DevonChris

Hi Matt

Thanks for the comments.

It is my video. I think the macro blocking must have occured during the Vimeo encode.

Were you watching the HD version on Vimeo? 

Chris

https://vimeo.com/106266019

Here is a screen grab from a shoot I did yesterday.  The D5200 had the first hack, not the 64Mbs hack.

This is straight out of the camera, with no PP at all. Lens : 85 F2.0 AiS, 24fps, shutter speed 1/50th, No ND, Neutral picture profile, all other settings are standard

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Do you think the hacker will add features such as focus peaking?

I don't miss focus peaking on the D5200, though it would be good if it was available.

I have developed a workflow when shooting with the 5200 that is starting to get really good results.  This is a summary of high I take static shots using AiS lenses which are great because you can monitor aperture changes real time in live view. 

1) Check live view to get approximate iris value, moving aperture ring accordingly

2) Get approximate focus in live view and then magnify image for accurate focussing

3) Take photo and view it with highlighting enabled to rapidly check for blown out highlights

4) Change aperture, if required to protect highlights. If not start video recording

I always use 24 fps, 1/50th shutter speed and Tiffen ND's with the camera set to Natural profile. I set ISO manually to the lowest possible (100, if I can).

I've used the hack extensively for over a month and never had any data issues at all.

I use SanDisk Extreme Pro 95 MB/s cards. I guess fast cards are becoming more important now that the bit rates are getting so good.

I have been taking fantastic footage with the previous hack - very little or no moire and very high image quality using AIS primes.  

Can't wait to give this new hack a go tomorrow.

The 5200 is really rocking now, thanks to NikonHacker.

 

 

Thanks for the update. Does playback in camera work?

I've just uploaded the 64Mbs hack, and yes, the playback in camera does work.

The hack is still in Beta, but I decided to go ahead anyway.

The Cinema5d article has been updated to state that there are, in fact only 10.5, stops of dynamic range.

Apparently there was a bug in their test software.

 

 

Clearly the strongest ISO values are ISO200 and ISO800, while ISO800 provides slightly more dynamic range reaching 13 [UPDATED!] 10.5 measured stops with Creative style “Portrait (-3, 0, -3)â€.

I am regularly editing 4K video from the GH4 on a 2 core haswell I7 with 8 gb ram and integrated intel graphics with no problems. The key for me is editing software that supports smart rendering.

So which editing software do you use that can work so effectively with 4K?

Thanks

Thanks, FuzzyNormal. I'll try out some of your ideas.

Chris

When needed, I put a hoodman loupe on mine for shooting outside.  I think this setup has better resolution than the EVF of the GX7.  I find it's pretty easy to focus anyway.  I also really appreciate the "not-a-pro" vibe I give off when shooting with the small form factor GM1, but the dang loupe is bigger than the camera!  

 

Still, as someone that shoots a lot of street documentary footage, looking innocuous is very important to me.  

 

At any rate, The camera gear from all manufacturers is getting nuts.  4K in a GM size?  C'mon, that's cool.  

I have the GM1 and 20mm which does give excellent video quality, however I have two issues with it:

• Seeing the screen outside, so difficult to operate on manual - maybe I should try the hoodman loupe

• The biggest problem is getting stable shots as the camera is so small. I get much more stability handheld on my Nikon 5200 with three points of contact.

How do you achieve stable shots on your GM1 when shooting street documentaries?

When i use the GM1, I use my monopod with fluid head and wireless control to my iPhone. Not very innocuous!

This is a really good article too:

http://www.lavideofilmmaker.com/dv-film-look/how-to-make-digital-video-look-like-film.html

There is some really excellent information about film making on that website.

Thank you, araucaria. You are really helpful  :)

You can always adapt them from f to whatever mount you want.

Yes, I hadn't thought about that. I don't know if that would decrease the resale value of the lenses.

For information, here is the link to the Leitax Contax -> Nikon page

Thanks for your help. guys.

I wouldn't want to modify the Contax lenses as I need them for other cameras.  The Leitax mount is firmly screwed to the lens, IIRC.

It looks like I should just stick to F mount lenses.

Chris

Hi

Has anyone got any recommendations for the best CY to Nikon F Mount adaptors?

There seem to be a few different makes about, but some don't focus to infinity and I think the Fotodiox one contains a glass element, so I'm not sure how good it is.

Thanks

Chris

Awesome. Thanks.

The prospect of a Nikon FF like that would prevent me buying any DX lenses such as the brilliant Sigma 18-35.

The crop factor is 1.5x on the nikon aps-c cameras. No I'm not selling it :P, It's my only zoom lens and I only got it back last month.

 

If you want cheap nikkor glass hurry up because nikon might drop the bomb at the end of the month and you can only use f mount glass on the nikons.

Yep, sorry. I entered the wrong value for the Nikon crop factor.

What do you mean about Nikon possibly "dropping the bomb at the end of the month"? Do you believe that Nikon are about to go bust?

