mjfan

Haven't posted my #1 "gear of the decade" yet, as it seemed like such a tough choice, so so so many very very good options!

But then I realized the answer is clear: Zoom F8!! 
As perhaps I don't need to struggle over if the Panasonic GH4 or Sony FS7 or Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 or whatever is more significant, as those will likely all get mentioned anyway, but on this extremely camera focused filmmaking forum the Zoom F8 is unfortunately likely to be overlooked. And it shouldn't be!! Maaaybe it isn't THE gear product of the decade, but it 100% deserves to be mentioned and in the running. So I'll say it: ZOOM F8 is "the product of the decade"! 
Zoom F8, reinvented what was possible with the sub $1K recorders. Both in quality and features it was a big leap forward. (then you got the F4/F8n/F6 following afterwards, and even Sound Devices had to respond with their Gen1 and Gen2 MixPre series)
The term "game changer" gets thrown around loosely a lot with every new product launch, but the Zoom F8 truly deserves the title of "game changer".
Beforehand I was using a Sound Devices 552 / Tascam DR680 combo, which for the "Pre Zoom F8 Era" (maybe I shall call time "BF8" and AF8" now! haha, the current year is now 5AF8 ) was a pretty damn good low budget setup indeed!
But switching over to a Zoom F series was a massive leap forward! Wish I'd done it earlier (I was skeptical and didn't believe / understand the significance of the F8, but when the F4 got announced I leapt on that immediately).
 

So I say the Zoom F8 stands out as the highlight of the 2010's, but if I gaze into my crystal ball, what will be the game changer for the 2020's?
(side note: what would be my runner up "product of the decade"? The Tentacle Sync would be a worthy consideration, definitely was a game changer with its very low cost and extremely small size. The Zaxcom Nomad / Sound Devices 664, and maybe even the 633 as well, would also be fighting it out for a spot as they were game changers themselves with their recorder/mixer integration and feature set)
Zaxcom Nova might very well be the #1 game changer for the 2020's, however someone might ask "But David, didn't the Zaxcom Nova come out in 2019, shouldn't it be your gear of the decade for the 2010's?"

Well, Zaxcom Nova hasn't even shipped yet, not in my country, there isn't a single Nova anywhere here. And the handful of very few units that did ship during 2019, I reckon it is still too early to call Nova a "game changer" because its impact hasn't been felt on the industry yet. (nothing at all like the earthquake event which was the Zoom F8)
 
I've hitched my wagon however to the Sound Devices 833, personally I won't be a super early adopter of the "all in one" approach (definitely isn't all roses and rainbows to go 110% all in on the Zaxcom ecosystem, there are downsides too). Likely during the 2020's then Sound Devices (or someonelese, Deity Microphones? Or could work in partnership with Zoom?) will in another generation or two (9 Series anybody?) release their own recorder with integrated Audio Limited wireless. The SuperSlot standard had already got them half way there.

First test on my S1 with V-Log
 

Already posted? Good video for new users.
 
 

This is a gh5 with a pro colorist, looks very filmic 
 

This is a gh5 with a pro colorist, looks very filmic 
 

shot with a hacked gh2 and played in theaters across the united states 
 

Nice chart.
If you're comparing super35 cameras, might as well include the Kinefinity 4k and 6k ones

new vlog/anamorphic video up https://vimeo.com/125215026
shows how he shot the vlog/anamorphic video
http://www.eduardoangel.com/2015/04/17/shooting-anamorphic-with-panasonic-gh4/

​A7s produces beautiful log images which you can basically color/grade how you choose too. The first step is taking that log image and converting to REC 709, then you color to taste...... From my experience Sony A7s produces amazing colors and grades wonderfully, you just really have to spend some time with it and understand how it works. Here's a before/after picture of an unreleased Music Video (Artist: Gyptian) I worked on. Graded in RESOLVE and Tweaked in FINAL CUT
 

@jcs your link didn't work, here is the corrected link http://www.hingsberg.com/index.php/2014/06/f55-matches-arri-alexas-color/
edit: i see, it was including the comma at the end

