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aldolega

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Posts posted by aldolega

  1. For pure image quality and speed, the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 is the obvious choice. If you'll be shooting entirely off of a tripod or similarly stable support system (slider, etc), the lack of IS in the Sigma won't be an issue. If you'll be shooting on a monopod or a flying stabilizer  you can get away with no IS if you're careful, but it'll be nice to have.

    For handheld you definitely want a lens with IS, which rules out the Sigma. I would look at the Canon 17-55mm f2.8, or if you want to save a few bucks, there are third-party 17-50 f2.8 alternatives from Sigma and Tamron, which are decent, but personally the Canon is so cheap now used that I would go for that.

  2. 3 hours ago, kye said:

    There is a deep divide in the vlogging community about where the flip screen should be..  those that use in-camera sound and prefer the screen flips over the top because it looks more natural if they look at the screen while shooting, and those that use an external microphone which is mounted in the hot-shoe of the camera and therefore they prefer a side-flipping screen like Canon.

    .....then there are the Sony shooters, who focus on their hand and then just stare into their 16-35 hoping they're in frame!!! :cry: :cry: :bawling: 

    That makes sense, I was picturing flip-upwards just because it would help keep the camera small. And itwouldn't be hard at all to add a small bracket to the camera to move the mic over to the side.

  3. I imagine it would be much easier to build an ND into a fixed-lens camera as you could locate the ND between the lens elements, or at least a lot closer to the rear element, as you don't have a mount and contacts to deal with. And don't the X100's have a leaf shutter? If so that's even more room to work with.

    If they do an ND I can only see it being fixed, as there definitely isn't room in the body (even the bigger third-gen) for a 36x24mm filter to swing over away from the sensor. And I definitely I don't see them going to a different body, or handicapping their low-light model with a fixed ND that's always eating up two stops of sensitivity.

    I also can't see Sony upstaging the FS5 in any serious way... compressed-to-hell 4K60, perhaps, but not 10-bit or NDs. That is, of course, unless their huge NAB booth this year is for announcing the FS5II. Then the A7sIII could follow at Photokina...

    But as others have said... can Sony even DO 4K60 in the A7 body without it combusting? They don't have a single other consumer camera of any type with an LSI that can do 4K60.

  4. Your post isn't specific enough, really. Tell us more about what kind of jobs you're working on each side, and we can give you better advice. Right now we can't tell if you  would need a t2i with a kit lens, or twenty grand of bodies and lenses.

    There are lots of video gigs that are perfectly well-served by cameras that aren't up to the current IQ/feature/usability ideals held by most posters here... just as there are plenty of photo gigs that don't call for a current high-end FF body with pro f2.8 zooms and f1.2 primes.

    Personally, I'm looking at jumping to the a73 after years with m4/3, mostly so I can confidently pursue some minor photo gigs this summer. My G85 has been great, especially considering what I paid for it. But the photo quality has never been what I wanted.

  5. The a7S needs a recorder to give you 4K, so that pretty much ruins the price advantage. The a7RII is a better option, but its FF 4K is only good up to about ISO1600, and even then it's a bit soft, so punching in in the edit will be limited.

    For the ~$1600 you would spend on an a7RII I would probably just spend the extra $400 for the a7III. Then you'll get super high-res FF 4K, amazing ISO capabilities in all modes, better AF for those people that sway and rock in their chair, better battery life, and a screen that doesn't dim in 4K.

  6. Of course nobody is going to be using shots like those in finished pieces, but these simple panning tests give us an easy way to compare the severity of RS between cameras. The more skew on vertical lines, the more RS delay the camera has, and the more careful you'll have to be to be with it during all kinds of shooting (not just whip pans).

    Here's a long-running thread on DVXuser that uses these types of videos to calculate the rolling shutter delay of many cameras:

    http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?303559-Measuring-rolling-shutter-put-a-number-on-this-issue!

  7. You want predictions, or wishlists? Its a bit early to make predictions I think, assuming it's still two years off. Who knows what could happen with the competition in that time. And hasn't Panasonic stated they'll be 8K-compliant by 2020? That could screw the whole thing up. Nobody wants a 32MP m4/3 camera.

    Wishlists are fun though!

    -4K60 at 4:2:2 10-bit, with an intraframe option (400-500mbps)

    -ability to record four audio tracks, two from the XLR box and two from the 3.5mm jack.

    -move both the 3.5mm jacks upward so they don't block the screen.

    -a physical lock for the IBIS- a little lever or switch is fine, doesn't have to be servo-operated.

    -internal NDs

    -tilting EVF with an optional big eyecup

    -focus punch-in while recording

    -1080p output to the app

    And of course improvements to ISO performance, VFR, AF, etc.

     

     

  8. On 1/23/2018 at 5:39 PM, zetty said:

    Wouldn't it work even better to have the collapsible hood at the end of the variable ND? That way you only need a single hood and ND is always visible/accessible..

    That works better if you're never taking off the filter, otherwise you have to re-mount the hood after removing the filter, and vice versa.

    Collapsing the hood takes maybe a second, just put your hand across the front and push towards the camera. Pull forward when you're done.

