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I have finished modifying the painters pole i bought. Comparing the cheapness of selfie sticks verses the price of branded monopods, the painters pole does comes in dearer than a selfie stick and a fair bit cheaper than any monopod. It did need some modifications with a drill and a hacksaw it also required 2 x 1/4 bolts which have now been replaced with 2 black knurled 1/4 inch large diameter "bolts" which makes disassembly or assembly a breeze. The mission 1 fits on the crane m2 gimbal without issue even though it is a little bigger and heavier. i did remove some mass off the base plate, that allowed me to move the camera sideways just enough that i can fold all the axis's flat and stow it away in a plastic protective case in one piece. Remove the two black bolts stow in case and go. A great time saver i think. The first feature i like about it, is its robustness. Painters poles are sturdy pieces of equipment by design. The 2nd feature important to me at least was it has a hexagon shaft extension. which mean i dont have to worry about cams or twist locks, like you find on tripod legs coming adrift or wearing out, they always seem to frustrate me. The minimum height is about 5 feet and i think i can extend it to about 9 feet. I'll have to find a tape measure tomorrow... With gimbal attached the camera is a little lower than my eyes and im nearly 6 feet tall. So i kinda feel like it should be a nice height if i am just holding it upright, time will tell. I have been out today scouting, My town has a bunch of murals painted on various walls all over town, probably most towns have similar. There's actually a path to follow on google if one wanted to search it out. I had the mission 1 in a pocket and the first thing i noticed is that the rubber sun shade can get dislodged pretty easy and intrude into the photo. This is from a burst mode, you know the 960 fps. Interestingly burst mode files sizes seem to come in at about 134 - 144 MB per batch. if you have a look at the two pics you can see the difference in light levels. Straight out of camera we have a jpg ( yes i know i should have shot raw ) i figured i would start with the defaults and see how that goes... These are like only a minute apart and there's not a cloud in the sky. Not that i find the look unpleasant, it is what it is. The mission1 also does a ton of processing after you stop recording, it continues processing for a few seconds. Again not an issue just things i have noticed. If i use the phrase gopro take a picture it will do whatever the mode is set to, however it seems a little finicky in its execution the timing doesn't always seem the same. Theres also a very good chance the error is operator induced, but i think it may be more consistent for me, if i buy a bluetooth remote to trigger it, specifically if your trying to do one man band 960 fps sequences. I have tried half a dozen slow motion things at home with out alot of success.

Nice images, was it overcast that day, they seem a little subdued ? or is that the lens combo you think ? A long way from the top is a good thing i reckon 🤔 Be careful with the at-x pro 28-70mm pro 2.8 there's 3 versions from memory. I forget how to tell which the "better" one is. Google would help no doubt. I also suspect the tokina 28-70 at-x pro's might be flying under the radar. I vaguely remember this lens getting a good rap and an almost cult like status in some video forums. Pentax forums is a handy place to visit... I must be cdo its like ocd but with the letters arranged alphabetically, like they should be 🙂 Would you believe i only just gave that lens a wipe over 😞. I also have had an ef-mft metabones xl speed booster 0.64 arrive. With my metabones the internal focus was way off and the internal element was free to rotate willy nilly. Completely the opposite to your speedbooster Kye. I suspect the screw that holds it tight is maybe either bent or stuck as i cant move it by hand. its also in the open position which allows the element to move freely. I also don't have a screwdriver that small either, so until one arrives, i have a temporary work around. The whole internal lens is losey goosey, i think theres about a half a millimeter of play. I know it seems like huge amount. However it really is quite loose, i can get a rattle out of it, if i shake it. Not sure if that is why it was up for sale, i suspect its been played with then sold when it became all to hard. I initially had the 17mm takumar mounted to it but i think in hindsight that probably wasn't helping, with the depth of field so i put the 50mm on it instead. I can wind the lens element almost all the way in and it becomes a tighter fit and i can get infinity focus ( i think ) i have to double check. No issues with mounting the 50mm on the metabones Here's a pic of the front of the metabones and back of the 50mm takumar. i used the 50mm as that measured the longest out of the measurements i took. There seems to be plenty of room between lens elements. I have the chipped ef mount on it and the back of the takumar barely protrudes, less than a millimeter i think, cant measure it as i tossed the digital calipers... it would be interesting to compare it to the back front of the viltrox. One interesting fact i picked up is that the Olympus em-10 ii and the em-1 iii do not like the ef adapter with the chip on it. The chip is supposed to tell the camera that its a 50 mm f1.4. I always figured some metadata would be nice even if it was wrong data at least i had a place to start. However the Olympus's simply refuse to start up, all i get is a grey screen. If i depress the lens lock mechanism and turn the adapter slightly ( and i presume ) the contacts no longer touch the the cameras will fire up and work. I have two other brands of camera and the chipped ef adapter works fine on them. I have no idea why i haven't noticed it before. The problem is tilting the camera in any direction indicates to the lens, it should try its best, to immediately fall off ( don't ask me how i know this )🙄

