Jonesy Jones

I don't know anything about comment censorship, but I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would complain about someone taking time off. 1 day/week plus select holidays. And they clearly advertise this in advance. I wish more companies would do this. Seems super healthy and sustainable to me.

This is great intel. Thanks silver. As much as I like these guys, Kinefinity has many unknowns still to me, number 1 being distribution/support.

I'm in San Diego, CA. I'd probably buy from BH though. I too am thinking Phantom, but 3 or 4 I don't know. What's the big advantage of the 4? Is it worth double the price? Yes. I will buy and ship for you. PM me and we can arrange the details.

The UM46 is definitely the nicer image. I spotted it right off. the dng's tell the same story. Hopefully the 5K Terra is better.

Oh ye of little faith... A lot of what you guys say makes sense. Ok. Maybe I'll get the Phantom, and the X5R and Osmo, since that's what I need right at the moment. Practice with the Phantom. Then buy the Inspire a bit later when I actually need it.

Thanks to everyone for posting. I am still leaning toward the X5R Inspire kit. You've definitely talked me out of the big heavy lift ones. And even though there is a lot of sense in starting with the little ones, I don't think the Inspire is really that big, just more expensive, which is a big deal. But if I take it easy and start simple, I'm sure I can get it down. Anything less is just not usable for me quality wise. And there is a ton that can be done with this camera. Haven't decided to pull the trigger, but collecting info/numbers to present to my wife. Wish me luck.

I can only recommend this lens. Pricey, but good reviews. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013DAPNU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=peta0c-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B0013DAPNU

We don’t talk about drones much here…. I am extremely interested in buying a drone in the very near future. My needs are, a short doc that I am currently in production on, stock footage beginning in the next few months, and MAYBE a feature doc in the next year. 4K seems pretty necessary for the stock footage, not so much the short doc. But I would want 4K for the feature doc if that happened. So which drone? The two models that I have been considering are the X5R + Inspire, or a Matrice whatever. The Matrice has the benefit of using the camera of your choice (within specs) but has the downside of it being large and comparatively time consuming to set up and get going. The Inspire can fly through amazingly tight quarters, is quick to set up and easy to transport, but obviously you’re pretty committed to the camera (X5R), though with future DJI releases this could potentially be upgraded too. I am definitely leaning toward the Inspire/X5R combo. For all the reasons I’ve listed, plus, the image is pretty amazing. It’s not as filmic as say a Blackmagic, but with nearly 13 DR and full 4k raw there’s a lot to work with. From what I’ve seen, I would have few problems matching it fairly closely with nearly any image produced by a camera under $10-$15K, and maybe even some of those. Interchangeable lenses is awesome. I love that I can combine the X5R with an Osmo and have sweet little gimbal as well. Battery life on these things are not great. I’d buy a few extras. Am I missing anything? Is there another manufacturer I should be looking at instead? Is the Matrice the better option for a reason I’m not considering? This is not a cheap investment, so again, what am I not considering?

Thank you Squig for your continued discussion of the 5D iii raw. I've put off Canon for so long, I just haven't really paid attention. But I am finally considering this camera for raw. It's images are gorgeous. What are the drawbacks, other than large file sizes and obvious raw workflow stuff?

Well, one of my childhood buddies is a marine recon super dude with like 4 or 5 tours under his belt. His team uses Canon's. Doesn't really matter to me though. Just putting some info out there.

US Marine recon uses Canon.

Thank you for all the great intel. Very useful. I knew I could count on you guys.

I'm in the middle of casting for an upcoming project. Wanted to know what your experience is with paying talent. First, do you typically pay by the hour, day, or project? Second, what are the rates you'd normally pay? I am fully aware rates will vary drastically from project to project due to skill, experience, demand, geography, role, budget, etc. But any bone you can throw me would be great. Also, where do you find your talent? A couple/few years ago I'd put an ad in Craigslist and get a hundred responses in a day or two. This week..... wait for it..... 3. I'm in SoCal if that's of any value.

Also, have a look right here at EOSHD. @Eric Matyas is a musician and posts new music weekly, that we can use.... FOR FREE! He has some really great stuff. Check out his thread here. Additionally, Song Freedom has some great stuff and Audio Jungle, although there is a ton of less than great stuff to sift through.

Raw and prores - yep, fast ssd's. v mount/ab with kineback, or small sony battery with kinegrip, about 1.5 hours with kinegrip. Small monitor will be available, or use alt monitor, settings changed with dial on side. Yes, in camera prores at all resolutions. Can't remember HFR but pretty impressive, cropped at launch, full frame with firmware update. Don't know about active mount. Internal audio with kineback, yes xlr's. Dual SDI/HDMI output with kineback. No ND's. Kinemount offers ef and nikon and pl. I don't know much about m42, but if it covers frame I don't see why not. Lots of versatility. Body $5K. Kit is $7K (but I think maybe $2K more for everything). That's for the $5K, which is what we are all mostly interested in. Don't know about European distributor. Distribution anywhere is still a big ?.