Given the 1DC price drop, it would appear Canon may be about to release a new 4K DSLR. Everyone on this forum would love to see a 4K 5D4(k). Having a high-end FF still camera combined with 4K and great color science in a single camera is very appealing. Especially if one has invested heavily in EF lenses. Sony and Panasonic have listened to us and given us great new cameras: the A7S and GH4. We have responded by buying them- lots of them. If Canon doesn't want our money, no sweat. The A7S II will likely have 4K internal, less rolling shutter, improved autofocus (perhaps with 'fancy pixels'), and improved color science (and possibly even IBIS).
Case in point: if Sony can make the F55 match Alexa with a software upgrade (perhaps only with LUTs), and when the F65 beats Alexa at the high end in color science, it's clear Sony can 'bring it' with color science to the consumer market if they want to. The A7S can already closely match the 5D3 (RAW) with a bit of work with camera set up and post adjustments. A software update can make color processing more foolproof (as in the case of Canon cameras: tuned to make skin tones look good with little effort).
While Sony's ergonomics and software GUI's are market trailing (I'm sure some folks at Apple are looking for new challenges and career opportunities!), their sensors are market leading. It would be cool to see the Alexa 65 compared to the F65 (65 vs 65). I was curious why Netflix went with the F55 for Marco Polo, which didn't look very good in the first episode but got better looking as time went on. I understand different teams were used, perhaps Sony provided support as well. Why would they use the F55 over the Alexa? With budgets shrinking, it appears to be more value for the dollar.
Once it was clear the F55 could match the Alexa in a skin tone test: http://www.hingsberg.com/index.php/2014/06/f55-matches-arri-alexas-color/, and the F65 can exceed the Alexa in overall color (Oblivion & Lucy), it became clear Sony is in the position to take the lead from Canon and ARRI. Rumors of Canon using Sony sensors for the 5Dx, if true, would further the trend. Nikon is already using Sony sensors. Black Magic and Red also provide interesting options. For the types of shoots most of us do, a highly compressed, high quality codec which can be edited in real-time is ideal. Again, Sony leads here with 422 10-bit XAVC and 420 8-bit XAVC-S. These are simply marketing names for different flavors of the H.264 standard- nothing proprietary. H.264 also supports 444 up to 14-bits (the Hi444P spec). With high-quality hardware debayering in-camera (or a non-Bayer sensor) and Hi444p (perhaps even just Hi422P), there's no practical advantage to RAW or ProRes for most applications using modern computers. GPU power keeps increasing- any advantage to ProRes in terms of decoding is rapidly going away (ProRes is a marketing name for 10/12-bit 422/444 MJPEG).
Someday we'll have great 'all around cameras'. For now, grab the 5Dx or Nikon Dxxx for stills (even the A7S for extreme low light), and any of a number of great cameras for video.

the beans are spilled!!! click here!!! http://www.43rumors.com/ft4-panasonic-4k-mft-camera-coming-in-2014/

I want my beans! 

I saw Upstream at Sundance earlier this year and Shane Carruth gave a lengthy Q&A afterwards. I loved the film, both style and content, but it certainly won't be for everyone. The plot becomes somewhat inscrutable by the end and disintegrates into a kind of symbolic drift that I found intriguing but my partner hated. (Postmodern narrative disjunction, disintegration of stable identity and all that business. Yes it's been done before but not in this way, and the intrigue holds together until the last 20 minutes or so. I actually got the sense the film should have been about an hour longer, or possibly two parts in a series.) I love directors that take risks and put forward an idiosyncratic and clearly personal vision that will alienate some viewers while entrancing others. Not to mention the film is visually gorgeous from front to back. 
 
I had no idea it was shot on the GH2; in fact, Carruth deflected multiple questions about the production (the theater was full of amateur dps, so this was their primary interest) preferring to focus on people's emotional/psychological reactions to the film, which was understandable. Apparently after Primer he was in talks for years with a big studio to make a $XXXmillion sci-fi feature based on a partial script he'd written, but found the process so tedious and soul-numbing he decided to walk away and make Upstream independently.
 
Despite his reticence I would definitely be curious to know more about his setup, GH2 hack, glass, etc, if this information is out there. One thing this film does is demonstrate the crucial importance of good sound work. The sound effects and mixing are phenomenal and play a large part in the storyline. Would also like to hear about the recording process for the film. 

Andrew, aesthetic considerations aside, do you know if and which hack he used? His anamorphic setup? His workflow? You know, all the juicy techy stuff we love to know.