QuickHitRecord

The upgrades are minor, but nice to have. I am disappointed that they didn't upgrade the codec. I'm not really sure yet why someone would choose this over the new Sony FS7, which offers internal 4K XAVC 10-bit 4:2:2 (up to 60fps) for $2500 more. What I am really curious about is what this will do to the price of used C100s...

A little update on my current project, the Sigma 24-135 f/2.8-4.5. I gave it a "leverectomy" and opened it up to declick the aperture. After I removed the ball, I spent a few tense minutes trying to get the aperture ring to control the iris again. Fortunately, I got it working again. This was my first time opening up an AF lens and I was surprised to see that the mechanical functions on this lens are tensioned by tiny springs. I am not sure how common this is, but it seems like a likely failure point! Adapting this to my 5D3, I had to loosen the locking strip on the adapter to accommodate the lens. Also, the lens is a little off-kilter once it's on the camera, angling about 30 degrees towards the non-dumb side. But this will vary by adapter. I only had the chance to do a quick test on my 5D. Looking through the optical viewfinder at a grid pattern in photo mode, I saw distortion at all focal lengths. It's really bad at 24mm, but considerably better at 28mm. I'm not sure if modern Pentax lenses rely on in-camera distortion correction, but it seems unlikely that this lens would since it is from a third party manufacturer and made for so many different mounts. As usual, shooting video in a 16:9 ratio crops out the worst of the distortion. I plan to compare this to the Canon 24-105mm f/4 and see how they stack up in terms of distortion. The nine aperture blades seem to be rounded, which is really nice. And it's so nice to be able to push past a 100mm, all the way to 135mm. But I can't get too used to this, because there are plenty of things that I don't like: the lens has a short 50 degree focus throw, it is NOT parfocal, and there is a major exposure shift when I zoom the lens, even when I'm locked in at f/5.6 or higher. To make matters worse, I can be at the longer focal lengths (like 135mm) at f/5.6, and then turn the aperture ring back to 2.8 -- and get a boost in exposure. In short, you really never know what aperture you are working with, since the controls seem to be on an exponential scale. To sum it up, this lens does not look like it is shaping up to be is the solution that I hoped it would be. I'm going to test it against the Canon lens mentioned above, and then figure out what I am going to do next.

A really good implementation of H264 can look almost as good as (or even as good as) ML raw right out of the camera. But when you try grading the footage, you'll find that H264 is highly compressed and not meant to be altered. Personally, I would never buy a camera based on the possibility of a firmware update (manufacturer or third party) that would unlock new possibilities.

That was my thinking as well. 24-135mm on full frame translates to an S35 focal range equivalent of 16-90mm, which is pretty close to that Fujinon Cabrio that everyone wishes they had. There's also a cheaper (and more abundant) Sigma 28-135mm f/3.8-5.6 that is supposed to have a non-rotating filter thread, a non-shifting focus ring, and a manual aperture if you get the Pentax or Nikon mounts, but I don't have that one.

It extends quite a bit. 60mm or so. But the focus and zoom rings do not move, so gearing them is possible.

I have it in hand (very cheap and plasticky build quality) and I'm debating whether or not to do the K-mount to EF surgery. It doesn't look like the motion of the aperture would be hindered. I'd simply be shortening the protruding lever (I would love to find a way to do this without cutting it). As is, it is already very responsive to the aperture ring. Can you elaborate on what you mean about the max aperture? The alternative to the "surgery" would be to hunt down a Pentax camera to demo the lens. Unless I am mistaken, the Canon 35-135 has an internal aperture control only, and extends significantly when zoomed which means that you can't really use it with a follow focus.

It should be getting in tomorrow. I'll let you know. I have high hopes! Here's what the good folks over at Dyxum had to say about it: http://www.dyxum.com/lenses/Sigma-24-135mm-F2.8-4.5-Aspherical-IF_lens130.html

Can you share the link?

I've stumbled across something that might be interesting to Full Frame and S35 shooters in particular: the Sigma 24-135 f/2.8-4.5. It's a relatively modern lens (from around 2000) so it will have the benefit of modern coatings. Optically, it seems to be well-regarded, though the lens construction is not supposed to be anything to write home about. What's interesting about it to me is that the front filter does not rotate while zooming or focusing, AND it has a manual aperture (if you get the Nikon or Pentax mount versions) -- this is really unusual. The Pentax version allegedly focuses in the Canon direction too. Declicked and treated as a constant f/4.5, this could be a decent poor man's cine zoom.

