TomTheDP

Yeah a lot of companies have offers like this. Seems like a solid option if you have a good enough credit score to get accepted. Just applied for RED's program for the V-Raptor. Though I think I am going to decide against it. Don't need to spend more money on gear right now.

I like my Shinobi monitors. They have low noise fan settings.

I mean you could just buy 10 DSLR's and have them on stand by and spend way less.

I would definitely be considering it if it is a 14 bit readout. That would be very unique. 12.5 stops with the texture of 8k raw would be very nice. Still a heck of a lot pricier than my Sigma FP, but for a good reason.

Yeah that would be sweet, at a lower price point. Never going to happen though.

DR is pretty simple. Check CineD or Gerald Undone. Most cameras have dynamic range results between those two sources. For Color I usually rely on a lot of different sources from youtube, forums(including this one), people I know, colorists opinions, and just my own perception from reviewing footage. I think the FX30 is kind of ignored on here because it is a boring camera. It doesn't push past any boundaries. It was also very late incoming. An APSC Sony camera that could do 10 bit and 4k 120p was rumored for a long time. The XH2S has much more interesting capabilities and specs. That said the Sony FX30 is very capable and does what it does well. I personally think the IQ looks and feels better than the FX3. It just isn't a super exciting release.

This chart mentions NR. Is it just talking about the NR that comes from downsampling 8k to 4k? or is it adding noise reduction in davinci or other program.? If it is adding NR in post that means the actual dynamic range is about 12 stops. The Panasonic S1 has more without NR. 12 stops still isn't bad. The 8k Sony venice gets 12.8 stops when downsampling 8k to 4k in post. The RED raptor is getting 12.5 stops. So 12 isn't bad. The stills you posted do look fantastic though. Would be awesome if it was a 14 bit readout, though it seems like they would advertise that.

If it is 14 bit it should be identical to 14 bit RAW photos. Does the RAW video and photos have the same dynamic range? 12.5 stops with noise reduction isn't the greatest.

The C70 doesn't have SDI unfortunately.

Hollywood can make a movie that appeals to a wide general audience without hitting as much of a niche. If you don't have a huge marketing budget you aren't going to be able to do that. You have to find a niche. It is really that simple. I guess that is the same story for any small business. For me it has been Detroit films on the streaming service Tubi. Only working as a cinematographer but I am about to direct/produce one and see some of the back end. Will be interesting.

To me winning at an Oscar is more politics than talent. Sure your film won't get nominated if it is crap but it also won't get nominated just because it is really good. The people that care on a $5 mil budget indie like Nomadland are the producers, director, and DP. None of which want to be seen working with anything besides a camera that costs over 30k

I work on mostly low budget feature films in the 30k realm. They can actually be incredibly profitable if you know what you are doing.

That is true. The sigma FP is limited by write speed to some degree. I am willing to deal with something finicky, but it is project dependent. I appreciate the simplicity of Prores over anything else as it makes post very very simple. I am considering using the Sigma FP for an upcoming feature, but I know I will have complete control over the post production process. I think RED caught a lot of flack because after that one individual opened up their SSD's they were found to be SSD's not specially made for RED. I think the mark up for there SSD's was like 8x what it would otherwise cost. I personally don't mind proprietary products. For example, the Alexa mini can only use ARRI branded CFAST cards. The LF and XT only use specific Alexa SSD's, which are very costly. From what I have seen RED has just not been the most honest and I really think if they were more truthful they'd actually have a better reputation.

Did this like 10 years ago, actually worked well for the Sony camcorder I was using at the time. The good old days before I had to spend 20k on gear every year lol

I kind of still like the old Canon color look. Not accurate but super nice. After comparing the C70, P4K, and Panasonic S1 I definitely like the C70 clog3 with the manufacturer lut applied the best. It is all personal preference at some point.

28mm should be decent on the 6k sensor. You go super wide and you really start to lose a lot of depth, but its scene/location dependent obviously. My suggestion would be to add as much weight as you can. If you can get the rig close to 5 pounds it will make your movement so much nicer. An Easyrig for me doesn't really help to stabilize. Just saves your arms a bit for longer takes. If anything sometimes the easyrig makes stuff less stable, when people let the camera get away from their center of gravity.

