seanzzxx

finally finished that reel.

Ah yes, France, famously comparable to the authoritian regime routinely arresting and disappearing peaceful opposition leaders and protestors in the middle of the night, as well as installing an undemocratic puppet government through the systemic violent oppression of the people.
 
Get the fuck outta here man.

I was being a bit provocative, mostly just to challenge the blind pursuit of specifications over anything actually meaningful, which unfortunately is a bit like trying to hold back the ocean.
I have seen a lot of footage from the UMP12K and the image truly is lovely, that's for sure.  Especially, looking at the videos from Matteo Bertoli shoots with UMP12K and the BMPCC6K, because it's the same person shooting and grading both so the comparison has a lot less external factors, the 12K has a certain look that the P6K doesn't quite reach.  The P6K is also a great image too, so a high standard to beat.
The idea of massively oversampling is a valid one, and I guess it depends on the aesthetic you're attempting to create.  In a professional situation having a RAW 12K image is a very very neutral starting position in todays context.
I say "in todays context" because since we went to digital, the fundamental nature of resolution has changed.  In film, when you exposed it to a series of lines of decreasing size (and therefore higher frequencies) at a certain point the contrast starts to decrease as the frequency rises, to the point where the contrast was indistinguishable.  The MTF curve of film shows a slope down as frequency goes up.

In digital, the MTF curve is flat until aliasing kicks in, where it might dip up and down a bit and then it will fall off a cliff when the frequency reaches half the pixel distance.  In audio this would be the Nyquist frequency, and OLPFs are designed to make this a nicer transition from full contrast to zero contrast.
While there is no right and wrong, this type of response is decidedly unnatural - virtually nothing in the physical world operates like this, which I believe is one of the reasons that the digital look is so distinctive.  
The resolution that the contrast starts to decrease on Kodak 500T is somewhere around 500-1000 pixels across, so the difference in contrast on detail (otherwise called 'sharpness') is significant by the time you get to 4K and up.
So to have a 12K RAW image is to have pixels that are significantly smaller than human perception (by a looong way) so in a sense it takes the OLPF and moire and associated effects, of "the grid" as you say, out of the equation, but it also creates an unnatural MTF / frequency response curve.  In professional circles, this flat MTF curve would be softened by filters, the lens, and then by the colourist.  If you look at how cinematographers choose lenses, their resolution-limiting characteristics is often a significantly desirable trait in guiding these decisions.
Going in the opposite direction, away from very high resolutions with deliberately limited MTF properties that Hollywood normally chooses, we have the low resolutions which limit MTF in their own ways.  For example, a native 1080p sensor won't appear as sharp as a 1080p image downsampled from a higher resolution source.  1080p is around the limits of human vision in normal viewing conditions (cinemas, TVs, phones).  
In a practical sense, when people these days are filming at resolutions around 1080p, MTF control from filters and un-sharpening in post is normally absent, and even most budget lenses are sharper than 1080p (2MP!) so this needs some active treatment to knock the digital edge off things.  The other challenge is that these images are likely to be sharpened and compressed in-camera, so will have digital looking artefacts to deal with, these are often best un-sharpened too as they are often related to the pixel-size.
4K is perhaps the worst of all worlds.  It isn't enough resolution to be significantly greater than human vision and have no grid effects, but also has a flat MTF curve that extends waaay further than appears natural.  Folks who are obsessed with the resolution of their camera are also more likely to resist softening the MTF curve, so are essentially pushing everything into the digital realm and having the image resemble the physical world the least.  I find that "cinematic" videos on YT shot in 4K are the most digital / least analog / least cinematic images, with those shot in 1080p normally being better, and with the ones shot in 6K or greater being the best (because up until recently those were limited to people who understand that sharpness and sharpening aren't infinitely desirable).  
The advantage that 4K has over 1080p is that the compression artefacts from poor codecs tend to be smaller, and are therefore less visually offensive and more easily obscured by un-sharpening in post.
Ironically, a flat MTF curve is just like if you filmed with ultra-low-noise film and then performed a massive sharpening operation on it.  The resulting MTF curve is the same.
I'm happy to provide more info if you're curious.  I've written lots of posts around various aspects of this subject.
Yep, massively overenthusiastic amateur here.
I mostly limit myself to speaking about things that I have personal experience with, but I work really hard behind the scenes, shooting my own tests, reading books, doing paid courses, and asking questions and listening to professionals.  I challenge myself regularly, fact-check myself before making statements in posts, and have done dozens / hundreds of camera and lens tests to try and isolate various aspects of the image and how it works.  I have qualifications and deep experience in some relevant fields.  I also have a pretty good testing setup, do blind tests on myself using it, and (sadly!) rank cameras in blind test by increasing order of cost!  😂😂😂
I'm happy to be questioned, as normally I have either tested something myself, or can provide references, or both.  Sadly, most people don't have the interest, attention span, or capacity to go deep on these things, so I try and make things as brief as possible, so they end up sounding like wild statements unless you already understand the topic.
Unlike many professionals, I manage the whole production pipeline from beginning to end and have developed understandings of things that span departments and often fall through the cracks or involve changing something in one part of the pipeline and compensating for it at a later point in the image pipeline.  Anything that spans several departments would rarely be tested except on large budget productions where the cinematographer is able to shoot tests and then worked with a large post house, which unfortunately is the exception rather than the norm.
Ironically, because I shoot with massively compromised equipment in very challenging situations, I work harder than most to extract the most from my equipment by pushing it to breaking and beyond and trying to salvage things.  Professional colourists are, unfortunately, used to dealing with very compromised footage from lower-end productions, but they are rarely consulted before production to give tips on how to maximise things and prevent issues.

