Bkn Soc of Cinematography

Shot this mini doc while on vacation in Mauritius. It's about those who work behind the scenes to uphold the illusion of paradise.
Shot on GH5s, it was intended as a camera test as I wanted to see how 60p and V log play. So it's shot on either 4k 8bit or FHD 10bi at 60pt. In both cases, V log bands quite horribly even in 10 bit FHD. Unfortunately, being on vacation I didn't use an external monitor so I couldn't see the banding until I got it on my computer. I hope this is something Panasonic can fix, at least in 10bit (no excuse). I love Vlog in 10bit 4k non 60p. But I'll probably have to experiment with HGL settings which is a drag because I prefer Vlog overall and I'd hate to have to mix the two settings for a sequence. 

Also, I shot it with Olympus 12-40 2.8 and 40-150 2.8. Love both of these lenses as the manual focus is excellent. I used a monopod for the 40-150 and handheld for the 12-40. Coming from a film background, I don't miss the IS. A little camera shake doesn't kill me, especially for a doc. It was my first time using the 40-150. This lens is superb and worth every penny. But it's not a handheld lens. It has the reach of a 70-200 in FF and that extra 40 over the Panasonic 35-100 makes a huge difference. Also being able to switch to true manual (no fly by wire) is worth it. 
Here's the link. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=9O0cuTdsl8A

Shot this mini doc while on vacation in Mauritius. It's about those who work behind the scenes to uphold the illusion of paradise.
Shot on GH5s, it was intended as a camera test as I wanted to see how 60p and V log play. So it's shot on either 4k 8bit or FHD 10bi at 60pt. In both cases, V log bands quite horribly even in 10 bit FHD. Unfortunately, being on vacation I didn't use an external monitor so I couldn't see the banding until I got it on my computer. I hope this is something Panasonic can fix, at least in 10bit (no excuse). I love Vlog in 10bit 4k non 60p. But I'll probably have to experiment with HGL settings which is a drag because I prefer Vlog overall and I'd hate to have to mix the two settings for a sequence. 

Also, I shot it with Olympus 12-40 2.8 and 40-150 2.8. Love both of these lenses as the manual focus is excellent. I used a monopod for the 40-150 and handheld for the 12-40. Coming from a film background, I don't miss the IS. A little camera shake doesn't kill me, especially for a doc. It was my first time using the 40-150. This lens is superb and worth every penny. But it's not a handheld lens. It has the reach of a 70-200 in FF and that extra 40 over the Panasonic 35-100 makes a huge difference. Also being able to switch to true manual (no fly by wire) is worth it. 
Here's the link. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=9O0cuTdsl8A

Shot this mini doc while on vacation in Mauritius. It's about those who work behind the scenes to uphold the illusion of paradise.
Shot on GH5s, it was intended as a camera test as I wanted to see how 60p and V log play. So it's shot on either 4k 8bit or FHD 10bi at 60pt. In both cases, V log bands quite horribly even in 10 bit FHD. Unfortunately, being on vacation I didn't use an external monitor so I couldn't see the banding until I got it on my computer. I hope this is something Panasonic can fix, at least in 10bit (no excuse). I love Vlog in 10bit 4k non 60p. But I'll probably have to experiment with HGL settings which is a drag because I prefer Vlog overall and I'd hate to have to mix the two settings for a sequence. 

Also, I shot it with Olympus 12-40 2.8 and 40-150 2.8. Love both of these lenses as the manual focus is excellent. I used a monopod for the 40-150 and handheld for the 12-40. Coming from a film background, I don't miss the IS. A little camera shake doesn't kill me, especially for a doc. It was my first time using the 40-150. This lens is superb and worth every penny. But it's not a handheld lens. It has the reach of a 70-200 in FF and that extra 40 over the Panasonic 35-100 makes a huge difference. Also being able to switch to true manual (no fly by wire) is worth it. 
Here's the link. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=9O0cuTdsl8A

Until it shoots 10 bit log, it's a non starter for me. I agree with Andrew in that RAW can be hassle even in a pro environment. I work on a lot TV shows in the US. Episodic, dramatic stuff for networks and such. Virtually all the shows (except Netflix), despite their multimillion dollar budgets, shoot pro rez on Alexa in Log C. They could shoot RAW but don't want to lose the time and endure the hassle of RAW. The bigger the show, the more money that time costs.

