BenEricson

3 hours ago, IronFilm said:

The cost is mere pennies to the dollar compared to the high costs to hire a film crew to go out and film a clp. 

I mean we can really only speculate. Assuming this took an hour to render a 720p clip, with access to a bunch of GPUs and however many TBs of data. 1000USD - 10,000USD per render? This isn't Mid Journey.

You're talking about insanely high compute power and $$$. 

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-sora-generative-ai-video/

On 2/17/2024 at 11:15 AM, Ty Harper said:

Sorry but anyone who's saying this looks sh*tty must not have seen the original Will Smith spaghetti one they had a year ago. THAT was sh*tty - this new one is no where near perfect, but sh*tty is just a ridiculous descriptor of something that is still developing. It is imo good enough for us to understand the implications for the art-based labor industry.

To be fair, that was an incredibly difficult video to try to generate... Would love to see their new attempt! We need an A/B to A/B.

I would imagine the cost for generating these types of videos to be quite costly. Somewhere between 200-1000 per video, no? This is an insane amount of compute power. 

15 hours ago, kye said:

Personally, I set auto-WB because it's more likely to get closest to correct than I will.

Years ago, I used to work on these Walmart commercials. They were all shot on the Canon 5DMk3 set to Auto WB. Every market all over the country shot on the same camera, lens, and settings so the commercial spots would always look the same. It also sped up post product. EOS Standard I think? Or whatever was available on that camera. It's been a while. 

You will get the most accurate skin tones if you do a proper manual WB off of white. I sometimes use auto WB to read the scene, then lock my WB to whatever it tells me is correct. 

For studio stuff, I really like to shoot with baked in color, typically EOS Standard. I will often tweak the color matrix based on the setting but that profile on the Canon Cinema cameras is really really nice in my opinion. It gives you a very honest reading of the scene. Really nice for lighting fill ratios on set etc. 

Shooting with baked in color doesn't mean you can't grade or tweak the image. You can still shoot plates to control a blown out window away from the subject, etc. You can also add vignettes or tweak colors. I just find this to incredibly accurate and better than most people can do without a proper color workflow.

3 hours ago, IronFilm said:

And of those very few which want the Super 8mm look, how many will want the awkward workflow of actual film vs shooting on an ARRI then degrading it down in post? (or some other similar-ish approach, such as shooting with an OG BMPCC or Digital Bolex or Magic Lantern) 

I feel like nobody but enthusiasts actually does that... The fake film look on small gauge stuff ain't it! The workflow is fine. Most labs in LA or NY could have you scans in a day or two.  Flat 4444 ProRes File. Same as it's always been. 

Game Time on HBO. "The project used approximately 1,200  50 foot rolls of Super 8 film; 50 Hours of Super 8 filmmaking!"

I'll just repeat what others have said, but a video tap, LCD, and c-mount, make it a very very unique product. There's really no motion picture cameras period that have a video tap that cost under 20k.

Personally, I much prefer the ergonomics of shooting with a view finder, but I do believe people who have the money will certainly buy this camera. Rental house definitely. They'll snatch them up. I would guess they sell 500 - 1000 in pre-order. Isn't it made by Logmar? Those are expensive as well.

On 11/23/2022 at 3:46 PM, utisz said:

Hello,

do you have any idea what is causing that teribble jitter of antialising in my footage that I recorded with my C70?
Is the digital stabilization which is messing up my clip or something else?

Thanks very much for sharing your expertise on this.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T9DeIdrt7t61vzGiP5h1h8HA0jZ1aPuY/view?usp=share_link

That looks like the Digital IS. Looks pretty similar to the result of applying warp stablizer to shaky footage shot with a 1/48 shutter.

OG C300. Looks amazing. A C300 and a proper colorist / subject will give you much better results than a C70 or C300 Mk3 without.

3 hours ago, tupp said:

Global shutter and S16 optics are significant to the look of the D16.

It really depends what people define the "film look" to be. The OG pocket gets close, but the Jello ain't it.

The HPX and HVX will probably become more popular as the years go on. Especially for things like mixed medium etc. It has deep depth of field, but it has the caked on color look due to the CCD sensor. There's also nice look noise and really nice baked in looks.

You can also just shoot film... There's more resources than there have been in the last 10 years. You can have processing and scans turned around in a few days.

9 minutes ago, TomTheDP said:

I think it has more to do with processing than the codec itself. Of course motion will generally look better with ALL-I vs Long GOP due to the nature of the compression. But everything else comes down to processing. 

I would think aside from the manufactures choice in processing that H264 ALL-I at 200mbps in HD would match Prores 422 HQ at HD which is around 200mbps. 

The motion is kind of all garbage on the C70. It might be the DGO. I don't know. It feels a little funky.

There have also been advancements in sensors. For example, the C70 looks better in Long GOP @ 160 than the C300 Mk2 does in 400mbps. The new sensor is cleaner, sharper, with less artifacts, etc.

