newfoundmass

Accessing the data over wifi and transferring it to an SSD for editing would work, assuming you have a good router, but I think you'd run into issues if you just imported the files from your NAS and tried editing off it. You're not just limited by your wifi speeds but also your NAS drives speeds. You'd probably want to set up a wired home network for something like that, I think. 

1 hour ago, tupp said:

Folks, Fresnel lights on set generally have a continuous "focus" range of beam angles from "spot" to "flood."  The range of those beam angles varies with each fixture.

I can't recall all the times I've seen someone illuminate a diffuser with a Fresnel light, but almost always they focused the light to "full flood" to completely illuminate the diffuser

My fresnel attachment that I use on my Godox COB lights doesn't really do a good job in "full flood", though it works great when in spotlight (which is my primary use for it.) I imagine you'd get better results from a nicer one then? 

I'm not on major sets, just small commercial ones, and I've never seen a fresnel attachment being used with diffusion, so I find that interesting. I still feel like the op would be better off using more lights instead of a fresnel attachment. Not to say he shouldn't get one, as they're very fun to play around with and good to have in your kit, I'm just not sure that it's the solution he'd want to go with for diffusion?

4 hours ago, barefoot_dp said:

He literally says in that video that the light is too harsh on its own. 

I own and use a couple of 1x1s and they are simply not large enough for a soft key. They're great for backlights, quick 'n' dirty portable/field/battery setups, or even as an eye light outdoors, but if you want soft light they come nowhere near competing with a COB light pushed through a softbox or scrim (at equivalent prices). Of course you can use a panel with a scrim or reflector too but most simply do not have the power. It's fine for his indoor setup, where he doesn't have to balance any ambient light and has a fairly tight frame so the light can be just a few feet from his face, but I doubt the setup he's demonstrating in that video would work in very many real scenarios (eg setting up an interview in front of a window in a cluttered office space).

I thought you meant an LED panel to use with diffusion, my bad. 

2 hours ago, barefoot_dp said:

I'm yet to find an affordable LED panel that offers the same size source/softness as a 4x4 diffusion frame (let alone a larger butterfly!).

Caleb reviewed one recently. https://youtu.be/EaYebQm3CpY

39 minutes ago, scotchtape said:

If I've learned anything about softlighting it's that nothing beats more power.  The most effective way to get more soft light is to literally get more lights.

Yes, the bigger the light the better. 

1 hour ago, barefoot_dp said:

does this mean a COB LED would give more output with a fresnel pointed towards say a 4x4 silk, than it would just mounting a softbox directly on to the light?

I don't think you'd get the spread you'd want / need since the light would be concentrated in one spot on the silk, though I've never tried it and never heard it being done. 

SSDs have come down in price so I archive footage to SSD drives now. I'll only use an M-disc if I'm mastering a DVD or Blu-ray that I know I'll need to copy in my duplicator in the future for small distribution runs.

On 11/3/2021 at 12:36 PM, BTM_Pix said:

If you don't mind a paid option ($49.99) then have a look at EditReady for transcoding them into ProRes which FCP will be happy with.

Free trial available too so you can make sure it works with your fancy new machine 🙂 

https://www.divergentmedia.com/editready

 

I was hoping to skip transcoding but looks like it's necessary for these files. 😞

On 10/30/2021 at 8:25 AM, newfoundmass said:

I have a client that, no matter what I ask, will upload spanned mts files separately and not the entire folder, so I have to merge them myself instead of letting the editing program handle it. 

On Windows I used TSmuxer. It wasn't perfect but it did the job to seamlessly merge the files, though I'd have to sometimes run the process a couple times to get it right. I think there's a version for Mac but I was wondering if there was a better option? I don't mind paid software as long as it's not too expensive and will be able to merge them seamlessly. 

My new MacBook Pro arrives Wednesday so I'm just trying to be ready for when it arrives 🙂

Oh and still looking for any recommendations for this. I tried TSmuxer but the output files make Final Cut Pro chug slowly for whatever reason. Any help would be appreciated! 🙏🏻

I'm just confirming what all the others have said BUT these MacBook Pros are incredible. I got the 14 inch 10 core CPU/16 core GPU with 16GB of RAM and it cuts through 4K multicam with three camera angles with color correction like a hot knife through butter. Amazing stuff. 

