andrgl

I've used this rig lately and I'm really liking it.  It makes the Micro feel a lot smaller while still having a monitor.



 

Can’t wait for their next gen camera. Literally only need to sort out 2 issues:
- External monitoring: lag, soft image, SDI-out in body.
- E-Mount that doesn’t suck. Viltrox nerfed the first iteration.

An update...
My 2.8-12mm zoom lens arrived and I've completed the mods.  It's a nail-biting tale of daring and disaster, but as sure as Hollywood using action cameras with zoom lenses, has a happy ending nonetheless.
First impression was that the envelope with the single layer of bubble wrap that was protecting the lens had lost its air long ago, probably while still in mainland China, but concerns of damage were quickly alleviated when I discovered this this is a beast, is heavy, and is made completely of metal.
It's also somewhat larger than I anticipated..  here it is next to the camera and existing 8mm lens:

I put it onto the camera and couldn't get focus, even if I screwed it all the way in.
Naturally, my first impression was to take the camera apart, and modify it to get infinity focus, however it later turned out that this was wrong, and that I had screwed the lens into the camera too far, but back to me going down the wrong path...
Camera in pieces:

The bit I chopped off thinking it was the only barrier between me and cinematic goodness:

It was around this time I realised my error, and that the lens got good focus (across the whole zoom range) with only 2 turns of the lens into the mount.  
This meant that clearance between the rear element and the sensor wasn't in danger, so I installed the IR Cut filter onto the rear element of the lens.  Luckily this lens had a flat rear-element, which made getting the IR filter also flat quite a straight-forward process.  I found success with the previous lens by using PVA woodworking glue, which dries clear and holds the IR filter securely (which I accidentally tested by dropping that lens ~1m onto a tiled floor and it stayed on just fine!), so here's the filter:

I applied the PVA with a pin and I find that if you give yourself a big lump of glue then you can tell how quickly the glue dries by watching your lump dry, which isn't required in this case but is useful if you glue somewhere that you can't see:

Next job was to modify the front plate to allow the lens to sit where it needs to.  In this case the front part that clips in needs to be removed:

It comes out easily and looks like this when mounted back on the camera:

You can see that the mount in the camera is only plastic, which is quite concerning for robustness, but it also presents another problem, which is that the focus and zoom controls on the lens are stiff in parts of their range, and the lens would rather twist in the mount rather than adjust, so my previous trick of putting plumbers tape into the threads did nothing.
This is where the story takes a turn - I decided to glue the lens into the mount.
I did this for a few reasons.  Firstly, this lens give the focal range I need and so I wouldn't need to change it ever again.  Secondly, it will help resist turning in the mount, and will also make the whole thing more robust.
In terms of risks, I figured that if I needed to remove the lens for some reason I could potentially break the seal on the glue and get it out.  If that didn't work then I might break the lens thread in the camera, but maybe not enough to prevent other lenses being used that go deeper into the camera (the previous 8mm lens I had in there went in quite a way).  There was never going to be damage to the new lens as it's all metal, including the mounting threads.
Worst-case is I kill the SJ4000, which was under $100, and could be replaced.
So, I went for broke, and put in quite a lot of glue, both onto the lens and the mount.  I made sure to dry it lens-down so that any squeeze-out would drop down the outside of the lens rather than on the inside of the lens mount and potentially onto the sensor.
I waited until my lump of glue was completely dry, and then put a battery in and fired up the camera.
Disaster.

You will note that the windowsill is in focus, so the diffusion is not from poor focus.  I suspected some kind of haze from the glue, considering it was fine with the lens installed prior to my glue-up.
I have a theory about haze.  If something can become a gas and then solidify onto a surface, then it must be able to become a gas again and everything that condensed should evaporate again leaving a clean surface.  Assuming that it doesn't perform a chemical reaction or anything.  I thought that PVA is water-soluble, so I figured that the haze could simply be condensation, considering that the little chamber between the lens and sensor would have been where a lot of the water would have gone.  
First attempt to cure it was the late afternoon sun:

I pulled the battery and SD card after taking this shot, to remove power and the possibility of them being damaged, and to also let more air in and out via those openings in the case.
After sunset I fired it up again and the haze had turned into evenly spaced strange little globs, maybe 10 across the width of the sensor.  I didn't get a photo of that, but I thought that movement was good, showing that whatever it is isn't stuck there forever.  I left it there overnight and thought I'd contemplate the next strategy the next day.
The next morning.....  BINGO!

