Justin Bacle

Both the A7SII and Ursa Mini are good choices and very different. I think the URSA mini 4K is out of your budget though. it's 3k$ + 1.5k$ for the viewfinder.

Have you considered the JVC LS300 (4:2:2 in HD + XLR audio and ND filters in a small package) ? A GH4 + Speedbooster can be great too for events and higher end.

On 6/18/2016 at 11:38 PM, Shield3 said:

Years ago I had the AF100 - the built in ND's as mentioned plus the ergo's far trump the Sony FS100 - I can't imagine dragging that rectangle brick around.  I prefer the skin tones from the Panny vs. the Sony as well.  With the 60p firmware update both will do 1080p60 and the Panny has some very cool over/under crank options and you can shoot 1 FPS timelapse with it.  Obviously the Sony has the advantage in low light but IMO that's it.  Maybe dynamic range also.  The AF100 was a great camera and I got some amazing shots with it.

Is there a way to get the 60p update ? Mine doesn"t and it's not on sale anymore...

I find it sad when people buy gear but are too afraid to scratch it and end up don't using their gear full potential.

If my camera is scratched, it's because I had to put it in a tough environment to get the picture. If you're too afraid to damage your gear, you can still work in studios, where everything is immaculate. But personally, I'd be outside shooting

On 6/18/2016 at 3:59 AM, Zach Goodwin said:

Underexposed like this can serve its purpose in films. My theater professor uses it to show it is so dark in the room that people can not tell where everyone is. Like in a Scooby Doo situation where there is stuff bouncing everywhere and lights turn on and you see people. Or a murder or anything dealing with not seeing anything. Again movies are visual communication, so what we see in that picture is what we get.

I dunno, I think exposing properly and creating the ambiance in post was the way to go with todays codecs that do not hold shadow information properly.
But I guess there's not one way to do it. Only the end results matters.

17 minutes ago, Ebrahim Saadawi said:

- AF100 (used): Small sensor = easy focus. XLRs/NDs/Audio knobs/many buttons/huge battery/60p Slo motion. Bad lowlight and unappealing video-ish image.

Wait what ? Unappealing video-ish image ?
http://www.zacuto.com/great-camera-shootout-2011
Even if camera shootouts aren't everything, The AF100 is difficult to set but can deliver great image !

PS : I don't see the A7S in the poll but you mention it in the first post

I dunno, the shadows look pretty noisy. Does look like a 4:2:2 intraframe codec. What bothers me is the image size ... 3.5K letterboxed....  5d mk3 in Magic Lantern cropped mode ? Nope doesn't look like raw to me...

Hey, Bought my AF100 a few mounts ago.
Just finished rigging it. And just got a used Atomos Samurai (not the blade version).

The AF100 is a tricky camera. It is easy to use, but you have to master the settings to get the best image out of it. I cannon recommend enough the AF100 book.

The package I got was AF100 + Panasonic 7-14/4 + Panasonic 14-140/4-5.6 + 2 batteries and a dead cheap SD Card (which is now stuck in the SD slot) for 1300€

The best thing about this camera is that it is ready to shoot run & gun. No need for external power, recorders or rig for handheld stuff.

Since firmware 3.0, i didn't see any weird artefacts as shown on many reviews. I always shoot in 1080p24 that may be why the image quality seems higher.

1 hour ago, mercer said:

I also have a few MInolta lenses. And am looking at the Turbo II. Which lenses do you use with yours and have you noticed that the turbo looks better with certain lenses?

The lenses I use are the 28/3.5, 35/2.8, 50/1,4, 85/1.7 and 135/2.8

These lenses work as they should. There are only minor problems : 
- On the 85/1,7 (MC version), the aperture sometimes gets "stuck" when you close it. You just have to rock the DOF preview switch (on the lens) to unblock the aperture.
- On the 135/2.8, the aperture is stuck @ 2.8.

These aperture problems however can be fixed by removing a millimeter from the aperture pin on the lens, and is quite easy to do. I didn"t do it yet, as I still use my lenses with minolta SLRs and don't want to modify my lenses (yet).

I already shot basic tests of the lenses but haven't got to edit yet. Only the 28mm is visible here : 

Playing with my X-T1, I found out that the picture profile best suited for video is the Pro Neg. High. which doesn"t crush blacks as much, and gives a little bit of room for grading.

(For the record, video from the X-T1 is not as bad as people believe. The video firmware upgrade helped a lot.)

I have both an RJ FOcal reducer (MD -> FX) and Mitakon Lens Turbo II (MD -> M43) and here is my thought on both of them.

The RJ, is cheap and fun to use. But corners of the image gets very soft and it is not good for fast aperture lenses (my 50/1.4@1.4 is dreamy like with the RJ adapter). Built quality is good enough though. I'll just think that the RJ focal reducer is good if you are not seeking sharpness and contrast. (Plus the RJ suffers from "blue flare" which was also present on the first versions of the lens turbo but corrected on the lens turbo II.