I agree. But the rolling shutter was unusable. They told me the 5k is better. I'm expecting good things.

Yah, the pleasure's all mine. I wanted to introduce myself to you but you had a lot of video interviews. You guys deserve the attention. Great products. Yep. Jeremy told me about it and I joined last week. Awesome idea. If you guys continue to connect with your users in such a personal way you are going to grow in a big way. We love you guys. Thanks for the great products and for supporting filmmakers.

Hey guys, just wanted to put this out there. I happen to know that the Kinefinity guys pay attention to us on this forum. If this camera or company is of interest to you, make your voice heard (appropriately). The more discussion we have about these cameras, the better it is for everyone.

Why does its codec look so bad and it's raw look so much better?

I was here recently too. I don't think you mentioned this, but with tech like monitors, they are quickly outdated, and I hated the thought of spending a bunch of cash on something that would suddenly feel outdated in 6 months or less. Especially if I felt like I could have gone cheaper to begin with. I ended up going with a used Lilliput 663 for $100. For me it was about the larger screen, focusing assistance, and false color for exposure. And for my camera, the Lilliput checked off all boxes and was 1280x800, no pixelation whatever. I'm not saying it's perfect, the colors aren't perfect (though I have no idea why I'd need to judge color from a monitor), but it does what I needed. Perhaps something like that could work for you? And spend the saved money on lighting? I believe the VS3 model you didn't like had really low res. The newer Aputure's are much better I think. And the Lilliput ones are good too. The screens on the SmallHD 702 bright are amazing, if I step up it will be to something like that, or probably the Atamos Inferno, which costs the same and is HDR and is 50% brighter. These are really great options, but pretty pricey.

I'm sorry but I don't have the knowledge/experience to really be a true help, but I'll give you what I can. If it were me, I would find a way to test ahead of time. Even if it's not the same location or whatever, have your best idea of what to expect on the day of the shoot. Also, it seems like this is supposed to be an intense scene, and for that, shadows and darkness are your friends. No need to clearly see everything. Maybe just half a face here and there and some silhouettes will be effective to the story. No need to open up all the way or crank up the ISO. Also, is putting your lights above pointing straight down a possibility? Like lights down an industrial hallway. That would kind of replicate practical lighting and again may add to the story. Lastly, if buying is the way to go, you could buy as many you may think would ever be needed, and then return the ones you don't open/need, but at least you had them there in case. That's all I got.

Then that's good to hear. But may I make a request from all of us, that we phrase our critiques in a constructive manner. Words matter, even ours on forums like this matter. I sensed this strongly this year at the BM booth. And if we're not careful some may get their wish and disruptive companies like BM may go away or just stop making cameras (Samsung anyone?) and leave us with the Canon's of this world who if it was up to them would still be charging $15K for 60p at 720 res. Blackmagic NEEDS to hear our critiques and concerns, but in a way that does not contribute to a totally unfair stigma. Consider this, what if URSA mini was the last camera Blackmagic ever produced? Would that make everyone happy? I don't think this is the case, but I could very well be wrong. This past NAB was a total change in their pattern of behavior. We can only hope its for all positive reasons. Yes, but perhaps even BM thought they were under promising. With the exception of shipping dates, they have ALWAYS over delivered. And cameras are difficult. Just ask Red. Ok, so here's some good recon. I spoke face to face with Kine guys like 5 times this year, and here's what I learned about GS. The hit to DR is not the only hit. A switchable GS is going to hurt the image in other ways, like base ISO and other ways that they did not mention, perhaps noise. AND GS seems VERY low on their totem pole of priorities. It's the redheaded step child on the feature list. So while they guaranteed me that GS would be there, will anyone actually use it? Keep in mind, there is no doubt BM could have activated GS on the UM46, but the hit to quality was probably just too great and they would have received even more backlash from users. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Terra had it activated just to say it's there, but at a cost that makes the GS unusable. I think that for the time being, you either need a GS or RS sensor, something perhaps Craft will get right. The Terra 6K's RS is unusable to me, and the 'Sport Mode' is also NOT active and who knows what other motion artifacts that produces. But I'm rooting for these guys. I really liked them. So far, the design and specs of the 5K Terra look amazing. If the images follow suit, man, look out. Back to BM and Aputure, these guys are awesome too. They all need our love and healthy constructive comments to help them help us. That's what I'm suggesting.

