Oliver Daniel

 

Hold off on the 4K monitor.

 

If you want something 1080 for grading i'd consider NEC spectra-view:

 

http://www.necdisplay.com/p/desktop-monitors/pa231w-bk-sv

 

If you want the budget option you can go with the dell ultra-sharp:

 

U2713HM 

 

Cheers for that, I'll note that one down. 

What is your opinion on the G-RAID hard drives? 

Thanks the pointers here guys, appreciate it. 

I'm set on the new MacPro and just need more well paid bread and butter jobs to raise the cash. Will the Promise Pegasus be worth it? They are expensive, but when you consider it will be used professionally for years.... hmmm. Sounds viable. 

I'm stuck on the display options though. I don't have the budget to ALSO grab an expensive 4k monitor. I'll be delivering in 1080p, if I had a 4k monitor that would be for my own pleasure, plus the price will be bound to be cheaper once I actually need 4k for delivery  :).

Any monitors you would recommend? 

yes the single coated Zeiss Planer 50mm f1.8 in QBM MOUNT flares like a RUSSIAN Helios 58mm but is very sharp

 

A NICE LENS WITH ALOT OF CHARACTER

 

 

there is a guy in China converting these Rollei Planar HFT 50mm f1.8 lenses into new housings making the usable with follow focus , he does m42, Nikon , PL, Canon mounts too

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Varies-Mount-HD-Cine-Prime-Movie-Lens-Rollei-HFT-Planar-50mm-f-1-8-50-1-8-/111140422178?pt=Camera_Lenses&hash=item19e07c4222

 

they do look very nice!!!

What version of the Zeiss Contax lenses do you prefer? Is it the AE coating or the MM coating? 

You can change the shadow and highlight curves in camera, so the scope for tweeking the custom profile is pretty massive!

 

Yes, Cine-D immediately looked like Technicolour to my eyes, very flat and the blacks raised a fair bit in order to preserve information in the shadows.

 

I was unable to test low light as the store was fairly bright and the 35mm lens on the camera was only f3.5.

 

Slowly but surely, some new videos are starting to surface and with some reports that the BMCC 4K is usless at ISO 800, I think Panasonic is in a great position to upset all their rivals. In case you don't know it yet, Panasonic are giving everyone who buys a GH4 a free spare battery and BATTERY GRIP when the promo is claimed through their website! If I'm not mistaken, a grip costs around £200 in the UK.

 

I found this GH4 video earlier today, I don't know about you guys, but it looks like there is heaps of DR!

 

 

Finally some testers are putting out some decent clips!

 

Adrian

I personally thought that test footage was a little bit rubbish. Always the case with test clips. Why don't these testers use a bit of imagination and do a wider variety of shots? Why do testers hardly ever film peoples faces for skin tones? Is it a lack of time.....? Who knows. 

The DR does look better than a GH3, but I wouldn't know for sure unless I used the camera myself. I never base any opinion from a test clip, only when a skilled user has actually put the camera through its paces. 

I guess I am kind of surprised by the lack of love for the SLR Magic and Cosina Nokton u43 primes, since there has been so much hubbub for these lenses in the forums. The consensus seems to be for full frame or APS-C lenses. Is the reason one would choose full frame glass over u43 because of character, speed, price or future-proofing? or all of the above? Maybe I should repeat that I don't have any legacy lenses, the GH3 is my very first digital interchangeable lens camera. It's all well and good to say that this lens or that has insane quality, but I wouldn't mind seeing some examples of work being done with some of the lenses under discussion, to see how they actually perform... It's kind of like reading the "best video settings for GH3" thread (in another forum) without any real-life samples... I guess I'm also a little confused by those who recommend zooms here (since we're discussing primes), not because they are zooms, but because some are automatic (although not after adding an adaptor). Aren't they inferior for manually focussing? Or are they just as good? I didn't specify in my original post, but one of the things I'd like to see is a manual lens that is built like a tank. Quite frankly, I hate the plastic feel of the Panasonic zooms, and if I'm going to invest in some primes, they'd better feel like something I just have to hold every day. I did have the opportunity to play with one of the Nikkor AI or AIS (I'm not sure which) lenses at a shop here the other day; all I know is, it was longer than 50mm and it was an f/2, and it felt absolutely wonderful in my hands; the only problem being, it was too long to go around doing the street stuff I do without any stabilization.

I own all types of lenses for different uses, depending what look I'm after. 

I'll use vintage primes for narrative/music video work, as they are more organic than clinical electronic lenses. 

