mat33

Well looking at the differences between the XA30 and XA35, which are part of the XC10's camcorder group, I wouldn't be surprised if the XC15 only adds HD/SDI output for news broadcasters and maybe some type of XLR input or add-on pack. You would think if it was a new lens, dual pixel focus (which would imply a new sensor?) then it would be an XC20 based on the XA ranges naming history.

Well looking at the differences between the XA30 and XA35, which are part of the XC10's camcorder group, I wouldn't be surprised if the XC15 only adds HD/SDI output for news broadcasters and maybe some type of XLR input or add-on pack. You would think if it was a new lens, dual pixel focus (which would imply a new sensor?) then it would be an XC20 based on the XA ranges naming history.

This looks great.  I'm a big Olympus fan -love my E-M1 for the colour, IBIS and ergonomics, it just make shooting fun.  

So just got my XC10, and it definitely has a cool s16 aesthetic.  IS is probably a bit better than olympus E-M1 IBIS but need to do some further tests, and onboard audio is a lot better than GH4 that it replaced.
 
 

The AE lever on the C/Y lens doesn't fit properly with the EF mount BMPCC speed booster.  They need to be filed down to fit, check out this thread on BMCuser about it:
 
http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.php?17173-Contax-with-Leitax-Canon-EF-Pocket-Speedbooster-BMPCC

While Canon may have said it is a hybrid camera, they didn't trump it as a bridge camera which is what most people seem to compare it to.  To my mind, almost every photo camera now is a hybrid that can take stills and decent video including dSLR's, but the XC10 is a camcorder that has better still capability than other camcorders.
In any case, I don't think anyone who saw the Canon press releases or videos, would think 'I'm not interested in video at all but Canon says XC10 is great at stills, so I'll get it), whereas a bridge camera may be brought by someone with no interest in video at all.

Well, I just called my local camera store and ordered a XC10 (I try to buy local as much as I can, as we only have one decent camera store).  They were a bit like 'you're sure you want one of those' so the initial bad reviews have certainly made their mark.  
I am now in a bizarre situation where the largest sensor I own, is in my smallest camera (a ricoh GR).

Ah, the good old days...there's nothing like the smell of miniDV tape rolling at the end of a long day :-)  I have been seriously thinking about the XC10 as well, in NZ I can get it for ~$1500 USD so very very tempting.  While I love my lens collection, I think it would be refreshing to have something similar to a camcorder experience, that is 'self contained' and just works without various paraphernalia. 

Yeah, it's definitely parfocal, so a crash zoom should work great. If you keep it at 5.6 and then attach a follow focus lever to the zoom ring, you can probably get some smooth zoom pulls. As far as IBIS, I have really shaky hands... I smoke too much and drink too much coffee, so my hands are all over the place and it was completely steady. I never used an Olympus, so I couldn't say for sure. One of the reasons why I wanted the XC10, is because I briefly had the Panny FZ300 and prior to the XC10, it was the funnest camera I ever owned, but unfortunately the IQ wasn't that great. Well that had the 5-Axis ibis in 1080p and the xc10 is just as good. I assume the 5-Axis in the fz300 1080p is the same as the 5-Axis in the GX85 4K, and from reading that thread, it seems they're comparable. I am going back out on Monday, so I will probably post some screen grabs or a small video by mid week. 

When I was checking out the G40 there were almost no reviews, and all the gear sites didn't even mention it when it was released at CES.  I think the issue with camcorders, and to a degree the XC10 when it came out, is that they aren't sexy 'cinema' cameras as it seems a lot of people want to be a 'cinematographer' and so end up having to shoot everything rigged up like they are shooting a narrative, when they are often doing work that is better described as 'videography' and would be better served with a small, handheld option which lets you forget the camera and just focus just capturing the moment.

Yeah agree that there is a big big place for larger sensors and DOF control/lowlight ability.  
I have shot a few travel vids and with a larger sensor camera, I had a nice cinematic image but also had to carry a lot of gear, deal with ND filters, and missed some quick shots by not nailing focus or exposure before the shot was gone.  I think something like the XC10 which had a great image and easy colours, would be a good option -just one camera in the bag and a videomic pro and you're all good.
 

Ah great, all this talk of sweet handheld, IBIS, 4K, c-log shooting goodness means I have to talk to the CFO again about why I really 'need' another video camera....

Ah, the good old days...there's nothing like the smell of miniDV tape rolling at the end of a long day :-)  I have been seriously thinking about the XC10 as well, in NZ I can get it for ~$1500 USD so very very tempting.  While I love my lens collection, I think it would be refreshing to have something similar to a camcorder experience, that is 'self contained' and just works without various paraphernalia. 

To me it almost seems like the XC10 is a bridge camera... but it's a bridge between a camcorder and a cinema camera. I think it is cool how far these camcorders have matured, especially since I haven't even looked at them for 5 years, but I am not really a buyer. If I could get an insane deal on the G40 refurbished or something, I might pick it up as a B-cam to my XC10, but let me see how I get along with that first. It was kinda hard pushing "purchase" on the XC10 due to my small but adored lens collection. I still have the BMMCC. but I am probably going to sell it and pick up a small mirrorless or dslr, just to get my lens fix. The BMMCC is an amazing cam, with an absolutely beautiful image, I just couldn't stand the form factor. If anybody reads this, I may be selling it soon if anyone is interested.
Actually, Aaron I have a question for you... you had a c100, so I'm sure you're familiar with the profiles, I am working on a short that has a section that is supposed to be POV camcorder footage. I am planning on shooting the regular narrative in c-log, and then maybe using one of the other profiles for the "camcorder" look? I was going to use Wide DR, since I have noticed that a lot of found footage movies, that Hollywood makes, usually film it with a high end camera and then dumb down the image to give it a more camcorder look. Does that make sense to you, or should I keep it simple and shoot in standard or cinema eos, instead?
This reminds me, last year I had to use some footage I shot 15 years ago on a little ZR60. It was so weird getting out the firewire and rewinding the tapes... I almost forgot how to work it... but I do remember how fun and simple it was to shoot with it. Throw her in Shutter Priority mode, +/- your exposure a few notches and hit record... hell even the audio I was getting back then with my cheap Azden microphone was better than I was getting when I got my t2i... Simpler days.

Just the other day, I stumbled upon my mini-DV Panasonic GS400 in the cupboard, which was my first video camera, and man nothing that has followed has come close to the ease of use/focal length range in a small handheld form factor.  I thought the G40 looked pretty sweet, if you aren't fixated on shallow DOF.

