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Andrew Reid

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Everything posted by Andrew Reid

  1. I still prefer to shoot with the X-H1 😂 Hopefully X-T4 will be an X-H2 down to the millimetre and even the exact curvature of the nice deep grip.
  2. Canon making their own sensors is a big advantage on the others who tip-toe around with half a foot in the door of the design process and 100% of the manufacturing contracted out to Sony who have a virtual monopoly. Fuji, Nikon and Panasonic all have their own designs, Panasonic even has the organic sensor tech with TowerJazz and there are other manufacturers like Samsung capable of matching or exceeding Sony's capabilities, but I think it's an insane risk to have CMOS sensors from one supplier (Sony) in nearly ALL the current mirrorless models! Canon took a while to bring their new manufacturing plants in Taiwan online but now it appears to have paid off. Sony will have to go lower on price with the A7S III or do something surprising like the FS5 e-ND.
  3. Truly the lightweight camp with me as well, I never want to pick up an Alexa, it's a camera for a crew on a set. It isn't for documentary or one-one man auteur projects. Going down in size to something like a C200 isn't even my cup of tea. I want a picture in the palm of my hand, nimble as the human eye, with minimal controls and no clutter to distract from the art of filmmaking. More and more filmmakers even on Hollywood projects are attracted to this style of shooting for the B-cam and alternative angles.... I find it personally liberating for my kind of style. If only the Blackmagic Pocket 6K was fully integrated with the brighter screen and EVF. Just the brighter screen would have cost $20 more in manufacturing costs per unit perhaps, thus covered by a $40 increase in the price of each unit. $40 to see the screen in direct sunlight. Deal? Come on Blackmagic... Do this concept justice. Amazing price, amazing image, amazing UI but lazy execution as a whole.
  4. I don't want to make my mirrorless camera look like a cinema camera, it's that simple. You can't grab shots in public as discreetly, make mood pieces (like moving street photography), and on a music video shoot it is a PITA to babysit a second device, with second battery and second boot-up time. Then there is the balance of the rig, the centre of gravity for handheld work, the wobbly HDMI cable I absolutely can't stand. The actual camera movement is impacted by the lopsided top heavy mounting of a monitor. To balance the weight you have to add more weight. Before you know it, you have a spider rig that weighs more than a fully integrated, dedicated camera camera and that for me was the total opposite of what mirrorless cameras were supposed to be. I started EOSHD to get away from all that. I am 100% anti monitor, anti external add-ons.
  5. I miss the old A7s Nice and small, very light, and simply one of the best 1080p images ever for the time.
  6. So does anybody click and read articles any more? Jesus wept The shots are from the DXOMark Xiaomi article I linked to, I didn't take them! First one is Huawei Mate 30 Pro and second iPhone 11 Pro, it is a test of the zoom which partially explains why the iPhone 11 Pro looks very bad but still, shows how far behind Apple are slipping versus the Chinese. 108MP Xiaomi shots are ok but soft lens. The monster sensor needs better optics. I like the Mate 30 Pro best out of the 3 in the article. I'll post my own comparisons as well vs my iPhone XS Max. It absolutely thrashes what was an already very capable camera on the Apple device. So time to catch up America... Time is ticking.
  7. I have a Huawei Mate 30 Pro and quite amazed with it. Apple really need to get their act together. Until now they have pulled up subpar hardware with good colour and skin tones but looking at this horror show, I don't think it is even the case any more. https://www.dxomark.com/xiaomi-mi-10-pro-camera-review/ Mate 30 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro has the new 108 megapixel sensor, similar to Samsung S20 Ultra. However the lens seems much better on the Mate 30 Pro and ultra wide angle camera is crazy good - big sensor like the main camera. Really happy with it... And yes, I loaded Google apps onto it and Play Store works fine, was done in 5 mins! So much for Trump trying to protect his subpar American technology
  8. Yes all 100% true - thanks for the insight. Does ProRes absolutely have to be implemented in FPGA form? In my opinion - ProRes encoding doesn't have to be on the main ASIC - Can't it be a separate FPGA chip or ASIC? Either way, a ProRes ASIC should have been in development in Japan ages ago and ready to go. Instead we are still asking and they are unable / unwilling to invest and deliver. Very frustrating. Yes another missed opportunity. What IS the deal with the FS5 vari-ND not making it into other products??!