For run 'n' gun or corporate video, I'll use the two Panny zooms, 12-35mm and 35-100mm. I find these too 'electronic' looking for a filmic look. Too sharp as standard. Fantastic lenses though. 

MFT is loved for both its small size and ability to adapt pretty much any lens. I personally future proof first, and purchase the odd MFT lens here and there, as they are incredibly useful for certain jobs. 

thanks for your help. black magic cost too much and have a huge crop factor which means a lot of money over special wide lens.

Now I will not sell my 7D for it and maybe I will never buy one because I will not change my camera until 4K is really ready and cheap, and for that day there will be a lot of new cameras out on the market to choose.

Blackmagic + Speedbooster would do the trick, with a 14mm Rokinon. Only there isn't any EF Speedbooster out for MFT yet. 

For what you want though, waiting for a 4k camera won't cut it. You need more dynamic range and a higher bit rate for your images.

By the time you are ready to buy again though, there will probably be an affordable camera out that can do all of the above brilliantly. 

I find them all pretty terrible to be honest. None of them give you that true control over dynamic range that a decent and dedicated video camera does. Hopefully this will change with the GH4. 

I've used Technicolour Cinestyle, thought it was a nice idea, but felt it made the relatively soft consumer Canon DSLR image too soft, and too drained of much useable information. 

To truely get the colour you want, on a budget, you'd have to go Blackmagic. 

Wide angle on The Panasonic GH4..... its an MFT mount and costs quite a bit more, but the SLR Magic 12mm. It's quite unique because it has this weird macro ability, making 'close-ups' with this lens very interesting. Awesome for a riff shot on a guitar! (I do many music vids.)

I picked one up for 350GBP on eBay. 

Thanks to this topic, I'm now going for a bunch of Carl Zeiss vintage primes and zooms. Always wanted them before, so why not? 

I hope that you are also able to edit the profiles, any idea if you can? Or any indication of how far you can push the custom profile? (As I know this camera has Master Pedestal, something I haven't used since the Canon XHA1!). 

As a GH3 owner, the more I see of this camera the more my GH3 is likely to be on eBay! 

thats the 28-70mm in C/Y Mount , the 24-70mm is only Sony Alpha mount its a much bigger heavier lens

 

the 28-70 is a great lens I use it alot , its small and light , 2 aspheric elements to it

Oh crap yeah! I get mixed up. 

Would you recommend the 28-70mm?

Also for a cheap macro lens which is absolutely stunning, I picked up a Canon Fd mount Vivitar 55mm. Unbelievable lens for about £70!

I'm sure I've seen the 24-70mm in a Contax mount, although it may of possibly been modded? 

 

I have a bunch of nice FDs, but I do much prefer the Zeiss. Not used the Yashicas yet. 

Found a 24-70mm CY mount here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ext-Contax-Carl-Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-28-70mm-F-3-5-4-5-T-MMJ-MF-Lens-C-Y-Yashika-/271417767169

If you plan on doing this for business, there is really no reason to go with the iMac. Go with the six core Mac Pro with 6GB GPU (3X2) for ~3900 and get a real 4K monitor for ~2500.

 

The aditional $3K-$4 should be a wash over the lifetime of the computer, and you will see noticeble performance improvements over the top spec iMac (time is money).

Cheers. Need the advice, as I'm more camera/lights than computer!

You are exactly right, its worth pulling the trigger on the beast if business is at stake. I've been told that I don't need a Mac Pro for what I intend to do. I think this person failed to see I need a machine that will blast every project. Massively. No hiccups.

I think I will probably wait to til top 4k monitors reduce in price. What do you think are the best alternatives?

As for external hard drives, do you recommend any other than the Lacie 2big?

I'm sure I've seen the 24-70mm in a Contax mount, although it may of possibly been modded? 

I have a bunch of nice FDs, but I do much prefer the Zeiss. Not used the Yashicas yet. 

Hello. 

I'm looking for some advice regarding the purchase of a new Mac setup, and I have my eye on either the highest spec iMac or a 6-core Mac Pro. 

I understand the Mac Pro is more expensive as you need an extra monitor, and it looks like a powerhouse investment that could last many years. Saying that, will the highest spec iMac be enough? (by enough, I mean that I want the machine to rarely lag and operate like a bullet.)

External hard drives is all good. (Lacie 2big Thunderbolt).

I currently:

• Edit in FCPX (a lot of multicam music videos.)
• Mostly edit in ProRes 422 or H264 natively.
• Perform simple to medium graphics in Motion 5, occasionally After Effects. 
• Edit RAW stills in Lightroom. 
• Use Photoshop and Illustrator for occasional graphics work. 

