newfoundmass

11 minutes ago, scotchtape said:

I own 2. They mostly sit on the shelf and I use the a7iii most of the time.

I'll gladly take them should you wish to donate! 

49 minutes ago, mercer said:

President Trump isn't an idiot, far from it, he's an egomaniac. Hopefully, this event will alter his behavior a little, and as a country, we can get away from this identity politics bullshit during his second term.

Nah, he's definitely an idiot. Having adept skills at some things (self promotion, being a successful confidence man / grifter) doesn't negate his refusal to acknowledge facts, accept responsibility, and problem solve/adapt to rapidly changing situations. 

50 people get mowed down by guns: now is not the time to talk about politics. 

Global pandemic happens, made worse by an incompetent President and administration: now is not the time to talk about politics. 

🤷🏻‍♂️

It is IMPOSSIBLE to confront and find solutions without understanding what causes the problem to begin with. Your political beliefs are your political beliefs, but they don't mean a. That you must support or defend someone because they're "on your side", and b. You don't get to pull the "let's not make this political" card when the situation is inconvenient for you. 

Has anyone checked on Jon Pais, by the way? I hope all this hasn't hurt his creepy women watching. 

3 minutes ago, Super8 said:

I'm not the one with the problem.  I shouted loud and clear that now was not the time to talk politics

🙄

27 minutes ago, Super8 said:

Another political diarrhea post.  Why?  Who the cares ?   Be part of the solution or get out of the way. 

Your post about who you like or hate doesn't matter anymore.

It's not about hate, it's about wanting competent leadership during a global pandemic the likes of which most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. 

Our president is an idiot. If you can't get beyond your own politics and realize that then you're the one with the problem. 

It is literally, in the literal sense, impossible to deal with this in any meaningful way without addressing the idiot we have as a president. 

His incompetence has contributed to this mess here in the US, and he has been among the leading source of disinformation. His other awful qualities really aren't relevant (like the racism) but they certainly do not help. 

Reliable auto focus is obviously nice, but people really have become obnoxious about it. I see it on YouTube, where people regurgitate the same talking points (even GH5 users will say the auto focus is "awful" which is bullshit; its perfectly usable in a lot of situations), and I see it here when people beat the dead horse about auto focus for every camera that doesn't match Sony or Canon's performance. 

It goes without saying that we'd all love great auto focus performance in every camera. BUT I'll see people write off other cameras completely because the auto focus doesn't nail the completely unrealistic / unnatural tests where people pop in and out of the frame like morons on a camera that's completely stationary on a tripod or because it takes too long to focus on an object you've decided to place in front of the camera instead of using b-roll that will give people an even better view of the item. 

I've filmed hundreds of pro wrestling events on my GH5. Each one featured faster, more unpredictable action than any silly YouTube test. Do you know how many important shots I've missed because of its "awful" auto focus? None. Because, like with all cameras, you learn to overcome its shortcomings with use and experience. And in venues where lighting was poor, making the auto focus less reliable, I've gladly used manual focus because it's easier than ever to do, with all the focus assists most cameras have these days. 

I don't believe in making things harder than they have to be, but learning how to get the most out of your camera, including learning how to become competent with manual focusing, isn't a bad idea. 

4 hours ago, scotchtape said:

Remember all the gh5 "improvements"... I'll believe it when I see it.

The GH5 is one of the best cameras released in the last 20 years? It's auto focus is leaps ahead of GH4 and has improved even more in firmware updates. 

Are we sure they're not setting us up for a really nasty April Fools joke?! 

I've really come to appreciate 85mm lately. 170mm on my GH5, but the Rokinon 85mm T1.5 is lovely. I got it free with my LS300, it's wonderful! 

My gigs are all canceled so... I'm pretty fucked.

Can't fault them, I totally understand, but this sucks. 

10 minutes ago, eleison said:

But yet, Europe have more cases and deaths than the USA which proactively closed it's borders.  Also, guess which country will come up with the vaccine first?  If history is to be our guide, it will be the USA... while the Europeans once again wait in line hand in hat saying "can we have some of that?" once the hard work has been done.

Woof

41 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said:

If anyone from the US government is watching this Boris Johnson press conference where he's outlining the UK's updated "response" to the crisis then I'd imagine they'll be seriously reconsidering how wise it was to leave the UK out of the travel ban.

 

Idk, Trump is our president. 

My gig for Saturday hasn't been canceled yet 🙏🏻

Being a freelancer is really tough during times like this. 

13 hours ago, Julien416 said:

I used a GH5s on a 2.5 millions euros budget production. As a C camera though, but no one ever complained when we edited the footage.

And the funny thing is, you COULD use the GH5 and the GH5s as your A-cam if you wanted to and it'd look fine. 

The argument that these cameras aren't used on major productions is so silly and really misses the point. 

Could the EOS RP be an option? 

1 hour ago, Video Hummus said:

Maybe so, but it's good enough for almost every case except extreme niche one-off shoots.. Then again, as you said, maybe just spend money on the lights and then having incredible lowlight ability virtually vanishes...because you have more lights.

You can do that?! 

The funny thing is, the only FF that matches or exceeds the features of the GH5 are... Made by Panasonic! 

Honestly the fact we're having this conversation is a sign of how fortunate we are. 20 years ago I never imagined that I'd have access to the cameras we have today. I figured at best I'd pinch my pennies until I could buy a XL1 or XL2 second hand. That was "the dream." I feel kind of fortunate that I'm still very much that 15 year old at heart, and still view things from a similar perspective. I realize how lucky I am, because young me would die to of had a GX85, let alone an A7iii or GH5! 😂

FF is cool! I don't think Video Hummus was saying otherwise, @eleison. You came into the thread though saying, literally, the only advantage to M43 is "size" and asked me what other advantages there were. I listed them.