  9. I agree with you. GH1 is really the founding camera of this site, not the 5D Mark II. Blackmagic have innovated with BRAW and Resolve, yes sure. But you talk about achievable tools for target market - indie and aspiring filmmakers - we need IBIS, we need an EVF, and a screen visible in daylight. We also need the option for a sensor larger than S35. When does ticking off a specs sheet become innovation? I see the EOS R5 specs less as a trophy item, more of an all-guns blazing approach vs Blackmagic's paired back cost cut mission.
  10. As a small camera, I'll be happy with X-H2 style X-T4... Basically the X-H1 body design but with X-T3 video specs and a bit extra, like an anamorphic mode. Doesn't have to be 6K or 4K 120fps! I will always need a good Super 35mm option for my Arriflex lenses and LOMO OCT19 Anamorphic better suited to S35 as well. Not everything has to be a full frame R5 monster cam and cost $4000!
  11. I wonder what percentage of $3000 these licensing deals actually would cost the Japanese camera makers. Just pass the cost onto the customer and they will gladly pay. Who would turn down Alexa colour science and ProRes RAW for $300 extra? We are talking top end cutting edge mirrorless cameras not consumer low-end. Or do a patent swap. The main challenge will be getting Arri and Apple to agree, me thinks.
  12. X-T4 "dead to me" A7S III has to "step over FX line" Yep, it's not looking good for the competition. The brand name Canon and lure of 8K will be too much for many people, but the best thing for me about Canon's great awakening is that hopefully they will get all the basics right... Like full frame 10bit 4K with no crop, great colour science, the classic cinematic 1D C look in C-LOG, Dual Pixel AF and very good IBIS, all in a nice mirrorless body which has a much better and more "pro" control layout compared to the silly toy one that came before it.
  13. "EOSHD" all capitals. They are not more inventive. They just understand the appeal to filmmakers, enthusiasts and videographers, of the phrase "Cinema Camera" and the codec options "ProRes and RAW", for cheap. Things that so far completely allude the Japanese!
  14. It's not so much the form factor, as in the overall shape and I love small cameras It is more so aspects of handling within the body - such as the lack of good screen visibility in daylight, lack of articulated screen without Chinese DIY mod & voiding warranty, lack of EVF and IBIS, you know, the kind of stuff we get for under $1000 on mirrorless cameras as standard and have done for 6+ years. A bit lazy of them if you ask me. OK, some just want a sensor and cinematic in a box. Some charm to that. Simplicity is good and AF/IBIS makes me lazy / less disciplined in terms of shooting style. Still, I have to compare it to the mirrorless cameras in terms of how much of a "shot getter" it is and how comfortable it is to use. Glorious image on the LCD and great menus do redeem it somewhat.
  15. The toughest competition in 2020 will come from the surprise Canon EOS R5 with 8K video. Although 8K is an attention grabbing technical achievement, most people will use this camera in 4K mode. The competition now has an 'image problem' delivering cameras at 4K and 6K resolution to customers obsessed with resolution. I therefore expect the Sony A7S III to shoot 8K and for the GH6 / GH8 to also shoot 8K but really it is all a distraction. What matters isn't 8K, it's the following... https://www.eoshd.com/cameras/canon-eos-r5-what-the-competition-must-do-next/
  16. We were all expecting a lot more info than the one page press release that's for sure. Seems Canon is keeping some stuff close to their chest to avoid Sony being able to outgun with A7S III. And why the development announcement 6 months before the camera is launched - the answer is that they want to dampen sales of the Sony A7S III and Fuji X-T4 which are both now imminent. There are signs there was also a bit of a waiting game at Sony. They wanted to see what Canon had planned before pushing the button on the A7S III. I see the EOS R5 as a competitor not just to the A7S III but to the A7R IV and successor too. Sony is in trouble here. They are going to see quite a few ex-Canon users leave and go back home. It will depend on how invested they were in E-mount glass. If they all kept their EF lenses and used adapters, Sony are going to see a big fall off. Panasonic need to raise to the game as well, get autofocus sorted out (and with the MC-21 not just their own lenses) as a matter of urgency.
