OzNimbus

Nice to see something finally. Really looking forward to shooting 4:3 with this. Thanks for the article!

I have this exact model.  It's nice, but I've nicknamed it "The Backbreaker" because it's so hard on the deltoids.  Even with a light setup, you WILL feel it if you're handheld.  Save up for a vest.

Thanks very much for this test!   Is there any chance we'll get to see a direct real-world comparison between the two?  sort of like that BMC vs 5d2 video that was released several months ago?  With that test, it was easy to see just how big a difference in quality there was.  I'd really like to know if the picture quality difference between the Epic & the BMC is incremental or as big as the BMC vs the 5d2.

 

Thanks again!

Question : are arri fresnel lights still not widely used?

Those fresnels are cheap and available for a reason.  Their time has passed.

 

The look is old fashioned.  They're inefficient.  They melt your talent and turn your set into an oven.  Blast them into some diffusion outside a window maybe or to throw light down a long corridor, or possibly for supplemental light outside.  Unless you're just trying to be ironic using that stuff with contemporary camera gear.  

 

With respect, sir:  It might be "old fashioned" but it's a look that I'm in love with.   In my experience, they're no hotter than the cheap Chinese redheads I used to work with.  , Those would fail several times during a shoot... from bulbs constantly blowing to ceramic insulators cracking, to smoking parts, what a pain!  After messing around with those & cheap worklights, the Fresnels are a nice step up.   ....and they're reliable.  

 

FWIW, I shoot a lot of music videos & the bands I work with jump around a lot anyway... the heat's pretty much a non-issue.  But yeah, if you're doing feature work, something cooler might be the way to go.

 

 

Here's a quick pic off my cell phone (didn't have time for a proper still) from a shoot I did last week.  Used an Arri 1k, Mole Baby Baby 1k for key & fill lights (with fairly heavy diffusion), back lights are Pepper 650w on the left and Mole 407 750w on the right.   It's Februrary in Canada, so after we finished shooting, we just put the lights out the front door to cool off before packing them back in the car! :)

Look closely, you'll see my GH2 loaded up with a Nikkor 35 & Bolex anamorphic :) and yes, this might just be the nerdiest heavy metal video in history.

Grab some vintage Mole Richardson, LTM Pepper or Colortran fresnels off ebay.  They're cheap and the build quality is meant to last a lifetime, or in the case of Mole Richardson, longer than your lifetime :)

 

@BurnetRhoades

 

Loved The Fifth Element... especially the art direction... it's like they lifted the look & story right out of the magazine Heavy Metal.  (I've been a subscriber for over 24 years).   Congratulations on a job well done, and thanks for sharing your insights!

That sounds about right... Thanks for pointing this out, Shijan!

 

Andrew, thanks for taking the time to do this review.  Loads of great info here.  Can't wait for part two!

Looks awesome. I hope they get it working.

So I pulled out my trusty Sekonic Studio Deluxe on a shoot the other day & I'm glad I did. I was able to expose for the "hot spots" and got some amazing results. I had my laptop on hand & double checked some test shots on scopes & the highlights were exactly at the 80 mark. Perfect. Why haven't I been using this thing more often?
The histogram on the Gh2 is nice, but an incident meter is superior. They go for around $50 on ebay & are worth thier weight in gold. There shouldn't even be a debate on this subject. Go get one.

Thanks so much for this post!

They're worth the search :-)

Is it a working prototype?

No. That's been my point all along. Its a very nice looking non-functioning body.

they didn't even shoot the "meet the d16" video with a prototype. .. that was shot with a 5d2!

Meet the Bolex D16: "This is the finished camera body in the correct materials with the correct surfaces! Still a few cosmetic changes we want to update -- lighter color screws to blend better with the siding -- but you're looking at the first built camera!" --->

 

Looks sexy as hell.  The first thing I'd do with it is put my Bolex 8/19 anamorphic on it!  I love the idea of global shutter &  vintage glass availability.  I just hope they actually get one working for real.

From my understanding, all of that material was shot with a Prosilica GX camera... not a DBolex prototype.  If I'm incorrect, that's fine... I want to see this camera happen.

Beautiful looking stuff!  Some great shots in there, & I love the color grade... the edit & pacing works well too.  There seem to be some voice sync issues in spots though.  Lyrics are important, and so syncing audio to video.... that's my only gripe, though. 

Engineering samples and prototypes exist. If that is fiction then maybe there's a bit of HAL floating about in space?

Show me links to a working prototype and I will stand happily corrected.

 By the time they are ready to produce in masses (if they ever will be), consumer camcorders will be on the level of a sony f55.

 

 

That's what you call the "Duke Nukem effect."  ...By the time that game had been released, the world had moved on.  I fear the same fate for this camera.  The digital world moves very, very fast.  Innovate, or get the fuck out of the way.

For almost a year we've been hearing an awful lot about the Bolex, but have yet to see a working prototype.   Sure, they've made several engineering changes to the handle.  That's impressive as hell.  <ok, that was sarcasm>

 

I'd love to see this camera happen, but as of right now, it's fiction.

Hey gang,

 

 

Here's a question that's been on my mind for the last few days... I enjoy shooting with the hacked GH2, I'm getting a lot of use out of it.  However, i want to step up out of 8 bit video. Several options have come to mind recently.

.

Bear in mind, my main purpose is Music Video & the occasional live concert.... I want something that looks filmic.

 

Sony F3:  with Slog, and the price drop on used cameras, it's very affordable, and very tempting.  I'm curious how Slog and resolution stacks up to the GH2. 

BMCC:  might take forever for a working sensor & active M43 mount.

Red One:  Again, very tempting on the used market.

 

 

If you had the cash, which would you choose?

Bravo, sir!   Hopefully you'll get the ball rolling.

I still take my Sekonic on every single shoot.  I don't use it as much anymore, but it's great to have around.

Does this mean I can use wider taking lenses for anamorphic? ... or the opposite?

How wide can you go for a taking lens behind the 16/32 on the GH2?

Oh, I also forgot to mention, it'll focus at 1.5 feet!   Screw the diopter crap, this thing rocks!   Close ups are soooo nice!

 

I'll be shooting a music video with it later this month as well... should be a lot of fun... hoping for some "Monty Python" inspired violence!

Got my Bolex about three weeks ago.   Got my Redstan clamp last week & it's fantastic!  I hope to get out into the field tomorrow & do some serious shooting with it.   I've done some minor test-shoots with it & it's great....   On the GH2, I can shoot with a super Tak 35mm at f2 with the very slightest vignette.   Stopped down, it increases.   28mm gives a little to much vignette, IMO... The Restan Clamp can only get the two lenses so close together.... they'd have to be touching to get rid of the vignette, probably.

The Konica 40mm is sharp as hell even at f1.7... and there's almost zero distortion.... Freakin' awesome.

Here it is on the Tak 35.   Dual focusing is really NOT an issue.  It's fast & simple.