QuickHitRecord

8 minutes ago, Ty Harper said:

(i) The R5C's USB and micro-HDMI ports are a known weakness in this camera (like many cams).

(ii) There have been R5C users who reported their USB-C ports going even though they have been using port protectors. Not a lot but enough for it to be a concern if you are a shooter who doesn't have CPS or insurance, etc.

Thanks for the heads up. Maybe the new LP-E6P batteries are the way to go. How many do you typically find that you'll use up in a day? Is the LCD bright enough to use outdoors in the sun? I've had no problem using my C70's LCD on all but the very brightest days.

4 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Some say it can't be done. The evidence of my website and the last 20+ years says otherwise!

I have a lot of respect for the skill involved with shooting weddings. I did two about ten years ago and decided that it wasn't for me!

53 minutes ago, Ty Harper said:

@QuickHitRecordI seen the R7 mentioned in this thread. And while it may not overheat, the reports of failure rate of its mechanical shutter that I was seeing on one of the bigger R7 FB groups in a 2-4 month span (I was researching it as a potential C cam to my two R5Cs) was enough for me to say, no.

Yeah, no thanks. I appreciate you mentioning that. I'm not willing to take that risk!

2 hours ago, EduPortas said:

You'll have to pony up for the more expensive models to avoid over-heating.

I bit the bullet and ordered a used R5C. $2400 a 22K shutter count, and a cage included.

I don't expect this to become my primary camera over the C70 but will be nice to have when photos are also needed. I think I might re-buy the SmallRig v-mount plate so that I can power it off of my Intellytech mini v-mounts, and then just uncouple it from that setup and run it off of the regular battery for stills (I really like an EVF for stills). In the interest of keeping things small and lightweight, I probably will not bother with a separate monitor. 

[DELETE]

18 hours ago, MrSMW said:

In my genre of weddings, having everything take place in one single location is a completely different beast to; bride getting ready at X, groom at Y, ceremony at A, reception at B, which can make for HUGE logistical issues.

I don't know how you wedding shooters routinely manage these kinds of logistics!

18 hours ago, ntblowz said:

Canon R6II and R7 can record 4K for long hours without overheating, on my ex R7 the only time I see heating bar was during summer inside a clear tent which is like greenhouse on stereoid, even DJ's equipement got overheated, but R7 still only 4 bars out of 10 so pretty alright.

R8 on the other hand will need a fan to go through summer outdoor for long 4K recording, for broll it was fine though, just you will see the the overheating bar pretty often in video. The 4k50P quality is really great, but now I got R5C the quality is even better, R5C is probably the closest to C70 in terms of noise performance in clog.

This is interesting. Thank you for sharing! I hadn't really considered the R7 because I don't love the way that Canon has implemented an all-or-nothing approach to IBIS and IS. But I didn't realize that it was actually pretty good on the overheating front. It's worth a second look.

Since you own both the R5C and the R8, is the 24P 4K from the R5C that much better? Is the DPAF better on the R8? And is there a way temporarily disable autofocus on the R8 by holding down a button?

18 hours ago, ntblowz said:

One thing with Canon is on the EOS side, only R5II/R5/R5C/EOS R can have hdmi out + internal recording + internal screen on, all other models the screen either go black if recording internally or have internal screen but can't record internally if you are connected to hdmi

Good to know!

3 hours ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

I've used the original R5 as b camera for narrative, rolling every second alongside the C70 I was using at the time.  It never even showed any signs of distress.

Interesting. Though for narrative, there are lots of long breaks. There are breaks during the b-roll I shoot too, but I'm often in the hot sun.

I'm kind of tempted to give the R8 a try. Josh Sattin's videos suggest that it can roll for over two hours continuously in 24P. That goes down significantly in 60P, but I tend to shoot about 70% of my b-roll in 24P.

53 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

In less than 2 years, I reduced both my stills and video cameras, in hand weight by about half with changes of body, lenses and accessories.

But Canon, no idea, but I would suspect none of the recent one’s do. At least not under normal circumstances.

I've been trying to do the same. Four years ago, I was lugging around a pair of 575w HMIs(!). Now I have a rule that if a client wants more than what I can fit on my cart, they need to budget for my gaffer too.

