Dave Maze

Thanks man. Chris and his team did a great job. Chris has shot most the red giant stuff including spy v guy and the newest one Go Bag. Thanks dude! I have two FTX films I shot and directed that should come out soon. I'll post them when they are out.

Absolutely. Chris the DP was not pleased

Hey guys! Im fortunate enough to know and work with Seth Worley at Red Giant on occasion and here is our latest little short. All shot by DP Chris Adams on the Sony a7S II using Zeiss Compact prime lenses. Internal 4k recording in SLog3. Seth told me that the grading was pretty crappy as the banding was a serious issue. However, I think the final product turned out nicely. I shot the behind the scenes on my BMPCC (thats why the audio sucks...recorded wireless lav straight into BMPCC). Anyways...enjoy! and the BTS:

Interesting. Proves that we can't rely on Sony like Apple with release dates. They seem to have their own release timing with no consistency.

Wow this is great!! I wonder if more updated cameras will trickle out over the next few weeks. If Sony updates every year, the a7 line should have an update soon.

Well yes precisely. Honestly any time something like that comes up in a professional sense they just assume a rental. So I just say my day rate and a rental fee and they always are fine with it. Thats why the camera's I own need to be the most versatile tool possible. Most minimal versatile tool. Anything beyond that is just rental. HAHAHA!! Of course

Same here. Would be an instant back. If used properly, I seriously think the D16 has one of the most gorgeous images out there.. CCD goodness.

Would love to see a 5" 4k Monitor/ Recorder. Canon C100 mk3 that shoots 4k and at least 120fps 1080p. Sony firmware update for fs5 and maybe a new cinema camera??.... Black magic bull crap that won't get delivered for a year. I wish digital bolex would make a D35

What "TheRenaissanceMan" said. Literally haven't been required or requested to do either. It's a funny thing really as a freelance DP. Financially it just doesn't make sense for me to buy anything more than $6k. Also, clients know the c300, c100 cameras. They are very popular and honestly, owning two c100's and a set of lenses is more valuable than owning an a7s II right now for me. Clients like the image off c300 c100 and just like how the RED name is popular among producers, so is "C300". Ive got $5,000 cash ready to spend on whatever my next rig is. I'm waiting till NAB but I think two c100s or even a used c300 may be the best for me. Again.... FOR ME. I currently am still only rocking bmpcc. I'm so ready to get out of the Blackmagic world. Tired of dealing with the headaches that come with those cameras. Also, my experience has been very negative from clients on their perception of Blackmagic. Honestly, as a Leica M3 owner and user..I would love an X-Pro2 just for the stills. If the video is decent, then thats a huge plus. Need to try myself. Was the DP on this silly shoot directed by Seth Worley for a children's video series. All shot on C100 with Atomos Ninja 2. Great skin tones and had zero issues with the camera on set. A fantastic little workhorse.

Totally agree. Even if an a7s, bmpcc, gh4, etc can outperform specs wise....you can't compete with the ease of use with the Canon C series. And professional clients love the image. You got to remember that once our images are delivered...nobody really gives a crap what you used to shoot on. As long as the shooting day went smoothly and the images look great thats all that matters. The ND's, XLR, Battery life, low light ability, and pleasing Canon Log all make it a great workhorse. Back to the original reason for this post tho...would love to test Fuji X-Pro 2 still and see how it performs in a professional scenario.

I think for web delivery you can't go wrong....However, I was DP on a doc that had a limited theatrical release and I shot a lot of the film on my BMPCC but the footage that looked best on the 70ft screen was the C100 without a doubt...and that was shooting in the internal codec! It was a super cheese ball documentary...but it was still a cool thing to see my work on the big screen. C100 below:

Lol! No kidding. I agree but again, as boring as the camera is...its been a workhorse. Fair enough. I need to get my hands on one and do a test myself. My buddy just got his so maybe he can let me borrow it. If the XT-2 has 4k and more video centric features, I think that would be a great cam to get.

This is all great and dandy and good for fuji for finally stepping up the video quality for once...but by no means should anyone go buy this camera only for video. Photo is another story obviously because this camera is a beast for images...but if anyone here is reading this review and is thinking to themselves to go buy this camera for video alone should definitely consider the fact that you can buy a Canon C100 used on eBay for essentially the same amount. The C100 is a camera people seem to dismiss and forget about. Sure its older and has a less powerful codec than others and doesn't shoot slow motion...but the skin tones it produces and the ease of shooting it gives you in a professional environment is hard to dismiss. POINT OF THIS POST Don't forget there are SO many options out there and please rent and do camera tests before you make any purchase decision. RESPONSE TO ANDREW'S FUJI POST I really loved the article and am genuinely excited about the possibility of a 4k capable, more video suited Fuji X camera. They are the sexiest looking digital cameras right now and they make a gorgeous image without a doubt. I just dont think X Pro-2 has what it takes in 2016 when it comes to video. If it was 2012 it would be a different story.

