mercer

How much saturation do you have to boost in post with your flat settings? I have been testing flat lately, and I have found that once you bring the contrast back in, a lot of the color comes back as well. My most recent test, I was messing with the vector tool in Color Finale, so I ended up bring in too much blue in the sky, but for the most part contrast brings back most of the color. Have you found the same? Btw, the screen grabs look great!!!

I think I need to calibrate my screen, because the sky did not look that blue on the computer.

Once again I have another lens test. This is probably the last one, I have narrowed it down to two lenses, the Tokina RMC 35mm f2 and the Minolta Rokkor-X 28mm f2. One of them will be the workhorse for my upcoming project. This specific test is with the Minolta. I shot it in CineLikeD with contrast at 0, sharpness and noise reduction at -5, and saturation at -3. As always I performed a quick correction and grade with Color Finale. After watching some tutorials, I am starting to try and actual workflow, don't get me wrong... I am still horrible at it, but it is beginning to make some sense. Anyway, thanks for watching. I don't have too many people to get opinions from, and I tend lose objectivity when I start tweaking color.

What in camera settings are you using?

This is gorgeous. Couple questions... What lens did you use? Do you edit, grade and deliver in 4K?

Here is an ungraded grab from the G7 shooting CineLikeD with everything dialed down. I used the Tokina 35mm f2 lens with a Fotodiox ND Throttle adapter... Here it is with just a curve adjustment... And here it is letterboxed, with the Tetrachrome LUT from Impulz, and some Gorilla Grain...

That is insanely clean... Especially for the contrast and dr in those shots. Do you know how good the gh4 version of the Leeming LUT works with the G7? I know a few people claimed to test it with the G7, on DVX, with favorable results, but I haven't seen any footage with it. About a month ago, he said he was working on a G7 specific version. Like you said, as a specific film stock, it will work nice. I've been using CineD with everything dialed down with pretty good results. I'll post some grabs later that I don't attempt to grade, just correct and balance.

Am interested in hearing your thoughts on it when you get it. I was able to get out today and run some tests. And I finally tried the Leeming LUT settings you told me about. I will probably buy his LUT when he has a specific G7 version.

Yeah, probably. The G7 is dirt cheap right now. I think you can get a body only for around 400 on eBay. So, maybe pick one of them up in the interim, since the gh5 won't be out until the end of the year.

I have never used a gh4 but all of my research says that it is better in lowlight and the newer sensor shows a slight improvement in iq.

Yeah, I didn't love the 1.4. The f2 is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used, though. Even wide open.

Ok, gotcha. You were talking about a f/1.8 lens... That's not gonna give you that much more light. I guess the Samyangs are your best bet, there aren't a lot of lenses, less than f2, in the semi-wide to normal range that are cheap. I guess there's the Konica 40mm f/1.8. That's a really cool lens and it has a little bit of a cult following.

Looks great Bror. Beautiful lens and composition, but I am a sucker for slow rack focusing. What camera did you shoot that with? If you already have the Nikkor 35mm f2, then why are you even looking for another lens in this range... Get some more Nikkors... How about the 50mm 1.2 or 85mm f2... Or the 20mm f2.8? There are so many great Nikkor lenses that you should be concentrating on building a nice set of those... IMO.

Haha, yeah I am guilty of a little click baiting. However, I was going for the Yet Another Guess The Camera.

At least I now have an excuse as to why my videos all of a sudden look bad...

Thanks, if you have it I would like to see it. I almost picked up a Nikkor-O 35mm f2 the other day but we couldn't agree on a price and since I already have the 28mm f2, it seems redundant if I can't get it for the right price. Which Nikkor 35mm f2 do you have, and do you have any footage online using it?

A lot of lenses are worse than canon FD and nikkor 35mm f2, Rokinon/Samyang/Bower included. But I have not seen anything from them. Have you used the Creator 35mm f2? Do you have any footage from them? I have been curious about the price for awhile.

The Samyang/Rokinon/Bower lenses are nice lenses, my friend has the 16mm Cine lens and it is a really nice lens. Mitakon also makes a 35mm f2 lens that looks really nice. Brand new they sell for $160. Of course I haven't seen any footage from them, but their other lenses look good Without a doubt. Those lenses will be good for years and they will work with any future Nikon, Canon, or mirrorless.

Gotcha, then there you go. If you want autofocus, Mattias is selling the Samsung 30mm pancake, I think.

However, I will say, test out the lenses you have, if you like the results... Then that's all that matters. Post some of your tests. The people here are kindly honest. Good luck.

Kidzrevil has performed a lot of tests, if you go back through this thread and the last 15 pages of the lenses thread you will see his results. There appears to be some macroblocking and banding issues. Others haven't seen as much as him, but his tests are very thorough! As I said before, I have only used vintage lenses with the NX500, but I definitely saw a difference, had better results, with my newer, vintage lenses than with my older ones.

Okay, primarily for photos in low light. How much do you want to spend?

Pavel, nice work. Cool edit. Okay, it is arguable that you should spend more on lenses than on cameras. Your lenses will out live the camera, so obtaining good glass is essential. For the type of work you are describing, I would recommend either the Sigma Art lenses or the Rokinon/Samyang/Bower Cine lenses. They aren't necessarily inexpensive, but they are a good value for the lenses. If you don't mind used lenses them there are always deals to be had on eBay, Craigslist, etc... I personally would not recommend the native Samsung lenses. With the future of the NX mount in question, I don't see them as a viable lens investment. But, for the right price, they are great lenses that work beautifully with the NX system. Actually, I think Rokinon has made some of their lenses in the NX mount, so that may be a viable option. Otherwise always get your lenses in the Nikon mount, it has the most cross camera platform compatability if you change cameras in a couple years. However, if you are looking for auto focus and exposure then pick up a couple more Samsungs and be done with it. Btw, I love Takumar lenses, I recently picked up the 35mm f2 lens for very cheap and it is a stunning piece of glass with amazing bokeh and character. Hope this helps.

I recently came across some older Samsung lenses that were made for the PK mount by Schneider. These could be excellent choices for the demanding NX sensor.

In my opinion you want to get lenses from the same manufacturer from the same lens line up. If I were you, I would start investing in the Rokinon/Samyang/Bower lenses. Or if they're a little too pricy for you, then breakdown your lens line up into interior and exterior lenses. By doing this the slight difference in lens characteristics can be negated. Btw, what type of video work do you do? This also can help to steer you in a specific direction.