mercer

17 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

There is an argument that good lens that vignettes are contradictions in terms but I know what you mean !

Obviously, I understand the contradiction... haha. And I knew you'd know what I meant.

I end up reaching for my Canon 28mm 1.8 a lot of times because it has that vignette that allows me to push the exposure a little higher in certain situations because I know that the vignette will help to cloak my highlights a little.

And I know I've mentioned the Sigma 30mm 1.4 Art that covers full frame with a pleasing vignette... I just haven't found one for the right price yet.

21 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

You'll hate me for pointing you in this direction but based on stuff I've seen from @Andrew Reid , the "slightly bigger than full frame" of the GFX100 yields some really pleasant results vignette wise when using old SLR lenses on it.

My mouth is watering just thinking about it. If I could figure out how to make money with any of this crap, I'd probably own one by now. 

8 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

Although its now discontinued, the camera that still annoys me at holding its value secondhand is the Canon XC10/15.

It should be like £150-200 now but it most certainly isn't.

Yeah that's annoying too! I liked the XC10 when I had it. I thought it was a lot of fun to shoot with and it felt like a point and shoot cinema camera but I felt that way about the FZ2500 and the RX10ii as well. All of them had really nice lenses, good internal preamps and decent internal codecs. And you're right, any one would probably be good enough for more than half of the people that read/contribute to this forum.

Every couple months I look to see if there are any new prosumer camcorders on the market. 

Looks cool... but... just buy a Komodo and have a better camera. 

1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

On so many threads, I have to resist the temptation to just say "we should all just buy an FZ2000/2500 and get on with it" but its never far from my thoughts !

Again, its one of those where if they incorporated a couple of things like 10bit and PDAF into a newer version it might get a wider audience. Not bothered about the IBIS because the hybrid stabilisation in it is pretty great.

 

I couldn't agree more, but then I go and search for one and am, at first, surprised you can still buy one new and immediately am disgusted that they're the same price they were in 2016 when I bought one. Actually, when I bought one in 2016, it was cheaper.

Just another reason why I am so disappointed by Panasonic.

On 1/4/2024 at 1:47 PM, BTM_Pix said:

Subscription based versus €30 one off for LumaFusion seals it for me !

Yeah yuck on that. Until I am forced to pay for subscription software because there are no other options... I refuse to pay a monthly fee to use software.

On 1/4/2024 at 1:47 PM, BTM_Pix said:

The mobile version of Resolve is worth a look and can also work with their SpeedEditor unit to get the same deal going that I've got with LumaFusion.

Just recently got a newish phone, so I'll have a peak at it, thanks!

On 1/4/2024 at 1:47 PM, BTM_Pix said:

To be fair, I had to invent that one myself !

Oh, I knew that... I guess I should have replied... you invent all of the gadgets. Haha.

On 1/4/2024 at 1:47 PM, BTM_Pix said:

However, being a gentleman of a very certain age, I've recently re-bought a totally hardware solution in the form of the Roland VS-1880.

That is badass... I keep trying to think how it would be useful for anything that I do! Hard to tell from photos, but how big is it?

On 1/4/2024 at 1:47 PM, BTM_Pix said:

Be a fitting tribute if you could find a way to do it on his behalf.

Hmm... you know what... It would. We had a couple ideas, we would talk about collaborating on, I should revisit one of them. Knowing Brian, he'd probably hate what I did with them... but tough luck I guess...

I have realized that I love lenses that vignette, so much so, that I will add vignettes in post to either enhance the natural vignette, or to add a vignette that wasn't there.

So obviously, I know it can be added in post, but I'd love some recommendations of good lenses that vignette.

The mount or format isn't much of a concern... actually I'd love to hear about different lenses from different mounts.

6 minutes ago, zlfan said:

even though bm cams have af, it is not on par with sony and canon cams, even not on par with red komodo. certainly you can use it for gimbal, but many more dps use sony cams for gimbal work.  

I don't think you're following what he is saying. Go back and reread. 

11 hours ago, QuickHitRecord said:

As a full-time freelancer, it was a rough year for me. I made about 2/3 of what I did in 2022; it was the worst year I've had since 2018. I'm still trying to understand why. It was probably a lack of focus as I helped my wife through her cancer treatments, the last of which was in April (as far as we know, she is cancer-free). Also, I lost a large account -- a relief for my mental health, but it did account for a double digit percentage of my income over the past two years. And I took two personal trips, which meant turning down quite a bit of work (as they say, "take two weeks off, lose six weeks of work"). But yeah, it just felt really slow, especially the Fall/Winter. I've been watching the rise of AI and big jumps in smartphone technology closely, and I am wondering how much longer my skill set will be relevant. It may be time for a change soon, though I can't think of anything that I would rather do.

Equipment-wise, I bought a second C70, two RF zooms, a Red Scarlet-X, and an M2 Mac Studio + BenQ monitor. I sold about 50 items that I just haven't been using. I probably have another 10 that I can let go of too.

My new reel for 2024:

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles, but glad your wife seems to be on the other end of her cancer!

Well, your loss of work cannot be do to your skill set! That is some of the nicest work I've seen posted on this site! Really top notch!

