The end of EOSHD

[Andrew Reid]

So my friends I am fed up, burnt out after the lockdowns, lonely in my job.

I can't go on like this for much longer.

I'm considering closing the blog and forum, but no decision made yet.

Unless I revive my passion for cameras and tech, and indeed even shooting - I'm done!

Hope you can stick around for what happens next.

And any ideas about changing the direction of the site, are welcome!

Cheers!

[D4cl00]

The last 18 months have changed me completely as well.
No more traveling because the company “is remote first”, no more creative minded colleagues, it’s all about process and numbers. All Zoom meetings are to the point, no more laughing. Dealing with 9 hour time difference (USA HQ)

The 2 years before that was helping my wife with her rehabilitation after she suffered a stroke. Which was hard with a 1.5 year old and a 7 year old. We were back in the Netherlands coincidentally (we came back to NL for friends and family) when it happened, and so I decided to immigrate back not knowing whether she was going to recover and be able to speak and walk again. The immigration causes all kinds of financial challenges (taxes, insurance) which cost me close to $100K in the end.
 

These events - rehabilitation, lockdown and now isolation shook me to my core. It changed me. I feel completely burned out. Life has gotten more “bare” and I have to find myself again, find what I truly care about. Connect with people, build something new.
Add on the fact I’m 41 and probably having midlife crisis at the same time (proof: I drive a Tesla!), and the party is complete.

Sorry for the long story - what I’m trying to say is that your personal struggle resonates with me and I want you to know that many people around me including myself have severely struggled the last 2 years. Social media didn’t help either; it has created a fake lens of the world, especially the last few years. It’s like 99% of the people are acting or presenting a version of themselves, instead of being themselves. 

Things will get better, but as you said you may have to force change. Whatever you choose to do next, I wish you all the best. Never, ever give up the values you live by.

Take care.

[Matins 2]

Do whatever is best for your health.

[MrSMW]

The same for me...but at the same time, also the opposite.

Year 01 was pretty dreadful, ie, last year, because there was no precedent, it was all new and we mostly thought it would be over before it was. It still isn't (over) but I think we're making progress?

Year 02, ie, this year has been better though because I was prepared for it. I hoped it would not be utterly shite (for business), but it has been. But because I was better prepared and been proactive rather than waiting for it to end, it has not been as bad.

I think the answer to anything like this is to take back control. Within the realms of what is possible anyway. Don't follow the herd. Don't try and conform. Be like Seth Godin's 'Purple Cow', but do it for the right reasons and without selling your soul.

One of the main benefits of any community is that whilst yes, you do get complete tossers within most groups, the majority belong for the right reasons.

 

[Marcio Kabke Pinheiro]

Just looked now, joined here July 26, 2013. First comment, in your post about the first rumours about the GX7 (which I bought when launched). But probably was just a reader for a long time before - got my GH2 (still have it) after knowing about it and the hacks here. Still have your GH2 shooters guide, bought my first manual lenses because of it (even my concave FD 35mm f/2, which ended as a very good investment...).

It's been a long and pleasant ride. Already told you that EOSHD is almost single handed responsible for my video / stills passion (and this become a personal gap filling staple in my life, bringing me kind of a MEANING to life that I've always missed). I've read EOSHD almost every day since I've discovered it - and considering that the other filmmaking site that I've discovered about the same time is turning into a conspiracy theory site, this daily visit is even more valuable to me.

I'm no professional, I work in IT, stills and video are just a passion. It is hard to gave advice when filmmaking is not my living income, and even more that I don't have a website that is my main income (which is obviously your concern beside the passion). But I will try.

COVID put a lot of stress in everyone - here too. Will not digress to much about me - I was kind of privileged to work from home since March of last year, no income reduce, no cases in the family. But my state of mind is in a all-time low too, 3 cats died in one year (2 of them with me in 15+ years, was really a part of my life that gone), haven't touched my cameras in almost 2 months (too much work, a 3 year old daughter, and having to move to another house for the 2nd time in 12 months), and living in a insane country with a genocide president. Much less problems than most of the people here, but stressing.
 

And in the past year, I saw a lot of photo / video sites and channels having being affercted by this general felling and / or the state of the photo/video "ecospace" state. Ming Thein got fed up, stopped his (amazing) blog and go full time to be a watch maker. Kirk Tuck had a very similar post than yours some days ago. Even Gerald Undone looks like fed up by making the same videos all over again, in his last post (of course it could be just marketing - being a skeptic is almost a constant state on these days). I think that there are some causes to it.

Gear is becoming unexciting, compared to past years. From the 1080p24 of the 5D MK II to (now the beginning) of the 8k cameras, it was a rocketing climb in the quality and availabiliy of the filming tools. Not only in resolution, but in codecs, colors, AF, IBIS, things that we can only dream about in the GH2 days. But there is not so much to grow - 8k, 10-bit everywhere, better AF, more RAW formats and probably global shutters. But the jump in final quality would be nowhere near of we got in the past years. The cameras releasing pace already become much slower, and the prices are rising.

Ming Thein had a good concept of "point of sufficiency" - that most of modern cameras are already too good for most of the people; that changing to a better camera don't make their output better. And I think that people are already starting to realize that - buying a newer camera, spending tons of money and seeing that the results are not improving in the same magnitude.

I started to see more and more channels talking about techniques and primary filmmaking concepts - even with smartphones. Framing, focusing, grading. Most catering to (probably) the most growing market in flmmaking - youtubers, low budget music filmmakers, amateurs. 

I can speak from my point of view of an enthusiast - and by no means I want to sound detrimental to the bunch of pros here, a lot of them that I like and learn A LOT from. But I miss the amateur side of EOSHD, the less cutting edge equipment side of it.

Just open you GH2 guide, as I have it now here. Look how much info there was NOT camera related. This is what is valuable now. I have a friend that become a good an very booked photographer - and, since this is the market now, he needed to improve the video side of his business, for clients and for his personal channels. He started to do some Stories videos with simple tips on how to make moblie photos better - VERY simple tips, and extra light (that could be only a flashlight), posing, very simple tips. His audience exploded.

And on the other side, he NEVER asked me any gear related tips. He is a Canon shooter, loved the R5 and the R3, but have no plans to buy one. For his work, it's 5D MK III and his iPhone have more than enough quality (and even for some simple videos for his clients). But he DEVOURS filming technique sites - lighting, composition, grading, editing. And it works - he started making videos about 5 months ago, and the quality jumped massively, using the same gear.

Since I started to offload my m4/3 gear, I entered in some trading forums, and seeing some of the work of the buyers. In m4/3 forums, the rage are not the GH5 of Blackmagics. Are the G7 (yes) and, mostly, the GX85. And lots of people are doing music videos (specially funk, rap and country ones) with very good quality with these tools - not the most cinematic ones, not good for my tastes, but in a look that their audiences like. I sold my GX85 for a gospel rapper, and he is all in into grading in Cinelike-D, cheap vintage lenses and framing - his budget is near to none.

All these people could not buy an R3, Canon Cxxx, or a Red. They are not interested in gear review - they already have the ones that they could afford, or what they could afford was already reviewed to death in the past. They starve for information in HOW to shoot, not in WHAT to shoot.

Of course I'm in a 3rd world country, and this is the scenario here. But (I guess) that in US or in the EU kind of happened the same. The people that were here since the beginning evolved to pro filmmaking, have the best or best-ish tools, and already have a very good knowledge of gear. Here still is one of the few places that pros discuss pro specs instead of fighting - and this is a valuable thing that must happen.

But it is not anymore a place that a newbie would come to find useful info for a newbie. And I guess that it made EOSHD missing renovation.

You and all these amazing guys here have a lot to TEACH. Keep talking about the latest gear - new people learn a lot about it too. But this is a thing that mostly stills / video youtube is doing - with a lot of corporate backing.

But teaching how to use these tools - these guys are not doing it. How to compose. How to focus, how to grade, how to edit. How past hardware could bring amazing results. How to make good filmmaking without cutting edge gear. Revisitng the GH3, GH4, GX85, older Blackmagics, 5D mk ii AND iii, lower Fujis, the Olympuses. And older, and newer manual lenses. 