    Adjusting a vari-ND would be a bit fiddly, true. I use fixed NDs so I don't need that quick access I guess.

    I do only bring/use one hood actually. The hood just stretches over the mounting ring and fits in a groove, I leave a ring on each lens and just transfer the hood when I swap lenses.

  9. The G85 has a bit more competitive lifespan in it, but by PhotoKina time Sony will have another a5000- or a6000-series out or announced, and Canon will probably have a 90D. Panasonic will need a G85 replacement with the 20MP sensor, 4K60 8-bit, and still with IBIS of course, and still under a grand, preferably with a kit lens, to compete. The G9 can keep the crazy photo framerates to justify its price, and the GH5/GH5s can keep the 10-bit and high bitrates.

  10. On 12/21/2017 at 9:18 PM, Cassius McGowan said:

    So would you consider the G85 better than the GH4 if you have both?

    For my uses, yes. I do miss a few things about the GH4, but they’re easily outweighed by the things the G85 does better.

    Im sure there’s a few people who the GH4 would be better suited for, but I think for the vast majority of shooters the G85 is the better choice.

  11. Your link is to the plain adapter, not a speedbooster. A plain adapter simply mounts the lens to the camera at the correct distance from the sensor, and does nothing to change/compensate for the smaller sensor size. It has no optical elements, basically just a tube with your camera's mount on one end and the lens mount on the other. You can get decent plain adapters for much less than Metabones' versions, however... Fotodiox is decent and usually around $20.

    The Ultra is the newest Metabones booster in the .71x strength. This will take the G85 sensor up to about the size of your Nikon (actually slightly larger in 1080p, and slightly smaller in 4K, but very close).

    The first .71x Metabones booster is a little less sharp than the Ultra, and has a touch more vignetting and corner softness, but is still miles better than any of the imitators IMO. Better build, aperture ring, less flaring, etc. This is the version you can usually find used for around $250. Same power/magnification as the Ultra.

    The XL .64x is a little bit stronger power/magnification, and will take your effective sensor size up to around APS-H (1.3x) crop. Which is great but at this point many lenses designed for APS-C (like possibly your Tamron) will vignette, as they aren't designed to cover that large of a sensor. So your best bet is to stay with one of the .71x models.

  12. 4 hours ago, Dustin said:

    What would be my cheapest route to convert the tamron f mount 17-50 f2.8? I actually have a decent kit of vintage primes as I shoot 35mm film and have a few different film cameras. Vintage lenses I could convert include a Olympus OM 50mm 1.8 (fantastically sharp on film anyways), Nikon E Series 28mm 2.8 and 50mm 1.8. Not sure how much the 5axis stabilization would help but surely I could use these until I could by a Panasonic lens. Also not sure if I'd want a speed booster/focal reducer? I know the Panasonic prime 1.7's are fairly cheap at under $200.

    Cheapest way would be a simple ~$15 adapter, slightly more for an adapter with an aperture control ring/lever.

    The difference in sensor size will give you the FOV of 34-100mm (FF equivalent), however, versus the lens being a 26-75mm equivalent on your D5300.

    So really, with a simple adapter, it will be a very different lens on the G85 than on the Nikon. Really, you want to be using a speedbooster to adapt your Nikon stuff, as this will make the G85's sensor effectively the same size as your Nikon's, and your lenses will look/feel the same as they do now. The speedbooster also helps counteract the Panasonic's weaker ISO performance, as it makes the exposure one stop brighter, allowing you to use a lower ISO.

    The Mitakon/Zhongyi Lens Turbo II is the only halfway decent affordable speedbooster in my experience, and even then I got a lot of flaring/hazing in bright sunlight. The Metabones is the gold standard and you can find the first generation used in Nikon-m4/3 for around $250 on eBay.

    OM will not really adapt to Nikon unfortunately; there are adapters with optical elements but those are garbage. A quick google search is bringing up replacement rear mounts, though, so that might work. Really though, the Olympus is like a $50 lens, you can easily grab a Nikon 50mm to replace it for not a whole lot more than the replacement mount for the Olympus.

    IBIS works fantastically with adapted/manual/non-OIS lenses. I was skeptical that it would really get the job done by itself, and was planning on getting some native OIS lenses so I could run Dual IS, but I haven't needed it at all, and am running all manual lenses.

    The native lenses are nice for having AF, auto-exposure, etc for photos. The Olympus 45mm f1.8 is pretty amazing and very affordable, I've had two; and I've heard the Panasonic 25mm f1.7 is pretty great too. The only thing that really sucks about native glass is manual focusing, if you want to do any sort of semi-controlled/repeatable focus pull you need manual glass.

  13. I got my G85 for about $550 (got an open-box kit for $800, sold the kit lens for $250), and it was worth every penny just to get IBIS. The slightly improved lowlight and colors over my GH4 were also nice bonuses.

    By far the best value for money for video right now IMO.

