kitchentable

I think you meant D3S, which has a 720p mode. D3 doesn't even shoot video.

 

 

Yes, of course.

 

That would explain why I wasn't very impressed with it  ;)

 

I must have meant the D3S.

 

Which would mean the other one would have been the D800 then which, in all honesty, is a bit of a misfit for me as a stills camera as well.

 

If they did make a video camera then following the revisiting their past path they've taken with the Df, they'd probably do a storm if they made it look like this 

 

Just a bit of input from someone Nikon are banking on buying the D4S.

 

I use a D4 professionally every day.

 

Well, in a professional capacity at least  ;)

 

And I'll be using it again this afternoon to shoot Premier League football, where I'll probably be sat alongside 7 or 8 other photographers using them (as well as the numerous D3/D3s bodies that we also still use).

 

If I had a survey of all of us about if any us have ever used the video features on any of them for anything other than testing, I would bet serious money on the answer being "No" from everyone.  If I remember correctly, I think I shot about a minute of video with the D3 to test it, probably similar with the D3S but have not shot a single frame with the D4.

 

The amount that I even use live view on them is limited to when I'm setting them up as a remote camera behind a goal or whatever.

 

The things that matter to the vast majority of Nikon D4 users about the evolution of the products are basically just related to advancing AF, low light performance (which was already good enough in the D3S that many including me couldn't be bothered with upgrading to the D4 for a while) and maybe increasing the fps.  Oh and ditching the daft QXD card and putting twin CF slots back.

 

To be honest, the camera that me and most of the people I'll be working alongside this afternoon wanted to see Nikon make was actually a pro-spec crop camera.  No one is really that excited about the D4S (other than it reducing the used price of the D3S and D4 to pick up as additional backup cameras) but over time I'm sure we'll all transition if only because our current cameras get such a battering that its inevitable due to natural wastage.

 

None of this is to say that me - or any of my colleagues - don't shoot video. 

 

We do, just not with the D4.

 

A lot of the time, the events we are doing wouldn't allow it even if we wanted to because of different rights issues but, really, trying to do both just isn't that viable.  I tried it when I was covering the Tour de France and abandoned it after two stages because trying to split myself between the two was producing mediocre results in both.

 

If I did want to shoot video when I was working on a stills job then the BMPCC and M43/Nikon Speedbooster is small enough to fit in the bag with the rest of the gear and is what I consider to be the £900 video option for Nikon pro DSLR shooters.

 

So, for me, I don't see anything sinister or even lack of adventure in what Nikon are up to. Its just them keeping the things that matter to their existing market (basically AF performance/low light/fps) as advanced as they can.

 

Boring answer from a boring old photographer but there it is.

there are a few other kits on ebay that are similar - if you are up for self assembly

 

this is so cheap - I would like to try one

 

I was at the BVE Show in Manchester 2 weeks ago and tried one that a UK firm Skyonix had one on display

and it produced great stable images on a 5DMK11 it will be available in Jan 2014 in the UK priced around £4000

 

Yeah, I saw that one too.

 

Pretty impressive but, again, whilst its cheap in comparison to the Movi, I still feel there is a premium being thrown on to it because of that.

 

As for the one on ebay....I'm proposing 20 of us throw £20 each in to buy one and get Andrew to run round Berlin with it for a few days to give us the verdict!

Picked one of these up as in impulse buy from the BVE show last week.

 

 

Obviously not a new idea and there are loads of similar things knocking about and,yes,its basically a reusable tie wrap with a piece of metal but I have to say that it works really well.

 

Of course its not going to replace a real follow focus setup but at £12 its a lot easier on your finances, a lot less hassle to set up in a run and gun situation and takes up infinitely less space in your bag than a full on system with rails.

 

I'm definitely going to get another one to use for zoom control and will certainly still use it for that purpose even when I'm using a real follow focus.

 

Also, because you can determine the position where the arm goes it might be possible depending on the focus throw of the two lenses in question to gang the arms to come up with a limited simultaneous focus solution for anamorphics. 

 

Full details here http://www.cameragrip.co.uk/acatalog/fzl_hague_follow_focus_zoom_lever.html

 

On a broader note, for anyone not familiar with Hague, they produce a broad range of equipment that is a bit utilitarian in appearance but is usually of decent quality and decent value for money particularly if you're in the UK where the import duty/VAT bumps up the price of the US gear. They do quite a lot of interesting bits and pieces for mounting cameras and fixit solutions that are well worth checking out. They are nice people too.

 

Its never going to be able to lift your FS700 but I've just got one of these DJI Phantom quadcopters to take some baby steps into aerial shots.

 

Full details here http://www.dji-innovations.com/products/phantom/overview/

 

Obviously its a very consumer product but it has some really nifty GPS flight aids built in to help you fly it.

 

It comes with a mount for a GoPro and there is a cottage industry popping up with people making mounts to minimise vibration as the rolling shutter can be horrendous.

 

I've not got much interest in putting a GoPro on it and was attracted by a couple of people having modified the mount to accommodate an RX100.

 

I had a go with modifying a mobile phone windscreen mount that looked promising but it didn't really pass its flying trial this afternoon (think Hindenburg) so I'll be going back to the simpler modified GoPro mount with the RX100 mounted upside down tomorrow.

 

I think over the next few months we'll see more and more sophisticated mounts for this.

 

Even so, what it does out of the box can be impressive as this guy shows with a GoPro3

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNT0iV0m7X8

Only a few years ago I'd have said both HFR and 3D would be an instant turn-off that would prevent me from seeing any film featuring especially HFR in the theater.  Since then I've warmed to the notion that certain subject material it maybe could offer an enhanced experience, even in a narrative setting, if it were carefully done.  

 

It didn't come to mind all through this recent Hobbit hate fest but last night it occurred to me that I would actually be compelled to the theater if someone were to make a new racing epic, ala Grand Prix.  

 

http://vimeo.com/37236984

 

...to say nothing of something like Step Into Liquid.

 

Documentary rather than narrative but one motorsport feature that did work very well with 3D was the motorcycling film TT3D.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QldZiR9eQ_0

I arrived (very) late to X100 party so an announcement of a replacement with so many improvements so soon after I'd bought mine would normally piss me off but to be honest I'm having too much fun with this camera to care !

 

 

Having seen him in Love Actually andThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as well as The Office, I never tied him to a particular franchise. So that's at least one thing I won't have to worry about. :)

 

He's far more Tim in this than he was in those  ;)

I saw it tonight at the Imax.

 

Its quite jarring at the beginning but you become accustomed to it after a while and can then begin the serious business of not being that fussed on it purely as a film.

 

Martin Freeman is so closely associated for me as Tim from The Office anyway but the fact that he's more or less playing Baggins as Tim from The Office takes you out of the moment far more than a frame rate could ever do.

 

The three people with me loved it though.

The Christmas Market beneath the Fernsehturm, I think?

 

Very nice looking footage. 

 

Interesting for me as I have some footage from there that I shot on a GH2 last year to compare it with and the gap between them is possibly even a bit starker than I would have imagined.

 

Just a pity that it looks unlikely my BMC will be arriving in time for me to take with me to Berlin on the 26th !

[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1353031596' post='21733']
I also have a feeling that the "passive" MFT mount is just a phase. I really think they will release an active one. I mean, think of all those Panasonic lenses that are focus by wire. You simply will not be able to use those due to the focus mechanism requiring power. I'd rather wait for that for an active mount if that's in the cards.
[/quote]

Far less of an issue for me personally for it not to be active but I agree that if they can they should.

[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1353043841' post='21749']

I love how everyone has been treating this like they haven't been letting us know what's up the whole time. Like Grant hasn't been disregarding expected industry norms by giving us regular reports (and they are ridiculously in-depth!) every time he knows something. Get a grip people. I understand you are angry because you want your camera and you want it now but have a little compassion. This is not some kind of debacle where people are sneaking around trying to keep things secret because they are worried that it might cause a fuss. I for one feel that they have been up-front and caring the whole way through. I don't know any other company that would give a damn enough to keep us all in the loop like they have. Geez guys.

