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IronFilm

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  1. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from Grimor in Narrative Filmmaking - Best Camera Options   
    Rapid fire response off the top of my head just because it is fun:

    I'm only considering large sensor ILC here, thus I'm ignoring quite large markets and notable cameras such as GoPro or a Sony PXW-X70 or Panasonic FZ1000 or Panasonic LX100, which are all great cameras themselves and worth considering for many people. 

    And now onto the answers:
    • Up to $500

    Panasonic G7
    • $500 - $1000
    Panasonic G80 or BMPCC
    • $1000 - $1500
    Sony a6500 or Nikon D500 or Nikon D750 or BMMCC or secondhand Sony F3
    • $1500 - $2000
    Hold off and wait for the Panasonic GH5
    • $2000 - $3000
    Sony a7S mk2 or a7R mk2 or secondhand Sony FS700
    • $3000 - $5000

    Sony FS5 or Kinefinity Terra 5K or BMD URSA Mini 4.6K
    • $5000 - $10,000

    Sony FS7 mk1 or FS7 mk2 or Kinefinity Terra 6K or secondhand Sony F5 if you're lucky
    • $10,000 and above...

    This is a very very broad category as the sky is the limit! Thus it covers anything from a Canon C300 mk2 to Panasonic Varicam LT to an Arri Alexa Mini to a Sony F65, and lots more between those listed, and lots more both above and below! 
  2. Like
    IronFilm reacted to gethin in Inspire 2 / 5.2K raw / 4K60FPS   
    Well dji have solved the issue by literally thinking outside the box. I wouldn't mind a totally stupid looking camera that could should 4K raw...
  3. Like
    IronFilm reacted to JurijTurnsek in Inspire 2 / 5.2K raw / 4K60FPS   
    Actually, we have established why DJI can do 4K60p - by using fans and having a lot more space to work with in regards to heat dissipation. Smaller mirrorless bodies simply cannot process that much data and not overheat fast. Much the same as smartphone sensors being able to capture 4K60p for some time now, but it would fucking fry the phone with the current processing power.
  4. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Arikhan in Nikon Customers   
    @mercer and all Nikon fans:
    Fotodiox just announced an adapter for Nikon F-Mount lenses to Sony mount...adapter supports AF and lens stabilisation (VR).
    So, for me - as I just ordered a D750 - and other Nikon still shooters, this will be great, as the Nikon lens collection could be combined for 4K video shooting with Sony cameras as the a6300. I've tested the D750 (stills) and it is an excellent camera, "seeing" and focusing in the dark...Great dynamic range too. And NOW one can use the good 1.8 / 1.4 primes for 4K- shooting in very low light with the cheap A6300...(hope this works as good as the FotodioxPro claims this...)
    https://www.fotodioxpro.com/products/nikg-snye-fusion
  5. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from Santiago de la Rosa in BMCUSER.COM   
    I take it you're activated now?
  6. Like
    IronFilm reacted to jhnkng in Nikon Customers   
    It would be amazing to map the eVR to a button, so you can easily turn it on and off as required. I can totally see myself using it tons more if I can click it on when I want to hold steady, and click it off when I move. But since it crops the image I can't imagine that will ever happen.

    The image is at least as good as the D750, but I think the D500 has a slightly better metering system. It makes a difference for any of the auto functions like Auto ISO, which is freakin' INCREDIBLE. Being able to follow someone from outside to inside and have the camera just sort it out is brilliant. Match that with the excellent Auto WB system and it makes run and gun weddings just that little bit easier.

