mercer

Really nice work. Neo noir is such a cool genre... actually all noir is... and it seems you managed to truthfully yet artistically stay within the confines of the genre. It seems like Blue Velvet may have been an inspiration for the film as well as some of your previous mentioned ones? The casting was very smart, a couple of your actors resembled Hollywood actors... one looked kinda like Michael Douglass and another looked kinda like Kevin Spacey... specifically in the car scene where he is framed in the middle of the back seat... kinda like Seven. If you don't mind me asking, what was your budget? Assuming it was on the lower end, my next couple questions are asked based on that presumption. I've been patiently awaiting a good price on a BMPCC and while scouring eBay, I've noticed a lot of lightly used BMCCs going for just a little more than a new Pocket... with it being called a Mini Alexa, I'm curious to know the pros and cons you experienced shooting with it on a feature? I just purchased an RX10 ii, so obviously I am really interested to know how it fared compared to the BMCC and 5d2 Raw, which shots, from the trailer, were shot with it, did you use SLog2 and did you tweak the profile settings or use them at default? I guess that's more than enough to ask of you. So, thanks for sharing your work and please keep us posted when the feature is finished. Also once again really nice job. You discussed some of the problems you had and I am sure many others on the site are full aware how near impossible it is to produce a narrative film on a small budget. Every task is a struggle to the point where it seems that the universe does not want us mere mortals to make a film. Sheer fortitude, obsession and a little bit of luck makes it happen... So congratulations on that miracle as well.

Did you make an optimal primes joke earlier and deleted it? ? Actually, in your earliest post on the topic, I thought you were specifically referring to the a6500, when you actually wrote just Sony... and I can only speak for the a6500. I've never used an Olympus but from what I've seen, the IBID does look excellent. I will admit, I was tempted by the E-M5 mkii after seeing John Brawley's video last summer.

On the Sony site it states it is more optimal with a native lens that has OSS... just as Dual IS works better with Panasonic.

I meant your link is for the A7ii.

That's for the a7ii. The a6500 has 5-Axis IBIS.

I'll have to read about it again, but before buying the a6500 I took it that when using an OSS lens, the body does 3-axis and the lens handles two, but when using a non stabilized lens, the body does the 5-axis... but I could be wrong. Found this diagram that explains Sony's 5-axis...

Again I don't think anyone is arguing against your points. It's not moot because the point of the post is... look what you can do with an iPhone 7... The End. Sometimes the best camera made is the one you have with you.

@Kisaha I just don't understand the case you're resting. Nobody ever said that the iPhone 7 is better than any camera. Obviously for the same or less money you can get a camera that will give you better results. The point of the post is that most people have a phone on them and when you're freed of gear, you can use a phone to capture the heart of the subject and in most cases nobody will notice the difference that it wasn't shot with a better camera.

I'm probably wrong, I'm not questioning the man's integrity, just sharing my experiences with both cameras... I didn't do a side by side, but with the GX85 there are times when I still have to concentrate on keeping it steady, I didn't have to do it with the A6500. I only used a 28mm with the a6500, so maybe that made the difference. As Jon wrote, I wouldn't walk with either of them, but you can do some side shifting and panning with both. You can go a little faster with the GX85, due to it's better rolling shutter.

Damn autocorrect... equivalent.

I have both the GX85 and the A6500 and I find them to be equivocal.

Yeah, that is a nice image... the 4K CLog is just the right mix of soft and sharp... was that shot at The Bluebird?

Thanks, I wish that were a real job. I'm not really short on ideas, I just lack the skills and money to make them... I guess that's why I write more than I film. You do a good job of showing off your friends' and girlfriend's good qualities... part of that is knowing them and partly because you have a really good eye.

Yeah, that is great! It adds that little touch that makes the piece feel like an old postcard of a memory or dream... if that makes sense? Really nice work!!! Btw, is that curly haired blonde your girlfriend? Your work inspires me to stop messing around with stupid camera tests and go film finished pieces. If only I had friends... LOL.

Yeah nice lens. I read Mattias singing Olympus lens's praises but I'm not sure I ever saw anything from any of their lenses. One note that could be a cool effect... maybe take the audio of you and your friends laughing and talking and place it over the entire track, not as in sync audio but as a low background track. If you mix it with the sound of rustling leaves, the pedaling bikes and wind... almost as an echo... it may add a little more of a nostalgic memory feeling to the piece. I don't think it's necessary but it could be nice.

