sanveer

...and drink some more!

To discuss, or to entertain We really still don't know anything, isn't it?

Peace everyone. Let's discuss the exciting BMPCC 4k.
 

Peace everyone. Let's discuss the exciting BMPCC 4k.
 

They would have put 4.6K in the name if it was.

I can't imagine the BMPC4K being crammed into anything which could be described as "pocket"?! It would surprise me. 

But yes, I also hope not!

I hope it has the 4.6k sensor instead of the 4k sensor. The difference between the two is just too much.
P.S. that sensor size may most likely be different, so this comment may not be valid. 

Leaving tomorrow for NAB. Will be sure to check out the Sony booth... Panasonic is also showing something new!

So, as you may recall, I have an interest in tweaking the combinations of the basic profiles in the camera along with the contrast/sharpness/saturation/NR parameters.
The purpose of that is basically a mining operation to see if there are some combinations that perhaps may not be intuitive but whose interaction may yield pleasing results.
Outside of the usual "select cinelike d, reduce everything to -5" etc stuff that we all do, who really knows if Natural with +4 contrast/-5 sharpness/+3 saturation/+2 noise reduction might actually be the golden ticket?
I did a hardware controller last year based on a midi control surface that let you tweak the parameters in real time which, whilst offering a way of 'discovery through play', wasn't exactly ideal from a structured testing point of view. 
It also wasn't particularly practical (or cheap) for you to go out and replicate yourselves if you fancied a go !
Anyway, in pursuit of something a bit more structured, I created a very simple automated testing app which I thought I might as well hand out in case anyone else is interested in this sort of thing.
Its Android only so you elitists with that other phone type are out of luck for now
As its also a bit of a utilitarian thing that was only really designed for my own meddling, its not exactly pretty either but it works. Mainly.
OK, so here is how it looks, how to use it and what it does.
 
First things first, obviously, is to enable the Wifi on your Panasonic camera as per if you were using their app and then go into your phone/tablet and connect to it.
In the ProfileStepper app, you then press the "Connect" button and it will take control of the camera. It might complain the first time about approving the connection but if it does just repeat and it will be fine.
Once connected, you press the individual parameter buttons and select the range that you are interested in so in this example we have set it to be using the base Natural profile and how it looks with all permutations of Contrast from -5 to +3, Sharpness from -2 to 0, Saturation from -5 to +5 and NR from -5 to +1.
Next up is to set if you want to use Stills or Video, which we toggle between by pressing the Stills button and then to create a delay (of between 1 and 10 seconds) between shots you press the button (currently set to 2 seconds) and select it.
When you are happy with the settings range, press the Start button and the app will begin compiling the list of commands it needs to send to the camera. As this is a variable amount of time (in our example there are 2079 commands ) you may see a progress pop-up before it proceeds to the playout screen. Be patient.
The progress screen will then appear and display the value of each parameter in the set it is sending to the camera and the current progress (in this case we are on set 4 of 2079).

After it sends each set to the camera, if you have the mode set to Stills it will then fire the shutter on the camera. Obviously, make sure you have a decent memory card capacity if you are testing a lot of permutations!
If you are set to Video mode, a recording will begin on the camera as soon as you pressed the Start button and the changes will all be recorded into this one recording. This is where the Delay function becomes useful as it determines how long each setting is held on the video as it progresses. As with the Stills mode, be careful regarding capacity as if you have 1000 permutations with a Delay time of 5 seconds then, well....
In either mode, pressing the Stop button will abort and return you to the main screen and if you are in video mode it will stop the recording.
The purpose of the progress screen is not just to provide you with a countdown to whats going on but also meant to act as a slate so that you can put your phone/tablet in your test scene and the settings will then be embedded in the images/video when you review them. This is an example frame from a GX80 to illustrate. 
There is a 3 second delay built in to the beginning of the command playout process to allow you to do this but obviously as the camera is being controlled over Wifi you can place the phone/tablet in the scene and press Start from there anyway. This just gives you a chance to get your hand out of the way !

