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Chrad

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  1. Like
    Chrad reacted to BTM_Pix in Panasonic G9 mk2   
    I don't think anyone is questioning the future of Panasonic though ?
    It is where they are at and/or heading within this specific format that is under discussion as they are in rude health within the FF market.
    Again, the camera (which as I've said umpteen times looks very good) and the form/format are very different things.
    The idea of a compact system that offers the "optimal balance of high image quality, compactness and lightweight in cameras with interchangeable lenses" to quote the actual MFT organisation itself is surely challenged when it becomes the same size as a full frame system from the same manufacturer.
    We need to examine the word 'dead' in the context of what it actually means to a camera system.
    It isn't 'dead' as in the absolute discontinuation of all MFT products.
    Which means it isn't yet 'dead' in terms of the stated ethos of it as a format by the MFT organisation as, if nothing else, BMD have just released a camera that actually fits within those aims. We also don't know whether Panasonic might also have a camera up their sleeves (or in their pocket) that will more closely align with that ethos.
    I'd say that a more appropriate word, as it currently stands, would more likely be 'moribund'.
    In a hippier time, it might be described as the 'scene' being 'dead' (man).
    Indicating that what it was is not currently what it is.
    But what it is might well work for many people so thats all fine too.
    I was using it to provide some light relief to this thread 🙂
    And to show my own innate hypocrisy and how you can't really rely on the meanderings of a random old fella on the internet.
     
    I emphatically agree with both of you that the notion of all MFT cameras having to be small is both a nonsense and ludicrous.
    Which is why I haven't actually stated that.
    Equally, the notion that all MFT cameras having to be the same size as a FF camera is also both a nonsense and ludicrous.
    There is room for both.
    Its just that Panasonic haven't released one for three years which was the ill fated (but actually not without its merits) G100.

    With the 12-32m kit lens it was around £600 before it was discontinued and it really did fit with the ethos of MFT as we originally understood it and how the MFT organisation still describe it.
    It showed that when motivated by hatred (Sony's dominance of the vlogging market) that Panasonic could still do it despite the intervening four years prior to that (the G80 launch) they had been making ever bigger bodies.
    Time marches on, of course, and things change so if the price that has to be paid now (physically and literally) to move the story along from the G80 (which unlike the G100 had IBIS) in terms of video spec then so be it.
    Of course, Panasonic are not the only MFT player in town so maybe Olympus will offer that alternative.
    Yes, the extra reach of the 100-400 on MFT would need the Sigma 150-600 to equal on FF L mount which results in a significant size disadvantage.
    This is an example where it makes sense both as a format in general anyway but also as a camera itself, if the price to pay for that performance has to be that form factor.
    Thus far, it appears that it must because there is no alternative with that spec.
    Maybe I will pre-order one after all 😂
  2. Like
    Chrad reacted to TomTheDP in No-Budget Movies Are Taking Over: Welcome to a New Era of Filmmaking   
    I work on mostly low budget feature films in the 30k realm. They can actually be incredibly profitable if you know what you are doing.
  3. Like
    Chrad reacted to BTM_Pix in No-Budget Movies Are Taking Over: Welcome to a New Era of Filmmaking   
    Bobby Bowfinger had it spot on twenty years ago 
    Something that has always puzzled me is when you consider something like Downton Abbey which costs roughly $1-2M per hour as a TV programme yet was somewhere between $7-10M per hour for the film version without too much demonstrable difference in production values.
    The final season of Game Of Thrones was supposed to be around $15M per hour, its hard to imagine that if it was a movie then they'd be getting much change out of triple or even quadruple that amount.
    I suppose the trick is to pretend you are making a TV programme and hope no one finds out it is a film.
    A bit like wedding cakes.
     
  4. Like
    Chrad reacted to IronFilm in No-Budget Movies Are Taking Over: Welcome to a New Era of Filmmaking   
    https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a43358888/no-budget-movies-era/
     