I have a client that, no matter what I ask, will upload spanned mts files separately and not the entire folder, so I have to merge them myself instead of letting the editing program handle it. 

On Windows I used TSmuxer. It wasn't perfect but it did the job to seamlessly merge the files, though I'd have to sometimes run the process a couple times to get it right. I think there's a version for Mac but I was wondering if there was a better option? I don't mind paid software as long as it's not too expensive and will be able to merge them seamlessly. 

My new MacBook Pro arrives Wednesday so I'm just trying to be ready for when it arrives 🙂

11 hours ago, kye said:

No, but has it been delayed?  They didn't mention a release date before did they?  or did I miss one?

It was supposed to be released this year, so it made sense that they'd announce something for the 20th anniversary thingy. Seems unlikely they'll get it out by January, but maybe? Either way, it doesn't hurt to let people talk about it without being scolded. 

2 hours ago, Origami101 said:

I can’t tell whether that’s an embarrassed admission they’ll miss their publicly announced 2021 release date or just an awkward statement the release isn’t now. I’m reading it as the former, but it’s hardly clear. 
 

I mean it's in Japanese that's machine translated to English, so it's not weird that it would sound awkward. 

I don't think it's embarrassing that it's going to be late. There's a lot of supply issues right now, I mean things like the PS5 have been out of stock for an entire year at this point. My MacBook Pro order just got pushed back a month. It is what it is. 

8 hours ago, kye said:

A thing that wasn't promised at a specific time and isn't needed for ongoing creativity still isn't here.

OMFG!!!

There's nothing wrong with people wanting more information. 

Kudos to Nikon. This is the kind of stuff I like to see! 

2 hours ago, SRV1981 said:

Makes sense!  Canon's 1 year warranty is extended to Refurbished and their new cameras so it would seem Refurbished makes sense here, I mean $200 in my pocket or toward a lens!

Indeed! 

2 hours ago, SRV1981 said:

Do you trust resellers like MBP, KEH, Adorama, BH? Or where do you go?

Yes, those are the places where I get most of my used gear. I know they'll meticulously check everything over, grade it accordingly and if I'm unhappy with it I can return it, no questions asked. To me that's worth paying a little extra than buying it from someone I don't know on eBay or Facebook. 

When it comes to cameras, it depends. My main camera I always buy new. People often tell me it's a waste of money but I always buy the extended warranty... It gives me peace of mind. I will entertain refurbished and open box deals as long as they come with a warranty. 

Every other camera though? I buy used with a focus on older cameras. My B-cam and C-cams are both used and were bought for under $400 each after I sold the lenses they came with. The G85 was about $350 and the GX85 was $250ish after doing that, and both are in excellent condition. Assuming I stay with Panasonic, the GH5 that I bought new will slide into the B-cam slot for whatever I buy new, assuming they are easy to match for by multicamera work. 

I don't see much value in buying newish cameras used unless I'm getting a good deal and know the seller, for the reasons @Mark Romero 2kind of gave. For the $200 extra I'd rather have gotten the ability to get the warranty and all the benefits you get from buying something new. That's just my preference though.

Lenses though? I've bought one new lens in my life. I tend to stick to established sellers and people I know, but if I see a real bargain I'll take the chance. I've been very fortunate in that it has worked out well for me every time. I don't care at all about getting the new model of a lens unless there's a significant difference; gimme your old lenses as long as they work! 🙂

Well used/loved gear is a great way to build up your arsenal. I highly recommend it! 

1 hour ago, John Matthews said:

It's completely un-scientific, but I've never been able to see a significant difference between 50Mbps long-GOP and 200Mbps ALL-I on the same camera. However, I do see a significant difference between downresed 4k and 1080p native (regardless the reasonable bit rate). Usually, it's unnecessary detail IMO. I'm sure you can see more of a difference when pushing the image though.

It depends on what you're filming, really. You can really see the difference when dealing with fast moving subjects. But if you're filming talking head or interviews there's not a ton of difference. Lighting also plays a part. 

