meudig

True. 
Although I've never gone to an electronics store and seen a "real nice picture" on a TV.

Oh, well I think I did once, but I suspect Philip Bloom had been there and already turned off all the extra bells and whistles.





Thank you Philip!

Agreed about the close ups. Any smaller scale formats really shine in this setting. The extreme being Super 8 or Polaroid film. Portraits on polaroid look like they've already been airbrushed. 
On the discussion of 16mm. Stuff I have shot with the Bolex has just been the most rewarding for me. The colors, skin tone, and overall feel are very hard to replicate. 
I think someone saying they can easily copy the 16mm look with filters, is the same as saying the GH5 can look like an Alexa or a F35. I suppose there's different traits that people would to copy. To some people that would mean analog inconsistency; film burns, grain, jumping gate, etc. There is a huge difference in the film stocks alone. 
These first two frames are 1080p scans on the Shadow. This is a 10+ year old scanner. The 3rd frame is a 4k scan from a Scan Station. This is just cheap c-mount glass. I've n ever used Zeiss on a bolex, but I am sure the results would be very nice. 
I've never seen this but the trailer looks good. I'll be checking that out this week. 



 

@PannySVHS The G80/85 body just dipped close enough to 800 dollar where I live. I was about to jump on it when I got an offer to buy a GH4 in great condition at 750.
IBIS must win over the Headphone jack, I am however currently trying to make sense of the different recording formats... but at least I will be a Panasonic shooter by the end of next week.
Cheers!
 

Cant go wrong with a Gh5 + Zoom! I use the sigma 18-35 but the Pana 12-35 is significantly smaller and lighter.

@PannySVHS The G80/85 body just dipped close enough to 800 dollar where I live. I was about to jump on it when I got an offer to buy a GH4 in great condition at 750.
IBIS must win over the Headphone jack, I am however currently trying to make sense of the different recording formats... but at least I will be a Panasonic shooter by the end of next week.
Cheers!
 

Here are a few more screengrabs from my film. The first one is with the Canon 24-70mm f/4...
 

And the second is with the Canon 35mm f/2...
 

Haha, in the first one, the actor looks like he is shaking his head that I am posting these grabs... lol.

How about the  'The SUPER 8 BIT Challenge'
-back to basics filmmaking with extra kudos for older cameras such as GH1 and GH2 and the less gear that is used, the focus is on working around limitations and maximising creativity
-3 to 5 minute short by end of year with as many submissions as you like
-any genre allowed
-No 4K
-All footage to be captured in 1080p and glorious 8bit color
I've had good results using a shorter camera strap around my neck and then pushing against this so the strap is taut, can get some subtle camera movement with this that looks fairly fluid and stable.  The other thing I use for low-profile filming is a gorilla-pod with the legs pressed against my chest.

I totally agree. In a weird way, the limitations excite me. I'm even considering a GH1 or GH2 purchase  just so I can be forced to produce something within some confines. In the end none of this matters and some kid is going to make the next best indie film in an iPhone, so shoot with what you have and make the best of it. Now I won't sell my 5D3, but I do like the challenge of shooting something with a 6-7 year old camera.

I decided that poring over the list of what cameras I could use for a Netflix film was distracting me from my other concerns such as what amp Paul McCartney would prefer me to use on his next album and the approved list of colognes to wear on a date with Sofia Vergara.

Yeah, unfortunately and probably stupidly, I will go for smaller and discrete every day of the week over large and cumbersome, but I am shooting literal no budget films, where I don't have a sound guy. It needs to be simple and small, something I can attach to an L-Bracket with a small shotgun but can also do double duty as a pocket recorder for a lav.
I started with an H1, but found it to be poorly built and not really that small, so I ended up with 2 Olympus LS7 field recorders. I'm sure they aren't the best but for what I need they work pretty well and the onboard mic is actually pretty good for foley and ambient sound... probably because they are marketed towards nature recordings.
I am interested in the Tascam 10L recorders... they seems to be a great size with decent specs... how are they rated on the Ironfilm scale?
But this is a great article and something to think about as I grow equipment... thanks for posting it. 

Hey Glenn, awesome find. Visually one of the best DSLM/R cinema verite style narrative shorts I´ve seen in months, if not the best. The montage is stunning, leaving more impact on me than the highly acclaimed eyecandy piece "Towers of Turkey". Thanks for showing, very inspiring piece for every single no/low budget filmlover/maker. Colors are magnificient.
@meudig, Panasonic G85, better HD than GX85 and mic in. IBIS, 4K, 60p, strong 8bit codec, CineD, nice colors. It doesn´t have audio out though.
 

@Neumann Films
Oh it's not only about me, thank you for sharing!, the GH5 truly has it all.