    But I agree, if you have a D750 and don't need a second body it's not worth switching. 
  7. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Arikhan in How to save the consumer camera: DON'T!   
    My experience: "Pro" means in fact 70% very good marketing and sales skills,,,Only 30% is about filmmaking skills. And marketing skills means, try to impress customers with technical assets, specifications and "spectacular" or expensive looking gear. Professional and successful work (from the point of view of the customer) has nothing to do with stellar expensive gear - but this is something, most customers don't know... ;-)
    At the end of the day, the story is quite simple for filmmakers doing paid jobs: the result should be the most important criterion: acceptance, views, sales, reactions and impact of targeted audience...But after failing, many film providers try to perform lame excuses by pointing to technical criteria as excellent resolution, contrast, color and image quality...I never saw a RED shooter admitting, his work was worthless for the client... :-))
    The gear doesn't tell any story - even an 8K RED is useless as storyteller. And it's all about a story and emotion...
  8. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Oliver Daniel in How to save the consumer camera: DON'T!   
    Thanks Andrew, this is a good article. 
    I think consumers will be perfectly happy with their smartphones. They will get better, and consumers will have no need for another camera - it's not perfect, gorgeous, well composed shots they are bothered about. 
    This reflects through platforms Instagram and what content is popular.  Long gone are the days when Instagram was a creative photo sharing network..... you get FAR more likes on Instagram for a noisy, badly lit selfie of yourself eating a takeaway pizza, rather than a magnificent, beautifully lit, well composed shot you'll never match again. 
    Again, because of the consumer onslaught of constant videos and photos being uploaded and shared online, there's some great stuff out there which isn't getting a look in. Actually getting anyone to give a crap about your latest masterpiece is much harder. A video of a drunk fat man dancing is widely far more interesting. 
    Coming to cameras - we are that the point where they actually matter less. Models are getting replaced within months, users are on and endless buy-sell cycle to have the latest, and many people are not really learning their craft properly because they can't keep hold a camera for long enough. Lenses, lighting and camera movement have a FAR FAR greater impact then your camera. There's really no point in constantly changing, swapping , upgrading. It's a waste of time. 
    Recently, I got an FS5 and soon an external recorder. I can grade the Slog footage well. I have everything I need - LOG, HFR, ergonomics, audio, blah blah. Man I can now do 200fps RAW!! But since having the camera, my videos haven't improved at all. I have more bells and whistles.. but it all comes back to what the hell I am actually filming with it. 
    Sometimes, something does arrive which will dramatically improve your work, or will heighten creativity or make your life easier. However this camera race is far too distracting for many of us, and for a large bunch I think some people have took the eye off the ball as to why they are using cameras in the first place. 
    I'm sticking to what I've got, and will be spending time on throughly improving my skill set, rather than my camera arsenal. 
  9. Like
    IronFilm reacted to joema in How to save the consumer camera: DON'T!   
    Northrup's point is the tortoise-like advance of dedicated cameras have been bypassed by smartphones, leaving cameras that feel clunky and archaic, esp from a consumer UI and ease-of-use standpoint.
    However he did NOT address that this was likely an unavoidable development, rather he implied it was poor decision making by the camera manufacturers. 
    Apple is on track to spend $10 billion per year on R&D -- Nikon spends $550 million. Apple spends more on R&D than every camera company on earth combined (unless if you consider Samsung a camera company, who spends even more than Apple -- $14 billion). For many people the cost of their smart phone is subsidized by the cellular carrier. This produces a mobile device that is unusually powerful, very refined and artificially cheap relative to a consumer camera.
    It is not just limited to cameras. I have the highest-end automotive Garmin GPS. It is OK but the UI is nowhere near as responsive as a 2016-model smartphone. Garmin's annual revenue is 1/100th that of Apple or Samsung -- they can't spend the R&D of those companies, and there's no cellular carrier to subsidize their product.
    Of all the companies making cameras, Samsung might have the highest annual revenues. It's further interesting that the NX1 was probably closer to Northrup's ideal camera than most others.
    My point is there is a lot more to implementing Northrup's vision than the *idea*. Implementing that at a polished level and a consumer-affordable price requires an *immense* and ongoing R&D investment. Admittedly there are also the corporate cultural issues of a camera/instrument hardware manufacturer in a software, UI-centric world, but I question whether Canon and Nikon could have delivered Northrup's ideal consumer camera in a timeframe to make any difference -- even *IF* they had the vision.
    Like you, I am not sure if it would have made much difference anyway. This is a tidal wave of change sweeping across the photographic landscape. The idea that consumer cameras could somehow "carve out" a protected little enclave by adopting a  few more consumer-friendly features is questionable.
  10. Like
    IronFilm reacted to wolf33d in Inspire 2 / 5.2K raw / 4K60FPS   
    Now we are talking.
    inspire 2 announced with 5.2K raw and 4K60fps raw. H265 is here too. And they will have a new kind of Osmo for it. 
    In 1" or 4/3 format. You pick.
    Isnt it funny that the best specced cameras on the market are released by a drone company without video experience? VS jokers like canon who will release 4K60fps raw and H265 in a camera of the size of a GoPro in maybe ..... we'll never. 
    http://www.dji.com/mobile/inspire-2
  11. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Stanley in Panasonic G7 and 14-42mm $497.99 at B&H, Amazon, Adorama, etc   
    Great value indeed, would buy in a heartbeat if I could get a PAL version at that price. But thanks for posting it.
  12. Like
    IronFilm reacted to HelsinkiZim in Advice Needed - Filmmaking Workshop   
    Solid topics here and confirmed what I was thinking about keeping it simple. Thanks for the advice!
    Okay, still working on my notes but so far here are the topics I am going to cover... tonight I am gathering reference material and diagrams. Any suggestions would be grand, I will share the finished document with you all in case it may help some of you do something similar in future. I will also give my thoughts on what worked and what didn't later in the week. The kids will have access to my company equipment for the exercises - GH4, Micro Cinema Camera, Shark slider, iFootage Mini Jib, Zhiyun Crane and other stuff.
    Camera
    What do you know about cameras?
    Resolution HD and 4K
    What makes a camera a good camera? - dynamic range, moire, resolution, noise colour, control, Different cameras for different jobs
    Links to cheap and good cameras
    i.F.A.S.T. (iso, focus, aperture, shutter speed and temperature) Doll Exercises, Private Ryan opener viewing, relationships - aperture, iso and shutter diagrams
     