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes!  I suspect dry air from the air-conditioning gave it the time required to dry out.
So, having flirted with disaster but avoiding peril with great skill luck, what do we now have?
FOV at wide end:

FOV at long end:

iPhone 8 FOV:

My completely non-scientific analysis suggests that it's about equivalent to an 18-60 lens, and the f1.4 aperture should mean that exposures are good until the light gets low, which is good because the sensor is likely to have poor ISO performance.
So, how is it to use?
Well, if there was a competition for least par focal lens in the world, this would be my nomination.  Each end of the zoom range has its infinity focus setting at each end of the focus range, and if you go from being in focus at one end of the zoom range and take the zoom adjustment to the other end then the bokeh balls are 1/6th the width of the frame (I did measure that) so it's not a subtle effect.  I checked if the zoom and focus rings should be locked together but they deviate slightly over their range.
The locking pins are useful for controlling the zoom and focus, but if you screw them in completely then they lock the controls, so I'm thinking that I should glue them in place so they're solid.  I'll have to be careful not to get glue into the mechanisms but that shouldn't be too hard.
So, how the @#&@#$ do you focus using the 2" 960x240 LCD screen?  Why, by using the up and down buttons on the side to engage the 4x digital zoom function of course!
In terms of natural diffusion and flares, the lens also looks promising, and I've already noticed a round halo if you put a bright light in the centre of frame, so that should be fun to play with.  There's probably little chance of this lens ending up in the clinical lens thread!
I've matched the colours to the BMMCC via the test chart, so already have a nice post-workflow for it too.
I haven't shot anything with it, but will do soon, and considering its size it should be quite easy to film in public without drawing too much attention.
So, is it a pocket cinematic beast?  Only time will tell.

 

Can’t wait for their next gen camera. Literally only need to sort out 2 issues:
- External monitoring: lag, soft image, SDI-out in body.
- E-Mount that doesn’t suck. Viltrox nerfed the first iteration.

I’m glad at least sigma is pushing the envelope.
Wasn’t the whole point of short flange distances to make lenses like this?
Maybe this will put pressure on Sony to reduce the weight and size of their zooms. They still seem to be about identical to the a-mount stuff.

I don't know if you noticed @Lux Shots but there's banding in your picture? A big grey bar right through the centre. Or should that be gray and center? Anyway, I spotted it.

at fairly equal compression I think you’d be hard pressed to find much difference in quality between BRAW and Prores Raw.
BRAW’s advantage is having several lower-bitrate options, with the lowest 12:1 @4K compression lightweight enough to be recorded to fast SD cards. Some people might have got higher modes to work with certain cards too. And 12:1 still holds up very well to post-production abuse, even chroma key.
The real problem for BRAW though, are the BM Video Assists themselves. To the built-in SD card slots you’ll only be able to record that lowest bit rate option (as far as I know). For anything better you’ll have to connect an SSD to the Video Assist over USB c...that’s just one too many points of contact where things can go wrong.
So I wouldn’t get too excited about this update until BM puts out a View Assist with better internal recording media.
 
 

Exmor RS is BSI and stacked.
Faster readout because logic layer is now a whole dedicated layer (stacked), so more room for a substantial amount of low powered ADC working concurrently. Also DRAM can be stacked on an additional layer, but DRAM is not usable for video mode. 

Sony Semicon's Exmor RS line has now fully matured and will come in various sensor sizes - all 8K capable.
One of the first to make the debut is a 45MP Micro 4/3 (MFT) sensor with 2.24um pixel size.
More to follow.

Never dabbled into this area, but AFAIK the full Camera2 API is almost never fully available in most Android devices. Hence a lot of features are only available for the manufacturer apps.

Filmic Pro found some ways to circunvent it, but some features even them could unlock - they even have a app just to list the features available in your phone.

For exemple, in my Galaxy S9, 4k60 is only available in Samsung's camera app - not even Filmic Pro could past 4k30.

ASUS got a very interesting feature:
 
Guess what?
 
Just looking for an Android app able to handle manual exposure going along the fast frame rate of 4K 120fps from ASUS 7 PRO hardware.
As well, disabling the 'Edge Enhancement' feature offering a more cinematic outcome such as FILMiC PRO or Cinema 4K apps for example.
However, there are limitations. Those third parties don't allow any competent 4K slowmotion on ASUS 7 PRO as happens with the proprietary software.
Open Camera is open source.
Some features are available only on a few devices, as they may depend on hardware or camera features, the Android version, etc and definitely not on ASUS 7 PRO, unfortunately.
 
I wonder if Open Camera app wouldn't be viable to be directly adapted in order to address such needs?
 
Or what about a new app from scratch?
 
Is there anyone out there able to develop it in one or another route solution?
I believe there is a huge market just waiting for... Almost every Zenfone 7 PRO user taking advantage of this unique 4K 120fps feature would salute and buy this new arrival, I bet.
 
Without mention, one of the goodies of this cameraphone, the retractable/flip camera, is only available on the proprietary app. Why not on third parties? Is it feasible?
 
Any takers?
 

All we need is CFexpress slot. Little pricey, but a 2tb or upcoming 4tb cards will hold hours worth.

Curious about this new Sigma...
I loved the FP...but not enough to buy one, too many missing requirements for me.
I’m really just waiting now for the announcement as the final piece in the jigsaw puzzle that is my foreseeable future.
I like the new plug in viewfinder, but would much rather have a tilt screen. If it’s got both, then Monday, Tuesday Happy Days, but no tilt, no deal for me. It’s 100% essential.
4k 59/60p 10 bit. I don’t want less, I don’t need more. Internal or again, no dice.
IBIS. Hmmm, IBIS... I think it’s probably a dealbreaker if it doesn’t have it, but then if it had something like the Catalyst Wotsit, maybe maybe. It is small and light enough to work quickly off a freestanding mono, so another possibility.
23rd March all being well, we shall know.
But what is the ‘L’?
L for lots, as in lots of pixels? 
L for lidar?
L for ladies as in it’s either for them or will attract them?
L for lovely?
L for ...?

