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Calum MacPhail

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Posts posted by Calum MacPhail

  1. I guess the choice you have to make is wether you'd prefer to focus more on FCPX? When it first came out, it broke my heart, I loved 7. I've since moved to Premiere and they've made a lot of moves to make it similar to FCP 7, including keyboard shortcuts and the like. Though I hear these days that FCPX is a powerhouse and not to be overlooked, so I guess it depends wether you want a machine that could do premiere and FCPX?

  2. Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but the MBP is supposed to be moving to Skylake (new cpus) in the next few months, so there will be a refresh. If you are going for an integrated GPU, the new models will have a better one. Though in saying that, its a lot to spend on a work laptop without getting one with a GPU. Apple moved back to AMD graphics with their last MBP refresh and I think theres mixed feelings about this as theres no longer CUDA support. Personally, I know a lot of people say you have to get on the bus eventually and cant keep waiting for the next computer to come out, but I'd seriously wait for the next machines this time and maybe save the extra to get a dedicated graphics card if you are set on a RMBP.

  3. You are better off getting the Mac Pro 4.1 and onwards. The 2009 4.1 model can take the parts all the way up to the 2012 model if you upgrade the firmware to 5.1. Lets you use faster ram and potentially two 6 core processors, which you can upgrade yourself and still has decent heft. I've seen single socket 2010 models for £350, I wouldnt go for less than a 2009 model.

  4.  2) Does the video assist take an SDI signal and output HDMI? In other words, input from BMCC and output to flatscreen TV or monitor. 

    I'm sure I read that someone had tested it and it preformed SDI to HDMI cross conversion. But don't quote me on that with the little quote button, probably best to wait for someone that has one...

  5. Its a bit of a shame this didn't come out earlier. Theres been pretty aggressive reductions from Atomos in the UK, I deliberated on the Blade for ages and then picked it up last month for 400 quid from CVP. The inc vat price of the assist is £361 and thats considerably cheaper than what the Ninja Blade was listed for at the time. 

    Still its nice to see that theres choice for the consumer, so we definitely benefit.

    Actually the NX1 nicely downscales the 4K internally to 1080p for the HDMI output. I've tried recording that with the Video Assist and it is pretty decent quality. Better than the internal 1080p!

    So get the Video Assist if you need better quality 1080p from your NX1 and can't be bothered with 4K or H.265.

    So set the HDMI output to 1080P and just leave the camera in 4K? Cheers mate I'll try that with my Atomos, if it pans out I'll probably pick up the assist for my NX1.

  6. I've yet to test my NX1 with my Ninja Blade, but have you tried a 4k output downscaled to 1080p with the NX1? I'm sure it does 8bit 4:2:2 out of its HDMI port, so just wondering how good the downscaled 4K would look. Would be a potential reason for me to pick this up as my NX1 runs B cam to my C100 and I've been following the video assist for sometime. Dont know if they changed it, but when I originally contacted them, Blackmagic were saying that there was no rec trigger for the C100 with the device.

    Edit: Just noticed you said the 4K downsample is only SDI, apologies!

  7. I used to have one but it never felt 100% reliable.

    I would agree with you, to go down the hackintosh path you definitely need to be up for tinkering to run one on the regular. I've got various different systems, my main rig, which I find myself using more than my Mac Pro these days, works brilliantly and I've taken it with me multiple times to show projects to clients, without fear of it kicking up any problems.

    Picking the right parts is by far the best step you can make, its hard to go wrong with Gigabyte motherboards for example. Theres almost always kinks in the beginning as you say and again I totally agree with you on the usb soundcard point.

    I would say that for anyone that wants a powerful mac without the worry of Hackintoshing, for a reasonable price, look at the 2009 mac pro with two CPU sockets. With a firmware upgrade you can transform it into the 2010 model, allowing for faster ram and the ability to replace the dual quad cores, with dual six cores that still have significant wallop. 