  5. Like
    Chrad reacted to Video Hummus in Apple is Coming For Y'all: Disruptive Video Production Technologies   
    A few people will create videos in a new genre with this...perhaps, but the vast majority of the billion or more phones being sold will be used to make cheesy rack focus tiktok memes.
    Personally, the trend towards short social media content is disturbing. Spend 5 days straight swiping through instagram reels or tiktok and then step back. You will be less patient, dull, and be addicted to instant gratification.
    Shits toxic.
  6. Like
    Chrad reacted to webrunner5 in Apple is Coming For Y'all: Disruptive Video Production Technologies   
    Tens of thousands of people were completely content to watch Porn Movies when I was young shot on 8mm, super 8mm film cameras. They ignored the horrendous handheld jitters, terrible low light ability, and just crap film skills for what, Content, and Content is king. The camera, be it an iPhone or an Arri is the least of your problems.
  7. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from Tim Sewell in Apple is Coming For Y'all: Disruptive Video Production Technologies   
    ...to make TikTok videos. 
    This is still going to be true when everyone has an iPhone with fake rack focusing on it. You'll still need to spend time and money to stand out. You're still going to need a crew if you want a certain standard of lighting and sound, especially one worthy of Apple TV. The competitive advantage of having a budget is arguably going to be even more important for traditional filmmaking if smart phone camera advancements lead to a flood of people producing content with a higher apparent baseline of quality.
    At the end of the day I don't see this technological shift as being so seismic as to so dramatically alter the course of society as you envision. In general, but especially among the younger generations, people are consuming less film content. They watch more TikTok, short clips, Twitch streams. Video is everywhere but 'fIlm' in the traditional sense is becoming less central to the culture. If the incredible advancements in affordable video technology we've already seen have lead us to the centrality of TikTok, then to me that's a sign that people just aren't itching to make 'films'. 
  8. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from Matins 2 in Apple is Coming For Y'all: Disruptive Video Production Technologies   
    Mark my words: this won't happen. People aren't making TikToks instead of traditional film content because they were waiting for the right technology to roll around to decide it's worth doing. If the incredible democratization of filmmaking technology we've seen over the past couple of decades wasn't enough to get them involved already, they lacked the time, energy, or interest. The truth is we who are interested in traditional filmmaking are part of a shrinking demographic.
  9. Like
    Chrad reacted to newfoundmass in Gauging the reaction to the Panasonic GH6   
    Please keep this conspiracy nonsense to yourself. 
  10. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from tupp in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    Right, but having a blanket approach of shot on digital = we have to denoise that, every time, suggests a lack of tolerance for even naturally occuring, finely controlled noise, and possibly a love for plastic textures.
  11. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from tupp in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    I honestly think it just comes down to technology and conditioning. If filmmakers of the past had the ability to DNR the hell out of grainy filmstock, a subset of them would have done just that. They had no such luxury, so they sought out the finest grained stock they could access and/or embraced it as an aesthetic quality of the image. With digital, we developed the technology to scrub the image of noise before people the textures of digital filmmaking had stopped seeming alien, let alone started to be romanticized for its limitations and quirks.
    I don't really think it's true that noise destroys resolution, and grain only adds flavour. Large grained filmstock is considered to hold less resolution relative to finer grained stock. Outside of extreme examples of visible FPN in the image, I also don't think the pattern vs random aspect makes much difference to the viewer. In practice, digital noise is perceived as random. 
    The appearance of noise varies from camera to camera, but I think it's the kind of imperfection that can prevent images from looking sterile and inhuman. I look at it as the surface of the medium becoming visible. The philosophy that denoising should always be applied to digitally sourced images seems like one that's opposed to to the inherent characteristics of digital, and ironically it's one that ends up creating images even further removed from the world of film. To me it's more interesting to be open to the new. Noise can be ugly, but it can also in the right hands have a soulful texture to it.
  12. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from tupp in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    Silly. Film is a lot grainier and we accept that as part of the aesthetic, so I don't know why we need to treat video differently and expect total cleanness to the point of sterility. 
  13. Like
    Chrad reacted to sanveer in Samsung Semiconductor is working on a new APS-C sensor   
    More like 16.6 stops (divide by 6.02) at SNR of 1. So about 14+(more like 14.6) stops. Great, regardless, and close to Alexa territory.
     
    The low ISO indicates that the sensor isn't meant for ILCs, but rather for cinema cameras(?). 
  14. Like
    Chrad reacted to newfoundmass in Most underrated cameras?   
    I'm not sure that it deserves to be mentioned along side these cameras but the GX85 is really, really underrated, especially for its price on the used market. 
    There are a lot of reasons not to get one but boy do I love mine. It doesn't have great auto focus in video and it lacks a mic input, but I find myself grabbing it instead of my G85 and GH5. The stabilization is really good... Not G85 or GH5 good but close. It's great to take into areas where larger cameras aren't allowed and lately I've just enjoyed bringing it with me on trips with the 14mm f2.5 or the 20mm f1.7. For whatever reason I find myself shooting more photos / video for fun, like I did when I first got a video or stills camera. As nice as it is to have a phone that can do decent photos and videos it just isn't the same... I don't get the same joy as I get using the GX85. I really didn't expect to love this camera as much as I have. 
  15. Like
    Chrad reacted to TomTheDP in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    Yes although digital grain can be pleasing depending on the camera. For the Oscar nominated film Lady Bird they used the grain from the Alexa sensor as an aesthetic choice. They shot in 2k and would underexpose the sensor and normalize in post to bring out the grain. 
  16. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from Brian Williams in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    Silly. Film is a lot grainier and we accept that as part of the aesthetic, so I don't know why we need to treat video differently and expect total cleanness to the point of sterility. 
  17. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from Brian Williams in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    Right, but having a blanket approach of shot on digital = we have to denoise that, every time, suggests a lack of tolerance for even naturally occuring, finely controlled noise, and possibly a love for plastic textures.
  18. Like
    Chrad reacted to newfoundmass in Gauging the reaction to the Panasonic GH6   
    The reason Panasonic needs reliable auto focus is more for marketing purposes than anything. The market has spoken, and it expects Canon or Sony level auto focus and if you don't deliver it most people won't even give it a chance. 
    For me personally I don't need it, but I recognize it's important if the system is going to stick around. 
  19. Like
    Chrad reacted to Parker in Firmware update turns Panasonic S1 into an S1H (albeit with record-time limit in demanding modes like 6K)   
    It's certainly far noisier than the in-camera codecs, that's for sure. But most of the time I'm lowering the ISO in post quite a bit anyway, and I actually quite like the textured, much more organic feel, at least for certain projects. It feels like there's an added depth and thickness to the images that I'm a fan of. 
  20. Like
    Chrad reacted to Marcio Kabke Pinheiro in Gauging the reaction to the Panasonic GH6   
    In my point of view, I don't know why the AF discussion have to be so binary. Never use AF x always use AF.

