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John Matthews reacted to eatstoomuchjam in Nikon Zr is coming
That's about the gist of it. But I'd add that the heavier body is also, from what it seems, a more robust body. Also, less rolling shutter, shutter angle setting, 2 hours vs 30 minutes recording, uncropped 4kp60, much higher resolution on the lcd, headphone port, environmental sealing, and CF express. Also, ability to get an adapter and use Sony lenses for people who have invested in them.
On the other hand, S9 can do 3:2 recording if that's a selling point for you. And aside from being lighter, it's noticeably smaller in side-by-size pictures.
I'd also add that at least a nubbin of a hand grip is preferable to a completely rounded body for a camera that I'd intend to shoot mostly handheld (making the ZR preferable)
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John Matthews reacted to mercer in Nikon Zr is coming
I don't know, I think you answered your own questions... bigger LCD, internal Raw (multiple Raw formats... and ProRes HQ) ... those alone are worth the price increase. When you add internal 32bit float audio (a real game changer) ... as far as tools, I have a feeling some of Red's exposure tools may be implemented... I've heard a lot of folks refer to the stop light as being a really cool one?
Listen, I get it. I like Panasonic too. I still really enjoy my GH6 (with LogC) and will probably keep it. Am going to test the pixel:pixel mode today with some old Cosmicar c-mounts, but not every thread, or new camera release, has to be an affront, or comparison, to Panasonic.
That said, this idea of Raw video, r3D or otherwise, is NOT for most video shooters and probably unnecessary for most YouTubers and people who frequent this site. The storage requirements are insane. Someone upthread said that you get 28 minutes of footage on a 320GB CFExpress card... I assume that's 6K, so I'll do a little better with 4K but that's still a lot of media and storage needed. But if you look at the camera for what it is... a powerful, entry level, Raw video camera, then even with its quirks, it's an epic release.
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John Matthews reacted to Andrew Reid in Enshittification Full Ahead
Absolute scumbag behaviour from these American corporate fascists.
The law and YouTube needs to stand up and say... enough.
You should not be able to abuse so many innocent people via the legal system.
It's all fair use.
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John Matthews reacted to FHDcrew in Pana S9 is definition of an underrated camera
Same…one of my most used lenses for my Z6, an old Nikon 17-35 2.8, is not weather sealed lol, but there’s the 5% of times where it’d be nice for the body to be weather sealed.
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John Matthews reacted to mercer in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Although it's not exactly what you're looking for, I'd have to second the Nikon Series E lenses. They truly are remarkable little lenses. I haven't been able to find a good copy of the 35mm 2.5 but the 36-72, 50mm and 100mm are nice little lenses, especially the size of the 100mm. Also the older non-ai lenses are pretty spectacular as well. One lens I hate to mention because it does get such bad reviews is the 35-70 3.3-4.5 ai-s lens. It's tiny and a lot better than the bad reviews give it. I mean, it isn't great, but there's something very Nikon in its not greatness.
Another zoom lens I love, which I assume you're familiar with is the Canon FD 35-105mm 3.5. This lens is ALMOST parfocal. Obviously constant aperture. Internal zoom. Fairly compact. I've had a few copies over the years, then end up selling it because I didn't use it too often, regret it and seek another one. My most recent copy I put on the Sigma FP and here's a sample of it at 105mm wide open...
No mind-blowing image by any means, but fairly sharp wide open and I like the way it handles the highlights. Of course it's a mess in direct light... as I found out last week during a shoot. However, there are rumors that Canon considered putting the L badge onto it because they were so happy with the lens.
As far as primes, other than the Nikons, the Takumar lenses are a personal favorite of mine. I've heard people argue that the 28mm 3.5 is one of the best 28mm lenses they've used. I haven't used that one but the 35mm 3.5 is excellent.
I've used a couple of the wide angle Tokina lenses from the late 70s, early 80s and they were decent, but I think they were f/2.8 lenses. Obviously you could get a cheap Neewer fixed ND to pop on the lens and leave there to give you that slower stop and to protect the front of the lens. Also check out the old Vivitar lenses, I have a set of mostly Tokina made ones in the m42 mount and I have always been very fond of them. The image instantly feels like an old 70s made for TV movie. I'm probably going to sell them though, not because I don't like them, I just have too much stuff and really need to scale back.
I guess you could also look at some of the older Zeiss Jena lenses... even the MF ones would give you the slower apertures you were looking for wide open.