18 hours ago, mercer said:

After shooting ML Raw for the past 5 years and ProRes on a BMMCC, I don't know if I can ever go back to a highly compressed h.26... codec.

There have certainly been advances in the last few years. The LONG GOP 4k @ 160mbps looks so damn good on the Canon C70s. It's pretty hard to tell the difference between the two.

2 hours ago, Django said:

@TomTheDP Interesting video! I'm a bit late here sorry but after working with Komodo footage for the first time the other day I think I am seriously considering this camera for my high-end cine needs. I love the R3D raw options (skin contrast, highlight rolloff etc) and how ISO works in post, you can get really creative and overall the files have so much information yet the file sizes are so small. The noise is also really organic/filmic compared to let's say BMD or Canon RAW. The motion cadence is also beautiful. Really I'm just blown away by the IQ and how you can massage those files in Davinci. ARRI is still the golden standard, the benchmark, but this feels like its just right below it IQ wise and for resolution or high ISO probably better.

The compact size of the camera, the traffic light exposure system, global shutter, RF mount, 6K resolution and even on-board PDAF makes it a really tempting A cam for me personally. I was all set on a C70 but after playing around with Komodo footage, well it just feels like a huge step forward in IQ. I think I will just upgrade my R6 to an R5 for hybrid all-around mid-level projects and go with the Komodo for anything higher. Now of course I gotta figure out how to finance it all!

Agreed. I was skeptical of the Komodo until I used it. I really love the footage that camera produces. I also love the noise and the motion. The look with the Vazens is really nice.

I also own the C70. I use it for a lot of corporate jobs. The face tracking, NDs, built in audio, 4K 120 are all really nice. I've used the RAW a little and it still is not close to the Komodo in terms of color depth and overall IQ. The motion is really bad. To be honest, I use it more, it makes a lot of money, but not really a fun camera. Means to an end.

On 8/3/2022 at 4:25 PM, kye said:

Yeah, the handle / viewfinder is the typical solution, but it doesn't work well for what I want.  Firstly, the viewfinder is great if you want to make your cinematography "I shoot from eye-level" but that's not a great way to make interesting images.  The handle underneath the camera also doesn't work in strong winds as the issue is that the wind hits the camera from the side and the camera rotates around where you're holding it - which in that case would be below the camera - creating a roll. 

I don't know what to tell you man! Acting like you're against shooting "eye level," when literally every still photograph, every piece of 16mm, Super 8 etc, is all shot from eye level. You seem to have issues with literally every practical solution!

The "head on a swivel" type movements you can get with an EVF create much more interesting footage than swaying from the hip.

I think you need to prioritize the stability of the camera over the exact camera height. The Bolex 16mm cameras ergonomically are far better than other cameras I use regularly. You can use your body to get lower for lower angles etc.

To summarize, there's really only a few solutions that can solve your problem. The more you add, the smoother your footage will be.

- More Weight

- More Points of Contact (EVF / Pistol Grip.)

- Wider Lens

17 minutes ago, webrunner5 said:

I am serious about using a Steadicam. I have the small one and it works great for the OG. What do you think movie sets use, Steadicams, or the high end Movi gimbal that has batteries and monitors etc. adding weight to it that only they can afford.

Trouble is you have to do the duck walk with any of them, so you look like you lost a bet using it. 

They use all kinds of things; Handheld rigs, Dolly's, Tripods, etc. It depends what type of visual language that you're trying to achieve with the movements.

A steady cam doesn't replace the feel of a weighted camera with multiple points of contact. It's a different look entirely.

On 8/1/2022 at 8:42 PM, kye said:

I don't mind a hand-held look, but the mismatch between the pan and tilt being almost perfectly stable and the roll being jittery as hell is really not a good look.  I realise that my options are some combination of stabilising the roll in post and de-stabilising the pan and tilt (adding shake) so the aesthetic works. 

You need more points of contact.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1013082-REG/kinotehnik_lcdvfbm_blackmagic_pocket_2ea_mounting_plates_soft.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/384999943227?hash=item59a3c8ec3b:g:orkAAOSwsQ1iy1eq

Or add weight. Gimbal is a different tool and creates a different look.

.

13 hours ago, TomTheDP said:

It does get used like I said. Though wasn't Squid Games purchased by Netflix after the fact. It was pretty low budget.

Is Henry Graham a DOP? Some directors seem to like RED like Fincher or Zach Snyder.

Stranger Things Season 4 was shot on the ARRI Alexa LF though. Around me Sony seems to be preferred over RED if ARRI is not in the budget.

The Komodo is largely popular but all I hear from AC's is complaints and it certainly isn't being used as an A-cam outside of a few select movies.

I do think the Komodo and Raptor are amazing bargains and would be the set I go with in the low budget indie space.

Here in Seattle it is definitely Arri or Canon. That's about it. Nobody uses Sony. Red gets used more than Sony.

I wouldn't ask an AC to really comment on purely image quality. I find that the Komodo looks way better than any Canon offering, yet an AC locally here would love to work with a C500 Mk2 over basically any RED. 