Further lens contemplation reminded me of my Tokina RMC 28-70mm F3.5-4.5 for m42 mount, which is deliciously imperfect, and when combined with an ultra-cheap wide-angle adapter gets even tastier.. I've struggled with this lens because the main issue with it is that it's a dumb lens and so there's no way for the cameras IBIS to know what focal length it's at. This is fine for tripod work, but that's not really how I shoot, and if it was tripod work is slow enough that I could just use primes. Then I realised that as I now own an EF speed booster I can get an EF zoom lens and it should report the current focal length to the camera and the IBIS challenge goes away. As such, I started looking for the absolute worst, most imperfect, least sharp, EF zoom lens I could find. Luckily, if you search ebay in ascending price it makes these gems obvious and you can peruse at your leisure. So I have now snapped up a lovely Tokina zoom that according to the Pentax forums has decidedly poor optical performance. Hooray!! Pics when it arrives, but I'm excited. I was also made aware of the existence of the Tokina AT-X PRO F2.8 zooms, which are interesting, but a long way from the top of the (price ascending) ebay search results. I also found a couple of the F2.6 Angie designs too, those were $3-4K.. wow!! Being famous on the internet sure makes things more expensive!

Here's another from same 1st round of comparative tests: And about the Insta360 detachable screen vs DJI FrameTap remote: The sound in slowmo sounds just different enough too... Unlike the Osmo Pocket 4 / 4P (Pro), the Luna Ultra appears not only to provide 48 kHz AAC audio listed at a higher 32-bit depth — with true 32-bit float reserved for the external Mic Pro/transmitter — rather than standard 16-bit audio; it also appears to make 4K100/120fps available as a standard video mode, effectively usable as HFR when and where needed, captured as straight acquisition rather than pre-baked slow motion. That is a different proposition from restricting those frame rates to a dedicated slow-motion mode with more limited audio handling. So yes, both may offer “slow motion” (4K200/240fps with DJI) but audio-wise, this is more apples to oranges than apples to apples. And in slowmo, DJI does not appear to include built-in Mic Audio Backup either. That matters because, once high-frame-rate capture is baked into a dedicated slow-motion mode, the audio can no longer behave like normal sync sound unless the footage is brought back to real time. By contrast, 4K100/120fps as standard video mode is straight HFR acquisition: usable in real time with normal audio, or slowed down later in post.

Well stated @eatstoomuchjam @kye :- )

I haven't been able to download it, even after becoming a member of the DVXUSER forum.

What impressed me most is how much of the effect comes from the camera work and lighting rather than expensive VFX. A lot of the unease is created by subtle motion, lens choices, and the way the footage is treated in post. When I'm trying to analyze that kind of look, I sometimes run clips through https://zimblu.co/blur-video/ just to get a better sense of the motion blur and movement they're using. Small details like that can make a scene feel surprisingly real.

If you're doing longer shoots, I'd definitely consider an external USB-C power bank before jumping straight to a V-mount setup. The FX30 is pretty efficient, and a decent PD power bank can keep it running for hours while keeping the rig much lighter and simpler.

