mercer

These look nice. Love the color in the bottom shot of your wife. If you get a chance, I’d love to see what that lens looks like on your eos-m with the 3x bitrate.

Hah... I think the fist bump should be a reaction option.

Anyway, here’s my latest attempt, and final, after trying a few in computer calibration and color profiles. It seems to represent itself the same in the editor as it does on my iPhone. But for all I know it could be off? Honestly, I don’t love the shot anyway due to lens choice. The bokeh is intentionally busy and chaotic but it is a little harsher than I was originally going for. Thankfully, the luxury of being a hobbyist gives me the ability for reshoots. Ehh... a little too saturated... ugh.

It’s cool. I always ask for critiques. I’ve been told that my images are horrible on a number of occasions. I live and learn. It’s like Ed Wood said... the next one will be better... But I am a hobbyist who decided to try and make a movie. I shoot run and gun guerilla style, using backyard DIY techniques. There is little about my method that is traditional. But in reality, this is a tech forum... so technical perfection is top priority and that’s cool too... a lot of knowledgeable and talented people around here and if one knows themself as a filmmaker they can use what applies to them. And yeah, I can share another grab. I’m away from the computer, so it will have to wait until tomorrow. Plus I am trying to figure out how to calibrate my MacBook Air without purchasing software. Zero budget filmmaking is expensive and I have to budget expenses based on the phase of production.

@Matthew Hartman and I can appreciate that. But this is an enthusiasts forum more than a professional one. I can count on one hand the amount of professional narrative filmmakers that visit this site and their visits are usually infrequent. I am not afraid of critique, I welcome it. I’ll post the worst image in the world if I think I can get useful information by posting it. But there are a lot of people that look at the this forum and are afraid to post because they don’t want to suffer the backlash. And that kinda sucks. But I do agree this image has run its course. Perhaps, you would like to share an image for others to try? I am heading out for another test tomorrow, so if people are interested in more ML Raw footage, I’ll gladly share some more.

This was meant to be a test for fun... not to decide upon the knowledge or talent of the colorist, or filmmaker. It's all subjective anyway. I think all of the images are interesting and I've learned a ton from this. But honestly, i don't love any of them and how could I... none of you could be in my head and understand the theme and narrative within that scene... but I sure do like a lot of them and most are better than what I came up with.

The IS on that lens is nothing short of amazing. And it’s sharp as a tack wide open.

I believe the original eos-m was at a higher bitrate but I’m pretty sure the t2i was still at that 24mbps. Either way, the specs match other cameras in that price bracket... the GX80 1080p is pretty low and the 4K bitrate is the same. I don’t think this camera will be industry leading or anything but at least it should be in the same ballpark as the competitors... with a bigger sensor and DPAF. We’ll see. I had my hopes up for the M5 and was let down, so I don’t expect anything at this point.

The t2i’s 1080p is 24mbps.

Yeah, if the price is at the M6 price point, this will probably be the glovebox camera I’ve been waiting for. This and the 22mm, or the EF 35mm f2, should make for a nice little hybrid for street shooting.

That’s right, I forgot about Leica... a hair out of my price range, so I tend to forget they exist. Wish I could afford one though... their 3 year warranty is a great business policy.

@canonlyme that makes sense. I briefly had the GX85, it’s a fun camera. However, I never used a Speedbooster with it, so I don’t know if the rear element will hit the glass or not. I know on FF DSLRs, some Minolta lenses will hit the mirror on some cameras. On the 35mm 1.8 I own, the person who modified the mount also sawed of a little of the rear lens housing for clearance... so that may be an option, if there are any issues. That’s cool that you had the chance to direct Otto... great story. Please definitely share that video.

@Gregormannschaft thanks, the background is challenging in this shot. I really didn’t want to give away too much about the story, but I also don’t want to seem too willy-nilly about it either, so I will say that the cluttered bokeh fits with the character’s state of mind in that scene. With that being said, I will probably reshoot that shot, I was hoping to get away using a lens I already own, but I think I need a longer, newer lens to get the full benefit of the effect I’m going for. But I really like your take on it... the tones pulled out the inherent separation.

Definitely a good idea, thanks. I’ll look into it.

Thank you for your suggestions and contribution to this exercise. Your “cool” version was amongst my favorites. I am a zero budget filmmaker, and wear all of the hats of my production. I started filmmaking in pursuit of another outlet for my screenplays. Meanwhile, while attempting to acquire a modicum of skill, I was bit by the filmmaking bug, but I would never consider myself a cinematographer or a DP. I really have no interest in being one. I’m hoping to be a competent camera operator before my film is finished... But somebody needs to film my movies... so I guess it has to be me. With that being said, I appreciate every bit of info I learn from you guys on this site. To add, I tend to think of cinematography more like Kubrick or Polanski would (obviously not nearly as talented) from a director and writer’s view. I respect the traditional role of the cinematographer but the film is the director’s... visuals and all. Just my opinion.

Yeah these threads are fun. There used to be a bunch of “Guess the Camera” threads and “How would you grade this” threads. It can be fun in between GH5 posts... lol. Thanks for the heads up on the DNGs... didn’t know they were accessible in the MLVFS folder. And finally, Cool grade. I’m sure there’s a way... if you can’t figure it out, do a screenshot, I’d like to see what you come up with.

??? Yeah, this one is wicked. I’ve been going For cooler tones, but I really like what you did here. You really pulled a lot out of the background.

Yeah, it seems the only companies making a profit in the mirrorless segment are Olympus, Canon and Fuji... and Fuji’s profits are lead by their Instax line.

Thanks for the tips. I actually stopped using LUTS altogether and I think, in the long run, I’ll understand the process a lot better.

That looks pretty good. I was trying to keep a little detail in the actor’s jacket, but I like what you did there. That’s really nice too. Thanks. You guys are giving me some good reference ideas. Btw, the site won’t show tiffs, only jpegs.

@canonlyme ... nice image!!! With results like that, why did you decide to upgrade from the a6000? I had an a5100 a while back and really liked it. They’re both so cheap now, they’d probably make a good street camera when I don’t feel like lugging around my 5D. And I’ve always liked Minolta lenses on Sony and Panasonic cameras, so you’ve chosen wisely. If you’re looking for a good, cheap 50mm... the MD f/2 lens is really sharp. And the MC PG 50mm 1.4 is awesome as well.

@Geoff CB thanks, that’s awesome. I never would have thought about masking out just for sharpening... cool trick. I just masked my first shot ever last week... so needless to say I have a huge learning curve for my film...

Thanks @canonlyme ... great points.I can just barely afford to make this film, so sadly pennies need to be pinched elsewhere... like craft services, new computer, calibration doo hinky... lol. Thanks... Ha. I’m shooting with a 5D3 and ML Raw and mostly EF lenses. This was with a Canon FD 50mm 1.4 that was modified to a Nikon mount so it mounts to EF with a simple adapter. I actually found a Minolta 35mm 1.8 that was modified to EF as well... It needs to be serviced but it works amazingly well with ML Raw...

Yeah, it’s not my best work. At the time I liked the busy background but the bokeh is a bit harsh, as no_connection stated. But I will say, finally settling into one camera has made me a better craftsman all around. Some shots are just tougher than others. I’m out of “likes” for the day but it’s fun to see others interpretations and definitely a learning experience.

Sorry, finally started using MLVFS... no DNGs required.