FHDcrew

Lol I brought this exact thing up! Only like 20 of the 70 people in the department ever think of doing media things outside of literal class assignments Saturday, and even then would probably only do it for money, which at this stage I can’t promise.

First of all, hello guys! It's been a while since I've posted, and honestly I haven't kept up with this forum as much as in the past. Looking to get myself up to speed on what I missed lol. Changes? Honestly passion focus. My main career will be corporate video (in college right now, got scholarships so it's cheap for me). But I also love broadcast and lately have spent a lot of my time trying to learn more about that workflow, getting reps and networking with people in the field. My goal is to direct or technical direct either live sports or corporate events. Sucks cause those positions are very hard to get when it comes to bigger venues. Smaller venues, more local corporate/college/high school sports events, it's definitely easier. I've also considered starting my own production company upon graduation, trying to network and build clients and do smaller scale events. Currently building my own video switcher, and for the work I do I need something much more advanced than a basic ATEM Mini. At the university I attend we use a Newtek Tricaster 460. It's a very interesting unit; in essence it is a PC running windows (windows 7 actually!) and Newtek's own proprietary switching software. In essence this unit is a lot like a vMix or OBS PC, but using Newtek's own software. I do really like the unit; it gives the flexibility of a software switcher with the workflow and familiarity inspired by a hardware switcher. It has multiple M/Es (mix effects) which are essentially all layerable sub-switchers that can be used in tandem with the primary preview/program bus. You can also use them as separate switchers within the actual Tricaster. This, for example, allows one to cut a live-stream feed independently from an IMAG feed (IMAG stands for image-magnification; so displaying output on a projector at a venue). You can also use these M/Es to create compositions, such as picture-in-picture, and hot swap the contents of the composition live. Super useful! These are all things you can't do to the same degree on an ATEM Mini. I will say that the ATEM Mini Extreme is closer in functionality. The Tricaster also has built-in media players and graphic banks, all of which are a lot more capable than ATEM units. I've been trying to build sort of a DIY-Tricaster, using a PC I have on hand, as well as a Blackmagic Decklink Quad SDI (4 SDI input, 4 SDI output capture card). I have been working on tweaking and configuring OBS to operate in a similar fasion to Newtek's software. With the right plugins, macros and custom combination of features, I've been able to get OBS to work in a very similar fashion to a Tricaster, both in terms of functionality and workflow. I can make sub-mixes for IMAG outputs, use downstream keys (overlays on all of your output), preview/program switching with multiview, custom transitions, and more. I even bought a Tricaster control surface (a legitimate switcher controller with t-bar) and using software called Central Control use it to control OBS. So the workflow is super nice for me. Downside of software switching is the latency. An ATEM uses FPGA chips to run everything, so your output latency is wayyyy lower than any software solution, be it vMix, OBS, or a Tricaster. This makes them more useful for live venue feeds, and as such I will probably purchase a higher end ATEM switcher at some point. Thinking about the ATEM Constellation 2 M/E, which gives me the ability to make a submix just like the software solutions, but with the low latency and reliability of a hardware switcher. Word vomit. Lolz. Broadcast has really peaked my interest as of late. I kind of need to re-ignite my passion for cinematography; feel like I haven't grown in lighting or color grading in a while. Definitely have been complacent, so @kyemaybe you can whip me into shape! I'm still using my Nikon Z6/Ninja Star kit. It's doing the job, and since I'm investing in broadcast gear right now, I'm kinda in a standstill regarding any camera upgrades or even grip gear upgrades, which I do want to do at some point. The Nikon ZF is insanely tempting; 10 bit internal, full-frame, nice and small, and I can use all my existing lenses while using the Nikon Z6 as a b-cam. Looking forward to reading these posts and catching up!

Love it. 6 seconds is definitely usable for lots of BROLL. Then just switch over to the 10 bit for longer form content, especially talking heads where you can light things.

Personally I’d still go MotionCam RAW as it’s still more organic of a look, plus it’s achievable on less expensive android phones.

I see significantly less oversharpening in Apple LOG, which is really nice. Seems like a good option now that that change has been made.

This is awesome. Finally a cheaper Nikon option with internal 10 bit. Might be my next camera. And I could keep my Z6 as a b-cam.

Yeah that is the biggest hurdle with iPhone video. No matter what app you cannot undue the horrendous oversharpening. And the "log" profiles feel very fake with no real benefit. I've been tempted to switch to Android for both the increased OS customization as well as the DNG RAW video which trumps anything the iPhone does.

