fuzzynormal

I mean, any camera would work for that. The EM5II is nice because it's got the best in-cam stabilization. Certainly, if you know how to shoot, it helps getting quick shots. If you don't, well, it ain't gonna cure those ills.

You can go back read my posts on the camera if you wish; it'll give you insight to my context. You can see some videos I've done with it too. Bottom line: I like it just fine. If I was shooting ultra wide, not sure what the stabilizing would be practically offering me though? Ultra wide shooting doesn't really need stabilization. AS for the EMII, I have two $100-ish speed boosters for it plus a bunch of basic dumb adapters. It all works good and the old Canon FD and EOS glass looks good. Nice thing about speedsboosters and dumb adapters, it'll give you 2 focal lengths with one lens. I'm a firm believer in shooting motion picture with manual focus. The peaking and EVF is strong enough to allow focusing by eye. That's really great. Anyway, even though I have 4 M4/3 prime lenses, about a dozen other misc primes, and the Oly 12-40 proZoom, I shoot most video stuff with an old 55mm FD lens and the speedbooster. I like the focal length AND the extra heft that old glass provides. I do recommend the shooting ergonomics with the extra battery grip, in my opinion. Shortcomings: with modern glass the image does moire. Meh. Not a deal breaker for me. The older adapted glass reduces the moire, FWIW.

I like the image both the C100 and Sony FS5 cameras put out. Not sure why anyone would be hung up from doing worthwhile production by the limitations of either. They're capable cams that would be effective in any situation, I think. The variable ND of the Sony sounds great for run 'n gun doc stuff, that's for sure.

Refund! Aside from that, when I went the projector ran fine. And it was fun to hear the film spooling, see the scratches, watch the image registration drift through the gate. The narrative didn't work though. Not an exceptional film regardless how it was shot. Appealing to my inner-tech-geek, (hey! They used the same lens as Ben Hur!) but otherwise nothing too remarkable as a movie...not on the a-list level anyway. The director is too indulgent with his style and it was more weary than vibrant on this go 'round. Liked watching Russell do his "Jack Burton meets John Wayne" character though.

Nor am I, most of the time. Now, I use a 5d for interviews with a wide open 50mm, but extreme shallow depth of field for other video shots, like b-roll? still don't quite get it. To me, in most instances, it seems like too much. what can I say? I like the dof look of f4-f5.6 s35mm. I suppose I've been conditioned for it, but I'm not alone.

Leonardo Dalessandri's work is just a good example of craft. I know it wouldn't matter what camera you put in my hand, he'd still be able to make a better travel video with a GH3 than I would with an Alexa. So, I use that sort of stuff as my personal benchmark. If I can increase my skill level to exceed the IQ of what he can do, then I'll consider getting a better piece of gear. 'Til then, I'll roll with simple consumer gear too for my own projects. Hey, if it's good enough for him, right? I've been lucky enough to travel around the world on assignment over the past decade. I can watch that video and reflect that my own library has about 80% of the same type of footage. Is it shot as well? No. Is it edited as well? Oh, god no. That's my perspective. Gotta learn technique and craft; get solid there, I'm still lacking. I ask myself, "You got a paint brush?" "Yes. Well, then paint." Worry about the bristles only when your skill demands it. I'm not gonna gripe about refinements that I can't even begin to take real advantage of. ...So hard to do when all I want is to acquire and play with a A7s! More on point to Andrews charting of cameras, ergonomics, etc, I gotta say, the EM5II, after some getting used to, now really agrees with me for some reason. I just like shooting with it, taking it out of the bag and getting footage. Like many machines, some just jibe, others don't. Don't know how to explain it. It's like a car or a motorcycle...

I've used it. Fun stuff. Not my cup 'o tea for everyday work, but I'd turn to one to use for something special if the narrative I was building required it. One can minimize the bounce by smooth-walking and putting weights on the wrists or sum'such. That's a simple technique that'll go far.

Yes. Why people are chasing this aesthetic is kind of strange. f5.6/s35mm is what typically works for most films, so to go shallow, I don't get it. I can see using it for certain scenes if that's the way you want to effect your image to fit a particular narrative, but for overall? eh...

Why not? If you're going to be shooting 1080p, then I don't think there's a big difference, if any at all. In fact, the GX7 has the same sensor in it as the GH4. It's just that the Gx7 doesn't shoot 4k. You can get the same IQ for 2/3rds less cost. Anyway, I don't know what you're up to as far as shooting goes, I mean you're decisions should reflect the direct needs of the production. Still, I'd worry more about getting useful lenses for whatever you want to do rather than camera bodies. Really, cameras these days...they're all good. How you use 'em, what glass you decide to use --that has a bigger factor in the cinematic quality of your project. That's my camera agnostic viewpoint anyway. On the other hand, if you're going for something specific, like shooting a doc at night time, then an a7s would be a decent choice. Think of buying a camera body like deciding what film stock to use.

You want cheap? Like $400 U.S. cheap? I have a Gx7 and have never been disappointed by it. You can buy them for not much. Really, I think any of the LUMIX cameras are good video value. I've shot films and docs with 'em. Decent in low light with a fast lens and speedbooster. Or, a used a7s if you really need that ultra-low-light capability. If you know what you're doing, anything'll probably work these days.

The future of production is going to be doing more with less. However, if you're a creative, sounds like if you work hard at the craft you can fill a needed demand.