I don't understand the hate for BM. They brought us affordable raw AND prores. Who else was doing this? Arri, that's it. BM's goal is to make the best camera for prices we can afford, which reminds me of Aputure. And making a camera is waaaaaay harder than making lights. Even I can make lights. Do you think BM is dragging their feet on purpose? Their only flaw is being over ambitious, and don't really see that as a flaw, plus, I think they are learning. Also on a slightly related note, you want to know why NAB was 'boring' this year? BM! They have totally disrupted the industry and EVERYONE has finally taken notice and have decided to wait for BM, who has learned to wait until they're ready to ship before announcing. Now aren't those the makings of a great company? But this thread is about Aputure and I only brought up BM because I think the comparison is valid. I see the similarities. I think Aputure may be just as disruptive for lighting and audio and who knows what else. I love Blackmagic for being the first and only company to bring me those level of products for prices I can afford. I love Aputure for the same reasons.

I say that because BM has been making amazing professional level cameras for a few years now, at prices that most of us can afford. And now Aputure is doing the same for us with lighting, as well as some other products. I love Blackmagic, and I love Aputure. I already owned an Aputure Lightstorm LS-1S, and I love it, and I was able to get a hands on look at some of their other products. Lightstorm LS-1S - $700 - (I’ll start with this one as it’s the one I own and have experience with, and the others won’t be as thorough.) The ’S’ I believe is for spot, it’s very directional. It comes with diffusion paper that you can clip onto the fixture to soften the light and spread it out a bit, I use a shower curtain as well. 4 barn doors give you some control there too. The fixture is listed at 95 CRI. I believe it puts out 1K equivalent at 5500K. It’s dimmable from 25%-100%. In my tests I found 25%-50% was about a 2 stop increase, and then 50-75 and then 75-100 were a 1 stop increase each…. roughly. I love the controller box personally. It also comes with a remote that is probably very handy, but also easy to lose. I’ve basically given in to the fact that I will lose it. Everything feels very well built and solid… very much so. There’s a Sony v-mount one and AB one. I’ve not used this feature, but could come in handy in a pinch. The collar is solid an easily goes on a stand. All in all I couldn’t be happier with this light. You want a solid professional looking light that provides a bunch of high quality light, and this thing delivers, and would cost 3-4 times as much if anyone else were selling them. The low price is NOT indicative of the fixture’s quality. Honestly, their price is not low, everyone else’s is high, and I am happy to pay the legit price. I have done A LOT of research on building LED light fixtures and have made a half dozen of my own. I know what can be made for the $. Everyone else has been cheating us. Aputure got it right. Lightstorm LS-1C - $700 - I believe the ‘C’ is for color?… because you can vary the color temp from 3200-5500. Basically copy/paste everything else from above except that there is a 10%-20% hit to the output for the vari-temp feature. I was actually concerned about this and so I was sure to check this out at NAB. And after a super scientific test of shining both the 1S and 1C directly into my eyes, I can confidently say that they both burned my retinas about the same… I didn’t notice a difference. Also, I’ve heard there can be noticeable lighting patterns with bi-color lights. I forgot to pay attention to this but I’ve read that these lights don’t exhibit this. One thing that Aputure has not provided us with is a case. However, Jeremy Gay from Aputure showed me this cool solution, and also a nice soft box that was designed for a slightly larger fixture but still works for the 1S and 1C. Lightstorm 120t - $585 - I believe this one starts shipping in May. Right now it only comes in tungsten, but in a few months there should be a daylight version, and apparently a bi-color (though I don’t see how that is possible on this fixture). This one has a 97 CRI, I wonder if the daylight one will as well. It produces 1.5K. The cool thing about this fixture is they have created a couple accessories you can add to it. I’ve added some photos below. I am particularly interested in the soft box. The 120t is super light, but just a heads up the chasis is very thin. I don’t know that it’s a bad thing, but it doesn’t feel as solid as the LS-1S/C. It uses the same control box as the LS-1S/C. Again, a super powerful high quality low cost LED light. Personally, I’ll be more interested when the daylight ones start shipping. LS-C20 - $200 - This one should start shipping in September. It produces the equivalent of a 120 watt fixture, with a draw of 30. It has a color temp of I think like 7000 and is designed to use filters to change the temp or color. It is focusable from 12 to 47 degrees, has barn doors. It has some cool power options, and feels more solid than the 120t. I think this could be an essential light for my kit, especially for that price. D3 - $290 - This is a mic, and it is aimed at being a very affordable competitor to the Senn 416. They had this mic and the 416 set up right next to each other so that you could compare the two. And honestly, I’d say it’s a worthy competitor, VERY worthy. It’s got a super record level, nice sound, and great directionality. Ok. Let’s say the 416 nudges out the D3, maybe. But its like 90% of the quality for 10% (well maybe 30%) of the price. It’s an awesome mic, fo rizzle. If your looking to buy a new mic in the near future, don’t overlook the D3. I think this one starts shipping this Fall. As we already know, they make some great monitors, and had some cool lavs on display as well. I didn’t take the time I probably should have with these other products, but after my experience with the above, I would have no worries regarding quality with any current or future Aputure product (but of course always do your homework). Ok. I’m sleepy tired. Really got to go. Eyes are closing. Hopefully this was informative.

I was only able to be at NAB for the first two days. So unfortunately no more recon for me, until next year.