aaa123jc

EOS R makes the most sense to me.

The crop in 4K actually works in your favor because the majority of your lenses are EF-S lenses anyways, which are APSC and not full frame. It is much easier to adapter vintage lenses with the RF mount too. So the EOS R is more future proof.

Or you can try out other brands as suggested by other posts. Panasonic and Sony are both great camera brands for videography, for example. 

I have watched the movie a few days ago with my girlfriend in the cinema. And what a disappointment. Didn't really have a high expectation but still the movie managed to disappoint me. The acting is quite good. The cinematography... just meh. The story though, is REALLY REALLY REALLY bad.

But for me, the hyper realistic,  video game like look in the matrix world kinda works. It looks funny and ugly and uncinematic, but probably this is what the directors want the image to be? The cinematography in the real world is fine, maybe a bit boring. 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who really enjoys using kit lenses. I have a Canon EFS 18-55mm which I use all the time, both causally and professionally. I've changed camera bodies many times throughout the years, yet this lens still stays on.

Kit lenses are lightweight, sharp and most importantly for me, often have image stablizations (because I don't like IBIS).

Low light is an issue though, but for more serious works I'm going to light the scene anyway, and for less serious works, I can always denoise the footages in post if they are too noisy. I've found the denoising in DaVinci Resolve more than enough to clean up a moderately underexposed image.

Of course, primes and fast zooms are nice to have, but they are much more expensive. The money could be more well spent on other things, such as lighting equipments and production designs.

@Danilo Del TufoI'm so sorry for your lost. RIP.

8 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Get any external HD recorder that you like with an SDI input. 

BMD Video Assist and Atomos Samurai Blade are two popular lower priced examples. (I've got the Atomos Samurai Blade)

Thanks.

I am looking at the Video Assist now. Hopefully I can find one in good condition and cheap price.

BTW, can the Video Assist convert the raw signal of the FS700 through the SDI into ProRes or other codec? If it can, it will be a perfect choice for me. 

2 hours ago, TomTheDP said:

Depends if you need a two camera setup or not. Keep in mind the F3 really shines with an external recorder. Without you are only getting an 8 bit image. 

You can't really go wrong with any option these days. As long as you aren't insane like me and buy and sell your cameras every 6 months. 

For the work we do right now, there is not a lot of need for a two camera setup. However, once things are back to normal and we can do event videos again, a two cam setup is very much needed. 

Is there any recommendation for external recorders? I usually rent the Atomos Shogun Inferno, but it is a little bit too heavy. 

Thanks. 

4 hours ago, BenEricson said:

I’ve used both the Fs700 and the F3 quite a bit. The F3 is in a different class with color and skin tone. The image itself is also quite a bit cleaner. I remember having to over expose by two stops constantly with the FS700.

The high frame rate features on the FS700 are amazing, but if you’re shooting primarily 24 and 60p, the F3 is great.

Keep in the mind, the F3 uses a different mount. They do make an adapter for EF, which can be found for a reasonable price on eBay. Also, to get the most out of it, you’ll want an external recorder. The black magic video assist is cheap and works well.

I do agree, a smaller DSLR is so nice to have for a gimbal, plus the lowlight from an A7S would likely come in handy.

Thanks.

I do shoot high frame rate occasionally. That's why I bought the FS700 at the first place. The majority of work is still in 1080 24P or 25P. I rent an external recorder when I need 4K and slow motion. 

As for the adapter, I can buy one from the seller. It's about $100. The camera comes with the PL mount adapter, but I don't own any PL lens. 

My girlfriend and I like the image of the F3 very much. However, if they can't match very well, this is extra work on our part and could potentially slow down the workflow. 

Should we wait for the price to drop? And invest the money in an external recorder instead? 

Again, thank you for all your valuable opinions. 

10 hours ago, TomTheDP said:

Different color science. Could replace the FS700 if you don't need 4k. An external recorder is really essential to get the best image out of this camera. Its probably not going to hold its value well but if it works for you an generates money that's all that matters. 

The view finder is often broken or faulty on used models so I assume it's a problematic part. Not essential to the function of the camera though. I like the ergonomics on the F3, though the menus suck hard but you already have an FS700 so you know that. 

