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Cinegain

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Everything posted by Cinegain

  1. Maybe you'll find this useful: Caleb on Variable ND's: 'mweh' (paraphrasing): http://dslrvideoshooter.com/filters-video-part-filter-types-uses/
  2. Good points, to make this a little easier to understand for people reading here, here's a video: Although, to be frank, personally I don't repurpose my 4-way dial, so for me it isn't really an issue. I've got the LX100 for it's size and to replace my LX7. Just carrying it around wherever and not having to use my smartphone when a 'kodak moment' presents itself. Nice for taking stills and videos on the streets, like on a short city trip. If you're really going on a holiday though, I'd much prefer to have the FZ1000 with me. It's very nice allround and has the range and the tilty flippy screen that makes life a little easier for example. And all that without the added bulk of a bunch of lenses, accessories and a tripod. Which you can take with you of course everytime you're dedicated to come home with the most awesome of footage. On holidays though, I don't want take too much time setting up shots and want to keep on moving... and keep on moving lightweight (especially in hot and humid environments), not with a bunch of gear in my backpack. Unless I'd be going to Iceland with stunning surreal sites everywhere, then the trip would become a dedicated project and all about taking stills and video and I gladly carry around all that.
  3. Yeah, you don't really get the LX100 for the range. You get the LX100 because you want a nice compact solution. To expand your range, having the GH4 already, get the 12-35mm f/2.8 and benefit from the GH4-profiles, Cinema 4K, 1:1 pixels, dedicated videomode and audio monitoring functionality of the GH4 and nicer focusring on the 12-35mm, just to name a few plusses. I assume you do not have much against the added bulk for shooting within this range by taking the interchangable lens camera with the lens instead of the LX100. Unfortunately I can't tell you much about the 12-35mm, as I only have the comparable E-M1's 12-40mm f/2.8 kitlens to put on the GH4. But the lots of people that own one, must have a good reason for that. Besides, it has built-in stabilization, which is great. I agree with tosvus, usually a collapsable zoom isn't quite as good as high-end glass and unless you need the range ánd a compact camera, the most sensible choice seems to be to go with just the lens to pair with your GH4. My 2 cents.
  4. Didn't the D600 have an issue where the shutter caused contamination to the sensor or something? You'd then have to go with sensor swabs or send it back. This was fixed with the D610, which otherwise was a minor upgrade (650D/700D-like).
  5. Interesting read: "LX100 vs. 5D MK III" ~ http://hackermovies.com/panasonic-lx-100-vs-5d-mk-iii-english . His verdict...
  6. I actually have the updated RJ Lens Turbo with Nikon F/G mount and it in fact does come with an attachable lens support. Also, it allows me to change aperture on my Nikon-mounted Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 and Sigma ART 18-35mm f/1.8 just fine. I'm expecting the RJ Lens Turbo FD - M43 as well. These adapters will do an awesome job at a fraction of the cost of a Metabones. More here: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/9086/rj-lens-turbo-m43-adapters/p1?Sort=newest Cool demo someone did: Zhongyi ( http://www.zyoptics.net ) also makes Lens Turbo's... e.g.
  7. Don't forget, that if you want a kinda small camera with good low light performance... for stills, the A7S is not a bad choice at all. So, if he got it for stills already anyways and then found out it people love it for its video, you can imagine someone would look into that as well. I initially started caring about video with the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS bridgecamera/superzoom with CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit). I was just amazed by the 1080p (in bright/well-lit conditions). From that though, I found out what kind of things I either loved or missed. Like, I'd want better lowlight: bigger sensor, lens choices (especially a manual focus ring, since pressing buttons or turning dials for focus sucks balls), great video mode, loved the tilty flippy screen, et cetera. So back then I decided to get a GH2. So getting a cheap camera is a relatively cheap way to find out what you need in a camera. Do you need something more compact? Do you need better low light performance? The lens line-up is not to your likings? You would like a bit higher resolution stills for hybrid shooting? That might be better than seeing what others are shooting on, then buying that 'because everybody else does' and perhaps turns out it isn't even suitable for shooting the way you intended. So you end up ditching one expensive camera and buying another. But again, if he already has a very capable camera, there's no need to downgrade. Best way to start is tutorials I guess! There are lots of YouTube-channels and Vimeo videos covering a bunch of gear and techniques to help out with filmmaking. I'll list some below that I like in particular (probably forgot about some). And just watch a lot of movies / series / videos that you particularly like and analyze why you like it as much as you do (warning, teach yourself to switch this off, else you'll always be analyzing scenes, lol). How did they make it work so well? http://www.youtube.com/filmriot | http://www.youtube.com/drewnetwork | http://www.youtube.com/drumat5280 & http://www.youtube.com/3DListings | http://www.youtube.com/Neumannfilms & http://www.youtube.com/Dod3032 | http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBasicFilmmaker | http://www.youtube.com/user/alanbesedin | http://www.youtube.com/user/devinsupertramp & http://www.youtube.com/user/devingraham | http://www.youtube.com/TheCameraStoreTV | http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom | http://www.youtube.com/FenchelJanisch2 | http://www.youtube.com/philipbloom & http://www.youtube.com/user/philipbloom4k | http://www.youtube.com/user/dslrvideoshooter | http://www.youtube.com/user/NitsanPictures | http://www.youtube.com/onelonedork | http://www.youtube.com/knoptop | http://www.youtube.com/user/griffinity | http://www.youtube.com/user/thefrugalfilmmaker | http://www.youtube.com/eyepatchentertainmen | http://www.youtube.com/mike24p But I'd say, start out with this 5 part HDSLR series from AdoramaTV: . (PL:
