mercer

I guess it is definitely brave for a retired guy to spend most of his savings on an anamorphic lens. But again, not my money, so I don’t really care. However I would probably find a comparison of the Veydra lenses on a BMMC vs a GH5 to be a more interesting video than an Atlas Anamorphic. Or maybe some Veydra goodness on the previous mentioned LS300 or handheld on an Olympus... A $7500 lens on a $2000 camera doesn’t really intrigue me all that much. Hell for that money, why not spend your whole nut and get a used Alexa Classic and some Super Speeds? Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate Jon’s affinity for better equipment, but if I were him, I would just sell off all of my native micro 4/3 lenses before I jumped off that Atlas cliff. And even still, I think I’d be more interested in a Voigtlander and the SLR Anamorphic or one of those FM/VM anamorphics (if those combos are even possible) instead of that huge hunk of Atlas. But can anyone recommend an inexpensive, single focus Anamorphic for my 5D3 with either my Canon 35mm f2 or my Nikkor ai-s 35mm 1.4 as the taking lens? I know very little about Anamorphic lenses so something simple would be better and I guess with the IS of my 35mm f2, something light that I could go handheld with would be preferred as well (if that’s even possible?)

How dare you call me reputable?! It’s all a ruse.

Idyllic cobblestone streets... who says you ain’t a writer... Get a 5D3 if you want to try some Raw. Or a BMCC in m4/3 mount for some 2.5K Raw. They’re cheap as hell now on the used market. I don’t mean to go on and on about the 5D3 but that bastard was a game changer for me. I am not particularly talented at all this stuff, but I love it. I went through camera after camera trying to find a good fit with easy color. I was ready to stop altogether and go back to screenwriting only when I decided to sell as much as I could for the 5D3. You know how that story ends. I’m still not that talented but the 5D3 couldn’t be simpler. With an IS Canon lens or two and a hefty strap, I can shoot handheld with practically zero shake. Then ETTR (we won’t have to argue about that anymore) and hit record. It isn’t 4K but it’s the best image I’ve ever created and I am still rather sucky at it... lol. I still fantasize about cameras but instead of buying them, I just go and shoot with the 5D3 and forget about everything else. In the end it doesn’t really matter what camera you use. Just try and tell good stories.

Resist the temptation, Jon. For the money of the Atlas, you can buy a C200 or EVA1. I went through a lens buying phase a couple of years ago and now I’m stuck with a hundred lenses lying around I don’t use. Of course, I bought vintage lenses, so I didn’t spend all that much, but some of them are stinkers that are hard sells. I don’t know a lot about anamorphics but they seem to be a lifestyle choice that are entirely unnecessary for your street shooting. But then again, it’s your money and time... so do as you please. I would expand my cameras if I were you. To see comparison videos between your current lenses on an Olympus camera or a BMMCC would be interesting for your YouTube channel. Or pick up another branded mount entirely like Canon or Nikon or Sony. Shit, get an Ursa Mini Pro and shoot some Raw or ProRes. I don’t know if you have monetized your YouTube channel but you have enough equipment and reviews that an expansion of cameras or systems may make more sense than effing around with expensive anamorphics that most of your audience can never afford. Just my opinion.

Thanks Jonesy, I really appreciate that. Man, this movie is so Lo-Fi it’s kind of taken on a mind of it’s own. Due to a family medical issue, I lost some filming time this Fall and due to casting issues... nobody likes working for free... I am constantly rewriting the script to accommodate actors and tempt them for casting. Over the next month I am going to put together a 30 second teaser to try and drum up some interest from a couple actors I want to cast... so to make a long story short... soon hopefully. I’ll leave you with another screengrab from my last shoot and best location I have found...

Yeah, I saw that too. And that’s a good point since the a6500 isn’t known for a spectacular 1080p image, but it does have an insane 4K image. I was actually surprised by how good it looked. And to learn that it shoots at such a high bitrate. I figured it was using the same codec and bitrate as the 5D3 and 80D. I believe if you get the Canon Log version, it has about 12 stops. Without the Canon Log... maybe 10-11... but probably closer to 10. However I never felt that his video lacked DR... not that he was shooting in a high DR scenario. Rolling shutter isn’t great in 4K but neither is the crop at 1.64x/1.74x (depending on who does the math) but in 1080p it’s supposed to be a lot better with no crop. The 5D4 probably isn’t the best camera for you, I just wanted to show there are other options if you are not set on either the D750 or the a6500. If I were you, I would either go all in with a D850 or go down to a Canon 80D and bank as much money as possible over the next year until the next generation of cameras are released... Both Nikon and Canon are supposedly releasing FF mirrorless cameras next year. Nah, I’d probably buy a 5D4, but I have a soft spot for Canon cameras.