The Mitakon is very good in terms of quality. No loss of contrast or sharpness. Build quality is good except that the mount is not stiff enough. The lens can move on it by a degree. Which makes follow focusing a hell ... I do not know if it is a QC problem as I do not know anyone else with a Lens Turbo II MD -> M43.

I used the Metabones once. I dont think it worth the extra money compared to the lens turbo II. Build quality is a bit better, but thats it. Image quality wise, both are very good.

What about the JVC LS300 ? Very light and you can adapt pretty much any lens on it. M4/3 lenses with IS are also natively supported. And as a bonus, you don't even need to rig it, and battery life seems decent.

You won't get raw but the codec is good enough if you are not overgrading.

I use mainly fixed primes with a focal reducer or a dumb adapter and would really recommend using a speedbooster or lens turbo for the extra stop of light you get (and the S35 look).

I use a lens turbo II myself (MD -> M43) for use with minolta MD & M42 glass. This is a joy to use.

Native mount is great, but a bit expensive. I just prefer to use older lenses for the flares and imperfections. But if you seek perfection and ease of use, I guess native glass is the way to go.

Just FYI, I just bought a Samyang 12mm T2.2 in M43 mount (for wide shots as the 7-14/4 can be too dark), and am very happy with it

On 6/9/2016 at 6:26 PM, fuzzynormal said:

On the other hand, I really like OS X, the FCPX option, and ProRes.  But, I don't know if those "likes" are worth +$3.5K.  As much as I am loathe to admit it, unless yore editing with FCPX, I think the Apple products are not terribly competitive at the moment.

I remember seing that adobe is working for a native implementation of ProRes in the creative suite. This would make ProRes editing miles better on Windows.

However, Avid's DNxHD is a better option IMO (for anyone using Windows).

Whilst desperately searching for anamorphics. I saw this ad on craigslist.

The guy has like dozens of iscos anamorphics projection lenses.

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/pho/5558639879.html

As I am not in the US, I cannot go and check by myself, but if someone can check and see if it's worth buying. Would be great

1 hour ago, jgharding said:

Are you in Premiere? Do you see much benefit from SLI at all compare to a single 960? Have you tested? Just curious to see how SLI improves playback. SLI isn't an option for me, but I am interested.

Same here, I built my system around a motherboard with no SLI capabilities thinking that SLI is useless in premiere. Very interested too see if there are any improvements

As I do work with AVCHD too, I have some information.

I am using a custom built PC for editing, grading and VFX. (i7 4790K, 16 Gb Ram, Nvidia GTX 670, 240G SSD for the OS and scratch + 2TB Raid 0 for storage)

I have to say that once you color correct and grade your AVCHD footage in premiere, plus the couple of clips that need a dynamic link to after effects, it gets quite slow (like unplayable). I'll try to encode my avchd files in DNxHD for the next projet too see if there's a difference (but I would really prefer to work with the tiny avchd files).

I think that the new Samyang 21mm T1.5 (m43 mount) qualifies for your request although being a manual lens

Think (or Ask) about what makes this buisness special, and go with that

I always try to be closest to 180° but always under. I find the images above 180° have too much blur.

34 minutes ago, jagnje said:

both have their uses. I would not take the f3 to a family trip or a skate event, and I would not film a narative that will have heavy grading with the a7s.

Very good point. (I would still take the F3 to a skate event ;))

I would definitively get the F3. This thing is a workhorse and you have everything you'll ever need (except 4k but personally I don't want it).
SDI, XLRs, Fr**king INTEGRATED ND FILTERS !, Build quality, Adaptability.

The A7s is  a good camera, sure, but it is a still camera.

The thing to ask IMO is : Is the FS700 a good camera for my uses ?

The FS700 is a great camera, and still holds up to today's standards. I think people tend to think that a camera is not good enough because newer gear is now available. But I don't get it. A good camera is still a good camera today if you can live whith it's limitations.

Yes you can have better, but do you need it ?

A great exemple is the Sony F35, which was used to shot Hollywood productions in 2008-2009. Is it a bad camera ? Of course not. Can you compare it with a recent RED or Alexa ? Of course not. But with good lenses and lighting, it would still hold up, and no one will see that it is a 8 year old camera when looking at the final result.

I just checked the focus throw on the minolta, and well, it is very small (between 90° and 120°).
But strangely enough, I had never any problem focusing on this lens. (Although, at 28mm and f/3,5 , everything is pretty much in focus)

3 hours ago, PannySVHS said:

Hey Justin, how much is the focus throw, half turn, 360, 270, how much in inches between 3m(9ft) and infinity? On the nFD 28mm it´s only half an inch between 3 and infinity.

I'll check this evening as soon as I get back home

As 28mm, here are the one I have : 

• Minolta Rokkor 28/3,5 -> Nice image quality, quite contrasty. Decent focus throw and well damped.(MD Mount)
• Makinon 28/2.8 -> Good image quality, contrast is a bit low. Focus throw is short but nicely damped. (MD Mount, other mounts are available)
• Super Varexon 28/3.5 -> Quite soft with short and too stiff focus throw (M42 mount) but my copy has a dent, so it might not be representative.