Mark Romero 2

Your S1 has an AF lens sticking to it, which you decorated with a mask?:) Why, Mark, why?

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear it is working out for you.
Had a pretty rough day with my S1 today so I am definitely envious of Sony autofocusing (pretty hard to focus the S1 when one's glasses keep fogging up due to wearing a mask).

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear it is working out for you.
Had a pretty rough day with my S1 today so I am definitely envious of Sony autofocusing (pretty hard to focus the S1 when one's glasses keep fogging up due to wearing a mask).

Yeah, saw some awesome stuff shot in cine4 with it and internal HD 8bit 420. So maybe one of us starts a thread with the best buys, and additional best buys which we ever hardly used plus the stories to not using them!
That´s right!:) But, at least FS700 got used for two paid gigs, one of them with internal HD SLog2. One of the two gigs was last year even.:) In 2021 I had to do two shorts with other cameras due to lack of rigging, time or due to request of the producer. At least my S1 got some use as a B-Cam and produced beautiful images. Last year it was BCam and even ACam to a C300II. But still, darn you are right.:)
My F3 waiting for an EVF and for its first legit footage. BMMCC getting ready for some digital Super16 anamorphic, but still waiting after a first test. Darn, but in a good way too, so much exiting tech!:)
I would hope CS was pretty good from my experience with my FS700. I heard that it either performs better under 5600K or 3200K, making a huge difference. The vari ND for sure would be a great thing to for some variation in DOF. Should browse vimeo a bit for some nice filmic experiments with it.:)
 
ANYWAY, the Varicam LT sold for 5500EUR!
It was completely rigged, with two P2-Cards, viewfinder, shoulder rig, handles and V-mount. Before, it was even offered by the seller for 4500, but seems like too many potential buyers offered more, so they put it back in for 5500. I was hoping the other way around.:)

a7IV overheating test pt. 2
Did another run test without airplane mode since someone asked the question on FB - had the LCD out and today I plugged a mic in just to try and create more heat. I ran the battery dead and shot 1hr and 50min of 10-bit 422 XAVC S 4k60p. The battery crapped out about 30 seconds after I took the pic. No temp warning and the camera was warm, but wasn't that hot, same for the battery. Below is what I've managed without an overheating shutdown - AF-c and the camera pointed at the TV to get faces/eyes, Steadyshot on, auto ISO that was changing with the different light on the TV, airplane mode, LCD out, temp set to high, prograde 128gb v90's:
-- Over 7 hours of XAVC S 4k60p 10-bit 422 only stopping to swap batteries and delete the file after filling my 128gb card at 1hr 20min
-- Multiple dual recording of XAVC SI at 60p and 24p until cards were full or the battery died
-- Simultaneous dual recording of 10-bit 422 4k60p XAVC S until both cards were full
-- 27min of dual recording with the LCD against the body and it shut down, then another 14 min after immediately restarting - these two runs were after doing all of the above all day yesterday, that's about 9 hours of non-stop recording with no issues, then the shut down
Today's test was the same as above, just airplane off. I can't get mine to overheat unless the LCD is against the body, but I don't shoot that way and knowing it won't overheat with it out - I will not hesitate using this in a professional environment alongside my a7sIII. The a7IV is a winner for me.
Chris

Tried again with another Sony battery, and set it up on a tripod this time. Got full 128gb 1:15 4K 60fps XAVC-S 200mbs. Dual slots 20C with lens corrections off except for distortion. AF / IBIS on.
Overheat warning just coming on as card had 1 minute left.

I actually haven’t unwrapped the battery that came with the camera in case I wanted to return it. I have a few OEM’s so I just cycled through them. 

I got 50mins of 4K60 before shut down 😞 dual slots, XAVCS 4:2:2 10 bit 200mbps.  Ambient 20C
I think warning came on around 40 min mark, not 100% sure. At least 24p works!

Good to hear it is working well.
Wonder if the majority of issues are caused by problematic batteries???

