John Matthews
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Posts posted by John Matthews
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5 minutes ago, eatstoomuchjam said:
I'm not sure if it was brought up before in this thread, but apparently Yaroslav got some new old stock of the Z Cam E1.
https://www.soltyscameras.com/product-page/z-cam-e1
I really didn't like mine at all when I had it (and I was so pleasantly surprised by the E2), but as far as I know, it is still the smallest 4K ILC camera ever produced. If you do get, avoid the log profile.Yes, we have talked about it. I'm not sure if it should be disqualified due to a lack of a proper shutter for photos.
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1 hour ago, kye said:
Gary W bought the GX850 when this thread was going strong, and he's just posted his 2 month review with it. He mostly takes stills so that's the focus of his review.
TDLR; he really likes it and finds that it has an X-factor that he can't explain that makes him really enjoy using it. It's not going to replace his GX85, but it makes a great compliment to it.
Yes, I saw a few videos regarding this. He's right- it's a fun camera and I wish Panasonic would update it. The best part of it is the flip-up screen. Unfortunately, the worst part about it is the moiré in 1080p and overheating in 4k at 5 minute or less. As a travel camera or B-cam, it's a great choice IMO.
What I find amazing is the fact that many of the newer small cameras cannot be kept in-stock; yet, we see nothing from Panasonic who IMO is the leader in know-how for this category of camera. I'm not sure if their heads are stuck in the sand or just bad forward thinking. In any case, it isn't good. Hope they turn it around soon.
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On 3/14/2024 at 12:20 AM, kye said:
I watched a bunch of ATEM Mini reviews yesterday and it looks like that would be a great setup to upgrade to once we're up and running.
A few minor questions, if you happen to know:
- If you enable picture-in-picture and have it so that the setting persists between inputs, and then switch to input 1 (the source of the PiP) does it give you input 1 with a PiP of input 1? or does it disable the PiP for that angle? and if it does disable it, does it re-enable it when you swap to another angle?
- Does it delay the audio inputs to match the audio delay on the HDMI inputs?
- Did it get upgraded to have a multi-screen view on the HDMI out? or is it still limited to either Program or Preview?
- Is there any way to run macros from the hardware device? Having a custom PiP would be great but the PiP buttons erase any custom settings apparently.
Unfortunately the best reviews were the ones done when it came out, and they are obviously only of the initial firmware.
I use the ATEM mIni in a very simple way. Again, it's to limit the things that could go wrong, but it has been very reliable. I only use it to show my iPad screen (this can be very customizable). I just push the picture in picture button to "on" and there's my screen. I'm on the side of the screen so my students can still see me. There are macro features and tons of other things, but you cannot do simple things like play a media file (that's why I have the iPad). Also, a lot of stuff is simple too hard to get ready. On the iPad, it's a cake-walk. You could also use in combination with OBS or something. I have done this but find the iPad solution works better and it's more intuitive- again, no preparation provided I've prepared the lesson on the iPad in the first place. My goal was to simple go to the live setup area, turn on a power strip or two and connect. I should say that I only do one-to-one classes, not groups and it further simplifies everything. The number of variable is astounding and I'm surprised I've had few problems (knock on wood). In April, I'll be getting fiber put in (not that I really need it), but it could be the biggest challenge that my system has faced- wish me luck.
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16 hours ago, kye said:
Have people been doing a lot of live-streaming for clients etc? or themselves?
I've done hundreds of hours now in English training. It's not my main gig, but it's good to do something a little different.
I use a GH2 with the Olympus 17mm f/1.8, a M2 MacMini, a Behringer mixer, a Atem Mini, a Audio-Technica AT 875 R, an iPad Pro 12.9", an Apple Pencil, 3 cheap lights with softboxes, and some decent headphones. I've tried many other things too, but so far, this works best for me. My cardinal rule is to have as much as possible with a cord and no batteries as to reduce my single point failures. My only exception is the Apple Pencil, but I plug it in whenever I'm done. The key for me is to have as little setup time as possible- just flip one or two switches and I'm up and ready to go.
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46 minutes ago, EspenB said:
Patents expire after 20 years.
The basic "internal compressed RAW" patent expires in april 2028. Or the end of the same year, I'm not sure.
In any case "the patent" only has four years to go.
I'm fairly certain every manufacturer who's interested will have something lined up for that moment. In fact, I'll probably just wait it out. There's also a chance Nikon gets some easy money for licensing the idea of compressed to others on the cheap- that would be good for whole industry and also good for Nikon. Four years is nothing at this point when 2010 cameras are still viable solutions in 2024 and beyond.
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1 hour ago, sanveer said:
I mentioned this, because its curious how such promising sensors, that should be in modern cinema cameras, never really come to fruition. RED has been bullying the industry on RAW video, and a few others on sensor and hardware development?
This is actually a great point. Maybe Nikon hopes to have more leverage in sensor negotiations with Sony or anyone else.
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1 hour ago, JulioD said:
No way is Nikon making a Burano type camera.
Nothing will change at either company.
A few years from now RED fold from stagnation or gets bought back by the owners and re-launches.
Exactly. Nikon has shown over and over again that their management gets cocky and stupid; then, they end up promoting some guy who knows what they're doing and turn the ship around making some awesome products, only to return to the previous situation cocky leadership and 5+ years of stagnant products. Red survives on lawsuits and ULA's. The now ex-owners are in a "cash-in" situation where they can buy it back at a later date when Nikon fails.
Yes, Nikon came out with some great products recently, for sure, but who thinks they truly know what they're doing at a business, financial, and cultural level? The jury is still very much out on their turn-around. Give it another 5-10 years and we'll see.
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I've always been bothered by both of these companies. Nikon has always been a company with great valued products and colors, but since the 80s, it's been on a downward trend in terms of quality and often spewing arrogant remarks. That might only be in the USA division though.
I've never used Red product and probably never will, but they seem more interested in user agreements than pleasing users. Also, they have horrible PR. Again, extremely arrogant.
So, arrogance meets arrogance. I hope they can make something positive and useful of this.
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1 hour ago, MrSMW said:
A lens similar to either of these is THE fundamental weak spot for me with L Mount.
I realize you like your Tamrons, but I imagine, being a rather open mount, we'll see a lot more. Anything Samyang, Tamron, or other will probably come out on L-mount. No reason why they wouldn't.
I saw the Petapixel video. In low light, the AF was probably in contrast AF only mode- lots of jitters in the bokeh.
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Invariably, the conversation goes to FF. Personally, I thought about that Sigma FP and Panasonic 28-200 (with IS). That combo seems super versatile now. Size-wise, the FP is the size of a mid-range MFT camera. The equivalent of the Panasonic lens would be a 14-100 f/2-2.8 zoom, which would be incredible. The package would come in at 830-ish grams.
I've always thought this: if L-mount comes out with smaller pancakes and a few reasonably priced very small bodies, MFT would be on a path to obsolete. Until then, MFT cameras will continue to make decent strides in terms of features and at least on the used market, their prices continue to rise- the true indicator of a camera's value.
On a side note, I'd wait because there have been reports on a small Panasonic camera is in the works. My bet is that it will have PDAF and some other decent features. This could be more than a year away though.
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2 hours ago, kye said:
I know very little about Olympus lineup and was secretly hoping that someone would go "there's always the Olympus XYZ - it's perfect!".... what models might suit?
Not a single Olympus or OM System camera has dual ISO. None. Otherwise, the best Olympus camera for the size is the OM-5 or E-M5 iii.
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1 hour ago, Matt Kieley said:
I was recently considering getting an HPX170 for a project, although I couldn't really justify spending the money. But there are some good videos on youtube demonstrating what handling the footage with modern upscaling and color grading software can do for cameras like it.
Those cameras are a bit too big for me. I'm really hoping for a small 2/3 inch sensor with modern codecs and frame rates. I'd like sub 400g but happy with sub 500g. I'm thinking an enclosed LX10 lens with more reach and a sensor, processor, and battery slapped on the back. Something tells me that it should be possible.
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25 minutes ago, ac6000cw said:
After owning a variety of consumer/prosumer camcorders (starting with VHS-C in 1995, then several DV then HDV), I skipped DVD-based ones and decided that the memory-card based ones (that I could afford) were getting too small and light to hand-hold with reasonable stability. Also viewfinders were becoming rare other than on the higher-end camcorders.
Having noticed that reasonable video was starting to appear as a feature in 'photo' cameras, I tried a Pana TZ7/ZS3 compact, then a Sony HX9V compact and Pana FZ100 superzoom. Decided that I preferred the form-factor/handling so moved on to a Pana G3 MILC - nice and compact, good to hold, with a decent viewfinder, video, audio and stills. Upgraded after a while to a G6 with 14-140mm lens (probably my all-time favourite lens) - much larger sensor than any consumer camcorder but still a fairly compact setup for something with a 10:1 zoom lens.
