mercer

Yeah, honestly, I don’t think ML Raw would be a great choice for your needs. 14bit Lossless has doubled my storage requirements and has helped tremendously but it’s still storage hungry. For instance, I get about 25-30 minutes of footage on a 64GB card with 14bit Lossless whereas I used to get 12 minutes. A 64GB card costs about $50-$60. With MLVFS, post processing is actually pretty fast now. So I guess, you could make it work depending on how judicious a shooter you are. Yes, I briefly was interested in the X-T3 and the P4K and the GH5... I like cameras and sometimes it’s strange only having one camera at my disposal but every time I come back from a shooting day and get those files into my computer, I quickly forget about other cameras. With that being said, I will most likely buy another Micro camera this summer. I really liked it when I had it the first time and being an FCPX user, shooting native ProRes will be a great alternative to ML Raw for some upcoming projects. As far as the M50, I liked the footage I’ve seen from it. I like how you can use c-mounts for a pseudo 16mm look when shooting 4K, or if 1080p is good enough, you get a S35 image with DPAF. You have a Z6, now? Why do you want to move to a different camera? With the ProRes Raw update coming shortly, I’d be pretty tempted to hold onto it and see how it pans out. Of course, I don’t know how long it will be before it’s available?

This is a great example of the beauty of ML Raw on the 5D3... coincidently this is @zerocool22 ‘s video so he could have some insight into his process. I love my 5D3 and ML Raw and have yet to find a camera I would choose over it. The OG Pocket and Micro are also great choices and the P4K looks to be a pretty great camera as well. But for me, there is just something about that FF Raw image that is undeniable. With that being said, it’s not for everybody.

@Mattias Burling that makes sense. I don’t care about winning, I see this as a way to mess around with some older cameras I’ve always wanted to test. In fact, the safe bet is to buy the cheapest camera possible since I could lose it if I come in dead last.

Okay, final two questions regarding rules... 1. I found a couple cameras that come with lenses but they’re over the $200 limit. If the lens could be sold for the difference, is that allowed? 2. Can we enter more than one video if we find multiple cameras?

Yeah I’d be curious to see that lens on the P4K. Have you had a chance to use the Micro... or any inspiration/ideas for a grip?

Love the mood. Are those stills or video frames?

Also, I know this is supposed to be for fun, but should there be some voting rules... 1. You can only vote once. 2. You cannot vote for your own film. 3. So this doesn’t turn into a social media popularity contest, like Rode Reel, you must be a registered forum user with at least... X amount of posts.

Or at least 30 day total so people can find a camera, create a project concept, shoot and edit.

I think this should be a 30 day challenge plus a two week treasure hunt for their camera... so 6 weeks in total?

Creating is the most important part but also being out of our comfort zones with equipment that has less frills than the marvels available to us now. So, sure one can buy a GX85, or already own one, for under the limit but is that really part of the spirit of the challenge? But whatever Andrew decides is fine for me... limitations force creativity.

I don’t have a C200 and have never used one but I think there’s an unfortunate trend that the extra 2 stops are more important than the 10-12 a lot of cameras already have. But that statement wasn’t an assessment or comparison between the C200 and 5D3 ML... it’s just a generalized comment about dynamic range.

The 1DC?

Yeah, I loved my eos-m with its 50mbps codec. And even the bitrate hack with ML is pretty good.

Yes, of course the man behind the camera can elevate any camera and isn’t that the point of this exercise? But I think some people would definitely use an eos-m and ML Raw and they’ll have a clear advantage. Of course, I’m absolutely fine with it because I already own an eos-m and this challenge will give me a reason to finally mess with the new builds and a c-mount lens... so I take it back... No restrictions other than price, please.

I agree with you about the price, I even mentioned it upthread. But I don’t think any hard rules have been set yet. I hope the lack of replies isn’t reflecting the interest.

I believe Ed David sold his Ursa Pro for a C300 Mark II and since he’s probably the most accomplished cinematographer that contributes to this forum, it should say something about the C300 ii.

I hope this happens. In fact, I’m a little surprised by the lack of replies. The older members would have eaten this up... But it seems the next generation of video shooters are only interested in resolution and auto focus.

Awesome idea!!! If I have a vote for rules to help even the playing field... no 4K, no Raw, no ProRes. So 1080p or less compressed codec. I like the idea of a price limit but $150 may be too low... there may only be 3 or 4 ILC cameras that would fall under that category. Maybe $250 or $300 or less. In the future you could do a P&S challenge, phone challenge, camcorder challenge... etc... Also I’d say make it manual lens only.

Yeah that’s a shame. Years ago I bought my first point and shoot that shot video from them... I think it was a Panasonic FZ or FX... something. Anyway, they used to run a promotion in the summer where you could make an offer on any camera they sold... I think I saved almost 50%.

Here are some more test shots from the Zeiss 25mm 2.8 ZF “Classic” lens... I’m in the process of picking out a new monitor, can anyone suggest the best/easiest/quickest color calibration tool... Spyder?

Idk, I love the stuff you shared from your C200. Whatever you were doing in the beginning seemed to be working... has your workflow changed? I used to color in FCPX, but then I started messing around with Resolve and because I could, I’d complicate my color workflow to its detriment. Now I’m back to using Resolve as a transcoder and basic Raw corrector... WB and exposure... and I’m using the color board in FCPX and I’m happy again. So maybe try a simpler workflow? Btw, I forget... did you ever test the Raw signal to 1080p ProRes via the SDI out? I’m still really intrigued by that. With all that being said, I really like what I’ve seen from the EVA1. @Zak Forsman makes his sing. Also, if you’re thinking about a change, I know some EVA1 users have a GH5s as a B-Cam and I know you were thinking about going back to a DSLR/DSLM form factor, so that could be an option as well... Or maybe even a 1DC?

I’ve bought stuff from 6 Ave. They are a brick and mortar store in N. Jersey... or at least they used to be... I haven’t been up that way in a while. But they sell Grey Market cameras. And the points are not cash back, they are credits to use on other purchases through Rakuten... I think. With that being said... that is a great deal and if I had a little extra cash lying around... I would seriously consider it. And with that being said, I’ve never purchased a big item from 6 Ave and I’ve never purchased anything through Rakuten. So I can’t vouch for them.

I shot a 48p 720p test on my 5D3 last year and was pleasantly surprised by it... That 50mm Nikkor is great piece of cheap glass. It pairs nicely with the 28mm f/2 because they’re both so contrasty wide open. Does the 4ak upscale in MLV App take a long time to process?

Those look amazing. They could be screengrabs from the film. Great job. What lens did you use and what is your grading workflow with ML Raw?

Messing around with some more footage from the Zeiss ZF 25mm 2.8...