Ohhhh mama!

Ya that was my goal. I feel like most lenses swallow the a7 bodies. These lenses are the perfect size. Especially with the MK2 body style. Highly recommended. I was thinking of Leica R as well, but the Leica name just adds such an extra expense and these really have some character. I noticed my 85 has some pretty noticeable flare. May want to buy a lens hood or use a matte box with it. There is an 18mm F4 Contax Zeiss that I will probably go with.

You bet! Her name is Princess Leia. I love it! SO underrated. You can buy an entire kit for less than one or two modern lenses and they look way better IMO. I need to buy a super wide and a telephoto and I'll be golden.

A little testy test with them. Silly video..but LOVE this glass

CONTAX Zeiss lenses pair really well with the Sony sensor. Sharp but soft roll offs. Love it.

Heres the S%$& that bothers me though. Its the fact that I talk to my colleagues about Blackmagic or Digital Bolex (or now thanks to Ed the F35) and they all just look at me with a confused look on their faces and just tell me to shoot on a C100 or a7s and just call it a day. I don't know why but it just drives me insane if Im not constantly seeking after the best image to my eyes and I just can't settle on anything. Its an annoying problem for sure. Its also annoying when I get hired to shoot with other people who are all canon and Im the only one with black magic and I have to explain to the editor how to color it properly...

We are too similar dude. Except my wife keeps me in line and I can't spend the money :P haha!

You must shoot at ISO 200 (now 160). I shot Frequency with the Kish lenses too which were F4 only. It was kinda fun though. Constructing our lighting around those locked settings. Not ideal for most scenarios, but when done correctly, the D16 really has a gorgeous image. Definitely some mojo for sure that is very unique. But I digress...back to the original topic of this post....the 1dc and Blackmagic micro. I have heard that the micro just has the exact same sensor as the BMPCC...but it looks better to me. Do we know categorically whether this is a new sensor or not? Also, is a 1dc relevant anymore? I used one in Haiti and really loved it but the files were pretty annoying to manage. Shot a Christian mini doc out there on the 1dc. Enjoyed it. But it was several years ago. Its a brick of a camera for sure

Ed is right. I had to switch to BMPCC with my speed booster because the low light. Also, I shoot weddings in ProRes LT so the image isn't as strong as the 2k 12 bit raw from the Bolex. Realistically, it's a terrible camera to use practically for a wedding or doc. I think the c100 is the best wedding camera. All day battery life. Great high quality compression. Perfect skin tones. Ed is also right about the fact that most the stuff shot on Bolex is purposely narrative. Which means more care has gone into the lighting and composition. A good DP can make any camera look good just like a good musician can make any instrument sound good. My buddy just got back from Nicaragua where he was going to shoot a doc on C300. They wouldn't let him bring his camera rig into the country so he shot an entire professional project on an iPhone and a Nikon point and shoot camera and the client was actually happy with it. Don't forget that these numbers bit rates and sensors are honestly not as important as you think. If you make a killer film using whatever and a producer sees it and hires you, you'll have budget to shoot on Alexa or whatever you want and it won't matter what sub $3,000 camera you purchased. Just get something that is the best workhorse for you and will make you happy. To me, I prefer the look of Bolex to any RED camera. So I rent the Bolex on my higher budget stuff and I usually have tons of room left over for crew and lighting because a Bolex is super cheap to rent. Having grip and gaffers who know what they are doing is the real secret.

Nice! I literally just bought a set of Duclos modded Contax Zeiss lenses. 28, 35, 50, 85. Just got them in today! Cant wait do do some tests with them

Are you using Contax Zeiss lenses? You have a speed booster for it too? Here is a music video I shot using C-Mount lenses on the D16. Mostly on a shoulder rig. The low light stuff turned out total crap...but you get the picture..

Here is another wedding I shot using the D16. It was in LA so I went to the Digital Bolex office in LA and met Elle there and she let me use one of the MFT Bolex cameras. When you use the BMPCC speed booster with the camera..it makes it a S35 sensor size. I really want to try it out again with my new CONTAX Zeiss primes I just got. That global shutter and skin tones on the camera are really stunning. And with the speed booster the low light issues sorta disappear. Totally workable for sure! No worse than what the BMPCC or Canon 7d was. If you want to see what BMPCC looks like with speed booster VS D16 with speed booster...I made a really confusing test with them.