Ran some more tests. Took a lot but I finally got mine to overheat. I filled a 128gb card shooting SI at 4k60p which was 27 minutes, no issues. Then I switched to 24p which filled another card in 1hr 8 min, no issues. Then I did a simultaneous recording, 4k60p XAVC S - so it recorded 1hr 20 min to both cards, no issues. So my conclusion is after 7 straight hours of recording - only stopping to swap batteries and delete those long ass takes - my camera has zero issues with the screen out. 
So then I put the screen into the body and did the simultaneous 4k60p recording again. It shut down after 27 minutes recording to both cards. I flipped the camera off and then right back on and hit record and got over 14 minutes more recording before it shut down - again recording to both cards. This was after all the previous recording and the camera was already pretty warm.
I never shoot with the screen flat against the body. I'm 6'2" and never have the camera at eye level, so the screen is always flipped out so I can see it. Over 7 hours works for me, the a7IV is a keeper. A few more shots of the camera in action.
Cheers
Chris
 

I am ignorant of C-stand weight ratings, but I doubt that there is much difference in weight capacity between a plain C-stand and a C-stand with the typical "Rocky Mountain" leg.

On the other hand, one should never get even close to loading stands to their rated capacity.  Putting too much of a load on a C-stand might not end well (nor will it start well if the grip arm gets bent).  If one is not sure the stand can take the load, use a bigger, stronger stand.
 

Thank you for all the excellent info. Really appreciate it. 
One more quick question if I may...
I know there are C-Stands with sliding big legs (to deal with things like stairs or uneven ground) and then stands without a sliding leg. Is either one "stronger"? Meaning, if someone gets a C-Stand with a sliding leg, will it be rated for less weight than a stand with a non-sliding big leg?
Thanks in advance.

Yes, that's the kind of work I do and yes, I watch many many YT channels including StudioBinder.  
The real challenge is that film tends to attract people who are visually acute and can learn things by just watching other people's work.  Unfortunately I am not at that level of understanding yet.  When I watch something that I like I know I like it but I don't know why.  I can't even break it down because for me to really notice a scene they must have done a bunch of things I like so it's not just one thing I can see and pay attention to.
(I am aware of what it's like to be able to do that as I am able to do that in a different field, one that I have been doing for more than 25 years, so am a lot more developed and experienced in than film.)
I've watched enough interviews with the best performing DoPs and Directors etc to know that they all just learned by watching, so I suspect that the information that I'm chasing may not actually be written down in any organised way - it might simply be that if you've got the eye then with practice you can do great things and if you don't have it then you'll learn over time but won't attain that level of performance.  I also suspect that there is a reasonable amount of knowledge just floating around that isn't written down.  After all, the people who know the most are probably out there doing it rather than trying to work out how to teach it.
If I was more affluent then I'd probably just hire someone to mentor me.  

I don't know if this will work with your workflow because it is all for big budgets and well planned out sets and lighting, but I find Studio Binder to be good at explaining different looks, from the cinematography to lighting to sound design to blocking, to costumes, to set design and I think also to the script / dialogue. 
They have a lot of videos, so it might be a bit overwhelming deciding where to begin. Maybe just look for a video covering your favorite director first
In particular, maybe start with the series of "The Directing Style of ..." videos at this playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEzQZpmbzckUl3P1gqpM5Awa9U-CxdhVy
However...
If I understand a lot of the shooting you are doing, it is mostly run and gun / one man band / capture the moment / document the place, right?
Or am I misunderstanding what you are mostly shooting?
If it is the former, I wonder if maybe trying to learn from event videographers (like wedding videographers) might not be helpful? They usually have to work in scenes that look nice but they can't control, with lighting they can't control. Maybe some documentary filmmakers as well? (I think wedding photographers might be chasing a lot of the latest trends in their shooting as well, so maybe not a good fit for you.) Anyway, I love White in Revery , although they haven't released much lately.
The other thing I would recommend are look at classic street photographers, as they will give you an eye for working in environments they can't control as well. A lot of them just made the best of whatever opportunity presented itself.
Hope this helps.

My GH5 says....

I'll be getting one of the new Macs... once they figure out how to run Linux natively on it and I can erase the whatever Apple OS is on there.

