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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/01/2018 in all areas

  1. I attended a Black Magic event today and got to play around with the BMPCC4k for a while (maybe 30 mins or so). I cannot discuss all my observations for fear of causing unnecessary panic, but I will state a few things I noticed. 1. The autofocus is not the best, but with the M43 lens advantage, and focus peaking things should be fine. 2. A lot of firmware features were disabled and flavours of ProRes were limited along with recording capabilities, to prevent people from sharing random non final firmware footage. 3. The on-board fans for the camera were not only absolutely silent, they were also unnoticeable (I put my finger over the vents and noticed almost nothing). 4. The Windowed HD is a substantial crop. So Metabones may make a BMPCC4k specific adaptor (which would be essential IMHO). 5. Low Light seems decent. I would like to compare the GH5s with it, though the Black Magic doesn't seem to have any noise reduction, and so at higher ISOs, noise seemed visible (as was the high level of detail in the image). I think once a few units reach reviewers, I would love to see this reviewed for low light, among other things. 6. I found it to be heavy with cinema lenses. But I guess this may have been due to the lenses more than the body. Also after the composite, it should shave off at least 100gms off the weight. 7. Very impressive ergonomics. Especially the wheels the grip. After Panasonic's IBIS + OIS we're literally spoit if anything doesn't offer anything like that (Canon cameras?), it's a little disappointing (I know stabilizers are good enough). I feel Blackmagic is working with a lot of accessory makers. I hope they get a battery grip with atleast 3 hours of juice. If Panasonic tweaks the VLog, I am sure they can easily get atleast another Stop of Dynamic Range out of the cameras (if not more). I realised that M43 is in need of a very fast zoom lens with a decent Range (f2 12-36mm). They could make it fat or large, who really cares. And it must have good OIS (for cameras that don't have IBIS).
    5 points
  2. Hello! I had some time to pass over the summer so I made a breakdown of a music video I shot last year. I tried to write it so that anybody could copy exactly what I did. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to post here or comment on the blog! Link to the blog in question
    4 points
  3. Now we all shoot at 800 asa. actually, I have heard some younger people get upset if they can't shoot at 1600 asa. Pretty amazing to me. Since most modern cameras can do this easily, and that gives you enough natural light in most locations, you just come in and shoot. The style these days is use what already exists, and augment the lighting, and use grip to subtract light. Subtracting light. Before ASA 800, when many of us were shooting at around 200 ASA, you would add light. Now we show up, use a window light - maybe put one light outside of it, and then 4-7 pieces of gripwear to cut it. Toppers, cutters, siders, eggcrates. But a recent job I did for a liquor commercial, we were shooting with the digital bolex as a b camera. The bolex is a beautiful organic image, with a ccd sensor for beautiful motion and the ability to use 16mm glass, which is beautiful and lightweight. We lit for this camera's low native iso, and the A camera, the alexa, we set at 200 ASA as well. At 200 ASA, I was back to where I started 10 years ago, and it was thrilling again. Light didn't spill all over the place - it faded into the darkness, had lots of falloff - and everything was deliberate. We Could liGHT up spaces deep in the bar with red color, and push light into areas we wanted, and hide the rest. It was easier to do, since there were less stands to place on the ground and less rigging to do. Grip takes up a lot of space and stands. Lights - not as much. And we ended up making the bar more interesting than what it was - we transformed it. (I'll post videos and stills once the spots are released. It was putting on a different brain from an earlier era - cause we had to move a different way. And we painted with 1k tungsten lights in a jem ball again and got that tungsten warmth again. That color of a tungsten fresnel - it has a golden warmth to it. Coming back to it, it reminded me of how unmatched by LEDs which have more green and yellow in them than that pure lovely orange glow are these chinese balls. To rediscover those old tungsten fresnel units, that was also important to me. These old lights you can now get as every grip house throws them out, as the world has moved onto led lighting like skypanels, these old lights are a thing of beauty.
    2 points
  4. Some rough edits from the C200 with the beta version of Resolve. This version works better than the last one, but still does some "weird" things. Adds black spaces between clips. Cuts sections out and resizes for not apparent reason.
    2 points
  5. I bid a few times on a FS700 today on eBay, but once the price got over US$1.4K I chickened out :-/ ? Probably shooting it on a RED Monstro now.
    2 points
  6. kye

    Sony a7 III discussion

    My previous offer to "store" your excess camera gear at my house still stands!!
    2 points
  7. Thanks for the update!! The way I view this camera is for high quality in relatively controlled conditions - so the lack of features like fast AF and NR seems appropriate. Pulling focus manually is the norm for a cinema camera, and the lack of NR is actually an advantage I think because you can de-noise carefully in post, using the Resolve spatial and temporal NR features or plugins, for the best possible result. The substantial crop in windowed 1080 is encouraging, as for those capturing in 1080 it gives a good extension to their existing lens collection. The more I hear about this camera the more I think that BM is going to absolutely nail it for the low budget film-maker. Bring on the Pocket2 vs ARRI youtube clips!
    2 points
  8. I am guessing that there may be a slight delay, though nowhere near the 1-1.5 years the original pocket cinema camera. It could be a few weeks if not days. They already seemed to have tested it, but think the footage is still be tweaked even further. Also, they want to push the sensor to the max, within the limitations of the processor. Every organisation has a common attitude, that trickles down from the top. Grant Petty seems to know what he wants, and he isn't in a rat race. He actually doesn't care at all for the rats, and that's why the profit margins are smaller, and Black Magic doesn't have inflated advertising costs and no unnecessary freebies for anyone. Also, Grant doesn't seem to be in any particular hurry to be a billionaire, with all the hyperbole advertising and specs (ala 'Cinemartin Fran 8K', or 4k at 480fps blah blah blah), endemic to the industry. Blackmagic has had its set of firmware and feature hiccups. But for the price, I doubt anyone comes close. In many ways he and blackmagic design embody the true meaning of 'disruptive' without the glorified presstitute fanfare.
    2 points
  9. I was thinking back today just how much I enjoyed the images produced by my beloved old Sony FS100. I have shot with quite a few cameras since then, but I think I can honestly say that the FS100 produced some of the best-looking images on a consistent basis for me than any other camera I have worked with since. I shot primarily with Glen Cairn's G log ultimate which gave me beautiful dynamic range and color straight out of camera. Many times my grade was a simple lowering of the blacks and white balance adjustment. And, the files for 24mb/sec AVCHD, so easy in post. We moved on with cameras because of the size and ergonomics but I think that if Sony rehoused the FS100 sensor in a mirrorless body today, I would be the first buyer. Here are some 720p images from some of my old films for posterity sake. Does anyone else have fond memories with this camera? Some stills from your work with it?
    1 point
  10. I will shortly be attending a screening of 3 faces, a film by iranian auteur jafar panahi. You might have heard of him, perhaps not, but he is the chap that is banned from making movies in his native Iran. He has made movies since his ban, Taxi Tehran, winning the golden bear in berlin. And 3 faces premiered in cannes. I am intrigued by his situation because not unlike most of us he has to make do with what he has - certainly, he has the added benefit of a well-known name and the added benefits that comes with that. However, by reason of circumstance, perhaps more so than budget, he has to make do with the tools he has at his disposal. This meant for Taxi Tehran using the blackmagic pocket cinema camera. Most recently, for 3 faces, he uses the cameras and lenses referred to in the title. I will have the added benefit of seeing what these cameras look like on the big screen which is nice, though on the trailer they don't look too good. However, that is not my point, my post is simply made to inspire anyone out there feeling constrained but what they can or can't afford.
    1 point
  11. I would not use dynamic linking (or whatever it's called with Resolve/Fusion) if you can avoid it. Just bring the original clip into the compositor of your choice, do the effects, and render out a new clip. Then replace the clip in Resolve. The key is to be organized, so you can easily remember which effects clips replace which raw clips. You'll have no performance hit, fewer chances of crashing, and more control over what gets rendered when, and it will make no difference whether you use Fusion, AE, both, or something else entirely. No point forcing yourself to use a specific tool just because it's the same brand as your editor! I do recommend learning Fusion at some point if you have a lot more VFX shots in the future. Fusion is much easier to composite with, AE is better for motion graphics animation.
    1 point
  12. They really are not that big to start with if you take the mike handle, side handle off and not use the Tube on the LCD with a small lens on it. I have that same Zacuto Rig as in this picture. I used it for my Sony VG-20, VG-30. The FS100 was in the same NEX class of cameras. Now the PMW F3, that is a pretty damn big camera.
    1 point
  13. OliKMIA