    Manual focus with a good focus puller will always be preferred in professional cinema. It is a well trained skill from the professional focus pullers, it is cheaper to pay a focus puller (considering all the other costs involved) that have to reshoot constantly because of an unexpected AF behaviour, and it offers somre focus creative choices that you could not have (or that would be difficult to reproduce) with an AF system.

    AF is very useful in solo shots, low budget productions, solo vlogging, or when you don't have or can't pay a focus puller. Or when your production don't have very critical focus nailing needs.

    Both are more or less adequate depending on your budget / needs. Hence Alexas don't have AF; and hence solo / action /vlogger shooters wants good AF.

    Different situations, different needs. But with hybrid cameras, that generally are used in lower budget scenarios, AF tends to cover more use cases. And if you have good AF, you can still use MF - the reverse, not.

    That why Panasonic needs a good and reliablish AF system. Arri not.
  21. Like
    Chrad reacted to IronFilm in Pocket 6k Pro or Ursa G2?   
    Perhaps first ask yourself, why "upgrade" from your P4K? What is it not doing for you? Is it even necessary to get anything else?
  22. Like
    Chrad reacted to kye in Gauging the reaction to the Panasonic GH6   
    The challenge is that the camera must know who to focus on and when.  This is essentially an impossible thing, especially for narrative.
    Imagine a shot with a composition like this, but where only one character is in focus at a time:

    The background character starts in focus...
    BG: You've screwed everything up....... I can never trust you again pause FG: I'm sorry When should the AF change focus from the BG character to the FG character?
    The answer is, it depends on the director.  It could change during the pause in 1, before 2, after 2, in reaction to 3, or not at all.
    If the answer is anything before 3 starts speaking then how the hell could a camera know that this was the moment to transition focus????
    This is the fundamental challenge of AF.  Anyone who doesn't understand this doesn't understand how to use focus as a creative tool in a film.  
    Lots of people don't need to know this of course, but I find that even in making videos of my family this stuff becomes relevant, which is hardly the pinnacle of the art form. 
  23. Like
    Chrad reacted to Alt Shoo in Why Gerald Undone is wrong about the Sigma Fp-L   
    Gerald’s review of the fp is based off his usage, which is a personal thing and since he’s influential, his personal tastes are passed on to the sheep of the earth. 

    For my personal needs, this camera exceeds plenty! I had the chance to purchase a BMD12K, Komodo, a GFX100 and a FX9, but decided on a pair of Sigma cameras. A fp and fpL kitted out with some lenses from Irix and Dulens. I also paired them with two Atomos Ninja Vs. 
    I really watch these YouTubers just to get perspective. I make up my mind by simply testing and knowing what fits the workflow I want to use. 


  24. Like
    Chrad reacted to Alt Shoo in Sigma Fp review and interview / Cinema DNG RAW   
    The Sigma fp series of cameras are very capable. I’m actually thrilled that I’m able to produce expensive images on a budget. This allows me to build out the accessories needed to run a smoother production. Here are some unprocessed screen grabs of a project I’m working on. I’ll be also using these cameras to film a series based on a popular subject within the Hip Hop industry. 
     
    Also here’s a link of a comedy skit I filmed for an extremely known TikTok personality who is trying to build up her YouTube channel. 
     
    I don’t  follow the popular camera trends and what’s hot, hence my name here AltShoo which is an abbreviated form of Alternative Shooter. This is why I use the JVC-GYLS300 and even though the next camera I’m mentioning  is the most “popular” camera in my arsenal, it’s still not a trendy tool, I own an EVA1. 
     
     









  25. Like
    Chrad got a reaction from markr041 in The Gerald Undone Challenge   
    I can't stand Potato Jet because it's shameless consumerist hype, but I don't mind Gerald Undone. I don't expect him to be an artist - what he does well is putting together videos with extensive detail and testing regarding tech specs. There is some value to that in evaluating these tools, and he does it better than most others on YouTube.
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