EOSHD, in the older days, catered to newbies, enthusiasts, and mobile pros - simply because the tools that all these could use were the same - GH1, GH2, OG BMPCC, 5D MK II and III, E-M5 MK I. The market changed, mobile pros and whealthy enthusiasts have the current top gear (FF mirrorless and top APS-C gear). But newer filmakers, amateurs and enthusiasts were getting older and cheaper gear, and it is sufficient to them (my main camera now is the X-S10, and is more than enough for me and my skills). 

This new public need to know about lenses, techniques, grading. They need what you have in the GH2 guide.

And maybe with this public, you will focus less in tech - and more in technique. In how to extract the best result with less, having more constraints. And maybe you find your joy again.

Do not do the same that all other sites do. With this, you could get a new public. Better yet, you will not bother with what the Northrup-ish sites are doing, or if they are being paid to do, which will be good to your mental health. Forget them.

Your "Tokio Storm" (https://vimeo.com/31835141) was probably one of the most mind-blowing pieces of my life. I WANTED to do that. And I still want - holy shit, it still looks AMAZING after all these years.

This was you, this was EOSHD. And I miss that.

Sorry for the long post - and yes, all this could be bullshit, and just my personal point of view, and not valid in the grand scheme of things at all. At last, just wanted to point how EOSHD is important to me, as a person. And how you was, and is, important.

Just wishing that you find that what is best for you. Take care of your mental health. Find the best way for you. 

And thanks. A very big thanks. That will not be big enough, never.
 

 

[Alexis Fontana]

The main reason why your blog has become more and more obsolete is in my mind that the revolution with affordable cameras to shoot “cinematic” pictures with is over. It doesn’t really matter which one you buy these days, and that’s why the reviewers have changed to influencers pushing products. They’re all more than good enough to shoot films that can easily be accepted on to film festivals and streaming platforms. I usually shoot on Alexa mini LF, I’m familiar with the camera, it’s rock solid, easy to navigate, works with my ac’s WCU-4 follow focus, all that stuff. But that’s on commercials and the latest studio feature I’ve been fortunate enough to DP. I bought the pocket 6 pro this spring to use for personal projects and apart from less dynamic range in the highlights I’ve been able to match with my colorist to the Alexa 95%. That’s a 2500 $ camera. I’ve shot a no budget feature over the last 2 months on that camera. 25 shooting days, in all conditions, using only available light sources. It’s looking amazing. Can people outside of the industry tell a difference? Absolutely not. So - we’re in a situation where the gear doesn’t really matter anymore. Reliability, durability and support is still much better on the 60k+ camera systems, but the gear is not the obstacle anymore. 
 

Now - the advertising jobs still has clients and agencies that needs to feel like they’re money is well spent and love to see a big camera and wireless monitors on set. Big lights and stands and 12x12 frames and lots of assistants working. “We make real movie” attitudes. 
Depending on the client I sometimes ask the gaffer to put up extra lights and just turn them away so it looks more “professional”.

But all that unnecessary performance doesn’t bother me. I get to try out new lenses, new support systems, new lamps, and I never went to film school so I use any and every opportunity to learn and develop new skills.

And when someone pays me 2500$ a day I’ll put on a smile and try to make them as happy as possible.

Which leeds to my final point. I can understand bitterness, it runs in my fathers family so I’m prone to it. But working with bitter people only makes me avoid any future relations. It’s destroying creative energy and closing doors to potential collaborators.

Eoshd felt like it came from the heart, from true joy. Hasn’t felt like that for years. Whatever you need to sell, close down, pass on to move to a new place with joy and passion - go for it.
 

Life’s too short bro. 

[newfoundmass]

In a perfect world you'd find your passion again and create the content that brought us all here in the first place. Unfortunately this isn't a perfect world, and you can't just make yourself want to do something like that, it needs to come from the heart. 

Ultimately you should do what's best for you. You don't owe us anything. The only person you need to worry about is you and what will make you happier. 

I hope that it can all work out for you, Andrew and thank you for everything! 

[PannySVHS]

Dear Andrew,

this site has been very dear to me and still is to this day. Thank you for realising such a great project.