    Resolve to After Effects

    Just double check with a short sample in AE because sometime AE doesn't allow roto and masking with some intermediate codec (I had this problem in the past, I didn't dig much into it and I used another codec, perhaps the latest version of AE CC works now).
    1 point
  14. Righty roo. I think I've made my choice. After comparing the feature sets of every setup, plus my very own emotive desires to image, I'm going with: Sony FS5 II with Atomos Sumo 19 (my director partner wants the monitor big ass!) Sony A7 III (and Sony A7S III when announced) as B and C cameras, with A7 III for stills. Keep A6500 and possibly upgrade to A6700 if it's worthwhile (personal carry camera, bits and pieces). The thing that tipped it for me was: Vast experience of Sony cameras, since 2012. Venice colour science on FS5 II is amazing! This bypassed me til now. Solid Gimbal AF. Low light. Much better full frame stills ability. Slog workflow (I love Slog). E-mount is hugely flexible. FS5 II can fit on DJI Ronin S and my Edelkrone Motion kit for the odd special shot (should i actually buy it, hmmm). HFR does not crop. 4k 120fps. Variable ND filter on FS5 II. Can get FS5II for a sweet £3.5k.
    1 point
  15. tihon84

    GH5 to Alexa Conversion

    Thank you so much!
    1 point
  16. Geoff CB

    Sony a7 III discussion

    Well in the past I would say it was more difficult to get a proper image out of Sony that the majority would find pleasing (especially for those who were using S-log improperly *cough*). With each new generation of their A7 series they have updated and tweaked their colors. Some love the look of the A7s and A7sII lines but personally I find the new cameras more pleasing. You could get there before, but not as easily. It really comes down to knowing the camera to get the best out of it, when there are so many options in camera to adjust the image, it becomes a matter of learning the camera and learning how to handle it in post.
    1 point
  17. Without understanding all the details of the linked page, I feel like your comment is taken somewhat out of context. Nikon produces a tool used in semiconductor manufacturing that has the precision necessary for 5 nm production fabs. That is very different from having a 5 nm fab, which is how some might interpret your comment. To me, this seems more of a feat of Nikon optics than it is of Nikon sensors, since optics is a crucial part of lithography.
    1 point
  18. kye

    Sony a7 III discussion

    No! You have to shoot in that lane... everyone knows if you're in the left-hand-lane your skin goes all funny!
    1 point
  19. kaylee

    Resolve to After Effects

    ahhh, thank you guys! @ all: i actually have a timeline in resolve that is 98% colored and complete, but i need to do some things in AE: some compositing that involves roto, and some retiming. i *could* do that stuff in fusion, but id have to download the new resolve (im running 14 right now), and thats more than id like to get into if possible. my computer is also reaching its playback limitations in resolve at the moment. im good with just doing my composite shots in AE, and bringing them back into resolve to render the whole thing thank you all for underscoring that an additional unnecessary rendering step is a bad idea!
    1 point
  20. OliKMIA

    Resolve to After Effects

    1) Yes, you probably prefer Resolve for grading and you want to do it in that order. That's fine. Of course there is always some quality drop after each render with lossy codec but with the following settings it''s virtually impossible to notice over 2 layer of exports. 2) Any high quality codec with HQ settings such as Cineform 12bits (quality 5), ProRes 444, and DNxHD or DNxHR 444. Or TIFF as mentioned earlier for ultimate quality but that would be overkill I think. 3) & 4) Nope
    1 point
  21. webrunner5

