mercer

It looks great. Love the motion you captured in the still. Still really like the color too. I've been so tempted to try out a Sony camera... eventually the FX30 probably.

The newer pro camcorder versions of the FZ such as the HC-X2 have internal 4:2:2 10 bit now.
Yeah something more like the XC10/15 lens range with the internal 10 bit 4:2:2 would be eminently doable for them.
But they won’t because they hate us 😉
Panasonic did actually release a new bridge camera this week though (FZ82D) but they’ve gone with a 2/3” sensor and a quite insane 20-1200mm equivalent lens!
I doubt it signals a refresh of the FZ200/2500 but you never know.

No worries...as I noted it was a still shot with Sony A7iii. I am foolish enough to attempt taking photos of dancers with manual lenses in dimly lit halls. To keep ISO down I use fast lenses wide open or close to it, which means I rarely nail focus. But the dancers love these photos, especially when focus is not spot on. On this one I used a Minolta Rokkor 58/1.2, probably wide open based on the shape of the OOF highlights.

Never mind... I didn't read your comment thoroughly enough. Or it would appear... at all. Haha. Still a nice shot, though!

The XA50 I've been messing around with for the past few weeks has brought a new joy to filming that I haven't experienced since I first started shooting with my 5D and an IS lens. The top handle and the hood with its flip switch lens cap makes carrying and shooting a pleasure. With other cams, in between locations, I'd take off my VND filter and then put the camera back into my bag. With the camcorder, it just sits in my lap until I'm ready to shoot again... which is such a quick process... flip open the lcd, flip the lens cap switch, check exposure, record... I can grab shots from standby mode to record in about 3 seconds or so.

Just to be clear, as long as you hold the button pushed in, the footage will be in slow motion, when you release it, it goes back to regular motion. Such a cool feature that no other camera has.
Here's a video I shot with the camera many moons ago. This video just demonstrates the camera in slow motion, not while using the push to slow function. Looking back, I'd probably make the grade a touch less brown, but it was kind of a cold, brown day...
 

The XA50 I've been messing around with for the past few weeks has brought a new joy to filming that I haven't experienced since I first started shooting with my 5D and an IS lens. The top handle and the hood with its flip switch lens cap makes carrying and shooting a pleasure. With other cams, in between locations, I'd take off my VND filter and then put the camera back into my bag. With the camcorder, it just sits in my lap until I'm ready to shoot again... which is such a quick process... flip open the lcd, flip the lens cap switch, check exposure, record... I can grab shots from standby mode to record in about 3 seconds or so.

Like I said, maybe noise doesn't bother me as much as it should. Here's an example of a still shot on Sony A7iii (uncompressed raw, but only 24 megapixels); I have my ISO capped at 12,800 and that's what the EXIF shows but it was at least two stops underexposed so I had to bring it up. I did no denoising myself although Capture One applies a bit of denoising automatically (and adds a small amount of film grain) so maybe that's what's going on. The level of noise here doesn't bother me at all.

For video I'm using Blackmagic cameras, none of which apply any noise reduction in-camera; they leave that up to you in post so you can dial in as much or as little as you like. In low light those cameras are super-noisy and even if I crush the blacks I usually have to denoise every clip.
 

 

That camcorder is just so much fun and it has decent IBIS, something that the GX800 lacks. I'm going to take a mini tripod for it for that reason. To get out to 600mm equivalent, it would require the Olympus 75-300mm, which I also have. The problem is that it's the same weight as the VX-981 and it's near unusable on the GX800 unless on a tripod. The only thing that could "replace" the VX-981 is the 14-140mm or the 100-300mm due to their OIS. Also, I just love camcorders now because how versatile they are. I should also add that the audio on the GX80/85/800 are not great whereas the VX-981 has great audio.

I was using the 200 mbps HD intra for these which gives the added bonus of extra at the wide end and a lot more reach at the tele end.
And the stabilisation is easily good enough to hand hold even at 500-600mm equivalents.
The amount of different shot size coverage you can get out of this camera as a consequence is ridiculous.

And yet the FZ2000/2500 that is the camera for ticking every single one of these boxes can’t get arrested.
Same sensor size as the Super 16 film format that was used in classic BBC travel docs such as Palin’s Around The World In 80 Days but with an optically stabilised zoom with a huge range, internal ND and without the flightcases.
Cheaper than the iPhone as well.
 