I love the Super 8 film/emulations and the B&W baseball footage! Is the C70 your workhorse? I'd love to know every camera used for every shot because we all know it's all about the camera...

Btw, I'm pretty sure I still owe you a c-mount test. It's been a rough year for me and I have considered giving up on filmmaking altogether. I've definitely shifted a lot of my effort back to writing and I've been working on some audio dramas.

With that said, I did get a chance to go out and shoot a little over the holidays and I am getting the bug back, so we'll see. I have a bunch of stuff to sell... cameras and lenses but I'd like to do that c-mount test with the BMMCC before I sell it. Does the C70 have a S16 crop mode?

Also how do you like the Scarlet?

9 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

I've been doing a fair amount of editing on LumaFusion again recently since I got a new(er) iPad Pro.

I've been using it with the interface that I created (but never released) to enable it to be controlled wirelessly by a Contour Jog/Shuttle controller.

It turns the whole thing into more of a dedicated device and is far, far quicker to knock something together with, particularly as the new iPad blasts through content.

LumaFusion does have the depth to it now it do everything including correction, multi cam etc etc but its not sat there in your face going "tweak me, tweak me!".

It has the FCPX exporter plugin now if you want to send the whole thing to a FCPX for navel gazing/finishing but I haven't bought it as I haven't felt the need.

The issue I have with the MacBook for editing is the same one that I have with it for doing music.

It can do anything but I prefer the tactile immediacy of dedicated devices.

 

I desperately need a new computer... my 10 year old MB Air wasn't really good enough back then, let alone now. It still cuts through 1080p ProRes 4444 like butter, though.

I heard there's an FCPX app for iPhone/iPad now, I'm curious about.

That controller is slick! You have all the gadgets. There doesn't seems to be any latency issues either.

What program do you use for music? With the audio dramas I work on, I've been using Reaper. It would probably make more sense for me to use Logic, but Reaper is priced right and is pretty simple to use. Of course, my goal for my next piece is to create it entirely in GarageBand.

My friend who died of Covid, wanted to make a feature film entirely on his phone... from the script, to the preproduction, to the shoot, edit, ADR, the music and all the way to the final render. It was kind of a gimmick, but to him it was more of a challenge or a puzzle for him to figure out. 

I thought menu controls could be controlled through the usb or hdmi?

16 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

This is the sort of thinking that logically should end up in the "fuck it I'll get a Z8" category.

I'm with you on transcoding but indeed increasingly the faff of any kind of NLE.

I'm quite interested in whether people felt they were more productive when they had hardware devices, as in camcorders and tape decks.

The immediacy of coming home, getting the tape out of the camera and then putting it in your playback deck and assembling it onto the recording deck had a lot going for it in terms of productivity.

Maybe if we had equivalent hardware devices now instead of everything going into the multi purpose computer it might be more enjoyable to actually edit things.

And would stop the fall down the rabbit hole of tweaking the bollocks off every single shot. 

I'd absolutely love a Z8 or a Komodo or even an XH2(s) to some extent but again, they're just too much out of my price range.

As far as the fucking around with every shot... YES!!! One of the reasons I want to "shoot" in B&W!

27 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

I've been saying that for the past 40 years and I almost mean it now.

True enough. Part of me wants an FX30 because I love slog with monochrome set as the color... you really see the dynamic range of their cameras in B&W and I want to make a B&W film... but I also want the ProRes from the GH6 because I am so tired of transcoding footage... I just want to bring it into FCPX and start editing. 

1 hour ago, BTM_Pix said:

I've quoted this before during the G9ii saga but, yes, its right there on the front page of the Micro Four Thirds association official website.

That was the point at which they changed from being "Alternative Music" to "An Alternative To Similar Types Of Music".

They went from being The Smiths to being Coldplay basically.

He is absolutely churning the content out at the moment for some reason.

If you went for this version of the Zfc you could live in both an under $1500 world and a Barbie world simultaneously.

Classic BTM... haha!

I must admit, I'd really like a ZF but I'll have to wait a couple years for that one.

You're right, though about Panasonic... they used to be punk rock, now they're Rick Roll. He really is making a lot of videos. Camera Conspiracy can be a bit much, but I appreciate the shorter videos compared to others that force a 20 minute video out of a 10 minute subject.

With that said, I'm probably going to buy another GH6. I didn't love it the first time around m, but I think I was being too picky and I have a different... use-case for it now.

Honestly, I'm kinda tired of all cameras right now. 

22 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

Panasonic showed their hand with the G9ii about how they view the new generation of MFT cameras really.

Depending on your point of view its either an S5ii with a tiny sensor or a G7 in a massive overcoat but the net result is the same in that its just not size appropriate to where everyone wants to see MFT.

So the "new" GX85 will not be coming from Panasonic.

Without a doubt. Now I don't mind a bigger camera...

But...

I don't care how many features you add, m4/3 is still m4/3, and the point of the system was small and economical... wasn't it? I feel like Panasonic hit its apex with GH3 as far as ergonomics and proper price goes. Starting with the GH4, they started chasing the wrong things.