Like I said earlier, I'll happily go back to shooting on VHS camcorders if that's all I have to work with!

I think a big thing missing from a lot of these discussions is perspective. When I first started making videos I was 10 years old and was using a VHS-C camcorder. In 1996, at 12 years old, I bought a RCA camcorder (with my first flip out screen!) In 2000 I bought a Hi8 camcorder. In 2002 I bought a miniDV camcorder. In 2011 I started using Sony handy cams. Eventually I bought my GH3, my first interchangeable camera. 

I had to work with what I had, and figure out ways to get around the limitations all of those cameras had. Back then that was even harder to do, but we did it and made it work! Looking back most of it sucks, but that had less to do with the equipment and everything to do with our skill level. 

My friends and I just wanted to create stuff. Things like dynamic range and low light capabilities really never crossed our minds. When I see people obsessing over full frame, or knocking the M43 system, I chuckle and think about the old days and how I never let that stop me.

I love creating. I'd still be using a VHS camcorder if it was all I had access to! Meanwhile people wanna act like M43 isn't adequate enough to create whatever it is you're trying to create.

On 2/28/2020 at 10:06 AM, thebrothersthre3 said:

Shoulder mounts kill my shoulders tho 

I was the same way until I found the prefect balance and applied the right amount of weight. You just gotta find the right set up. 

3 hours ago, eleison said:

Pros of the a7iii:

better low light (I hope the pro wrestling event had good lighting)
better slow motion (because sensor is bigger) - epic slow motion of body slams (120fps; try that in low lighting with a small sensor)
more accurate focusing.
better follow focus - epic shots of wrestlers walking into the stadium
better image if a large DOF was required due to fast moving action and the camera man was not sure where the focus of the action will be at any one time.

To be honest, the a7iii is the better tool for THIS job than the m43.  there are a lot of shoots that would be  difficult for the M43 camera to capture if not impossible as compared the the a7iii.  Almost every shot the GX85 did, the a7iii could easily reproduce.  The only positive I can think of is that the stabilization on the GX85 I think is a little bit better.

He was doing photography, so I was speaking from that perspective when saying he could've gotten the same results with a G9. He probably could've done great with the GX85 too, though! He certainly probably wouldn't have complained about a sore arm half way through the event if he had! 

From a video stand point, Sony Mirrorless cameras have a number of flaws that make them poor fits for my work, chief among them the rolling shutter, the recording limits / overheating risks, and poor stabilization. My job is to film an event from start to finish, on multiple cameras, and then produce that event for streaming and home video. So I'm not looking for most of the things you've listed while filming the event, only when I'm getting b-roll for promotional material and most of that is filmed before the event starts. When I need slow motion though I go for 4K 60p. I prefer the resolution, personally, and it looks stunning. 

When I chose a system to buy into I had two things that were most important: size and versatility. When I'm doing handheld for 6 hours, almost non stop, I want a light camera. At that last wrestling event I walked over 14,000 steps. Carrying a GH5 and the 12-35 is a dream on days like that! And when it comes to versatility, well M43 can record until the card is full or the battery dies (whichever is first) so it's prefect for events, and it can just as easily be used for interview, narrative, and commercial work. 

And for the record, A7iii's stabilization is laughable compared to the GX85. My 3rd shooter was able to get incredible handheld footage with it zoomed in to 100mm. You simply couldn't accomplish that the A7iii, and the only full frame I've used that is better is the S1. 

For reference, my set up is a GH5, G85 and GX85. Generally I use 12-35mm lenses on two cameras and the 35-100mm on the third. 

It's amazing to me how dismissive people are of the benefits of M43. To me the only "insurmountable" negative of the system, at least on the Panasonic side, is the auto focus but even that, in my opinion, is overblown. Everything else can be pretty much remedied. Poor in low light? Throw a little light on your subject/scene! Need shallow depth of field? Just use the right lens! 

I understand why people love full frame. I really do! But you don't NEED full frame, you just WANT full frame. There's nothing wrong with that either but are you incapable of creating your vision using a smaller sensor? I doubt it. 

Two weeks ago I filmed a pro wrestling event with my 3 camera set up. My buddy did stills using the A7iii with the Sony 70-200mm. I blew his mind when I showed him the GX85 with the 35-100mm f/2.8. The two side by side was comical. Cost of his set up, by the way? $4,600. I paid $250 for the GX85 and $400 for the 35-100mm on the used market. Even if I bought them new though it'd have been $1,500. I know it's not the best comparison, but my buddy could've easily done his job with a G9 instead. Price of that new? $1,200.

I'm rambling, sorry, ha ha, but hopefully some of that makes sense! 

2 hours ago, mirekti said:

What are the other advantages, please? Rolling shutter is just a matter of time. 

Aside from what Kye said? Image stabilization, rolling shutter, lens adaptability/versatility, price, and the speed of innovation (that there STILL isn't a camera in this price range that can match all of the GH5's specs 3 years later is wild). 

OH, and the smaller cameras and lenses. 😉 Have you ever snuck into someplace you're not supposed to have a professional camera? With the GH5 and the 35-100mm f/2.8 I've gotten into festivals and sporting events that strictly forbid such things and gotten incredible footage. Try doing that with a full frame camera and any of the popular 70-200mm lenses. 😎

Or as Emily from Micro Four Nerds showed: 

10 hours ago, mirekti said:

The only advantage is a small overall camera size. I’d rather have a FF with better signal to noise, higer dynamic range etc.
Regardig DoF, the problem is in the lenses. If f/1.2 lens had a round aperture there shouldn’t be an issue at all, one could close it to f/4, f/5.6 and get that “deep” DoF.

"The only advantage" isn't overall camera size though.