mercer

A nice image is a nice image... I don’t care when the camera came out. I really don’t need or want 4K right now... ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL PAID GIGS. The point of these jobs are to get in and out, bring it into the computer with a light correction and an edit. The point would be to make money with the least effort and that’s one of the biggest pluses with the C100. It’s a money maker. Throw a portrait lens on the end, and let the soft Canon color do its job and make me money. The end. Here are a few short films I found shot with the C100 that look pretty nice to my eyes... is it an Alexa... no. But for the money, what more do you need? If you cannot make a good image with a C100, you sure as hell won’t be able to with a GH5/s, or with an a7iii or insert whatever camera you want. There’s also one called “Commute” that I like a lot but for some reason I cannot post it here but it comes up on a google search called “C100 Cinematic Short Film Vimeo” But honestly, there are dozens and these are but a few I quickly picked. As a narrative filmmaker, I’d be more than happy with that IQ. Filmmaking is an artistic craft and this camera gets the craft out of the way and lets you concentrate on the artistic element. You can spend all the time you want chasing the newest best camera. And when you think you find it, don’t worry, a better camera will be out in a few months...been there, done that. For me, it’s simple... what camera will make me money so I can fund some short films... if I could also shoot a short film or two on that camera... even better. Here’s another great looking short...

Well, that is an interesting argument and very well said... But... I could and would argue, that my interest in the C100 is completely different now that I saw how small it is stripped down. Originally, I would have agreed with you and would have planned on using it on a tripod as you explained. But now, I would strip the top handle off and use a lens with IS and go handheld... Or put it on a shoulder rig with the side handle stripped off and a follow focus. I’ve been following a production company on IG and the main shooter still uses his trusty BMPCC with a small handheld shoulder rig and counterweight. He uses the built in screen and has it rigged right at his eye... so I am sure something similar could be rigged for a C100?

Another comment full of white noise and unrelated information. I hope people will eventually realize that there is information pertaining to the original post within the so-called “white noise.” Conversations evolve and unless the OP is stupid he will get plenty of information from this evolved discussion, but to make you happy I will end every comment I make in this thread with C100... so... C100 I mean seriously, if comments didn’t evolve, this thread could have been completed with one simple reply that stated, “Yes, it is still relevant.” End of discussion. C100

Well, don’t take video at playgrounds with your pants down and you shouldn’t have a problem...? But seriously, this is why you should buy a camera that has IBIS, a good selection of native lenses and a good color science. Probably the E-M1 Mark II is your best bet. I’ve seen some going for $1500 or less on eBay. Get yourself a good strap and you can practically walk around with the damn thing while glancing down at your camera... nobody will even realize you’re shooting anything. Or obviously for the straight out of camera look you like, the Fuji XH-1 would be a good choice.

Who am I to tell anybody how to spend their money, but seriously... the P4K is like the last camera you should buy. To shoot in 4K, you are going to need expensive CFast2 cards. You are going to need about a dozen batteries or an external power supply to last you the day. You'll need a cage. You may need an external monitor. If you're getting a speedbooster, you may need rails and a follow focus. You'll need an IR filter and a good Variable ND or ND filters. If you go native, you'll need a couple fast M43 primes. You're looking at a price point that is closer to 2500 bucks when all is said and done... maybe more. At that price point, you may as well go with the GH5s, you can find them now for around $2000. For the type of casual shooting you do, go for the bells and whistles... even if it costs you about the same... you'll be plenty happier at the end of the day. That is exactly what happened to me... I just never got much better. LOL. But at my level, I can't afford, nor really want someone else to shoot my stuff. There is something organic about being behind the lens... even as a director, that you just don't get sitting on the sidelines while someone else shoots your material. If an actor misses their mark, or ignores it, I can adjust how I would want it adjusted. The devil is in the details with me.

Not really. Not a lot of reasons to shoot slow motion in narratives... other than a couple hundred frames here or there. The 720p 48p and 60p really is good enough for that. And if I really need it, I’ll just slow down the 24p in FCPX... 99% of the audience wouldn’t even notice, especially on close ups. Don’t get me wrong it would be nice, but it’s not a deal breaker. I don’t want to be cinematographer, I just want another outlet for my writing. If anything, I am interested in directing more than cinematography, I just would consider myself a visual director. I went from being a horrible operator to an acceptable one literally overnight by getting a 5D3... and some of my images, I’m actually proud of. So for me, the 5D3 is as good as it gets with my budget and skill set.