  8. Sure, the FZ1000 is a great package too. Had it with me to Hong Kong, it's a nice all-in-one solution for when you want to go exploring. You don't always want to carry around a tripod, a bunch of lenses and accessories. When I'm on a holiday I usually don't want to take my time setting up shots, changing lenses and all that stuff. I mostly just want to explore and experience stuff. The FZ1000 enables me to do that. It's very flexibile and capable, so you can still get great shots and footage, but without really taking you out of the experience. The LX100... I feel like, if you find yourself using your smartphone a lot for capturing stills and video... but are displeased with the quality, the LX100 is a really cool powerhouse in the tiniest of packages. I mean, you'll likely not be able to fit it in the pocket of your jeans, but then again, wouldn't really want to be carrying a RX100 in my pocket either to be honest. They're supposed to be compact, not pocketable per se. Now, you'll have a hard time finding a coat pocket that fits the FZ1000 or a GH4, and in a shoulder/messenger bag they would still take up quite a bit of space, but the LX100 will in fact fit in your coat pocket and carrying it around is not a burden at all. There's no other premium compact camera that has such a sensor size coupled with a lens like that, capable of shooting 4K-video. There just isn't; it really is great. You might not always need it, but you can just carry it with you wherever you go and if the occasion arises, you don't have to settle for the poor results from your smartphone, you'll have something really powerful just a grab away. For me the LX100 is the answer to the cameras on smartphones and lacking high-quality feel thereof. Whereas the FZ1000 is a brilliant all-in-one travel companion that doesn't take away from the experience of being somewhere.This doesn't mean you can not use these cameras in other ways, for regular shooting as your main camera, or that one thing is better than the other, but I feel like every camera has its own role to play. These cameras are very capable, but personally, if the main purpose of going somewhere is photography or shooting video, I really would like to hand pick lenses that suit that particular situation or project and throw them on a camera I feel would do the job, whether that being the OM-D E-M1 for photography, the GH4 for (4K) video or the BMPCC for cinematic feel and gradability. And you can decorate 'em like a christmas tree, so add a cage, a rig, a follow focus, a mattebox... or just keep it small and simple. Whatever the situation requires, really. I like this kind of modular setup. But of course, however you use it and whichever one you go for, any of these cameras will do an awesome job, that's for sure. Sure Jacek, you can set it to 'Polski'.
  9. So far I haven't come across any either. Although I didn't have that much playtime with it yet, so maybe the scenes weren't inviting enough for the moire to make an appearance. Guess we'll see about that in the next days/weeks when my schedule allows me to get out and shoot some more. Didn't get around to be shooting any daytime scenes yesterday on my city trip yesterday, but I did record some quicky testfootage (natural -5 -5 -1 -5) from the hotelroom balkony, just to check out how it handles low light in terms of noise, bokeh, detail and autofocus. Initial letdowns? The autofocus in these kind of low light conditions. Was hunting quite a bit. Then sometimes 'locked' on something that was blown out of focus. Surely you want to switch it off anyways, but for the sake of testing, not that great. Then take a look at the third frame. According quite a few interviews with Matt Frazer, like this one... ... onionring bokeh balls should from now on belong in the past due new mold milling techniques. Still looked pretty oniony to me. Other than that, I thought the detail out of the LX100 in these conditions was very nice. And what noise concerned... I've been shooting this in 4K 24p and then zoomed in, so f/2.8 and 1/50th of a second. For these settings ISO1250 seemed pretty nice (lifting the blacks from being crushed, protected highlights, control noise, at the same time trying to get as close as I perceived the scene with my eyes, although now seeying it with a lot of white around it, it looks a bit dark). The noise performance at ISO1000-1250 is still pretty fine. When dropping it to ISO800 or below it performs really really well indeed. Above ISO1250 it gets a bit trickier. ISO1600-ISO2500 still look kinda okay, but I'd say clean is different. Cranking it further up to the ISO3200-ISO6400 you'll be introducing quite a lot of noise and I think that personally I will be avoiding this range altogether. But like I said... this was just a quicky nighttime test, I was just playing around, so nothing conclusive really. So far really liking it though.
  10. What do you mean, no filter thread? ('cause it has one actually)
  11. I once had to replace the GH2's eye cup, well actually the plate that holds the rubber eye cup. After a bit of research I found this: http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/part-model/Panasonic-Parts/Panasonic-Parts/Model-DMCGH2HK/0789/0500140/50039434/00001?blt=06&prst=0&shdMod=DMC-GH2HK . I then mailed Panasonic asking them if and how/where I could get a hold of these parts (VGQ0Q78 & VGQ0S00). They pointed me to the officially licenced Panasonic service center that just so happened to coveniently be in town. I made them order it for me and a few days later it was ready to be picked up. Costs were close to nothing. So, my recommendation: direct your question directly to Panasonic. Let them hook you up with a service center responsible for your geographic area and then ask those guys for possibilities and prices. Judging from the GH2 diagram and assuming the GH4 is not much different, the EVF itself seems to be quite the unit, so I doubt it will be as inexpensive as an eye cup. Also not sure if you could replace it yourself, and if not, you'll have to pay for servicing/manual labor... I'm afraid that might get quite pricey. All the best!
  12. Sounds about right; could well be. And maybe they overestimated the 'run' on these and dropped the price according a brief evaluation of (pre-)orders? The LX100 is a little niche perhaps? And/or people don't realize that's it's much more than a rather expensive compact camera? Shops around here received units a couple of days and today each one of them still had stock. To me it seemed that the FZ1000 for example had a higher demand. Back then shops told me that there were quite a few pre-orders and they seemed to go 'out of stock' as quickly as they had gotten units 'in stock' and then it took a while for the dust to settle and the camera to be readily availlable. Oh well, whatever reason, I'm just happy I was able to save a couple of bucks, really. Will play around with it a bit tomorrow and then wednesday take it with me on a city trip.
  13. Hmm, wasn't able to check it out saturday, so I went today. Took my LX7 with me for comparison. The body is actually quite similar sizewise, just the lens protrudes a bit more significantly and of course there now is an eye cup. Some things I liked, some things I didn't. The control/focus ring is placed very close to the body, it's pretty awkward/unergonomical to use. The LX7 had a very easy and blindly to reach record button. On the LX100 it's placed on the back instead, making room for a 'filter'-button on top... hmm, right. Wished they hadn't. Being familiar with the FZ1000 and GH4 to shoot video with, it's a bit sad that there's no tilty-flippy type (touch)screen. And like the LX7 and FZ1000 the memorycardslot is co-located at the battery compartment. It would be so much more convenient to have access through the side (like the GH4), but I guess that's a concession you just have to make with these kind of cameras. Oh yeah, and as mentioned before there are no Cine-profiles. But these aren't any dealbreakers. The LX100 looks quite stunning. A very solid no-bullshit traditional and oldschool design, but conformed to modern day's standard. And it packs quite the punch. Where are you going to find a camera so compact that has quite a big sensor inside, features a 25-75mm equiv f/1.7-2.8 lens, has built-in stabilization, an EVF and records at 4K (and 4K-Photomode availlable as well)? So yeah, it's really one of a kind. The idea of being able to carry around such a 'weapon' in your coatpocket... that's pretty insane. Instantly makes you forget about all these minor issues I had just summed up. But still... I wasn't quite convinced with the price. As said, it was only availlable locally at 899,- EUR. Couple of shops listed it for 799,-, but either they didn't have stock, or they had limited stock and were located in Germany. I mean, that's a 100,- EUR difference, or if you'd take one of 799,- from a German shop and added 20 bucks shipping, you'd still have quite a considerable 80 EUR difference, which could get you all sorts of things, like spare batteries or a SanDisk 64GB 95MB/s. I confronted a few of the shops with this, but they said there was nothing they could do about the price, since it was the declared minimum retailprice in Austria. So I actually was almost on my way home again, empty handed, when for some reason I decided to check Geizhals.eu one more time and was surprised to see that all of a sudden the prices had dropped to the 799,- mark here as well! Shortly the other shops here in Vienna followed. I guess I triggered something there on today's quest, lol. Someone must've contacted Panasonic to get the price down and did succesfully so. As soon as I saw that I went and picked one up after all! Old meets new! The LX7 getting replaced by the LX100.
  14. Just a bit harder (and pricier) to find one that would fit a focal reducer mounttype (which you would need to have in your possession) for prices less than said filter. And the filter itself, if you'd just get a large diameter one, you could just throw it on any lens at your disposal already. So it's rather optional and flexible, which I think is a pretty big plus. But since I already have a dumb Minolta adapter for my oldschool 50mm f/1.7 and 28mm f/2.8, I'll just give the suggested RMC as MD-version a go. And it was indeed actually decently priced (and considerably less than the filter costs) and the one in question supposedly is not optically impaired (came across a few with issues), so yeah, color me intrigued; let's find out. You seem to have a vast knowledge of all sort of lenses and always willing to help and make suggestions. Thanks for that; that kind of input is really helpful and appreciated and I do like my vintage/legacy lenses, they have such character, so I'm always pleased to get my hands on something that has a bit of soul and will be cared for once more. It's kind of going to an animal shelter and adopting a cute furry little fellow. :lol: Can be so rewarding.
  15. Cool test. I really like the look you got out of it in the end. Thanks for sharing.
  16. Argh, that one hot pixel (in particular, there were more, BMPCC all over again). :P Sorry, OCD kicking in (not really, just an observation). I saw lots of noise. That exposure flickering was quite nasty. At some point he turned on AF, you saw it hunting, probably kept it off for his other clips for a reason. Dat rolling shutter... ouchi. I mean, I know his focus is content over pixel peeping, but technically I wasn't particularly impressed to be honest. But... I do appreciate the reallife unsugarcoated footage. But I'd rather see it put on a tripod or rig and the just let a not so regular Joe put it to the test and try different profiles, different settings and everything to see what works best. About the official Samsung footage. I actually thought Sony had footage with a similar feel on their AX100 demoreel... Nice and crisp, great colors as well. Yeah, go figure, let's be honest, it's not amature hour over there at those companies. They know how to get the most out of their products and that's exactly what they're displaying... the best you can get out of the camera by the people that know how to and the actual conditions and means to do it. I probably won't ever be disappointed by footage released by the manufacturer that wants to sell a product... ... that doesn't mean that it's easy to accomplish those results and/or that you're capable of getting that out of the camera yourself, where conditions and way of use are probably very different. The color and flatness, yeah it was ok, but again, I'm actually not too impressed by any of it and this is hardly anything to base any assumptions on. Other than that maybe I had too high expectations... but hey, it's nice to see manufacturers participating and providing options. And that's always good. Everything of course imho. Let's see how this moves on over time. ;)
  17. Actually, earlier Amazon.co.uk said it would be 'released monday 20 Oct 2014', but now it just says '1 - 3 months'. In meanwhile though over here in Austria a bunch of shops were supplied with units. At a 899,- EUR premium price though. It's also listed at some retailers for 799,- EUR, but getting one priced like that seems a little harder. Anyways, hopefully saturday I can check it out at a local store. See if I can imagine living with the size and handling; as I'm thinking of getting it to replace the LX7.
  18. From what I understand it will be availlable this upcoming week. ;) If you're treating yourself to a LX100, then don't forget to claim the 'LUMIX LX100 Free Lens Cap Offer' promotion (if applicable).
  19. I'd go with this one... I'd say the ending nails it! Great message.
  20. Have you seen it here yet? http://www.eoshd.com/search/a7s Nope? Then probably you didn't miss it. ;) Also curious what Andrew got on the FZ1000. Hopefully he can get a bit more time with the LX100, let's not forget Samsung's NX1... Ooh, did you see the 4K anamorphic shooting with the GH4!? You know, there's just tons going on right now... so 'I'm afraid you'll just have to wait'.
  21. I believe it came by numerous times already, but yeah, maybe for those like you who perhaps hadn't stumbled upon it until today, it's a great watch, that's for sure.
  22. Yeah, just saw it in my subscription feed! Great schtuff, this review. TCSTV is my fav camera review channel. I mean, I kinda like DigitalRev TV, because although mostly very immature it's kind of entertaining, but Chris and Jordan really keep things interesting and informative and really nail it when it comes to critique. The only thing I look forward to more is camera reviews from people with a more filmic background, such as Philip Bloom and Andrew of course. Can't wait for the LX100 to be out in stores and get a hands-on myself. I guess that's the only way I can tell whether it's going to be replacing the LX7...
  23. Ryan/FilmRiot recently had a video about that...
  24. Yeah, cool implementation, maybe put my Kalart Victorscope 16mm Super Anamorphic-2x back to good use again.
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