As I'm very much a hybrid shooter, I prefer the m43 'compact MILC' form-factor (and the IBIS). The only 'icing on the cake' that I'd like is a quality power-zoom lens with a decent range - the (now obsolete) Oly 12-50 is about as close as m43 has ever got to that.
So no, I wouldn't buy a 'camcorder' form-factor camera again.
(When I look at some of my old VHS-C or DV footage, it just reminds me of how far consumer/prosumer video capture has improved over time...from less-than-SD resolution, interlaced, noisy, smudgy video to pristine 50p/60p UHD from a pocket-sized camera - wow!)
Compact super zooms are great for their size. The only problem is they become fiddly and the zooms are never smooth. Also, they're much more prone to dust on the sensor which can basically ruin them. Camcorders have none of that, but they can have more issues in low light and they are bigger as you say; yet, they are made for video, not stills like the POS.
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3 hours ago, MrSMW said:
Ha, considered that very thing recently, ie, having that camcorder in a purely static role, but then came to the conclusion, I may as well stick with my S1H with battery grip (3+ hours so far more than my needs) and with the 70-200mm f4 on it.
Massive overkill for I need it to do, which is essentially ceremonies & speeches, but based on trade in and then purchase of a used camcorder, makes no sense, so sticking with the static S1H paired with roaming S5ii approach for my video needs.
For 2024 anyway. We'll see at the end of the season as there are various other options I might consider going forward...
I think you're right when it comes to resale. A S1H would be more sought after than a camcorder and as such bring higher prices and less of a hit. That being said, if you were to have bought the S1H at launch, used it for 3-5 years, you'd lose 40-50% of the original purchase price, but you might have better content. The other big cost is the lenses which will also take a hit, unless you buy used to begin with. Of course the same could be said for the pro camcorder. IMO, if you buy upon release, use it for 3 years, the hit is always the biggest. I know that you buy used and very often. In most cases, you won't lose much, if any. I know I've even made money on a lot of my lenses and bodies. The only caveat is that it's almost like a 2nd job if you buy and sell yourself; hence MPB.
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I would imagine there are a lot of wedding videographers out there with a S5ii/x and 2 HC-x2000 camcorders. It makes a lot of sense. You could probably get by with a f/2.8 zoom for your handheld shots and the camcorders set on tripods for any number of other shots. Codecs also seem to play nice with each other.
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1 hour ago, Clark Nikolai said:
Oh, I'm dreaming of even more. I'm thinking of internal raw recording in a camcorder. (It would likely have to be uncompressed raw because of Red's patent but if I'm dreaming here it would be ProResRaw and/or BRaw.)
Just trying to be more realistic by not asking for the moon. Also, raw means more power and bigger body for the most part.
39 minutes ago, mercer said:you need to look as inconspicuous as possible and nothing says dorky dad more than a camcorder... nobody would pay you any mind whatsoever.
Yet another benefit of the form factor.
40 minutes ago, mercer said:I also still prefer DSLRs to mirrorless so I'm basically a dinosaur in today's market.
I sold all of mine, but there's something great about framing without having the camera on.
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39 minutes ago, MrSMW said:
Modular.
That’s my answer!
Start with a cube and build everything off that.
Want a battery grip, add that option.
Want a side (either or both) or top handle, add it.
External SSD, top, side or below, you choose.
External monitor, top or rear.
Some kind of rifle stock? Add it.
Then if the camcorder thing is your jam, a power zoom.
The only thing about the available box style cameras is the lack of IBIS. Are there any?
I really wanted to build a hybrid set up off the Lumix BS1H but quickly discovered that for hybrid use, too many compromises. I could probably live without the IBIS as OIS lenses are available, but the number available already limits things massively.
Add the monitor OK, but then no mech shutter which with Z8/Z9 sophistication is OK, but not with 4-5 year old Lumix.
Ditto Sigma FP. Not quite a box, but so close and yet so far from my needs which to this day, are still best served by the MILC.
I really would like to see more innovation in this regard rather than ‘spec’ and the MP arms race.
Yes. The modular approach is nice, but it starts looking like a Swiss army knife with all of its blades out.