A f2 will give you an extra stop of light over a f2.8. That can be quite handy when you're a wedding or event shooter. I suspect that's the primary reason why he'd want it.

I was doubting about getting a mini pro g2 instead of the 6k, because we use the Ursa's at work and I LOVE their form factor, but the G2 is in such a weird space. It's still 'current', as in they're available new on the BM website, but they haven't been updated in years, so all the new features (gen5, gyro stabilisation, new UI) haven't been available and I doubt they ever will be. Also some quality of life features from the 12k (especially higher nit screen) are not on there. Just a weird model.

Large... large??  😛 

Yep..  it's the darnedest thing - on a film set they're thimble-sized and in danger of being lost, but if you pick one up and then walk out of the film set it starts to grow...  as you walk through crowded tourist hotspots it has become quite large, perhaps the size of a toddlers head, but as you walk away from the crowds it rapidly inflates to be the size of a watermelon, with passers-by stopping and staring at you..  by the time you leave the areas with moderate foot-traffic it has become the size of a dozen adult-themed helium balloons and gathers about the same amount of attention.

Yeah so I realize this might just be confirmation bias on my part, as I currently haven't done a side by side. All I can say is I've shot a ton with the 4k/6k (although the 6k is almost always in the first gain stage) and I was really pleasantly surprised with the character (not the amount) of the noise.
And when it's dark I don't shoot to lift the shadows as if I'm shooting a circa 2008 Ken Rockwell HDR landscape photo. My blacks are black. I see the noise that's in the log and it's a ton, but that gets crushed anyway, what I care about is the relative lack of color noise in the exposed parts and the lack of color shifting. I'm planning on doing a side by side next week with the 6k.

I can't stress enough how much I believe external recorders suck, it's just one more thing to fail (and I've seen them fail multiple times, whether it was due to a bad cable, a cable getting yanked, an Atomos locking up, an output setting from the hdmi being checked/unchecked) etc. Sometimes it won't even register until there's playback.

Yeah so I realize this might just be confirmation bias on my part, as I currently haven't done a side by side. All I can say is I've shot a ton with the 4k/6k (although the 6k is almost always in the first gain stage) and I was really pleasantly surprised with the character (not the amount) of the noise.
And when it's dark I don't shoot to lift the shadows as if I'm shooting a circa 2008 Ken Rockwell HDR landscape photo. My blacks are black. I see the noise that's in the log and it's a ton, but that gets crushed anyway, what I care about is the relative lack of color noise in the exposed parts and the lack of color shifting. I'm planning on doing a side by side next week with the 6k.

So I've been shooting some low light footage with this camera and I have to say ... I don't see what everyone is complaining about. Yes, this camera is noisey, but coming from Ursa's and a Pocket 4K/6K, it's MILES ahead. Very organic noise with little color, and importantly, colors of subjects hold up very well. I think people have gotten so spoiled with low light shooting recently, while I'm pretty blown away with the low light footage coming from this camera.
The only thing which is really annoying (and BM PLEASE fix this), it that the large amount of (pleasant) noise completely throws off peaking above iso 1250, making it virtually useless. I can't recall this happening on my 6K ever.

I can't stress enough how much I believe external recorders suck, it's just one more thing to fail (and I've seen them fail multiple times, whether it was due to a bad cable, a cable getting yanked, an Atomos locking up, an output setting from the hdmi being checked/unchecked) etc. Sometimes it won't even register until there's playback.

I can't stress enough how much I believe external recorders suck, it's just one more thing to fail (and I've seen them fail multiple times, whether it was due to a bad cable, a cable getting yanked, an Atomos locking up, an output setting from the hdmi being checked/unchecked) etc. Sometimes it won't even register until there's playback.

So...
 
I was diagnosed with kidney cancer on September 5. I had my right kidney removed on October 13 and am now cancer free (and if my scans show nothing in April I'll be considered cured!). During that entire period though, I didn't do any jobs and just focused on recovering, but had decided to dip my toe back into the water and had a small job planned for a friend this week.
 