    Light
    Importance of light
    Colour temperatures (daylight and tungsten and compensation)
    3 point lighting (screenshots of build up - excersice on doll)
    Controlling light (working with natural light i.e. the sun, reflector and diffusion excersise)
     
    Composition
    LS, MS, CU, XCU illustrations
    Law of 3rds illustration
    Headroom illustration
    Zero Horizon illustration
    Depth of Field illustration
    Breaking the rules (dutch angle, low angle power shot) illustrations, google interesting shot compositions
    Exercises in above
     
    Movement and support
    Tripod
    Rig
    Slider
    Steadicam/ Gimbal
    Jib
    Exercises and shot examples from youtube i.e. screenrant, andyax, etc
    Never shoot handheld (show rolling shutter jello, jitters)
    Cheap phone solutions (links to selfy stick jib, cage, mini slider)
     
     
  13. Like
    IronFilm reacted to PannySVHS in classic digital   
    Yeah, the ergos are nice. A lot of profile option for that 35mbps codec though:) It´s not my camera. Friends and me got it from school to shoot with. It sure doesnt
    like purple gels though:) Lumix G6 was more forgiving. Maybe saturation was too high.
    By the way, another digital oddity would be the Canon Powerhot Elph 300 (Ixus 220 HS). It even has stabilization and is hackable with chdk hack.
    no info about manual video though.
     