🫢 But yes, even with streamlining year on year, the volume seems to keep going up and up despite (deliberately) less jobs. I’m looking at outsourcing, but I’d be looking at a 20% drop in take home income with any existing booked jobs…which would not be a good thing. There’s only really one thing to do and that is the missus will need to spend less time baking in the kitchen and start baking in LUTS and earn her keep that way…

Log jam 🤪

For me, the head tracker suffers from a few problems. - No 4th axis stabilization means the footage will be partially smoothed, but with footstep movement (not different from carrying it, but not ideal) - Is not actually at eye level, assuming that the wearer and people they interact with are all of average height, the viewer will be staring at the chests of everybody - or at their double chins and nostrils. - Many people are going to find it creepy and will not react naturally when someone comes up to them with ET in the papoose For this sort of use case, something like the Insta360 Go line is a lot more suitable and it can be clipped to a hat. People might still find a little square camera on a hat to be a bit intrusive and odd, but at least it's closer to eye height and will be looking directly at people's faces. And electronic stabilization is generally pretty good these days - haven't used a Go myself, but I'm sure it does a perfectly adequate job of making things not overly spastic. And aside from the hat use case, helmet mounts for action cameras have existed just about forever and for any use case where the user would naturally wear a helmet, they work well and most action cameras are more robust if there's a crash - and they cost less if they do get broken. Of course, there are also SmartGlasses that sit exactly at eye height an point to exactly whatever the user is looking at...

The head tracker seems like it'll be an absolute game-changer for a small number of niche uses and a curio to everyone else. I'm wondering if it'll be a way to get natural looking gimbal footage, rather than the not-robotic-but-not-organic-either panning / tilting that we seem to get at the moment. Maybe akin to the difference between a shoulder-rig and a tripod? The next evolution of it might be to use it to control the camera on a drone - the current state of that art is very robotic. Still, neither of these is of much use to me, so I'll just be reminded of that Renault model that pointed the headlights left and right along with the steering so you could see where you were going while cornering as well as when going straight.

It allows you to operate the camera fully remotely so it is fundamentally the same thing. To be honest, if I was going to use such a thing then having a compact palmable remote is more appealing than walking around looking like I’m holding a crucifix like the Luna option. But it’s one more thing to carry so there is that. The head tracker is very smart and for people doing instructional videos it is excellent - even if it does look like you are carrying ET in a papoose when you are out and about. I guess the drawback is that it is excellent for seeing what you are seeing but falls down as a concept when doing the other 50-75% of what vloggers do which is getting their own face in reacting to what they are seeing. One issue might be trying to be discreet as you have to look at someone and ET sat there swivelling to do the same does draw more attention and gives off a mobile surveillance unit vibe. It such an eye catching feature though that I would expect DJI to be emulating it soon.

Indeed : ) https://freewellgear.com/blogs/news/dji-osmo-pocket-4p-vs-insta360-luna-ultra But: I wonder whether will Insta360 POV Head Tracker, or something similar, come to the Osmo Pocket ecosystem too? Will DJI eventually offer something like this? If they do, it might sound a little like DJI quietly admitting that Insta360 has come up with something genuinely unique this time or once again? LOL* ; ) At least for now... *disclaimer: happy DJI user here and just as happy an Insta360 camper... The FrameTap remote is interesting, but it is not really the same thing. The Luna’s head-controlled POV accessory makes it** feel like a more distinctive product: **AND Insta360 products, in general, BTW... : X