And think for just a second what it must be like on their end. You think it's fun waiting around for a week for some company to send you samples only to find that they are bad... over and over?
[/quote]

For me personally, the only bone of contention is being told at IBC that cameras had started shipping.

That is something that was a bit naughty really.

It wasn't particularly good form to be announcing a new version of something that was already several months late, particularly with it being a more desirable product for many people, but with the differential in delivery time it wasn't a major issue.

Just bad luck for them that whilst the chickens have not exactly completely come home to roost they are certainly wandering back to the coop at quite a lick !

If the early 2013 date sticks then the next can of worms for them will probably be the MFT version hitting at roughly the same time?

Given the choice today, I'd certainly choose the MFT version but was told by CVP that whilst its no problem to change my order I'll be leaving the front of one queue to join the back of another.

Theoretically, after ordering on 17th. April, I'm 5 months ahead of the queue of any MFT order and was already 2 months overdue when that was announced. If they had shipped on time or even at IBC when they announced the MFT then I'd have at least had 4 months of advantage out of it.

The annoying thing is that at IBC time they were still giving it the 'its shipping now' schtick so switching the order to something that wouldn't ship for another 4 or 5 months didn't make sense.

But as it stands, it looks like I'll probably have a 6 month late camera whereas I could have just torn my order up and got the more appealing MFT version at potentially not far off the same time (with the proviso, of course, that the MFT version is on schedule).

To me, that doesn't seem like much of a reward for ordering the camera sight unseen, trusting their delivery time and putting up with what looks like will be a 6 month delay.

Under the circumstances (basically the myth that there would be a 4-5 month advantage to sticking with the EF mount) , I'd very much like to see Blackmagic offer the option to switch an order to MFT without joining the back of that particular queue.

I've made 4 Hackintosh systems over the past couple of years.

1st one was converting a small Dell netbook, 2nd was converting a couple of year old HP desktop, 3rd was an i7 MacPro level machine based on a semi custom gaming PC and the last one a from scratch compact i3 desktop.

For all of them, I used the resources at tonymacx86.com and, whilst I wouldn't say it was without pain, it was reasonably straightforward with the help of the guides.

However, if you don't fancy diving in and doing it yourself, you can still benefit from a Hackintosh by buying ready built systems on ebay...

[quote name='galenb' timestamp='1351979838' post='20980']
I thought "Battle tested" what RED's way of saying they were refurbished?
[/quote]

I would expect that the majority (if not all) will be ones that have come back in through the EPIC upgrade offers so they will have been used.

What refurbishment means in terms of cosmetic condition I'm not sure but I bought a 'Battle Tested' prime off RED and I would say that if it was in a battle then it must have been hiding inside a tank at that time as it was immaculate !

Fotodiox do an adapter for Canon FD lenses.

[url="http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Lens-Mount-Adapter-Camera/dp/B003EB0H5U/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"]http://www.amazon.com/Fotodiox-Lens-Mount-Adapter-Camera/dp/B003EB0H5U/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url]

There are some very mixed reviews about it though.

For $30 its probably worth having a look at if you have a lot of FD lenses that you want to use but I suspect you would be better off using the saving on the camera to hoover up some Nikon lenses.

Not that you should have to defend yourself over this but it might be worth directing people on that thread to your tweets that I seem to remember from the time having a go at CVP over a cock up with the order processing. Took the full amount I think?

MInd you, it'll probably just be passed off as you and CVP colluding to create a neat trail to cover your tracks !

Just to clarify Andrew that I put that link up to draw attention to the absurdity of CVP having to do that rather than attempting to fuel any conspiracies ;)

Its worth people remembering that CVP's loss on this at the moment is greater than anyone's as they are missing out on the profit on all of those cameras on backorder.

And judging by the response to a new delay from BMD coinciding with RED offering 4K for $4K, that loss might well become permanent.

With regard to perceived queue jumping, its also worth remembering that those heroes of democratising cinema RED pulled a quite incredible stroke on those of us that were patiently waiting in line for our EPIC-X when they started selling the "got the cash? jump the queue" EPIC-M package.

