Mars

Hmm, the lens of the VII is the same as in the VI. Would prefer a 24-70 (not more than -105) but starting at 1.8, not 2.8 and going to 4.5 already at 35mm equivalent is a no-go. Maybe they improved on many aspects like the AF and IS but there is probably no in-built ND filter like in the VI. So at the first glance you think, great compact cam for filming but as usual with Sony, it shows only little attention to the details. For instance also the flash: what is that, why not a hot shoe? You offer a mic jack so why not the option to use the shoe as well to keep the package compact? This camera tries to be everything and is nothing at the end....
The biggest complaint is still the lens - I don't need 200mm for filming and the low light capabilities are crippled by the optics. Check also the AF hunting when you zoom in and out..
Ok, I see why they designed it that way (trying to beat smartphones) but I think I'll skip this one (again...).

The osmo pocket is sweet! With the little case it comes with, its really pretty well-protected, you can shove it in a bag, throw it in your, well, pocket haha, it's very tiny. 
Stabilized 4k 60p is awesome, and the cinelike d profile even intercuts decently well with larger, better cameras, with decent DR. But for a grab-and-go, decent-quality pocket camera, there's really nothing better. My only complaint is that the 4k 60 files are surprisingly hard to edit, even my maxed out 2019 iMac chokes a little bit on them, which is annoying. 
As an example, I went on a little jeeping adventure recently and took it along just for fun. Nothing crazy, but so easy to get fun, creative shots, boots up real quick, very easy to use, I take it everywhere with me now: 
 

Difficult to predict. But I wouldn't write them off too early. CaNikon have very strong brands and for certain purposes the lens/camera product lines are hard to beat currently. I've sold my D4 as the D810 is more than enough for my portrait work but can't imagine for instance that Bundesliga photogs would change their habits and switch to some Chinese mirrorless plastic toy... Not so fast at least.
By the way,  recently there was a rather provoking article on a highly frequented news page (Spiegel) with the title 'True photographers use Nikon cameras' (not Leica), in my opinion kind of showing the strength of the Nikon (and Canon) brands. Sorry for the German link:
https://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/leica-werbefilm-in-china-echte-fotografen-benutzten-nikon-kameras-a-1264584.html
?
 

Well, regardless of what the general opinion on the internet is - I'm quite satisfied with my Z6 and the new firmware is cool too. Yes, since I've got mine already in Nov and so it's rather an early one, I need to send it in. But at least Nikon is doing something, they seem to have learnt from the D600 desaster. Regarding the current eBay value, I wouldn't care too much about it. Unless you're not interested in the camera any more.
I for my part am still using my two NX1s as well, so can easily bridge the time until I get the Z6 back. In particular its viewfinder is much better than the older NX1 plus the new 14-30/4 is really great. Just my 2c.

Yes I agree. Truly a great camera, and I maintain all the good and long things I wrote about it some months ago. I'm just sad and annoyed to have to get rid of it because of $$ reasons...
The 24-70 f4 alone is a sufficient reason to jump on the ship. Well, being soon camera less, I will have lots of great choices when I will have enough money again to find a new camera.

Cool, it works in video...
https://youtu.be/138j8fQG6jE

As Youtube generic videos go these are very easy on the eye (and ear!) gives some very sound advice (pardon the pun) and all worth a watch to give you an idea of the possibilities of plugin use and their similarities to "real world" hardware and pratices, check out his career building videos - solid advice there:
Michael White
Also Pro Tools Expert is a fantastic site devoid of the usual audio trolling and nonsense, and hosts a wealth of knowledge, not all necessarily related to Pro Tools :
Pro Tools Expert
I use a good friend in Germany (Düsseldorf) for some film and TV foley work, and he may be able (with a few beers) to offer some work experience if its not too far away - and to be honest what he does is "real" sound design - fiddling with Massive and Reaktor for me is just twiddling, he was trained by the best foley artists ever and never ceases to amaze me how he makes some of the sounds I request, take a peek at his site and throw me a line and I can hook you up, he's as mad as a box of frogs lol, but amazing.
Foley Lounge
 
