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Michael Coffee

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  1. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Cinegain in DPReview BANS links to EOSHD!!   
    Dude, I love your mission statement from the frontpage's 'about'-section:
    That kinda continues in a philosophy that 'nobody should be blocked from participating in a community where they can learn and showcase their talent as a cinematographer or filmmaker due to a difference in opinion, skill level or approach to filmmaking'. You've also allowed and welcomed everyone who was willing to add somekind of positive contribution to the site. I remember even one guy losing his cool and asked to please be banned already, yet you didn't seem to really see the point in that, but did as he asked and told him to come back should he have a change of heart (which he did).
    That's what I like about this place, just somewhere where free spirits can come together and share knowledge and opinions, without everyone having to follow strict directions and having to be on the same page. DPReview is a very practical site, but I wouldn't really want to 'hang out' there, sorta speak. I like opinions. I like your blog (I might not agree with everything you always say, but then again, why have an opinionated blog and open forum if there's nothing to discuss) or YouTube channels like TheCameraStoreTV with Jordan and Chris or DigitalREV with Kai and Lok. Because, unboxings and going through the specs is something everyone can do. I can't stand CNET reviews. I need someone to get down to the nitty gritty and not sugarcoat things. What is it really all about? What do you think?
    I don't go over to other sites much, other than the rumor channels, because they don't understand fun, creativity and community that much. I feel pretty much at home here. You've created a nice atmosphere for people to speak their minds freely. I thank you for it and hope it continues on like that.
  2. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to HelsinkiZim in Rode microphones   
    Ages.
    That's my mental association with anything Rode service related.
    Expect it.
    You will be tired and older when your issue is finally resolved.
    EDIT: EU customer.
  3. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Kisaha in Rode microphones   
    Rode is good for low budget equipment but in the end you get what you pay for, the Rode boompoles and the blimp are the worst I have ever used, recently I bought the new Boom Pro which is a Rycote rip off, and it is worst than the Rycote (there is a licensing thing going on I think).
    Now with the Rode-Rycote lyre co-operation the whole line is going up a notch.
    The mics are very good value for money, but after a year using continously their mics for work, when I went back to Sennheiser the sound felt right and the Sennheiser blimp, even thought a bit outdated and pricy, it does the job much better. K-Tek as well, in general, boompoles and blimp are a no go for me (I kept the boom pro because it is really light, and for easy tasks it can be ok, but for film/TV certainly is not).
    The dSLR kind of mics are very good value for money and very right (again, with the new Lyre system), and much better offerings than other companies, here Rode are pioneers.
    I would like to use the RodeLink, I haven't.
  4. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to 4Kfan in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    Total NOOB here. Bought  the gx85 a month ago as a tool to learn how to  shoot video. Steep learning curve. A few books, Google and forum like this taught me everything so far. Went to a video portrait workshop organized by a local camera store on Thursday night. They had a local artisan there for us to shoot. Three light set up. Did a quick edit with Resolve. Learning as I go. I think it is a fantastic camera.
    https://youtu.be/JLXEILzEtuI
    Natural Profile -5,-5,-5,0
    All handheld. Straight out of camera. No grading.
  5. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to KrisAK in Canon XC15   
    Dual-pixel focus would be the only thing (at the moment, anyway) that that would make me consider an upgrade.
  6. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Emanuel in Rode microphones   
    LOL Good joke! :-)
  7. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Raafi Rivero in Rode microphones   
    I also had an excellent experience with Rode's customer support a couple years back. The elastic broke on my Videomic pro and I needed a replacement. I emailed the company to see if they sold the part and instead they just shipped me a baggie with several replacements (that were more robust than the orignals), for free. I'll definitely continue buying their products - and already have.
  8. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to aldolega in Rode microphones   
    I had a tripod tip over several years ago and my original VideoMic took the brunt of the impact. I emailed Rode to see how much the replacement parts would be, and how to order, and they sent out what I needed, for free, and it got to me in two days!
    I was very happy, but figured I just caught a CSR in an unusually good mood. Then I broke a foot on one of my VMP's a couple years ago, and they had the same exact response!
    Really great service, and I've yet to find a 3.5mm on-cam mic that comes close to the VMP. Whenever I get around to going wireless, the RodeLink is at the top of my list.
  9. Like
    Michael Coffee got a reaction from JazzBox in Rode microphones   
    Hi everyone, please share any experiences you have had with Rode's customer support. 
    They have just resolved an issue for me that that exceeded the highest expectations of customer service for me.
    Now I live in Australia, and have heard some incredible stories about Rode's customer support from their original beginnings in studio condensor mic's. After buying my first ever Rode product, a videomic pro, Rode sorted out a shockmount issue in a 5 minute phone call and 1 email. Consider me an instant convert for life
    The mic itself, while not perhaps being the very ultimate in shotguns straight out of mic, gives an extremely workable sound for me, so very happy there too. 
    After hearing some almost unbelievable stories in the past, about Rode's customer support from their studio mics, who else has had experiences with Rode customer support? This is so crucial to me with a gear company, and Rode now have a total advocate for life in me with their support! Thank you Rode, I am a proud Aussie today
    I can't say enough good things about them, and will be amazed if anyone has not had the best customer support from Rode. Wow.
    Thanks again Rode, cannot recommend enough. 
     