As I was just going through my equipment in preparation of getting back into the swing of things my pup Teri knocked over my main S5 and IT BROKE. Now, it doesn't impact my job because I have two extras of the same cameras, but obviously it left me needing to get a new camera. Sooo...
I bought the Lumix S5IIX instead of getting another used S5. I swore I'd never buy a camera brand new again, but the used price isn't that much less, and I was able to get a decent deal on it with a lens. With all I've been through (having my kidney removed was, without a doubt, the most painful thing I've ever experienced, just FYI) I figured I'd treat myself. 
This is a long way to ask a couple questions while I wait for it to arrive tomorrow:
1. how easy is it to match the original S5 straight out of camera or with a little tweaking using the standard or natural color profile? I will use log, but for certain jobs it's just easier to skip that part.
2. why is there no third party battery grip? has anyone heard why? 
3. I have a couple third party batteries. Wasabi and Newmowa brands. Has anyone encouraged any problems with third party batteries? I have like six OEM batteries but I've heard the S5II and S5IIX's battery life isn't as good as the S5.
4. what are the best settings? I've seen tons of YouTubers but I'd prefer to hear it from people that do more than film themselves in their spare bedroom/garage and actually are out there getting the most out of their camera.
5. This one is most important: I just want you all to know I love you all. My ordeal has given me a greater appreciation for life, the interactions I have with other human beings, and just everything, really. Thank you @Andrew Reid and everyone else that makes this place special.

No idea, I assume it's per unit but that's a total guess.

Pulled the trigger on this after using the 4k for exactly five years (and the Ursa's at work a lot). I don't know if it is the biggest mistake not going for the 6K pro but I am really excited, especially after loving my S5 II (and in my eyes this camera is a 'proper' cinema S5 II). I'll keep you guys posted.

That looks very nice. I recently used the S5IIx with Dehancer in a tutorial video I made. Was shooting this with the Lumix 24-105mm f4, 4k log long gop. This is just a tutorial but the end of the video has some longer sample footage. I was struggling quite a bit with autofocus, but the end results were fine - couldn't get the camera to detect her face the majority of the time, it would just track the body most of the time which is ok but not ideal. I don't know if I was doing something wrong but need to test AF again
 

I think one very important bonus of this alliance would be the fact that it gives Panasonic a very important missing piece in their ecosystem: a truly professional cinema/ENG camera with 12-bit, XLRs, docu-style body etc. If you're buying into an ecosystem for the first time Sony offers such a great upgrade path for starting one-man bands with the A7-IV, FX3, 6, 9, Venice. No matter what level you start at you can always upgrade while keeping your lenses. Same goes for Canon. Panasonic really misses that at the moment.
Panasonic currently offers some of the best hybrid camera's on the market and then after that there's nothing.

I can say I personally switched away from Canon (despite LOVING their cameras) when my R6 got lost because of the RF mount. When I bought it I figured more options would quickly become available, but there's just no reasonably priced upgrade path, unlike with L mount. You either buy crappy plastic 1.8 primes or 2500$ ultra amazing lenses.

I can say I personally switched away from Canon (despite LOVING their cameras) when my R6 got lost because of the RF mount. When I bought it I figured more options would quickly become available, but there's just no reasonably priced upgrade path, unlike with L mount. You either buy crappy plastic 1.8 primes or 2500$ ultra amazing lenses.

No I’m talking about the raw footage that you can download here: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/nl/products/blackmagiccinemacamera/gallery

Looks like a great camera. I get why there’s no internal nds but man that’s a bummer. Also no 6k 50, but Blackmagic has been pretty good about pushing frame rates in updates.

Looks like a great camera. I get why there’s no internal nds but man that’s a bummer. Also no 6k 50, but Blackmagic has been pretty good about pushing frame rates in updates.

Give me L mount or give me dead! And I say that as a huge Blackmagic fan, without a mirrorless mount they’re done for in the budget cinema space.

Just to share a little personal story - the S5 II really restored my fun in shooting little personal video's. I shoot almost daily for work and I always swore by large cinema camera's. I'm one of those crazy people that thinks an Ursa mini is the perfect body shape. (part of this is copied from a Reddit comment I made earlier but I thought it would be interesting to share here).
For the longest time I was really torn up between having a kit that is able to capture what I consider to be professional quality and something that I actually would WANT to bring with me on a walk or a day out. I carried a little Pocket 4k (GREAT camera) with me, but by the time you rig that out to shoot comfortably with a monitor/filter holder/NDs/mic, you’re still carrying something that takes up most of your bag and it just sucked the fun out of it for me. On a job, no problem, for home video’s it just wasn’t worth it for me. I was really looking for something I could just pull out of a bag pack and shoot.
So then I bought a Canon R6, and honestly that camera’s video quality was such a massive step back from even the Pocket 4k that it just wasn’t worth it for me (esp. dynamic range but also the out of camera colors). Also just awful awful video assist tools on that camera.
The S5 II kinda hits all the marks for me: very small, good enough dynamic range, good colors, good monitoring tools and good AF (better than the R6 in my opinion) on my EF lenses. That last thing (combined with it being newer, so longer firmware support) pushed me over the edge when compared to the S1H by the way. I don’t mind pulling manual focus at all, but if I’m shooting on a 3 inch screen, the AF is really nice to have. Never felt like I could really trust it with the R6 but the S5 II has really really good autofocus.

Here's somethign small I shot with it: