Phil A

7 hours ago, damoke said:

This would seem like a good option for the upcoming Fuji XT2, as it only records F-LOG via HDMI, or is it?

It's still only 8bit 4:2:2 which I think isn't worth the effort with the external recorder.

Regarding the firmware update, I didn't get any more overheating since I loaded it. Seems quite stable since then even though I kept shooting in the same conditions.

I use the 16-50 kit (wish it had the same filter thread as the others), the 35 1.8 and the 50 1.8 so all my lenses have native image stabilization. Seems to do its job reasonably well but I'm super shaky. 

That's great to know. I'll see if I can update from the lobby computer. Leaves the A6300 with only the rolling shutter as a real annoyance. 

Sony really has the means to make a kick ass camera, makes you wonder who there makes the questionable decisions that lead to the quirks.

We're currently on vacation in Thailand and I got the A6300 to overheat for the first time. 29°C and cloudy, shot maybe 10 clips with 15-30 sec each in addition to ~ 50 pictures and it went into cool down warning. Was quite surprised as it wasn't that warm outside.

I would agree that the camera is a bad choice if reliability is of any importance. I didn't install the latest firmware yet but it only mentions overheating during picture shooting so who knows if it'd even help.

5 minutes ago, squig said:

I'm really interested in this thing. The A7s isn't up to scratch for my film work, but it's not too bad for stills. The X-T2 sounds like a good replacement choice that can do both. Love the retro film vibe, and the Fuji 23mm f/1.4 looks great. Metabones don't make a Fuji X to EF speedbooster; what's with that?

There are no smart adapters for Fuji X, therefore the lack of aperture control with Canon EF probably makes the market unattractive.

So a month has passed and I'm curious what you came up with. I used to work with my 2012 Windows machine with i5 CPU but upgraded my whole setup last week.

i7 5930k at 4.5 Ghz (liquid cooled)
AMD R9 390 8GB
32GB DDR4-2400 RAM
Bunch of Samsung 850 Pro SSDs

I also took the jump and got a Blackmagic Intensity Pro 4k so I can finally monitor full screen in Davinci Resolve. GUI is on a calibrated Dell u2711 and an iPad Pro 9.7" via Duet Display, grading output on a Panasonic Viera 42" FullHD Plasma.

I know that BMD say you can't/shouldn't rely on the GUI for grading but even now with the external screen (I know, it's not a reference monitor) I struggle a bit with the workflow. I only create content for the web (YouTube, Instagram) but it's annoying with all the color and gamma shifts you get at the different points, especially when using Quicktime based codecs on a windows platform so I'm looking to change my export format.

I've now configured my TV to look as close to the iPad screen as I could as I guess most watching is on some Apple device or a generic computer screen (which could mean anything). It's easier with pictures, you just develop on a calibrated monitor which has 100% sRGB and then pray that who ever looks at them online uses a browser that considers color profiles.

I get occassional lag running the native files from a Sony a6300 in Davinci Resolve on my system, too.

i7 5930k @ 4.5 Ghz, 32GB Ram, AMD R9 390 and all files on a bunch of Samsung 850 Pro SSDs

I think the best way is to either use the proxy function of your editor or first sort out the shots you want to use and then transcode them to ProRes or DNxHD.

Zach is spot on. You didn't say what kind of product it is (I pray it's not a car, then you're probably way over your head) but usually what really counts for product photos is the lighting, you'll probably want to shoot with manually set strobes (at least 1 + reflector but probably more). Focus on that, camera isn't really important, you'll manually focus anyway so all the technical bells & whistles are pretty much useless.

I'd shoot with the SIGMA 50-100mm on APS-C from a tripod with whatever has a nice flippy screen or you can also tether to a tablet or computer. Shoot RAW and edit in Lightroom. Done.

44 minutes ago, Geoff CB said:

I'm going against what kidsrevil said, if you shake the camera for added "intensity" like you did here the A6300 image will look horrendous.

Wouldn't it be easier anyway to shoot a bit wider in 4k and do the jigglies in post? At least it would give an easier to control result.

So far liking the A6300 a lot. It's my favorite cookie cutter solution at the moment after what I tried out. Battery life is absymal and it jellies but besides that I think it's a lot of fun and because it's so small I take it with me a lot more (obviously no concern when using planned/professional).

I think the main problem is what a system hog the software is. If your computer isn't top notch it will slow down noticeably.

Regarding the bugs, it seems everyone has different ones. I only use Resolve as a hobbyists and not for work but so far mine worked flawlessly (12.5 beta 2)... it just gives me the urge for a faster CPU.

What's better for performance in the program (not for the rendering of the output), a good hexacore or a faster quadcore (e.g. i7 5820 vs i7 4790)? I guess the hexacore wins due to the way better bus in combination with a better mainboard when using multiple harddrives, a decklink card and maybe even multiple GPU?