  10. Like
    Michael Coffee got a reaction from sanveer in Rode microphones   
    It might help me here, being in Australia, all I can say is give them a call, or send another email, Rode seem to really look after film makers, as far as hardware support goes I am really happy.
    To be even more parochial to Rode, howabout contact Plural Eyes - they have a great reputation for their software, and if you look at Rode as the hardware company and Plural Eyes as the software - it it were me I would be contacting Plural Eyes as the software experts. Ok Rode have some responsibility, if it is a software issue though Plural Eyes themselves would be the better solution I think.
    As far as hardware support goes - to me Rode = best! Good luck Sanveer getting the Plural Eyes going!
     
    Hey, I am sure they will send you a replacement.. I have heard amazing things about the blimp, but I have to say the Rode Videomic pro I have here - ok, it is light, sounds great, and they have great support - but, the cable on the thing seems to be about as solid as a piece of well cooked spaghetti. For the flagship camera mic solution, the cable quality seems like a $30 USD Aliexpress mic.
     
    For a mic like this, how about a moulded socket with a few ribbon type cables and adapters?
  11. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to IronFilm in Rode microphones   
    This reminds me, I have a dodgy cable from the blimp & broken lav which I need to get around to emailing RODE about. Hope it goes as well for me as you!
  12. Like
    Michael Coffee got a reaction from IronFilm in Microphone for audio dialogues on set?   
    Hi, regarding Rode mics, letting everyone know I just had a really great customer service experience with Rode.. possibly the best customer service experience I have ever had! 
  13. Like
    Michael Coffee got a reaction from IronFilm in Rode microphones   
    Hi everyone, please share any experiences you have had with Rode's customer support. 
    They have just resolved an issue for me that that exceeded the highest expectations of customer service for me.
    Now I live in Australia, and have heard some incredible stories about Rode's customer support from their original beginnings in studio condensor mic's. After buying my first ever Rode product, a videomic pro, Rode sorted out a shockmount issue in a 5 minute phone call and 1 email. Consider me an instant convert for life
    The mic itself, while not perhaps being the very ultimate in shotguns straight out of mic, gives an extremely workable sound for me, so very happy there too. 
    After hearing some almost unbelievable stories in the past, about Rode's customer support from their studio mics, who else has had experiences with Rode customer support? This is so crucial to me with a gear company, and Rode now have a total advocate for life in me with their support! Thank you Rode, I am a proud Aussie today
    I can't say enough good things about them, and will be amazed if anyone has not had the best customer support from Rode. Wow.
    Thanks again Rode, cannot recommend enough. 
     
  14. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Fredrik Lyhne in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    Here's a rolling shutter test: 
     
    As you can see it's a lot better in 1080. 
    @mercer did you buy a GX85? I haven't tried the G7 but I just sold my GH4 learned how out much easier it is to grade footage from the GX85. Will get a GH5 when it comes out and can live a few months with the limitations of the GX85.
     
