Zach Ashcraft

Yes, its definitely common to use IS with a slider. I've found on my Nikon VR lenses it causes some issues, but on Canon and Sony it helps smooth things up. I regularly apply a slight amount of stabilization in post to help clean up slider shots.

I feel like I should also mention I've just sold my D810, and plan to sell the D750 as well. I had been doing Wedding photography as a primary source of income and in my opinion these are the best cameras on the market for that purpose. 

However since I've landed an in-house media job, I'll be selling my Nikon kit and picking up an A7rII and a6000 to cover my personal video needs. Just wanted to share this to show that the D750 gets the job done on a budget, and is a great hybrid camera. 

​Performs really well in the field. I used one battery for the entire event shooting both video and stills. Ergonomics are decent, its a DSLR but a comfy one at that. I like the deep grip. I don't have issues with focus without peaking. For me a tilty-flippy screen is enough since I'm so used to having the 5D screen just stuck on the back there. The punch in feature on the D750 is not great though, so there are just a few shots that are not quite as sharp ad I'd like. 

In a perfect world I would've shot this event on a C100 mark 2.

All things our customers could care less about  Worth noting that I went for a very contrasty and punchy look in the grade, so this isn't really the best just of dynamic range. ​Its certainly not the worlds greatest image, but its great for a 1080p DSLR in my opinion

Also, saying an Arri or Red would have been much better than a $1,500 DSLR is a bit of a no brainer honestly, but unfortunately we don't have that kind of money lying around. I would argue that the BMP would not have been better since it would not have held up in low light as well, and also offers no slow motion. 

I still see quite a bit of discussion and questions about the Nikon D750 here. I've had one for a few months and love it, though have never shared anything here I don't think. As a stills camera, its incredible. Makes the 5D3 (which I've owned and used plenty) obsolete in this regard, in my opinion. 

As a video camera, its great. Really nice image that holds up to grading quite well. I shot a lot of this in the flat profile, though some in the standard as well. Graded using Film Convert as a base and James Millers DeLuts to varying degrees. There isn't much of a narrative to this video, just an event recap video for the company I work for. Shot on Nikon 70-200 F4G (mostly), 35mm F/2D, 24mm F/2D + Cinevate Duzi v3 slider and some handheld action

I know people like to poke fun at Canon due to their seemingly underwhelming specs (myself included at times!) but for what its worth, during my 3 months or so with an A7s I found it slow, clunky, unreliable (crashed occasionally) and the battery life was of course terrible. I was always thinking about the camera. During my 6 months or so with a c100, the opposite was definitely true. Theres something to be said for cameras that "just work" and Canon definitely has that figured out.  

Hoping the a7rII brings an improvement in this area as it looks like a slick camera! 

I'm just mad because I want one. 

This is so good! The composition on each shot is just right! Refreshing to see this in a live music video as opposed to the norm - tons of shakeycam, super shallow dof close ups. This suites the music much better. 

Personally i I love the fs100 shot, though I think partially it has to do with the framing. I'm falling in love with the image from the D750 and D810 the more I use them. 

One of the best things you've written, Andrew. 

I had a brief, month or two long stint with the A7r and A7s. Loved the image quality, but usability just killed my creativity and ability to work quickly. Mirrorless fanboys will clamor on about how sophisticated the system is now, but the fact of the matter is that my t2i still has better autofocus performance, and is a much simpler camera to operate. 

I'm currently loving the image and usability of the Nikon D750. In the last 2 years, I've owned the 5d3, C100 (mk1, no AF), and A7s, and right now my favorite camera to use for my documentary work is the D750. It gives me the best image/least amount of fuss ratio out of all the cameras i've owned. The C100 was great but lack of 60p was just a huge bummer, as I shoot slow mo often in B-roll. I'd personally look for a used one of those. 

Gh3 is another great option at one heck of a price right now. I don't like the color as much out of the GH cameras, but definitely a capable camera performance wise. 

I have to say, after picking up the Nikon D810 and D750 (I'm primarily a stills guy) I couldn't be happier with the video I'm getting out of them. Especially the D810. Sharp 1080p 60 FPS footage that grades surprisingly well. Haven't spent too much time with the D750 in comparison, but it seems to have a comparable image. 

This is the biggest challenge for me as a photographer and filmmaker today. You have to promote the crud out of yourself, because nobody is going to do it for you. I've made some connections with clients who i've made incredibly happy that promote me almost every time I shoot something for them, and I'm discovering clients/relationships like this are absolutely invaluable. 

Ran across this article on Nikon Rumors. This process wouldn't work at all for narrative work (aside from exteriors, cutaways, and such) but if you have the patience and hard drive space for it, it produces some pretty fantastic results. 

Oh for the day that we don't have to devise crazy workarounds and hacks to receive image quality of this level. 

http://nikonrumors.com/2015/03/07/capturing-8k-video-with-the-nikon-d800-camera-quicklapse.aspx/#more-89496

I think photographers are starting to see the light as well. While I love video and this site is my favorite video resource, I am primarily a photographer. In the last 6 months i've sold my entire Canon Setup (5d3, several L lenses) and switched to Nikon. The difference in image quality and versatility to me is not even close. Nikon is ahead by a mile. I had a brief pitstop with the sony A7r and A7s and while I love the images theyre capable of, they just aren't usable in a high speed environment like a wedding. AF speed is the main drawback for me. 

My two cents 

​You're probably right. I just threw out a number

Anyone have $20K I can borrow?

http://www.arri.com/alexamini/

I'm happy to send some stuff your way. Anything in particular you would like to see or play with? 

​Yes, I'm in the US. Just a quick swim away in Texas I do want to visit before it changes much and photograph the place. That'd be one hell of a place for a photo shoot

1. The opening shot of all the Cuba signs was just the best thing ever. 

2. How did you get to Cuba and how much did it cost? 

I was disappointed in Unbroken overall as a film. I think the book ruined it for me as its far better. Nothing wrong with the cinematography of course, Roger has done a beautiful job as always. I love his use of color especially in the pre-war section of the film. Hopefully he wins one one day. 

Grand Budapest is the only other one I've seen and I really enjoyed it on all accounts. 

​I know! Its absolutely crazy! Its literally a superior camera to the 5D3 in every possible way. 

​You shouldn't allow someones opinion to upset you. 

I buy my cameras used almost all the time. Makes it more financially viable to upgrade when something that suits my needs better comes out. 

I just want to add, the D750 is the best stills camera I have ever used. Shot a wedding with it last week and I am just blown away with the file versatility and high ISO performance. Nikon knocked it out of the park. And the video quality has been a pleasant surprise. I feel like the D750 is everything the 5d3 should've been when it came out. 

Andrew bought a 1DC? No wonder it was so cold in Texas today, hell must've frozen over!  

Looking forward to seeing what you shoot with it. I've always enjoyed the image out of it

​Haven't seen it yet, but I'm about halfway through the incredible book. 

It was shot on the Arri Alexa + Zeiss Master Primes