Aussie Ash

Shot with X-T2/MB/Helios/Sankor

Nice one JCS !!  The speaker's skin tones look quite natural on my monitor.
Does "Boots" have any interest in sculpture ? only  some dogs are creative and artistic.

Does that also have a 5k monitor, 1tb PCIe SSD and run FCPx? If not, not interested. The new price of my machine was $3299 and at $2999, I still would have passed. I waited until it hit my price point and bought it, with most of a 3-year warranty remaining. They're all over places like Craigslist and Ebay. Running windows is not an attractive option for me as I prefer the Mac integration across all my devices. I don't use HDD's anymore either, too slow.
Cheers

TrueIndigo
"I did lapse recently though, and got the G7 because there was a good deal going on it, presumably because it's now an outgoing model. At £380 for the body, I think it must be the cheapest new camera I've ever bought. After experimenting with various Mods to the Natural picture profile and Daylight white balance, I'm seeing an image not so different from the Nikons which I love. Way back I bought a GH1 when it first came out, so I still had a lot of MFT lens adapters and enjoy using my vintage Nikon AIS prime set. My main reason to buy it though (after a long time shooting video with DSLRs) was not so much about image, but a usability consideration: the opportunity to have a high res EVF for hand-held shooting (using a pistol grip to hold it to my eye). Feels like shooting Super 8 all over again, and I actually enjoy using this little camera.
I think you can't underestimate how important the usability and pleasure of actually picking up a camera becomes, now that image quality is so good on almost everything. "
Kubrick loved his Arriflex 35-2C because it was so portable.....the jolly thing weighs 7kgs(14lbs) with 200 feet of film  !!!
We take for granted camera and lens under one and a half kilos and small enough to be inconspicuous in public places

I also think the Panasonic G7 is an important low cost UHD camera.
During the period when I was making decent money, I used to buy a new camera every year, as a personal exploration which I enjoyed. Last few years though I had to stop that, but strangely didn't miss it. I sold off a lot of stuff (currently down to five stills cameras and two camcorders) and spent more time exploring the cameras I already had, rather than exploring yet another camera. Because I really think we have been in the era of "good enough" for some time now. We can make a solid starting point for colour grading and using creative LUTs which can radically change the look of the final image anyway.   
I did lapse recently though, and got the G7 because there was a good deal going on it, presumably because it's now an outgoing model. At £380 for the body, I think it must be the cheapest new camera I've ever bought. After experimenting with various Mods to the Natural picture profile and Daylight white balance, I'm seeing an image not so different from the Nikons which I love. Way back I bought a GH1 when it first came out, so I still had a lot of MFT lens adapters and enjoy using my vintage Nikon AIS prime set. My main reason to buy it though (after a long time shooting video with DSLRs) was not so much about image, but a usability consideration: the opportunity to have a high res EVF for hand-held shooting (using a pistol grip to hold it to my eye). Feels like shooting Super 8 all over again, and I actually enjoy using this little camera. I think you can't underestimate how important the usability and pleasure of actually picking up a camera becomes, now that image quality is so good on almost everything. 

