Chris Oh

Wrote up a little guide for people new to this and looking to buy their first recorder. And is the way I see the world of low budget recorders is they're ranked like this (starting from worst/cheapest to best/expensive):
Tascam DR22WL / Zoom H1 (I'd suggest skipping right over this tier of recorders! But hey, my first ever short film I did years ago was with a chinese shotgun running straight into a Zoom H1!! :-o Shocking but true... everyone starts somewhere!)
Tascam DR60D mk2 (the DR60D mk1, before the mk2 came out, is what I myself started out using for no budget shorts as a budding location sound recordist)
Tascam DR70D (the *minimum* I'd recommend for a location sound recordist, even if you're just a student / no budget guy. Although in desperate cases, you could scrape by with getting the DR60Dmk2, but doing the opposite and stretching for an F4 is very worthwhile. Certainly, I could travel back in time I'd just have gone straight for the Zoom F4 from the starts! *Except* the F4 didn't come out until a few years later...  you live in a very lucky time with so many wonderful options to choose from!) or Tascam DR680 (these can be found at bargain prices secondhand, which is what I did before I then later on purchased a Zoom F4 once that came out & I spotted an F4 at a good price)
Zoom F4 / Zoom F8  / Sound Devices MixPre6 (I skip right over the MixPre3, as the MixPre6 is very similar yet does so so much more at only a relatively small extra cost. Also I regard the three of F4/F8/MixPre6 as all on broadly the same level to each other, just varying slightly from each other in one area or another that ones might have a small lead over the other one. This is the tier where I'd see you're now reaching the semi-pro level)
Sound Devices 633 / Zaxcom Maxx / Sanosax SX-R4+ (finally you have now got up to the "industry standard" when it comes to recorders people use for small shoots, especially when mixing from the bag. If you're doing this full time as your job or hiring someone who is, then likely this is what is being used. Either that or similar gear, or even something better above this)
And if you considering ones priced above those last three....  you're surely doing this full time as a sound recordist and getting a healthy income from that, so why are you asking us here on Frugal Filmmaker? ha! :-P But yes, tonnes and tonnes more options exist at the higher end as well!
Finally, if you're considering something in the budget range within what I just covered, but isn't one of those that I mentioned, then it probably is *not* a good idea to buy if you're intending to be a location sound recordist. 
Something else only might *maybe* make sense if you've got in mind some other purpose for it, such as perhaps you want to record a band in a studio (which has very different needs / constraints), or you're the rare exception which proves the rule, or you are getting lucky finding some amazingly priced deal which can make an otherwise bad purchase decision then make sense if "the price is right".
For instance I didn't include the Roland R88, as I feel it is extremely poor value for money in 2017! However.... there was a time at the end of 2016 when the Roland R88 got a huge price drop because it was being discontinued. Even with that massive price drop, the Roland R88 probably still wasn't a smart purchase vs the Zoom F8, but the big drop in price at least made the R88 a somewhat competitive option worth mentioning in a round up of all the various choices. However, that sale is now long since ended, and the prices I see on eBay for a Roland R88 is even higher than what you used to be able to buy it new from B&H Photo! Clearly those eBay sellers are dreaming. 
Anyway, that was just one example which might have been applicable but isn't now, so I don't rule out the possibilities of something like that perhaps popping up again in the future especially if you very keenly look around for secondhand deals. But for over 95% of people reading this, that won't be applicable, and just stick to going with one of the main ones I mentioned earlier.
 
http://ironfilm.co.nz/which-sound-recorder-to-buy-a-guide-to-various-indie-priced-sound-recorders-in-2017/

I liked your post for diy lights here. 
I have contributed to a few youtubers with Patreon. $1 to $5 coming out automatically, for contents I'm interested in, I'm in.
If you want to go that route. 
 
 

I think there'd be a pretty big market for it.
For people with LX100 or GX80 you're getting edit ready ProRes and an audio recorder. That takes both of those cameras to another level, particularly the GX80.
For everyone else, the edit ready ProRes would be very attractive even just based on how many threads pop-up on here recently for workflows/computer requirement headaches to handle 4K. Having ProRes from the get go takes care of a lot of that pain. Well, until you have to buy all of those hard drives !
The drop in CFAST prices since the original Ninja Star appeared also means the timing is better for it now as well.
As far as I'm concerned, BM have the right spec with the wrong screen size with their VAs as 4K on 5" would be better for compact cameras and Atomos have the right spec on the Ninja Assassin but the wrong screen size too as maybe it shouldn't have one at all like the Ninja Star.
So for me at least, whichever of them does 4K on a 5" screen or 4K on a no screen will win.

I'm don't do video for a living so here is a different point of view.
I was going to school for photography when I got married. I sold off all of my gear to fund a place to live. I have an office job with kids, and cats. I found a vintage lens and resold to get a Canon T5 for one off event photography job on the side. I found 2 more vintage lenses, sold those and the T5 to buy GX85. I found an open box Zoom H1 for $50 at a retail store near by. I'll probably keep doing this and do overtime at work to get lenses and audio stuff. Hopefully will have enough time to shoot and land a small gig next year. I hate my office job, but it feeds my family.