The beauty of the camcorder is when everything is one package. No add-ons, no matte box, no monitor, no cables, no SSD's, no follow focus system, no cage, no rails, etc. Pick up a camcorder, open the screen, hit record. You get a buttery smooth zoom, a detailed image with everything in-focus. Nice. I just want manufacturers to push the format a little more:
- slightly larger sensor, maybe even with less zoom
- better codecs like H.265 10bit or Prores,
- better touch screens with more definition
- a few tools like a waveform or a histogram
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13 minutes ago, MrSMW said:
Maybe it’s my photographer roots, but I am the other way and don’t like the camcorder. Never have and I have had several.
The best of these was the Sony FD-AX700 which are still holding their price well on the used market.
I built a system around that same 1” sensor with the camcorder static for all my long duration stuff, the RX10ii ‘bridge’ camera as my main unit, plus the RX100v as my literally in my pocket 3rd unit.
The output was OK, but ultimately was not overly keen on it and found that for my kind of work, not robust enough, especially if shooting in low light.
And as for the handling, the camcorder I always found the most awkward in hand. But each to their own and all that!
This has been a long story of ergonomics. Once manufacturers found a way to put super zooms in a small form-factor, it really complicated things as they weren't putting big sensors in them anymore. Along come the still cameras with rather crappy video specs but decent low-light and more ability for selective focus. What many of us want is the camcorder form-factor with a large sensor and a super zoom. Alas, the large size is the problem. It seems if you want selective focus on the wide end, you need a big camera.
Essentially, holding a camcorder is like cradling a medium-sized lens with a screen attached to it as if you're getting communion at church. For me, as long as the weight is under control, I love it. With still cameras, you always end up fighting a downward pulling body with your left hand unless you also bring it to your eye. It's not bad, but camcorders are better for shooting at the hip IMO.
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12 minutes ago, PannySVHS said:
TM700 should be dirt cheap and tons of fun. I would love a compact 3 sensor 2/3" or one sensor 1 inch camera with a good 422 codec. Both won't materialize I assume, the former not by any margin at all. Anyway, 3 1/4" fun and HD beauty with the TM700. A bit green but still a well done video:
That was super-cool! Yes. the grade was too green and would have been way better with "sunny look" to it, but the shots themselves were very nice; clearly filmed by someone with a decent eye. I saw one for about 250 euros. Detail is close to 4k and seemingly shoots above its weight.
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The Panasonic HC-VX980 shoots decent 4k in the right hands too:
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4 minutes ago, Clark Nikolai said:
I agree. There's an ergonomic thing with camcorders that I'd like to see done again but with raw or something. I still shoot with an eight year old Sony HD camcorder because it's so easy to use and produces beautiful results. 5-axis image stabilization, 20x zoom lens, 5.1 stereo mic, etc. The only drawback to it is that it records to H.264 only. I had a wish that they would make the same thing but that it would record in some type of raw format. Storage is so cheap nowadays that they could put in a 1 or 2TB SSD and it would still be affordable and hold a lot of footage. I would not hesitate to shoot a feature narrative on such a thing if it existed.
Yes, that would be great to have H.265, prores, or even raw. In the end, I like the deep focus. Shallow focus is really starting to look cliché at this point. My other cameras do it but framing and POV seem more important to me now. Also, I'm not seeing any issues with moiré at this point either unlike many larger cameras that I have.
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I inherited my grandfather's 16mm Bell & Howell last summer. It was a great piece of equipment back in the day. I filmed my daughter on a miniDV camcorder and this week I picked up a Panasonic VX980. It made me suddenly consider ditching everything else as it's so much fun to shoot on with its glorious 400g body, auto features, and 31-626mm equiv. (1800mm digital is usable in 1080p) lens. I might find myself wanting more later, but for now I'm loving it. Amazing, for an "old" Panasonic, it has great AF. There's no real fussing about with Picture Profiles either. You just open the screen and record 1080p 50fps at 50mbps. Shooting inside? Sure it's noisy but cleans up nicely with Topaz. I just throw Film Convert on it and it looks great, with a clear, sharp, rather detailed image with nice color.
Anyone else shooting these?
World's smallest DSLM that shoots 4k?
In: Cameras
Posted
I agree that the only usable MF (focus while filming) is on the Olympus 14-42 EZ, but no OIS as you said. The Panasonic 14-42 PZ is the next best with a silly MF lever. I've had all three lenses though and never thought of trying to manual focus one after the other- could be an interesting comparison.