You are very helpful, and yes, so do I. I tend to enjoy seeing great work on cheap or unconventional cameras more so than good work on (more) expensive, proffessional cameras. ("great" in this sense is of course both subjective, as well as relative).
You did turn me onto bridge cameras, and I have been researching them for the last couple of hours. Both the RX10 ii and the FZ2500 are very attractive with their log profiles. And as you say, the original RX10 would save me quite the bit of cash, I found an auction for it and I will be watching it carefully.
Nikon is a world of cameras that I've never explored before, but oh my, the ones you suggested really does produce stunning video.
I am able to borrow Canon 70Ds and 80Ds from the University, and I do like them, especially the 80D since it has a headphone jack. They do seem to have a long "shelf life" though, and hard to find good deals on.
I really liked that video aswell, reminds me of the opening of The 400 Blows.

I have the pocket and the GH4. Both are great for walk around shooting. Which one I take depends on how much I also want to take stills. 
For video, I prefer the pocket. Shooting raw is so nice for run and gun outdoor stuff. Rokinon 12 f2 is my goto lens. I'd opt for the 12-35 panasonic if I had it.
SLR magic Vari ND.  I have 5 batteries, but even with that many, it's annoying to have to swap batteries all the time. I recently started bringing the juicebox magic power with me. It's a bit unsightly, but it does mount on (or below) the camera. The added weight helps with handheld shooting, and I can just leave the camera on all day. It's so much nicer to just pick up and shoot at a moment's notice without turning it on and off to conserve the tiny batteries. 
 

I'm not much of a pixel peeper myself. I went through all of the 4K cameras, I can afford, and found I actually like 1080p better.
It really just comes down to features that are important to you. If IBIS is on the top of your list, then the e-m5 Mark ii is probably your best choice at that price point. And yeah, with the grip, that's a really good price. But I must say, although the image is nice, there isn't anything particularly special about it either... it's better than a lot of choices because it feels more organic than digital, but it's also a little vanilla. But in a good way. With my brief time with it, I was left feeling unsure about the overall image quality. I guess it wasn't an inspiring image and it didn't wow me like other cameras do. But that's really subjective because I have seen some great footage shot by John Brawley with one. 
The RX10ii is a lot of fun and there is some really good footage out there to prove it. If you don't need the 4K, sLog2 and cine profiles, or 120fps, you could save some coin and get the original RX10. It has the same lens, same build quality with mic in and headphone input.
As I said, in the end I became spoiled by Full Frame Raw, so it is hard for me to get excited about other cameras... or to keep my excitement, which is why I keep bringing up the D5500. It's hard to recommend it because with video, it really is an utterly, stupid implementation by Nikon. But it also is a really nice video file in the Super 35mm format. The colors are brilliant with great dynamic range. And it will also natively mount some of the best manual lenses of all time... with some limitations and yet again... some annoyances as well. In the end it feels more cinematic than a lot of the other choices at its price point.
Also, another factor is lens choice. Almost any lens ever made can be adapted to the Olympus, so that's a big plus as well.
At this low budget, there isn't a perfect camera, trust me... I have tested 17 cameras over the past two years and weirdly enough, my two favorites are my most expensive purchase... and my least expensive purchase.
I know you weren't asking this, but if I had your budget, I would probably get two cameras... the original RX10 (unless I could find a steal on the RX10ii to get 4K and the extra pictures profiles) and a D5500. With those two cameras, anything could be filmed. If I were choosing one, I'd obviously go with the D5500/D5600, or if IBIS was my most major concern, the Olympus can't be beat.
And finally, if I wanted an all in one camera and lens, I'd choose the FZ2500 over the RX10 i and ii. 

Sorry, I just reread my own post and I'm unsure I was helpful at all. But apparently I do like to talk about cheap camera options.
And with that I should add... since you do have a Canon background, you would probably find the 80D as a great option as well. Better 1080p than your t3i with its high bitrate all-i, great lens adaptability, the best AF around with Tracking and Touch AF that could rival a Hollywood focus puller.
I know I probably shouldn't have said the C word around here, but I have recently found this video that was shot with the 80D and think it looks great and is just more proof that any camera, in the right hands, is probably good enough nowadays...
 

I used the EM5II for walking around street style shooting. Loved it. Learned to work well enough with the IBIS to mimic dolly shots.  It's truly great for grabbing b-roll on the move that looks like it's not handheld footage.

For the Pocket, buy the Zacuto Pocket viewfinder. You can press the very big and comfortable rubber eyepiece to your eye and thereby have an additional stabilisation point. Use a pistol grip or screw together a grip to the side (like here, unfortunately the free Dropbox doesn't render image links any longer), which is better for heavy lenses (I recommend the Sigma 18-35 with Nikon Pocket speedbooster). Mounted on a QRP, steel parts and screws cost below 10 bucks.