22 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

But it is there in cameras like the a6700 or even the Nikon Z30 both of which have excellent fast primes from Sigma to balance the body size with the lens size but more importantly can shrink that further by deploying the secret weapon of the TechArt adapters to open up the M mount lenses.

Both of those cameras fell completely off my radar. The a6700 is pretty impressive. As is the Z30, if we are to believe that Camera Conspiracies goofball.

The real problem I have is that there is no camera under $3000 that is an upgrade for me, but I live an under $1500 kinda world.

11 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

That's a nice selection. I've thought about getting the K10D before.

If you can find one for a good price, I recommend it. I paid less than $100 for mine with the box and less than 1000 shots on it.

The colors are amazing. 

2 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

That's a nice selection. I've thought about getting the K10D before.

My question was more about what camera you have with you at all times, not for everyday shooting. The reason I ask is that I personally find smart phones way too big for one-handed operation now and I'd rather have a small, cheap smart phone with a camera in the pocket than just a large smart phone.

I don't really have a camera with me at all times. I have my phone, but I only use it to take photos for work or if I need to make sure I'm buying the right thing.

If I could go back to a flip phone, I would in a heartbeat. 

I think I like smaller cameras in theory more than practice, if I'm being honest. But I also never had a problem with DSLRs. The only benefit for me to shooting mirrorless was the ability to shoot some different lenses... but then you had to deal with big and clunky adapters which kinda made the small mirrorless concept moot... not to mention the annoying crop factor.

30 minutes ago, John Matthews said:

What camera do you take with you everywhere?

I have 3 that I enjoy for everyday shooting... a Minolta X-7a, a Pentax P3, and a Yashica FX3 Super 2000. If I'm going digital, I have a Pentax K10D with a 12mp CCD sensor and ibis that suits my needs.

Although I prefer video, I don't get out enough to shoot anything worthwhile for day trips. One day soon, I am hoping to shoot a short film or something and I'll probably use my 5D3.

I will say that I do miss shooting video with a small camera but even the GX85 I found to be fairly uncomfortable to shoot with and prefer a bigger camera. My dream camera would be a Nikon D5500 with DPAF, ibis and internal raw video (or ProRes)

Without looking at the actual specs, but having owned both cameras, I am pretty sure the FP is around the same size or smaller than the GX85. With lens options, you may have a point although the Sigma primes are fairly small.

To be honest, this move to mirrorless seems kinda pointless... you're trading body size for lens size. It's kinda mind boggling really.

I guess I've been out of the loop... I know the R5 had overheating issues... but it was my understanding they fixed it? Did I miss something?

I'm also pretty sure that the RF mount has plenty of smaller primes. With that said, I understand you're already invested in m4/3 but it may be time to start thinking about a different company because Panasonic isn't going back to smaller cameras unless you want a G100. Which I may be in the minority but I actually think it looks like a cool camera. 

To be fair, it seems like you specifically want Panasonic to continue making these cameras? Sony has the RX0 and ZV line that are pretty impressive. Although, recently discontinued, the Canon M200 is as tiny of an ILC that you can get. Then you have the Osmo Pocket, Insta360, GoPro, etc... there are tons of options.

For some reason, every other company, except for Panasonic and BM, get a ton of crap on this forum with comments like Cripple Hammer, or whatever, but Panasonic gets a pass because they offer waveforms or something... but I feel like Panasonic is the worst of them all. In the past 3 years Canon has been the biggest innovator and are still making small DSLM cameras... look at the R50 or R100... they're pretty small. An R8 full frame camera with 10bit and cLog3 costs $1299. You can get a Sigma FP for $1000 used and not much more new...

There are options... just not from Panasonic because they only care about full frame now, or they think any worthwhile m4/3 camera should be priced at $2000.

I must admit that I have been very tempted to try out the ZV-1. I guess if you want to go real cheap, the F version is a possibility as well. I've had a couple RX10ii and I really like Sony's 1" sensor cameras.

14 minutes ago, Jedi Master said:

Why would you think I’m trolling? I watched the video and it did look better to me. So that’s your definition of trolling? When someone’s subjective opinion on what looks better to them differs from what looks best to you?

Not at all, that's why I suggested that if you think the one version looks better than the 24p version, then there's nothing more to discuss. Then I asked OR are you trolling.

You are entitled to your opinion, of course, but I am entitled to react towards it how I want. And again, if you believe the 24p version looks worse, then there is no reason to continue this discussion.

4 hours ago, Jedi Master said:

Looks fine to me.

This may be one of two downvotes I have ever done. I hate doing it but if you think that looks fine, then this discussion should just be closed because there is literally nothing more to discuss... or are you really just trolling?

Yes, @JulioD the most interesting thing I have learned from this discussion is that I am not the only person still shooting ML Raw.

Hahahaha... this is so stupid.

@zlfan you are the one that claims 24p is outdated, yet you are the one demanding that the majority prove you wrong with scientific evidence that 24p is more cinematic than 60p...

Sorry to tell you, but it's your claim, so the burden of proof lies with you to prove us wrong with scientific evidence.