 
 
 
 

I joined this forum in summer of 2012, and I lurked around and read the forum and blog posts on EOSHD quite some time before that.
Since people are commenting on the logo and name of the site:
My profession is as a designer, which include the tasks of creating logos, branding and profiling of companies & products. I can say: the branding and logotype don't keep me back from this site.
What keeps me coming back is the community here in the forum and your blog posts Andrew. It is the genuine core essence of EOSHD; discussions and information, tips on hardware, tips on how to get the most out of cameras - and good videos by you Andrew - and from the community. Very inspirational.
Also, I used to love reading at nofilmschool in the early days. Their rebranding was visually pleasant. But what they did, was to destroy the core (just as previously discussed in this thread): genuine articles from people with a passion for filmmaking and cameras. Somehow their rebranding weeded out the skilled people with interesting discussion too (it existed in the comments section of the blog in the early days). Nowadays I seldom visit that site.
I don't see anything wrong with this site having the name 'EosHD', it is a heritage from how the site came to be. The logo perhaps looks a bit dated, but on the other hand it is personal, non-corporate - not like some spam site that just wants to get ad money. Hence it works with the DNA of the community and the blog which are still very personal with genuine opinions.
I'm into climbing as well. In the climbing community there's a good example of a blog & site which has a horrible and confusing design: http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/ - yet I love reading that blog and keep finding lots of great content at the site, which makes me return to it, even on mobile, although it's a terrible experience on a mobile device. But I do it because of the great content.
In the end, sites with great content that provides learning, new information and good exchange from the users will keep on being relevant (in the meantime the big social media hypes might get replaced by the other latest & greatest competitors over time).
 
And on the inspirational level: I find that you need to take in a lot of creative experiences and process them - to be able to make creative outputs in new directions.
My favourite example would be the insane/genius Alejandro Jodorowsky. I remember seeing him lacking ideas for the progression of a story/character in a documentary about him. What did he do? He picked out a book on random, flipped up a page and looked at it - and found something he could use to progress the story in a whole new direction. Whenever I lack creative motivation/inspiration, I try to find something totally new/different/unknown for me to soak in and think about, be it a film, a book, tv series, music, documentary or other form of art. Then I like to contemplate about that to see where my thoughts lead me. Travelling also tend to give me new experiences the same way.
 
My five cents.
Cheers!
@Andrew Reid Also, with or without inspiration/motivation - I can understand that it takes a while for you to put out the blog posts. It's very visible that a lot of work goes into creating your reviews! And on a lot of other sites, it's very visible which reviews are copy-paste rush jobs...

Would be interesting to see (or hear...) if the preamps are really capable. Saying that it´s just better than "most of DSLR preamps" is not very promising, though...

Would be interesting to see (or hear...) if the preamps are really capable. Saying that it´s just better than "most of DSLR preamps" is not very promising, though...

I agree that most modern cameras are just fine.
But I dont agree that skin tones are the "least" of the problems for shooting interviews. If I where using it for interviews it would be my number 2 priority after audio.
All the cameras produce the frame rate and resolution needed. Handling and build isnt very important for locked down interviews. The only two specs to care about is audio and skin tones

Well, not all DSLRs will be replaced by a phone...
 

Hey guys,
I'm not sure anyone cares, considering that these are two quite different creatures, but while I have both the SmallHD 501 and PIX-E5 still here I made a rough comparison between the two.
Quick upfront comment: the SmallHD 501 is a pure field monitor while the VideoDevices PIX-E5 can record in ProRes to a Speed Drive (a mSata SSD in a proprietary USB3 case). I have only tested the monitor functions and not the recording. If you're looking for an alternative to a Shogun or Odyssey you will want the PIX-E.
The SmallHD 501 allows to attach the sidefinder attachment, turning it into a not perfect but good EVF.

As most know, both of them are field monitors with 5 inch 1920x1080 pixel IPS screens. Both of them run on dual batteries so you can hot swap during use, the SmallHd using the ubiquitous Canon LP-E6 while the PIX-E5 takes the just as common Sony L batteries. Both monitors have a lot of exposure, focus and framing helps and can load LUTs from a SD card, a great feature to separate them from the cheaper low budget offering when shooting LOG profiles. So far with the similarities, I'll go a bit deeper on the specific stuff and differencies.

