mercer

I grew up making movies with my friends but as we grew older, less and less movies are made, but I absolutely adore the process and hearing about it. Every short I've ever made and every film we've ever done, I tend to hate the process leading up to it, until I manage to nail a shot just as I envisioned it. I hear you about the RX10ii, I used it for my first rounds of tests today. I am pretty happy with it so far because it is a lot better than I expected it would be... of course I am shooting all daytime exteriors with it, am shooting in Shutter Priority mode, in manual focus but using the push af to set my initial focus... the project I'm in pre-production with is hinged upon the auto aspect of the camera and so far it seems like it will work nicely. Now I just have to figure out how to correct/grade SLog2... ugh. The BMCC hasn't really been on my radar, but I've loved what I've seen from it... especially the Raw shot short Lights Out. If I didn't already have a cage, speedbooster, external battery for the BMPCC, I would consider the BMCC instead. I, briefly, had the Micro last Spring and although every time I had to rig that Rubik's Cube up, a little part of me died inside, the image was lovely. The screen with the Pocket is a pain, but it is usable... barely. Between the RX10, A6500 and BMPCC, I'll have every camera I need for the slate of shorts I have planned for the next year. Btw, do you have any BTS footage of your film? I am really impressed with what you did and I'd love to hear more about the process.

The a6500 has Touch phase detection af, so no reason to doubt that the a7siii will have it.

Although the RS isn't good at all, on the 6500, the 5-axis IBIS really tames it if you are not doing fast pans and walking.

I can guarantee that most of the replies will favor the GH5, but honestly I think the right answer depends on how important cost, sensor size, low light and AF is to your work? With a $600 price difference the extra money saved with the a6500 can be used to put toward lenses. With the larger sensor, you will have a built in Super 35mm aesthetic and all the bonuses that entails. Between the sensor size and cleaner high ISOs, the a6500 will be better in low light. With the touch screen and PDAF, the a6500 will have better AF. With all that being said, the GH5 will probably offer a more stable production with less chance of overheating and better rolling shutter. If 4K 60p is important to you, the GH5 will offer that. If you're interested only in 1080p, the future firmware updates will give you lots of great high bitrate, high framerate, All-I options. But if 1080p is all you need, the overheating issues of the a6500 won't be an issue... of course I haven't had an issue with overheating in 4K with my a6500, but I never shoot a clip that is longer than 2-3 minutes at a time... being a wedding videographer, YMMV.

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.