It gives you 14 bit color which is a lot more color information than 12 bit. It just depends on what part of IQ is important to you. Past 2k isn't important to me, dynamic range is important, but color is the most important. Dynamic range on cameras like the Lumix S1 have been good enough for me. About a stop and a half behind an Alexa but good enough. Another example, the Lumix S1 can do 12 bit raw/10 bit log and has more dynamic range/higher resolution than the 10 year old RED scarlet. However I found the color overall out of the old Scarlet looked much richer with nicer skintones. The colorist on that project told me that as well. I am sure this is partially color science. The Scarlet sensor is quite old though and was never known to have the best color science. I do attribute a lot of it to 16 bit depth. Its not as much side by side comparisons but having shot and colored features on low end cameras like Blackmagic, Z-cam, Panasonic, Fuji and than doing the same with ARRI or RED the difference is very noticeable. Obviously this isn't a scientific observation. RED and ARRI are high end cinema cameras. So it may just be that they have much more pleasing color science and that's it. But I have also observed still images coming out of these hybrid cameras that always look superior to the video they capture. 14 bit vs 12-10 bit readout. I'd have to find the thread but it was a gent on here who shot some material with the BM 4K, C70, and his old 5D MK3. He was expecting the newer cameras to replace his old Canon but was left quite disappointed.

Looks good though I think if it was rendered as 4k it would look better on YouTube.

I agree most things in life come down to money. I do question the why though. The Alexa processes in 14 bit for prores as well, not really any difference between Prores XQ and RAW. RAW is a gimmick to me. The whole benefit of REDraw is not that its RAW but that it is capturing 16 bits of color depth. Throw any 10 bit log with a decent data rate thru the correct image pipeline and it will look just as good as the 12 bit raw from these cameras because the readout is no different. Sometimes the RAW looks worse due to less processing and more color noise. The RAW gimmick has worked for RED for the past 12 years, who thrive in the owner operator market. Same with Blackmagic which have always touted their RAW recording capabilities, even if BRAW is really just 12 bit log. The new RED Raptor having 444 XQ is actually a huge selling point for me, as to me RAW is just a hassle. All the companies are pushing for RAW. Apple prores RAW, Nikon even if putting RAW video in their cameras as a selling point and apparently it's worth the hassle of lawsuits with RED. Almost all cameras now record RAW to external recorders if not internal. It is a huge part of the entire Atomos brand, RAW recorders. 10 bit log recording is now a standard in pretty much every camera even Go Pros, even a lot of phones have it now. In a world where cell phones are the go to device, I think every feature is important as you need something to make it worth while lugging a camera around that doesn't fit in your pocket. Anyways my thought is that there is a push for better IQ on all fronts; resolution but also, dynamic range, and color depth. However no one has caught up to an 11 year old hacked Canon DSLR. To me bit depth is the major thing lacking IQ wise in non cinema cameras. Dynamic range is about good enough as is resolution. Give me 14 bit rather it be RAW or prores or whatever codec you want to package it in. Hopefully not CDNG but hey I'll take that too.

My Sigma FP does a similar thing not sure if its pixel binning or line skipping or if there is a difference between the two. It is 4k rather than 3.5k but not far off. Similar camera, 11 years newer, but only 12 bit readout. The Sigma FP post workflow isn't the greatest but at least CDNG can be immediately put into resolve. But yeah not 14 bit and definitely lacking when comparing to a RED or Alexa, including a 10 year old RED or Alexa. @mercerowns both the FP and 5D MK3 and I believe he has said the lower bit depth on the Sigma is noticeable. I have heard that from others too.

I have been thinking about this a lot. Why can't current cameras do 14 bit 4k raw? The 5d MK3 featured a processor capable of 14 bit RAW at 3.5k, that was 11 years ago. I guess color depth isn't marketable? Although 10 bit seemed to be and still seems to be a huge selling point. All these years later and no cameras have this feature outside of cinema cameras which have been doing this since 2010. To me that is what is missing in the lower end cameras. I have been tempted to get an old 5d MK3 and run magic lantern on it as a B-cam to my Alexa. Obviously there is a dynamic range difference but the color information is there. The workflow and ergonomics simply aren't good enough for me to use the camera on professional projects.

Yeah I am happier shooting Canon, Fuji or Nikon for stills. Why bother using a system you don't like unless its absolutely necessary to do so. I think two bodies isn't a terrible idea if you can use EF lenses on the pana body with no problem. To me for stills an EOS R would do just fine. Even a Canon DSLR, 5D or 6d, have a great look out of camera, though they are lacking in lowlight against the newer options.

I might have to consider the 20-60mm for the Sigma FP. Been using the Alexa mostly which is only EF mount or PL mount. The CN-E 18-80mm looks good for a cinema lens but 4.4 is a bit slow for S35. Really need a f3 or 2.8

You can turn on lut monitoring to see more what the final image will look like after color grading. HLG is an option to give you a more contrasty look while still preserving most of the details.

For me shooting narrative projects a solid 20-85 cinema lens would be amazing. 20 is just wide enough to cover most wide angle needs on S35 and 85 is long enough to cover most shots on that end.