Great thread! Wish there were more threads like this on here like it.
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John Matthews reacted to stephen in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Just discovered that Minolta MD 35-70mm f3.5 is parfocal. 🙂
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John Matthews got a reaction from mercer in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Inspired by this post, I tried to make some flares with the Makinon.
Some were shot at f/16 and others f/3.5 with an ND filter. I shot in v-log and corrected for exposure and add the official Panasonic LUT.
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John Matthews reacted to MrSMW in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
And that is just Section 13b in building 21 on site 17.
There’s also an entire empty facility just in case ‘missing’ deliveries from MPB via DHL, turn up.
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John Matthews reacted to homestar_kevin in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
I'd go with Super Takumar, Nikkors, or Olympus OM.
All have a good selection of 3.5 and 2.8 lenses that can be had cheap.
I put together a cheaper Takumar set a few years ago and got great deals on some bundles with the 3.5 primes.
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John Matthews reacted to MrSMW in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
All the footage on this one (between approx 1 minute and 2 minutes 15 seconds) was shot on the Zeiss 40-80 f3.5 handheld.
I programmed 2x custom settings for the IBIS on the S5ii, one at 40mm and the other for 80mm and then only shot at these focal lengths.
I bottled it for the wedding day and went back to Sigma and Lumix AF lenses, but I am considering bringing this lens back as part of my workflow for these day prior and day after parts of a wedding where I am not under any real time constraints and can afford to be more 'creative'...
https://firehorsephotographyfrance.com/weddings/jenniedan
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John Matthews reacted to maxJ4380 in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Thanks for sharing, might be the only lens that can compete with the first nikon 43-86 zoom😉 After some research, a little while ago, i got the 2nd edition? of the nikon 43-86mm. One odd thought later (like how bad could it be? ) and a first edition was on its way... easiest way to tell them apart is the first has the text on the inside of the filter ring from memory.
The second gives a more pleasing image for the masses, the first is er... more subjective, dare i say it a specialist lens for particular projects. Now i guess i have to find the adapter to suit as its been awhile.
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John Matthews got a reaction from maxJ4380 in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Inspired by this post, I tried to make some flares with the Makinon.
Some were shot at f/16 and others f/3.5 with an ND filter. I shot in v-log and corrected for exposure and add the official Panasonic LUT.
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John Matthews reacted to kye in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Canon FD might do it - price might be an issue perhaps? Plenty of F3.5 or F4 lenses in the lineup, they focus the way you want, and you even get a choice of coatings (normal, S C, or S S C). Some of the slower ones are macro lenses too!
https://cameraville.co/blog/list-every-canon-fd-lens-ever-made
Zooms are also an excellent idea.
An out of the box idea is to use faster lenses, but to keep the aperture wide open and cut a round hole in a lens cap and get the aperture you want that way. I'm not sure if this would reduce the DOF in the right way? It would definitely lower the exposure though, and would definitely keep the bokeh the shape you want.
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John Matthews reacted to Andrew Reid in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
Turns out I had the Makinon in a cupboard all along and will also give it a go.
Some of these old zooms have terrible 1.5m+ minimum focus distances or rely on an awkward to engage separate macro mode, but some have the macro mode on the main focus ring and some are even par-focal. The Exakta 28-70mm F4 MC Macro (made in Japan with 62mm filter thread, and mine is an M42 mount version) in particular stands out for me, nice vintage look, nice size and weight, ergonomic to use, decent optics and distortion, covers GFX 100 well, especially in square 1:1 aspect for stills or 16:9 for video, and focuses down to 1:3.2 macro with one turn of the main focus ring (no funny separate mechanism to contend with).
The best for flare is the absolutely pre-historic Voigtlander Zoomar 36-82mm F2.8, think it was the first ever zoom lens for SLRs, the distortion is absolutely insane at 82mm but if you stay between 36-70mm it has a lot of cinematic goodness.
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John Matthews reacted to fuzzynormal in Fuuuuuuuuuuck A.I.
That is all. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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John Matthews reacted to eatstoomuchjam in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
I picked up the Nikkor after watching CP's review and doing some searching and seeing how many people described it as not only the worst lens Nikon ever made, but also possibly the worst zoom ever made.
They might be right, but I'm sure I'll find the right time to use it someday. I'm not sure if this true of all of them, but mine also has the problem that when I put it on an EF adapter, the back of the aperture selector is so tight against the edge of the adapter that it can't even possibly be moved. I had to use a pliers to take it off to make sure I didn't do something wrong. Maybe there are other EF adapters that would work better, but for anything I'd use the Nikkor to shoot, I'm sure I'd want it wide open anyway.