  14. Like
    IronFilm reacted to SR in What Trump means for new camera technology   
    I hope he uses it to make Canon release C-log on their DSLRs and Samsung to resume the NX line.
  15. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Eric Calabros in What Trump means for new camera technology   
    Look I'm not saying its a good or bad idea, but your assumption about border walls is wrong. Israel made a huge one, and its unbelievably effective. Even Palestinians admitted its very effective, and they are master of tunnel making. 
  16. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Marco Tecno in What Trump means for new camera technology   
    I'd rather concentrate on the movie industry. Perhaps new rambo movies getting along? I really liked those movies from the Reagan presidentship ;-)
  17. Like
    IronFilm reacted to icarrere in What Trump means for new camera technology   
    IMHO, your Killary wasn't better. At least now her bloody hands are out of Libia, Irak, Siria, etc.
     
    Mine is another useless post, nothing to do with the camera world (sorry)
  18. Like
    IronFilm reacted to dahlfors in Nikon Customers   
    A successor to D750 will most certainly have 4k, since D750 has been positioned to be a good allrounder for photos & videos.
    Sooner or later they will add 4k to the APS-C models below D500, but according to Nikonrumors.com it doesn't seem like there's any 4k in D5600 (and his sources are usually correct).
    I wouldn't expect 4k in Nikon's APS-C cameras until early spring 2017 at least. I'd expect the next Nikon camera to be released with 4k would be a D750 successor.
  19. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from Geoff CB in Ursa mini...is this the end of blackmagic?   
    The reason why it is not included could just be as simple as a) it is an old OS & b) BMD is a very small company and doing testing for every possible software/hardware combo takes time and is expensive
  20. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from Liam in What to get for initial Lighting setup?   
    I'm very tempted by these:
    http://www.newsshooter.com/2016/05/10/nab-2016-spot-lights-on-a-budget-aputure-launch-ls-c20-led-mini-fresnel-for-199-us/

    I think these are what I'll order next for my lighting kit, once my next few audio purchases are sorted out.
  21. Like
    IronFilm reacted to TheRenaissanceMan in What to get for initial Lighting setup?   
    I just struggled a bit with this very issue, and here's what I ended up doing.

    I started with a couple used Mole Richardson 1K fresnels. I got each for about $150 off eBay, used in good condition. Beautiful lights, very robust, and easy to control. They're my bread and butter--I use them on everything.

    Next, I hopped over to Home Depot and picked up some dirt cheap clamp lights. Fitted with some high-wattage incandecent bulbs, they're great for accents, hairlights, background splashes, etc.

    Next thing on the list (should be coming this week) are a few ETC Source Four Pars. $70 each shipped, again used. These are 575W tungsten fixtures, but the design of the bulb makes them about the same output as a 1000W open face. These are great for bouncing or pushing through diffusion if you just need raw output, but they also come with 4 lenses: wide flood, medium flood, narrow spot, and very narrow spot. These attachments don't produce the same quality as a fresnel, but they're usable as direct light and easier to control than a redhead. I've used them on a few sets for background punch, kickers, and even as an effect spot for a dream sequence, and they're surprisingly versatile. You can even pick up 3rd party barn doors for $15 or so. Dollars per lumen, S4 Pars are unbeatable.

    As soon as I sell off a few more things, I'm picking up a couple Aputure Amaran 672S LED panels. Excellent CRI, dimmable, run on batteries or AC, remote operable, and easy to diffuse (if necessary) with the built-in umbrella mount or Aputure's softbox attachment. I'm debating going with the Ws instead, as I already have enough hard lights, and maybe a variable color temp version, but we'll see how things pan out once I'm actually ready to buy.

    Last item on my wishlist is a Lowel Rifa. I admit, this one is a luxury item; it's essentially a big tungsten softbox, but what makes it cool is that you can have it out of the bag and set up in maybe 20 seconds because of the slick way it collapses and expands. Great for motivating interior lights, as a dramatic toplight, beauty light, or anything else you'd use a big soft source for. Some of the newer Rifas even have a system where you can replace the tungsten fixture with three florescents, lowering your power consumption and giving you the option of daylight balance. Very nice. You can find used ones missing the front diffusion sheet for reasonable prices, then just replace the front for $20 or so.