I hadn't heard of it before. Thanks. It reminds me of when the chain store Restoration Hardware first opened up in Canada. They were buying up old patents and remaking products from 100 years ago. I would have nostalgia for these things (tools, kids toys, appliances) then realized I had never seen them before. Even my grandparents didn't have these things (Canada, before the 1980s had our own manufacturing and design of goods so typical appliances and tools that everyone had were different than the US ones that Restoration Hardware remade.) It was funny how easy it was to create an environment in a store that you would get caught up in. Good store though and unique product line. Sadly, about ten years ago though they did a redesign of the company (probably for more shareholder profit) and now it's just another Bed, Bath and Beyond knock-off. There's no reason to go there anymore.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR TRAILER VIDEO? Here's one that I created the music for (and edited as well.) The developer sent me video clips of game-play and I put it together using Davinci Resolve. You can check it out here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4179990/Agromatic/ If you need help with your trailer, just let me know! https://soundimage.org/custom-work/ That said, this week's new Ogg music releases are: "MEDITERRANEAN BREEZE" You can listen to it here: https://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mediterranean-Breeze.ogg And download it here: https://soundimage.org/world/ "COUNTRY ROMANCE" You can listen to it here: https://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Country-Romance.ogg And download it here: https://soundimage.org/country/ As always, they're 100% free to use with attribution. Attribution information is here: https://soundimage.org/attribution-info/ OTHER HELPFUL LINKS: My Game Music Mega Pack https://soundimage.org/ogg-game-music-mega-pack/ My Genre Music Packs https://soundimage.org/ogg-music-packs-2/ Support the site https://soundimage.org/donate/ Enjoy! 🙂

That’ll have been Arsenal fans thinking they were going to win the Champions League. There was a similar book in the early 80s by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd called “The Meaning Of Liff” which used the names of places and assigned them with a definition of a new word. AITH (n.) The single bristle that sticks out sideways on a cheap paintbrush. BANFF Pertaining to, or descriptive of, that kind of facial expression which is impossible to achieve except when having a passport photograph taken. ELY (n.) The first, tiniest inkling you get that something, somewhere, has gone teribly wrong. etc. I have just got a new passport which has a terrible Banff that I will now have to endure for ten years.

"Old look" has a similar function to "film look". Both separates the content from reality by not being accurate. Modern camera are capable of representing the real world as it is, like they're just mirrors. But the artist wants to make a dream for the audience. You don't perceive a mirror image as a dream.

Agreed.. You've likely heard of the term "anemoia" which is from The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows which aims to come up with new words for emotions that currently lack words, and it means "Nostalgia for a time or a place one has never known". It's gaining popularity too, with that blip being April 2024...

All good points and it's like everything in that when two people make the same choice it's probably a mixture of everything but in different proportions for each person. Nowadays I think the "poor" image quality of these older cameras is just viewed as "a look" that you would make from a position of having creative options rather than being something you didn't want to choose but had no better options. Speaking of pulling a camera out of your pocket with one hand, does the camera button on the new iPhones help? IIRC you can double-click it to open the photo app of your choice (default or otherwise) and also use that button to take a photo or start/stop recording. I have a grippy case for mine and holding it with one hand is a very secure experience, with the only wrinkle being that it's so grippy it can be difficult to get it in and out of a pocket unless you've gotten the angle right and the fabric isn't in tension etc.

It’s arrived. Immediate observations… Each to their own and all that, but the size is perfect. Over the past near 20 years, I have only had a couple of ‘personal’ cameras starting with the GF1. I still have that one (somewhere) and last time I tried it, it felt somewhat clunky and slow. No big surprise, it is getting on a bit! X100 which is a strong contender for fave camera of all time for its time. Again, it would be terribly slow today, but SOOC, produced the best ever JPEGs of any camera I have ever owned. Not necessarily (and not actually) the sharpest or most detailed, but specially compared with high MP full-frame cameras, but just a certain ‘filmic’ magic about those 12 MP files from that sensor. Sony RX100v. A fiddly little bastard. Great video, very average at best stills. Too small. Sony ZV1. Again, a better video unit IMO, hated the stills experience. So here we are with the L10… I’ve set it up to mimic the set up of my S1Rii’s that sit above my S5ii…which sits above my S9 (that I am unlikely to see again before mid July as I head off on a near 4 week road trip in a couple of days). I still need to import any LUTS and I’ll start with my Phantom one’s for the S5ii which I currently use for the S1Rii’s also. If anyone fancies making a LUT to bake in based off the new L Classic Gold, I’d be interested 😬

I think a lot of people feel the world was a brighter and more optimistic place in the 90s and 2000s so it’s a way of putting their current selves back into that time. Easy to write that off simply as nostalgia but I think at this present time it’s actually a deeper thing as a coping mechanism.

I do think nostalgia, even for a time someone wasn't alive for, is a big factor. Another is authenticity, the title is telling on the comparison video. Which is "more authentic?". I think with so much fake stuff out there, or over polished, commercial media, that there's naturally a desire for something real. I know a young woman, in early 20s, who last year shot in miniDV for the nostalgia and poor quality. That surprised me because I remember when miniDV was considered high quality (compared to what low budget video makers had access to previously). Things move on. There's also trends, as the saying goes, when hemlines are down they can only go up. Now that people can do 8K pristine video easily and cheaply, then low quality and dirty is a refreshing change. About 12 years ago I was searching for, and found, a pocket camera that saved in raw. It was great and I loved how I was able to edit in post nicely, etc. This year it died and so I pulled out the old jpeg-only camera from the drawer and I've been shooting with it. Now, instead of cringing when I see the jpeg artifacts, I accept it as a normal look for a cheap snapshot and kind of a style that's now "approved" by others (at least on YouTube.) The ergonomics are great too. I can have it in my side pocket and while cycling, reach down with one hand, put my hand in the wrist strap, turn it on and take pictures without stopping. You can't do that with a phone. I sometimes wish that the amazing image stabilization and other features that iPhones have was available in a little pocket camera. Anyway, I can dig all sorts of things. It's just another brush to choose.

Indeed, algorithms do tend to isolate us from the huge diversity out there, that's for sure. One thing I like to keep in mind is that even if something is so rare that it's only one in a million people, that means there are 8 million of them! I have a Korean friend who is incredibly into film-making and film itself. He is currently studying film and TV in the US, and owns his own complete RED Dragon 6K setup (one of the older DSMC2 models). He has been shooting film for many years and still regularly shoots projects on it, mostly 16mm and is a massive film nerd who frequently dives into the detail and can name specific models of film scanners etc off the top of his head. He is a huge fan of K-pop and loves retro camcorders and early digital stuff. I'm in a private Discord server with him and bunch of other film-maker types and there are a lot of them that are into a wide range of looks, including ultra-high-quality digital, film, cinema, TV, music videos, advertising, sports and live action coverage, and aesthetics of all imagination. They don't just talk about cameras, or film, or lenses (but they do talk about all of those), they talk about bags and equipment trolleys and lights and all things grip, they talk about sound and editing and colour grading, they talk about directing and scheduling and pre-production, they talk about YouTube and sponsorships, they talk about clients and client management and business, as well as cars and other non-video stuff. The YouTube bubble seems to only talk about cameras, lenses, and colour grading, and that image quality has to be the highest possible unless you're emulating film. My experience is that there a ton of people who are interested in much more than these things, but they're made to feel unwelcome because there's no place for these things in the camera-industrial complex that camera bro YouTube is a part of. The world is much bigger and stranger than any of us know 😄

I had ruled out the GX9 for some reason, thinking it didn't have IBIS, and then I randomly heard that it did have IBIS and so I got confused about why I had written it off, so hearing about the crop made me wonder if that was potentially the reason. 200Mbps is a great bitrate, especially for HD! I don't recall hearing about this. Yes - there's even a thread about it that just started! I haven't looked at it myself yet, but if it's a one-stop solution for film emulation then it seems promising. I've heard it's pretty slow still, but it's still early days and perhaps optimisations will change that at some point. For me, and this GX85 Super-16mm film camera project, it was more about the GX85 and me finding a place for it. I have equipment I like, shooting situations / scenarios I prefer to shoot, and images I like, and the goal is to find combinations that work well. This project has resulted in me successfully discovering and developing the combination of: GX85 plus 14mm F2.5 pancake lens at 1x / 2x / 4x digital zoom Shooting street scenes in uncontrolled / available light, hand-held, from waist height Passable S16mm film camera emulation for gritty images with a strong vibe I'm actually really heartened by the GX85 and will be testing how far I can push it in other ways. Emulating a S16 camera is a lot easier than a S35mm camera, for example, so I'll see how I go with that. I'm effectively done with the S16 film camera emulation but not done at all with pushing to get the most from the GX85.