 

 

if you want a one stop shop for a great Nikon lens get the 28-70mm AF ED f2.8

Thanks, Andy. I have been thinking about that lens. I followed your advice about the Contax 50mm 1.7, which has worked out really well.

The 28-70mm AF ED f2.8 is huge, which is putting me off a bit, though it would be impressive with clients.

 

 

I have that lens but I dont like to use it because its gigantic

Do you want to sell it  :)?

I didn't want to divert this thread away from the OP's initial question about camera choice, but I do recommend that he adds a used Nikon D5200 into his list.

A 1.5 crop factor is much easier to deal with than the Panny's 2x. (Edited the crop factor, which was a typo)

The D5200 video (with the hack) is just as good, with a bit more character IMO. Also it will be interesting to see what other hacks are developed now that the Nikon Hacker team are gaining a better understanding of the Nikon firmware.

I have taken a very different view of the Nikon D5200.

I almost sold mine and now I am very glad that I didn't. I bought the GM1 in May and left the 5200 on the shelf until I needed some high quality stills last week.

I started to play with the video on the 5200 again and was surprised how organic it looked. The colours straight out of the camera are excellent too, requiring less colour correction.

I find the Panny too clinical, which requires work in post to give it character.

Strengths of the D5200 over the GM1:

• It takes awesome stills
• With the 40 Mb/s hack, it takes great video up to high ISO's (Excellent up to 1600, I need to test beyond)
• The live view magnification makes manual focus a breeze
• Bigger so much easier to get steady shots than the GM1 (I always use a monopod for video on the GM1)
• No battling with the 2x crop factor of the Panny
• Swivel screen. I struggle with the fixed GM1 screen in bright light
• The video button is much easier to use than the one on the GM1
• Easier to get shallow depth of field

The 5200 is definitely a keeper. So is the GM1, but I am thinking about building my lens system around Nikon lenses now so that they can be used on both, but with bias to the D5200.

I have a Contax 50mm 1.7 which is fabulous on the GM1 (creates less of a clinical look). I can't wait to try it on the 5200.

I used my D5200 yesterday for stills, which is the first time for months as it has sat on the shelf ever since I bought a GM1 in May.

I was surprised how easy the 5200 is to use (viewfinder) and how effortless it is to take great stills.

I am now really tempted to try the hack and see how good it can be for video. It was going to go up for sale, but not any more!

The GM1 is fantastic for stills and video (particularly with Contax glass), but I do sometimes struggle with its form factor.

Chris

 

 

So, I'm at a crossroads of finding a good editor/grading system.  How's Premiere's Color Correcting system -- any good?

I'm still exploring Premiere, as I'm migrating from FCP.

So far colour correction and grading in Premiere looks good. I was also pleased to see that you can use green screen in Premiere, as I thought that was only in After Effects.

 

 

Are you running 2K or 4K?  4K requires more video RAM.

I was trying to edit 2K with Resolve.

Lots of great help in this thread. Thanks  :)

I wasn't considering Resolve when I bought the Win PC, but remembered it afterwards and thought I'd give it a go. So I didn't check the Resolve hardware specs too carefully.

I haven't updated the AMD drivers so I'll do that tomorrow, but it looks like that GPU isn't good for Resolve anyway.

Chris

Ehm, in your first post you said you have a AMD R9 270 2Gb RAM...

Hi araucaria - you are getting me confused with jbCinC_. I'm the OP and yes my system does have the AMD R9 270.

Anyway I tried re-formatting the video from h.264 to various DNxHD formats but Resolve crashed every time, even though Resolve was the only app running.

I've been playing around with Premiere and it's running really well on my PC so I think it is not worth my time to battle with Resolve any more. As andrgl said, Premiere is a better editor anyway, but not as good as Resolve for grading.

Are you working with h.264 files? If so, re-encode them to ProRes or DNxHD.

Yep. I'll try encoding the files to DNxHD. Thanks for the suggestion  :)

 

 

Not to be obnoxious. But the Blackmagic subforum for Davinci Resolve could net you more accurate answers. 

:)

 (Though sometimes you get none.)

I thought I might get a more balanced, non partisan, view by posting in this forum

i have just moved from an ageing MacBook Air to a new Windows based PC, and thought I'd try Davinci Resolve LIte to replace FCP.

Resolve Lite looks like a great product, particularly as it is free, but I cannot get it to run properly.

There is a delay in playing back the video clip when I move the play head, as though Resolve is rendering or doing other processing in the background.

In contrast, Premiere Pro CC runs really well with instant responses.

My Win PC is pretty powerful, though the graphics card might not be good enough for Resolve. These are the specs:

i7-4790 processor

32Gb RAM

256 Gb SSD

3 TB 7200 HDD

AMD R9 270 2Gb RAM

Win 8.1

I set up resolve to use the SSD for cacheing and project files etc, but that did not cure the poor responsiveness.

Has anyone else experienced these issues, or got any suggestions about configuring the PC and/or Resolve for reasonable performance?

Thanks

Chris