RED gets used in a lot of skate, snowboard, motocross, MTB, etc. Definitely more a "video" space that demands high resolution and some high FPS.

Komodo is supposedly the most popular and most purchased RED camera ever. 

Film is king though. 

I think the main issue with these Canon cameras is still the post work flow. There is still no Cinema Gamut to REC.709 LUT. The conversion LUT from Log2 to Wide DR doesn't even match the baked in Wide DR profile. (I've tried. They don't match.)

The Komodo for example, looks MUCH better right out of the gate with the standard RED provided LUT applied. There are 4 different LUTs with 4 different roll off curves for you to choose. You can preview whatever contrast level you want in camera, then apply the correct LUT in your NLE. It looks exactly like it does in camera.

The LT raw footage played back pretty well for me. The other codecs work smoother though. I'm on an older Mac Pro. I don't really notice a difference in the footage though.

On 3/8/2022 at 7:08 AM, webrunner5 said:

Old people are smarter than young people because we have witnessed the fall of society from the time of our youth. It is Not looking good boys and girls, and there is no going back now sad to say. Nobody really gives a shit about anybody anymore.

Prime, okay boomer opportunity. 

I do think that Covid made VR, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, do damn tired. The last thing I want to do is stare at another screen or “hop on a zoom call.” 

2 hours ago, herein2020 said:

You are probably right, the differences in CLOG2 vs 3 on this camera are probably so negligible that it would be easier to just stick with CLOG2 even if on paper CLOG3 would technically be the better choice. My whole workflow is around CLOG2 so I probably will just use it for everything.

I find that the Clog 3 / BT.709 profile is easier to color grade from scratch. That being said, I think Log2 is a better curve.

I really liked log2 bt.709 tho. It looks a bit closer to Red or Arri Log footage. This was only available on the C300 Mkii. Maybe the c500ii? Not sure.

23 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

I agree I don't see Vimeo lasting much longer. When you are always worried about them deleting a video or more who wants to live with that over your head all the time. Sure the quality is better if you even have a video left to view!

Vimeo is still the go to pro portfolio site. YouTube can’t cut it with ads / related videos you get. I can’t have someone watching an ad before a video. 

on top of that, the quality is just better. YouTube goes to mush. Especially fine details in film, grain, noise, etc.

On 3/2/2022 at 2:25 PM, PannySVHS said:

Holy crap. Vimeo starts to become unpleasant to use. I dislike to have to log in to watch certain so called unrated videos. Staff picks don´t fit my bill neither with their hipster oriented nowness videos. Social struggles don´t come in pretty corporate colours.

Even you know that is an exaggerated statement. I guess we can all agree that YouTube is camera reviews and covid conspiracies. 🙂
 

8 hours ago, QuickHitRecord said:

I love film too, though certain stocks are too grainy for me. Now that it's finally back in stock after months of waiting, I just bought my first roll of 250D. Now I need to find something worthy of $150+ for 2.5 minutes (and it's a test roll, since it will be my first time using my new Kodak K100).

From other tests I've seen, 250D is the ultimate, perfect grain character.

Yeah, it’s crazy. I brought 10 rolls of 250d right when BH stocked it. (I have the notifications on.) They emailed me the next day saying they could only send me 4. 

I agree with you on the 250d. 50d is almost too clean but has its place for sure. 250d is just so nice.

Black Magic Pocket for sure. Komodo feels good. Canon cinema cameras have a ton of noise reduction and lack the texture of those two cameras for sure. 

Film is the absolute best though. No contest. The amount of life even a static shot has when shooting 16mm is unbelievable. The perfect amount of grain, detail, and color.

On 2/5/2022 at 8:17 AM, Dave Kent said:

I'm trying to get a picture to an external monitor via HDMI from the C300 Mark2.

I've tried a couple of Lilliput 7" monitors but can only get a signal and picture via SDI.... not HDMI.

Never had a probem like this with my other cameras such as GH5, Lumix 101E, Sony EX3 etc, it's just plug it in and off you go.

I have tried 4 diferent C300ii's and no mater what settings I put into the menu I can't get a signal.

Canon Support told me to check out page 172 of the on-line manual which i did but still no picture or signal.

I can't be the first "Dummy" to have this issue and I'm sure its a simple fix.

Can anyone help me out?

 

Make sure your output is set to VF-LCD-HDMI/SDI. Default is LCD/VF.

On 1/25/2022 at 8:25 PM, TomTheDP said:

Yeah the benefit of the 444 version as well is being able to do 60p out of a single SDI.

The Sony menus are a pain but the files are amazing to work with. It doesn't like overexposure but it's phenomenal in the shadows. The camera is truly amazing in low light. I honestly would pick it above newer full frame options. The color and noise is so much nicer.

Agreed. They nailed it with that camera. The electronic EF mount works really well. I really really wish it did internal ProRes. I wouldn’t have sold mine.