So far in all of this lively discussion the link below has been the best information on the GH5's potential. All these "lab" tests mean little to me compared to seeing footage used in a edited film. While I do conduct tests all the time to find a camera's limits and give me direction to its potential, nothing beats a shoot. Despite liking what I see in the link, I do wish I'd see more tests or sample footage would involve flesh and bone humans in front of the camera and a little camera movement rather than the usual Phillip Bloom style "moving stills" approach. I've nothing against that style of shooting but it seems to overwhelm the sample footage these days. We all don't make landscape films to easy listening tunes. I'd love to see some stories, docs, etc shot on this camera because at the end of the day, we don't shoot to make tests.

Andrew, there was a Thai filmmaker you once featured that made an amazing short on perhaps a 5D (not sure) about a kick boxer I believe. I wish Panasonic would put the camera in his hands. That's the type of shooting that would tell me a lot about the camera - how flesh tone, movement, contrast, etc play into the drama. But I guess Panasonic (and Sony, and Canon, and....) rather give it to safe bets, blog presence or pretty ladies in Japanese gardens and other cinematic pablum.
 
 

Just did a search on Vimeo. Thanks. Found some great footage by James Miller. Anyone who say this camera is "unusable" needs to shoot something other than tests. The IQ IMO stomps on my A7s II in terms of color space. In fact, it gets a depth I don't see on the FS5/7. I'm torn. I plan on selling my A7s II in the coming weeks to help finance either a BMC UMP or GH5. Both have their up and downsides. But lately, I've been going smaller and more discreet so I'm leaning towards the GH5. With a speed booster - outstanding.

So far in all of this lively discussion the link below has been the best information on the GH5's potential. All these "lab" tests mean little to me compared to seeing footage used in a edited film. While I do conduct tests all the time to find a camera's limits and give me direction to its potential, nothing beats a shoot. Despite liking what I see in the link, I do wish I'd see more tests or sample footage would involve flesh and bone humans in front of the camera and a little camera movement rather than the usual Phillip Bloom style "moving stills" approach. I've nothing against that style of shooting but it seems to overwhelm the sample footage these days. We all don't make landscape films to easy listening tunes. I'd love to see some stories, docs, etc shot on this camera because at the end of the day, we don't shoot to make tests.

Andrew, there was a Thai filmmaker you once featured that made an amazing short on perhaps a 5D (not sure) about a kick boxer I believe. I wish Panasonic would put the camera in his hands. That's the type of shooting that would tell me a lot about the camera - how flesh tone, movement, contrast, etc play into the drama. But I guess Panasonic (and Sony, and Canon, and....) rather give it to safe bets, blog presence or pretty ladies in Japanese gardens and other cinematic pablum.
 
 

Just did a search on Vimeo. Thanks. Found some great footage by James Miller. Anyone who say this camera is "unusable" needs to shoot something other than tests. The IQ IMO stomps on my A7s II in terms of color space. In fact, it gets a depth I don't see on the FS5/7. I'm torn. I plan on selling my A7s II in the coming weeks to help finance either a BMC UMP or GH5. Both have their up and downsides. But lately, I've been going smaller and more discreet so I'm leaning towards the GH5. With a speed booster - outstanding.

Just did a search on Vimeo. Thanks. Found some great footage by James Miller. Anyone who say this camera is "unusable" needs to shoot something other than tests. The IQ IMO stomps on my A7s II in terms of color space. In fact, it gets a depth I don't see on the FS5/7. I'm torn. I plan on selling my A7s II in the coming weeks to help finance either a BMC UMP or GH5. Both have their up and downsides. But lately, I've been going smaller and more discreet so I'm leaning towards the GH5. With a speed booster - outstanding.

So far in all of this lively discussion the link below has been the best information on the GH5's potential. All these "lab" tests mean little to me compared to seeing footage used in a edited film. While I do conduct tests all the time to find a camera's limits and give me direction to its potential, nothing beats a shoot. Despite liking what I see in the link, I do wish I'd see more tests or sample footage would involve flesh and bone humans in front of the camera and a little camera movement rather than the usual Phillip Bloom style "moving stills" approach. I've nothing against that style of shooting but it seems to overwhelm the sample footage these days. We all don't make landscape films to easy listening tunes. I'd love to see some stories, docs, etc shot on this camera because at the end of the day, we don't shoot to make tests.

