Carmeras and Gear for Independent Narrative Work only!

[richg101]

Never use the current buy it now prices as a guide.  an auction of an F3 tends to end at half the buy it now numbers.   Mine came with a rod/riser setup, a top plate, a nikon adaptor, a 16gb sxs (over 1hrs recording of the pretty damn rugged 35mbs xdcam codec), and a sxs-sdxc adaptor, vlock battery plate, 2x sony U30 batteries.  I paid just over £1000 and looking back since a few similar setups have gone for less!  Mine was a earlier unit which was 'unlocked' with the paid firmware rather than the later units which were unlocked as standard.  If i recall there is a slight difference - the paid firmware is marginally better when it comes to external capabilities?  not 100% sure on this.

Even unrigged i can stick the F3 on my shoulder and monitor with the built in screen - which is bright and easy to view in bright conditions.    It's so lightweight, yet feels solid.  

Now the magic happens when you grab a fz to oct18 adaptor and start using the multitude of lomo lenses which are copies of early arri/zeiss s35mm format lenses and go for less than the average vintage slr lens!    

Also, from looking at the image from the F3 it appears that on paper the DR might be less than that of the A7s etc, but in reality the peaked highlight rolloff is way more filmic than the new range of dslr's that outdo it on paper.  

 

[richg101]

PMW-F3 - go to vimeo viewer to download

S-Log, Internal 35mbs XDCAM 4;2;0
Zeiss Distagon 25mm - from f2.8 to f11
ISO- 800 (0db/Base ISO)
ND's - Used throughout.
post - no processing applied to footage - dragged into timeline, exported at 150mbs 2-pass vbr (2560 x 1440)

[jax_rox]

This is internal XDCam as well - not shot by me, but I think demonstrates really well what you can get out of an F3 (watch in HD) - and that's even without going through an external recorder

https://vimeo.com/16937523

 

[tupp]

1 hour ago, richg101 said:

PMW-F3 - go to vimeo viewer to download

S-Log, Internal 35mbs XDCAM 4;2;0
Zeiss Distagon 25mm - from f2.8 to f11
ISO- 800 (0db/Base ISO)
ND's - Used throughout.
post - no processing applied to footage - dragged into timeline, exported at 150mbs 2-pass vbr (2560 x 1440)

Beautiful.  Must be nice to live in such a scenic area.

[Policar]

2 hours ago, Zach Goodwin said:

I was about to make an ovaries joke but anyway...

Curious to read it. It's a public forum, speak your mind.

[aldolega]

44 minutes ago, Zach Goodwin said:

And now I feel stupid.

Only just now?

[Policar]

If you applied half as much passion to video as you applied to these posts you'd be the next Spielberg.

[jax_rox]

I.... have no idea what's going on in this thread anymore

[Cinegain]

Seems they've brought back Comedy Central's The Roast. Burns left and right. Which does nothing but sidetrack us from the matter at hand...

F3 looks gorgeous. Makes you wonder that with cameras like that and the F35, how they've managed to screw up the modern color science. Apparently it's rocket science!

[Policar]

1 hour ago, jax_rox said:

I.... have no idea what's going on in this thread anymore

I'm not sure anyone does.

My friends did have good luck with the C300 (their feature got into Cannes, won an award there, then Sundance thereafter–but more importantly, the camera worked equally well for a traditional 30-person crew as it did for a one-person splinter unit) and I think now it's a good deal if you can rent it to other friends, too, and I just like using it–but apparently they bought it more to look cool on set, who'd a thunk it, even though they were used to shooting Alexa!

But just buy whatever doesn't get in the way. If you only care about storytelling or performance just get a t2i and focus on that. That camera is great, it doesn't get in the way and the image looks good enough with the least unnecessary effort. The quest for a good story is hard, but the quest for better image quality is a sadder one because talent is free and production value is $$$$. So your holy grail quest to eek ever so much more out of that GH4 isn't worth a thing compared with a day in private equity. Whereas Hollywood is voracious for that story the millennials love and they're gonna give you five Alexas and hundreds of thousands in fees from an eight figure budget to direct it–you know, the one you shot on your iPhone. 

 

[Bioskop.Inc]

If you've got about 4K to spend on camera gear, then you rent or you hire a camera OP/ small DP who has their own gear - get it done by a professional who will make your film look so much better than you could. There are plenty of good people out there that will work for less than their normal rate, if they like you & your project.

Also, if you go down the rental route, don't accept the list price - haggle! There's plenty of places that can/will be understanding & do you a deal. In this day and age, when you can pick up a few G7s (like Andy Lee has done for the film he is shooting) & go for it, some rental houses might take a hit in the hope that if you make it, you might come back as a repeat customer. This is always worth thinking about, because it is highly likely that a rental house has already made their money back on all their gear that isn't brand new - so some money coming in is better than the equipment just sitting on a shelf.

If you've got a budget, then spend it wisely in order to make the best film possible - buying, when you've got a 4k camera budget, is a mugs game. If you've already got a half decent camera, then use it & spend the money you do have on props/lighting or, here's a novel idea, paying a few hard up actors (just because they aren't household names, doesn't mean that they can't act!).

Finally, if you've got someone to give you money to make a film, you certainly DO NOT go out & blow it on buying yourself some camera gear.

[IronFilm]

On Monday, April 04, 2016 at 5:47 PM, jax_rox said:

I did? It may not be super common, but if you look hard enough...

You might even get incredibly lucky like I did, I picked up an F3 middle ish of last year for just US$1.2K

And with how Mattias keeps on teasing me with the low prices where he lives for a G7/G6/NX1/etc that make me drooool (I could never imagine finding them that cheap here in NZ :-( ), I wouldn't be surprised if he can't find an F3 at similarly low low prices. 