8 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

Osmo Pocket and LX100.

IBIS,tilt screen and Cinelike D are big advantages of the GX80/85 but, for me, the (excellent) in built lens of the LX100 makes it more convenient to carry and use.

Panasonic broke my heart with the LX100ii. I would've bought one immediately if they'd given it a worthy update and got rid of the recording limit. 

So instead I got a used GX85 to be a c-cam/travel/stealth cam! I love it.

13 hours ago, kye said:

What connectivity options are there from the tape player you're looking at?  Probably easier to start with the player and work downstream I'd imagine, as then it's just a case of buying an appropriate interface.

Also, it might be easier to have someone else do the transfer?  Analog tape machines really benefit from being high-end devices that are regularly maintained and aligned etc, which is what a (good) media facility should be able to offer.

I have professional decks that I keep in tip top shape and I regularly need to work with older VHS and SVHS footage. 🙂

I just pre-ordered a 16 inch MacBook Pro. Question: what's the best, yet not extremely expensive, way to transfer old analog tapes to Prores on a MacBook Pro? I haven't had a Mac in 7 years and used to use a firewire device, but I no longer have it and, of course, computers don't use firewire anymore! 

2 hours ago, Django said:

For sure if you're into anamorphic lenses, Panasonic set themselves apart from the rest.. but that's a rather niche market though isn't it? 😉 

I've read about those new SIRUI FF anamorphic lenses available in all popular mounts, why are they best paired on a S1H?  I thought the S1H anamorphic mode cropped into Super35? As for the desqueeze preview, couldn't an Atomos handle that? Just curious, I have close to no experience with anamorphic but I'm interested in those new SIRUI lenses.. 

It's a niche but a growing one and big enough already to be a difference maker for people. I personally have little use for it, but as more anamorphic lenses get released the bigger it will get until it's run into the ground, like shallow DOF has been. All part of chasing the "cinematic" look. 

The A7iv will do most of what people need it to do, but it's not an S1H. And that's OK. It'll sell like crazy to the YouTubers that didn't already drop all that money on the A7siii. 

1 hour ago, elgabogomez said:

newfoundmass, what doesn’t match the s1h video in the a7 iv in your estimation? They both are fullframe, they both can record 4:2:2 10bit all i or long gop, they both have log profiles and hlg profiles, full hdmi output, usb c transfer and charging… Other than no timecode option I see them as quite comparable 

One is a video focused camera, the other is a hybrid with good video specs. You can't say the A7iv matches the S1H when it can't do 6k, doesn't have as good IBIS, doesn't support anamorphic recording, doesn't have video focused features like timecode sync, doesn't have shutter angle, doesn't have nearly as nice of a EVF, has worse rolling shutter, etc. 

All the little things the S1H has that are meant for professional videographers and cinematographers add up. 

31 minutes ago, elgabogomez said:

In my opinion it matches the S1H in video at a lower price. Downsides are no raw out, no 6k and no anamorphic modes. Upsides are autofocus, a lot more lenses to pair with…

But the rolling shutter might be the achilles heel of the a7 iv.

It really doesn't match the S1H at all, nor should it be expected to at this price point.

---

It's a pretty meh release, unless you're already a Sony shooter looking to upgrade from the A7iii, A7c, or one of their APS-C cameras. I guess if you need a b-cam for the A7siii it's a good option, too, though the rolling shutter is not great.

2 hours ago, kye said:

I'm in a number of FB camera groups across a few different camera brands/models, and every one of them gets a post every week about which gimbal camera X fits on, and which lenses will balance.  FB group posts typically last about that length before they're buried, so I suspect that this conversation is continuously being had, probably for every camera, probably in every language, around the world.

For contrast, I don't think I can recall a single thread about sliders, cranes, easy-rigs, or dollys in those groups.  Gimbals, for whatever reason, are a big deal.

Yeah, I'm just not sure that there's a market for a fixed lens (I think it's fixed lens?) cinema camera. It's just a very strange camera. 

The more companies that get into the market the better. 

With that said, I'm not sure who this camera is for.