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@PannySVHS I've now tested the Crop Zoom (CrZ) mode in 1080p. This is the first test, and I exposed for the sky (which it thought was the right thing to do) which meant that the plants were a bit low, so I ended up bringing them up a little in post. The Prores HQ is great at retaining noise and so there's quite a bit visible despite me having shot this at base ISO 500. I've found that ETTR is definitely recommended if you want a more modern looking cleaner image. I also used the 12-35mm lens at F4.0 for all images as that's where it's the sharpest. First is comparing the C4K Prores HQ vs 1080p Prores HQ (on a 1080p timeline): Next we compare the CrZ vs zooming with the lens. I have prepared these images in sets of three. The first is the CrZ image, the second is zooming with the lens, the third is the CrZ image again but with sharpening added. This allows you to compare both CrZ images directly with the 'proper' one, as the more zoomed CrZ images did look a little soft in comparison when viewed at 300%. Around 14mm (1.16x): Around 18mm (1.5x): Around 25mm (2.08x): Once I got those images into Resolve and looked at them I decided to re-shoot it with a better exposure. So I chose a different framing that meant the sky wasn't influencing anything. However, I didn't realise that where I was standing was going in and out of the sun, so some shots were washed out and I had to compensate for it in post, adjusting contrast/sat/exposure/WB to match. Tests are never perfect but are enough to give a good idea of what's going on, and in real use where there is no A/B comparing going on no-one would ever spot it anyway. There's also a slight difference in exposure between the C4K and 1080p modes too, which is a bit odd. I imagine it's due to changing the sensor mode. I compensated for that in all these tests too. C4K Prores HQ vs 1080p Prores HQ (on a 1080p timeline): Around 14mm (1.16x): Around 18mm (1.5x): Around 25mm (2.08x): I am actually rather encouraged by these results, as my previous test was in low-light and I did on something with much sharper edges and that showed differences I'm not really seeing here. However, it's not really surprising that the GH7 did this well, as even with a CrZ of 2.08x it's still reading an area of the sensor around 2776 pixels wide. I say "around" that wide because there is a slight crop when you compare the native 5.8K mode with the native C4K, 4K, and 1080p modes, but I think the 2.08x crop will still be oversampled from the sensor by a good amount. The other thing I noticed was that I couldn't adjust the CrZ function while I was recording, the button just didn't do anything. I'm not sure if that's because I have it assigned to a button and that there might be some other way to engage it while recording. Maybe through the controls that are used to control powered zoom lenses, not sure. Anyway, it looks pretty darn good to me, and the grain actually reminds me of the OG BM cameras which are quote noisy at native ISOs too (and also lots of seriously high-end cinema cameras too).

i doubt r50 has better video quality than 5d3 ml raw.

Thanks! 14-140mm vs 12-100mm is really about different preferences. The most important factor to me is that you won't get the Dual IS stabilisation with Olympus lenses, whereas you will with the Panasonics. You can never really be sure what you'll use and what you won't until you have it, and I was surprised to find that I actually use the 140mm quote a lot, and it's actually usable thanks to the Dual IS.

Different technologies. Just wait a few years for Gen Alpha to discover old used DSLRs are almost indestructible and take even better pictures than newer more expensive MILCs and phones that break more frequently. The R50 in its different itinrations is cute, but it will never outlast a 5D. Does if offer better video quality? Yes, but only if you know what you're doing from the get go and that knowledge is becoming scarcer every day.

Always great to hear the ML community is still pushing along. I cut my teeth on the 5D MKII ML and still have two 5D MKIIIs with ML that I refuse to sell! All that said, the R50V is $650 brand new and once those hit the used market they'll be $500 and under vs the 5D MKIII which is still going for roughly the same price. So nostalgia aside, the R50V's price, specs - not to mention form factor and access to RF and EF lenses - really makes it hard to argue that anything ML related is the prudent way to go in 2025, imo.

Simply fantastic images and I like the dark look. Though I'd change the 14-140 to M.Zuiko 12-100 f4 for that constant aperture, while losing tele but gaining on a wide end. Feels like 100mm on a M43 body should be enough though.

