The best new camera to purchase in 2018!

[mercer]

13 minutes ago, PannySVHS said:

G85 would already be too posh I think:) Yeah, I have been having fun with the Fujinon 12.5 and my Gx85. I have to engage the electronic IBIS too in order to avoid dark corners jumping in with stabilization. Such a super fun lens and by one stop sharper than my SLRMagic 12mm. I think it becomes a 15mm or 16mm in mft terms with that 4k crop plus eIBIS extra crop. Like a cheaper Leica 15mm and helios character:)

I would vote for a EM10iii if you can get it for less than 400. Shoot it a 3200, 4000 and 6000K and be happy with the oly colors I would guess. Internal audio only, would not mind though neither suggest it. Love to see some of your beautiful free roaming or nicely locked camera work again!!

And yeah, that’s the problem with the G85. They still sell for around $700 around here, at that price I can spend a little more (relatively speaking) and get the G9 which has headphone input and 4K 60p. At that point, the heart of the challenge is kinda gone I suppose. 

As far as the challenge goes, I say it is a Fall/Winter challenge where each person is challenged to do at least one or two if you’re bold short film/documentary/music video at 5 minutes or less. I’d prefer it to be 1080p but 4K is acceptable and I’d prefer it to be a single lens (preferably a prime) zoom or prime is acceptable. Audio should be in camera and any lighting should be portable enough to fit in a camera bag (I’m gonna try and use available light as much as possible.

I’m also going to try and do more than one. I still have my EOS-M in the back of my closet, so I will probably use that in conjunction with ML Bitrate Hack to do a locked down shirt with a c-mount lens. And then for my second one, I may get one of the cameras I mentioned above for IBIS and possibly 4K... of course I am seeing that the E-M5ii are going for $500 or less now as well... so maybe I’ll stick to 1080p. 

Anyway, sorry to the OP, if this is getting off track. 

26 minutes ago, Dan Sherman said:

I have them both, and in my opinion the Expo-disk is better for setting WB in the camera. It works like a filter,  so all you do is hold it over the front of the lens and set custom wb.
You don't have to worry about holding it perfectly square to the lens to avoid reflections like with an x-rite. You also don't have to worry about targeting the correct swatch on the x-rite from multiple feet away.

For checking/setting wb and color correctness in post an expo-disc is usless, and you need a color checker.

If/when you go to buy a color checker, I's recommend you buy the X-Rite i1 Filmmaker Kit. Yea, its more expensive because the iDisplay pro comes with it, but you will eventually want to calibrate your monitor(s) anyway, and you save $50-$60 buying it as a kit.

 

here is a cheesy platylist showing how to use an expo-disc!

 

Thanks for this. I had a discussion with BTM a while back about the expo disk and he was telling me you can use them to set exposure as well... if I’m remembering the conversation properly.

And thanks for the X-Rite tip. I’m using a 2014 MacBook Air and it has been a headache getting accurate color out of it. Using the internal Mac color calibration tool will get me there sometimes but then other times it will be way off. 

As much as I’d love to get a GH5 and a Sankor 16c anamorphic, or a P4K, my money will be better spent this year updating my computer and my audio equipment, so a cheaper 2nd hybrid/glovebox cam will have to do.

[Dan Sherman]

8 minutes ago, mercer said:

Audio should be in camera

As in using internal mics only, or recorded internally only?

[mercer]

5 minutes ago, Dan Sherman said:

As in using internal mics only, or recorded internally only?

I meant recorded internally. So if the camera has a mic input, then go to town and use it. 

I think the idea is to see how much one can do with the minimum. So by limiting technical options, we’ll be forced to think creatively.

If you’re not familiar with Kendy Ty’s work (I’m sure you are) here’s what he was capable of with a t2i, one lens and available light. I assume he used an external recorder but I’d prefer if we limited ourselves even more... but I’m not the boss here, so I’m open to ideas?

 

[BTM_Pix]

30 minutes ago, mercer said:

 

Thanks for this. I had a discussion with BTM a while back about the expo disk and he was telling me you can use them to set exposure as well... if I’m remembering the conversation properly.

 

Yes you can use them as an incident light meter as well as to set WB.

[fuzzynormal]

On 9/17/2018 at 12:24 PM, wolf33d said:

Get the hell out with your trolling. You have nothing better to do? Seriously...

Eh, the contradiction was amusing to me, what can I say?

Also, no. [sad face]

[Emanuel]

17 hours ago, mercer said:

 

Director's note: "I don’t waste my time by switching between several softwares or video tools". Good for a signature over here ; -)

[kye]

Just imagine the title of the thread said "2019" instead of 2018 and just re-read it.

My advice - upgrade your skills with your existing camera.  

You get:

• an upgrade that is with you for life, not just for another year or two
• to feel good about yourself and like things are possible that maybe you didn't think were
• to shift your thinking that you can find solutions within yourself rather than just buying solutions to your problems

I plan to celebrate all the new cameras by setting up a test shoot with my camera under the best conditions I possibly can, and then bringing the footage into Resolve and trying to match the skin tones from a high-end colourists showreel.

This is partly to learn something about colour grading, partly to learn more about how to best use my existing camera, and partly to remind me that truly amazing footage can be created with equipment I already have and to not get drawn into the showreels of the new equipment.

What would you like to learn?