Interesting stats, I often wonder, since I watch most of these videos on my phone if I could tell the difference if a video was originally shot in 4K or in 1080p and if a good lens on 1080p would translate better on YT/V than an okay lens in 4K? I did recently get tricked into thinking a 5D3 Video was shot in Raw when it was really shot in regular Canon firmware 1080p. Even this video, I thought was 4K 5D4, but the guy shot it on the 5D4 in 1080... now the 1080p on the 5D4 is a pretty high bitrate MOV but still, I would have thought I could easily tell the difference between the two... even on my phone... Btw, he is a Sony shooter that recently switched to the 5D Mark IV.

However you make a great point @jonpais ... how do you think the majority of viewers watch videos online? And if you create content that is specifically made for those people, would it affect what gear you used?

My point being there is such a stigma about Canon cameras on these forums when Canon DSLRs have and still are being used on network television. I work in the trade show industry and easily 95% of all trade show videographers use Canon DSLRs or C100s. I’ve seen a few Sony’s and strangely, one BlackMagic Pocket. Obviously this is anecdotal, but I am just referencing what I’ve noticed on the trade show floor. And I would bet that other than this microcosm of pros, the majority of small budgeted videography is shot on Canon cameras... be it DSLRs or the C series. But back to the point, it is not my intention to persuade Mark into buying a Canon, I was merely stating there are options and if color and AF are top priorities, then Canon is definitely worth looking into. I only asked you if you’ve ever used a Canon is because I know how obsessed you are with color, so I thought you may enjoy testing out a Canon... be it an 80D or a 5D4. Maybe hold off on another couple Veydra lenses and give a Canon camera a shot... it would make a great blog post for you ?. I bet it looks great. I look at a lot of videos online and I mostly use my phone, but then when I find one I am particularly fond of, I’ll watch it on my 40” . I try to separate things because I can be easily distracted... so I have a laptop and iPad for screenwriting, a laptop for editing, and then I just use my phone for watching videos, posting/reading forums, Instagram, etc...

No, unfortunately I do not have a 55” tv or access to one.

@jonpais have you ever owned a Canon? Just curious, I know you’re a Panny guy who has dabbled with Fuji, but I don’t remember hearing if you started shooting with Panny, or like many of us, started with a t2i?

Buy a Canon and be happy with the colors and the AF. ?

I saw that and yes it isn’t bad but not quite as smooth as the Canon... especially with DPAF using a considerable amount less of AF points than the Sony variant.

DPAF is basically like having a Hollywood focus puller walking around with you. Sony’s PDAF is decent but they’re still at least a product cycle behind Canon’s DPAF. And since Canon isn’t going to stop developing their AF capabilities, I don’t know if any company will ever catch up. Honestly, I don’t really like saying you need to buy this camera or that camera... everybody’s needs are different. But if you’re uncertain between the D750 and the a6500, then maybe explore other options. And there are plenty of options out there. I mentioned Canon because of their AF and color science. If you’re happy with the a6500, stick with that. I have no horse in this race. I hear ya... I edit ML Raw to ProRes with 2014 MacBook Air... I’ve always converted my footage to ProRes, every footage I’ve ever shot with every camera I ever shot with, and they work beautifully without issue on FCPX. So even old t2i footage had huge file sizes but they were optimized for FCPX, so it was never an issue. Do you edit native files?

I had the a6500 for a while and felt the IBIS was very good, especially at fixing the RS issue, but then when I bought my 5D3 and 24-70mm f4, I was blown away by how steady that lens is. The IS on that lens gets great reviews, so I just figured it was a one off. But then I bought the 35mm f/2 and was blown away yet again by how steady the lens is. With a strap and my elbows at my sides, it’s damn near rock solid. With that being said, my comment wasn’t intended to be a pissing match between Canon IS lenses and Sony IBIS, I just wanted to express that I know IBIS is tempting but the OIS on Canon lenses is pretty impressive and often goes unmentioned. I understand why people are annoyed with the large file sizes of mjpeg, but since storage is pretty much the cheapest of “accessories,” it never really bothered me much. Anyway just throwing it out there in case Mark hasn’t considered it. Honestly Mark would probably do well with almost any camera on the market since I would imagine most real estate videos are watched on cell phones. If I were shooting real estate, weddings, trade shows, or any event really, I would think AF would be one of the most important features needed, so I would stop reading this site and go buy a Canon.

