BTM_Pix

The Expodsic (or at least this £13 'equivalent' version) is a good cheap alternative to an incident light meter as well as being a quick and reliable way to set white balance. You just hold it over your lens whilst pointing to the light source that is falling on your subject so and when the camera meter hits centre then thats the exposure set correctly as the camera expects it to be because it is seeing 18% grey through the Expodisc. Its quite interesting to see how that can look on screen when you then take away the Expodisc and on the histogram (especially with cinelike d) as it is definitely not ETTR but sure enough with zebras at 100% the peak highlights are only just pinging the zebras. I wouldn't say its a definitive way to expose but its a very consistent starting point from which to make the decision and as its measuring whats falling on the subject rather than whats reflecting from it then its more appropriate IMO. Kicks arse for white balance setting.

The GH4 capture from a forum user hasn't materialised so thats the blocker right now. When it does, it will be looked at to see if it can be harvested or not.

Yeah, sure it was

If he's anything like the dog I used to have as a kid then he could sit utterly immobile if there was a biscuit dangled in front of him. If it was a chocolate one he could hold the pose long enough for you to cover him in papier mache and make a mould of him. I'd be inclined to email the guy who runs that review site and see what he thinks. Its the scale of it that may or may not be an issue as those ones in the supermarket tended to be action figure size.

There was a company a couple of years ago that had scanning booths in some UK supermarkets to do this and produce 3D models of people and pets. There are still companies that do it such as this one https://www.shapify.me Then there are companies like this one that will make you a 3D model from images you send them too http://www.uscan360.com If you want to go DIY then this site has a lot of information about hardware (yikes on the price!) but also free and low cost apps to do it yourself. Its funny that you should mention 3D scanning and printing as we were looking at a 3D printer the other week in an electronics shop while we were buying a memory stick and marvelling how cheap it was. We'd recently watched the documentary 'Print The Legend' which is about how the low cost manufacturers had started (its a far more interesting film than it sounds!). We then determined that we'd never actually use it because we couldn't think of something to print on it that we couldn't get in a shop and for cheaper (and certainly quicker because they take a looooong time to make anything). Since then of course, I've had a need for multiple different things I could've used it for!

I'm fairly deep into finishing this follow focus system and I'm finding the Metabones sending strange values back to the Panasonic every few moves which may or may not explain some things. Don't get me wrong, I'm quite surprised (and reasonably excited) that its working at all with non native lenses but the Metabones is rough as fuck sometimes when I'm trying to get it to locate. Which version of the Metabones have you got out of interest?

Maybe they wanted to stay nimble in case Vlad rode in on a bear?

I suppose it depends on the definition of problem to be honest. Can Nikon and Canon have the same issue? Yes, if the circumstances are right. You'd have to test both of them side by side to see if its exactly the same circumstances or if, as you'd expect, the electronic shutter is more prone. But taking it all as an actual problem? Nah. As I say, white balance changes off floodlights are a far, far bigger problem than LED boards and they all suffer from that. Those LED boards are a problem because they ruin shots aesthetically rather than technically. The article is talking about when your subject is predominantly lit by them, which when you consider they're predominantly used in field sports is a bit of an interesting comment! In the shot I put up that they are highlighting it with, the photographer has a sideline position and the boards are very close to the touchline and the players themselves are very close to it too. That is definitely the worst case scenario and also the least likely. The more usual position would be behind the goal where there would be at least 10 metres between the boards and the subject. Even with sideline positions, the stadiums that are of the ilk to be having them would generally have a greater distance from them to the subject and not be as tight to the line as this. The real story here of course is that of course its highlighted on a short shooting distance because the A9 doesn't have the lenses to do anything else. It just makes it so bizarre to be making such a fuss over the banding when you've got that particular elephant in the room. Thats what makes me think its just general clickbait rather than some shill stuff for Canon because I'm pretty sure that until Sony magic up some lenses for it that this is Canon's (and Nikons) reaction to a problem like reports of banding on the A9

The two major problems those LED ad board actually present to us shooting in stadiums as they become so widely adopted are : 1) We've had to get taller stools. 2) They are quite temperamental so you often have their techs crouching next to you and fiddling about with them. White balance changing in a fast burst due to floodlights pulsing is an order of magnitude higher as a lighting issue than the LED boards. For this LED board stuff to be causing a genuine problem for people shooting at stadiums with the A9 then people would have to be actually shooting at stadiums with the A9 in the first place. And in my experience, they're not. For reasons that have zero to do with banding. Such an odd thing to go after them for in the overall scheme of things with that camera. This image they've used to show the banding though.... I'm not being catty, because I don't mind that fro fella, but I don't look at it and think "Wow, look at the banding" I think "Where's the ball, why is your horizon off, why is the focus on the wrong player, why is it so noisy for a shot in broad daylight, why is it so heavily processed" If I sent that on the wire, it wouldn't be the banding that would be preventing it from getting published.