On Monday, April 04, 2016 at 5:47 PM, jax_rox said:

If you could buy a Sony FS7 for $4,000 we wouldn't even be having this conversation as I would have already bought it  

 

Haha, same!! Damn that would be great. Even though it would be a stretch for me to buy, I'd go for it!

But more realistically I realise an F3 matches better where I am career wise, and meanwhile I can just wait for myself to improve and for prices to drop, and then I'll buy an FS7 (or even better an F5!), or maaaaaybe an UM46K or Terra 6K / 5K (or the cheaper KineMini 4K, seeing as they're going for just US$3.5K now. Hmmmm...)

On Monday, April 04, 2016 at 5:47 PM, jax_rox said:

Realistically, an F3 is no less difficult to put on a gimbal or steadicam than an URSA mini or FS7. Maybe more difficult than a BMCC, but it would only be in terms of balance (it's longer).

Here is a pic of my Sony F3 on a steadicam a couple of weeks ago for a short film (complete with a recorder on the back!):

 

[ikola]

If you already own a NX1 but struggle to review the footage in the field maybe you will upgrade your laptop (ram and SSD) or change it. One can get awesome second hand laptops for 1000e, more with PCs.

Andrew made a terrific post recently with NX1 + anamorphic and he said that it's a camera he really enjoy playing with :

<< The NX1 has that Canon ‘electricity’ to the images with very vivid colour straight off the bat, as long as you keep it at ISO 800 and below. ISO 1600 and 3200 are workable but it’s not the sweet spot.

The battery life is superb as are the ergonomics and the rolling shutter is less than an A6300. Plus, it doesn’t overheat when shooting 4K and the quality of the 1080/120fps is a tad sharper too. I can see myself using this camera for a long time. If only it was compatible with the Metabones Speed Booster. >>

yes you can't push the grade as far as with a BMCC but do you really need to grade that much, knowing that the RAW DNGs from BMCC come with the price of big chucks of Gigs to store and double store for safety. What about h.265 4K storage?

+ in 1080p the rolling shutter is really well managed (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?303559-Measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue!) that's a plus with action scenes.

and that app is known to handle well h.265 footage : https://mpv.io/

for post prod, h.265 footage can be hardware accelerated with GTX960 GPUs and now Premiere CC 2015 and Resolve 12.3 read h.265 natively.

i just hope that maybe one day NX1 hackers can bring the choice of a different codec or higher bandwidth footage from that little Corean beast.

Like it was said before, sound and lighting can make a big difference too

And don't forget to feed the crew^^

[odie]

Super 16mm (Arri Sr 2)

thats what I'm doing

[Kurtisso]

A used Ikonoskop, used Digital Bolex D16, Battle-Tested KineMINI or @Ed_David's F35? Those F3's look great too. Lots of great options out there... I've only used the KineMINI of all those but it appears that they all provide a pretty darn excellent image, have good colors and have some sort of way of dealing with rolling shutter artifacts (all Global shutter I believe except for the KineMINI which has hiSpeed mode).

I find the entire Canon Cinema eos line to provide little bang for your buck outside of renting it out and recouping your sunk cost. For me personally, I have no real interest in renting out my gear, so that is not part of my business model. I shoot on what I want to shoot on. I understand that won't be the case for everyone. 

Man, it's easy to get stuck in camera-lust. Audio, lenses, filters, lighting, good story and talent etc... all very important. Outside of the cams, I have had good results with my Rode NTG4+, Old cheapo Nikkor primes, Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/4, Leica achromatic close-ups (1-4) and A BOUNCE/diffuser. Seriously. The bounce is probably the most underrated and cheapest lighting tool I have encountered. Lots of small little tools to make digital cinema on a budget.

 

[mat33]

Th

1 hour ago, Kurtisso said:

A used Ikonoskop, used Digital Bolex D16, Battle-Tested KineMINI or @Ed_David's F35? Those F3's look great too. Lots of great options out there... I've only used the KineMINI of all those but it appears that they all provide a pretty darn excellent image, have good colors and have some sort of way of dealing with rolling shutter artifacts (all Global shutter I believe except for the KineMINI which has hiSpeed mode).

I find the entire Canon Cinema eos line to provide little bang for your buck outside of renting it out and recouping your sunk cost. For me personally, I have no real interest in renting out my gear, so that is not part of my business model. I shoot on what I want to shoot on. I understand that won't be the case for everyone. 

Man, it's easy to get stuck in camera-lust. Audio, lenses, filters, lighting, good story and talent etc... all very important. Outside of the cams, I have had good results with my Rode NTG4+, Old cheapo Nikkor primes, Tiffen Black Pro Mist 1/4, Leica achromatic close-ups (1-4) and A BOUNCE/diffuser. Seriously. The bounce is probably the most underrated and cheapest lighting tool I have encountered. Lots of small little tools to make digital cinema on a budget.

 

There certainly is something magic about CCD sensors... Ikonoskop, D16, F35, Leica M8/M9 all have some special mojo (micro contrast, tonality) that make for such a nice image.

[jax_rox]

33 minutes ago, mat33 said:

Th

There certainly is something magic about CCD sensors... Ikonoskop, D16, F35, Leica M8/M9 all have some special mojo (micro contrast, tonality) that make for such a nice image.

Until you encounter that magic smear  

[mat33]

12 minutes ago, jax_rox said:

Until you encounter that magic smear  

I like to think of it as a vertical anamorphic flare :-)

[DPStewart]

4 minutes ago, mat33 said:

I like to think of it as a vertical anamorphic flare :-)

Hahahaha!

[Bioskop.Inc]

I love the Coney Island video above...but i'll raise you that Ikonoskop video, with this one - made by one of the guys from Daft Punk, just...