eatstoomuchjam

The camera is here. As far as I can see, there is a single decent-sized piece of dust on one of the internal ND filters and that's it. I cannot see any other marks on the camera's sensor assembly. The speck is big enough that I could imagine it being a little bit visible on a big blue sky, but in a way that'd be not hard to clone out. I'm also going to have to experiment with shaking the camera a little bit and/or blasting a rocket blower into the vent holes/fans. It's hard to imagine how that little sucker got in there. Worst case, if I decided to send it to CPS, I have to assume it'd be a pretty cheap repair. Overall, I'll gladly trade that for the $1,500 price reduction vs new. 😅

This is a real thing and a very good point. To give a personal and recent example, I was asked on Thursday of last week to jump in at the last minute to help finish someone's feature over the weekend. I'm not sure of the details for why their DP became unavailable. The filmmaker had a shot list for Saturday that was 15 pages long taking place in 7 different locations - and both I and the other guy they brought in had a hard out at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. Sunday's agenda was similar, but without either of us needing to leave. We didn't finish the list for either day. Likely, we'll be shooting again next Saturday. It was all outdoors in parks, usually a several hundred meters from our cars. None of our usual suspect gaffers were available/handy. We had basically 0 time to light things and the director wanted a bunch of wides and tracking shots (both tend to take longer to light). Controlling the light in any meaningful way was not a realistic option. These are exactly the situations when an extra stop of dynamic range is nice to have to keep the sky at least a bit blue, but yet also still have some detail in some of the harsh shadows. Real tough situation for the filmmaker - they definitely want to keep quality high and have they great ideas, but there are also budgetary and delivery date realities - the difference between a real indie film set and a reddit comments section. 😉 (Also, RIP colorist - there are like 5-6 different color profiles in play across all of the cameras that were used between the original DP and both of us last weekend, hopefully they only have to match 2 or 3 within any given scene) I'm not sure what ASA 50 has to do with needing extra light on a sunny day. Assuming ~24 fps, that'd give a proper exposure at approximately F/16 in bright sunlight (1/48 second for 180 shutter + sunny 16 rule indicating a 1/50 shutter speed = close enough) and you'd still need to use ND to open up the aperture beyond that. I suspect those lights are for filling in the faces/front of talent in a wide, given that the sun is actually at about a 60-90 degree angle from the lights (judging by shadows). From where the cameras are pointed, the subjects will be backlit.

You'd think so, but no! If you're using like an f/1.2 lens, you can have surprisingly big dust spots on your sensor and never be any the wiser. The more stopped down, the more they appear. From what I remember, and I might be wrong about this, it's bascally the same effect as using a large diffuse light source vs a small point source - put your hand next to a white card near the large diffuse source and you'll get a blurry, indistinct shadow. Do the same with a small point source and you'll get a well-defined crisp shadow. It's the same on a smaller scale with sensor dust.

That, and also to set the aperture down to like f/16 or f/22 and shoot something - or even to put a pinhole lens on and shoot something. If you ever want to know how many pieces of dust have landed on your sensor, a pinhole lens is the quickest way to see them all. 🙂

Thanks to a maybe-too-good-to-be-true deal from MPB ($1500 or so off new), I guess I'll have a C80 soon? This puts me in officially "too many cameras" territory and I'm going to force myself to finally sell my E2-S6G for this. We'll also see whether what they describe as "dust on one of the ND filters" that won't impact image quality actually means. They originally said it was an unremovable mark on the sensor protection glass that wouldn't impact image quality - and they revised the description after I asked for a picture of the mark. There's a two-week return window, in case I feel differently after seeing the sensor. Of course, CPS membership should mean I'd get a 10% discount on a repair - so if the price would still be less than the substantial difference vs new, I could just do that. Anyway, any special requests from anybody for tests while I poke at it? Will this inspire me to buy Canon's 24-105/2.8? Could be a great pair for a super minimalist/fast day of shooting setup.