The hardware controller for Panasonic cameras is coming along nicely and I’m looking for a bit of feedback regarding what you might want on it.
As I’m settling on the controller type (the two front runners will be another poll) there is a bit of a dilemma over the number of switches and how they might be implemented so I want to make sure I get the best core set that will satisfy most people. 
Basically, I don’t want to have the controller be some massive unwieldy thing that defeats the object of having small cameras like the Panasonics so by sticking to something compact there’s obviously a trade off regarding how many simultaneous controls there will be available. The simultaneous aspect is important as to get as many functions on as possible they will be switched in layers and I want to minimise that too so I’m trying to find the sweet spot of total functions.
My idea with this controller is obviously so that it can be used to give you hands off control so you can operate the camera without inducing movement while its on a gimbal etc, and for general remote stuff like if you had it on a jib or even just for vlogging. 
However, as it will also do focus control as in controlling focus but also pulling focus, both at defined transition rates but also by manual control so that in itself requires a fair amount of controls to set positions etc. 
In addition, its other purpose is to get functions that are in menus or a few presses away (like exposure comp or ISO) under direct control to make the cameras easier to operate and add functions like a joystick driven focus point function for the cameras that don’t have it.
So…..there’s a fair bit to find space for!
What I’d be grateful for you doing if you have any interest in having a controller would be to just check as few or as many of the functions as you’d like to see on it.
There’s no order of importance so just click away.
Cheers

I'm don't do video for a living so here is a different point of view.
I was going to school for photography when I got married. I sold off all of my gear to fund a place to live. I have an office job with kids, and cats. I found a vintage lens and resold to get a Canon T5 for one off event photography job on the side. I found 2 more vintage lenses, sold those and the T5 to buy GX85. I found an open box Zoom H1 for $50 at a retail store near by. I'll probably keep doing this and do overtime at work to get lenses and audio stuff. Hopefully will have enough time to shoot and land a small gig next year. I hate my office job, but it feeds my family.

They are great products. 
They have a configuration app which has presets for popular apps but you can configure it to do your own things. The PRO version that Tim has allows you to create your own macros to be triggered by any of the switches so you can fire off a chain of commands from one press.
The Express version doesn't offer that feature but if you're travelling or don't need as many keys then its a lot more compact form factor.
Its smart enough to know which app you're using as well so it won't go off blindly sending out the wrong commands when you switch from Resolve to FCPX etc
 

I shot a short film for the Rode contest recently here (vote for it too please if you liked it!): https://www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/4364
I used my GX85 with the Cine-D mod by @BTM_Pix and it worked great! Lenses used were the Voigtlander 17.5mm, SLR Magic 35mm f/0.95 and (mostly) the Rokinon 85 with Metabones XL Speedbooster. I was really happy with the look and how everything turned out. I did accidentally shoot on Portrait for a couple clips (not sure how, but I may have subconsciously switched it to "movie mode" instead of "C" where my Cine-D mode was saved on). I loved being able to shoot with such a small camera, and I intentionally tried to bring as little gear as possible to just keep things simple and not have to worry about which lens I should be using all the time!
I was definitely pleasantly surprised at how well the audio turned out too. I used Rode Lavaliers and was surprised at how I did not get any wind noise and barely any rustling sounds from clothing.
Let me know what your thoughts are and if you had any questions for me. I'll be happy to answer them!

https://beastgrip.com/

Whoever that was is going to be apoplectic when I post my upcoming essay "Canon and Nikon as viewed through the prism of the template for competing Japanese technology duopolies established during the transition from analogue to digital synthesisers in the period 1979-1987"
Well, pentaprism at least.
Anyhoo....
If you want to monitor audio from your camera but it doesn't have a headphone jack then a little lateral thought will get you here.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B016I34422/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1499264817&sr=8-13&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hdmi+audio+extractor
Plug this into the HDMI socket and it will extract the audio to a 3.5mm jack socket at which point you can then use a similarly cheap and small battery headphone amp to monitor it with or if you want to be all fancy and wireless you could use a Bluetooth transmitter like this which are all over amazon for about £12
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B018YU3VVC/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1499265402&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=battery+powered+bluetooth+transmitter&dpPl=1&dpID=41aHuVS8uuL&ref=plSrch
Good thing about this - apart from sticking it to the man and not having to buy the next model up to get such a fundamental feature - is that you are listening post the camera taking it in. External pre-amps are good by offering you headphone monitoring but its before the camera has taken it in so can give you a false sense of security.

If there is any company that will have a massive standoff amongst its users about adding anything video related (even an optional larger grip for more battery life and XLRs etc which you wouldn't be obliged to buy) its Fuji.
The poor man's/smart man's Leica purist vibe is strong in that community!
If they produced what I think they should (basically a video oriented mini RED) there would be skinny latte spat out over beards in Starbucks the world over when the news broke.