I'm looking forward to watching the video on the Makinon. I've not heard of that one before - and if it's still $30ish on eBay, I guess there's not a reason not to buy it.
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John Matthews reacted to Andrew Reid in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
I have tried a number of cheap/crap 28-80ish lenses on the GFX 100 and they all have a knack for covering the sensor perfectly if you zoom in past 35mm
So the Makinon I am interested to hunt down in Berlin and try... The Nikon in theory has the perfect focal length for the GFX 100, but I am not sure I share our YouTube friend's enthusiasm for the flare... The Makinon was much nicer to my eye
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John Matthews reacted to fuzzynormal in Vintage Lenses - "Super Slow" Set
f2.8 on M43 is kinda a sweet spot though, don't ya think?
Or are you trying to Spielberg it?
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John Matthews reacted to kye in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
I don't really use the audio for dialogue so can't really comment on it specifically.
To zoom out and think more holistically about sound, and also a bit about getting in front of the camera, there are a few approaches.
High-quality sound on location.
This is great but you pay for it in terms of paying for extra equipment, extra faff of charging it, setting it up, using it, cleaning and maintaining it, etc. High-quality in-camera audio is the most convenient and the most expensive to get. External audio makes it easier / cheaper but creates extra work to keep the audio files managed and to sync them in post.
Acceptable sound on location.
This could be through a combination of average in-camera audio and average external audio.
The in-camera audio could potentially using on-camera mics like the Rode VideoMicro or a plugin Lav mic that don't require any power and are plug-and-forget but are dependent on the quality of preamps in the camera.
The external audio could be as simple as using a smartphone right next to your mouth, or using the integrated mic in the headphones as a short lav mic. I've seen lots of vloggers do this in very noisy environments and it works fine. First example, second example.
Record in post.
ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) is where actors re-record their dialogue in post production to match their lips in the footage. It is so common that many films simply didn't bother to get good sound and created the audio (dialogue, sound effects, sound design, the lot) in post after the fact. I've done this before on short films and if you take a bit or time to do it then you can get results indistinguishable from doing it on-location.
Recording in post also comes into the idea of appearing on screen, or not.
By taking lots of notes and recording your thoughts during the trip (potentially just using voice memos on your phone at the end of each day) you can then narrate the finished film and have a significant presence in the finished edit, have high quality audio, and also take away the burden of getting great audio for everything that happens throughout the whole trip.
Narrating the film will also enable you to communicate ideas and feelings and information in a concise way with carefully chosen words, rather than trying to piece together a coherent summary from fragmented snippets of footage.
Narrating the final piece also takes a huge burden off the footage too, because anything you didn't capture can be explained in V/O so the film doesn't rest solely on the footage to be self-explanatory, which is a high-bar to achieve.
There's a hidden mindset that you're at the cutting edge of (and being cut by), which is that the entire film-making industry assumes that anyone wanting high-quality equipment doesn't mind it being large, and that if you care about size then you don't care about quality. I've gone round and round with people online and it's like "small and good" is a combination that somehow doesn't exist in their world-view.
This has lessened over recent years, but is still the elephant in the room.
Speaking of the elephant in the room, be careful not to lose sight of the final prize, which is an engaging final product. I don't know how much editing experience you have, but making a doc is like making a bunch of lego pieces without knowing what you're eventually going to want to make, then designing the building, and then trying to assemble the building out of the lego blocks you have made. Obviously those with a lot of skill will be able to anticipate the final result better, and will make better pieces, but to a certain extent the more pieces you make and the more variety you include, the easier it will be to assemble the finished product you want.
This is why I advocate for setups that:
1) you will use (giving you more footage)
2) is fast to use (giving you more footage of things that happen quickly)
3) is flexible (giving you more variety of footage)
4) is enjoyable to use (making you more likely to use it and also making the whole thing more enjoyable and more likely to be successful overall).
Remember, this person is ready for anything, but misses almost everything switching equipment, and has a hernia by the end...
You should start with the idea of just using your phone and only add equipment that will make the end result better, not worse.
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John Matthews reacted to MrSMW in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
It will be fine but needs either a baseplate & grip for even basic handling but better a cage from someone like Smallrig.
