localstarlight

Spent an hour or so reading about the Digital Bolex, feel like I want one, can't afford it right now. Battletested KineMini sounds great! Not available though... Will have to keep an eye on that one. And then after reading the article on underrated cameras (thanks Jimmy), I'm now revisiting the 5D2 ML raw, to see if I can avoid upgrading the camera after all... But only 9 seconds of shooting at 1920 x 1076 ?! That doesn't seem very workable. And the reasonable resolutions only work on the crop mode, which seems impossible to monitor properly – granted I've only just started looking into this, but how is anyone shooting anything serious with this? Perhaps someone could point me in the direction of a decent guide to shooting raw on the 5D2?! Feel like I must be missing something, because I can't imagine shooting a real project on this. Hope I'm wrong!

Wow, this is all incredibly helpful. I'm going to need to take a moment to explore all these options – thanks so much everyone. I have to say, I'm really liking the pricepoint and size of the new BMMCC. Will leave some money to spend on glass, which would be great. Thanks again!

@Nikkor: so do you feel like it's a good option? Have you shot much with the BMPCC? @Jimmy: I did have a go at the raw video ML for the Mk2 and have to say it was not that user friendly. I've seen the Mk3 is/was favoured by lots of people for raw video, but not the Mk2. Initially I had thought about upgrading to a Mk3, but reading about some of the more recent options is making me reconsider. The EOSHD review for the A7S (I think) basically ends with questioning why anyone would still be shooting with a Mk3 (let alone a Mk2) ...

Hi! For some years now, I've been shooting smaller projects with a 5D Mk 2. A few years ago, my company acquired a RED Scarlet, which has since been upgraded to a Dragon, which we use for all our main commercial projects. However, I am now in a position where I need a new lower end camera for smaller projects that are coming up where the RED would be overkill/burdensome, and it feels like the Mk2 is no longer cutting it. I've been a bit out of the game of keeping up with camera tech though, so I've spent the last couple of days looking at what's available these days and trying to figure out an option, and I'm drowning a little bit in the possibilities – a great thing in many regards, but also a bit of a headache. From shooting and grading RED, I've grown accustomed to working with both high resolutions and beautiful raw footage. I'm not expecting something similar for a budget price, but trying to weigh up what's important. For example, I'm never going to be delivering these smaller projects in anything higher than 1080 for web, but I want it to be a very good 1080. The two main routes I'm entertaining at the moment are: 1. The Sony A7S ii 2. The Blackmagic Micro CInema Camera The Sony is obviously way more expensive, but seems like a very capable camera. I'm used to the DSLR format. The BMMCC seems like an interesting (and much cheaper) alternative. I'm aware it's basically designed for Go Pro-esque filming, but it seems like it could work quite nicely (and lightly) on a shoulder rig with EVF/LCD. People rave about the filmic image quality of the BMPCC, and this camera seems to be the natural successor to that camera, so I'm wondering whether it could be a great option. Wondering what you guys think about these two options, and whether there's another camera I should be considering instead?