I picked it up a short while ago with the 16-50mm kit lens, the 35mm 1.8 OSS and the 35mm 3.5 macro. So far it worked flawlessly for me (mainly pictures, one cooking recipe video) except for the humongous rolling shutter but I actually realized I nearly always shoot static from a tripod anyway.

The Resolve manual even says that the viewer in the color page of the software isn't accurate for judging grading, that combined with the VGA monitor is probably guesswork in the end.
If you have the space, how about a cheap 32" / 37" LCD TV connected via DeckLink? The DeckLink MiniMonitor gives you a 10bit FullHD out via HDMI and SDI for only 145 $ (plus it's the only way to get full screen playback on a second screen in Resolve). I'm using a Dell U2711 but as soon as desk space permits I'll add a FullHD TV via DeckLink.

But aren't the "main people" from Magic Lantern involved in the Apertus Axiom project now? Wonder how much time to spare they have for a 5D IV hack.

How consistent are the Canon NewFD lenses in rendering through the portfolio? Let's say if you shoot the FD 28 f2, 50 f1.4 (or 1.8) and 85 f1.8 on a Sony. Will you get consistent rendering and colors?

I'm looking for a set of 28 - 50 - 85 (for use on an APS-C system) with integrated aperture settings and an aperture of ~ f/2 so I basically ended at Canon FD vs Nikon F (mainly because many systems don't have a good 28mm f/2), but am more torn towards Canon because of the warmer rendering (most modern cameras seem to tend more towards blue or green).

Get the DP500 line, the DP3000 has more plastic parts as I've read on the Blackmagic forum.

It's probably because there's a difference between f-stop and t-stop. Just like a f/1.4 lens might actually be t/2 because of emission loss of light, just that with a zoom it will be depending on focal length setting. I think the Canon EF 24-105 f/4 L IS is the same, when you zoom in the image gets darker even though the f-stop is consistent. So kidzrevil is right, it's one of the reasons why photography lenses are cheaper than cinema lenses (plus stuff like focus breathing, etc.)

According to the tests I've seen, nothing. The A7s II has only CDAF and no PDAF so it will always focus awfully in a continuous AF situation like video with losing focus and hunting.

Maybe someone who owns the A7s II will jump in, but I would suggest you check YouTube for A7s II video AF examples.

On 5.5.2016 at 10:43 PM, Geoff CB said:

From a simple #teamcap #teamironman ad I just shot. D750 no color correction.

What picture style did you shoot that in?

I did that with the 4k footage in post because I'm too lazy to bring a slider on vacation. It's great and gets you 80% of the result but you don't get the paralax effect so it's not quite as nice as using a slider.

You might want to mention your camera, too

But then everyone and his dog wants ProRes 422 HQ / DNxHR and those files aren't exactly small either when recording 4k.

The system doesn't use SSD so you will just need some "in the field" backup solution.

12 hours ago, Xavier Plágaro Mussard said:

From the GH-4R specs: "4:2:2 8-bit / 4:2:2 10-bit (When 4:2:2 10-bit mode is selected, it is not possible to record motion picture or still picture on the SD memory card in the camera unit.)/Auto / C4K / 4K / 1080p/Information display ON/OFF (selectable)/Automatic down-conversion (4K --> 1080p only)"

So paired with a BM VA 7" it should work?? 4K 4:2:2 10bit??

Sure. HDMI out is 10bit 4:2:2 and, at least when well lit, the VLOG-L stuff I've seen looked like it has great basis for colors.

I'm still baffled that no competitor jumps on that opportunity, the GH4 is still your only hybrid cam with 10bit out and that after such a long time in the market.

@Zak Forsman Mind if I ask what happened so far with your RMA? I've seen on BMDuser there was a bit of a communication hick up but I'm really following your story because I like what you do with the camera and it might have impact/inspiration for my buying decision.

I don't want to derail this topic but based on the Inazuma - mercer discussion: If you anyway produce for the web, how relevant is quality? I see so many "you can't judge by YouTube/VIMEO" comments on the web, when probably 95%+ of all footage ends exactly there.

Reminds me of the photography discussion of "how many megapixel and how big can you print it" when 99.5% ends up on Instagram/Facebook/flickr/500px.

4 hours ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

I can easily edit and colour and render 4K on the aforementioned Surface Pro... I don't use resolve, i use SOny Vegas 13 & premiere PRo (very sophisticated editors/software) and no i wouldn't try to instal RESOLVE on it!  Go ahead with the microsoft, a wonderful piece of kit for your video production.

I think that's a good point, what do you want to run on the tablet @shooter ? There's a huge gap between different software requirements and performance optimization. Resolve is probably the worst offender, Adobe is quite optimized. So let us know what is your workflow that you want to use on the tablet.

I'm considering the i5 + 8GB RAM Surface Pro 4 for mobile Adobe Lightroom photo editing myself.