    Sony a7 III discussion

    I know a lot of people Hated the original A7s colors. I love them. They have a Grungy, Cine look to me. And I think they are easy on a woman's face and that to me is a plus. But on the other hand if I was doing Corporate Interviews, Doc work than that is where a Canon C100, C300 shines. I think it is more what you shoot determines the camera need. I personally think the new A7 mk III looks as Canonish as a Canon! They may have gone too far LoL. I don't think any one camera can do it all for all jobs. But it can become your signature look if you try, and I think that is what sets the big boys apart, Their look. And you can't keep switching cameras and Luts and keep that feel. And you can never get the best out of it unless you know it like the back of your hand.
    1 point
  22. Oh well. http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/disney-rumoured-meeting-james-gunn-regarding-possible-reinstatement/
    1 point
  23. 1. Personally, I would composite first, and grade afterwards. However, I don't see any reason you can't do it the other way around if that workflow is easier for you. The benefit of compositing first is that you composite on the original footage, and render that once before the final export. Going the other way, you transcode, then composite, then render, then do the final export. It takes more time, and arguably reduces quality. 2. You want the highest quality possible without breaking your hard drive. I always render effects as lossless image sequences, either PNG or TIFF. If you want high bit depth, 16 bit TIFF is the way to go, since PNG is 8 bit except in rare circumstances. The benefit of an image sequence is that you can re-render specific sections without re-rendering the entire thing, which, depending on the effects, could save you a LOT of time. Again, if you composite first, you're only rendering out the effects once instead of twice, which saves a lot of HDD space. 3. Depending on your effects and how much you care about image fidelity, you might be able to simply render the effects from AE, and composite them in Resolve. That's what I do whenever possible. It saves rendering time and means no transcoding of any kind before rendering.
    1 point
  24. kye

    Resolve to After Effects

    In the absence of someone more knowledgable than me replying, one thing I have heard is that for compositing (ie, combining 3D renders into the footage) you want as much precision in the footage as possible so the tracking can be good enough. This suggests rendering out of Resolve with a very high quality codec. Perhaps something like Prores 4444 HQ?
    1 point
  25. kye