I second @Marcio Kabke Pinheiro s statement, the joy of creating and the joy of learning techniques are exiting to experience. When I started reading around 2012 and became a member 2015, this site was full of energy and optimism. Maybe so, because you were too, Andrew. Pretty sure. It is an achievement of large scale what you have achieved.

I think, people are a bit busy right now with hardships of life. But why not give this exiting blog and forum the time to recreate and rest. No need to close doors. Let us all just regain powers and then get involved into discussion again, exchange and support for one and another.

I would have loved to post more the last months. I am just too exhausted with life right now and I know I´m not alone. The last two years have been a rough time to many of us. Just need a bit of rest to contribute more. I have plenty cool stuff to share. Sony F3 will be used for a shorty this November, also some cool behind the scene photos from a horror short film, for which I was DIT this summer. Fun stories and happy lensing with @mercers 12.5mm Fujinon lens legend and an Angenieux 75mm S16 lens.

We all might need a bit of rest I think. No generic spec list posts of Canon R3 or Sony will change that.

A bit of a nap and a bit of a real life happy chat will bring us all back on track, after a while. That´s an alliteration just for you, dear Andrew and forum readers.:)

I would love EOSHD to maintain. My gratitude, to you, dear Andrew. Best wishes and a digital hug, Marty

[majoraxis]

@Andrew Reid 

I check EOSHD daily as it is one my "homes/destinations" on the internet. I am appreciative of you and the like minded people who choose to gather here to help each other work through our creative pursuits.

The thing that will be missing without you here is your articulate visionary "call it like it is" expression of deeper truths.

I will follow you to your next passion destination (if you choose to let EOSHD go) because I enjoying being required to look deeper into the inner workings of the machine, both literally and figuratively.

I wish you all best in your decision making process.

 

 

 

[mechanicalEYE]

This site is largely responsible for me grabbing the GH1, my First camera. From there I picked up every GH release since all the way to the GH5 with a BMPCC stuck in there. You could say for sure Andrew and EOSHD was the OG camera influencer. 

I haven't logged on much recently but definitely lurk consistently cause even now it's one of the best sources for real info.

Whatever is decided, I wish you the best @AndrewReid and will definitely stay tuned.

[leslie]

God help us, if this site does go down. Your all responsible For me acquiring a bmp4k,  lenses, and falling down the rabbit hole, that is anamorphics and film making in general. 😉 Still i needed a hobby anyway, and it keeps the voices / noises in my head quieter.  

Eoshd is a great resource, it would be devastating to lose the site. Still your health has to come first. For me, eoshd is a great online niche camera forum/ resource. It is with some irony, that i find myself with a blog within a blog thats attracted nearly 50,000 views. weird eh ?.

An analogy for you Eoshd is  Kinda like England, a small island. Storms come, wave crash down, but after that, the sun comes out ( well i have heard the sun occasionally comes out 😎 ) and it all good.

Be a shame to lose all that and just be left with the social influencers for er.... content.

[k-robert]

Dear Andrew,

First, thank you for sharing your knowledge, experiences and values with us. 
Thanks for your time, work, energy and inspiration.

I feel with you throughout. I have initiated and managed an online magazin covering my hobby, with articles, forum, gallery, etc… It was by far the leading site in my country, but I never wanted to monetise it. It was just a hobby, should be kept free of commercial interests. After almost 7 years I closed it. I just lost my original interest and energy, kind of burned out. I still did have ideas for themes but had little desire to share them. One of the reasons for my fatigue, was also the malicious comments of evil losers, strengthening their self-confidence on the virtual battleground.

But after a while people were contacting me, asking when-if the site will be active again. They said, the site was a useful knowledge base, especially for beginners, there are missing valuable information, and also the online-friends. So I decided to reopen the site. Under a different domain name I put back the best articles and themes, and there is also possibility for comments. Now and than I or one of the other guys publish a new article…

I have started working as international business consultant in the previous century 🙂 I love the job, the changing environment presenting different challenges. The last two years were horrible. Slow down, lock down, locked in, getting a frustrated introvert in my home office.