  17. Now we're moving from rumours to official launch and specs, the discussion continues at main thread here - Cheers!
  18. One topic to discuss the official EOS R5 video / cinema capabilities This page will have the official launch information on it very soon... https://www.eoshd.com/news/canon-eos-r5-8k-video-its-official/
  19. So just digital zoom and no periscope lens on the lower-end models?
  20. Hmm. 6240 x 1170 pixels at 120fps? I doubt it does 6240 pixels per line and downsamples to 1920 at 120fps.
  21. I am 100% biased. I am ok with anyone liking the camera if it works for them. When you have been treated like shit direct by Blackmagic reps and employee, and you read stories from others and certain whistleblowers on GlassDoor, it's a total turn off. I don't think I'll buy another product from them. Separate to that I just think the cameras are overhyped and under-featured compared to mirrorless cameras like the A7 III, X-T3, S1, Fp and many more. Lastly there is the form factor, I don't like to rig my small cameras. I like to keep them small and integrated as a single unit. I don't want to have to add basics like an EVF just to see what I am shooting outdoors, and that screen goes invisible in anything but darkness. So in my opinion a PITA to use, overhyped, from a company who has treated me like shit. So yes I am based, make of that what you will
  22. Olympus seem to be stuck in 2016 at the moment. Still a good camera taken as a whole though. I don't think they are committed to the business, at least not to the extent of buying a new viewfinder OLED panel or ordering the latest sensor from Sony. I think Olympus may pull out of consumer market altogether in fact.
  23. Yes a lot to look forward to... Top of my list would be: Better RAW codecs, all internal, smaller file sizes GFX 100 specs coming down to a lower priced Fuji medium format camera Fuji digital cinema camera Sony Venice colour science... in an A7? Canon catching up with Sony and Panasonic on specs with R5 X-T4 ProRes in more cameras (or will hell freeze over first?!)
  24. Today I am told there is no 6K/60p. Maybe they can do 6K/24p, or most likely it will stick to 4K/60p. However the rest makes it all worth it. Can't wait until the announcement later this month.
  25. Not sure if you noticed yet. I review cameras. I've had a lot of cameras. Every Blackmagic I've ever bought had debris on the sensor and imperfect, unclean cosmetically, or worse... All new, out of the box. Should have kept it all a secret and been a Blackmagic apologist like everybody else....... for all the trouble it has caused me..... but I have a camera review site, and so it does in fact fall to me to mention it, weird as that may seem. It's very productive indeed. Some poor sucker can avoid buying one and encountering the same problems I did. The condition of the cameras out of the shrink wrap has always bothered me and they have had years to improve the situation. I find it insulting as a customer to receive a brand new camera in a used looking state. I am not being pedantic about it. I have not once - in 10 years - had a camera from a Japanese company in anything less than pristine new state new out of the box. The problem is unique to Blackmagic and not a small percentage of shipments. They are cutting corners. It's up to you if it bothers you enough to put you off the company. Most just polish the sensor, dust off the body and go about using the damn thing. Which is what I did. Which brings me to your next point... A few days before I was due to go to Italy, thanks to a tip off on Twitter I had the rare chance to get a P6K in Europe, at a Netherlands dealer called CameraTools, during the time they were all out of stock or unavailable, as per fucking usual with Blackmagic. A chance to grab some great footage and do a review of the Pocket 6K in the field. I don't even know why I have to justify any of this to you, it feels a bit silly, like explaining an egg to a duck. Ah so it's my fault. That's what Blackmagic's head of PR said as well. Well you can both fuck off because you're wrong. Brand new professional cameras are ready for pro work, that is why people buy professional cameras at high prices. The Pocket 6K is nearly $3000. It's a professional camera. The Canon 1D X Mark II is also a professional camera. It does not fail at 50% battery or throw a paddy after every shot with a blank screen like my P6K did. The Panasonic S1H does not let you down... X-T3... And so on... Yet it's ok for a Blackmagic to let you down.... because people see them as the messiah! They are not the messiah. They are arseholes. Explains a lot. You have zero knowledge but of course can't agree with someone who does. We see this a lot in people today and their non-evidence based opinions. Maybe you can enlighten us from your stack of zero knowledge, on what basis you disagree with the guy with the knowledge. Is it the fact your circuit board hasn't fallen out of the battery door yet? If it does, you'll probably still be singing its praises and hiding the dirty laundry from forums. LOL! LOL!
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