mercer

Yup, I’ve been saying to my friends... I’ll buy the GH5 or BMPCC 4K when one or the other hit $1000 or less... meanwhile I’m still on the lookout for a cheap Micro.

Glad to hear it. I’m probably going to go a different route than the P4K but if the right price pops up on the used market, without the software, I’d like to know my options... even though I’d mostly likely shoot 1080p ProRes on the P4K.

And aren’t those black levels recoverable in post?

Good to know, thanks. I shot h.265 extensively with the NX500 and had to transcode the files to ProRes before bringing into FCPX and the process took forever... processing my 14bit uncompressed Raw files take less time. Now I know you can edit h.265 natively but I prefer to transcode to ProRes before ingesting into FCPX.

Yeah, but not for BlackMagic... their slow rollout of this camera may have hurt sales of Resolve Studio for the immediate future. That’s good to know but I think you lose some of the “raw” functionality without the BRaw Panel?

When the camera was released, we were told you needed Resolve Studio to edit the footage. But when it was released, BRaw didn’t exist... so if the BRaw Panel is included with Resolve Lite, I guess it doesn’t?

Does the new version of Resolve Lite have the BRaw Panel? Now that the camera is in stock, a couple BMPCC 4K cameras are popping up without the dongle but even though the software is free with the camera... on the used market, it depreciates to a thousand or less without the software... even if the camera is new.

That was a good deal and I think I may have bid that one up for you. As I’ve stated ad nauseum, I love my 5D3, so I’m in no rush. My goal is to build a similar kit as you for $750 or less... anything more and I may as well get a Z Cam E2C or a GH5 as a second camera. How is the IQ of the 6K mode different? I’m not a fan of h.265 so it sounds a bit less appealing.

The first and second grab look great. I don’t think Sage will have to do too many tweaks.

My friend has the 10iii and loves it. It definitely can have a cinematic image. I believe a lot of the other, older, Olympus cameras use Rec601 instead of Rec709 but I still think the E-M5 Mark II is an underrated camera and would happily shoot with it. The IBIS on it is insane. Good to know, that’s definitelt worth the little extra for the name brand. I’ve never used the cameras side by side, but I’ve heard the IQ is a little bit better with the Micro... have you noticed that?

That’s exactly how I used the BMPCC as well. With my first one, I splurged on the 12-35mm 2.8 and with the second one I used the 14-42mm. Personally, I would never use the BMPCC rigged up... it just goes against the point of the camera to me. The most I would do is add a loupe and that cheap Lanc trigger handle and treat it like a Super 8 camera. As far as battery life, the official Nikon battery is supposed to last the longest.

The list is subjective as are camera choices. I’ve owned 2 BMPCC, 1 Micro, an EOS-M (ML Raw), a 50D and now a 5D Mark III and without a doubt the 5D Mark III with 14bit uncompressed Raw is my favorite of the lot... no contest. The BMPCC is ridiculously cheap right now so I may own a 3rd in coming months, but for me it would be a ProRes LT camera since I already have FF Raw. I’d rather have a Micro but even though you can buy one used for around $500, by the time you kit it out, it’s closer to a grand. And at a grand, it’s a tougher buy for me as a second camera. For me, I may as well spend a touch more and get a GH5 for its IBIS and plethora of other features. The Pocket/Micro are amazing cameras, they’re just kind of a pain to shoot with... too many workarounds. Beautiful images though. With that being said, I just made an offer on a Micro since I already own an Ikan VL35 monitor and a slew of c-mount lenses.

I think a lot of people know that.

I was inspired by Andrew’s post about older cameras and had a look at some of my old frame grabs from my D5500 and Tokina 24-40mm lens...

To be fair to what? Andrew’s article was complimentary to the P4K.

After reading this article, I was reminded that I never gave the 3.5K Raw a test on my 5D3, so I just bought your shooter’s guide. I’ve been contemplating a second camera for a while now and am hoping that 3+K mode in the 5D3 will keep me going for another year or so before I feel the need to upgrade. With that being said, some of my favorite ML Raw videos were shot with the Mark II, so I’ve wondered if it would be smarter to sell my 5D3, while it still has some meat on its bones, and replace it with a 5D2 and possibly something with a few extra features like a GH5. The options we have just 10 years after the digital/dslr revolution is truly amazing and it’s truly amazing how well the earlier options still hold up. Great article... it makes me want to pick up a used GH1/2 or D750.

@Zach Goodwin2 congratulations on writing a short story! Writing a coherent story isn’t easy. Now rewrite it... watch your tense, watch redundant sentences and change the ending so that his Dad died a year ago but still looks over him from beyond the grave through text messages... Haha. But seriously... rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Then write another story.

Great post. I like how you linked the Alexa and early DSLR/Mirrorless cameras to the pursuit of a filmic image. With @DaveAltizer ‘s recent return to the 1DC and this post, I wonder if you have any interest in writing a 10 years later review on some of the original cameras that paved the way to the pursuit of that elusive filmic look and how they hold up today? Although outdated, I think the mjpeg codec adds a special meatiness to the IQ of some the earlier cameras... your hacked GH1 videos come to mind as a perfect example and it would be interesting to see how you would use these camera today. With the prices of the 1DC and C100 steadily declining, I must admit I’m tempted to give one or the other a try.

How do you like the E2? Also, have you heard anything about the E2C’s availability?

Do you have any graded video frames or info about the lens... why you like it... is it parfocal...?

With the FCPX issue, could a workaround involve using Resolve as a color corrector (LUT utility) and then transcoding the “LogC” files to ProRes for an FCPX import?

Thanks for the update but where can you preorder the e2c? I can’t find it anywhere.

Yeah, it is definitely relative but the weight without the added benefit of image stabilization makes it a little impractical for me. But as you suggested, it’s really 3 primes in one, so the convenience factor is a definite plus. Right now, I’m only looking for the Samyang 24mm 1.4 we’ve spoken about in the past while I sell off a bunch of unneeded glass. Then I’m going to reevaluate what I have left, and what I need based on upcoming projects, including the Samyang and see if there’s anything else I can get rid of... Then... I may look into replacing all of my 28mm lenses with the Nikkor 28mm 1.4. That has been a dream lens of mine but a little too pricey for my meager skills. But if it’s my only 28mm, it may be doable. My ultimate goal is to have a small EF set and then a few of my favorite primes of varying focal lengths with the ultimate goal of 10 lenses or less. I’d love it if I was the type of person that could get by with a Sigma zoom and a prime but I just don’t know how realistic that is.

The locations in my film are in some ways characters in and of themselves, so I’d rather not divulge the specific locations. I’m sure you understand.

I didn’t even realize how many jewels were in my backyard until I started searching for locations. Now I find an interesting place almost every time I go out to shoot. Thanks, nature helped me out here as this was nothing more than some saturation added. In the summer months, storms roll in and out of these small bayside communities and the cloud formations are amazing. One of my favorite aspects of ML Raw is how it renders skies. I sometimes wish for a little easier of a workflow but at the end of the day, I cannot deny the image benefits of 14 bit uncompressed Raw. Even 720p ML Raw has some special image qualities to it... 1080p is really more than enough for me... with Anamorphic, 2.5K is possible with the normal build and the experimental builds up to 3.5K looks pretty amazing. I think I’ll test it this summer.