Your videos look nice. It’s interesting that the client wants that Canon look. Are they a big enough of a client to pick up a 5D4 or an 80D if 1080p is good enough?

Really, that’s pretty good. I had an Ikan monitor that ran off the same Canon batteries and it was annoying because they wouldn’t die at the same time so it seemed every half hour to forty five minutes I was changing one of the batteries.

The battery life is definitely better than the Pocket, but it’s still not great. If you can get 45min out of a battery, you did pretty good. A couple of my aftermarket batteries would rapidly drop after the 30min mark.

Well, Mark already said he has sold off most of his Nikkor, Nikon Mount lenses, so it is not entirely unreasonable to go to Canon... especially since refurbished 5D4s recently popped up on the Canon store, during a sale, for less than $2400. Best AF in business saves time. Also Canon lenses with IS are as good as Sony IBIS. So if he didn’t have the $3500 for a D850, he may have $2500 for a 5D4.

So, I’ve been using the histogram with ETTR Hint since I started shooting ML Raw and for the most part it’s been pretty good to me but during my most recent shoot, the exposure seemed off and perhaps too high. It was much harder for me to use my regular color workflow on the clips. Here are a few shots I did that turned out okay... Anyway I remember reading that most people like using the spot meter... or recommend it for the most accuracy? I had a few minutes today and I tried out the Histobar with clipping warning and even though I couldn’t see which color channels were clipping, I preferred that it was at the bottom of the screen compared to the Raw Histogram. Does anyone else use the Raw Histobar and do you have any pointers?

I get that, it seems like you already know your answer... crazy or not. I started with video and a t2i. I eventually bought an eos-m and for a good 2-3 years I was happy. And then I decided I needed 4K and since Canon is Canon, I had to look elsewhere. And after testing almost every brand of consumer 4K, my old eos-m videos were still amongst my favorite. I also had a D5500 for a while and that was the closest image I could find to the Canon as far as enjoyable colors, but it didn’t have IBIS and I still thought I needed 4K... so... Eventually while deciding I was going to buy a GH5, I came across a 5D3 ML Raw video and I was hooked... Everything I loved about the Canon colors yet in Raw video... So instead of going with the new, shiny camera with every feature I could ever need, I spent more on a 5 year old camera... and I haven’t looked back. Now I am just a hobbyist, so obviously you have to base your decision on other things, so selling off the D750 may make the most sense, but in the process you will probably miss those Nikon colors with every photo you process and every video you edit/grade. But if I was doing RE or event work, I would be primarily concerned with AF, so I would most likely buy a Canon 80D and do as much work as possible until I could afford a 5D4 or a 1DXii. Or I’d get an 80D and a C100ii and expand my business from two fronts. I would imagine a dedicated video camera could be a marketable package to potential clients?

Unsure, why this was quoted. This site acts funny sometimes. Anyway, I don’t know if you wrote this somewhere but what lenses do you own for either system or both? I still think the D850 may be the smartest investment for you, or a 5D IV if you’re interested in the Canon ecosystem at all.

If the C200 was Canon’s only cinema camera, then I may agree with you, but since they have multiple cameras for almost every budget level, then I have to disagree. The genius of the C200 is that it is at a good price point for two totally different budgets. If you have a large budget and want to work with Raw or if you have a low budget but have the time to invest in Raw.

The D750’s color is so effortless. I really think you will miss it. Yeah if you need a camera now or soon, I would definitely sell the D750 and buy the D850, if you can afford it. It has everything you need except IBIS... but you’ve been going without that for how long now? I had an A6500 last January, and I loved the 4K out of that camera, but I returned it because I got the dreaded overheating warning after shooting a dozen 10-30 second clips in 40 degree Fahrenheit weather. It didn’t shut off but I stopped filming after the warning popped up, then went home, boxed it up and sent it back. Of course, it’s better than the RX100 V I tested last December, that camera shut off after using the menu and no video recorded.

Hmm... I would do one of two things... especially since you have been weighing this decision for a while now.... 1. Keep the D750 and get a G85 or GX85 for handheld 4K when needed. @kidzrevil has shown what can be done with those small Panny 4K cameras. Or... 2. Since the D750 is due for a replacement within the next year or so, sell it now while you can make the most bank from it and then instead of the A6500 but a D850 instead. You’ll have D750 level 1080p with focus peaking, internal VR (although digital) and for those jobs where you need 4K, you have near 1DC level quality. If you can put the money together I would choose number 2. Thanks for reposting Mattias’ D750 video. It’s simply gorgeous. His color work is so good and effortless. Now I want a D750... thanks...