This camera is better in almost every way than the A7R II and A7S II.
Lenses... I'll get onto those in a minute but A mount is nothing to be afraid of. Will be selling a lot of Canon glass after this and will end up actually saving money at the same time as increasing quality and decreasing weight.
The AF is definitely better than the A7R II and kicks the A7S II into the dust. At F3.5 it tracks like a hawk. I can now see why Sony did this because at F1.4 on a softer lens it doesn't work nearly as well as Dual Pixel AF on the 1D X Mark II. But to have this bonus feature on the 24-70mm F2.8, losing just half a stop, but gaining amazing run & gun AF for video.
The 1080/24p and 1080/120p are the SAME QUALITY. This makes the 1080/120p the best on the full frame camera market. The nicest ever. There's no crop, it's full frame. A7R II was 720p only and A7S II was a big 2x crop!
What's more it is not just an S&Q mode but a fully continuous normal video mode with 5 axis IBIS and AF tracking, at 100Mbit. The S&Q mode is only 16Mbit.
The 4K full frame quality is also very good but Super 35 does still have advantage in low light and to eliminate moire.
Nice to have a top LCD for shooting info. A7 series lacks this of course.
Buttons are better arranged than A7R II and A7S II. It is not laid out like a RX10 III. It is its own beast in terms of ergonomics.
You can now assign Super 35mm mode to a button, which you can't on the mirrorless cams. The new menus are in there and do group stuff together better but they're not a big enough overhaul to make me really appreciate them. I try to go into the menus as little as possible. Unfortunately you can't assign 4K/1080p to a func. button or the func. menu, you have to dig into the menus when switching between 4K 24p and 1080/120fps.
You can assign video recording to the exp. comp button next to shutter release, really handy. Default video button is better placed than A7 series but on the rear not the top.
Exposure compensation can be assigned instead to rear or front dial when in A-priority mode, then it automatically reverts to shutter speed / aperture control in manual mode.... again super handy.
The LCD can face forward for VLOGs and stuff, cannot do that with the A7 series or A9. It can also sit on top of the hotshoe almost (reminds me of Sony R1), or flips away to the base. More articulation options than the A7S II.
AF for photos.... hmmm lovely. Super quick and reliable.
The A lenses...TOP stuff. Particularly Zeiss 135mm F1.8, 50mm F1.4 and 24mm F2.0.
The 85mm F1.4 is a bit noisy and slow for AF but great in MF. Super optically. The Zeiss 24-70mm F2.8 is like the G-Master lens, and just as big unfortunately.
I prefer wherever possible the SSM lenses (24,50,24-70 but not 135 and 85) if using AF for video - much quieter internal focussing.
I love the green indicator boxes in manual focus mode for video. Way less intrusive than peaking. It stops you from diving into the punch-in zoom mode or racking the focus ring back and forth a little bit to be sure. As soon as you get that green dot you can just stop and relax knowing that area is in focus. LOVE IT
Have dialed EOSHD Pro Color into PP1. Looks WAY better than the default. Not tried S-LOG 3 to see if the banding is improved since A7S II yet. S-LOG 2 and S.Gamut Cine 3 with view assist all present like A7S II and an improvement over A7R II.
42MP stills and 18MP Super 35 mode. This for photography is significantly more in resolutions terms than the 1D X Mark II and allows you to effectively get two high quality prime lens focal lengths in one.
The camera is more responsive than A7R II / A7S II. Starting / stopping video has zero lag. Start-up time very good. Writing the 42MP RAW+JPEG files - MUCH smoother. Max write speed is 60MB/s to UHS 1 cards. Dual card slots. Not Compact Flash speeds (80MB/s plus) on the card controller but much better than A7R II 30-40MB/s.
This isn't a DSLR. EVF quality is very good, translucent mirror doesn't flip. It's instant-on like mirrorless camera.
Body size and weight is similar to the GH5. So far far less than 1D X Mark II.
Has a DC-IN port, but doesn't seem to take charge from USB. Battery is probably too big for 5v 2-amp charging.
There's a very smooth and nice front dial near the lens release which is assignable to things like ISO... It can be clickless or clicking.
Now the bad stuff...
The LCD dims in movie mode when you're shooting 4K or 120fps 1080p. It's either a power management thing or a heat thing. Makes exposure look totally different and 2 stops darker than same settings in stills mode. Very silly Sony!!! It seems all unnecessary on this camera because of the bigger battery than A7 series. Although the screen does get very slightly warm at full brightness outdoors, to think this would contribute to overheating problems is unlikely and it can be flipped completely away from the back of the camera where the hot main board and chipsets back directly onto the rear casing with no proper heat sink (I've seen the tear-down photos).
Sadly my camera came with a small faulty part... a sticky joystick in the 'right' direction. Apparently it 'wears-in' over time but I don't think mine is proper...why would it only need wearing-in to click right responsively and not also up/down/left? We'll see if my next unit does the same weirdness. On this point, I think Sony still have work to do to convince us they can make buttons. Can you imagine this on a pro body like a Canon 1D X Mark II? Journalists would be rabid, foaming at the mouth.
That's it for now, can't actually use it much more as it has to go back to DigitalRev but plan to do the review soon.
I think this is a real rival to the GH5... No 10bit but you gain full frame, better slow-mo, 42MP stills and maintain pretty much all the other features.

