DevonChris

Yep, amazing prices for all the Panny's after cashback:

Gh4 : body only : £762

G7 body only : £267

GX8 body only : £699

No cashback deals on Panny lenses though (yet) so it looks like Panasonic is aggressively trying to win customers through amazing camera deals. Time to get the credit card out.

Currently using 2 x hacked Nikon D5200's but they have issues with only streaming out HDMI @30fps no matter what the frame rate is set at. I am considering upgrading to D750's or GH4's.

Definitely good to get the higher bit rates with an external recorder and to use Prores, however if the Nikons stream 8 bit 4:2:0 over HDMI then do the external recorders upscale to 10 bit 4:2:2, which is not good IMO?

That's a very good point about the audio connectivity with an Atomos etc. I currently sync sound to an external audio recorder, so that would be one less box to worry about

So the signal passed through the HDMI path is not raw as happens with the Canons with ML hacks, but most go through significant processing in camera.

Does this mean that using an external recorder is not a good idea unless you have a 10 bit output and 8 bit internal as you get with the GH4?

Ah Ok Thanks.

Using an external recorder such as the Atamos Assassin bypasses the recording restrictions, and obviously bypasses the compression algos, but does it also bypass the camera colourimetry too?

I currently use Nikons mainly because the OOC colours are so good, but I want the benefits of external recording (higher bit rates, longer recording times etc). What I don't want is for the externally recorded data to lose those great Nikon colours. Would that happen?

Thanks

Chris

Buy a Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 for around £600 ($800 USD?) and a Speedbooster. You only need this one lens for those focal lengths and it is superb.

Check out the posts from Andy Lee (who really knows his stuff) about this lens on this forum

​The D810 video is really excellent - natural colours, great auto white balance, full frame look etc etc

I mostly use two cameras for video and like the Super 35 look from the D5200's. The main problem, though, is that I cannot afford two full frame cameras for video!

The 5200's will plummet in price now, and they will be a real bargain, if you want great video and stills. Means you can spend more on lenses 

​They'll be paying you to buy a D5200 soon! They are still very good cameras if you don't want/need 50/60 fps.

I use two D5200's for video and a D810 for stills. All fantastic cameras.

Great to see the 5200 being used so well.

I shoot all my videos on two D5200's and couldn't be happier.

Focusing them is easy, even with G lenses because you can use autofocus to nail the focus which is then retained when you press the record button.

You need manual lenses for follow focus though, and then you use the brilliant AI-S lenses.

I've been using the 28mm F2.8 AI-S CRC lens for some still life photography lately and it is superb. Amazing lens for a low price (compared to the equivalent G lens).

5200's are going very cheaply now. They are a bargain.

 

 

On the AF-D, AI-S, AI lenses you control aperture mechanically on the lens.

I think you are incorrect about using the aperture ring on AF-D lenses on the D5200 and very likely on the D5300

The AF-D lenses have a distance chip (hence the "D" in the name) that communicates with the lower spec Nikon DSLRs like the 5200 and 5300 (I haven't got a 5300 so I am not totally sure) and requires that the lens is locked in its smallest aperture, otherwise you get an error message displayed.

Higher end bodies such as the D7100 can use the AF-D lenses properly and therefore allow you to use the aperture ring manually.

So AF-D lenses work like G lenses on 5200/5300? bodies - you have to change the aperture electronically. I have to do this with my Nikon 28 - 70 F2.8.

I guess this is one of the "nuances" of using lower end Nikon DSLR's!

Its best to use AiS lenses which are completely manual and allow you to see aperture changes in real time in live view.

 

 

The key to the Nikon route is to find the right lenses. For video use, avoid the Nikon G ones. With other Nikon lenses you can change aperture at any time.

Good advice and good choice of lenses. :)

I have the 28mm F2.8 AiS and the 85mm F2 AiS lenses and they are both really excellent - great for still life photos too.

My go to video lens is the Nikon 28 - 70 F2.8, which is fantastic for video.

I use Nikon D5200's and a Panasonic GM1. I much prefer the image from the 5200.

The Super 35 format of the Nikon just looks right to me and the fantastic colours and dynamic range straight from the camera means that there is very little to do in post production, which is a big bonus. This saves a lot of time, which in commercial shooting is valuable.

The GM1 looks more clinical to me, particularly using Panny lenses. I can get a more Nikon feel to the Panny footage by using Nikon AiS manual lenses on it, but mixing the footage does cause colour correction issues in post.

Using a speed booster and Nikon manual glass with the G6 or GH3 may well create an image that satisfies the S35 aesthetic, however you still do not have those fantastic colours and DR that the Nikons deliver.

There are quirks with Nikon usability - the main one being that you cannot change exposure in live mode when you use Nikon G lenses which don't have aperture rings. When you use manual glass such as the brilliant AiS lenses then you can see changes to the lens aperture in live mode.

I shoot video and take stills with the 5200's every day and have got used to their usability. In fact I am so practised with the manual glass now that I prefer using manual lenses instead of autofocus, even when taking still life stills.

There is definitely far more to camera choice than specs!

Chris

Thanks for sharing you bad experience and for warning others.

If you are in Europe, these guys are great. Their prices are reasonable and they are very helpful.

There are some nice low price Nikon lenses right here:

http://wycameras.com/product-category/lenses/nikon-lenses/nikon-manual-focus/

 

 

Nikon 28mm f2.8 AIS

I have one of these. It is a superb lens.

