Oliver Daniel

Lovely! I've always found these cameras to have a very organic, unique image. One of the best I've seen in the right hands. Skin tones always look great. If you have the money, time and resources to use this camera then it seems like an awesome option.

Yes, I find pleasing motion cadence very important. I've recently completed a pop music video which is out tomorrow, and the cadence is very nice. Will post a new topic when the video is out. Im also working on my own personal website which wil include a blog section. It won't be exactly technical but more focused on actual shooting experience and creative approaches.

Is it possible to change the iris manually on the Sigma 18-35 with a Nikon adapter?

The Samsung NX1 needs more skilled users. I always rent before I buy, but I can't find anywhere to rent it in the UK. I can't judge it from the few clips online because it doesn't have the support yet. My crew want to purchase an FS7 instead of renting it all the time, mostly because of the high DR and 150fps. It's going to cost £10k to get the basic bits we need after tax offset. 95% of our gear is made specifically for DSLR size or smaller. The NX1 is compelling because it has many bells and whistles (including 100fps), costs £1299, and would leave us £8k to buy more lights, lenses and other gadgets to improve overall cinematography. But it's very different to the FS7. I know where I am with that camera.

I meant in my last post "hard to find", not "hard to hard." I obviously need to look harder, my eyes go fuzzy with all the letters and numbers. The general vote with my crew is to go Sigma ART in Nikon mount for the clinical, modern set. Corporate work and photography. Just don't know about 85mm though? I'm going to pick up these Rollei's, also Rich check your emails for FF58 queries What is a really good very wide lens option? I love the effect of using a wide to get a close-up and having a massive background out of focus, with some distortion. The SLR Magic 12mm on MFT is "magic" in achieving this look, the image gets bendy and almost fisheye like with its macro-like abilities.

​I completely agree. I was talking to my friend the other day about New Hollywood horror films are that they looked far too perfect and clean. It makes me forget it's a horror, and more like a one dimensional teen comedy. You NEED something tangible. (George Lucas I'm looking at you!) That's why the EM5 II is compelling. Doesn't have 4k or a built in microwave. It has one spec which means you can go anywhere without fuss and pull off some lovely stuff without having to carry rigs and a tripod. The guerilla type of filmmaking this introduces is liberating. Much better than an Alexa if you are running around getting shot after shot like a madman!! Camera features are very important, but they are bloody useless if you don't have any ideas that would benefit from these features. Did I mention lighting? Not yet. Everybody should consider lighting before cameras. They last pretty much forever too. Not a single camera image is any good without skilled lighting and composition.

Anybody with skill and talent can make any camera look awesome. A person without skill and talent will make an Alexa look like the worst camera ever. The skill and talent is knowing how to use your tools for the best creative results. All my stuff shot on RED is a bit crap because I've barely used it. My GH3 stuff is much better because I know the camera. My advice is that if you want to base your opinion of a camera on Vimeo content, don't. Rent it and shoot something with actual people, interesting locations and decent lighting. And lighting. And more lighting.

​You are right, I find it so hard to hard non-HFT Rollei lenses. Especially the 25mm. Looking everyday. It's cool to see what everyone is doing with their glass. I do love flawed vintage lenses, there is definitely some kind of tangible emotion coming from those barrels. Nikon released a 43-86mm which is meant to be their worst lens ever. I think it's great!

Hey Ed, the video in question is released next Tuesday. It's a Maltese pop singer, got some nice stuff in there. Will post on release. In terms of lenses - I like Rollei QBM and Dog Schidt. It is possible to cine mod Rollei QBM? For the clinical kit, the vote is on for cine-mod Zeiss CY or Rokinon Cine DS set. Hmmmm....