@Zach Be brand agnostic. Shoot with every camera you can get your hands on (without buying it) and it will become pretty self-evident what works best for you. Weigh the expense and downtime related with switching cameras against the improvements that you will get. Sometimes it will make sense to upgrade, and other times it is smarter to stick with what you've got for a little longer. No one can answer these questions but you!

Wow. Are you always this charming? Or did you just spend a chunk of change on a Sony A7s and feel the need to justify your purchase by ripping on other cameras and the people who use them? Yes. Except that mine doesn't seem to count because it's not in line with yours.

Huh? THIS doesn't make any sense...

I work with the C100 and 5D3 as well. I rented an A7s for a shoot a month or two ago and found that I didn't care for it (form factor, interface, menus, using Metabones adapters, etc). In fact it gave me a whole new appreciation for my Canons. Definitely rent one before making that jump.

@juanamorphic Do you see the part in the title of this thread where it says "no advertising"?

Are you saying that RawMagic is not able to process your MLVs without the corresponding .R## files? Because that has not been the case in my experience.

It does look pretty good. Better than I would have expected for sure. But at this point in the game, I don't really understand the frustration with the ML workflow and file sizes. Why not just use a program like MLRawViewer to quickly and non-destructively color balance your shots, apply a LUT if desired, and export to ProRes 22 or ProRes LT? Sure, it takes some time to process your files. But at least that way, the massive MLV raw files never even have to touch your hard drive, and you've got a cleaner starting point. Also, media is getting more affordable. I was surprised to see that KomputerBay 256GB 1066x CF cards have come down another $100 and can now be purchased new for $300. Unfortunately, there is no hack for the lack of an opposable LCD screen on the 5D. In my opinion, that is the most frustrating thing about the 5D3.

I can't speak from the photo side but for video we're at the cusp of several new technologies: 4K, h265, IBIS, and ultra high-sensitivity sensors, to name the main ones that I can think of. Buying a camera with one of these new features now would mean buying a company's first implementation of this new technology, and experiencing all of the bugs and quirks that go along with it. The 2nd Gens are always a lot more solid. Also, it shouldn't be long before we start seeing affordably-priced cameras that can offer two or three of the four; maybe another year or so.

Here's a nice entry-level monitor that has a nice de-squeeze for 1.5x lenses (or 2x with Magic Lantern at 4:3):

Have any other options become available since the last posts? I'm still using my AC7 which is great, but it's huge on my 5D3 and goes through my batteries pretty fast. I can also confirm that there is no anamorphic monitoring on the Ninja Blade. I've emailed them to see if they could include this in the next firmware update. EDIT: Atomos just responded:

I did some testing at work (our photographer just got a new D810) and concluded the same thing. The image actually matches raw from the 5D3 pretty closely (until you start trying to grade it) and despite matching all camera and lens settings across both cameras, I was getting a brighter exposure out of the D810. The photographer has used it to shoot video clips a few times and claims that he's seeing some weird stutter in the motion, but I haven't seen it myself yet.

From one of comments on the Facebook page: I'm assuming that the "rings for mounting" are what you are looking for.

I second the FS7, as long as the motion cadence is more like a BM camera and less like the FS100 or GH4.

For those who are curious, here's my 16mm B&H footage. It has been stretched and graded slightly. No sharpening or window treatments whatsoever. The panning is to show distortion and falloff: Granted, I had to cut some corners to get here. I added a wide angle converter to the mix to get close to an S35 35mm equivalent while cropping in ML raw to 1344x1008 (I usually work with this crop). And this isn't a 50mm f/1.4 taking lens either. I find that the best taking lens for the B&H is the Olympus Zuiko 100mm on my 5D3 because it's so small and manageable. This combination gives me a neat 47.6mm S35 field of view (close enough to 50mm for me). Adding my new Sony VCL-HG0758 Wide Angle Converter brings me down to 33.33mm (S35). To answer Rich's questions as best I can: Can they deliver this field of view/dof combination? Yes, but only with a Wide Angle Converter. Can they deliver the above without adding CA or softening at f1.4? I haven't tried it at f1.4, but it's pleasantly soft at f2.8. Can they do this on a full frame sensor? See above. Can they do this without adding vignette? See above. Can they provide this without the need for additional support? I would recommend using a support. As a former Iscorama owner, I am still pleased as punch with this lens. I love the 2x stretch and with the modification I did, it rack focuses easily. There's no additional glass elements in front of the lens to worry about unless I need to attach the the wide angle converter. It's a pretty nice lens.

I think that this is a good idea, Rich. I'll throw my B&H into the ring if I can get the math right (and the appropriate wide angle adapter).

What is the mAh capacity of the batteries? How long will they last while recording video? Is the camera outputting 10-bit 4:2:2 via HDMI?