My small business is attracting higher end work, and we have been working (and will be working more) with cameras such as the Blackmagics, F5 and F55, 1DC, plus the workhouse GH3s. The higher budgets mean we have more time to work with higher quality applications, such as RAW, downsampled 4k and serious colour grading. 

The vision is to have a machine that will last and perform near enough faultlessly. (Our current machine can't cope!).

We intend to:

• Transcode RAW files when needed. 
• Watch 4k footage without a hitch. 
• Apply serious colour grading through DaVinci Resolve to both RAW and ProRes HQ files with high performance.
• Run FCPX like a dream.
• Speedy read/write for saving footage quickly. 

Will the top end iMac fly with this? Or should we gulp and get the super duper trashcan? 

Many thanks

Think of picking up a bunch of Zeiss Contax lenses myself..... the 45mm, 60mm, 85mm, 24-70mm... any experience with those? I've used a 50mm before and it was the creamiest lens I've ever used. 

Another prime getting a lot of hype pre-release is the Sigma 50mm ART lens. Looks like it could be a powerhouse prime!

A few pre-production videos are starting to surface.  My initial impressions are the GH4 doesn't look as cinematic as the BMPC, and the flesh tone colors look slightly unnatural.

 

Michael

I would never base a purchasing decision from footage you have seen online. 90% of the quality is down to the operator and how they have edited it. 

Try first, then you will know for sure. Whenever that will be. 

I'm not going to pull the trigger until NAB has passed and I've seen a bit of footage, such as the 10 bit HD recorded with a Ninja compared to downsampled 4k internal, see how much of a difference it is to 1080p on GH3. Even then, I might just sell my GH3 and get this anyway. 

And I bloody wish Metabones would hurry up with this EF Speedbooster! 

Small sensor and moire is why i haven't gone for the bmpcc.  But yeah there is a high chance the gh4 will still be very videoey.

Well, from the promo reels it seems to be targeted mostly for documentary and stock footage purposes...... although you could also say its a "Production Camera", with the YAGH. 

For cinematic purposes, the GH4 wouldn't be my choice as there are more suited tools available... but its still possible to be cinematic with the camera in the right hands. (GH2 - Upstream Color).

I have an interview with Kinefinity coming about the new cameras. Exclusive content rather than a weak translation of the chinese press releases.

Awesome! When can we expect it? 

I'm not at all bothered that Canon have a much different camera structure to everyone else. There are other cameras out there now more than capable of providing the tools needed for a professional , so I'm more bothered what ideas I can come up using them then how a camera manufacturer wants to market their products.

That said, I think Canon are waiting on the market to develop before they come back with something big. 

Honestly, one of the best films I've ever seen is a 1985 film called Ninja Terminator. 

Its that good, the cameraman sometimes zooms in and misses the actor, or frames a speaking actor almost out of shot. I love it and it influences me greatly. 

How does this camera stack up against the new KineRAW Mini 4k? I thought there would be more chitter chatter somewhere. That camera and the GH4 will be the closest competitors. 

All the questions I asked above I now know the answer to from doing a bit of research. 

It does everything internally.

At 2k, you can capture in Cineform RAW and when you transfer the files onto your Mac/PC, it can transcode the files to an intermediate codec such as ProRes at the same time it saves the footage. 

You can shoot at 96fps in Cineform RAW. (100fps in 1080p)

The KineStation is software, which is included with the camera. 

I've read somewhere they were working on a fix for IS on EF lenses, and also the playback lagging issue which is running at 25fps. 

I'm very surprised that there isn't many people talking about this camera.... I find it far more exciting than the Blackmagic cameras! (unless they have another NAB surprise!)

Hi Freewill, 

Do you work for Kinefinity on any level?  ;)

As a full time shooter, I mostly work on cameras such as the FS700, the GH3, Blackmagic Pocket, GoPro for example. I find that my work is becoming much more cinematic and I have much interest in the Kinefinity cameras as I believe they could be an awesome tool for my type of work. (lots of music videos, fun business videos, narrative.) I love grading, and I can only go so far with the above cameras (The FS700 handles highlights very poorly.)

I'm curious to see how the Kinestation works, as a lot of work I do wont necessarily need to be edited in RAW.  Some will, but i like the idea of transcoding to ProRes 422 HQ, LT or .H265 when saving the footage. Is this just a software package that installs on your Mac/PC?

For recording 4k on the MINI version, do you need an external add-on? 

I think the images I've seen coming out the cameras are beautiful, do you know of the best examples? 

This isn't the place for political debates.