Ninpo33

I’ve recently picked up a few half frame cameras from the 1960’s…!!! Love the styling and the lovely black and chrome. All of these cameras have jumped up in price like all retro film cameras so I guess I could see Fuji understanding their market and giving people another pocketable fun camera. Like a Lomo, or maybe a new X100v trend. I don’t think I see them doing Full Frame at this point.

I was hoping they would come to their senses and do this for the first update. Still not for everyone of course. But at the used price of $1,000 it still a deal for what it can do and will be a nice little 3rd cam for me in the kit. Full frame pocket anamorphic with LUMIX stabilizing is really cool. Now I just need to get my little Yashica 1.5x dialed in and can have some fun.

While waiting for new cameras to drop in late 2024 I have been instead having a lot of fun playing around with vintage lenses. Excited to see how my new Yashica Scope 1.5x does on a bunch of new stuff arriving from Japan this week. The good news about all the new cheap Anamorphic lenses coming out recently means that the adapters are dropping to rock bottom prices again. Feels like 2010…!!! Rapido has no more small variable 8A diopters for the baby scopes and I fear they are going to be out of business soon. Would love to figure out a small solution to keep this little setup tiny. anyone have any ideas?

Good point. Also to add, if you’re a generation that grew up with reality television always being a constant, the look and feel of unscripted stuff feels very normal. I work a lot in reality television and have to really think back to when it wasn’t dominating the channels. I don’t like it and it’s trash but it pays the bills and allows me to pick up other creative narrative stuff when we’re not filming. I miss the good old days of quality cinema and seeing something like the Matrix or Fight Club or Seven and just having a paradigm shift in the way I saw the world.

Another vote for Camera Conspiracies. Doesn’t get everything right but he’s having fun and trying. Transparent and honest and not afraid to make fun of himself. Very refreshing in the 2024 Douchtube space. He will take a theory and go out and shoot to test it. I’m tired of camera reviews and gear videos but I watch these 5 channels pretty consistently and find inspiration here. Some thoughts below. Camera Conspiracies Kyle McDougall GxAce Stefano Federico Ed Prosser What drives me crazy these days is the lack of originality and this insane copycat culture. A trend will start and all these people jump on the craze and suddenly it’s everywhere. Over using promist and “cinebloom” filters. Low saturation and washed out grading to replicate film. Too much film grain added. Nostalgic for an era many of these gen Z never experienced. Holding the lav mic or transmitter in their hand while filming themselves. Using an old school handheld mic to be ironic and different. Neon tube lights behind them at their butcher block workbench desk from Home Depot. Then cutting to close up shots with the plastic engineering mat desk protector. It’s just gotten so, so boring to hear people read the camera specs to me off the website with no original thinking or unique take on any of it.

Whenever I go back to fixed primes I am always surprised how just a couple of steps forward of back end up solving the problem almost as efficiently. “Let your feet be the zoom” Of course there are plenty of times when the zoom solves problems and is a real lifesaver but the ability to crop in on a massive sensor makes the zoom in post almost as easy.

If I’m being optimistic, I see them building random cameras out of old spare parts with slight improvements to get rid of all the old tech before big changes to their line up. They must have thousands of those damn box camera bodies built up and sitting in a warehouse dead in the water. If they can easily add some slight improvements and upgrade them for sale in late 2024 it means they move some units and clear things out.

If after all my lengthy replies and examples you don’t get my point I think we’re done here. Cheers.

Why would you not include hybrids? You’re comparing image quality for price aren’t you? A rigged out hybrid might get you a better image that you don’t consider as “meh” LOL. Honestly, my same buddy I mentioned before has used the DJI on a bunch of commercial shoots for Samsung and I bet you wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference while watching one of those spots on TV. And again, why even make the comparison between the other cameras you mention? Like what’s the point of comparing bottom level pro-ish mostly Super 35 Sensor cameras around the same price point that don’t even offer full frame, similar specs or features? If you buy a used C70 or C300 etc… and add LiDAR, a gimbal that can do Z Axis, handle controls, wireless transmitting etc…(close to $3,500) you’re close to $10k. Also on the DJI factor in pro res raw internal, 6k 60p external recording to SSD’s over USB-C and Full frame be Super 35 options. As far as modular, I meant that the head comes off to be able to act as a pole camera/Jib arm with the flex unit or fit between small spaces, etc… that’s something the other cameras you mention don’t even have the ability to do. Again, why a smaller hybrid mirrorless camera with IBIS comes in handy. You’re entitled to your opinion of course but I just think your comparisons are kind of all over the place. And I guess as you said, it’s not a camera for your use case so in the end it doesn’t even really matter. Just curios, what is it about the footage from the 4D that you can identify as being “meh”? Specifically, compared to a C300mkii or Komodo?

Yeah, I mean you’re kind of just stating the obvious here. Sigma FP has an amazing raw image for $1,000 but would you bring that on a professional set bare bones? Even after you rig up a $2,000 consumer camera with equivalent features of the DJI it’s not going to have anywhere near the convenience, ease of use or be as modular. It’s the FX3 vs FX6 argument but the DJI in this case has a lot of unique features that allows for difficult shots in a time sensitive environment. it’s around the price of the FX6 and also has built in ND’s but allows for 3 mount options including Leica M and Sony E. Integrated power for the gimbal, wireless and lidar focus alone saves so much time since you’re not rigging and managing cables. I understand your point but in the end, it’s a total bargain for what it can do and how well it does it. The time savings for getting difficult shots in fewer takes on a pro shoot would literally pay for itself in a few shoots.