Make sure that you buy the CRC (close range correction) version. It is as sharp as the reviews say.

 

 

gx7 has wifi to a iphone or tablet so you can have a wire free external monitor - its very useful to have

I find the WiFi connection between my GM1 and iPad to be so painfully slow that it is unusable.  Do you get a rapid response on the tablet to aperture and focussing changes, Andy?

Maybe there is something wrong with either my GM1 or iPad.

 

 

Chris - it's hard to talk about colour (well I find it hard)! As I said to Axel, it's just a personal thing really.

Hi Matt

Am I correct in thinking that you have a PhD in creative art? I imagine that you have a superb appreciation of colour :) 

I was actually surprised how over saturated the Nikon colours were this morning, compared to the GM1.  I am a big fan of the 5200, but the scenery colours did not look as accurate as I would have thought.  

 

 

I hardly ever use the D5300 outdoors in good daylight (too soft and the colours, though pleasant, can be a bit thin I think in daylight) or for wide shots. But indoors with ambient lighting, and/or with long/fast lenses in grey weather the Nikon is beautiful (the colours really come alive). In poor light it shines where the G6 and BMPCC do not.

Interesting. Like Axel, I find the Nikon colours vivid compared to the Panasonic GM1. I haven't got a G6 or BMPCC.

In fact I was testing this out only this morning as I want to mix footage shot with the GM1 and D5200. I had found the GM1 (using Neutral and then standard picture settings) colours a bit washed out compared to the D5200 with the neutral profile.

I have tested both cameras indoors with daylight balanced continuous lighting and in overcast outdoor conditions this morning. I used the 85mm F2 AiS on both cameras and used the same ISO and aperture settings.

The GM1 looked a bit washed out. The Nikon looked a bit too vivid, compared to the colours seen with the naked eye. Exposure was bang on with both cameras (tested with external light meter), and each was set to ISO 200.

It looks like a great camera, though, as always, there are one or two gotchas with it.  This site has some detailed reviews about it.

This is just one of his articles about the X70:

http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2014/10/07/sony-pxw-x70-update-on-lanc-control-and-user-info/

 

 

as long as you have in Super 35 field of view a 28mm. 40mm and 70mm which the Nikon zoom gives you ,you can make a film.

Definitely interesting.

There does seem to be a synergy between my APS-C Nikons and the 28-70 for video. The image just looks right.

I don't get that when I look at footage from my MFT camera (without speed booster) - it just doesn't seem as pleasing to my eye, and I struggle to explain why.

The aesthetics of the APS-C frame mean that I don't feel the need to move up to a full frame camera, at least for video, which is great news for my bank account!

 

 

get the Nikon 80-200mm f2.8 to go with it

Uh oh. I probably will, once the bank account recovers!

 

 

I'm using it with a speedbooster and it gives a Super 35mm field of view like on a Panavision/Arri camera on a GX7 , G6

This is one of the reasons why I like the Nikon DSLR's so much. You get the Super 35mm look straight out of the camera and with great colours too.

The combination of that and the 28 - 70 is superb.  I like my AI-S lenses (particularly the 85mm F2), but this zoom covers all the bases really well, and actually handles well, given its size.

I was particularly pleased to see almost no barrel distortion at the 28mm end - doorway verticals look vertical!

 

 

Devon/Andy could you show us some samples with those lenses?

I'll see what I can do, when I get a bit of spare time.

 

 

I would get a Nikon 28-70mm f2.8 IF D , it is a steller lens as used on THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, CASINO ROYALE, QUANTUM OF SOLICE etcetc

I bought one of these a week ago and it is superb. I use it on my hacked Nikon D5200 and the video quality is amazing.

Thanks, Andy, for enthusing about this lens so much!

I've just bought the superb Nikon 28-70 F2.8 lens that Andy Lee raves about.

Put the lens hood on it and then attach it to your D5300 and it will sure look big and impressive!

I've now uploaded a higher bit rate version to Vimeo. Sadly their max bit rate is only 20 mb/s and they have downgraded the video to 720p because of the large file size (330 Mb).

 

 

Mainly this is just reminding me what a great camera it is! Very nice colours and dynamic range.

Thanks for downloading that 0.5GB file, Matt.

As you say, the D5200 is really a great camera. I've not used a D5300 yet, but if it creates a similarly good image then I'm definitely interested in it for 50fps.

I like the S35 look that the D5200 gives and the organic looking images - not the sharpest, but pleasing to the eye. Also not much pp work is required as the colours are so good, which is great.

 

 

You seem to have exposed your shots perfectly by the way, which is no small feat with a manual lens on the D5200!

Thanks - takes a bit of practise.  

I use an external light meter (a great iPhone app) to get a feel for the light level at 1/50 shutter speed and the lowest ISO. I then take a still before shooting to check for blown highlights on image preview.

Chris

I downloaded the original so it's not the Vimeo encode.  I'd try uploading a higher bit rate file to Vimeo. 

 

Yes a brief side-by-side would be nice to see.

You are right. I must have uploaded the wrong version by mistake  :blink:

I'll replace it.  I'm not sure I'll get time to shoot a side by side comparison, but I will if I can.

I will PM you and Ebrahim a link to a 550 Mb version of this video, once its finished uploading!

Chris