Wow, thank you for all those responses. The lenses will mostly be used on A7S and FS7, and many other cameras likely, who knows! I already have Canon FD 28/2.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 135/2.5, 24-35L/3.5, 35-105/3.5, Vivitar FD 55mm Macro, Helios 44-2 58, Mir 1B 37/2.8, Asahi Pentax 55/2.... And others. I like the FD, they just look a bit smoother than the modern EF lenses. They do the job. Personally I love swirly booked, flares, weird shapes, 3D Pop, ability to mod for cinema use. (I have a triggered follow focus). I love the options the Trump58 gives from Dog Schidt, and FF58. Looking for other supporting lenses that can be modified. I'm a little obsessed with cinema housings. Also I'm keen on getting another "clinical" set, I really love the Zeiss look. Again with the ability to mod. I've seen a website from a Chinese company called Cinematics that can house any lens such as Zeiss CY, look a bit gimmicky though - I'm not sure if the focus marking are actually accurate? www.pchood.com Budget? £4000- £5000.

There is a lot of choice out there for complete sets of lenses. Most recently, we have seen the Rokinon/Samyang Cine DS line offer a 14, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135mm prime lens sets in a kit at an affordable price. By "character lenses", I mean mostly vintage. They flare, distort and are "imperfect." They have style that you can't get with modern lenses. Helios is a prime example. I do a lot of music videos and I need this style. I want to build a set of these lenses, close to the focal range choice you get with the Rokinon/Samyang set. A complete prime (and zooms included) lens set that complements each other and can be modified for cinematic use. (Gears etc). I have quite a few random ones, but I'd like a set. How would you build yours? I'm very interested to see what people come up with.

It's actually quite hilarious when people get emotional about camera specs. The only time I get emotional about camera specs is when they don't bloody work properly! Canon.... it seems they are positioning themselves for video in the top tier of the professional market, just beneath Arri and RED (who don't make any affordable cameras). The Canon video line under the C100 isn't even worth considering now, and I expect Canon have done that on purpose. Plenty of other fish in the sea though!

Wow, this camera looks like a lot of fun. It seems very liberating to use a camera in this way - it just comes down to the final quality. From what I've seen - it's very capable in skilled hands.

Canon will announce 56,312 cameras at NAB. 3 of them will shoot 4k. 2 will have higher frame rates. 1 of them will be affordable. On the other stand, Blackmagic will steal all the thunder again. They release the "URSA Pocket" that can actually transform into a full-size URSA if you stick it at the front of one with a HDMi connection. It also has mini wheels as a pointless gimmick.

Get the Olympus EM-5 II and a decent zoom lens or two with fast apertures. Then grab some cheap LEDs. Do consider lighting before your camera, too many people don't realise that it's No.1 in anything you are filming. They say content is king... but so is light!

95.4 and a half % of the footage I've seen shot with the NX1 doesn't look good. Is this down to the user base? Any footage out there that isn't shot in Lisbon? The 1DC is awesome.... how does the 50/60p mode compare to the A7S? This is a crucial feature.

Simon needs to remember that everyone has different tastes and opinions on their camera choice, and what they find aesthetically pleasing. I personally find the 1DC to have one of the most beautiful, organic images on the market. However I don't choose to own it simply down to the lack of good slow motion (a request I get for nearly every project). Francis Ford Coppola likes the GH2 image more than every other camera (as of 2013). What a rebel!!

Thanks for all the positive comments. (and for fixing the embed Andrew) Inazuma - The lenses used on the FS7 were Canon FD primes, and on the GH3 it was FD primes and the SLR magic 12mm. To create the transitions, sometimes I make these from scratch by lens whacking with a light in a dark room and using speed to make it more frantic. I also use plugins from Pixel Film Studios http://store.pixelfilmstudios.com/ , probably the most comprehensive set of FCPX plugins on the web! Digital Ed - I did actually notice that punching in on the 4k footage does look worse than the exact same frame/shot if it was down converted to 1080p, Sony are right, sort of. I could get away with it on this video as the label didn't want super-sharp clarity, they wanted grain and dirt. HOWEVER, It really depends on how much resolution your lens is resolving and the quality of light. Zooming and cropping really amplifies any noise and can make the image look like 360p if you are not careful! This video was a low light shoot and noise was an issue... I do have another video coming up which was very well lit with Kino Flo's and Arri's in a controlled environment. I've punched in and the results are very good. 4k is no replacement for proper tools such as jibs, sliders and gimbals.