There definitely is a race to the bottom and a generally dumbing down of content on the internet -if the trend keeps up then we will all need to be taking ritalin to keep our attention spans long enough to read anything longer than paragraph.
But there was a time where well researched, comprehensive, and balanced content was popular and attracted a number of readers, enough to make a number of sites sustainable. Have all of these people being assimilated by the short attention span masses or are they still out there, lamenting at the fact that the resources they once enjoyed are a shadow of there former selfs (not saying that eosHD is this)?  If these people are still out there (which I think they are), then surely there is a niche for good long-format content? These 'traditional' high quality blogs aren't going to see the kind of views that you might get on clickbait sites, Facebook and Instagram, but does that matter if the views are from the 'right' people?
I think we might end up seeing a bit of a reversal of the mobile OS craze, once more people start waking up to the fact that it is difficult to be productive on a mobile device (and even a maxi-pad screen isn't going to help).  As a parent, I could see my son becoming very familiar with iOS, but apart from drawing and reading (which he could do with paper/pencils/books) he was just consuming content.  Now there is nothing wrong with this but I want him to also be able to be productive, to create and contribute to society, and to understand how a computer, networks, html etc works rather than just being able to push a icon with his finger. So he is starting to learn how to use a laptop (with Linux to boot).  I saw recently that a school district in the US has canceled their order for iPads and replaced them with laptops for their older students after surveying what teachers and students actually wanted -so maybe its starting already.
I think for some of us, gear is a way to reenergise our creative mojo.  We might live somewhere that isn't very inspiring, or have family/job commitments that limit what we can realistically achieve when filming.  A new camera or lens, is a way to get excited about filming again, a new way to look at familiar scenes and activities, a reason to put the time and effort in, a new challenge to extract the best IQ possible.  At the moment there is a lull in new gear -we may have hit 'peak IQ' for current tech and we are only seeing smaller incremental improvements but have been used to the ground breaking announcements (just look at this years NAB compared to previous years).  We are like gear junkies, who are being weaned from the frequent highs to a more sustainable state, and it may be a bit of a downer for some.  On the bright side, it is a relief that the camera you brought 6-12 months ago is not obsolete yet and a chance to look at our true motivations for filming.
If Andrew is looking for inspiration for a post -I would suggest a part 2 review of the digital bolex -it has come a long way since the original post and no other blog or site has formally looked at again, and I think fits in perfectly to the ethos of this site.
Oh and by the way, thanks Andrew for all of the excellent work.

Heres a few snapshots from the D16
 

I like to think of it as a vertical anamorphic flare :-)

Th
There certainly is something magic about CCD sensors... Ikonoskop, D16, F35, Leica M8/M9 all have some special mojo (micro contrast, tonality) that make for such a nice image.

I like to think of it as a vertical anamorphic flare :-)

For narrative under 4-5K, don't forget the digital bolex. It produces some of the most amazing skin tones and colours, with global shutter to boot.

I've had LX100, GM1/5, X100T, RX100 over the years and decided I wanted a truly pocketable stills camera so went with the GRII. Incredible stills, malleable RAW files, top notch fixed 28mm equivalent lens, APS-C sensor so decent low light and dynamic range is excellent, out of camera black and white JPEGs are some of the best I've seen.
Ergonomically it is incredible - you can operate with one hand, which makes more of a difference than I expected for the kind of casual or experimental off the cuff shooting you'd do with a smartphone. The level of customization and your "workflow" with the camera is great, it just gets out of the way - other camera manufacturers could learn a lot from this camera. It was clearly designed by photographers and has been refined over the years.
The LX100 is a great hybrid camera, but I was never happy with the stills quality. But really great camera. The RX100 packs a lot in, but was ergonomically a mess - got used to it, but no enjoyment, always fighting the camera. GM1/5 are great, excellent stills image quality (I thought much better than LX100 when paired with good glass like the 20/1.7 or 15/1.7 or 45/1.8). X100T is great, but that's getting kind of big, and I'd rather shoot with my A7s/FE 35 2.8.

if you use your fresnel for a hard backlight and your Kino for a soft front light you can create any movie set ups like Aaron says , the Chinese Arri Fresnel copies on ebay are actually very good- with the right globes in them .... - I have alot of Arri Fresnels and recently used a Chinese copy on a set and it was just as good - just alot cheaper off ebay

If I had to buy 2 lights to start a kit it would be a KinoFlo/FloLight/Lightstorm bank with barn doors, and a fresnel spot light that's at least 650w. Mix those with your diffusion and you can achieve a HUGE array of looks.

The main issue is file size as Mattias mentioned, although there is a 1TB option available if you shoot longer events etc and can't stop to offload.  If you are out all day, then you would want an external battery system as the internal battery lasts ~4hrs.  Also there is only a 'raw view' for assessing exposure in-cam, so there is a bit of a different workflow if you are used to mirrorless/dSLR cameras.  Here is an interview with Jesse Borkowski about why he used the ikonoskop A-cam dii, which has pretty similar image/workflow, for his doc.
http://www.rawcinemashop.com/stories/2014/2/12/real-value-interview-with-jesse-borkowski