So there you go.
Its a bit of a niche app to say the least but might be useful for some.
Bear in mind, its not really meant to be about analysing every single permutation in one go (though it can do that if you want) its more about helping you to look at how more targeted ranges of settings interact with each other (such as Saturation and Contrast in a specific Profile for example). And what exactly is the Noise Reduction bringing to the party in terms of colour shifts and sharpening etc.
Download link is here
https://mega.nz/#!Vux3UDIK!TPJNYc8gJ6YrQY5T8xkZRAQ_IpBac16xIIGe3ET6R0Y
You'll need to set your device to install apps from non-Play store sources etc.
Its completely free, no ads or any bollocks like that.
As I say, its my own test tool and wasn't designed for general release but thought it might be useful to share.
If nothing else, its a quick way to get the Cinelike D hack on to your camera!
Because its just a quick and dirty test tool, there is no particularly elegant error handling going on (other than telling you that you haven't connected the camera) so if it throws one up just quit and restart it. 
If you set the To range to be lower than the From range (i.e. the From is -3 and the To is -4) then it won't execute the commands so don't do that. 
NB - The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted the Bracket function at the bottom of the screen. This does exactly what you might expect but its unrelated to the main function but I needed it to test something so you get it as a bonus! You set the shutter speed and then the 1/3rd steps above and below and press Bracket and it takes the required frames with suitably altered shutter speeds. Its a bit flaky on some Panasonic cameras because they don't all allow the 1/3rd shutter changes so your mileage may vary and, as I say, you can largely ignore it.

I'm going to go out on a limb  and suggest  the reason  footage from professional level cameras looks more cinematic than most footage from amateur cameras is more to do with the professionals behind the "professional" cameras.
There's a reason lights comes before camera. Capturing what the eye sees  is not what cinematography is about. It's about creating art.

To recap:
- A guy says that from 7 months he shoots NX1 Raw video with his Hack.
- the guy in question in these 7 months has never published a video shot in Raw on Youtube or Vimeo...
- at some point he declares that he will give proof of his statements, but not before the day "April 1" because he is German and has too many commitments with study, but he loses more time to answer many messages in English better than mine, rather that upload dng file he has on his computer for 7 months.
- after 2 improvable jpg images published, I ask to block the charlatan but I am called a cyberbully.
- the guy responds to my provocation and declares that he will publish the evidence to show that I'm wrong.
- no proof is published.
- I raise the stakes and I promise a NXL as a gift in exchange for irrefutable proof.
- the guy reappears and promises again that he will publish the tests after 24 hours.-
- for the second time no proof is published.
- in the private mail of the owner of the site arrives an email that promises again that will send evidence but that for 3 days without explaining why he can not respond to messages (no smartphone in the pocket of an experienced programmer?).
- the owner declares to block the guy from the playful and disrespectful behavior of the common sense and the rules of the forum.
- during all this time, a man with a cat on his back, one with a horse face, a man with a name like tax code and some other poor naive attacked me and defended the guy from the many promises but from the no proof and no tests and pray desperately the owner of the site to wait to receive a file full of shit for 1 April breakfast!

By 1st April 2022, I will release a hack whereby you will be able to shoot 5k RAW on you Mavic Air. 
 
I am sharing this pic. I don't know what's it's got to do with the 5k hack, but honestly, who cares.
 

This is me waiting for the raw video file...

Thank you. I think both the pics are JPEG quality (4k in 4-2-8 8-bit, and curiously their exposure seems Pretty Off, visible from how quickly the photo disintegrated when he tried to sell it as a DNG file). That's why his effort at trying to fool us fell flat on his face. The position of the cars and trucks at the traffic signal give it away. Also they are less then 5 seconds apart, as can be noticed from the position of various vehicles and ships/boats in the pic. 
People claiming he is some 12 year old, mentally unsound, undicovered geek, oppressed kid blah blah blah are the ones feeding all the tomfoolery. These members should be given a 1 week ban.
He didn't ask money yet, most likely because, Fortunately a Lot of Members started shouting wolf ! Thank you all the people who remember Sadaawi. 
I am guessing, that otherwise he was planning to make a few quick bucks off a campaign for a RAW hack and some NX1 sales (the Sale for the 31st could have been a Pilot Project with a pushing back of dates, to accomodate a few more sales, sharing more random JPEGs as DNGs).
I wish there was someone from Interpol on EOSHD. He would help bring in a lot of (in)famous people from across various countries. 
There are many ways of improving most pics in post. Also the difference in this case seems minor, at best. 