    In the end, Hackintoshing can transition into a slightly weird but enjoyable hobby. As I mentioned above, I hackintoshed a Surface Pro (that i picked up for 120 quid as it had a cracked screen), after fixing the screen, I now have a 1080p, i5 tablet with 128gb of storage, a usb3 port and a bloody fast card reader that is great for backing up and reviewing footage in the field. Kicks the shit out of the 11 inch air screen.

     

    12181944_10156320855375354_1660211912_n.jpg

  8. I reckon that should share the same mount as the pre mirrorless Sony Alphas (A mount). As it has electronic contacts, I doubt you would get aperture control like you can with Nikon lenses. 

    EDIT:

    I stand corrected! This seems to work, but it's fairly costly: http://www.videogear.co.uk/Lens-Mount-Adapters/Novoflex-Adapter-Minolta-AF-/-Sony-Alpha-Lenses-To-Samsung-NX-Cameras/prod_2417.html

  9. Appreciate its not what you are asking for directly, but I picked up a Rode Smartlav+ mic the other day for lightweight documentary projects. The sound quality is excellent for the price and it did a great job on the project I bought it for. Recorded straight into my iPhone and it exported WAV files out the other side very easily. 

  10. I'd recommend the Rokinon / Samyang too, the cine versions are excellent for video for the price. I've just got an EF lens adapter for my NX and I am using EF Samyangs on it. Might be worth getting the EF version instead of the NX, will hold its value better I reckon and more adaptable to other systems,

  11. Man I'd love to make a Hackintosh. To be honest, I survive on Page to create all of my company letters and quotations. Microsoft Word frustrates the hell out of me with their default set of fonts. Even on a Mac, everything feels uglier on Word.

    I've been running various Hackintoshes, along side actual Macs, since Snow Leopard and I've yet to have a really unpleasant experience. If you go into it I recommend starting with a desktop build, rather than converting a laptop. Its much harder to get compatible laptop components wise, but it can fun, I have a Surface Pro that runs Yosemite really well. The installation process is so easy these days and websites like TonyMac have excellent guides.

  12. The way to push the button is a bit tricky, they should have drawn a little arrow and an unlock symbol under it. I kept pushing it too the first couple of times. It's a great adapter anyway with no issues whatsoever. Highly recommended. 

    BTW they make one with a built in iris assembly, anyone knows the downsides of that? could be a great solution to control iris.

    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1146821-REG/fotodiox_eosa_nx_apt_declk_pro_lens_adapter_with.html/prm/alsVwDtl

    The return issues were with another product, their absolutely useless Excell speedbooster. I thought mine was broken given how soft it was, so replaced, the same, then knew it's what it is, only sharp beyond f/8 (really?). So it wasn't a QC issue but a whole design failure of a product. I advice they keep away from the glass making and stay in mechanics!

    I've heard really bad things about those artificial apertures, ranging from poor bokeh to vignetting.  Haven't tried one myself however, but I could see how that wouldn't perform to the same ability as the lenses actual iris.

  13. Stuck to the lens or the body?

    I know a guy who's had to get his 5D fixed twice as fotodiox adopters have jammed on the body...

    If I was to get a ef to nx adapter stuck on the body I could partly live with that, but don't want to get any of my glass trapped ha.

    I bought Andrews guide earlier and I worked out the adapter he uses (even though it's difficult to see from the photo), so I'll give that a try.

  14. Evening chaps and chapesses, just wonder if any of you have some recommended and confirmed working EF to NX adapters? 

    Just picked up an NX1 as, after shooting for the past couple of years with my C100, I've been missing slow mo as a go to tool in my repertoire.

    I'll be using manual lens on it, so I have no elaborate requirements.

    Cheers,

    Calum

  15. This may not be the place to say this, but i'm very interested in BlackMagic's Video assist recorder. I fired them an email today asking if it will have Rec control over HDMI, but nothing back yet. Just wondering if it will take a record control from my C100 like an Atomos, anybody know?

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