    Sony a7 III discussion

    Can someone clarify the debate around the colours for me? There seems to be two kinds of comments.. the "Sony colours are bad" type comments, and the "colours look fine to me" comments. The A7III colours look fine to me, but I'm definitely not the biggest connoisseur in that department. Do the "Sony colours look bad" comments include the A7III? I have seen comments around the A7III having the Venice colour science, so perhaps it's other Sony cameras that these comments are referring to? Thanks! @jonpais thanks for that upload - the amount of detail is really impressive.. downscaling 6K seems to be a winner!
    1 point
  26. They definitely limited to slower speeds of say 1/2000th. But I dont see that as a problem for 'stills' with a 'drone'. The shutter limitation of 1/2000th of a second for stills only really occurs when you are trying to use a very fast lens - say 85 1.4 - 'wide open' in 'bright sunlight'. If you stop down to f5.6 you wont have a problem. You are not trying to get shallow dof with a drone. And I assuming the Mavic Pro has variable aperture.
    1 point
  27. I came across another possible solution over my lunch break. SmallRig makes a np-f to 12v mount/adapter for the BMPCC, all you would need is a cheap adapter cable. It has a 1/4-20 mount so you can attach it directly to a cage or rig. https://www.smallrig.com/smallrig-dv-battery-plate-adapter-for-bmpcc-bmcc-bmpc-1765.html https://timeinpixels.com/2016/09/battery-solution-blackmagic-pocket-cinema-camera/
    1 point
  28. Lets be honest....companies dont give a damn about Sony's fabrication machines. There are a dozen major facilities that can do that for everybody. Why do companies choose Sony so often? SONY PATENTS! The only way to gain access to Sony's sensor architecture patents....is to BUY access to them and have "Sony" fab them into your sensor! If ANY other plant tries to infringe on Sony patents and "clone" Sony technology, you could literally have your camera pulled from store shelves and be forced to pay damages back to Sony. Its too risky....its much better to give Sony your specs and leagally buy the rest of Sony technology that way. This sensor fab thing is just a big, massive pattent war. And Sony protects their pattents like a pack of wolves protects their kill. Any idea that Sony just happens to be the plant we chose out of thin air by chance to fab OUR sensor is hilarious. Sony sensor architecture PATTENTS are what make their sensors amazing....not their fab equipment. If you take that away then you can go to Aptina or Dalsa or CMOSIS or Samsung our anybody else....thats why companies like Nikon and Panasonic and Samsung dont for their best cameras.
    1 point
  29. In the LuLa statement the author states that climate chamge is political. Nonsense. It is various scientific disciplines working together to understand our plant - which may or may not have a political dimension. And therein lies the problem. You can’t discuss “that” because it’s “political”. Really?
    1 point
  30. Isn’t making such a statement the best way of causing panic? But interesting observations - thank you. Any indication of when official footage might be available?
    1 point
  31. Colors kind of remind me of the frames posted above. The F3 produces a really good image. Really underrated.
    1 point
  32. I shot with one briefly not long after it was released, mostly to shoot some beach tourism stuff with the underrated A-mount 16-50/2.8 on one of the LAEA adapters. I used Glencarin's profile as well. For me its biggest issue was how easily it clipped the highlights, this meant heavy ND use since I mostly shoot outside in bright sunlight. The ND color cast was a PITA to remove (admittedly I'm not the best colorist), so was AVCHD on my Mac back then. Internal ND's would have made a huge difference. I think it was a step forward at the time being a large sensor cinema camera, but with fs700r's selling for $1500 or so, the fs100 feels really outdated by comparison these days. I've said for years I'd like to see something like the a6500 or even the fs700 sensor in a VG10/20/30 style small camcorder body to fill the gap between the a7 and the FS lines. The add-on XLR module would give you real audio. The new AF would be killer on a camcorder with a larger body to dissipate heat. But that will never be a reality. Side note, I got my mint fs100 from a wealthy guy in Miami for peanuts who just wanted to get rid of it. He was using it to shoot porn and bikini babe videos of his wife. He upgraded to a C300 to shoot them in 4k. We met at a cafe and he rolled up in a convertible Ferrari, he was an interesting character, it was straight out of Boogie Nights. Would love to be able to see what he's doing now. Chris
    1 point
  33. I come here for entertainment and for camera information, not to read the political posts of what I consider idiots from both extremes. Subforum, please.
    1 point
  34. Shot this video for a Bible camp I was at last week entirely with Pro Color V4 HDR:
    1 point
  35. 1) After russian internets it's like a victorian gentlemen's club here. But problem is present, so better take some measures. 2) Total prohibition of any political topics is overkill, as for me. You won't choke it to death, it'll still rise in indirect and ugly forms. Besides, Andrew himself has started some discussions on political topics, I guess it's important for him, too. 3) So I voted for subforum. All hot heads can quarrel there and should be banned from any other threads for trying. It will take more moderation efforts but it's lesser evil among those three.
    1 point
  36. I had a deep loss today... a dear uncle of mine 89-years old and a half (eight months and twenty one days of his last year of life to be more precise), one of the best friends a fortunate man -- his nephew had, passed away this July 27th. I got the idea I didn't spend enough time with him in these last years of his light in my personal experience, inner circle and course of life. Don't lose any chance with your closest ones... (just a thought, just my sad two cents) - E.
    1 point
  37. Out of likes. Great stuff. Yeah the old stuff is good, but heavy, really heavy, expensive, and kind of dangerous to boot. Yeah but as you said, sometimes less is better, even lesser cameras. I don't think living in a 8K world, or even higher is going to be some blessing in the long run. Maybe for open heart surgery cameras, but to be artistic, nah I doubt it.
    1 point
  38. Have a look at this in-depth tutorial, there is the option under color matrix to select "Cinema EOS Original" to match the C200 with C300/C100 (around 13mn in): Lot of cool little features in this cam.. i should be getting mine next week, stay tuned ?
    1 point
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