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Why limitations are a good thing


Shell64
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It seems that people are all too reliant on creature comforts. IBIS, DPAF, color science, etc. If your camera doesn’t have these features, it forces you to improve your skills versus letting he camera do the hard work. No IBIS? You get to learn how to handhold a camera rock steady. No autofocus? You get to learn how to be a focus puller. Bad color science? You get to learn how to become better at color correction and grading. No high dynamic range? You get to learn how to nail exposure. My point is that limitations in your gear force you to improve your skills. My g7 has terrible AF and no IBIS, but that forces me to improve on my manual focusing and handholding skills. Sometimes limitations are a good thing. If your camera has limitations like these, don’t upgrade. Force yourself to improve on those skills instead of letting the camera do it for you. You will become a better filmmaker this way.

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while practice does indeed make perfect, its a bit presumptuous to say go hard or go home. not all people have the time or inclination to do all of that and there are probably some people with a disability that have Buckley's chance of holding a camera steady yet have as much right to a camera as i have. If a camera has tech that can make life easier for someone with a disability or a need, go for it i say, i wouldn't look down on someone for that. We all buy different cameras for different reasons and needs, who am i to judge if someone wants ibis

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Video files are just data.  Every operating system has a software tool that you can enter in any machine language data you like.

So according to your logic, I don't need a camera, crew, lighting, sound equipment or anything - I should just start typing away, then hit save on Masterpiece.MOV and I'm done!

What's that?  Having to understand and memorise the MOV container is cramping your ability to get convincing dialogue?  Understanding the header flags on codec container formats in HEX when converting from long_integer binary encoded data shells distracting you from getting good wardrobe?  You said it yourself....

8 hours ago, Shell64 said:

it forces you to improve your skills versus letting he camera do the hard work

......

limitations in your gear force you to improve your skills

.......

Sometimes limitations are a good thing

........

You will become a better filmmaker this way.

You are forgetting that film-making isn't just about using a camera.  It's about many many many things, and if the camera can do something for me then maybe that means that I can take my finite capacity and concentrate on something I wasn't able to put my attention to.

I understand your sentiment, but randomly assuming that limitations you're able to compensate for should be accepted by other people just because you say so is pretty arrogant, and also pretty ignorant and just tells me you don't know shit about real film-making or how other people do it.

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8 hours ago, DBounce said:

PDAF vs focus marks and follow focus with dedicated focus puller.

IBIS vs Tripod or Dolly

I think most would rather the large budget and full crew... but few can actually afford or warrant the expense. Especially for a hobby.

I record my families travels and adventures, and my setup is a handheld GH5 / Rode VMP combo and an action camera combo.  I'd look completely ridiculous bringing a film crew on my holidays and days out, and there's no way I'd get to film in all the private places like art galleries, amusement parks, historical locations, tours, etc that don't allow commercial photographers...  not to mention that it would take all the fun out of everything we do.

People seriously underestimate how different other peoples film-making actually is.

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7 hours ago, kye said:

I record my families travels and adventures, and my setup is a handheld GH5 / Rode VMP combo and an action camera combo.  I'd look completely ridiculous bringing a film crew on my holidays and days out, and there's no way I'd get to film in all the private places like art galleries, amusement parks, historical locations, tours, etc that don't allow commercial photographers...  not to mention that it would take all the fun out of everything we do.

People seriously underestimate how different other peoples film-making actually is.

sounds like some Kardashian type stuff (entire film crew for a family vaction) lol 

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I am a spoiled kid. I want all the stuff - best IBIS in the world, best AF, Braw, 4k120, build in ND and etc in a resonably compact body. Cos all of this makes my filmmaking easier and thus I have more desire to do it. I am enjoing the process instead of worring about all of other things. 

Its like living in an awfull uncomfortable flat and bragging about it. I prefer to live in a comfortable flat and enjoy my life.

So if you have the money - go for a better camera, nothing wrong with that.

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Sometimes I think back to the good ol' days of the GH2. Albeit we did apply bitrate hacks, there was something nice to the core essentialism of shooting something the way the great masters and cinema scene did it before you. Makes you appreciate the craft, like a woodworker carefully carving out something rather than CNC cutting or 3D printing. Also gives you a deeper understanding of what you're doing. It's like building together LEGO Technics opposed to getting something prefab, you really get to know the function of each component much better. That said... technological advancements free up capacity and at the same time introduce new creative possibilities, which should be applauded. Imagine homes without central heating... you'd have to go out and collect firewood, get an axe and chop it into smaller chunks, then keep feeding the fire... at some point you'll need to clean it out. I mean, sure, there's an appreciation and enjoyment that can be had from that... but isn't it mostly just tedious tasks that take up time and capacity that could've been dedicated to another cause..?

The following video is a nice illustration of how technological advancements still makes you think out of the box and be creative:

 

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On 9/13/2019 at 6:33 AM, kye said:

Understanding the header flags on codec container formats in HEX when converting from long_integer binary encoded data shells distracting you from getting good wardrobe?  

I had concerns about opening this thread, fortunately this comment surmounted those concerns ?
 

 

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On 9/13/2019 at 10:12 AM, Mako Sports said:

Cameras are tools though. These updates in technology are simply there to make life easier. 

I get the OP view, I do think limitations with budget/gear can possibly yield much more intelligent and creative decisions, BUT...

...when it’s your job or you’re running a company - you don’t want things getting in the way when money is on the line. In this case, you want the tools that make things the easiest. There’s a reason where AF is finding its way into proper video cameras now. 

I feel it comes down to liberation. If the tools set you free, then the product is better. In any project where I’ve used a cumbersome tool, the quality has suffered. 

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