  15. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to mercer in Canon XC10 4K camcorder   
    Very interesting info. Thanks.
    A quick tap of the joystick brings you into the function menu which seems pretty simple to change ISO, shutter speed, etc...? I tried exposing in TV but found I could ride exposure pretty easily with my index finger while tracking people. I love that it's stepless.
    Good idea to set Custom 1 to powered IS, I just left it for Display because I wear the camera around my neck with a strap. When walking to another location, the screen would bump against my chest and change something. So by pressing Display Off, it solved that issue. Button 2 I made ND... Which kind of annoys me because it seems to be either not enough or a hair too much... Wish it had one or two more stops of ND... Maybe MKii. And then button 3 I made Push AF, it's great to have it right there at my thumb. I tried to just switch back and forth, but I like how I can be on the long end and hit Push AF and hit my focus in a sec or two, and then readjust manually real quick for a rack focus. Of course, on tracking shots, I usually will flip on AF.
    Andrew was right about the focus ring... It really is abysmal. At first use, I thought... It isn't so bad, it feels a lot better than a lot of other focus by wire lenses feel like, but then when you really start using it, you get to witness the strange erratic behavior. That is my one major gripe with the camera. They took the time to make a nice zoom ring, but then just crapped all over the focus ring. Doesn't make sense.
    All in all though, it is the best camera I ever owned and just a complete joy to use. In some ways it's too good... If I don't watch myself and stay on my plan, I could easily have a 20:1 ratio because I just keep finding new angles and running footage. 
    Btw, I didn't know it downscaled to 1080p for HDMI. Obviously since you're using the Ninja Star, then the monitor stays on. That's awesome news. I just picked up the GX85, on the cheap, so I could use my lenses and I was thinking about picking up a Ninja Star to go with it, now I have twice as many reasons to get one.
    Also, I like your audio set up. I was planning on picking up a top handle and you seem to have a good configuration there. The beachtek seems promising too. Do you attach the Ninja Star to that handle as well?
    And finally, I get you about the BlackMagic, I was planning on keeping my BMMCC for more controlled projects, but after using the XC10 for the past few weeks, I haven't used the Micro once, so I will list it for sale this week. 
  16. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Lintelfilm in Canon XC10 4K camcorder   
    I was doing a little panning and the lens was at mid/wide length I think.
    I love that the XC10's HD mode is so good and I use it a lot, especially for the 5 axis stabilisation but also for the low bitrate and of course 50p/slowmo. However the 305mbps UHD is unquestionably superior not just for detail but more importantly to me for colour (4:2:2), for motion cadence (high bitrate intra-frame) and for grading. It's just a very, very robust professional image that also fills a few holes my C100MkII doesn't cover - 4K for detailed wide shots, small size, timelapse, basic stills, superb IS/IBIS. Also a big deal for me is that it automatically down-samples the 10bit 4.2.2 UHD HDMI signal to HD to my Ninja Star, so I'm not missing 10bit ProRes from my BMPCC (which I just sold. *sob*).
    I too use the Rode VideoMic Pro with Beachtec MCC-2 setup, but on the end of a SmallRig hotshoe top handle. This makes the whole package function much more like a traditional camcorder or mini C100. The MCC-2 allows running a wireless mic to the XC10 simultaneously too. The top handle is also great for using with the 5-axis for glidecam like shots.
    iPhone lens is making the Rode mic seem much larger than it really is.
    Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this, but another really useful trick with this camera gets around the lack of custom buttons: Set the top dial to ISO, then use the mode dial to switch from Manual to Aperture Priority and/or Shutter Priority - select the aperture and/or shutter speed you want - then go back to Manual. This saves digging into the menus. 
    I set custom button 1 to toggle powered IS on and off, button 2 as the ND and leave button 3 as Magnify (I did have it as AF but didn't use it - if I want manual focus I just flick the lens MF/AF switch). Focus is still a little unreliable even after the firmware update so magnify is handy for checking as peaking isn't always visible).
    Point being it isn't a perfect camera and I'll be interested to see how Mark II turns out, but the issues it has can be worked around. The feature I'd like to see most in MkII would be DAF, as this camera is an incredible shot grabber that delivers almost 100% useable images for me, with the exception of it sometimes being hard to get accurate focus.
    Of the niggles I have with it: I'd love to see a constant aperture lens but not at the expense of size. The lens could be a little wider too. More custom buttons is a necessity in the next model as even with my workaround white balance has to be changed in menu (though I use Auto WB most of the time). An EVF would be nice - I don't mind the loupe at all but it's a faff to carry around and makes the camera a little less inconspicuous (i.e. it looks quite weird).
    Overall though it's a fantastic, hugely underrated little camera and a perfect complimentary camera to the C100.
     
  17. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Lintelfilm in Canon XC10 4K camcorder   
    Has anyone else noticed weird ghosting/banding with the XC10? It's most visible in out of focus areas (hence blurred images below). I've noticed it most in 4K though not sure about HD. My best guess is it's something to do with IS but I really have no idea. I've never seen anything like it before. Images below (look at the skin/face in the first two, and to the right of the face in profile on the last image for a "ghost profile" in the shadow). Very weird.).
     