Andrew, there was a Thai filmmaker you once featured that made an amazing short on perhaps a 5D (not sure) about a kick boxer I believe. I wish Panasonic would put the camera in his hands. That's the type of shooting that would tell me a lot about the camera - how flesh tone, movement, contrast, etc play into the drama. But I guess Panasonic (and Sony, and Canon, and....) rather give it to safe bets, blog presence or pretty ladies in Japanese gardens and other cinematic pablum.
 
 

So far in all of this lively discussion the link below has been the best information on the GH5's potential. All these "lab" tests mean little to me compared to seeing footage used in a edited film. While I do conduct tests all the time to find a camera's limits and give me direction to its potential, nothing beats a shoot. Despite liking what I see in the link, I do wish I'd see more tests or sample footage would involve flesh and bone humans in front of the camera and a little camera movement rather than the usual Phillip Bloom style "moving stills" approach. I've nothing against that style of shooting but it seems to overwhelm the sample footage these days. We all don't make landscape films to easy listening tunes. I'd love to see some stories, docs, etc shot on this camera because at the end of the day, we don't shoot to make tests.

Andrew, there was a Thai filmmaker you once featured that made an amazing short on perhaps a 5D (not sure) about a kick boxer I believe. I wish Panasonic would put the camera in his hands. That's the type of shooting that would tell me a lot about the camera - how flesh tone, movement, contrast, etc play into the drama. But I guess Panasonic (and Sony, and Canon, and....) rather give it to safe bets, blog presence or pretty ladies in Japanese gardens and other cinematic pablum.
 
 

The Ursa Pro is really tempting. But I'm going to hold off until I see some real world reports. The last Mini was fraught with numerous QC issues. I'm not ready to be a beta testing guinea pig. All that said, when BMD gets it together, their cameras produce much richer images than the competition. In this case, their direct competition will be the  FS7, FS5 and Canon C300 II. While I've used Sony's F series for numerable productions, aside from the F55/5, their color science has always been lacking especially for narrative work - thin flesh tones, green undertone, etc. C 300 II is an excellent camera but with great IQ but its price point is about double the Ursa Pro.

While the Ursa's sensitivity isn't on par with Sony or Canon, 800 native ISO, is still plenty fast and will let you get away with minimal lighting with fast glass. The ND wheel with calibrated IR is most welcome. For gimbal users and docs this is indispensable. My biggest misgiving as Andrew mentioned, a camcorder batt system would really make this a killer camera. Imagine using Sony NP or BT batts. The weight and footprint savings would be a boon to handheld, drone and gimbal use as well as a huge expense saving we could use towards those CF cards. The last grip is a lack of an OLPF. This truly makes a difference. Wouldn't have been too complicated to throw that in.

Can't wait to see footage.

Check this out. Short film entirely shot in NYC's Blizzard of 2016. All on A7s II. Loved it.
 
 

Check this out. Short film entirely shot in NYC's Blizzard of 2016. All on A7s II. Loved it.
 
 

Price is right. 4k and LXR's - Great. But what I'd really love is a 4k recorder that is either a smaller monitor (5" like the pix E5) as well as a recorder with no monitor at all. It'd be great to use whatever monitor you want or go completely stripped down like an Atomos Blade. For aerial work, run n gun, or anytime you want to go super small this would be awesome. When it comes to 7" monitors, Small HD and Atomos have them beat. I find it difficult to have to downgrade to BMC's monitor just to shoot pro rez. So now I'd end up attaching another, better more accurate monitor, and before you know it, you're rig is a pig. Just give us the recorder! 

Also, as someone who uses gimbals all the time, brighter is better. If you're going to build a monitor, make it bright enough to use outside without a hood. In terms of investment, pay 900 USD now for BMC or spend an Xtra 500 for Atomos and get 1500 NITs. After a month or two, tell me which one people want on set and which one pays itself off and then some.