This is why, for me, there are two likely ways to use it: 1) My small bag full of C-mount and D-mount lenses and possibly attach it to the smallest 5" monitor that I have (which is quite small) 2) Throw it in my bag where it takes up almost no space and attach it to the back of existing short telephoto lenses which now function like long telephoto lenses

Oh, thank goodness Zoom finally have a reasonable accessory for timecode shoots. For a bit now, the worst thing to hear from an audio engineer has been "I use a Zoom F3." "Guess I'll hope waveform sync works in post, then..." 😅

The GFX 100 II and, I assume, Eterna, have a 5.8k 2.35:1 full sensor width recording mode. And the Ursa Cine 17K has a 65mm sensor. And FWIW, any of the Red VV cameras have a 40mm-wide sensor which is exactly in the middle of the 36mm of a FF camera and the 44mm of GFX/Eterna. Since terms don't matter anymore, they should probably just call that "medium format" since, y'know, the GFX sensor is also substantially smaller than what would traditionally be called "medium format." Unless Sony have a big 12K sensor that can read out fast enough for video, how would that happen? There's only one 12K video sensor on the market, as far as I know, and BMD have it custom-made. There isn't huge economy of scale in it so manufacturing costs are high. But also, speaking as a person who owns a 12K-capable camera, there is almost never any reason whatsoever to shoot in 12K - including in IMAX. Mine is an 8K camera nearly all the time, except when shooting plates - and when I forget to toggle back to 8K after switching plates and facepalm.

I'm pretty sure that the Mavo Mark II LF is using IMX410. It's a great sensor which is why it's been used in so many cameras since it was introduced in 2018. But that's also exactly the problem. It's in a lot of cameras already. Sell it at $1,500 and it's interesting as a budget play. Sell it at $3,000 and you're going up against the EOS R5, Nikon Z8, Red Komodo, Nikon ZR, Panasonic S1 II, and EOS R6 Mark III. IMO, every one of those sensors that's at least equal to the IMX410. They also support 10-bit internal recording that doesn't look like ProRes 4444 (I think that's the only 12-bit format available on Kinefinity right now). Of course, it's also up against the much cheaper Z Cam E2-F6 and E2-F6 Mark II which also use IMX410. The form factor is enticing, but a ZR is even smaller and also has a big flippy 4" screen. And internal raw. And really good autofocus. And costs around $1,000 less. Just like with some of the other cameras that have been announced recently, the question to ask not just "What makes me buy this over the other cameras on the market?" - but it's also "What makes me buy this over a camera I already have?"

Nice Storyblocks ad read in the middle of a video where he claims to be retiring, but then says he's just not going to make (as much) camera content as before. And then claims that the brands never paid him for reviews - guess he bought all those fancy Aputure lights himself and reviews calling the Amaran Halo series "UNBEATABLE" had no gear or money changing hands, 'cuz, y'know Amaran Halos are the pinnacle of video lighting technology... (Saw a couple used on set, they were fine - didn't seem bad or anything, but "unbeatable?" Yeaahhhhh Ooooookaaaayyyy) Also, the part where he says that he will now feel free to take gear given to him by camera brands because he's "retiring" from reviews. 🤣🤣🤣 Ohhh, and then he says he will make paid "showcase" videos for brands, but will limit it to short form content. Wow. What a "retirement."

Nice try, GoPro, but $699.99 is not as "less than $700" as I meant. So it is in "I'm gonna wait for this to be in the hands of real people" and not "Why the heck not put in a preorder?" territory. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1964095-REG/gopro_mission_1_pro_ils.html

I'd expect 10-bit H.265/HEVC. ProRes isn't impossible, but I'd still think of it as a long shot. I wouldn't place any bets on any form of raw video. But for this form factor and anything that I'd use it for, 10-bit H.265 would be absolutely fine. For me, the two use cases would be a pocketable 16mm-like camera with C mount and D mount lenses - and a super telephoto camera to pair up with an EF mount adapter. With a 2.7-3x crop factor (smaller than normal 1" sensor), the EF 100-400 turns into a like a 280-1120. Will the center of the image circle be sharp enough to resolve a full 8K? Don't care, if it makes a half decent 4K, that'll be plenty.

The Verge posted a 95% useless hands on video where they just kind of show the camera hardware and show it powered on (but with none of their own video), but near the end, they finally get to one of the things I was most interested in - there is indeed an HDMI port (micro HDMI (🤮), but it's better than nothing). Assuming that the latency is decent, maybe this really could be the Super 16 pocket camera that I've been waiting for!