I had a few excellent deals last year because "m43 sucks"

gx800 for 150 euros, had 170 clicks
gx80 for 200 euros, had 800 clicks
em1x for 900 euros + macro adapter, had 5000 clicks
em1 mk2 for 450 euros, had 7000 clicks
gh3 with pl 25mm 1.4 for 350 euro
epm1 mini with kit lens for 25 euros (had to pay 15 extra to get the sensor cleaned though)

so I keep tell everyone... sell your m43 gear for cheap, to me
 

I'm one of those that had issues with the 24-70, an early copy was an absolute dust vac so I sold it. I bought another at the end of last year when it went on sale for $899, after a few months of heavy use all outdoors (I don't shoot inside ever LOL!) its still 100% clean inside. Pic is the old lens, all the specks are dust UNDER the front element. There's a YT video showing its pretty easy to pop out the front element, I opted to ditch the dusty copy. IMO the sealing was quietly improved without acknowledging the defect to avoid a recall outcry.
Chris

Can’t wait for their next gen camera. Literally only need to sort out 2 issues:
- External monitoring: lag, soft image, SDI-out in body.
- E-Mount that doesn’t suck. Viltrox nerfed the first iteration.

I love my E2-S6 and am considering adding an E2-M4 as a b-cam for gimbal & long lens work.

I used to have one. You only get prores and raw with an external SSD. And the Rolling shutter is pretty bad, even with fairly slow pans. And it's bad in both 4k and 1080p. Otherwise you can get a nice image out of it, with a lot of detail retained in the highlights.

There’s a thread for this camera already, albeit titled obscurely:
 

Less glowing because of slower start up time vs other brand, but it is also the coolest cfexpress card there in terms of temperature.  So far I don't have problems with it on set I've been to.

I think it will be Panasonics only saving grace, that, and continuing to bring more cinema level features to smaller and more affordable cameras.
S2H: "yeah we don't have good AF... but we got a new organic sensor with 18 stops dynamic range, built in eND, false color, and Varicam color science for $4K with a flip screen and tilt screen!

Any camera manufacture beholden to buying Sony Semi. Conductors sensors are always fighting an up hill battle. You bet your ass Sony's contract around buying sensors from Sony Semi. Conductor is a good one. They always get the latest technology first.
The last generation of cameras were all using the same sensors. A7III, S5, Z6, SL2, Z7, S1R, SL2. I'm sure I'm forgetting some too. It's all about how they are wrapped now and I'm afraid all these other camera manufactures are doomed If they can't come up with better wrapping (AF, ergos, colors, codecs, processing, internal RAW).
Perhaps Nikon has an edge here with ProRes and BRAW. I just don't have much faith they can execute it well given their history.
And Canon, is well Canon. But at least they have DSLRs and mirrorless with internal RAW, albeit not very compressed RAW.

@TomTheDP Yes. I remember the OG Fairchild sensor being fairly bad. I believe I shot RAW at all times with my ISO set to 200.
800 or 1600? Fugget About It!! Unless you shot to ProRes, you'd get FPN in a black t-shirt, even with middle gray @ 40 IRE or whatever the fuck it was.
I can personally attest to the following Blackmagic cameras having FPN, amongst a range of other issues:
Cinema Camera Production Camera 4K (oh my god, what a steaming pile of ****) Pocket Cinema Camera Pocket Cinema 4K Micro Cinema Camera URSA Mini 4.6K URSA Mini Pro 4.6K But then so does the Canon C200, Sony FS700, FS5 and FS7, when shooting RAW.
The closer your get to the sensor, the uglier it gets.
Not a big deal usually, just need to test the fuck out of your camera before shooting anything serious. Find out the sensor flaws, find a work around or just avoid that scenario.

8Nothing wrong in wishing for AF.  Nothing wrong in wishing to win a million pounds in a lottery.  And Blackmagic giving us brilliant AF is as likely on my opinion.  I'd rather they focus their efforts in improving quality control first before attempting things like AF, which Panasonic still has failed to deliver on after a decade of hybrid cameras.  Is there anything to suggest if Blackmagic had attempted AF, it would be any better than Panasonic.
Poor AF can be worse than no AF.  The GH5 has some AF and I would find myself lazily relying on it because 8 or 9 times out of 10, it would work for me.  The problem is that time when it didn't and the image would shift badly out of focus.  Often at the worst moment.  
Not having AF has meant I must rely on manual focus and whilst this can lead to issues with missed focus, it's less obvious than a total out of focus moment that catches you off guard.  Also I find my manual focus skills improve from practise and thanks to Blackmagics large screen and punch in focus, manual focus is a lot better than the GH5.  
Yes, an AF as good as Canon and Sony would be lovely.  But is it possible?  Can Blackmagic borrow PDAF from Canon and impliment it just as well?   If not, then its a dream wish no different than one winning the lottery. 
At the end of the day, if you need reliable AF buy Canon or Sony.