I have the Smallrig baseplate/grip myself for my needs but if I was going anywhere rough and for more than a couple of days, the cage for sure as it’s not the most robust camera ever built.
S9 + grip + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 (42-105mm in APSC mode), Sennheiser MKE 200, mount for monopod.
If I had the cage instead of the baseplate/grip, I could mount 2 accessories instead of one such as a mini LED. As it is, I just have to swap out the mic for the LED if I need it.
Extremely compact and lightweight package for it’s capability but neither the body nor the lens have any proper weather sealing so IMO, this is not something to take around the world when you are inevitably going to have some inclement conditions!
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John Matthews reacted to Tulpa in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
Thanks John.
The last camera I used at length was a C100MkII and it really had everything I needed short of a fatter codec. However I would never want to bring something this big with me cycling. Oh sure, stripped with a pancake it definitely shrank, but to the point that ‘control’ became challenging… though the NDs sure were helpful.
That S9 you recommended, would you still be happy after a few wireless receivers were attached? Those would certainly raise the footprint on this small powerhouse.
As an aside, does anyone make a wireless package with something like a small bolt on receiver that can handle multiple streams with minimal cable to the body?
Come to think of it, it would be a bit of a godsend if camera bodies had the option to included built in wireless receivers. I guess we can always dream.
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John Matthews got a reaction from Tulpa in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
I never used the GH7, only the GH6, but I found it to be great in low light; just not "no light" situations. Both of those cameras are mostly about 4k 120fps. The GH7 is about that and the AF in video and Hybrid Zoom. If the cost and size aren't the determining factors, the GH7 is the most fully-featured M43 camera for video today. Want the same features as the GH7? Go for the G9ii something smaller and cheaper, just no insanely long clips. In fact, the G9ii might be my last M43 camera as I don't see a point in anything more.
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John Matthews reacted to kye in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
I can vouch for the GH7 as a workhorse.
In terms of low light, I'd say it's fine. Here are a couple of stills from the GH7 with the Voigt 17.5mm F0.95 lens. I can't remember if the lens was fully wide-open or not, but I think the GH7 was at ISO 1600?
These have a film grain applied, so the grain is deliberate. GH7 ISO tests are available online if you want to see the grain at various settings. Also remember that NR exists in post, and compression does a pretty good job of NR as well.
The first shot is lit from the candle and the light of the fridge:
and this is just the candle:
Here's are some shots from the OG BMMCC from 2014 at its base ISO of 800, the 12-35mm F2.8 lens and shot at a 360 shutter to cheat an extra stop. These locations looked about this bright with the naked eye, and I have excellent night vision.
You actually need far less low-light performance than most people think.
Thanks!
The issue is that you're either showing a very wide FOV, which will have significant distortions, or you're cropped in to the point where the quality is low because you're cropping out most of the data.
IIRC, If you have a 100Mbps 360 image then by the time you crop to the FOV of a 24mm lens you're down to something like only a few Mbps. This is why I said the bitrates are what matters most.
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John Matthews got a reaction from Tulpa in Camera Choice: Cycle Touring Documentary?
I'm going to revise my choice for this type of use. Camping and biking mean to me that one camera might not suffice if going Panasonic. I do not think that the OM-3 will give acceptable levels of noise inside a tent at night unless with a small light; nor do I believe the S9 by itself will give acceptable levels of weather resistance (by the way, I doubt the Panasonic 14-140 does either even though it's rated weather resistant).
Therefore, I would still go for the S9 with a 18mm f/1.8 lens for dark, inside a tent scenes and the 28-200. For bad weather, I'd get an action cam. This will eliminate bad-weather low light; maybe pick up a camera cover for the S9. At MPB, that setup will set you back 2500 euros.
The other option is the "do everything" set-up with the OM-3 with the Olympus 14-150 ii and the Panasonic 9mm for about the same amount of money, but you'll be spending more on the camera (double!) for less quality output (but still great).
If you are a disciplined shooter that usually uses a tripod and manual focus, there are options that will cost way less.
That OM-3 setup is about 950g and the S9 + action cam setup is 1300g. Note: Camera size doesn't have the Panasonic 18mm list, but it's the same size as the 24mm.
Again, this is for 10-bit with great IBIS and AF being the priority. I'd go with a much cheaper setup if it were me. I wouldn't want to take that expensive of gear out into the unknown. It's a close call though. There are so many good choices. It almost makes you say "screw it" and just use whatever you have with its limitations. If you're a creative, this is usually better.