This is me with all the abysmal kit lenses that I've bought over the years with the intention of using them as a DIY rebate scheme by selling them off.

It seems to be discontinued in its body only format in the US. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1280825-REG/panasonic_dmc_gm85kbody_lumix_dmc_g85_mirrorless_micro.html

No, its fine. Its based on Panasonic's own DMW-AC8 and DMW-DCC11 system which also has 8.4V coming off the actual supply which the dummy battery then takes care of. Yes, its that kind of thing. I couldn't remember who did a range of them but I do now and its Ex-Pro. So they sell the coupler and their own power pack as a package and then you just add more dummy battery types if you've got different cameras. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MXHMOPZ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498831490&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=Panasonic%2BDMW-DCC11&th=1

I would imagine the 80D would smoke it for stills and there are lens choice advantages, particularly on the wides. But having said that, you could get the G80 with a smart speedbooster for less money and reduce the bridge the lens gap and make a dent on the low light as well. Whereas the advantages the G80 has of 4K and the IBIS (not to mention small primes in MFT format) and form factor are not something that you can bring to the 80D. Or, it seems, can Canon this side of 2020 Thats why the G80 is the sweet spot for me. The one that could have been, if Fuji had IBIS, would be the X-T20.

I've just picked one of these up and its a pretty nifty little thing. Basically its a series of locking bars that you can easily change to be anything from a selfie stick for Vlogging to a top handle to a shoulder mount or even a poor man's low mode stabiliser. As the joints lock in any angle its really flexible in being able to be shaped to what you need it for. Its really useful in the shoulder mount mode actually because you can make the angle of the piece that runs over your shoulder to be really tight so it hooks in firmly. Each piece also has 3 mounting holes so you can attach handles, mics, lights, monitors, cup holders or whatever else rig enthusiasts like to cram on there if thats your thing. Its light, versatile, folds down small enough to fit in a coat pocket and at £38 its not exactly going to break the bank. With something with IBIS like the GX80 I've got it with here, it gives some great additional stabilisation advantage and still keeps you stealth. https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Camera-Photo/Movo-SV1000-Aluminum-Combination-Stabilizer/B012Y7UVB4/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1498822792&sr=8-19-spons&keywords=movo&psc=1

This is the bane of my life recently! I have to keep the camera powered while I'm testing my controller with it and its a real pain in the arse keeping the batteries charged to get it through the day. We need this dummy battery for AC power but ideally a version that can take USB to the dummy battery. They do exist but if not then some wire strippers and a donor USB cable will sort it out. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00S8W570A/ref=pd_aw_sim_sbs_198_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=SR0ZXJQJ6TGD89BMNC1A&dpPl=1&dpID=71urTNBN2ZL

Readily available in the UK still as body only. Thanks to the country lurching from one laughable decision to another it won't be long before there is 1:1 parity with the dollar and it'll be worth buying a plane ticket to come and get one! http://www.wexphotographic.com/panasonic-lumix-dmc-g80-digital-camera-body-1607694/ It does point to a new model but I'm curious to know what they could put in it without threatening the GH5 to be anything other than a relatively small incremental change. Higher bitrates and purchasable VLOG are both available in their top end bridge camera the FZ2000/2500 so it could be those and that could make it worthwhile for upgrading. But either way, a new model will make a used G80 quickly be available sub £400 which is beyond a bargain. Not to mention the surprise on their faces when I ask if I can test it with my new follow focus controller........ And how doubly shocked they'll be when I put the metabones smart adapter on and they see it doing it with Canon lenses as well......(As shocked as I was yesterday when I got it working !) But that's for another thread on another day. Like next Thursday probably.

Credit to Sony on that front. You can reheat frozen burritos with their cameras.

Some great discussions on here in the past few weeks about paring things down and in the spirit of that, what do you think is the sweet spot camera? I'm beginning to think its the G80/85 4K, IBIS, Mic input, Cinelike D, articulating screen, flexible mount, compact, no overheating, decent app for remote control, easy workflow. And you can now get them for £550. I can see it about cameras further up like the A6300/6500 and the GH5 but I definitely think the G80/85 packs the biggest bang for the buck. Whats yours?

Cinelike D being able to be switched on in their £250 travel compacts might have opened a few people's eyes to Panasonic playing a very similar game

The free version is 1080 only but, blimey, its Avid Media Composer for free. If you'd gone to the NAB show 10 years ago to pick up a Media Composer system, a DaVinci Resolve system and a Fairlight system you'd be looking at a six figure investment minimum. And now you can download all of it for free tonight. Incredible really.