That's it with the Zeiss 50mm F1.4
The Sony 35mm F1.4 G is also a nice one... forgot to mention that. It's much smaller and lighter than the Sigma ART 35mm.
Size comparison with the GH5
Although lens mount makes the A99 II look much larger, the tops of the bodies are practically level (look at hot shoe and mode dials)

The grip is a bit deeper on the A99 II and card door a lot wider... dual card slots on both.

Hi tupp,
       Thank you for your comments.I should have stated in the first post we never shoot this footage.Whilst watching it I came to the conclusion that I'm too obsessed
with trying to shoot "in focus" and for a genre like this ,"vague focus" still captures the rythm,mood,arty colors,people enjoying themselves and the band. 
 
"All the "shoot-throughs" and CUs are great, but I have found that it is often beneficial to also have a full-length, clean, wide shot of the entire band from which to cut in and out."Yep there is hardly any footage of the band playing together as a group.
 
  Also found your post on "The Young Victoria"

Yeah unless you are specifically being asked for 4K, then I wouldn't switch. The D750 supplies a beautiful image. 

I'm with Mercer, the XC10/15 sounds far more suitable for you than a D7500. Deep focus, lots of detail, strong codec, and (in standard mode) accurate color (which I'd imagine is important for real estate).
It'd be worth keeping the D750 alongside it for the agent interviews and stills (if that's a concern), but if you don't plan to, I'd sell it post haste if you want to get the most you can for it.
That said, don't sell or switch cameras based on what some nerds on the internet who don't make a living from their images tell you. The D750 is a great HD camera. If you're happy with the images, your clients are happy with the images, and the camera doesn't make your life difficult, then why change it? You'd be better off investing in some lights or support gear, and just work on improving your craft. 

I don't see any huge focus problem, especially if you like hunt/seek.
 
If you don't want hunt/seek, use digital zoom or have someone "pogo" a large monitor (with stand legs folded) for each camera operator.
 
You might want to match the different clips a little more.
 
All the "shoot-throughs" and CUs are great, but I have found that it is often beneficial to also have a full-length, clean, wide shot of the entire band from which to cut in and out.

The Huge URSA v1's with PL mount have tanked in value... Ive seen one as low as $1300 in local LA craigslist. Got a few offers for them in trade for my NX-1 Gear. Too big for me and I would want the ef mount at least.... Huge but cheap... with 4k Raw and 3 screens one the size of an ipad! I believe the BIG one has global shutter and you'll never have to worry about not looking "PRO" walking around with it!
This guy does a pretty in depth review... its the newest I could find from December 2016
 

"The Cooke Book and A Cooke Look Back" free 74 page pdf for bed time reading  http://www.musitelli.com/site/files/Cooke_Histoy_Book_by_FDTimes.pdf

"The Cooke Book and A Cooke Look Back" free 74 page pdf for bed time reading  http://www.musitelli.com/site/files/Cooke_Histoy_Book_by_FDTimes.pdf

Ah, good find. So that would be:
http://ironglassadapters.com / http://www.ebay.com/sch/ironglassadapters/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&rt=nc&_dmd=2 / https://www.facebook.com/pg/Ironglassadapters-180601889122103/posts/