How is the Scarlet sensor better? It's not all about specs. I prefer the image of 2k from an Alexa over 6k Red. Better colors, fleshiness, range, etc. If this camera owes anything to Panasonic's history, it's color science should be amazing. The old 2/3" three chip Varicams from ten years ago had better more accurate color than the latest Red of today. I can't see Panasonic going backwards in terms of color science. The only misgiving I have about this camera is that I wish the body were even smaller (under 4 lbs). I'd be curious to see how it'll stack up to Kinefinity offerings.

I just finished a feature in which we used the Pix E5 extensively. For our main cams we had Fs7's with Speedboosters. But we wanted to use a Steadicam Tango which has a weight limit of 5 lbs. So we paired an A7s at the end of the Tango and Pix E5 as the operator's monitor. In short, the Pix E5 is bullet proof. In prep we tested Shoguns but found them too fiddly and power hungry. With the E5 we'd get a couple hours use with (2) NP 970 batteries. Also, their media system is well thought out. Pop out drive, stick it in computer, no intermediate interface. Also, noteworthy, it's at least a stop brighter than the Shogun which helped for brightly lit locations. The downside, no 60p. The interface is pretty simple. Buttons and touch screen. As a reference monitor, it'll take LUTs, display Histo, Waveform, Vectorscope, etc. 
I bet it becomes a standard "director's" monitor on movie and TV sets as they'll be able to review and que takes without having to summon the VTR guy and do it privately without everyone else watching. The union is going to hate this one. 

I just finished a feature in which we used the Pix E5 extensively. For our main cams we had Fs7's with Speedboosters. But we wanted to use a Steadicam Tango which has a weight limit of 5 lbs. So we paired an A7s at the end of the Tango and Pix E5 as the operator's monitor. In short, the Pix E5 is bullet proof. In prep we tested Shoguns but found them too fiddly and power hungry. With the E5 we'd get a couple hours use with (2) NP 970 batteries. Also, their media system is well thought out. Pop out drive, stick it in computer, no intermediate interface. Also, noteworthy, it's at least a stop brighter than the Shogun which helped for brightly lit locations. The downside, no 60p. The interface is pretty simple. Buttons and touch screen. As a reference monitor, it'll take LUTs, display Histo, Waveform, Vectorscope, etc. 
I bet it becomes a standard "director's" monitor on movie and TV sets as they'll be able to review and que takes without having to summon the VTR guy and do it privately without everyone else watching. The union is going to hate this one. 

I just finished a feature in which we used the Pix E5 extensively. For our main cams we had Fs7's with Speedboosters. But we wanted to use a Steadicam Tango which has a weight limit of 5 lbs. So we paired an A7s at the end of the Tango and Pix E5 as the operator's monitor. In short, the Pix E5 is bullet proof. In prep we tested Shoguns but found them too fiddly and power hungry. With the E5 we'd get a couple hours use with (2) NP 970 batteries. Also, their media system is well thought out. Pop out drive, stick it in computer, no intermediate interface. Also, noteworthy, it's at least a stop brighter than the Shogun which helped for brightly lit locations. The downside, no 60p. The interface is pretty simple. Buttons and touch screen. As a reference monitor, it'll take LUTs, display Histo, Waveform, Vectorscope, etc. 
I bet it becomes a standard "director's" monitor on movie and TV sets as they'll be able to review and que takes without having to summon the VTR guy and do it privately without everyone else watching. The union is going to hate this one. 

I just finished a feature in which we used the Pix E5 extensively. For our main cams we had Fs7's with Speedboosters. But we wanted to use a Steadicam Tango which has a weight limit of 5 lbs. So we paired an A7s at the end of the Tango and Pix E5 as the operator's monitor. In short, the Pix E5 is bullet proof. In prep we tested Shoguns but found them too fiddly and power hungry. With the E5 we'd get a couple hours use with (2) NP 970 batteries. Also, their media system is well thought out. Pop out drive, stick it in computer, no intermediate interface. Also, noteworthy, it's at least a stop brighter than the Shogun which helped for brightly lit locations. The downside, no 60p. The interface is pretty simple. Buttons and touch screen. As a reference monitor, it'll take LUTs, display Histo, Waveform, Vectorscope, etc. 
I bet it becomes a standard "director's" monitor on movie and TV sets as they'll be able to review and que takes without having to summon the VTR guy and do it privately without everyone else watching. The union is going to hate this one. 