​ Yes there are workarounds - however I do think you need a decent EVF/Monitor with peaking etc as focusing in 4k is critical. I think it produces a lovely image, but it's still a very hard purchase to justify for my uses with other options available. It's a great stills and narrative camera and ... but for anything else, I think there are much better choices.

The first music video I shot on FS7 and edited on FCPX is now available to see.  The features of the camera were to use 4k 50fps to punch in and slow down the footage at certain moments, and use the 150fps in 1080p for dramatic effect. I don't think this video shows off the resolution/colour as such - but the creative options available with higher frame rates (lacking so badly in all things Canon).  The brief was to go with a unique, dark, grungy, imperfect and grainy look to suit the intensity of the track - this is very much an "editors" video and it might give you a headache - it's flashing all over the place! The GH3 was used on the projection scenes. We ran out of budget.  I have a 2nd video being edited now which is a pop track with a Maltese singer - this one is looking beautiful. It shows all the best features of the FS7. Out in 2 weeks.  My opinion on the camera.... best camera release since I can remember. Still, the menus and buttons are crap. Can't have it all! Watch now and protect your ears!!!    

​People also seems to forget that the 1DC has terrible ergonomics for video. An expensive EVF helps. They should of really made it a "Cinema DSLR" instead of just throwing a 4k mode with LOG into it. Also the lack of good slow motion sadly makes it a "no-go" for me. Nice image though. Beautiful stills. Tank like quality. I'd buy it if I was rolling in cash.

Thanks for all the responses. It's the DS line I'm looking at, and they only seem to be retailing in the USA at the moment. Whatever happened to the Rokinon Raw by Duclos Lenses?

I'm a big fan of "character" lenses, but there are many times when the highly stylised weirdo approach isn't required - which brings me to the Rokinon/Samyang Cine DS line. I'm attracted to these lenses as they are reportedly a bargain for the money and have de-clicked apertures, gears, same filter sizes etc. I find the workarounds to get these features on stills lenses very annoying and a bit crappy! Has anybody used this line of lenses, or their predecessors? Can't seem to find the Cine DS line in Uk and Europe, only in the USA! *sigh* Thanks.

The large majority of stuff I've seen shot with the NX1 on the web has looked very poor - but I'm not sure if it's the camera or the users. The DR always looks very low and the images very "electronic" and brittle. There is very little out there on the NX1 so it's hard to judge. Personally i'm compelled by the toolset of this camera (video and stills) and how it progresses - are any owners attempting cinematic/organic looking footage with the camera, now ther eis new gamma modes? In comparison, the A7S has a huge professional following, but aesthetically, it's image seems light years ahead of the NX1 for cinematic work (SLog2 helps!). But the A7S is used a lot for professional work, and will obviously seem much better - seen as the user base is bigger and attracts many skilled filmmakers. Something in my gut tells me there is something special about this camera. I just haven't seen it yet. Maybe it's a case of more talented people unlocking it's potential.

​I make music videos for a living. If we are talking traditional music videos, there is no better editor than FCPX. The multi-cam feature is outstanding - it automatically syncs every clip to the audio, then you can edit your clips with the music embedded very fluidly. And you only need one "track". Don't like a certain shot? One click and it's changed for a better one. If you are putting cutaways into this video, you can simply place a connected clip where it needs to go on top of the multi-cam clip. If this is not a multi-cam music video, simply choose your first shot on the main storyline. Then connect the audio underneath. Go along and edit the clips to the track on the magnetic timeline and the audio won't move. Easily swap shots around, trim, choose a different in and out point without ever leaving the timeline. It's very, very fast and intuitive. And the audio won't move out of line. After a while, you realise that track based editing is some ancient dinosaur times and THIS is the future of editing. Many people dismissed FCPX - but I don't think those people actually bothered to see what it can do. Learn and marvel.