Careful with making B camera suggestions. You'll have someone on saying that the only B camera to an Alexa is an Alexa. Or that the Alexa is actually the B camera to the Enormo2567-T Is that a challenge

Shooting tethered for stills using the LAN port I imagine? The EOS utility can do camera setting control over that port as well I think.

With regard to audio, I think the innovation has largely come from the music side of the fence rather than the broadcast/film side to be honest. From that point of view, there have been numerous 5DMKii moments. The Portastudio was one, the LinnDrum was another, the Akai S900 sampler, the Atari ST with Cubase, the ADAT digital multitrack, the Yamaha 02R mixing console and of course SoundTools as it was and ProTools as it became. Arguably, these were all much bigger game changers than the 5DMKii, particularly the latter ones as they changed the entire industry at the high end as well as the low. The 5DMKii let you make images that looked somewhat like the movie studios could do, the audio products didn’t just allow you to produce audio that sounded like a real recording studio did but actually became the real recording studios. The nature of broadcast and film is intrinsically more conservative. I’ve been involved in product development for one company where it seemed inconceivable why the BBC, for example, would spend five times more for something that did less and then for another company where it seemed inconceivable to me why they would spend five times more on what we were proposing to them than they could on something similar they could get from a music store. Some days you’re the statue, some days you’re the pigeon ! The problem with audio developments for music is that it plateaued and then became a race to the bottom price wise from which it will never return. It means that the innovation is now in the cost reduction and arguably why not because there really isn’t many more places for it to go in terms of functionality or quality. Which is good for us! As all of this rapid development was going on in music technology, say between 1982-2000, it was like the wild west at times with companies coming from nowhere with bombshell products that either drove their competitors out of business or drove them on to greater heights. And the vast majority of these companies were small ones (generally created by musicians who had to invent what it was the market didn’t have for them to buy), which made them lean and agile. Over time though, the eating each other’s lunch routines often combined with little, no or reckless business practices (and ESPECIALLY poor cash flow from over ambitious product developments) left them vulnerable to being put out of business or, more usually, being bought out by the major manufacturers who were predominantly large Japanese companies. The likes of Oberheim (Yamaha), Linn (Akai), PPG (Korg) and Sequential Circuits (Yamaha again) all went that way and the innovation generally went no further for them once they were under the wing of those bigger manufacturers. Eventually freed from their ‘consultancy’ deals, most have resurfaced as boutique operations serving an ever more niche market. If I look at someone like Fairlight and my relationship with them as an example of what happened to an innovative company, its quite informative. I went from being an awestruck kid when they brought the CMI out, to then working for a manufacturer who basically drove them out of the sampler business they’d created, to eventually working on OEM development with them when they transitioned to broadcast. In the subsequent 20 years they’ve changed hands countless times and are now just a tab on a piece of free(ish) software. Its hard to grasp such a transition for me but for anyone who’s too young to know what the CMI was, its the equivalent of RED’s RAW pipeline ending up as a free download in the Sony PlayMemories store for your RX100. Lexicon are exactly the same. From making jaw dropping almost other worldly products to being gobbled up by a company that was making most of its money off providing car stereos for GM etc and Lexicon was reduced over time to being included in every low end mixing console and software bundle that it could be licensed to. The company that bought them has done the same to every company its bought and I can’t even dignify them by mentioning their name even 20 years after them destroying the company I worked for ! So there’s just no incentive there for anyone to be innovative in music audio anymore as its littered with similar stories and the ones left standing wouldn’t see the amount of volume in broadcast/film that they need to press the button on the mass production runs they now need due to how cheap everything has to be now. The company that COULD do it are the much maligned Behringer. If you look at something like the X Air XR12 digital mixing console and see what they can knock out for £239 retail (inc VAT!!) then it doesn’t take a genius to see what they could do against Sound Devices if they had the inclination but there just isn’t the market there. Because, believe me, they wouldn’t have blinked if there was. So, unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going to get that 5DMarkii moment and the innovation such as it is will come from individuals themselves looking at products from the music side of the fence and modifying it themselves. Like getting that X Air XR12 and powering it from Sony NP batteries to make an extremely capable digital field mixer and recorder for £269 (including the £30 for the bits to do it) or being a smartarse and using cheap midi controllers to create remote focus and control systems for Panasonic cameras for under £75 (ahem!). Because music audio had its numerous 5DMKii moments a few years ago there is a backlog of a ton of cheap stuff that flies under the radar for film makers that is waiting for them if they look for it.

There is a definite connection between specific function devices with dedicated controls like a portastudio and creativity. They keep you focused on what you are doing by serving you rather than the other way round. Unlimited possibilities seems like a good thing but the problem is that its so easy to be drawn into trying most of them. Often that just leads to varying degrees of turd polishing where we're spending good creative money after bad as it where when we would be better off walking away from it and spending that time on making something that doesn't actually need polishing.

Also available in blonde.