The killer mod for an A72 would be internal ND's. If it can't be done for multiples why not a slot to slide in behind the lens ND's like old Panavision cameras. That would be the feature that would makes this a completely film and photo friendly cam. Not sure stills makers never ponder behind the lens ND's if they want to edge the competition.

So this being a site that hails great new tech that indies and owner operators can afford, I thought I'd give my first impressions of a 15.6" field monitor I recently picked up. It's made by OSEE, a company I never heard until they recently released a 1080p, 15.6" 10 bit field monitor for 650.00 called the LM 156. Let that sink in for  moment. Usually specs like this start at three grand or more. I also liked the size. 15.6" inches is like the difference between the 17" Macbook Pro and a 15". For my uses, doc, indies, run and gun and having to hop on a plane with little warning or assistants to lug my gear, the smaller size at 8 lbs definitely felt like it could fill a need for my style of shooting. And it can in a self contained, metal shipping case that doubles as a stand. Specs, size and convenience, I bought on faith.
Anyway, I got a chance to test it on an indie I'm shooting in NYC called "Dick and Jack".   So far so good. The color calibration is absolutely neutral with no shift. Easily beats my old Panny BTH 1700 and is on par with a Flanders 24" 1080p I used to own. Gone is the 8 bit banding. The other great thing is I can install LUTs. Will be trying that tomorrow. Anyway, not sure how it'll stand the test of time, but the overall build is quite pro. It's menu driven but my DIT had no issues navigating. The only problem we had was it wouldn't take the loop through from an F&V 4.3" hdmi to sdi. But it did take it from an A7s HDMI to F&V 4.3" HDMI out to HDMI to Paralynx transmitter to Paralynx receiver. I'm suspecting the signal from the F&V just isn't strong enough while the Paralinx receiver with its independent power must boost the signal. More testing is necessary. 
Also, regarding power, it'll take AB, V mount or AC power, but I ended up using 5000mah Lipos, without a hitch. One would last over six hours. Not bad.
In all, the colors our honest and no green or magenta bias I've found with some other leading brands. It's as neutral as FSI monitors. Anyway, we'll be taking it through some serious use in the next two weeks, so I'm sure I'll more to report. In the meantime, I'm still in awe that the threshold to 10 bit field monitors is now in grasp for folks like me. 

I'm not on OSEE's payroll or anything, but I was able to reach a real person who went out of his way to get me a model (even though they were way backordered) before my indie feature started. It's good to know there are  electronic companies run by people with first and last names. I wasn't expecting any kind of customer service at 650.00, so this review is my gratitude.

So this being a site that hails great new tech that indies and owner operators can afford, I thought I'd give my first impressions of a 15.6" field monitor I recently picked up. It's made by OSEE, a company I never heard until they recently released a 1080p, 15.6" 10 bit field monitor for 650.00 called the LM 156. Let that sink in for  moment. Usually specs like this start at three grand or more. I also liked the size. 15.6" inches is like the difference between the 17" Macbook Pro and a 15". For my uses, doc, indies, run and gun and having to hop on a plane with little warning or assistants to lug my gear, the smaller size at 8 lbs definitely felt like it could fill a need for my style of shooting. And it can in a self contained, metal shipping case that doubles as a stand. Specs, size and convenience, I bought on faith.
Anyway, I got a chance to test it on an indie I'm shooting in NYC called "Dick and Jack".   So far so good. The color calibration is absolutely neutral with no shift. Easily beats my old Panny BTH 1700 and is on par with a Flanders 24" 1080p I used to own. Gone is the 8 bit banding. The other great thing is I can install LUTs. Will be trying that tomorrow. Anyway, not sure how it'll stand the test of time, but the overall build is quite pro. It's menu driven but my DIT had no issues navigating. The only problem we had was it wouldn't take the loop through from an F&V 4.3" hdmi to sdi. But it did take it from an A7s HDMI to F&V 4.3" HDMI out to HDMI to Paralynx transmitter to Paralynx receiver. I'm suspecting the signal from the F&V just isn't strong enough while the Paralinx receiver with its independent power must boost the signal. More testing is necessary. 
Also, regarding power, it'll take AB, V mount or AC power, but I ended up using 5000mah Lipos, without a hitch. One would last over six hours. Not bad.
In all, the colors our honest and no green or magenta bias I've found with some other leading brands. It's as neutral as FSI monitors. Anyway, we'll be taking it through some serious use in the next two weeks, so I'm sure I'll more to report. In the meantime, I'm still in awe that the threshold to 10 bit field monitors is now in grasp for folks like me. 