There is a guy in the Ukraine that sells customized lenses called "IronGlass".on ebay
His Helios 44-2 aluminium follow focus  gears are US $25.00 each and much better
than a lot of plastic ?hit

"The Cooke Book and A Cooke Look Back" free 74 page pdf for bed time reading  http://www.musitelli.com/site/files/Cooke_Histoy_Book_by_FDTimes.pdf

"The Cooke Book and A Cooke Look Back" free 74 page pdf for bed time reading  http://www.musitelli.com/site/files/Cooke_Histoy_Book_by_FDTimes.pdf

Decent footage from the Mini Ursa 2.6k  changes to a harsh contrast towards the end
 

Helios 44 / FF58.   Full frame is best since it uses the most of the lens's image circle and thus more of the character caused by limitations of the design show up.
 
Canon FD lenses are not characterful at all.  I'm amazed people have recommended them in this topic.  All designed with computers by the best optical designers of the time.  Modern coatings  The whole thing about these japanese lenses was that they were at the peak of technological ability of the time.  Very littler improvements have been made in optical terms since the FD mount was instigated.  - 1971 is modern.  Look at 1950's and 1960's glass.  Anything after that will be clean and boring!

Looks pretty cool Matt ,first run through I felt it would be more effective editing it down to perhaps three minutes
Glad that you are open to doing community shoots ,they are a great way to extend your video /audio skills
and try different shots and mic placement etc.Our suburb has a custom car and motorcycle show in the
park each year which is good fun to film.

Feedback / quick summary of thoughts:
 
- The only colors that stood out from the reel that I'd improve would be the man's face at around 00:57. The face comes out as a bit too reddish in my opinion.
- The logo animation: 1) I find the motion of it doesn't fit with the motion / fades of the rest. 2) Even if it matched the motion / fading / animation of the rest, I doubt it would add to the reel. I think an approach that doesn't distract people from the footage itself is better.
- I'm a fan of minimalism and functionalism, so in a reel I find it most important that the footage itself stands out, and I find it does in your reel. Good colors, lovely compositions. The reel doesn't get tedious: it's interesting to look at. I find the minimalistic white text and the way it is used together with the footage a good mix. It adds a bit to the story, but doesn't distract the shots.
- One thing I'm not sure about: the people speaking in the reel. I don't know if I'd keep it or remove it. It somehow brings me out of the mood of the rest of the reel. Suddenly it's like I'm watching a short film / doc out of the blue in a reel. I suggest testing it with just music and no voice audio and see what you think yourself is better.
 
 
So as a summary, the reel I'd pretty much keep it as-is: I'd make my stance on the voice audio, as well as see what I can do to have the logo cleanly presented without having it distract from the footage, and I'd try to see if something can be done to the skin color of the man.
  
 
 
Website: You are not selling the service of filming at events, you are not selling a 5 minute reel. You are selling the vision/idea to you possible clients of what you can provide to them = their emotions, their visions in their thoughts - what they believe that Matt can do for them. Keep that thought in your head at all times for a company site.
 
If you keep it minimalistic and can manage to sell the feeling correctly in 5 seconds, you're half the way with your sell, people tend to be fairly convinced early on at a site (or early doubtful, first impressions matter). I can imagine a moody photo from behind the scenes at a wedding, as something that could be a great introduction, together with a bit of text and a shorter reel in a happier mood. Remember for such a trailer: you are selling the idea/vision of what kind of film you can make for them, something that should be true to how you work and what you can produce as well as the mood that they will want to associate to their wedding/event (in general tems happy/close/emotional).
 