  14. The theory that's always made the most sense to me about Panasonic's lack of phase-detect is that Sony, their sensor supplier, has them contractually excluded from it, in order to protect the competing Sony cameras. Olympus is allowed to buy sensors that are nearly identical, but with phase detect enabled, because their cams traditionally don't have much of a video focus, and thus aren't seen as real competitors to the Sonys on the video front (implying the video aspects are indeed a major factor in sales).

    Panasonic's statements about DFD being technically superior are just marketing bluster- of course they're not going to admit a weakness in their product, nor are they going to admit that Sony has them by the balls on this. They said similar things about OIS being superior to IBIS, right up until they started including IBIS in their cameras. If your competitors come out with a superior tech, you bluster about your existing tech being better, being proven, being reliable.... until your engineers are able to play catch-up, and then you introduce it with your next line. Marketing 101.

    I guarantee once they're able to source sensors elsewhere (TowerJazz?), we'll see phase-detect introduced.

    Not sure how realistic it is to wish for Dual-Pixel AF though, as that's Canon's proprietary/patented technology. I doubt they're interested in licensing it to a competitor, at least in cameras. They've licensed it for cellphone cameras because they're never going to compete in that space directly, and the phone market is so massive that even that simple licensing fee is big bucks.

  15. 6 hours ago, Fritz Pierre said:

    Unrelated to this thread, but the LS300 mount is where Panasonic completely missed the boat with the EVA1.

    Yup.  I think the main reason the LS300 didn't take off was simply due to JVC not being taken seriously in this space. Their pro rep is solidly in broadcast, and even their consumer camcorders were never anything special. So people looking for an affordable large-sensor camera from above or below just don't have JVC as a contender in their minds.

    Panasonic doing the APS-C sensor + m4/3 mount would have turned a lot of heads. Especially if they had included a nice solid m43-EF adapter that had the option of bolting to the camera body, for those who would just want to run the camera as strictly an EF mount.

    Maybe in a year or two they'll figure this out, and a new camera can slot into the wide space between the GH5 and the EVA.

  16. For shooting a single person indoors, your lav and H1 are probably your best bet. Do a little research on the best ways to place and hide a lav, and you can pretty easily get good results. I've done it with my $35 Audio-Technica 3.5mm lav mic and an H1.

    You could also supplement this with a boomed mic. I have the Video Micro and can add to the applause for it, for the price it's kind of a no-brainer for an affordable small shotgun-ish mic. Get a cheap boom arm or dedicated boompole, and a 3.5mm extension cord, and run it into your camera. You won't be able to monitor it from the a6300, but you can at least set the general level. Good enough to mix in some room tone/ambiance, or for an emergency backup track.

  17. 21 hours ago, Trek of Joy said:

    I'm sure you know this, but you can still use the mechanical shutter for HSS, works great with Godox wireless flashes.

    Isn't HSS still limited in power, though? I seem to recall that it works at a reduced flash power (half or quarter). And adds a delay to your shutter release, which makes it unusable for me.

  18. The G85 is a year old now, the GX85 about 1.5yrs. I'm not sure it's fair to compare them to the 6mo-old GH5, rather than the GH4, which they outclassed in some ways. The G90 and GX90 (or whatever the next generation are called) will certainly get some trickle-down features from the GH5.

    Personally, all I feel I can reasonably ask to be improved on my G85 would be higher-bitrate 1080p. 25mbps is a bit too skimpy when things start moving. Outside of that, it's been a great upgrade/sidegrade from the GH4 for me. Better color, better lowlight, and most importantly, IBIS.

    I paid $550 for the camera, I don't expect it to share everything with the quadruply-expensive GH5- even if it technically could (i.e. "artificial" marketing segmentation) share some things. Panasonic has every right to do this, both legally, and I even feel, "morally"- Panasonic is by far the most responsive to our segment of the market, and even if their cameras are "artificially" limited, they're still by far the best value on the DSLR/DSLM market for shooting video. If I was going to expend energy bitching at/about a camera company, Panasonic certainly wouldn't be my first choice.

    The way I see it, get busy switching, or get busy hacking, because I don't see much coming of the angst otherwise.

    35 minutes ago, Amazeballs said:

    Otherwise that will just end with hacking their cameras by some enthusiast and Panasonic getting nothing out of it and loosing quality control.

    Will it, though, actually? The last Panasonic to be hacked was the GH2. Vitaliy hasn't had any luck with the GH3 onwards, and Magic Lantern's work is all Canon-based, I don't see them starting from square one when they have their hands full with the Canons. I think holding out hope for a hack is a complete pipe dream at this point.

  19. It's not a "compromise", it's another, useful, option to have. s35 is actually the standard for film/cinema production, not full-frame. All of your favorite movies were shot on s35 or even smaller sensors/film.

    The RII's FF 4K mode being softer than the s35 mode's 4K is never going to be noticeable if you're not delivering at 4K. If you're finishing/viewing at 1080p it is a perfectly viable option that will give you superb 1080p after being downscaled.

    The SII is great for photos if you don't need super fast autofocus, or high resolution. The RII gives you great AF with native lenses, decent AF with adapted Canon-mount lenses, and of course way more megapixels than most people ever need.

     

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