What to think about it? It's a lot of beauty shots of a boxy camera with a lot of buttons, and apparently has some menus - from a company who made a Micro 4/3 cinema camera that I thought nobody bought, but judging by B&H having a used one for sale, I was wrong at least once. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1733741-REG/bosma_dc0201_g1_pro_camera.html But $3,500 for a Micro 4/3 camera with poor dynamic range from a mostly-unknown manufacturer was always going to be a hard sell - especially with the Komodo now costing $500 less brand new. This new camera is up against some really tough competition from other vendors, both new and used. It will need to have features a lot better than the others or have "good enough" features and compete a lot harder on price than the G1 did.

Huh. A Sub-$3k cinema body in that form factor could be really compelling. The big question now will be what sensor they put in there. If it's an IMX410, it'll be big shrug from me - but if it's a newer sensor, maybe the one used in the S1 II, and they have 10-bit ProRes and, ideally, some 12-bit codec, it could be a compelling product. Otherwise, the Nikon ZR exists, costs less, and can be shoved into any of the same spaces that the Vista would fit in. Also has decent face detect AF which is really useful when the camera's shoved into a tiny nook/cranny.

On the other hand, looks like Insta360 are leaking images of their own MFT camera... all speculation at this point, but it could also be a viable entry in the "small modern MFT camera" category. https://www.43rumors.com/the-mft-revolution-is-here-first-leaked-images-of-the-insta360-mft-camera/

Some nice updates, but even if they were available in my country, I'm not sure there's anything in there that would make me upgrade from the Pocket 3 that I already have. I took the train to Chicago last weekend and made a short film with some friends and I brought the Pocket 3 and the Ursa Cine 12K LF. It turned out to be less of a crazy combo than one might think. HIgher maximum frame rate? 🤷‍♂️ Higher bitrate for video? Nice, but not a "buy now" 10-bit D-Log vs 10-bit D-Log M? Also nice, but not a "buy now" Higher resolution for photos? 🤷‍♂️

I think you're right. The 5D II has some sort of full frame 4K raw if I remember right, but that's well out of the price range. I think you mentioned the C70 in another comment - used prices on them are just about in your price range. If you don't anticipate shooting in >4K for any reason, the C70 is really a hell of a camera. The DGO sensor + somewhat soft OLPF really makes some of the loveliest images that I've ever seen. Canon's focal reducer can also be locked onto the front with screws so anything that can adapt to EF will look full frame-ish. Built-in ND's are fantastic. Though it lacks IBIS. I really don't think it's the camera for you, but the DGO sensor is a really big deal. You understood right and I was just flat-out wrong. My mistake, sorry about that! A Z6 III that costs less than a ZR? As dreamy as the small size of the ZR is, for me, that'd be an easy choice. Sheesh!

For sub-$2,500, a used EOS R5 ticks a lot of your boxes, I think. Afraid of overheating and want longer takes? R5C is right at the top of your price range, but would be doable. If you're willing to compromise on IBIS for the Nikon ZR and if you're willing to bypass stills, a used OG Komodo is just in the $2,500 price range. If you already have some stuff around for rigging up a cinema camera, you'd be able to use it pretty cheaply after that. If not, you'd probably be in a few hundred bucks more and out f your price range. The Komodo does have a built-in gyro, though, so it can be stabilized. Otherwise, the ZR seems to be a fantastic choice. A used Nikon Z8 would be just out of your price range, but would also be a really solid choice. A used Z6 III would do you really well too. Price is about the same as a brand new ZR. lensrentals.com has a used BMCC 6K for under $2,500 as well. It's a sensor from 2018, but you can get good results and nowadays, it has surprisingly good autofocus. No IBIS, though.

None are shown on any pictures. Luckily, there are about a bazillion lenses that can be adapted to Micro 4/3 mount - including a lot of C-mount lenses and probably at least some D mount lenses will cover or work in a cropped mode. 'The same 50MP 1" sensor as..."