@IronFilmYeah it's going to be 5 years old pretty soon.

There is an app called "Sensor Logger" for iOS that works well for me.

Agreed.

Haven't been super active in a while, so I hope you are all doing well 🙂 Two big reasons I might consider this camera instead of sticking with my Nikon Z6 are: 1. 10-bit internal 2. Internal Gyro Data #2 is big for me. I've realized how convenient gyro stabilization is, at least for me. Allows me to get a wide range of awesome motion shots while having a convenient shooting experience. Less weight, less setup time, no need to balance a gimbal or steadicam. Well...it would be convenient if I had a camera that recorded internally. I've done some stuff with gyro data on my Nikno Z6 by using a smartphone as a gyro logger. This works and can work extremely well, but the workflow is a pain because you have to keep track of all the gyro data on your phone and match all of the files, not to mention having one more thing you need to attach to your camera. The Sony A6700 as well as pretty much all of Sony's recent offerings seem very appealing to me for the sole reason that you can quickly get perfectly synced gyro data without needing any external devices. You can process this footage in Gyroflow to get a lot of power, and can even use the Gyroflow OFX plugin in Davinci Resolve to get a very streamlined workflow. The 10-bit internal is nice too. Of course a billion cameras now offer that, and that feature is solely convenience-based for me. I think I could rock the Sigma Contemporary Primes and sacrifice a bit of lowlight for these features. IDK. We'll see.

I too have gotten good results from Nikon FLAT (on my Z6). Try doing a CST to Arri LogC followed by the Arri rec709 LUT in davinci resolve. Set the tone mapping to none. Add contrast prior to the conversion. You'll like the results:

I’m telling you. Color Space Transform. 1000% better. You can export the CST as a LUT in Davinci and use it in Premiere. I do that to monitor NLOG on my Atomos.

Ok...99.87%

Same here. 60% of the YouTube camera space has become a giant ad.

Interesting. I'm curious, how are you converting to rec709? Are you using Nikon's 3d LUT? I shoot in NLOG frequently on my Nikon Z6, and i find that Nikon's 3D LUT has pretty bad highlight rolloff. I get significantly better results if I use Davinci Resolve's Color Space Transform to go from Rec2020/NLOG to Rec709/Rec709. Seriously, looks wayyy better than the LUT. You should be able to get great results from NLOG; give Davinci's CST a try.

We also have 2 Panasonic FZ1000s which are solid camcorder replacements in their own right.

I have a Panasonic G7 collecting dust after upgrading to my Nikon Z6 + Atomos (haha)....I should probably put it to use as a B-CAM or something. Still a great camera. At my church we livestream with one of these, using a Tamron 14-150 MFT lens, giving a wide zoom range and image quality that blows a comparably-priced camcorder out of the water. Clean HDMI up to 4K...can be hacked for no internal record limit...has microHDMI but that is easy to clamp...such a great live-streaming camera and/or a camcorder-killer.

I have seen the 50D go for under $100 on MBP these days…if you truly can afford nothing I think either the 50D or a GH1 are the ways to go.

Speaking of OG cams… Nikon Z6 - 1080p NLOG (oversampled)

To add to my post, external recording is the biggest thing I would give up. Being able to record 12-bit RAW internally would be idea. I wish camera manufacturers would add uncompressed CDNG recording to their flagships. Compressed RAW is such a mess…patents and external workarounds…and then one does not necessarily have freedom of choice when it comes to what NLE to edit the RAW footage in…unless one converts. Give us uncompressed RAW to the card. Or give us Prores 4444 12-bit. The codec everyone has forgotten about 😆

I would give up all three as long as DR remained in the 12-13 stop territory.

Yep and there is also the S1 which gives a bigger body and full size hdmi, also an awesome cheap alternative to the S5 II. If I weren’t already using my Nikon Z6+Ninka V & Star, I would probably be shooting on the S1.

“Crappy” 8-bit 420 non-log.

Just think…these cameras, the original S5, FX30, Fuji XT3/4/5/XS20, Nikon Z6 + Ninja, current gen bodies like the FX3, ZVE1, R6 II, these give us all of the image quality we need. We literally don’t need better until sometime comes out with Alexa-level DR and color. Nowadays I view upgrading cameras as just quality of life improvements. Because my setup can achieve as good of an image as I will ever need. 10-bit, full frame 4k in LOG…is all you need. You genuinely don’t need better.