    Just remember, don't skimp on light modifiers, stands, and flags.

    Go back to Home Depot and find those big 4x8 ft. pieces of styrofoam insulation--white on one side, silver on the other, 1" thick--cut them in quarters (halves if you have the space), and wrap the edges with gaff tape. Bingo bango, you've got some pretty dope bounce boards! If you're using fresnels, grab some used scrims off the 'Bay. They're a little pricier than dimmers, but they won't mess with your color temp when you need to knock down your output. Buy some basic Lee Gels (get these new) in all the essential flavors: CTB, CTO, Straw, Diffusion, ND. They sell a combo pack of 1'x1' gels that include all these, as well as more exotic stuff and some fun colors (primary red is a personal favorite). Grab a bag of clothespins to hold them on your barndoors, and 1" pony clamps for anything else that needs securing. Grab some blackout fabric (duvetyne) for negative fill and controlling spill. Extension cords seem like a "duh" item, but you'd be amazed how many beginners forget about them. You can't be loading 4000 watts of light onto one circuit, so keep enough of these around to run power everywhere you need it. Lastly, some black wrap (I use Rosco Cinefoil) is great for any time you need to shape a light on the fly. I like to cut mine into big, useful-size pieces so they can be reused from project to project.

    When it comes to stands, it's hard to cheap out. You simply don't want to trust heavy, expensive, hot lights to a subpar stand. Most brands are great, although my friends speak pretty harshly about Impact. I haven't used enough to confirm or deny. A lot of people like to use C-Stands for their lights, especially the Matthews ones. Personally, I think they're best-used to hold your bounce cards and flag, as the leg design and articulating arm on the top make gripping and positioning modifiers quick and easy. A good one will run you $180-200 retail, although areas with more local filmmaking may have some on the used market for less. In terms of actual light stands, my favorite for the dollar is the Kupo Master Combo HD Stand. It folds up nicely, has both a baby pin and a junior receiver, gives you a leveling leg for uneven surfaces, a solid steel construction, and can hold up to 88 pounds. What a beast! Best of all, they only cost $150 retail. Use these for your fresnels, Rifas, or anything you need to fly high. Don't forget to pick up some sandbags to keep all this from tipping. I have a set by Impact filled with fine gravel from Home Depot (I feel like they should be paying me for this). Lastly, for your C-stands, some Matthews flags are a staple in any grip's kit. It's essentially just a sheet of black fabric on a metal frame with a post on the end for clamping into a c-stand knuckle, but they're invaluable for shaping your light the way you need it.

    This may seem daunting at first, but the best way to learn is to pick up the basics and start using them. Practice makes perfect, and lighting is no exception.

    Cheers!
  22. Like
    IronFilm reacted to hansel in What to get for initial Lighting setup?   
    I got the Dedos last night. A lady got them for a theater production and had them laying around for quite a while untill she decided to put them online for sale. I had a good fiddle with the set and the way they work beam/flood and light fall or lack thereof made me getting them. Thanks again!
  23. Like
    IronFilm reacted to Kisaha in Roland R-88 got a *massive* price drop! (fierce F8 competition?)   
    My impression of Roland equipment is of the highest order. Great price, once again, wish I was living in the States!
  24. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from hansel in What to get for initial Lighting setup?   
    Dedolights are normally way way more expensive than redheads, so if they're the same price and you can't make up your mind....    then it actually is a no brainer, get the dedolights every single fvcking time!!! :-D
  25. Like
    IronFilm got a reaction from Kisaha in Roland R-88 got a *massive* price drop! (fierce F8 competition?)   
    For those looking at an alternative to the Zoom F8, I noticed that B&H has a "New Arrival", refurbished Rolland R-88 units selling at nearly half their launch price (I guess Zoom is providing some serious pricing pressure! They might even be new units, and only "refurbished" in name only?!):https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1286630-REG/roland_r_88b_r_88_8_channel_recorder_and.html
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