So, in terms of missed delivery dates and concerns about strategic selection, BMD customers are being treated a lot better.

To put it in perspective, If BMD too a leaf out of RED's book, they'd make a titanium version with a few accessories included and sell it for $10K to anyone that wants to jump the queue.

[quote name='andy lee' timestamp='1351858576' post='20865']
'Battle Tested' is Red's way of saving face and not having to say 'we are selling these off cheap! '
its all sales talk to make you think you are getting something of value.....

and at $4000 it's one hell of a Hollywood hit movie camera ! a bargin

now how much will the second hand Red One market drop to on ebay etc????..... $2500 ish????
[/quote]

There are some on ebay.co.uk at the moment that are going to have to seriously re-adjust their expectations thats for sure.

Non modded RED ONE Ms (of which they are still many) are now not economically viable to upgrade to MX as its cheaper to buy the MX so the massive bargain might well be buying an M (which is still one hell of a camera) off someone who wants to upgrade to an MX.

The drive is a great option if you can find one.

It does need the RED CRADLE though which will add another $750 if you can't find a used one.

Adds to the bulk as well obviously.

Just to put some meat on the bones of those media costs, the RED MAG 128Gig SSD is approx £775+VAT whereas the Kingston 128Gig SSD on BMD's approved list is approx £75+VAT.

The proprietary RED SSD reader is an additional £140+VAT whereas the generic SSD>USB3 dock for the Kingston is around £20+VAT

128Gig on a RED ONE MX will get you just over an hour at 4.5K at the optimum compression so its likely that a lot of people would want more than one.

As for the CF module, the cost per minute is even higher thanks to each 16Gig card costing £185+VAT

Don't get me wrong, even with the media costs the overall package is still - relatively speaking - a bargain but the cost to get it going might prove prohibitive for anyone who is stretching to the BMD.

It depends on what you're doing with it I suppose.

No question that it is nowhere near as stealthy as the BMD and obviously there is a resultant impact there on camera support. The tripod issue being one thing but also that there's no way you're going to get a RED ONE on a budget stabiliser. The 19mm rods will need an adaptor to use most people's existing rigs. You are also into proprietary media even for the CF module which is another on top expense. Add in the free version of Resolve etc. which is more value for the BMD package. Then there is the ProRes advantage that the BMD has which the RED doesn't but then the RED does have a well established easy workflow for RAW.

I would certainly think that it should give people pause for thought though and have a serious look at what they've got now (camera support,accessories etc.) and how they are really going to be working.

Might be a very close call for some.

[quote name='OzNimbus' timestamp='1351815938' post='20825']
That's very promising.. can u addi a third party monitor? Suggestions?

How tough is it to post process the footage?
[/quote]

Its got an HDMI port so the choice is obviously massive. Something like the 7" Lilliput for £140 ish would be a start but you could go up a Zacuto EVF and still be getting a good deal overall with the base price of the camera.

Workflow is nowhere near the chore it was when the RED ONE was launched and both Premiere and FCP-X can now handle the R3D files directly. Because its now a relatively mature system, you won't be short of tutorials to help you along.

Such as this one [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkR8frpyjw"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vkR8frpyjw[/url]

Be prepared to budget for a new tripod though....

The RED ONE M-X is a great price.

If you add the Nikon mount at $500, a 3rd party power solution and monitor you are getting a lot of camera for still probably less than $5500.

I haven't heard from CVP since the 15th. August email.

Mind you, other than telling me what they got up to on their holidays I don't think there's been that much to definitively update me on.

I have no idea where I am on their list and until they are getting them through in even remotely sensible quantities its a bit moot unless you are in the first 5.

They do seem to have been drawn into having to address your specific order issue on the Blackmagic forum though Andrew !

[url="http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1288&start=1010"]http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1288&start=1010[/url]

I think a few people on there need to relax and accept its only a camera.

I've got deja vu here.

Boss of company appears on message board to belatedly explain delay without really committing to a firm delivery date, throws a bone with some new features that will be included thanks to this delay and everyone thanks him profusely.

RED really did start a revolution didn't it? ;)