No real dilemma for me. I am happy as can be with my 5D3. And I’ll be happy shooting ML Raw for the next 5 years on it and by then maybe they’ll figure out the Mark IV and I can go another 5 years with a Canon DSLR. The only reason I am contemplating a C100 is to make some cash to fund my short films... these are getting awfully expensive. I could see myself buying or renting a C200 in the future for a very specific project that could benefit from the bump in resolution, but do I need one... not at all... I have plenty of stuff to shoot with what I already own.

Well, the P4K makes sense for you since you shoot with UMP as an A-cam. I saw people use the Pocket for events too, so I guess it will work... just not first option for ease of use IMO. But yeah, I am lazy and as a solo shooter, I’d love to use DPAF. As far as the screen, I’ll make do. I did with the original Pocket, so the C100 couldn’t be worse than that. I may not even get a C100 but for less than $2000, I’d be getting a lot of camera. In all honesty, I’d probably be better off with an 80D for the level of “event” work I am thinking of doing... the quicker the thing is paid off, the quicker I can find short films and put away money toward a C200B... which would be my ultimate camera purchase in the next couple of years. Idk, Don... I think a G85 is probably the most sensible choice for you. IBIS, the newer Panasonic color science, mic input, CineLikeD and V. For your type of shooting, what more do you need?

@webrunner5 you’re all over the place lately. You hate the GH5, you love it. The C100 is amazing, it’s an old turd. Which is it? That’s the problem with forums... there are too many choices and new ones are released every day. If you’re the type of shooter that wants the newest gadget, then you should probably sell your a7s and buy a GH5s. Although I like the image out of the GH5s better than the GH5, its lack of IBIS is a deal breaker for me... even if I was interested in one of those cameras. The P4K should be an amazing camera but not one I would choose for event work. I’d definitely go GH5 over a P4K for those types of jobs. So back to the topic at hand... I would never use the C100 on a gimbal, so that’s irrelevant as well. I know this is a dirty word around here, but the C100 just has some mojo to it. And since we learned from JB that a lot of network television is still broadcasted at 720p, 4K downscaled in camera to 1080p on the C100 makes it a viable production camera for lots of scenarios. And for the price they are going for now, you’re getting a lot of camera.

Even internal zooms would have a weight shift inside the lens which I think would still require a rebalancing? Good to know, thanks.

Regardless, the OP doesn’t want a GH5/s, so why are we still talking about it? And I thought you loved the C100 @webrunner5 ? The fact is this, the C100 series are workhorses that will pay for itself with a few jobs. This site is full of Canon naysayers, but when you go to weddings, trade shows, events, etc... the bulk of videographers use Canon cameras. And they use them for a reason. But you go to a forum full of “professionals” and Canon cameras are the worst...

How effective are gimbals with zoom lenses? I have never used one, but I would assume you would need to rebalance it after every focal length change?

Well the OP has already said he doesn’t like the GH5/s so... And I’d rather have a C100 any day of the week over a GH5/s. Nothing against the camera... I just prefer the C100 image over the GH5/s and timecode isn’t changing that.

On the C100 I, does the Ninja Star do a 60i to 60p conversion?

Do you have the C100 I or II?

As I’ve said dozens of times, I’m really just a hobbyist that enjoys shooting narratives. In the back of my mind, I hope one of my short films will get some attention or can be used one day for a crowdfunding campaign to raise some money for a micro budget feature film... but I don’t base my decisions on that long shot. So for now, discretion is key. I shoot in public places with no crew... just me and actors. I shoot handheld or with a monopod. I am thinking about looking for a couple low rent paid jobs... birthday parties, family reunions, etc... to help fund some of my upcoming projects and it seems like the original C100 could be a great camera for that. I could attach all of the gizmos to make it look more “pro” but then strip it down to shoot a short film where the small file sizes and cheaper media is more appropriate than my 5D3 and ML Raw. Have you used an external recorder with it? I’ve heard so many conflicting statements on whether it’s worth it or not, even in this thread. And to be honest, I’ve watched a ton of videos, some with an external recorder, some without, and I’ve yet to see any real difference... maybe a little, but I don’t know if it’s enough to warrant the extra hassle and expense. It’s been so long since I owned a second camera, so it has to be an earner, good enough to shoot some narratives on it as well, and cheap enough where the investment can be recouped with a few paid jobs so it can start funding my short films fairly quickly... otherwise it’s not even worth the trouble. I’m more than happy with my 5D3 and will be for the foreseeable future.

I recently saw a Mark II on the trade show floor and I was surprised by how small it actually was without the top handle. I don’t think it looks much bigger than my 5D3... although I’m sure it is if they were side by side.