Thank you. I think both the pics are JPEG quality (4k in 4-2-8 8-bit, and curiously their exposure seems Pretty Off, visible from how quickly the photo disintegrated when he tried to sell it as a DNG file). That's why his effort at trying to fool us fell flat on his face. The position of the cars and trucks at the traffic signal give it away. Also they are less then 5 seconds apart, as can be noticed from the position of various vehicles and ships/boats in the pic. 
People claiming he is some 12 year old, mentally unsound, undicovered geek, oppressed kid blah blah blah are the ones feeding all the tomfoolery. These members should be given a 1 week ban.
He didn't ask money yet, most likely because, Fortunately a Lot of Members started shouting wolf ! Thank you all the people who remember Sadaawi. 
I am guessing, that otherwise he was planning to make a few quick bucks off a campaign for a RAW hack and some NX1 sales (the Sale for the 31st could have been a Pilot Project with a pushing back of dates, to accomodate a few more sales, sharing more random JPEGs as DNGs).
I wish there was someone from Interpol on EOSHD. He would help bring in a lot of (in)famous people from across various countries. 
There are many ways of improving most pics in post. Also the difference in this case seems minor, at best. 

There are way too many strange things. This photo just happens to be one of them. The ships could be in this particular formation during certain times of the day, but the construction crane(s), vehicles at traffic signals etc etc are just a complete giveaway.
 
For someone who is apparently, ahem, struggling with his English, and his early years, his command over language is way more impressive than almost all native english speaking members here. I noticed this in so many posts of his. It couldn't possibly be google translate. I doubt it is that eloquent.

 
 
I guess this keeps getting more exciting. Almost out of an Agatha Christie Novel. 

Thanks for that detective work @BTM_Pix
The situation so far would suggest raw video on the NX1 doesn't exist... at least not yet.
Whoever is trying has my support! @Arikhan is welcome to continue posting his progress, but only if real.
I will soon be locking the thread.

Has anyone actually met @Arikhan in person, or have you only chatted with him in private message chats?
 
Why does he remind me of that honest multi-generation genius named Ebrahim Saadawi, who graced this community with his frequest posts, not so long ago. 

Has anyone actually met @Arikhan in person, or have you only chatted with him in private message chats?
 
Why does he remind me of that honest multi-generation genius named Ebrahim Saadawi, who graced this community with his frequest posts, not so long ago. 

Poor ingenuous...
Vasile, Kinoseed and Otto k released the video hack immediately, I posted NXL video and photos immediately.
Why so much mystery? Why waste more time posting a screenshot to trim instead of a ready DNG file?
I do not wait for April 1 day to take a fish and have me sniffed around by a brat!
This forum is a place to seriously discuss cameras, I hope @Andrew Reid takes measures to close the boy's account, I would like to prevent this forum from becoming a site of pranksters instead of professionals photographer. 
 

Has anyone actually met @Arikhan in person, or have you only chatted with him in private message chats?
 
Why does he remind me of that honest multi-generation genius named Ebrahim Saadawi, who graced this community with his frequest posts, not so long ago. 

Stop teasing us and show us the money.

Hai hai hai .... boy, you have arrived at the terminus!
@Arikhan I've always spoken well of you, but now it's time to do your part.
Do not take advantage of our intelligence, nothing prevents you from loading the raw file, just the fact that you do not have it!
I no longer want to hear any excuses, legal, study, time, translations or bla bla bla ...

Nice idea. Start small. Limit sublissions to like 20 short films initially. And the shorter the films the better (I went to a short film festival recently, where films were upto 30 mins long, and some were very difficult to watch).
Get some alcohol company on board (it could be your local brewery) or some food guysè. So that for the submission fee, you get a free pint Free, along with the ticket. People always want freebies. And for non film audiences, shorts are initially a little difficult to sell.
I used to attend a large film festival almost religiously and do a marathon watching like 5 films daily, for 5-6 days (I bunked all work during the festival week). I have relocated cities since, but TBO after the festival got all political and stopped giving early bird discounts and discounts to filmmakers I stopped attending. Also, their fee like doubled. I felt they were just mismanaging or scaming people after I discovered how much funding they were getting.
I guess the most important thing for a festival is to connect with the audience. 

Nice idea. Start small. Limit sublissions to like 20 short films initially. And the shorter the films the better (I went to a short film festival recently, where films were upto 30 mins long, and some were very difficult to watch).
Get some alcohol company on board (it could be your local brewery) or some food guysè. So that for the submission fee, you get a free pint Free, along with the ticket. People always want freebies. And for non film audiences, shorts are initially a little difficult to sell.
I used to attend a large film festival almost religiously and do a marathon watching like 5 films daily, for 5-6 days (I bunked all work during the festival week). I have relocated cities since, but TBO after the festival got all political and stopped giving early bird discounts and discounts to filmmakers I stopped attending. Also, their fee like doubled. I felt they were just mismanaging or scaming people after I discovered how much funding they were getting.
I guess the most important thing for a festival is to connect with the audience.