The 9mm I tested is the Panasonic Leica 9mm F1.7, I'm not aware of a 9mm F1.4 - maybe you're thinking of the Leica 12mm F1.4? Let me see if I can further tempt you!! I have done some tests (images below) but found the following: You can use the Crop-Zoom function (CrZ) to go up to 1.3x in C4K and up to 1.4x in 4K resolutions There is no 4K option in Prores, only C4K If the sensor was cropped to be a 1:1 readout, it would be a 1.4x in C4K and a 1.5x in 4K, but the CrZ mode stops just short of these amounts. I suspect that they have limited it so that it is always downscaling, even if just slightly. Test shots. First set are with the S-16 Cosmicar 12.5mm F1.9 C-mount lens. These are all on a 4K timeline, so you can really pixel-pee if you want to. I didn't have quite enough vND to have it wide open on all the shots, so some are wide open but some are stopped down to F2.8. Now, I switched from the 4K to the C4K, which meant I had slightly less crop available and you can just start to see the edges of the image circle. I suspect your mileage would vary depending on what lens you were using. The Cosmicar is pretty wide, so if you were using a long focal length you'd probably get no vignetting at all. This should also give a comparison between the 4K H.264 and the C4K Prores HQ. Now we switch lenses to the 12-35mm and stopped down to F5.6 so we can compare the CrZ crop to a non-cropped image. This is cropped to 1.3x using the CrZ function in C4K Prores HQ: and this is without any CrZ and using the 12-35mm to zoom in to match the FOV: I didn't shoot any clips this morning comparing the CrZ mode in 1080p, but I can also shoot a test for this if you're curious. I had a closer look and discovered you can't change the zoom amount, which seems to be stuck at 3x zoom. I'd say that it is resolving enough for focusing and I used it with the Cosmicar in the above test. It's the normal story of using peaking and rocking the focus back and forth to find the sharpest spot. At least I'd say that if you can't use it to manually focus then the problem isn't the punch-in feature but some other issue!

That's awesome in regards to the 9mm, the GH7 and your testing! @kye Thank you very much! The 9mm you tested is the Leica 9mm F1.4? Thank you for the offer, as stills would be nice as always, though your findings are already impressive enough, as always.:) The GH7 is looking very tempting indeed. Is an exact 1.4 4K crop possible, giving S16 width? I am asking because I figured it would be more, around 1.5, due to the 25MP sensor vs 20MP on the GH5. Is the 2x crop as nice as you found it to be on the GH5? One last question, is Punch-In during recording high resolving enough and a sufficient aid for manual focussing during recording? Thank you very much for your insights and awesome work! @John Matthews I dearly remember that thread. It's one of my abolute favourite ones! Legendary! Yesterday I went taking pictures again with my GX85, coupled with a 40mm S16 lens. One pretty looking outfit, itself worth of getting a picture taken. Panny better brings out a 10bit successor in a very similar or same body. Tilt screen is perfect on this one. And so would be 749EU!:)

I remember a story I learned from a famous photo forum. A group of veteran photogs prepare a set of chosen photos for Leica photo exhibition. Only photos taken from Leica lenses are allowed. Some smarties think they can trick Leica Reps by using best lenses from other brands. They intentionally put these best photos of theirs into the chosen set, yet all are sieved out by Leica Reps. They then believe that Leica taste exists.

I always suspect that the current crop of high dr sensors tuned for high dr but sacrificed other aspects. Using OM1 as an example, it is very nice in 60p photo mode, especially the dr is impressive. Yet, when I use some vintage lens on 5d3 with ml raw, something just looks different, scientifically not explainable, yet it is there. Aesthetically, I really like this subtlety.

Sorry bro, I wasn’t trying to accuse you of doing that! I know you and others do totally have legit reasons to buy this. I just think a lot of the YouTube hype is overblown. Your reasons are justified. Sorry if it came across that way.

Everybody has a different style and opinion on gear and on what we're outputting. Blowing out some skies/windows and lack of shadow detail (though I'm not sure how much of that is in the grade vs as-captured) in that wedding video is OK, it looks fine for the presentation - and I'm guessing the bride and groom were happy with what you gave them. For me, I wouldn't want that in my own footage. It's not to say it's bad, but it isn't my style. People were shooting nice-looking videos with a T3i back in 2011. If they came out with the same videos today, they'd still look good - I wouldn't want to give up my current gear for one, though. I wouldn't say that the FX2 is a "cash grab" - to me, it seems a lot more like complacence. It's the same thing that had Canon releasing like 6 models of T*i camera with almost exactly the same specs and only one or two tiny changes. It'll have its fans - and if the camera appeals to you, you're not wrong to get it. It's not like it's a piece of shit - the A7 IV is quite a nice camera and this one is... basically that, but in a more cinema-er body. It's not for me, but that's not to say it's not for anybody.

I’m not chasing specs here. The FX2 isn’t even a hype-driven release; in fact, it’s been met with a lot of skepticism online. What genuinely interests me is how it fits into the Sony pipeline I’m already working in. The tiltable EVF is actually what I’m most excited about, ergonomics and UI refinements make a big difference when you shoot solo. For me it’s less about spec sheets, more about practical workflow and how the camera feels in real-world use. In the end pricing and ecosystem is what’s going to guide you, and not every camera fits every workflow, and that’s okay.. but dismissing others’ needs as just gear-chasing isn’t very helpful.