I'm not on OSEE's payroll or anything, but I was able to reach a real person who went out of his way to get me a model (even though they were way backordered) before my indie feature started. It's good to know there are  electronic companies run by people with first and last names. I wasn't expecting any kind of customer service at 650.00, so this review is my gratitude.

So this being a site that hails great new tech that indies and owner operators can afford, I thought I'd give my first impressions of a 15.6" field monitor I recently picked up. It's made by OSEE, a company I never heard until they recently released a 1080p, 15.6" 10 bit field monitor for 650.00 called the LM 156. Let that sink in for  moment. Usually specs like this start at three grand or more. I also liked the size. 15.6" inches is like the difference between the 17" Macbook Pro and a 15". For my uses, doc, indies, run and gun and having to hop on a plane with little warning or assistants to lug my gear, the smaller size at 8 lbs definitely felt like it could fill a need for my style of shooting. And it can in a self contained, metal shipping case that doubles as a stand. Specs, size and convenience, I bought on faith.
Anyway, I got a chance to test it on an indie I'm shooting in NYC called "Dick and Jack".   So far so good. The color calibration is absolutely neutral with no shift. Easily beats my old Panny BTH 1700 and is on par with a Flanders 24" 1080p I used to own. Gone is the 8 bit banding. The other great thing is I can install LUTs. Will be trying that tomorrow. Anyway, not sure how it'll stand the test of time, but the overall build is quite pro. It's menu driven but my DIT had no issues navigating. The only problem we had was it wouldn't take the loop through from an F&V 4.3" hdmi to sdi. But it did take it from an A7s HDMI to F&V 4.3" HDMI out to HDMI to Paralynx transmitter to Paralynx receiver. I'm suspecting the signal from the F&V just isn't strong enough while the Paralinx receiver with its independent power must boost the signal. More testing is necessary. 
Also, regarding power, it'll take AB, V mount or AC power, but I ended up using 5000mah Lipos, without a hitch. One would last over six hours. Not bad.
In all, the colors our honest and no green or magenta bias I've found with some other leading brands. It's as neutral as FSI monitors. Anyway, we'll be taking it through some serious use in the next two weeks, so I'm sure I'll more to report. In the meantime, I'm still in awe that the threshold to 10 bit field monitors is now in grasp for folks like me. 

I'm not on OSEE's payroll or anything, but I was able to reach a real person who went out of his way to get me a model (even though they were way backordered) before my indie feature started. It's good to know there are  electronic companies run by people with first and last names. I wasn't expecting any kind of customer service at 650.00, so this review is my gratitude.

Unfortunately, this will be big in the ENG world. I say unfortunately, because I'll have to shoot with it one day. I'm fine with the all in one design, built in ND's, etc. all the the things that make run / gun, doc, ENG style work easier. But I have one major beef  with this design - the EVF should be where the monitor is and side mounted. What Panasonic, Canon and Sony forget with their EX3's, C100/300 and HVX's is that in ENG, Reality, Event and doc world you're often doing takes up to half an hour or more. Holding the camera with two hands out front and your eye on a rear mounted EVF is OK for five minutes or so, but once it goes longer you'll be begging for a 20b proper news camera balanced on your shoulder. I'm sure every ENG cameraman will agree, it's better to be heavy and balanced then light and all on your arms. 

If they'd just put the EVF where it should be, then it wouldn't take much to rest it on my shoulder with nothing more than minimal rigging (shoulder pad and handles). As it is, to get it on my shoulder will now require mounting a 3rd party EVF or monitor out front on some frankenrigging or slinging it on an easy rig. This obsession Sony, Canon and Panasonic have with the rear mounted EVF is beyond comprehension and shows they beta test with soccer moms and tourists.