Unbelievably, the shop had an actual Panasonic rep in who was eager to help me evaluate the G80 so I had to think on my feet.
"Can I just see how the focus tracking works when its being controlled by the app compared to my GX80?"
"Of course"
"OK, you go over the other side of the shop and I'll put the app on and then you walk towards me. Slowly".
" OK....Is this far enough? "
"No. Further away".
(Faintly) " How about now?"
"Yes. Now walk back really slowly"
(pretend to study app screen while sending commands)
"How did it do?"
"Its the same as the GX80 so I'll stick with that for now"
 
What's also the same on the G80 and the the GX80 is that VLOG doesn't work on it either.
I have an idea about a clue in the GH4 that might shed some light but don't hold your breath.

What, you think I'm just going to wander into a camera shop in London tomorrow asking for a demo of a G80 and casually try and put VLOG on it?
Because of course thats precisely what I'm going to do !
 
 

Oh well, CineD is already more than expected when we all bought this camera. I don't think the score is 1-0, it's more like 0-1. So there's no V-Log, but you can't miss what you never had. Thanks again for the time and effort BTM_Pix. You rock! 

Here is a quick test on the GH5. VLogL C4K 10 bit. Sigma 18-35 Cine (@28mm). You'll see a nice quality with human faces, but all I had right now were flowers.
 
 

I think you should make a donation page, I want to give you my money is this works out) You are a savior! 

I have always been told chocolate is very bad for a dog.  I have to Google this now...
Wow, that's what I thought, it is poisonous to them.
PLEASE DON'T give dogs chocolate!

The Expodsic (or at least this £13 'equivalent' version) is a good cheap alternative to an incident light meter as well as being a quick and reliable way to set white balance.
You just hold it over your lens whilst pointing to the light source that is falling on your subject so and when the camera meter hits centre then thats the exposure set correctly as the camera expects it to be because it is seeing 18% grey through the Expodisc.
Its quite interesting to see how that can look on screen when you then take away the Expodisc and on the histogram (especially with cinelike d) as it is definitely not ETTR but sure enough with zebras at 100% the peak highlights are only just pinging the zebras.
I wouldn't say its a definitive way to expose but its a very consistent starting point from which to make the decision and as its measuring whats falling on the subject rather than whats reflecting from it then its more appropriate IMO.
Kicks arse for white balance setting.
 

I think the reason this is a popular thread on EOShd is simply because this is a nerd site for cheap cameras. 
We know, or want to know, the intricacies of techniques and  equipment.  
What we do with these bits of info, if anything, is another matter altogether. 
I will say that, personally, the people I know and admire creatively aren't  obsessively concerned with the nerdy tech stuff.  
They know enough to work and the rest ain't a big deal ---or trust others to carry that water. 
That's my world though. Yours might be different. 

Feel free to add whatever piece of gear you feel like may be useful to you or other people or then your comment.
Here's to begin with:
 

If shooting a Doc, always roll the camera when speaking to a subject/contributor, even if it's just to run through what they're going to say - people come up with moments of clarity when they don't think they're being recorded, which they won't be able to recreate later. Also, have loads of cutaways so you can splice up an interview, which leads to the next point of making sure the sound is as even as possible throughout & get some room tone (the sound of the room with no one talking etc..).
I really like the David Fincher approach of splicing up different takes to make a perfect take - he uses this when he has 2 characters on screen together & makes sure that there is space between them so he can use Take 2 of Character 1 & Take 7 of Character 2.

This is me with all the abysmal kit lenses that I've bought over the years with the intention of using them as a DIY rebate scheme by selling them off.
 

No, its fine. Its based on Panasonic's own DMW-AC8 and DMW-DCC11 system which also has 8.4V coming off the actual supply which the dummy battery then takes care of.
Yes, its that kind of thing.
I couldn't remember who did a range of them but I do now and its Ex-Pro.
So they sell the coupler and their own power pack as a package and then you just add more dummy battery types if you've got different cameras.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MXHMOPZ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498831490&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Panasonic%2BDMW-DCC11&th=1

I've just picked one of these up and its a pretty nifty little thing.
Basically its a series of locking bars that you can easily change to be anything from a selfie stick for Vlogging to a top handle to a shoulder mount or even a poor man's low mode stabiliser.
As the joints lock in any angle its really flexible in being able to be shaped to what you need it for. Its really useful in the shoulder mount mode actually because you can make the angle of the piece that runs over your shoulder to be really tight so it hooks in firmly.
Each piece also has 3 mounting holes so you can attach handles, mics, lights, monitors, cup holders or whatever else rig enthusiasts like to cram on there if thats your thing.
Its light, versatile, folds down small enough to fit in a coat pocket and at £38 its not exactly going to break the bank.
With something with IBIS like the GX80 I've got it with here, it gives some great additional stabilisation advantage and still keeps you stealth.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Camera-Photo/Movo-SV1000-Aluminum-Combination-Stabilizer/B012Y7UVB4/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1498822792&sr=8-19-spons&keywords=movo&psc=1