Yeah... I just spent an hour watching short films on Vimeo shot with the C100 Mark I and II... I actually preferred the image from the Mark I... and there was absolutely nothing about the image I didn’t like or caused concern with either camera... and I specifically watched narratives only. For the price of these cameras, and the set of features, I’d have no problem choosing it for a Micro/No budget feature film. Like most cameras discussed on this forum, there’s absolutely no reason one can’t create great images with a C100. As always, content is king and the C100 is just a tool that has proven to work.

Ehh... just take a few steps back and he’ll get the full face in focus.

I’m thinking about buying a Mark I, so yeah I think the Mark II is definitely still relevant. As John Brawley stated in a different thread... a lot of US network television is broadcasted at 720p... so 1080p is more than enough. The C100 series cameras are workhorses... I’m sure you’ll have the camera paid off after a job or two and then it’s all profit. And for that money... it’s a no brainer.

Are you going to sell your UMP or use the P4K as a B-Cam? Well, either way, a speedbooster makes sense for you, especially if you’re using EF-S lenses. Since I’m shooting FF, there aren’t many wide angle options that even a speedbooster would solve. I actually like the EF Mount, there are more than enough good Canon lenses at reasonable prices... some of which have excellent image stabilization and then there are plenty of options to adapt Nikkor, Contax Zeiss, Pentax, etc...lenses to EF Mount. There are also some options to have FD lenses modified to EF and also a couple Minolta lenses as well... which I am in the process of doing. If you prefer Cinema lenses you don’t have as many options but there are a few... in fact, I believe there are some PL mount lenses that will work with EF. So yeah, not as many options as a shallow mount, but a lot of those options are lenses that I either can’t afford or don’t really need for my filmmaking goals.

I’m actually tired of adapters and the ones I do use are either thin adapters for adapting to EF or permanent Leitax adapters, which turn the lens into an EF Mount. With Micro 4/3, I have zero interest in using a speedbooster or big clunky adapters required for most still lenses... so with the 2x crop of the P4K, I am left with native lenses... the smaller Rokinon Cine lenses are decent, as are some Olympus lenses. My original thought of using only c-mount lenses leaves me with no wide or wide normal options since BM decided to go with a traditional M4/3 sensor and the only c-mount lenses that will work are 25mm focal lengths or higher. Since I decided to invest in Canon glass, this leaves the P4K in a weird spot for me. On one hand... it is very cheap, on the other... I’ll have to invest in lenses I don’t foresee myself using beyond this camera. Also, my main interest in the camera is for the 1080p ProRes up to 120p... so as cheap as the camera is, for some slow motion... it becomes a pretty hefty investment when you add lenses, IR filtration, and perhaps an OLPF filter. I think I’ll probably wait for an open box model to pop up somewhere and get the camera even cheaper than the release price. Or even better... since I am already invested in Canon glass and I am happy as hell with ML Raw... I may just stow the money I would put towards the P4K and save up for a C200... by this time next year, they will probably start going on sale for a reasonable price. Or maybe if I feel like putzing around with a camera in between shooting days, I’ll pick up an M50 for my C-Mounts or an OG C100. Either way I decide to go, there is absolutely no doubt that the P4K will be an awesome camera eventually... the XLR input alone is worth its weight in gold.

Well I was being a little hyperbolic but anonim went from one side of the spectrum stating that Grant Petty is an honorable man that wouldn’t risk his reputation to saying BM has too much of a bad track record to be trusted... But yeah, nothing is wrong with criticism or skepticism... I am skeptical of this camera. Actually I have two fears that are completely opposite scenarios... on one hand I am afraid that this camera’s use of this sensor is giving a lot of people false expectations that cannot be lived up to. But on the other hand, I really hope this isn’t a generic, vanilla camera that lacks the edgy, indie film look that was so beautiful in the first Pocket... I guess we’ll know soon enough.

The GH5 was announced that it was in development at Photokina ‘16 and then officially announced in early January of ‘17. Anyway the point is that this thread is full of people that act like no problems ever existed with BM cameras and people that act as though BM has the worst track record ever... both are a disservice... one looks like shilling troll and the other looks like they should just not buy one and be happy about it. Concerns or respect for BM is fine, but hate and extravagant praise is just silly. This thread is 136 pages because this camera is a near historic announcement for the indie filmmaker. The problem is that too many people want this camera to be something it won’t and others want it to fail. And then the best part of the thread had a pro cinematographer openly and happily providing insight on how he uses BM cameras in his productions. But of course a bunch of eoshd pros have to argue with him about mundane things and chase him away.

Well Panasonic announced the GH5 7 months before release... so...