Actually, to elaborate on this a bit more, I only get one chance to shoot something.  So it's the shot I got, or nothing.  In a way this means that I need to be more knowledgeable than a "competent" DP.  On a narrative shoot you can just get coverage and sort it out in the edit later, so a DP just shooting coverage doesn't have to know which will be the best angle, they just have to know how to film a range of them.  Obviously as time and budget reduce, so does the ability to shoot full coverage and therefore choices need to be made about which angles will be kept and which will be cut from the production schedule, so there's definite judgement in that.
Also, as I am shooting my work essentially in POV, I also have less options that are possible, but also less that make sense for what I am trying to achieve, so I'm not having to be everything to everyone in every genre, but I still have one chance to get it right and know how to make these decisions.  I also have no notice, much of the time, although my street photography experience of anticipating moments definitely comes in handy here.
If anyone knows of resources that talk about the whole end-to-end and talk specifics then I'm super interested in that.  You can't learn to bake bread by learning how to grind flour, how to make an oven, how to raise chickens and cows, how to make crockery and cutlery, how to self-publish a cookbook, and how to design a menu for a modestly-priced restaurant.  All of these are specialities, no doubt, but when you add them up you're missing the bit in the middle that actually makes the bread.

Yes, set electricians (but rarely the gaffer) arm-out lights from C-stands.  There are three common methods for arming-out with a C-stand:
Mount the item on the grip arm and extend the arm "righty-tighty;" "Cantilever" the grip arm with a ratchet strap or a trucker's hitch; Boom the grip arm, using a sand bag as a counter weight.  
It depends on the size of the stand and the load to be armed-out.  A junior/combo stand will be capable of a larger footprint than a C-stand, and they are much stronger than a C-stand.  A typical baby stand might not be as good as a C-stand for this purpose.
 
There are countless ways to arm-out a light, and there are many booms and cantilevers designed especially to do so.  It's a large and involved subject.
There are just as many ways to suspend diffusion in front of a light.
Here is a basic primer on setting C-stands.
 
In my opinion, booming is the best and most versatile way to arm out a fixture with standard gear, but the cantilever method is most often seen on big sets.  The problem with the cantilever method is that the strap or trucker's hitch has to be reset every time you want to move/adjust the height/angle/extension of the arm.  Since there is always downward stress on that arm, it is a hassle to reset a cantilever.
Again, there are plenty of specially made boom rigs that fit on combo stands or C-stands.  A popular such rig is the menace arm.  Relatively recently, versatile cantilevers rigs have appeared, such as the Matthews Max and Max Mini.
By the way, if you are not familiar with the set lighting hierarchy, you should know that there is usually only one gaffer on set.  The only exceptions to having more than one gaffer occurs when there is a B-unit or C-unit, or when there is a separate rigging crew.  Likewise, there is only one key grip if there is only a single unit and no rigging grip crew.
Here are the typical ranks regarding lighting personnel in most big, departmentalized shows with separate electric and grip rankings:
GAFFER (Electric Department);
       - BEST BOY ELECTRIC;
            -  THIRD ELECTRICIANS (usually 3 or more);
       - KEYGRIP  (Grip Department);
            - BEST BOY GRIP;
                   - GRIPS (usually 3 or more).
Essentially, the electricians do anything that directly involves lighting fixtures and power on set.
The grips are in charge of "outboard" light controls that do not touch the lights, such as flags, scrims, silks, frames, etc., and they also provide some set rigging for fixtures and set pieces.  Grips are also in charge of camera support when it involves a dolly (hence, the dolly grip).
Most grips nowadays will dispute that they take orders from the Gaffer in regards to lighting, but it certainly was that way for a long time.  Until a few decades ago, there was no such position as a "Best Boy Grip."  The "Best Boy" was only a management position in the electric department.  Grips eventually realized that they also could benefit from a middle manager.
 

Sorry to everyone for taking this off topic, but I have to ask something
@tupp : Can I interrupt and ask you a question about c-stands???
Since I know you have experience with such things, do gaffers actually hang lights from c stands on grip arms and gobos? 
I have to ask because so many people on youtube say that the "proper" way to boom lights is use a c-stand and a grip arm, but I have also seen a few people say that is completely wrong. since C-Stands have a narrower footprint than spreader stands are are more likely to tip over (even with sandbags). 
I thought that most gaffers would mount lights either on a spreader light stand, or if they were to use a C-stand, they would mount the light on on the baby pin of a c-stand, and then use a grip arm on a separate c-stand to hold diffusion in front.
I though booming lights was supposed to be done on a light stand with a (counter-weighted) boom arm.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Yup.
Kind of like being a drummer in a world full of drum machines.

More likely to happen the other way round, the way things are going