Models and operation:
The Small HD 501 is the cheaper 500series model, lacking the SDI in- & outputs that the more expensive SmallHD 502 brings, otherwise boasting exactly the same features. There's also more expensive 7 inch models. The SmallHD operates completely over the joystick plus back button, you'll won't have smudges on the screen like with a touch screen.
The VideoDevices PIX-E5 is the more expensive 5 inch PIX-E due to the SDI in- & outs, there's also a cheaper PIX-E5H that only has HDMI . Just like with SmallHD, VideoDevices also makes a 7 inch model. While the SmallHD has a very minimalist operating approach, the PIX-E5 on the other hand features a twist & push know on one side, 13 buttons on the front and touch screen in addition.

I'd give the point here to the PIX-E, it's just more pleasant to set up and toggle the functions.
Operating system logic:
The 501 offers a page logic. You can create multiple pages that you set up with the tools of your choice (in whatever combination you need) and then just left-right jump with the joystick between the pages. So you might have one page with all your tools to set the right exposure and then the next page with your framing guides and focus helps. Nifty.
On the PIX-E5 you can activate and deactivate the different tools with the buttons on the bottom of the screen, configure them by holding the button. Works easy and quick, especially on combination with the touch screen.
I'll give this point to the SmallHD. While I think setting up the tools is quicker on the PIX-E, you only set them up once and then toggle between pages on the 501 while you would always turn tools on and off on the PIX-E. But this is by a hair, I think both is perfectly fine, might be a draw for others.
Exposure tools:
Both have configurable zebras, false colour, histogram, waveform and vectorscope. They feel slightly laggy and pixelated on the PIX-E but that's nit picking. A clear draw.
Focus tools:
They both have colored edge peaking in configurable strength and color.
The 501 features additional edge sharpening that emphasizes in focus edges so it's really easier to pull focus directly from the full screen video without the distracting peaking colors. It works quite well in my opinion and is better than colored edge peaking when using a nice big 5 or 7 inch monitor.
The PIX-E5 features a cool zoom function to punch in on the picture via touch screen, you can even move the zoomed frame area. 
Which is better? It depends. For me I'd say the full screen edge sharpening is better for run & gun where you want to keep an eye on the whole frame while the great punch in is good when shooting from sticks or in a more narrative setting.
Inputs & Outputs:
Both feature HDMI and SDI depending on the model as well as doing loop through. The point goes clearly to the PIX-E5 though as it has 4k via 6G SDI and HDMI while the Small HD only does FullHD. In addition the PIX-E5 can do FullHD up to 120fps (not that most consumer/prosumer cameras would even give that out, they only do it internally).
Image lag:
I've tested this point because a lot of people complained about the image lag of the PIX-E5 with roughly 5 frames of delay. VideoDevices really improved this a lot with the last firmware updates. Both monitors show a comparable amount of delay connected via HDMI to a Samsung NX1 or Nikon D750. If shot the camera screens and monitors with the iPhone in 240fps and both monitors lagged roughly the same behind the camera screens and reality.
Keep in mind that if you do loop through, there will be additional delay. The SmallHD won't work on the NX1 but it works when looping through the PIX-E5 (makes you wonder how SmallHD is incapable to fix this if even that is enough?) but obviously it will lag even more then. This is probably only relevant for the people who want to run multiple monitors/recorders on one camera to have separate view for operator and focus puller (and director).
Recording:
DUH! PIX-E5 because the SmallHD 501 is no recorder. In addition the PIX-E5 comes with the PIX-LR module to high quality audio features such as phantom powered XLR inputs.
Weight and size:
The SmallHD 501 is smaller by quite a margin, I didn't measure them but you can see it on the picture or look it up in the tech specs. 
The SmallHD 501 weighs 205g without batteries and 365g with my two aftermarket LP-E6. These bring 2000 mAh each.
The VideoDevices PIX-E5 is 450g without batteries and reachs 635g with two aftermarket NP-F550 (2900 mAh each) or, if you need a lot of juice, 1050g with two NP-F970 (7800 mAh each).
We don't have to discuss this, it's clearly in favor of the SmallHD 501. This was when using them as pure monitors, if you add the Speed Drive to record to the PIX-E5 will get even heavier. So when shooting with a A7s with a vintage lens, the PIX-E5 with batteries and media is as heavy as the camera. This is actually on the level of the bigger Shogun. One reason clearly is the superior build quality. While the SmallHD 501 is in no way flimsy, the PIX-E5 has a massive metal housing used for robustness and to dissipate heat (it also has an active cooling fan but the volume is perfectly fine).
Start up time:
Here comes the last point in my list and the absolute deal breaker for me. Everything above would be perfectly fine with both monitors and I think both are great choices but depending on how you want to shoot, the start up time of the PIX-E5 will be unacceptable. 
I've stopped the time between pushing the button / shoving the slider and the image appearing on screen for both monitors multiple times.
SmallHD 501: 3 seconds
PIX-E5: 32 seconds
For me that was just not workable as I like to pull the camera out of the bag, flip it on and shoot. I often won't want to stand around 30 seconds and wait for the monitor to power on. If you're shooting a music video or a narrative that might be fine though, it's more some documentary & travel style situations where I see this as a problem.
 