The only comparison that we all really need to do is of footage that we make from cameras that we own and of what other people are making with it.
If theirs is better then the camera isn’t the problem and we should stick with what we have until we can make ours as good.
And then don’t think of “upgrading” until we do.
With any camera from the past five years (at least), the ceiling that we hit is usually our own capability rather than that of the camera.
And, yes, I am absolutely flat broke after not being able to follow my own advice on this !

That said, I've just paid one unit (for now) of this temptation today... not only but also because of this:
Tests will probably lead to a 2nd unit a couple of years distant from the release year, it happens! : P
Let's play with a few comparisons then:
Why I DON'T Travel With a Camera Anymore
iPhone 15 BETTER than the SONY FX30?
IPhone 15 Pro Max VS Sony FX30 - Cinematic | Madrid
My Thoughts Comparing the Sony fx30 and the fx3
Nothing new to see here so yes, I bought it with the XLR-H1 Top Handle Unit as a fair bundle (new condition) for a hundred bucks more ($131 to be more precise) no matter what* : D for a fraction of the original price, yes.
Maybe it will actually be used for stereography 3D acquisition based on 4K 100fps coupled to proper native ISO ; )
The fact is the possibility of using my anamorphic sets MFT based, as well C mount bargains and all the PZ + Clear Image Zoom offers by Sony, have made something really unique to my eyes for same price I have bought a BMCC6K-FF the month before :- )
 
* with studio tests

Wide end of the Panasonic 20-60mm kit lens on an S5ii capturing some people so desperate to avoid the outlandish parking charges at British seaside town that they've decided to parachute in.

 

1st shooting session last night.
What a memorable show! The Waterboys version 2024 is a terrific must. Their performance on stage is one of the best gigs I've ever seen in my life... To hear this Scottish-Irish band playing hits such as (let's only mention a couple!) 'AND A BANG ON THE EAR' or 'THE PAN WITHIN' live is simply thrilling... literally. One of the best bands ever. Mike Scott is a star of the history of folk rock in the body of a man. The older the best, as I had opportunity to personally let him know he is like Port wine, today : )




BTW I have a chance to offer to this community... To those who will be interested to locally shoot their concerts, we can launch a footage archive of their performances in the coming years. PM me as you wish on this purpose of mine launched here now. I think these boards should be more mutual cooperation of this gang's gigs than has rarely been TBH :- )
 
And I will tell you the only beef against the usual mirrorless toys ; ) Bulky and weight. Light glass without cumbersome adapters is a bless... ; ) Osmo Pocket : D saved us a lot of times! Incredible tool!
All the rest has no challenge. Monitor, menus and BRAW have no competitor and are what a cinema camera should be.

While the S5II H264/265 uses temporal noise reduction as opposed to the S5 and make the fine details worse especially in 4K/C4K. I think the GH6 being softer than the GH5 in 4K/C4K is mostly due to a more agressive IDP (Intelligent detail processing). In order to reduce moiré, it smooth fine details (making the image more organic for some people) but also reducing the level of fine details when you crop a bit.
So if you want to get the same impression of sharpness of the GH5 and tries to add digital sharpening in post on the GH6 (this is rarely a good thing to do but it can help to see the differences of details between different cameras/recording mode by highlighting them),  the image becomes very bad with some apparent details looking oversharpened and some very fines details looking smoothed out. The GH5 just keeps more details and even if this camera still use a good amount of sharpening in 4K, this sharpening looks less rough.
In 5,7K, the GH6 is much better (and closer than the GH5), fine details looks less rough than 4K/C4K, however the IBIS takes a good hit when walking producing more "jumps".
Open gate is very similar to 5,7K on the GH6, maybe the fine details are slightly better when there are not a lot of motion, but the rendering is very similar.
However the GH5 in Open Gate is the best I've seen, the level of sharpening is almost the same than a raw picture file, making the image the best you can get on from a Panasonic m43 camera about detail rendering and in my opinion this mode is much better than any mode inside the GH6 or the G9II, even in Prores. Of course I don't speak about DR and colors, for me the GH6 has the best colors of any Panasonic cameras.

Speaking of camcorders... here's a video I found shot with an XA10 in "cinema" mode with a monochrome filter applied...
 