Hi Friends, It's been another busy week creating music for clients, but I did manage to get some new tracks done to share with you all. They're on my Action page: "CAR THEFT 101" (LoFi) "NIGHT TIME ESCAPE" (LoFi) "GRUNGE STREET GAME" (LoFi) https://soundimage.org/action/ Speaking of custom music, if anyone needs some help, feel free to email me. You'll find my contact information here: https://soundimage.org/custom-work/ See you in July! 🙂

The 2nd and 3rd are the most extreme, but I think the third-last (with the plant and green chair) is the best as it shows the image being sharp but also having a painterly quality to it. It depends if you're interested in photography or videography. People seem to love lenses to be enormously distracting in photos but for video they are often way too much, like this lens was for this subject. These are frame grabs from a C4K Prores file on a 1080p timeline. In scenes without a strong light-source that blooms, it is just a lower contrast softer lens. From memory, it sharpens up substantially at F4, but if that's what you want then you may as well use a kit lens!

You mentioned the 50D, so here is a ML RAW video test I shot with that camera in 2013, just using the 18-55mm kit zoom lens. The location is Weymouth Harbour, which I have often used for other tests so I can compare different cameras. The CinemaScope frame size was 1584 x 662, then enlarged to FHD for YouTube. I bought the camera secondhand purely for ML RAW shooting. Although I was using a battery grip, the camera still got very hot (really hot -- sometimes you couldn't keep your hand on top of the pentaprism hump). Also, as I'm sure you know, the camera is not capable of recording sound, so you'll have to make a separate arrangement for that. With all that said, the images have a retro feel, and (unlike with plastic cameras) just holding the solid body made it fun to use.

I haven’t forgotten, I’m just a bit of a lazy bastard. I’m now in sunnier climes but normal overcast drizzle will be resumed when I get back in about a month so I will do it then. With the new PYXIS monitor upgrade for the Studio 4K G2 it might well be shot on that.

It was indeed. Was waiting for the firmware update before buying the monitor obviously but won’t be back in range of a dealership for the next month so it will have to wait. No, it’s the Micro Studio G2 so it is to all intents and purposes a cinema camera too just that it was lacking some easy control and monitoring for standalone use which has now been addressed with this monitor. Not completely because it is still missing the BLE control but it is now more or less a modular P4K. Which everyone claimed to absolutely need but judging by how little interest this camera gets didn’t translate too well into reality. Like Panasonic’s box versions of the GH5 and S5 didn’t either.

I liked the 2nd and the 3rd photo. The blooming / halation is nice or i think its nice anyway. The other photos seem subdued to me, but take anything i say with grain of salt. The lens looks like, its seen better days, which i suspect adds to the images. Not sure i want to see what a test chart looks like through that lens, but i think thats probably a great lens for a rainy / moody day scenario. Are these photos or stills from a video ? Sorry no idea what the gh7 can do. Anyway thanks for sharing

I have a vague memory that someone here was hoping for this - maybe it was @BTM_Pix? There's a new firmware for the micro studio (I originally thought cinema!) camera that (From the description below) adds full support for the Pyxis monitor. Available at https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/ Edit: Sorry, I guess this is in the wrong place after all! I misread and thought "cinema" when it's "studio." But maybe it's still interesting to someone?

Agreed modern Canon bodies really are not very crippled. The fact that the $649 R50V has CLOG3 10 bit is proof. But still, advancements on these older cameras is always exciting, and those old canon sensors certainly have a unique look that I think isn’t quite the same on the newer bodies.

The EOS R5 was sort of famously software-limited for overheating, but that was changed years ago, largely due to widespread shaming (especially from our gracious host). Modern Canons have been hit a lot less by the hammer. They've had to scramble to catch up with Sony. Competition is the antidote for market segregation. There are a lot fewer things on modern Canon where I'd be excited for ML. Open gate? Maybe. For me, at least, I'd be a bit more excited if they added "official" support for some of the newer EOS M bodies that are 4K-capable and have faster SD card slots than the original one. I don't remember any of the EOS M series having 10 bit recording - but if ML could enable a 10-bit (or more!) mode and keep DPAF working, something like the M200 could become a really fun ultraportable.

Yes it was up from 1.52 to 1.62 a litre with quite big queues of sheep all lining up to get there's. I decided not to bother and have another 400km in the tank to decide when to get more fuel...

Went for a wander in the rain over the weekend with the GH7 and this lens: I applied some filmic colours and a bit of grain, but the halation / bloom / softness / flares are all the lens. Just remember, the less you pay for a lens, the more fun it is.... and this lens is a lot of fun.

Didn't magic lantern get a cease and desist from canon ? I always thought magic lantern was doing some incredible stuff for canon. After magic lanterns advances I vaguely remember some of canons cameras having issues with timing and overheating which turned out to be software related. Which makes me wonder how long the cripple hammer in one form or another has been in active service with canon. In hindsight canon probably could have done all the stuff magic lantern did except they prefer to segregate their market and maximize profit margins it would seem.