Camera owning plans 2020

[mercer]

2 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

I'm hopeful that in a few weeks I'll have ditched pushing that LANC handle on you and instead be pushing the FP at you harder than a YouTuber pushing Squarespace.

 

Haha, I hope so. I soooo want to like the FP but I'm on the fence about it so far. I almost feel I need to wait for it to drop significantly in price before I'll give it a go.

[BTM_Pix]

11 minutes ago, mercer said:

Haha, I hope so. I soooo want to like the FP but I'm on the fence about it so far. I almost feel I need to wait for it to drop significantly in price before I'll give it a go.

I've had a bit of a wobble about it recently but I've bought two spare 3rd party batteries for it now and I'm not just going to throw away that £15 investment so I'm committed to getting it now.

By a strange quirk of timing though, the CP+ show is on the same weekend I arrive in Japan so I'll be going and having a look round before I finally commit so all bets could be off depending on what gets launched there.

 

[Jrsisson]

2020 camera plans?

If possible, move to a Canon workflow.

XF400 + Canon EOS RP would be good for me.

[Mako Sports]

4 hours ago, Video Hummus said:

That’s not Caleb, 😂

technically it is... Its Caleb Wojik or however you spell his last name. 

[kye]

5 hours ago, Video Hummus said:

That’s not Caleb, 😂

 

17 minutes ago, Mako Sports said:

technically it is... Its Caleb Wojik or however you spell his last name. 

LOL, the autocomplete in my brain got me with that one.  

I mean..  how many Calebs do we need in camera reviewing?   

[Thomas Hill]

6 hours ago, mercer said:

Haha, I hope so. I soooo want to like the FP but I'm on the fence about it so far. I almost feel I need to wait for it to drop significantly in price before I'll give it a go.

Just boxed mine up to send back. I might get another one when that significant price drop comes along because I love it paired with the 45mm or small Voigtlanders as a small carry everywhere stills camera. 

So if anyone needs the small grip or the big viewfinder, gimme a shout.

[thebrothersthre3]

On 1/29/2020 at 12:39 AM, mercer said:

Yeah I think between the Ursa and the Arri Classic, the Ursa is probably the smarter buy but man that Arri image is nice. Now if the Amira was in that price range... I'd definitely go with the Amira.

Once Sage releases his lut for the Ursa they'll be so little difference its crazy. Dynamic range is amazing on the Alexa but you honestly rarely need 14 stops. I find my Fuji with its 11.2 stops working for most things, so if I got a bump up to 12.6 which is the URSA that would really cover everything. And the URSA is really so light and small at least in comparison with an older Alexa. 

I thought about it for a bit and than I was like, what would I actually do with this camera? Its so easy to rig of an URSA on to minimalist setups including gimbals. 

[IronFilm]

On 1/29/2020 at 5:22 PM, mercer said:

To add to my previous comment... I think this is the problem with cameras over $2500. For only a bit more you can get an S1H. And then at $4000, for only a bit more you can get a C200 or a Red Komodo or an EVA1 or an FS7 or an Ursa Mini Pro.

After that price bracket it's a big jump before you get to a camera that has a significant jump in specs and even then, it may be worth bypassing those cameras to rent a Red or an Alexa.

And that is exactly why the FS7 is so very very popular. 

As a working professional it is very easy to justify yet another small step up in costs in exchange for the big jump forward in specs. (as you'll get paid more too for having a FS7 than an a7Smk2, or even a FS5)

But once you hit the point of a FS7, it becomes a very LARGE leap forward in cost before you break into the next tier which producers would indeed pay more for. (such as RED or ARRI)

[Amazeballs]

Switch to Fuji XT4 if it is as good as we all hope. Maybe get two of them. Ditch Panasonic. 

Get a new drone, don't know which one yet. Current one - Anafi. 

[heart0less]

Nah, not buying any new cameras this year. I'm sticking with what I have.

I'm fully aware that getting a newly released body would mean upgrading my PC as well, since it already struggles with 4K 10 bit files. Ain't nobody got money for that!

 

Maybe I'll invest just a little bit into lighting gear: some reflectors, a softbox, a key light - a bare necessities for paid interview / corpo jobs.

It's high time I began unleashing the true potential of my gear.

[thebrothersthre3]

19 minutes ago, heart0less said:

Nah, not buying any new cameras this year. I'm sticking with what I have.

I'm fully aware that getting a newly released body would mean upgrading my PC as well, since it already struggles with 4K 10 bit files. Ain't nobody got money for that!

 

Maybe I'll invest just a little bit into lighting gear: some reflectors, a softbox, a key light - a bare necessities for paid interview / corpo jobs.

It's high time I began unleashing the true potential of my gear.

The S1 is just 4k 10 bit though so it wouldn't be any harsher on your PC.

But yeah mostly it doesn't matter. For weddings I need three cameras and the ones I have do the job. But I want to get out of weddings and focus on corporate, commercial, and film work. For that its kind of certain cameras suite certain jobs, but renting is pretty common regardless.