I just reread your post and I wanted to add that I have the D5500 and have considered selling it once a month for the past 3 or 4 months, but then I use it, or look at some old footage and I realize why I keep on keeping it. The Nikon Flat Profile is so nice with just enough latitude to handle some grading. The image is clean, with good dynamic range. However, it does not have a headphone input but the D7200 does and basically has the same IQ as the D5500 with a couple extra bells and whistles.
I've also had 2 FZ2500s and the all-I 1080p out of that camera is really nice. Both times I've returned it, because I didn't think I wanted it or needed it and both times I have regretted it. It's seriously a little cinema camera with a built in lens. It has decent IS, a mic and headphone input, 4K and 1080p, high frame rates that can be recorded/exported at 24p. It has a slow/quick function that with the push of a button can go from regular speed to slow motion, or regular speed to fast motion, while recording for as long as you press the button. You can set the shutter speed to the shutter angle of 180 degrees so if you want to change to 60p or 72p or 96p, etc... it will always be in the proper shutter speed for cinematic motion blur, it has 3 strengths of built in, body selectable NDs, decent AF Tracking... not great but not bad. The small sensor and lens can be kinda annoying for shallow depth shots, but they are possible. For a travel camera or run and gun cinema camera, it is pretty cool. Dang, now I want another one... LOL.
Thw Olympus I bought out of boredom one day because the price was so low. I was very impressed with the IBIS... it really is that good. The 1080p was decent, it just felt kind of redundant with my D5500 and 5D3, so I sold it. But it's small and well built with a good screen and as mentioned before, amazing IBIS.
If you're into color grading, the RX10ii is a nice choice. sLog2, high frame rates, good audio, well built, decent image stabilization. I'm not a great colorist and in the end I decided against it. 
The GX85 is a fun little camera but it doesn't have a mic input, let alone a headphone input, so it may not be of interest to you. But the IBIS is good with manual lenses and the recent CineLikeD hack is really nice as well. And it's cheap.
Anyway, I hope this helps and good luck in finding a camera that fits your needs.

I really liked the e-m5 Mark ii. And have seen some great stuff shot with it. The IBIS is better than the Panasonic's version and the 1080p is decent. So if you don't need 4K, it's a solid choice with a good Flat Profile for some post work. 
Another benefit, if you decide to shoot dual sound later on, the em5m2 will send a tone signal to the Olympus LS100 Field Recorder for ease of synching the audio and video in post. Plus it has a really nice organic look with good color.
The D5500 or D7200 are good choices with clean 1080p and good DR.
For 4K and your budget, the GX85 or G85 are good. The internal audio isn't going to be great but none of the cameras at this price point will be. Maybe a GH4.., I've heard it's internal audio is decent, probably better with a preamp. 
Oh yeah, if you don't mind smaller sensors, both the RX10ii and the FZ2500 are good cameras and they both have headphone inputs. The RX10ii audio sounded pretty good with the Rode Video Micro plugged directly into the camera. 

Hey there,
I've been lurking this forum for quite a while but finally decided to create an avatar to make this thread (somewhat inspired by Andrew's blog post "Pro cameras are not as creatively liberating").
I always thought I would be working towards that huge, cinematic rig. With 15mm rods, matteboxes, external monitors, follow-focuses and v-mount batteries etc...
And a couple of months ago I decided to take the first step. I sold my old trusty t3i/600D along with the 18-55mm kit lens, to instead pick up a used BMPCC.
(Somehow I still made it out with 20 dollars in profit?).
I started outfitting the BMPCC with accessories. I already had a cage and a handle that came with it. I didn't really want to, but I couldn't see it useful as a true compact
camera. Battery and audio needed upgrading (in-camera preamp wasn't even able to record decent ambience without hiss and white noise), 
and quickly I learned to despise handheld shooting - something I always used to love and prefer.
Long story short, in the essence of the "new gear syndrome" (I saw a better term somewhere but I can't remember it) ,I have decided to cut my filmmaking gear considerably - starting with the BMPCC rig.
Now to my question; what minimal cameras/gear/rigs do you guys like use for run and gun, your morning walks, street or travel shooting? (Essentially, your NOT proffessional work). And why?
 
-meudig
p.s.
This is not supposed to be "What camera should I buy"-thread, but if any of you have any ideas about a nice, cheap (400-650$ used) camera with decent in-camera preamp and the ability to monitor audio without any add-ons, I'd be thankful! 
I've been looking at the E-M5 Mark II (which allows you to monitor audio with the additional grip), and the IBIS seems amazing.