Thanks for the reply. 

I don't think I will be using the view finder a lot so that should not be any problem. I was hoping the color science could be similar though. 

1 hour ago, IronFilm said:

Damn, that's a GREAT PRICE! Even prior to Caleb's video putting the price spike on FS700 bodies. 

Is it the 4K raw version?

 

With the price spike of the F3 (again, thanks to Caleb....) I'd pass on the F3 for now. 

Maybe get an OG a7S mk1 as a dirt cheap B Cam to your FS700? At least you can easily put that on a gimbal if you need to (or whatever else you want a small camera for, like a lightweight slider, or jib, or car rig), unlike the FS700/F3. Plus the same 4K recorder you use with the FS700, you can use to get 4K out of the a7S mk1 as well.

  

Mine was removed from my F3  before I even bought it. As it just got in the way of the user, and there was no use for it. 

Thanks! 

The price for that FS700 was really cheap. It has the raw option and comes with a cage as well. 

In my region, the OG A7S is still quite expensive. It's still around $500 USD. I guess we Hong Kong people just love the A7S. I've even seen used A7S2 selling for $1000-1200 in 2021. 

The A7S is a good camera though. I used to rent it for all my jobs. Would definitely consider it now since the price spike of the F3. 

For now, 4K is not really needed. A good 1080P image is enough for most of the work I do, but having the option of 4K is always nice. 

The Fujifilm X-T3 + 18-55mm f2.8-4 is a great combination. Great colors, great codec options, beautiful image, good for photography too. No IBIS though. 

Panasonic G9 with a kit lens or G85 with the 12-60mm f2.8-4 are good options as well. Personally I have never used the G85 but heard many praise it. I have used the G9 for a long time and the image quality is very very nice. The Panasonic cameras have very bad AF though. May not be suitable for total beginners. 

Recently I've got the Sony FS700 as the main camera (after I sold almost everything a few months ago) and since it was much cheaper than I had expected (around $600 USD), I now have some room to get another camera. 

My girlfriend and I are looking at the Sony F3 right now. It's about $800-$950 around here, and actually a bit more expensive and makes me hesitate a bit.

So before we pull the trigger, we would like to ask for some opinions. 

1. Is there anything I should be aware of before buying?
2. Is there any component or parts that easily becomes faculty over time? 
3. Are the color science similar with the FS700? 
4. Any opinion on the ergonomics? 
5. Seriously, can the F3 replace my FS700 except for slow motion?

We mostly do event videography before the whole COVID thing. Now we are doing mostly short films and online content for clients. We have a few EF lenses and vintage lenses, and no e-mount lenses at all. 

You guys' opinion are most valuable for our decision making. Thank you very much. 

Interesting, but normally cameras from HK have the same firmware and thus have the same recording limit (if there is any). I could be wrong though. 

On 11/26/2020 at 8:33 AM, TomTheDP said:

RVLVR Labs also makes a grip, maybe its more to your taste. 

I think the A7s3 is close to being a perfect camera and best hybrid. The reason I wouldn't get one for video is the noise reduction. It can't be turned off all the way which leaves you with a very digital looking image IMO. I guess film grain could help with it and I suppose after youtube compression any quality we are chasing is lost anyways. 

I don't know about the noise reduction thing. Is it really this bad? I may have to look at it. This definitely can be a deal breaker for many. 

19 hours ago, KnightsFan said:

Interesting. I use a phone as a monitor so I'm not sure. I'd expect it to be as sharp as the internal 1080p, for external recording, so I wonder if there's a setting somewhere?

The Clutch is nice. I got one essentially for free as I bought a large package deal, then sold it all individually except the Clutch and came out about even. The more customizable dials and buttons the better, particularly for run'n'gun (which I virtually never do, hence no rigging).

It would be cool if there was a thin, fixed handle that you could bolt on for extreme low-profile handheld shooting with a few ergonomic dials and buttons on it. I wouldn't buy it, but it might appeal to people coming from photo cameras.

Maybe I should try using the phone as monitor then. I will no doubt buy the clutch if not for the price and that it may not ship to Hong Kong. The remote grip of Portkeys is interesting except for the look. My girlfriend fins it kind of ugly. 