I plan on purchasing a ton of lighting equipment this year as well though.

[mercer]

9 hours ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

Once Sage releases his lut for the Ursa they'll be so little difference its crazy. Dynamic range is amazing on the Alexa but you honestly rarely need 14 stops. I find my Fuji with its 11.2 stops working for most things, so if I got a bump up to 12.6 which is the URSA that would really cover everything. And the URSA is really so light and small at least in comparison with an older Alexa. 

I thought about it for a bit and than I was like, what would I actually do with this camera? Its so easy to rig of an URSA on to minimalist setups including gimbals. 

Idk, I love what Sage is doing, but there's more to an image than just the color science that just can't be replicated with a color space transform. There's a reason why the Alexa is King and has held the throne since its release and no 4K, 6K or 8K camera has dethroned the beautiful 2.8K image from the Alexa.

With that being said, the Ursa is an amazing camera and seems very capable for the way you intend to use it. It's definitely a smarter buy for your purposes. In fact, that and your X-T3 is probably all you would ever need.

[mercer]

9 hours ago, IronFilm said:

And that is exactly why the FS7 is so very very popular. 

As a working professional it is very easy to justify yet another small step up in costs in exchange for the big jump forward in specs. (as you'll get paid more too for having a FS7 than an a7Smk2, or even a FS5)

But once you hit the point of a FS7, it becomes a very LARGE leap forward in cost before you break into the next tier which producers would indeed pay more for. (such as RED or ARRI)

I really like the look from the FS7. I'd probably go a different route if I had that kind of money.

I just recently saw an amazing video shot with the FS7 and a Samyang 24mm cine lens...

I'm really interested to see more from the FX9 and its little brother.

[thebrothersthre3]

6 hours ago, mercer said:

Idk, I love what Sage is doing, but there's more to an image than just the color science that just can't be replicated with a color space transform. There's a reason why the Alexa is King and has held the throne since its release and no 4K, 6K or 8K camera has dethroned the beautiful 2.8K image from the Alexa.

With that being said, the Ursa is an amazing camera and seems very capable for the way you intend to use it. It's definitely a smarter buy for your purposes. In fact, that and your X-T3 is probably all you would ever need.

The Alexa is nice but it’s nothing more than name brand recognition imo. No one would be able to tell the difference between them on a commercial project. 

[Julien416]

21 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

The Alexa is nice but it’s nothing more than name brand recognition imo. No one would be able to tell the difference between them on a commercial project. 

Have you ever used an Alexa? 

Your statement couldn't be more wrong. There is about two to three stops of additional highlights retention with the Arri. It's noticeable I am effraid.

Sure, on a very controlled lighting situation you may match them without hassle. But in real life, when you have to get the shot no matter what, the quality of the sensor makes all the difference. 

[KnightsFan]

34 minutes ago, thebrothersthre3 said:

The Alexa is nice but it’s nothing more than name brand recognition imo. No one would be able to tell the difference between them on a commercial project. 

I can usually tell on movies I watch whether it was shot on Arri or not, even at the highest budgets. The most common difference is Arri distributes stops to highlights for milkier shadows and extensive highlights (like film). Red on the other hand distributes stops to the shadows for more shadow detail. Can you adjust them differently in post? Probably. But for whatever reason I see that difference even on $100 million movies.

[HockeyFan12]

19 minutes ago, Julien416 said:

Have you ever used an Alexa? 

Your statement couldn't be more wrong. There is about two to three stops of additional highlights retention with the Arri. It's noticeable I am effraid.

Sure, on a very controlled lighting situation you may match them without hassle. But in real life, when you have to get the shot no matter what, the quality of the sensor makes all the difference. 

Yeah the irony of the Alexa is that its advantages would be most apparent on sets where they couldn't afford an Alexa.

I was lucky enough to try one a year after they came out and I was absolutely blown away. Still nothing compares with the highlight dynamic range or exposure invariant color (also the minimal skew, noise texture, etc.), but I think the 4.6k could intercut almost seamlessly with good lighting and proper exposure. I've only used the 4.6k in post though but the image is good.

I also found the Alexa pretty big and intimidating and very battery-hungry.

[Mako Sports]

@mercer Hoping the FX6 has the same look. 4:20

 

[Video Hummus]

I should note the circle in the bottom right is the best value for the money...its probably a Sony F3 or something....or some other older, used, cinema camera that has seen some shit.

[barefoot_dp]

I'm hoping to get an URSA Mini Pro G2 this year.

I'll wait until NAB to see if they bring out anything new, as they've released some sort URSA update every year bar one since the original big URSA. I'm hoping they announce an USRA LF, not because I want full frame, but because then all the G2's will start hitting the used market and I can get one cheaper.

G2 is the only camera so far that ticks all my criteria to spend money on an upgrade: 4K120p, V-lock batts, proper audio controls/inputs, 10-bit 422 intra, easily shoulder mountable, and around ~$10,000 for a full package.