But getting hired for photo + video is always a problem for me because it means multiple bodies, multiple lenses, etc. I've held off because I don't think the quality is really there, but at this point I am willing to make some sacrifices.

Other than the pricey R5C, of course. Also, I don't think my EOS-R has ever overheated. But it has a significant crop. Maybe the 1D-C, 1D-X ii or iii?

I don't care about 30-min recording time limits. This would only be for b-roll and photos.

Asking because I almost blacked out during a paid video + photo shoot out in the sun today. When I came home and weighed the gear I was hauling around (rigged up C70, EOS-R, tripod, lenses, batteries), it was 32lbs. I can't put this off anymore. It's time for a hybrid.

And yes, I am too invested in Canon to consider any mount other than RF or EF.

Not pictured: the Lumix FZ47.

Brought mine along on my honeymoon in Ecuador a few years ago. Kind of a slow camera to work with and not my usual keeper rate, but I do like the shots that I was able to get:

I kind of agree with the original post in that we have lost something. But I also wonder if that "something" was the innocence of youth. I remember being completely immersed in the blockbusters of the 1990s as a kid. It takes a lot to even approach that feeling decades later. Nostalgia is a powerful thing.

I remember watching Phantom Thread (2017) for the first time. I was completely immersed by the understated beauty of the visuals. When I looked to see what camera they had used, it was Kodak Vision3 200T and 500T.

That being said, I've generally been ditching the multi-node grading workflows of Resolve in favor of simple global adjustments in Premiere (my native platform). No windows, which were not readily available in the days of celluloid. The resulting images have an honesty to them and don't seem to by vying for anyone's attention.

Someone on this forum is actually producing work and putting it out into the world?! I had to watch and I am glad that I did. I thought that the visuals and editing were really nice. I loved the energy you created in the opening; it was riveting right off the bat. Hal is a memorable and interesting character. I tend to think of raptors as generally solitary so seeing such a magnificent series of "rivers" was a real treat -- I had no idea.

I am by no means a wildlife documentarian, but I'd like to offer a little critique. You've got a great setup but then I was waiting for an obstacle. Something that raises the stakes. Is the solar farm or other development being pushed through? What happens when Hal steps down? Or (and I really hope that this doesn't happen), what effect will the new strain of avian flu have on these birds? I think it might be worth keeping in touch with these folks because any one of those scenarios would add the drama that a piece like this needs to get into the bigger festivals or broadcast.

Or if it just doesn't look like the story will evolve much more (or you're just ready to move onto the next thing), I'd recommend cutting it down to a very tight 20-25 minutes. Maybe the climax is when the influx of birders come out in response to the email. There was good tension in that scene, like the citizen scientists were about to lose control of the mob.

Now a couple of questions. I saw in another post that you shot this with something like a dozen different cameras. What was the reason for that? Did any of them prove to be particularly documentary-friendly? It seemed like you had a LOT of people wearing lav mics and you caught some really choice soundbytes that added a lot to your story. What was your approach to audio? And how many times would you say that you've been out there for a shoot?

One last thing. The screener was only in 480P but that didn't stop the story from coming through at all. 4K be damned.

Great job on this and thanks for sharing. It was the most compelling share I've seen here in quite a while!

I've cycled through a lot of cameras to get here (including Blackmagic, Sony, and two REDs) and ended up selling off about a dozen cameras last year. I think I'm finally happy. I can't think of anything else that I really want and I haven't purchased a camera in almost two years, which is a record for me:

WORK/DOCUMENTARY/NARRATIVE CAMERAS

• Canon C70 x2

FUN/EXPERIMENTAL CAMERAS

• Canon 5Diii with ML
• Canon EOS-M with ML
• Lumix GH1 (hacked)
• Lumix FZ47

STILLS CAMERAS

• Canon EOS-R
• Olympus E500
• Fujifilm E900
• Canon Elan (Film)

If I could snap my fingers and add a camera to this list, it would be the Ikonoskop A-Cam. Or, I'd probably buy an Octopus16 if they ever get around to releasing it.