The Z Cam E2-F6 does open gate 12 bit raw by HDMI to external recorders in 3:2 open gate IIRC. It uses the same IMX410 sensor from 2018 - which was about when that camera was released. The X-H2S also does 3:2 open gate 12-bit raw over HDMI, though it isn't full frame. Heck, even the X-M5 which costs like $900 brand new can do 3:2 open gate 12-bit raw over HDMI - again, not full frame, but given the existence of high-quality focal reducers, beautiful vintage glass made for S35, and beautiful Fujinon glass, I'm not really sure that matters too much. The Canon R6 III does full frame 3:2 open gate raw and costs less than Pyxis. The Canon C50 barely costs more (and is about equal if you buy a Pyxis monitor to fix the side screen ergonomics problem) and has full frame 3:2 open gate raw. Also, I'm pretty sure the S1 II and GH7 support open gate (3:2 and 4:3 respectively) in ProRes RAW for internal recording. I can't remember if the S1R II or the S1 IIe or whatever the "lite" version is called do. The S1 II is a bit cheaper than the Pyxis and doesn't have the poor ergonomics of a non-moveable screen stuck on the left side of the camera - and I'm pretty sure it's also using a newer sensor. And back to S35, a used Pyxis and a used OG Komodo are pretty close to the same price now. Of course, open gate on the Komodo is 17:9 so it's not a dream camera for people trying to double-frame for single take social media stuff, but it is also a global shutter and at least claims to be using a 16-bit raw codec (some users believe OG Komodo is only sampling 12-bit data from the sensor - FWIW, dynamic range seems pretty similar to what I remember from my E2-F6 which was IMX410 so it's probably similar to Pyxis 6K). And FWIW, in terms of "the user experience," I'd gladly take the ergonomics of the tilty screen of my GFX 100 II shooting video (which means, probably any of the Fuji APS-C cameras too) over trying to navigate menus on a touchscreen on the side of my camera, especially if on a high hat or similar. I've considered Pyxis 12K despite the ergonomics problems (partially mitigated by Pyxis monitor), but for the price, the C80 with internal ND and triple native ISO becomes a lot more tempting to me.

And similarly, nobody is saying that they shouldn't also announce broadcast stuff at NAB. They certainly have done so in every other year in recent memory. It's just that after sitting through an hour of tedious broadcast gear updates, in every other year, the non-broadcaster viewer was rewarded with the updates on the gear they were interested in. Again, as they usually are, but broadcast-oriented is not synonymous with broadcast-only. And no, nobody forced anybody to do anything. I watched because I was interested to see what new products I might be interested in owning. I was irritated that the entire product segment that interests me was almost completely ignored, outside of the software that I use to edit. Again, stop trying to make it some idiotic meh meh meh it says broadcast, they didn't mention consumer cameras thing. Other people, including me, are allowed to be annoyed by something, even if it doesn't bother you.

4Kp240 is pretty neat. If they had pricing in there, I missed it - but if Mission 1 Pro ILS is <$700, I might take a flyer on it. They made almost exactly the camera I've wanted for a while now. The sensor could be a little better, but a 1" sensor ain't bad. If it has usable low-latency HDMI out (or a small adapter to get it), it could be a semi-ideal lightweight travel camera.

This is an intensely stupid take. For the last several years, BMD have been announcing their entire line of new cameras/gear in their NAB update, regardless of whether they were directly aimed at broadcast. Having been to NAB, I can tell you that a majority of vendors there aren't selling things directly aimed at broadcast. But please don't let any of that get in the way of your dumb pedantry. If Petty had started the stream by saying "Hey, everybody. We're focusing on broadcast for NAB this year, but we'll have another product announcement ahead of (other camera show)," I think that a lot of their owner-operators, including me, would have shrugged, tuned out, and not cared much. Derp derp derp. BMD have been aggressively pursuing the consumer/prosumer market since 2018 when they released the BMPCC 4K. It is not crazy to be irritated that in what has generally been their yearly new products update, they seemingly abandoned that entire market... "Multicamera livestream, but with two square streams instead of one rectangular one" is not a revolution. It's tedious evolution. "We needed more data so we upgraded to 100gE" is also not a revolution. And almost no product that they announced was revolutionary, it was "our old product but newer" and/or "a box to convert things."

The time for speculation is over! https://gopro.com/en/us/news/gopro-announces-three-cameras-mission-1-2026