I wish I could have liked it twice!!! Really nice work. There is a hauntingly, romantic feel to the entire piece. The music works great, nice edit, good color. I believe this is just a hobby for you, but you should think about doing some music videos. You have a really good eye. Also, I loved that you only added the voices when your friends were standing around looking at the map. Was this with the Sigma 18-35mm? All handheld, or did you use a slider in some shots?

Yeah the battery life is a little disappointing but aftermarket batteries are so cheap and they charge pretty fast, so it's not the end of the world. Obviously the menus are a tad convoluted but it seems Sony is at least starting to organize them a little better. The IBIS really is great and the IQ is just phenomenal. I've only had about an hours of use with mine, but it fixed everything I couldn't take with the a6300. Do you shoot slog2 or 3?

Yeah these look fantastic. Great job.

The fact that he exposed +1 stop on the subject's face and the window wasn't completely blown out is a testament to both camera's DR. If he exposed for the sky, the subject would be a shadowed, noisy mess.

@Gregormannschaft yes the Sigma 30mm 1.4 is a native e mount lens. From what I've read and seen, the AF is a touch slower than the Sony lenses but more than fast enough for a smooth rack focus. It also has nice separation with that 3D pop. Thanks, for a first go at SLog3 and coloring SLog, it could have turned out worse. By keeping the minimum and maximum ISO at the same ISO number, there shouldn't be too much of a change anyway. I stopped using zebras a while ago because the pattern distracts my composition and I found you can get some major exposure differences by relying on zebras... so I started using the in camera meter. With this little trick, I found it easier to hold the +1.7 stop... because the meter blinks at you when you are not at it. However, I think the shot of the outhouse has different Auto ISO values... 800 and 1600.

Do you have any before or after screengrabs, I'd love to see your results with it. I'm working on a short film that basically takes place entirely in the woods, a sparse pine forest, so I definitely need some DR. I'm going for a soft look similar to this... minus the snow... I asked the filmmaker what profile he used, but he hasn't replied yet. The 35mm Flektogon is an amazing lens. I had one a while back but I needed some cash and sold it. It must look great with SLog/GFilm.

I've only used Auto ISO one othe other time with my D5500 when I borrowed a Sigma 17-50mm for the day. I was shooting in Shutter Priority mode but the D5500 decided to change the ISO values moreso than the aperture, so I turned it off and shot manual. So this is all new to me. Honestly I don't remember you linking me to an SLog2 profile... Do you still have the link? I'd love to give it a go. I've always loved Minolta lenses with Sony cameras, but I am going to pick up that Sigma 30mm 1.4 lens and give the Touch PDAF a go. Yeah I was actually fairly impressed with SLog3, on tighter shots. With some of my other clips, I threw on an Impulz LUT, adjusted the curves a touch and that was it and the clips looked pretty good. But the project I am working on now requires a lot of wide shots and I can't risk the banding. My interest in Sony again started by coming across some videos from the FS5... man did I drool over that Raw image... even the in camera 10 bit 1080p looks amazing. I want to test SLog2 a little more, SLog/G-Film and probably EOS Pro... but most likely I will keep it simple with Cine 2.

Yes, it does. If you set different values for minimum and maximum, then you can use +/- exposure compensation to hold at your specified stop... obviously the camera is adjusting ISO. Or you can keep the same value at minimum and maximum, adjust +/- exposure compensation and use the meter to gauge your exposure more precisely because your designated stop will blink until you adjust accordingly. But when it stops blinking, it seems to hold steadier at that stop than it would without using Auto ISO... so I'm unsure if the meter is just reacting differently with auto ISO on or if it is performing very minute, micro ISO adjustments to keep you there... even though you set the minimum and maximum to the same value.

I guess I am not explaining myself clear enough. By using auto ISO and exposure compensation in this manner, with manual lenses, you can basically turn the camera's meter into a zebra-like exposure tool that will blink until you set either your aperture or ND filter to the proper setting based on your chosen +/- exposure stop.

Yeah, when you say it like that it doesn't sound all that impressive. And maybe this is just my ignorance but I was surprised you can set the minimum and maximum ISO to the same value but still use exposure compensation with a manual lens to tame the touchy meter or micro adjust the ISO.