6 minutes ago, Snowfun said:

I’d like to see a space where the forum’s “big hitters” are encouraged/expected to post, say, a 5x5 scene short (5 x 5 seconds) and we discuss it - the gear, the technique, the post and, importantly, the creativity and ART. A new one every month or so.

I think you're onto something. Getting people out of pixel peeping and into actually making (and sharing) stuff is an unmet need. Think about all of the hobbyists who caught in a cycle of constant upgrading and never shoot anything other than their cat or their significant other making coffee.

I know that EOSHD has done this at least once in the past. DVXuser used to do it too. A couple of brainstorms that I may have shared before:

1) A monthly challenge that imposes a creative limitation each time (i.e. shoot everything at f/8; use only natural light; shoot in standard definition; shoot something in the style of Wes Anderson; use a pre-2012 camera; capture a short scene about a conflict between two joggers, etc.). The prompts can come from Andrew or member suggestions.

2) Old camera "round robin". Established members pitch in a low-value camera body and ship it to the next member, who tries to get the best footage possible out of it before shipping it to the next member, etc. All results are shared and discussed. Maybe there would have to be several of these going, one for each continent.

I have my two C70s dialed in so precisely to my needs that even after ~5 years, I can't imagine replacing them. One of them is built up for handheld operation, and the other is stripped down for travel. So, I really don't need anything else at this point.

That being said, an updated version of the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 in RF mount would be a no-brainer for me. They could even use the same glass from the older version and just update the AF.

1 hour ago, Rhood said:

Can the 501 and the Focus 5 (non OLED) also be updated to use EL Zone?

There is a list of models compatible with PageOS 5 (which introduces EL Zone) on SmallHD's website. If memory serves, the 510 cannot be upgraded to 5, but the FOCUS monitors can.

I have a Focus 5 OLED. Nice colors and 1080P (vs 720P on the original Focus, which is brighter). And you can upgrade the firmware to take advantage of the EL Zone exposure tool. Once you've used that, you'll never want to bother with any other exposure tools.

I also have the SmallHD Indie 5, which checks ALL of the boxes for me. If you can stomach the price or maybe wait for a sale, I see no reason why it would not be the last monitor you'll ever buy.

I've shot quite a bit with the FS7 and extensively with the C70 (I currently own two). I'd say that the C70 is definitely worth the extra money. It's smaller, more intuitive, has great autofocus, better color, impressive dynamic range, and is remarkably clean in low light. I like mine so much that I really haven't been tempted by the C80 or C400.

Plus, using the Arri LogC to Rec709 on CLOG2 footage is a nice starting point for a grade.

But I suppose it really comes down to the lenses that you already own.

I've been paying for the "Pro" plan for the past ten years. With the 'Review' video function that Frame.io copied from them, it's been a great collaboration tool for working with clients. I still have all of my search functionality and can click on usernames to see their bios and highlighted videos.

The one thing I don't love but I can't say that I'm surprised by is that I now have a 1TB limit on my total storage. If I want 5TB, it's double the price. I've written to them asking if they could give us a "finalize video" button that will purge all of the drafts that it is currently saving -- I don't need them after delivering a video. This would allow me to bring my storage needs way down. They said that they would look into it.

It doesn't seem like the platform is flourishing, but I haven't looked into switching because it serves my needs and I have a couple hundred videos uploaded (all are backed up locally).

Interesting post. I'm not familiar with him, but he's in my city (Portland, OR) and I ride the Max often.

As a full-time freelance videographer for the past ten years, I just did my end of year accounting for 2024 and I can officially say that my income has been on a downward trajectory since the pandemic. Video production is just not considered a specialty skill anymore. 2023 was so bad that I almost threw in the towel. 2024 was better, but still barely a living -- probably around half of what my friends with office jobs made. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, I'm currently underperforming the average income for other videographers in my area by a wide margin, but I have to wonder about the accuracy of their numbers. A lot of my local colleagues have been exiting the industry just as Airview has. People with genuine talent.

One trend I've been noticing in the past couple of years is that I'll show up with a car packed with lighting, multiple cameras, dolly track, etc. and yet some of my clients will often just tell me to hurry up and get the shot with no lighting or movement. And then we wrap early, which is nice. But overall, I feel like my work has been going downhill and this is really bothering me.