That makes sense! Form and function working together creating a new visual style.
You can grab shots from two different locations and match them in an edit.
You can even shoot one side of a conversation if you only have one actor available and get the other angle another day.
With shallow DOF, I can shoot inside a coffee house, on a crowded ferry and grab shots while I look like a tourist with a camera and nobody will come back and say that blurry counter is my coffee shop.
So as much as I understand that it can be overused, there's also a very practical reason to use it for me.
Just another tool. 

When I bought my first DSLR... the t2i... the exciting part was the ability to use shallow depth of field to help hide our lack of production and art design on DIY films. Those original Canon DSLRs lacked detail on wide angle, infinity focused shots but close ups with shallow depth of field looked great. Unfortunately, wide angle shots became very popular due to skateboarding videos and people's desire to go handheld, so people wanted sharper, more detailed images.
With IBIS and AF in FF cameras, it makes sense why shallow DOF has become popular again. Like anything else, it's just another tool. I kinda miss tripod and slider shots if I'm being honest... I imagine they work great now with the great AF and motorized sliders that are available.
That said, I was recently watching footage from my friend's old HV20 and was floored by how great it looked in that old Canon "cinema" mode. What it lacked in DR, it made up for in color and atmosphere... and no color grading needed.

Both are true. Just from my own limited experience - my EF-S 17-55 2.8 has worked well via adapters/focal length reducers, with functioning AF, on every Sony body I've used (FS700, FS5, A7R1, A6600) but is terrible compared to the inexpensive Sony 24-105 f4 - literally worlds apart. So if AF is important, it generally has to be native.
Personally I only use it for 'fun' shooting and for anything intentional use my Super Takumars, but even for the 'fun' stuff I want AF I can rely on.

Also the Arri LogC curve and color science is considered the best in the industry. One of the biggest selling points for Resolve is the ability to "mimic" LogC via a Color Space Transform, so now that you can get that in camera with the GH7 with IBIS, and usable AF... working natively in FCPX via ProRes or ProRes Raw, is a pretty big deal.
The GH7 is THE camera I never knew I always wanted and probably won't get. Maybe.

I've used most of the big NLEs and prefer Final Cut. The magnetic timeline is so fast to use once you learn it that tracks seem so 20th century to me. Like they're something left over from a Steenbeck film editor or something whereas Final Cut is definitely from the 21st century. I'm sure if they hadn't patented the magnetic timeline all the other NLEs would have copied it by now.
The roles thing and the built in database are so good, again once you get to know them. I've assistant edited on both TV series and narrative films, (including a feature) using it and it's much less work and takes less time than my experience with Avid or Premiere.
I think Apple is going with the approach that they have something so good and it's so popular that they promote it much. They kind of don't need to as it's become the de facto standard for web video production. They don't update it as often as some would like but when they do it's always a better version of a feature than anyone else's and tends to be rock solid too.
I think it's not going anywhere, in fact they just had an update this morning.

1. learn the color temps of things irl
2. set the camera wb based on what looks good and vibes 👍

That makes sense! Form and function working together creating a new visual style.
You can grab shots from two different locations and match them in an edit.
You can even shoot one side of a conversation if you only have one actor available and get the other angle another day.
With shallow DOF, I can shoot inside a coffee house, on a crowded ferry and grab shots while I look like a tourist with a camera and nobody will come back and say that blurry counter is my coffee shop.
So as much as I understand that it can be overused, there's also a very practical reason to use it for me.
Just another tool. 

When I bought my first DSLR... the t2i... the exciting part was the ability to use shallow depth of field to help hide our lack of production and art design on DIY films. Those original Canon DSLRs lacked detail on wide angle, infinity focused shots but close ups with shallow depth of field looked great. Unfortunately, wide angle shots became very popular due to skateboarding videos and people's desire to go handheld, so people wanted sharper, more detailed images.
With IBIS and AF in FF cameras, it makes sense why shallow DOF has become popular again. Like anything else, it's just another tool. I kinda miss tripod and slider shots if I'm being honest... I imagine they work great now with the great AF and motorized sliders that are available.
That said, I was recently watching footage from my friend's old HV20 and was floored by how great it looked in that old Canon "cinema" mode. What it lacked in DR, it made up for in color and atmosphere... and no color grading needed.