I've been working with web design and print for a long time now, was in advertising for a while before I headed back out to IT (where I still do some advertising, although more honest such :)).
I just can't stress enough how the best tip I can give about selling something is that you should never ever sell a product, you are always more effective at selling the experience/idea of what the product can do. The right photos / moody video sequences, correct music and a little bit of text will get you a long way with that. (and yes, a lot of your footage has such quality, choose the suitable footage, set it with the right music and you'll be able to affect people into the right mood).
If you don't have the perfect shot for a wedding, find something else that is emotional, that you think a person will be able to associate with the emotion they want to experience in the video they want. Or if you find you don't have anything fitting - maybe get out and shoot some event / wedding / party or something of your friends and use that. And keep in mind that you should be able to sell the idea of what you can do in 30 seconds. Great if you have a lot of longer material to watch for the people who really want to go through all of your material - but for most people, if you have picked the right things in short form, they will be enough convinced in 30-90 seconds (I wish I'd have the detailed statistics of how many people that just scroll the pages watching the photos of apple.com and how much of the text they read before committing to buy something. Those images that paint the vision of what you can do sell really well).
 
 
 
Also, I don't think it's a bad idea at all to have more than one reel on a company/portfolio site. A much shorter one with a bit different mood, as earlier suggested in the thread, is not a bad idea at all if you want to do more shoots of weddings and such. It tends to be good to cater to people who want information quickly: images, video and a little bit of text that. Then there's also the kind of customers that do spend more time, checking things out thoroughly. They are the ones that will sit through a five minute reel, while many impatient people might quit after 20 seconds if you focus on communicating via a long reel.
 
Gosh, wasn't such a short feedback as I thought I'd type. Hope this gives you a few ideas.

This is a promotional reel I've just made for the small videography business I'm currently setting up (one-man-band doing local community organisations, weddings etc). Everything in it was shot on low-end/cheap cameras, several of which have been discussed and compared extensively on this forum over the last year or two. To boot, other than the Tokina 11-16mm all of the lenses were each bought for under $300.
 
After a couple of enquiries about the gear I used for this reel, I've decided to add subtitles to show each camera (and lens) each shot was taken with. Just click the 'CC' button in the Vimeo play bar to turn the subtitles on.
 
I'd welcome feedback on my reel, but this is mainly posted here in the hope it might be of use to others:
 

 
Sorry the subtitles aren't synched perfectly to each edit (it's not easy with Amara). You'll work it out though I hope ...

firstly they dont shoot movies on full frame ..so you dont need to even think about the corners.....
 
they shoot Super 35mm and this lens delivers great images in APSC and Micro 4/3 on a speedbooster
 
Oliver Wood pioneered this lens on Bourne Ultimatum -
 
since then - DPs Phil Meheux, Roberto Schaefer, Trent Opaloch, Newton Thomas Sigel and Barry Ackroyd all use these Nikons too on big feature films.
 
the 28-70mm f2.8 Nikon breathes LESS than the 15k Carl Zeiss 28-80 CZ2 T 2.9
 
its light and has a 'pop' to it optically its has a very nice look to the glass in it - and it delivers nice blacks too
 
I use them alot
 
it is not  as aspherically sharp 'harsh' as a Canon L Series lens is

sounds like a good idea!
 
we are all in the middle of a massive Digital Film making revoltion right now
- film is dying - it's almost gone for good (Christoper Nolan will have to start hording film stock soon!!)
- the Alexa has now made such in an inroad in mainstream Hollywood films this past 3 years that its accepted as the main camera now.
 
The thing that has not changed is glass! and getting the right focal lengths for the right shot in your film is still exactly the same for Digital or Film.
What has changed is that Indie film making on Canon and Panasonic cameras it is now possible to make a finished product that is almost 95% as good as the big boys in Hollywood - the difference is not that great if you know what you are doing and if you learn to exploit the 'pros' of what ever camera you are using and mask the 'cons '.
 
The right lenses help you get the 'movie look' and it is all very acheivable very cheaply if you look around for lenses that have a certain 'look' similar to expensive movie lenses.

For those who did not see it, an incredible production from Nikon Canada. Much much better than its USA counterpart. It is more static and much more in focus than the Family video above. The sharpness, details and DR looks very good. More so that in the BTS video they say they used only the internal codec.