So this is my rough and brief impression of the two monitors (slash recorder). To be honest I think the VideoDevices PIX-E5 is the more extensive product, especially with the recording function, but due to the difference in weight and start up time I see the SmallHD 501 as more usable in my personal opinion and goals.
 
I'm sure I forgot something and will then add that later. If you have any questions, just ask.
[edit] There is further information about the startup time of the PIX-E5 further down in this thread.

That's quite a lot bs in that article indeed. By the way, many people rant quite a lot about micro contrast and some sort of "magic" etc in their reviews. Well, lenses as well as sensors have gotten really, really good nowadays and as it has become difficult to differentiate stuff on such a high level, people start finding things which are not objective or not even measurable at all.
I thing Thom Hogan has put it quite nicely in one of his most recent articles:
http://www.dslrbodies.com/lenses/lens-articles/what-is-micro-contrast.html

Threw this together this morning. Settings in description.

Exactly. I'm a hard-core Nikon user myself and love my D810, or for special tasks the D4 as well. But the NX1 is ergonomically perfect. Not too small, not too big - just right. Image quality is great. I wouldn't have thought it but currently I end up using this camera most often, even for stills... Even the smaller LX100 or the RX1R remain in the bag or on the shelf more often than I would have imagined before.

Regarding batteries: I think there will be enough third party alternatives for some time to go. And lenses are my least worry. The small pancakes and the S line provide everything you need. If you want to play, the Nikon mount offerings (or Canon if you´re into this brand) via an adapter provide a whole new world of choices. Yes, manual but the really high end stuff from Zeiss is without AF as well. Focus peaking on and everything is fine.

For the next couple of years, until Nikon will have cought up, for me this is the solution.

Exactly. I'm a hard-core Nikon user myself and love my D810, or for special tasks the D4 as well. But the NX1 is ergonomically perfect. Not too small, not too big - just right. Image quality is great. I wouldn't have thought it but currently I end up using this camera most often, even for stills... Even the smaller LX100 or the RX1R remain in the bag or on the shelf more often than I would have imagined before.

Regarding batteries: I think there will be enough third party alternatives for some time to go. And lenses are my least worry. The small pancakes and the S line provide everything you need. If you want to play, the Nikon mount offerings (or Canon if you´re into this brand) via an adapter provide a whole new world of choices. Yes, manual but the really high end stuff from Zeiss is without AF as well. Focus peaking on and everything is fine.

For the next couple of years, until Nikon will have cought up, for me this is the solution.

Correction: looking the official product page (http://www.sony.com/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-6300-body-kit), looks like that the sensor is not BSI, but a "normal" sensor with copper wiring.