13 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

That looks great! Makes me want to buy one. (But im going for a hybrid solution for now)

I used to own a Sony A7M3 when I have about 50% still job and 50% video works, but now it's mostly video. If only the Sony A7S3 has better still capability I may save up more money to get it instead. 😅

36 minutes ago, EphraimP said:

Part of the issue is that YOU need to be an active editor and work to train the algorithm to serve you better content, by disliking crap videos you happen to watch, activity using the "not interested" and "do not recommend channel" features to scrub your feed of the types of content and channels you're not interested in, and use the search function to train the algorithm.

As individuals, we cannot change the actions of giant players like social medial conglomerates except by carefully organized mass action on a global scale. But we can be savvy enough to reap whatever benefit these channels offer us while negating as much of the downsides as possible.

I agree. But I'm afraid not many care to do the self editing, even myself unfortunately. More often than not I simply not click into those videos and don't take the time to dislike them. 

I honestly don't get how YouTube's algorithm works. Half of the times, they recommend good contents that I may watch, which is great I guess, but the other half, stupid videos that I'm not remotely interested at. 

Anyway, I think the problem is not that YouTube needs a human editor. What the company needs, is people with ethic to screen out the brainless and harmful contents. But as a company, YouTube doesn't give a f**k about anything other than profit. So the brainwashing stupid videos will keep on existing and blooming as long as there are people who will watch them. 

5 hours ago, TomTheDP said:

Once all the custom buttons are set I find the controls efficient. For focus I have one of the custom buttons set to punch in and I usually use that. But yeah the HDMI signal isn't very sharp. 

The best solution for media is a Cfast to SSD module. ZITAY CCtech makes them for around $100. The SSD's used are about $100 for 1tb. You can also record through the USB-C but its less reliable as the port is more finicky. I find the Cfast to SSD module foolproof as there is no point of contact where it could come loose and mess up the recording. Although Z-cam now has built in software to require currupt files so USB-C probably wouldn't be an issue either.

Definitely not a camera to use AF with, at least not for now. I do think Z-cam will continue to update all their cameras if they continue to develop their AF tech. 

Building up a Z-cam can be expensive but all you really need to shoot with is a side handle and monitor which can be had for $250. I think the remote clutch grip is probably worth getting at $350, along with a cage $100, a good monitor $300, SSD module $200. So you are looking at $950 plus batteries. But to be fair rigging up anything costs $$$$ and it certainly can be done for much cheaper. 

I think Z-cam is an exciting company though. They just put prores proxy 4k 100fps into the camera. I think they are working on getting 422.

Thanks. 

I guess I need to do more customization for the control. But still, I think a dial would be great. I actually considered using SSD with the USB-C port but it's just not very secured. Therefore, the Cfast to SSD module sounds very interesting. What about the speed? 

Yes. Z CAM is very exciting as a company. The offerings bring so much features and options at such a low price. 

4 hours ago, KnightsFan said:

Looks great! I think your color is spot on. I actually disagree on rigging expenses--particularly if you use a tripod or gimbal. I don't rig my M4 at all, and my 2nd hand iphone monitor was free. 3rd party NPF batteries are very cheap. You can add simple side handles for next to nothing as well. You can position an iphone above the handle and still have easy access to all controls as well. CFast is very expensive, that's my only complaint in terms of accessory cost. I have a single 32GB CFast card, and I'll probably get another before doing a long shoot. It would be nice if they had an SD slot as well, even if it could only do H265, or 4k60.

Do you have HDMI set to 1080p or 720p? 1080p is of course sharper, but has very bad latency I found.

Thank you.

For the color, I only did some minor color corrections, but in my opinion, it already looked quite nice. 

I set the HDMI to 1080P and it's still not very sharp. The latency is fine, at least for now. The extra cost for rigging is actually not an issue for me personally because I've already own some, handle, monitors... etc, but I know some friends who prefer a more standalone package that one can grab and start shooting without much rigging, such as a C100 and FS5. 

4 hours ago, barefoot_dp said:

The HDMI output is by far my biggest gripe with this camera. It seems to change from mode to mode, but when shooting HFR Prores it is limited to 720p and is so soft that the peaking on my monitor won't even engage.