Let's not give the guy undue credit. He gets enough of that as it is. He was on the vanguard of digital, but the industry was moving forward regardless. NHK had a lot more to do with camera design and capabilities than George ever would. ...That's not to say Sony wasn't keen to let the world know who turned to them to do real-world-test-work with their HD cams. Not bad PR to have a famous camera geek (who just happens to be the creator of the industry's most important entertainment property) give it a "thumbs up." As for the new film. I think it will be very competent, kind of fun, and all that. But, our zeitgeist just isn't the same anymore to make StarWars as magical as it originally was. Much like superhero movies now, as Disney cranks out numerous movies based on this universe, it'll be impossible to not be blasé about it. You'll probably enjoy 'em, but it'll never be transcendental as StarWars was during the Empire Strikes Back years. As for "Awakens," I already bought my ticket. Hey, capturing a fraction of nostalgia is worth $20 and a few hours if my time. The Mouse knows this.

As a follow up: It's hard to say, how some things never change. try not to get burned doing the neutron dance.

It's all a matter of taste. I don't dislike 60p at all. In fact, for some corporate stuff, I think it's ideal. But for cinema I've always been attracted to the low-fi imperfection of 24p film. Maybe it from growing up and watching most of my movies at a crusty drive-in theater?

Imagine going into a huge multiplex and seeing all their monitors in the lobby with the "enhanced" frame rate turned on. So, big budget cinema in a big cinematic complex on big cinematic screen...looking non-cinematic. Good job AMC. Even the purveyors of cinema are unable to escape their ignorance and will ruin cinematic IQ The slow frame rate is NOT a liability. The altered rate of motion pictures that don't match our vision's reality is what heightens the suspension of disbelief. That's kind of important when your watching a narrative like, I dunno, James Bond, for example. Its not because it "looks better" than 60p, it's because it takes the edge off our perception of realism. Movies are an escape from reality, it's a manufactured narrative. The illusion is diminished by too much visual accuracy. All that said, the Japanese love high frame rates, and would rationalize FOR it. I just can't. I like the magic of slow. that's a pretty big misunderstanding of how it works.

Nice looking images; confirms my experiences with the EM5II. Out of the box you're not going to get the ideal motion picture images from it, but a little manipulation in cam and in post you can make it look very respectable. I dunno. I've found it more than capable. Others not so much. As for the film...I want to know what's in the case. It's Marsellus Wallace's soul, right? ;-)

It's an embarrassment of riches. And it's great. Even now I contend that even average consumer IQ is so advanced that it'll allow a filmmaker to create great looking cinema. 5-10 years from now? Whoa. Its fun to watch it get better and cheaper If you can't manage to effectively create with this stuff, then you're not doing it right and/or paying attention to the wrong details.

As have I. However, I hook the EM5II up to the Sennheiser EM100 wireless system which I can level-adjust to to push a really robust audio signal to the cam. I can then dial the camera's input level to the minimum and reduce the noise floor pretty good. Like the video, the audio preamps are not great, but it's useable enough for what I do to get by. It's really a nice practical and compact run and gun set-up. I think I posted a pic of the cam with the audio gear awhile back. At any rate, the camera is a bit of a compromise all-around, but I think it's a balanced compromise with the 5-axis tipping the scales in a good way. I'm still shooting my preferred picture profile. It's similar to what Andrew has mentioned.

Spot on review. As a video shooter I'm in the camp of it's "just good enough." If the IQ was any weaker I'd probably go to another cam... But I do love the 5-axis for what it lets me do handheld. Since my gigs are for the web, the IQ is perfectly acceptable. Also, the colors look good to my eye. Btw, the bat grip w/headphones is great. Not only for the audio, but the ergos of it really helps shooting.

FWIW, that film looked like absolute crap on IMAX. I always considered a hipster to be someone ignorant that professes an unearned expertise. Basically all looks, no substance. Superficial. I'd say that Quentin is a legit cinephile that is also somewhat accomplished at this point, yes?

My recent anecdotal experience of watching Mission Impossible on IMAX confirms his prejudice. I was actually embarrassed for the studio releasing such visual low quality onto the public. As for a filmmaker doing a novel homage to the technical craft, nothing wrong with that. Why not?

I'm not talking about what is the best solution for you, I'm talking about what it takes to get the best looking shot. That qualification was mentioned earlier Large steady can rigs with a good op can not be beat for impressive tracking shots, and I just don't see that changing -for reasons mentioned- regardless of new tech. You or I won't bother with such large rigging and will adapt with alternatives, but that doesn't mean the old way is still not superior visually.

I don't know. The heavier something is the less likely you're gonna get that noticeable y-axis bounce. "We will see solutions" might be too optimistic. A "configuration-that-almost-works-as-good-as-a-steady-cam-for-less-than-discrimiating-users" is more likely. All this algorithm stuff and stabilized internal sensors is cool and all, and will get you kind of close to a good tracking shot, but the "real-thing" works in large part because it weighs a lot. If you're using a small light weight cam you just move it more because you can. It lacks mass to slow things down. And too much random movement is distracting in a shot that's supposedly being stabilized. And I can tell you from my experience, when you move the EM5II body too fast, you get an unattractive motion artifact as the stabilizing sensor will over compensate. So, it is a bit amusing that all this new technology still can't surpass a good steady cam op's work from the 1970's. It's great that stabilization is available and all, but the new way is not always going to be the best way. Slow and heavy might be an asset rather than a liability depending on what you wanna do and what sort of camera configurations are necessary for a particular production. As some Scottish dude said in an outer spacey TV show: "You can no' change the laws of physics."

As a guy that utilizes the EM5II often, I can attest that it's definitely NOT really comparable to steady cam rigs. What steady cam does and how it does it is a whole lot different than sensor "floating" Bottom line: to get really smooth motion having some sort of a rig with a bunch of mass is going to probably look the best; might not be practical, but it'll offer the smoothest shots.

Indeed. Point taken. I'm trying by attempting to find interesting people --and then doing justice (as best I can) to tell the stories that define them. Maybe one way to do that is to use a OSMO. It's possible. Who knows?