The wiring is on top, not on the back, like in the A7RII sensor:

OK folks - here's the complete product link list from the video.

Lord have mercy - that is one tedious process. The dang sellers had better NEVER change those links or I'm crackin' skulls! 


Products discussed in my Video in the original post:

 
"One size fits all" Cage - $149
Movcam BMPCC Cage  - $323
Fotga Follow Focus - $170
Follow Focus Speed Crank - $13
Giottos Quick Release Adapter - $38
Offset Riser Clamp - $18
Cavision Matte Box - $99

Cavision Matte Box Rail Mount Clamp - $28

Cavision Matte Box Riser Bracket - $15

XT Power Battery - ~$60 (On today's date - Feb. 24th it's out of stock like I mentioned might happen)
Fotasy Rods - $15
Fotasy Rod Connectors - $5
Neewer Handles - $30
Fotga Shoulder Pad - $15
Flashpoint Counter Weight - $30
Glide Gear Portable 4" Jib - $159

Davis & Sanford Bowl Mount Tripod - $159
Davis & Sanford "Airlift" Tripod (The taller one) - $149
Carry Cases - Stanley "FAT MAX" Tool Box - $35 online price. (Will almost always be only $25 if you can find them locally.)
 

I've had a DS1 for a couple of months now and it's been very solid. Any problems I've had have been from me trying to cut corners on pre-balancing it. As long as I properly balance it, everything is fine. The only other issues I've had are from not knowing what is happening with it due to the manual not being clear. So, here's some tips on the DS1:
* It starts up in follow mode.
* One button press and you will hear a tone. Now it's in lock mode. (The manual is clear on these two modes).
* Another quick press, gets you a tone and you're back in follow mode.
* To go into half-follow mode requires a two second press. Confusingly, it doesn't give you a tone when you do this.
* To add to the confusion, a five second button press completely disables the joystick. Also no tone. The manual doesn't mention this at all. I imagine that after improper balancing, this undocumented feature causes the most customer confusion.
* Invert mode is easily accessed, just hold the DS1 upside down. You don't even have to turn it off! 
* They don't advertise the DS1 as water proof or resistant, but I've read some people think it is because the wiring is concealed under foam. WRONG! If you carefully look at the DS1 under sunlight you can see the copper wire windings in the motor housings through the gap between pieces. So don't believe the people tag think t may be water resistant.
* I built a double handle rig for it with a couple 15mm rods, two handles and a mounting plate in the middle. That's about another $60 of hardware. It's great for holding the DS1 for longer periods.
I'm happy with my DS1. I got it to work with my NX1, 16-50 S lens combo which is heavy. It does fine. The only problem is that the 16-50 S lens is so heavy that the NX1 has to sit back on the plate very far. This means your tilt range is very limited and that you won't be using any focal lengths longer than 16mm. That's obviously no fault of the DS1.
Here's a couple sample shots where I attached the DS1 to a monopod and used it as a jib (not with the 16-50 S lens):
 

Yes it is sharp - but look at the beige skintones - he looks like he's as tan as Donald Trump.  And not secondary skintones on his face, no blues, or greens.
This is more what we expect from a still, with lots of color in the face - red, blue, and some greens hitting in the face.:
This is what we need from cameras - natural skintones.  After that, then yes, resolution is important.  Need it circular and round feeling so it pops, so it shows the organicness of an image like film.  That feels, in my mind, how we see the world.
But skintones should always be the number one priority.  That's what Arri and Canon have figured out. And to many extents, Blackmagic is right there behind them. 
 
 

The new Sigma-Art lenses. Currently the 50mm/1.4 (i.e. for my little girl), true Zeiss-quality.
Apart from that of course the 18-35mm/1.8 on the D7100 and NX1. If only it wasn't that huge and heavy...
The 35mm/1.4 on the D810 is no wimp either.

