Autofocus vs codec for guerrilla style

[Ingerson]

WIse words @webrunner5 there's a reason why I have't upgraded my stills camera in 8 years, easy to forget when it's something new to understand (in this case: video)

But I don't really need fast in post, I just want to move fast while shooting, set exposure and go  What I meant with post color is that I don't really try to stylize the footage, mostly correct exposure and contrast and match shots and let the look be whatever was captured.

 

EDIT: Before people suggest "rent and try", that's not really possible where I live, there is no "renting business" here and it's hours of driving finding a decent camera store to even touch a camera. Quite the opposite of the US. It's buy and send back without barely using it or they refuse taking it back, then you have to sell it and lose money.

[webrunner5]

9 hours ago, Ingerson said:

WIse words @webrunner5 there's a reason why I have't upgraded my stills camera in 8 years, easy to forget when it's something new to understand (in this case: video)

But I don't really need fast in post, I just want to move fast while shooting, set exposure and go  What I meant with post color is that I don't really try to stylize the footage, mostly correct exposure and contrast and match shots and let the look be whatever was captured.

 

I don't know. I don't think there IS a camera that is great at, set exposure and go. I think this Run n Gun stuff looks, well it looks like Run n Gun, and on average that to me means sloppy, out of focus, crocked horizons, crap WB at times, shaky footage, on and on and on. Ergo, just shoddy, rushed looking filming. I really don't like the trend to be honest. We really are not going to have a camera that thinks like we think, see's like we see. I don't think there is hardly anyway to do it on Auto and do decent film making.

Now I am not saying it has to be a giant production on every shot, or have to be on sticks, but running around, Hoping to get some good footage, and linking it all together in a smooth flowing coherent sequence is a pretty big expatiation for a quality output. Now if you want some short that has a cut every 2 seconds, well yeah that works, but I may get Vertigo watching it along with others LoL.

I am not saying a person is suppose to try and make a feature movie every time you go out, but hell Anybody can shoot crap footage with a mindless plot, that is easy to do. Shooting good video footage is 20 times harder to do than take a good photograph. Heck in a sense have you to take 4,320 good photographs @ 24fps in a 3 minute shoot! Oh then you get to edit it all, add sound or edit sound. Yeah, not easy at all.

But sure, every idea can be a film, every style can work, at least in the creators mind it does. So there is no right or wrong way. Heck if so it would all look alike. But tying to do all of it in auto, set exposure and go, well it's not that easy sad to say. At least not going to happen well very often. But it has gotten easier to accomplish now no doubt.

Heck take up knitting, it is a hell of a lot easier, and cheaper to do LoL.

[BTM_Pix]

33 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

Heck take up knitting, it is a hell of a lot easier, and cheaper to do LoL.

You say that but I bet you somewhere out there there is a knitting forum where people are lambasting each other over their choice of needle, getting into seething rages about people not using the same wool as they do and referencing influencer YouTube channels like Mo Knows Mohair.

[fuzzynormal]

7 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

I don't know. I don't think there IS a camera that is great at, set exposure and go...Anybody can shoot crap footage

The camera doesn't make the craft.  It's just a tool.  So, use decent tools.

The OP asked which is more important.  Codec or AF.  I put both of them very very low on the priority list, but since those are the two choices I say codec.  Ever try shooting video with a Nikon D90?  Hoo boy.

[Laurier]

I sold my ursa mini 4.6k after a got a a7rii ( I initially got it for photos only), I realized that the dynamic range is similar ( actually a tiny bit better on the a7rii) and autofocus was a revelation.

If you do narrative work and need to ping pong a lot between subjects, manual focusing on proper manual primes is still the best.

For the rest, autofocus is doing a better job that I will ever do by manually pulling in decent lighting conditions ( I suspect the a7iii and the future a7siii to work well in low light as well)

I shoot a lot of music videos and autofocus is great since you don t always know what the performer is going to do.

I mean, I can shoot full frame on a 85mm 1.8 wide open on a shoulder rig without issues with face tracking.

But IF YOU GO FOR AUTOFOCUS GET LENSES WITH LINEAR ELECTROMAGNETIC MOTORS, I CAN T STRESS THAT ENOUGH.

I have a set of batis, they are plain fantastic.

At the end of the day, I get more usable shoots and can concentrate more on framing while shooting.

 

About codec, its quite thin internally ( avoid Slog, you get banding on white walls) ,you can always record externally when needed, and then it s quite solid honestly .

 

[IronFilm]

9 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

You say that but I bet you somewhere out there there is a knitting forum where people are lambasting each other over their choice of needle, getting into seething rages about people not using the same wool as they do and referencing influencer YouTube channels like Mo Knows Mohair.

I bet! My girlfriend is an artist and she can get pretty hardcore into the different kinds of various brushes she uses (has LOTS! & expensive too) and types of paint.