form factor is awesome. To be fair though the Mavic pro form factor is pretty damn small. Would be cool to see a M43 sensor in a smaller drone. I feel like it would be possible. Look at the size of the sigma FP and tell me you can't make something even smaller that would fit on a drone with M43. I don't really find slow motion very interesting for drone footage. 30p is all I'd really use.

Just get a GH2!

Exactly. I honestly think Arri is the only company that has made a good digital camera that can compete with film in terms of color. Their domination of anything high end attests to this. This is why I sold my URSA. I will say the URSA in RAW could better bring down highlights without effecting the rest of the image, better than any other camera I've seen including the Pocket 6k. Data in terms of dynamic range, shadow recovery, and ISO performance the A7S3 or Pana S1 is superior. In terms of actual data of course Prores is going to be far superior to codecs on mirrorless cameras. 4k Prores HQ is something like 800mbps I believe where as the highest bitrate on the A7s3 is 300mbps and for the S1H 400mbps, or 150mbps on the S1. You can record Prores externally though which kind of closes the gap, though its not the most ergonomical choice. For indepth grading 12 bit is far superior to 10 bit. If you want to isolate skintones and grade them 12 bit makes a big difference. For anything else not so much. Of course you can now record 12 bit externally on pretty much every camera with an Atomos ninja. I really thought the new Ursa was going to be using a full frame Sony sensor. I honestly think they would have sold more cameras if they went that route. Internal full frame BRAW, with the URSA form factor and ND's.

Interesting I've never noticed a difference when watching Mad Max but I guess I wasn't really looking for it either. I think where a lot of people go wrong is trying to color grade their footage or manually grade log footage. Most would be better off just using the provided REC709 lut. As long as they white balanced correctly the footage will look decent. Of course an Alexa with just the 709 lut will look more pleasing and accurate in almost any situation compared to a BM, or Panasonic or insert camera here. I do agree story is paramount as long as the color is decent enough to where its not distracting the average viewer. Hell the average viewer might think log footage looks normal until they see a side by side. Look at anything long enough and it starts to look normal.

I do think the differences are becoming negligible. Which is partly why I haven't made it a goal to buy an Alexa or RED as I don't think they'd really do anything for me besides get me more work LOL. But yeah the Alexa is 14 stops while the S1 is 12.5. That's only a 1.5 stop difference. Compare the S1 to the C500 MK2 which is $15,000 and there is only a half stop difference. Of course the C500 has a lot of features the Panasonic doesn't but in terms of pure IQ there really isn't much of a difference. Trying to get a Panasonic to look like an Alexa color wise is not an easy task though, or at least not a task for someone who isn't an experienced colorist. But yeah deep down I don't like to spend my money and am really happy with what the current cameras I own can deliver.

I mean I work often on low budget indie projects, often where its 100% volunteer, with a very low budget for anything that requires $$$. Its always a race against time. At least in my experience.

Really just depends on the shot in mind. If you have a cloudy day and want it to look sunny in a oner that involves three different rooms you have a budget issue. Of course you could also chalk that up to an unreasonable DP or Director. Even getting creative with cheap equipment takes time and time is money. More dynamic range also makes it easier to light a difficult dynamic range situation, when there is more room in the highlights and shadows you don't have to use as strong of light to get the balance you are looking for. I personally notice the dynamic range difference going from my GH5 to Panasonic S1. There are a lot of workarounds of course, I've seen great stuff with a Panasonic G7 but when I am shooting for someone else and need to get the shots they desire in the amount of time they desire its a different story.