This is a bunch of basic information about affordable camera support gear.
A lot of people who are new to all this Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera stuff (or DSLR sized cameras), and folks who don't have much money to spend have been asking me about all this lately. I don't have a lot of time to do gear reviews, so I decided to try to cram as much information as I could into this one video hoping to answer as many questions as I can all in one place.
Items covered in this video:
BMPCC Cages
Rail Systems
Shoulder Rigs
External Batteries
Follow Focus Devices
Matte Boxes
Cats and Dogs Living Together
Tripods
Jibs
Gimbal
Carry Case
*Note: The "one size fits all" cage I show here costs $149. I forgot to mention that.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqzJlgPjL_c
 
Some of the links I've been able to locate:
"One size fits all" Cage - $149
Movcam BMPCC Cage  - $323
Fotga Follow Focus - $170
Follow Focus Speed Crank - $13
Giottos Quick Release Adapter - $38
Offset Riser Clamp - $18
Cavision Matte Box - $99
 

I have the Pilotfly H1+.  If you are a run and gun one camera one lens guy, this thing is perfect.  But prepare to spend hours tweaking it to perfection.  Not only do you have to tweak for smooth motion w/o vibration, you also have to calibrate it for battery life.  But once you get it tuned, you really can just hit the trigger and capture amazing video. The organic camera movements are what I like about it the most.  Walking, panning, still etc.  The battery life however, is abysmal.  About 1.5 hours if you've calibrated it optimally.  Badly calibrated (too much unnecssary power to any of the motors), you can zap the battery in about 15 minutes.  Where this power goes is beyond me.  A well tuned CameTV Single can run for 10 hours.  The H1+ for 1.5 hours.  Even a perfectly balanced and calibrated H1+ will die in 1.5 hours where the motors are not doing anything.
The external battery attachment to the base sold for $65 is actually an amazing addon because now you can shoot for 7-9 hours no problem.  All day without worry.  But keep in mind while the H1+ looks like a well crafted professional piece of electronics, the battery attachment's make and quality is insanely poor.  About the quality of imitation tupperware that you get at a dollar store.  But again, the batteries inside of it is what counts.  
Switching lenses is a hassle for every time.  But as long as you got the recipe down, you can do it on your smartphone, and it's not too bad.  But don't even think about trying to switch lenses on set if you don't already have the perfect set of numbers written on a notebook.  Change bodies on shooting day?  That's crazy talk unless you've practiced switching bodies like how a soldier practices how to disassemble/reassemble his rifle.  Then you can balance it and change the PID settings and calibration under 5-10 minutes.
Another thing about the H1+ is that it uses LiPo batteries.  The battery inside the H1+ is LiPo.  The batteries inside the external battery attachment, LiPo.  The alternate external battery solution they also sell is LiPo.  LiPo batteries are extremely high maintenance.  If you are going to buy a H1+ you should become an expert on the maintenance of LiPo batteries.  The fact that Pilotfly doesn't tell you to do this is a bit irresponsible.  my guess is because Pilotfly comes from the hobby R/C business and they just kind assume people know how to take care of LiPo batteries.  There are probably dozens to maybe even hundreds of LiPo battery fire videos on YouTube.  
In hindsight, should I have bought the CameTV Single?  For the battery life, the ease of changing lenses, bodies, I think this was the CameTV Single would have been a better purchase.  Reading about so many people with CameTV Single's battery issues, although I'm sure a handful of people are indeed experiencing battery issues, I believe most of this has to do with the lack of balance, lack of knowledge about calibration.  People have it so poorly balanced that the motors are working overtime, and on top of that, they probably are told to not worry touch the PID settings which leads to people not really knowing how to troubleshoot their issues effectively.  It's no surprise the battery dies really quickly for some people.  Becoming an expert at the H1+ makes me believe I can rock the CameTV Single for 10 hours on a single charge without battery issues.  But without becoming an expert in 3-axis gimble calibration and Basecam SimpleBGC, I don't think I'd know how to troubleshoot a CameTV Single if I bought that first because I would think my battery is defective.

Yes, much better than any in camera solution obviously. As fuzzy writes you need to be close enough though, otherwise Sennheiser g3 lavalier is the way to go. I also have the Sony PCM-D100 which is probably better than the H1. The juiced link solution is not much worse than the Sony.