I like both the Blazar Nero 1.5x adapter and the Remus lenses. Even though they are designed for full frame I really like them on Super 35. Distortion can get a little wild if you’re trying to film things away from the center sweet spot. They’re nice and small too…

I know a few DP's using it on commercials here in LA and are pretty happy with it to be honest. It's actually an inexpensive and fast way to get shots that used to take a few people and a lot more rigging. That time saved and maybe one or two less operators means small production studios can save big over a few jobs and pay back the camera really quickly. I could also see someone shooting a student film or short using it and pulling off some really creative shots. Shawn Hernandez has put out some good material on YouTube and I like the look of the Dulens Mini Primes on the 4D. The new smaller Anamorphic glass like the Laowa Nanomorph are also opening up a whole new look on the cheap. Shawn Hernandez https://youtu.be/1SqVhqNrzAA?si=2r-KHrsLA3cKMf86

You may recall that they have been using the Hasselblad logo on their drones/lenses for a while now. Definitely remember the first time I saw one and it did make me think, "Wow, they're upping the image on these drones now"...

DJI has been quietly growing in the camera space and making moves. Now with their recent majority stake acquisition in Hasselblad what's next? Are they set to take on the "Big Four" in the mirrorless camera market. With a new announcement coming in early September we won't have long to wait at least. I would love to see an innovative company like DJI leverage all of their existing tech and incorporate a lot of nice new features into a prosumer level camera. Wireless audio/video transmission and lots of their other IP could make for a real game changer. I look forward to a possible disruption like this and to put even more pressure on the other companies to innovate. The Ronin 4D Camera is definitely interesting and DJI doesn't seem to shy away from innovation. https://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2024/08/27/is-dji-joining-the-mirrorless-camera-market

I agree. There's also rumor that DJI might be bringing out another new camera soon. That could be interesting iif it incorporates a lot of the existing tech that they have already out in the field. Wireless audio built directly into the camera using their LAV transmitters, All of their gimbal tech and stability control, Wireless streaming etc... Could really be a game changer if they can get it right.

Hopefully with the next round of LUMIX pro flagship cameras we will get an OLPF filter choice again and we will hit a sweet spot between the older S cameras IQ and the newer S5ii cameras features.

Maybe for YouTube and general stuff web stuff but if you are delivering in any professional capacity it’s going to be 4K DCI or 4K Scope. Netflix and streaming won’t take 1080 for anything so it’s not even a conversation it’s just the standard now.

Magic Lantern was not a viable option at the time and there's no way I would use a hacked camera on a professional shoot. Canon C300 was $8,000 2012 on release and I needed two cameras. People forget how expensive these tools were back then and how little options we had. Even the two 5dmk2 bodies I used were $5k back then which is like $7k in today's terms.

Yup, I think 6k is perfect for 2024. All the flexibility in post you need and the ability to downscale for a really clean and good looking image delivered in 4k. Also future proofing important things for the future is a real thing. I’m working on a doc project t right now that started out on two 5D markii’s back in 2012. All of that footage is pretty soft compared to later interviews shot in 4k on the GH5s. Really wish some of those interviews had waited for 4k to become the norm. Back then a lot of people made fun of me for wanting to upgrade to 4k because it was “overkill” and the 1080p looked just fine.

Yeah, all the newer tech and this thing will rock. IBIS, PDAF, 6k open gate, Anamorphic modes… this guys channel may have been posted here before but man, he gets such magic images out of the FP.

Yes thanks. I consider the FP a camera that really shines in 12 bit raw but everything else is kind of crap. There is a really nice new SSD sled for NVME SSD’s from 52 Weeks that’s a tiny little package for raw shooting. I think at below $1,000 it’s a fun little camera.

Have spotted a couple Sigma FP’s at $950 U.S. this week. Exciting times for anyone like me who couldn’t justify the price tag a few years ago but now wants to dip their toes into a cinematic RAW workflow. Plenty on KEH, eBay and Japanese sites hovering right at $1,000. And the FP-L can be had for $1,500. There’s a big 20% off sale at KEH right now as well so plenty of great deals for the next few days on slightly used equip. Now if they would just give us an open gate or Anamorphic friendly crop for 1.5x - 2x and I’d be really happy.

Do you have a link to the Yashica lenses? There are a couple of options but it all boils down to flange distance if you can find a speedbooster with the same flange distance or close enough you might be able to adapt the mount. It needs to be perfect though down to 0.05 mm or you won’t hit infinity focus. Adapting to EF might also work but I would stay with one adapter if possible instead of mixing and matching.

One thing that’s really nice about picking up older tech is that a lot of the bugs have been worked out and there’s a whole knowledge base to dive into on forums like this. Cameras in particular seem to be released these days with half finished firmware and it could be several months before updates and fixes finally show up. Not to mention, major updates like on the S1 which unlocked all new features and made it a different camera altogether. Really nice to be able to pick something up for 1/4 the original price with the bugs all sorted and get to work. Not to mention the ability to have 2 or 3 older camera bodies for the price of a single new one. Now if they would just give us open gate on a few of the older cameras like the Sigma FP…!!!

Yes, in the end I may still just go the S1R path except the extra money might be worth it for the L-Log since the Panasonic doesn’t have V-Log. Also the depreciation/resale is going to be way better on the Leica.