    The XC10 manual says "ghosting, artefacts and/or dark areas may appear when using Dynamic IS" --- however Dynamic IS isn't available in 4K mode (which the frame grabs above are from). I'll do some tests with/without IS but if anyone has experienced this too I'd like to hear about it.
     
  18. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to PannySVHS in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    Would still love to see a comparision between GX85 and G7 for lowlight and some shadows free of artefacts.
    My G6 isn´nt the best performer shadow wise, otherwise beautiful cam.
    A friend of mine and me did a lighting setup, kinda @andy lee style with beautiful gels, Orange Glow and Deep Blue, two 850w tungsten and one LED.
    We compared her 600D and my G6. Canon color is still something, even when lit. But loving my G6. Starting to really love black wrap, flags and gels.
    Great stuff for filming with the lower end bunch of cams. Very exited about the promises of Gx85 or G7 or XC10 or veterans such as F3 and such.
     
    So again:
    -GX85 vs G7 shadows would be great, hey throw in some G6 to show the generation gap and for the fun!:)
    -Also, dual recording confirmation about internal and external recording please for the GX85.
    -Another one, is there a grip for extending the height of the grip on the GX85? In the store it felt way too short for me. Met a guy with a Oly EM10ii last week with a beautiful extended grip. Awesome handling, really beautiful!
     
    Here is a light from our setup to keep my post a little more interesting. I think BTS is a great thing on this forum, so maybe some lumix and canon faces next time.
    EDIT: This bad mother or bad boy looks really funky!:)

  19. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to mercer in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    So, is it confirmed that there is a new sensor in the GX85, or a tweaked sensor, because from my preliminary tests it seems to play in a different playground than the G7 does. Obviously, it's a whole lot sharper without the OLPF, but the colors seem different. With -5 Con, -5 Sharp, -5 NR and -2,-3 Sat, the results are almost perfect out of camera with still just enough room for some mild grading.  I even tested my Canon FL 35mm 3.5 with the poorly reviewed Fotodiox Excel+1 focal reducer, and it's sharp as a tack with gorgeous rendering. If this is any preview of the GH5... 
  20. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to IronFilm in Lighting question   
    Various options:
    1) ignore stupid laws, use generator
    2) beg/borrow/steal more LED lights & batteries
    3) beg/borrow/steal a7S
    4) shoot day-for-night
    5) ditch the wide shot, and shoot around it
  21. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to Tim Sewell in Lighting question   
    You're welcome. I've got the Amaran M9 and it's more use as a bedside light than anything else. These Lumecubes punch considerably above their weight.
  22. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to jase in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    Guys, no offense but could we get back to topic please which is the GX80?
    we have bmmc topics, we have the "5 reasons why i will get the gh5" topic by andrew reid, etc.
    it starts to get annoying that every thread here on the last couple of pages gets derailed into offtopic - which is a pitty, because the offtopic stuff is most often valuable enough to start dedicated posts (which i encourage you to create, so that others will participate!)
    yet i would like to receive email notifications about ontopic related stuff
  23. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to iaremrsir in Understanding S-log 2's black Level, black gamma, and knee   
    Ahh so these are in camera settings rather than the characteristics of the actual curve. The black level is probably like it sounds, it changes where black is recorded. In the case of S-Log, it'd allow you to change the recorded black from 90/1023 to 0, or whatever you like really. The knee is likely the knee that is used in many Rec. 709 profiles that allows it to keep more data in the highlights. It would act at the very top of the range and essentially "bend" the curve down to keep more range or clip at a lower point. This depends on if the knee is applied before or after the signal is already clipped from the gamma transform. The higher the value, the sharper the bend is. Not sure on what the black gamma would be. It'd be best to look up the user manual for the camera these settings are for know if there are exact units they are giving you versus an arbitrary scale.
    And I must say, it would be a lot easier to leave the values at default. It would also make it much easier in post to do color transforms when needed. But I do share your desire for understanding everything you possibly can about a camera haha 
  24. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to nac in An adventure into the Panasonic GX85/80 begins - and a look at the Leica Nocticron for Micro Four Thirds   
    Anyone try out the hack to change 25p to 30p? I have a 25p and panning is poor, wondering if 30p would have any improvements over 25p.
  25. Like
    Michael Coffee reacted to andy lee in Best Camera for Low Light for 1000€   
    same thing the Asian G7s or Japanese have no recording limit , Vitaliy at Personal View.com sells them via dealer in Hong Kong
    http://www.personal-view.com/deals/cameras/panasonic
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