AF is not something I even considered when I bought this cam and it was only after 6 months that I even realised it was there last week. I did a full music video shoot on a gimbal (Zhiyun Crane 3s) two weeks ago and it might have been nice to use then. I just tried to work with deeper focus instead but I'll have to do some tests to see if the AF can actually be used in that situation. I wouldn't trust it for a 1-time event like a bride walking down the aisle (not that I shoot weddings), but for a music video or fashion video where you just need to pick out a few moments from each take it should be ok.

CFAST cards are expensive but that's true for just about any camera shooting 10-bit 4K. Even the SD cards needed for the flagship mirrorless cameras these days are pretty darn expensive - though I guess with those cameras you can usually choose to use cheaper cards if you don't mind being limited to lower bitrates. With ZCam you don't really have the option of buying cheaper CFAST cards to shoot h.265 because cheap CFAST cards don't really exist.

The buttons & controls are annoying but once you remember what is what it gets a bit easier. I'm planning to get the Rvlvr Clutch handle which should make controls a lot more convenient, but it would be nice if the camera itself at least had one rotating dial on it.

Image wise though, it's fantastic. I cannot fault it. I can't ever imagine a situation where any aspect of the image quality or codec is going to be the limiting factor for me or my work.

Thanks.

Yeah, the HDMI output is my biggest complaint. The low res playback doesn't help too. I find myself doing more takes than I do normally, because I'm afraid the footages will be all out of focus. 

The Rvlvr Clutch handle looks very nice and useful. I'm not sure it will ship to Hong Kong though. I agree with having at least one rotating dial on the body completely. If the body has it, it will be much easier to handle. 

And yeah, the image quality and codec options are very good, almost too good to have for me. I used to shoot 1080P a lot, and now I'm jumping to 6K. 😅 

The C70 looks very interesting. I think Canon finds a good balance between cinema camera and DSLR styled form factor. And I'm happy to hear it performs well. I guess I have to come up with a reason to rent it and try it out! 😉

It's sad to see Nikon is in this current situation. I always love Nikon cameras for stills. 

But I'm afraid it was already too late for Nikon to drastically change its business strategy. Nikon has largely ignored the mirrorless market and sectors for video shooters or hybrid shooters for maybe a bit too long. The z-mount looks promising, but the lens options is far behind Sony. As for features, they are also behind Panasonic, and now Canon and Sony as well.  

So I’ve bought the Z CAM-S6, hoping it would be useful for some upcoming projects. However, I planned to sell it after finishing those projects, unless I find myself in love with this camera. 

Anyway, I took the camera with some friends and shot a little video. We didn’t plan beforehand because this was meant to be more of a feeling out process and a camera test. I’ve tried very hard to make it a more coherent story, though I must admit it is still very confusing. 

1. Modular design is fantastic because you can build it up the way you wanted, however the cost adds up very quickly. 
2. Very well built, but the metal body makes it a little bit heavy, despite the size. 
3. A lot of codec and resolution options. It’s always nice to have internal ProRes recording and H265 is very efficient indeed. 
4. Image Quality is detailed and organic, and you can always shoot in 6K. 
5. Battery life is quite good, especially if you use a bigger battery.
6. Control needs time to get used to, and it’s still slower than a proper video camera like the C200 and FS5. 
7. CFast 2.0 Card is VERY EXPENSIVE. This forces me to use H265, which sometimes requires transcoding.  
8. AF is just as bad as, if not worse than, EVA1. Normally, this won’t be an issue but…
9. The HDMI Output is very soft, for some reason. Maybe this is due to user error. The image is so soft that even using a 6 inch monitor, it is still hard to judge focus sometimes. This is my biggest problem by far. 
10. Playback is in LOW resolution. Clients may not like feel confident about the footage you just captured.

The whole video is shot in 6K 2.4:1 mode, 23.976 FPS ,with Z-Log2 and in H265. All is shot handheld. I’ve mainly used the Sigma 18-35 1.8 and for one shot the Canon 85 1.4. 

Thank you.

PS. I'm not sure should I make a topic like this. I apologize first if it violates the rules.  