And then there are discussions like this taking place on Reddit, so I know that I am not alone.

Overall, I'm pretty discouraged and I need to figure out whether to ride it out or try something new.

I don't have any plans to upgrade in 2025. Two C70s is plenty for me. If anything, I want to shoot more little passion projects with c-mount lenses on my EOS-M. I've also joined a screenwriting group and purchased an old AlphaSmart word processor which seems a much better place to spend any time and energy that is not sucked up by work.

I'm all about smaller sensors for passion projects in 2024. The EOS-M, GH1, and FZ47, specifically. I strive for a deeper depth of field, yet somehow a bit soft. After all of this trial and error over the past 15+ years, that's what looks best to me. And the shooting experience is a lot simpler and more straightforward than with modern cameras, which I feel is more fun and makes me more creative.

Funny how it has come back around full circle to some of the first sensors I've ever used...

Cinematch?

On 6/18/2024 at 3:43 AM, Andrew Reid said:

There is nobody in the modern camera industry fulfilling the niche of analogue / film compact replacement camera other than the y2k CCD digicams. And don't get me started on the desire for a Digital Bolex sequel!

Unfortunately, no.

But I think that the EOS-M is getting pretty close. I only bought mine for the 16mm/S16 crop modes. Those are really unique features and I love the look when combined with interesting c-mount lenses. It's been pretty stable since the "Crop Mood" hack came out. The latest news is that developers are working on a whole new UI similar to BlackMagic's to make it a lot easier to use. Also, there is a new "dual mount" for EF-M mount cameras in the works that will allow the use of both manual E-mount lenses and MFT lenses (with the use of a third-part MFT-E adapter) on EF-M cameras. It's cool stuff.

Come on built-in NDs!

18 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Rather you want something simple, reliable, and fast. Which isn't what describes ML raw, but does fit the use case of the Canon 1D C / Nikon Z8 / S1H / X-H2s / GH6 / FX30 / etc 

To play devil's advocate (because that's what we do around here!), it's never been easier or more economical to plug a camera into a v-mount battery, which can also power a monitor. If you are using manual lenses, your shooting experience will probably not be that different regardless of the camera body that you use... so you might as well use one that captures an interesting image, right?

Also, my M2 Mac really takes the sting out of MLV app. Sure, it adds 20-30 mins of export time, but it also means that I can dial in the color balance and exposure of each shot before I even start editing.

Not saying that this is the right way to go for everyone. For me, I like the idea of a camera that has a slight IQ pitfall to take away the pressure of capturing a perfect image, and to add a little gentle pressure to tell a compelling story so that the audience doesn't study your image too much.

18 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Seems like the Nikon D200 was the best ever CCD DSLR? And it's almost being given away at how low the prices are now. 

Either that or go nuts for "the best" with the Pentax 645D's massive medium format digital sensor that uses CCD, but that's still well over $1K secondhand

This is debatable. Many people do love the D200. I haven't shot with one myself, but I've used the Olympus e500 and Sony a390. I prefer the e500, but the a390 has better and more affordable lens options. Many swear by the earlier Pentax cameras, Fujifilm's S series, or Canon's 1D classic. I think that half of the point of an old CCD DSLR in 2024 is not to spend too much.

On 5/22/2024 at 11:12 PM, QuickHitRecord said:

I have to agree with this. 5Diii raw was revolutionary at the time but it does not stack up against modern cameras. I did a comparison about a year ago with my current cameras and it displayed so much striated and blocky magenta noise in the shadows that I can't imagine reaching for it for video ever again. I still takes wonderful photos though.

I may have spoken too soon. I went back to play around with the image and it turns out that the noise is easily dealt with in MLV App. I think the 5Diii creates a more characterful and interesting image than the C70 (and maybe even the Scarlet-X). Even if the image was exactly the same, it's smaller than a cinema camera, comfortable in the hand, weather-sealed, shoots full frame 14bit raw video, won't overheat, won't attract as much attention, and can be easily replaced at a low cost if necessary. What other camera has those characteristics? The only thing it doesn't do is shoot 4K with full real-time preview. So maybe it still represents a pretty unique value proposition 12 years on!