As a consultant, I would advice to take your time to “reengineer” your life. A personal SWOT always helpful. Discuss with people, who loves and respect you, they will give honest, valuable feed-back. You have obvious strengths, “core competencies”. You have been living-working in an international environment, have talent, creativity, experience in film making and a straight attitude to morality. We have enough problems on the Earth, and many charity-aid organisations, NGO-s try to solve them, making the world a better place. All of them needs impressive and convincing film material to introduce them selves and support their goals, campaigns etc… Many consultants help such organisations, young businessmen or startups. It feels right to work for a good case, and some of them can even pay 🙂 For instance, I have helped (for free) the European Foodbank. 
https://www.eurofoodbank.org

As a private person, a “virtual friend”, I hope, this rethinking will help you to sort out the way leading you to private and professional happiness full of creative energy.

Take care, hope to see you around 🙂

[fuzzynormal]

The world is sliding again into the standard dark places it always seems to eventually go --and the anxiety of our lives reflect this.  The scales of the internet have violently tipped to manipulation and exploitation and the earnest golly-gee-wiz of it all is long gone.  Hard things to rally against it, but it's just the reality of it all.

Your site reflects what the net used to be.  Anyway, EOSHD is a refuge because fo that.

Thanks for getting me into LUMIX.  I wouldn't have even considered M43 without your reviews.  Glad I did because it's been a perfect platform fit for me.

[Stathman]

Just do whatever makes you happy my friend. 

Heartbreaking video.

Move on, bring the joy back.

Very much appreciated all the knowledge, heart and soul you shared in this place.

Looking forward for your next step. 

Cheers mate, stay strong! ✊ 

 

[Rinad Amir]

6years of joy and it would kill me if i loose my second family? i weird.

[webrunner5]

Long time since I have been on here but have kept up with what was happening here. I have seen the energy drain from you Andrew for quite awhile. A lot of people have left also on here that were old timers. This video shit is just so damn taxing, time consuming, and still pretty damn expensive with all the new stuff that in reality Are a good improvement over stuff just a few years ago. Yeah photography is probably the way to go if you don't get hung up on having f2.0 800mm lenses lol. It is what I have been doing more and more as of late. 

I am an older turd now than I ever was, going on 75. And I can tell you change or die, and I mean die on the inside. You have lost the fire but you are young enough and smart enough to figure out something that will re ignite your fire. Work for someone else for awhile, take the pressure off yourself, at least for now. Even in normal times this is hard, but now with this damn Pandemic it is just crazy hard. Good luck Andrew, hope what you want really matures sooner than later. Thanks for this site. Not many like it.

[etudiant]

Sadly no elixir to help, just my warmest regards and sympathy.

Life serves out lots of lemons,appreciate the few lollipops that it also throws in.

You have massive talent, please don't bury it. But life is a journey, not a Calvary, so have fun along the way, it is a priority.

[Andrew Reid]

Thanks for all the comments guys.

Just the motivation I need to try and turn the ship around.

I can't promise much at the moment. Hopefully I find the energy to do that. Would not like this place just whittle away to obscurity after 11 years so if I do need to change what I do in life, I would look at selling EOSHD and would never just hit a button to take it offline. The original purpose and spirit of picking up a small mirrorless camera and making films is still there today and we need to help one another on that mission.

[Emanuel]

There's no other location like this one today, no kudos are enough to express it, I feel it invariably underestimated...

I don't even think anyone including Andrew can comprehend the whole extent of the impact of his work and legacy as one of the first original influencers of this segment of the camera scene : )

 

This is a truly indie home where there's always place for filmmakers to come first. Where else nowadays?

Industry ties don't hang out really well with free spirits.

Priceless affordable tools for creators don't rule when business aspects prevail.

Andrew has created something completely unique to get rid us of all the customary useless paid crap.

 

Frankly, I don't see us living without the standards EOSHD has become us used to.

It would be a sad world in/for this craft without it.

 

Pretty sincerely,

EAG :- )

[SRV1981]

This is a hobby for me and my investment waxes and wanes - this is by far my favorite forum for discourse and reviews on equipment, etc.  I rarely participate, i'm an unknown but I always check this site and forum - it would be a shame to lose this connection!