The FX6 looks interesting, but yeah, it's very hard to justify the purchase when there is still not enough jobs. 

May rent it occasionally though. I really like the electronic ND, one of the things I really miss since I switched. I wonder if the internal microphone is still in the handle. If so, it will be impossible to use it on a gimbal if all audio inputs are also in the handle.  

How do you guys find the LCD screen? Is it good for manual focusing? 

And what about the battery life? And the micro HDMI port?

I've been very interested in this camera for a while, but not sure should I buy it. It's still a little bit pricey for me (about $2200 for body only). And my income is not secured until next year. 

First of all, thank you for all the replies.

5 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

Once you're getting into $250 or more, it might make sense to just spend extra and buy a used Sennheiser G3 or G4 kit. 

I have used some of these lower end systems and I've been pretty happy with them sound wise, but I've come to realize that they're not the best long term investment. I'm not a fan of the internal battery direction a lot of these companies are taking, as while it helps make things smaller it also means they have a set shelf life. Just my opinion though, as I get increasingly annoyed by my Azden Pro-XD holding less and less of a charge over time. Lol! 

I never thought of this before. So basically the battery life is getting worse after prolong use? Then it's no go for me. Can't really buy things that only work for a while. 

5 hours ago, ntblowz said:

Rode Wireless Go and Blink 500 are only good for short distance, for long distance or have view blocked (like body facing away from camera) a G3/G4 will be much better. So it depend on your distance

I will mainly shoot short distance. But is the signal stable enough? 

30 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

That's all rubbish. 
 

I will probably save up to get the Sennheiser G4 then (can't buy the Sony in my area). The deity looks very interesting as well. And for this project, I will just rent a G4 to try it out. 

So I'm going to shoot a short film and I need to invest in some wireless lavalier microphone to work with the shotgun microphone. I may use it in my future interview works as well. 

Here are some of the systems I'm considering right now:

Rode Wireless GO, Saramonic Blink500, Comica BoomX-D

I have not used any of them before. What are you guys' experiences with them? Any other recommendations? Any tips?

Thank you. 

3 minutes ago, herein2020 said:

Yes I think the cell phone is really hurting this industry for events. My next least favorite trend is somehow in my area wedding photographers are paid more than wedding videographers. These days it seems like the videographers are hired as an afterthought and only with whatever funds are left over from the wedding photographer.  I've turned down multiple requests this year because they had no budget and every one of them had already hired their wedding photographer.

 

I'm with you for this year.....I cancelled my C70 order, I had so many low budget clients approach me in the past few weeks that I decided its better to wait and see. Instead I am getting the S5 as a gimbal camera / B cam and if I get a shoot that could use the C70 I'll just rent it.

Yeah that sucks. The trend is the same regarding wedding here in Hong Kong as well. That's why wedding videos in Hong Kong tend to look very horrible. Poorly exposed images shot with wide lenses, tons of unnecessarily gimbal shots... etc. Luckily I am in the event business where videos get paid more. It's only because of COVID I am next to jobless for 8 months. 😅

The S5 looks very nice and I actually like Panasonic very much. Hope you have a nice experience with the S5. 

On 10/1/2020 at 8:43 AM, herein2020 said:

I definitely know its value....I think my problem is getting customers that agree with me and are willing to pay for it. That's a major problem in my area, customers who want everything for nothing and they all seem to have a friend who just bought a camera that will do it for free.  But...I digress, that's another rant for another day.  The C70 does look fantastic, it still feels too much like a C200 replacement for me vs. a GH5 replacement.

The description of clients is so true. Many simply don't value the skill of a videographer. They think they hire us because we own a camera and if they do, they can easily do our jobs. How hard can it be, when they're already making videos or taking stills with their smartphone? 

To convince a client the value of quality gear and skillful videographer is very hard until they can see the result. I have a client who thought I charge too much so he decided to hire his friend to film the next corporate event. Then he knew I didn't get paid because I owned a big and bulky FS5. 😆

Anyway, I don't own any camera at the moment because the lack of work. I sold many lens as well. I can't justify having them sitting on the shelf, collecting dust, while I am struggling to pay rent. I go to rental house when I have a paid job to do.