“Creator” replaces “filmmaker” – Meet thy creator

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Language – the pulse of any culture. What better way to check the vital signs of ours.

When our language (and music) turns ugly we know there’s going to be trouble ahead. Fall of the Roman Empire style. The bad news is that filmmakers and photographers seem to be on the way out, to be replaced by something altogether more homogenous – the “content creator” or simply “creator”. Why specialise when you can just “create”?

A creator is neither a filmmaker or photographer – maybe they’ve merged into a hybrid? A creator is not the same thing as a writer, for a writer writes whereas a creator dabbles in content. They’re not quite a blogger, as having an TikTok account doesn’t count, and they’re not a filmmaker because that would be an embarrassing false equivalence with the likes of Kubrick.

So what is a creator exactly?

Read more“Creator” replaces “filmmaker” – Meet thy creator

How’s AI’s camera knowledge? Unhinged ChatGPT libels EOSHD and makes up controversies

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Clearly overhyped, but with strong long term potential to destroy the planet, AI natural language chatbots have taken 2023 by storm. I admit, it’s an entertaining spectacle.

They’re fantastic at certain things and it’s nice to see a new type of tool born, but I can’t help feeling it is capable of wildly fantasying about things that never happened. I also think there is no way a large company like Microsoft or Google will truly let this technology off the hook and it will be incredibly heavily censored. This means first prize in AI will go to a startup and you better sell your Google shares right now.

But should you trust it? EOSHD sets out to find out, by putting it through a camera nerd exam.

Read moreHow’s AI’s camera knowledge? Unhinged ChatGPT libels EOSHD and makes up controversies

Is N-RAW real RAW? Nikon Z9 under the spotlight at EOSHD

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It is time for a good old fashioned EOSHD article. Everything you’ve seen so far on YouTube is meaningless – yes it is. Comparing one shot to another this way is no longer representative of the camera. Our camera’s capabilities far outstrips what you can see via YouTube. At best it’s a comparison of grading styles.

Back in the days before LOG recording, your camera’s colour science was baked in and you were reliant on it. Since then, most footage looks very similar in LOG before it’s graded, and the main difference you’ll see on YouTube is how two cameras have been graded to match, or how the default picture profile and white balance compares. Then, on top of that it will all be converted to H.265 at a very low bitrate for streaming, even in 8K. In fact 8K looks dreadful on YouTube if you really examine it. So how can we really judge what a camera and codec as powerful as 12bit N-RAW is doing?

The answer is to have a good pixel peep. Freeze a frame, and look at it up-close at full resolution, without adding noticeable compression. This is what I set out to do here, to examine the texture and look of the image in 8K N-RAW on the Nikon Z9. Does it really have an advantage over the Sony A1 in H.265? Does N-RAW as a “film stock” really LOOK like RAW if we compare it to the Sigma Fp-L in uncompressed Cinema DNG? It’s time to find out.

Read moreIs N-RAW real RAW? Nikon Z9 under the spotlight at EOSHD

The AI / ChatGPT future of search – Theft of the century?

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With EOSHD being here for over 12 years a lot of what this blog published about mirrorless cameras, filmmaking and gear has been noted not just by other filmmakers, but by the great supernatural intelligence in the sky. My knowledge along with yours, forms parts of the ones and zeros in enormous AI models that are worth $1 billion to companies like Microsoft and in future $500 billion.

Amazingly they did not seek permission to use our knowledge, let alone pay for it.

Read moreThe AI / ChatGPT future of search – Theft of the century?

Sony A7R V and the curious case of a disappearing dial – Also, is Twitter all over?

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On this official image from Sony’s website, the A7R V appears to sport the lovely top-left dial from the A1… Until it doesn’t!

What happened to Jonny dial? Kidnapped, or run away to the circus?

Meanwhile, speaking of disappearing things – is Twitter in trouble? These and more thoughts on EOSHD coming your way…

Read moreSony A7R V and the curious case of a disappearing dial – Also, is Twitter all over?

My sister Zara Reid is in end-of-life care for cancer

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Zara and mum

When I went to see Panasonic in London earlier this year, things were on the up after a long pandemic. I remember saying to folks – wouldn’t it be great if after the last few years the drama could began to settle down.

In August my sister was diagnosed with an aggressive form of colon cancer. It has spread to her liver.

Help support EOSHD at this difficult time by donating an amount of your choice here

Read moreMy sister Zara Reid is in end-of-life care for cancer

EOSHD eBay Store UK now open – Huge gear sale with some surprises in store!

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I am having a big gear sale at the moment of nearly half my cameras and lenses. Some long held treasure is now up for sale such as Iscorama anamorphic lenses, my Panasonic GH5S, Samsung NX1, Blackmagic Pocket 4K, Olympus OM-1 (now sold), Panasonic S1 and Fuji X-T4, plus rarities like my Cooke cinema lenses, Leica M8, Leica Noctilux and more. All are now up on eBay for shipping within the UK. (You can also contact me about shipping in Europe and worldwide).

So take a look at the EOSHD eBay Store here!

Full item list view

Please don’t hesitate to make me an offer or ask any questions via eBay or directly by email here.

Read moreEOSHD eBay Store UK now open – Huge gear sale with some surprises in store!

One step closer to WWIII – Throwback to my Taiwan footage and experience living there

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This blog began 12 years ago in Taiwan, 2010. I was living there and had just got the Panasonic GH1 from the local family run dealer on a street I called “Camera Avenue” because it had about 40 camera stores all independently run and all in one place in downtown Taipei. Learning about the fascinating history of the island from my girlfriend and her father, who served in the military under the rule Chiang Kai-shek, I shot the four pieces you see on this page. Make sure you have the sound on.

Had Chiang Kai-shek won the civil war in China, modern-day history would look very different. There would be no communist party of China.

A delicate truce exists today and close economic ties between the two warring sides. Taiwan is a flourishing democracy with one of the major parties wanting closer ties to Beijing and the other fiercely independent and rejecting any overtures to be assimilated into a communist system.

Taiwan is also an economic powerhouse vital to the world’s semiconductors industry. Home to companies such as AMD, Foxconn, Asus and TSMC, with numerous manufacturing facilities including ones owned by Canon and Sony. The island also has a thriving filmmaking scene.

What could possibly go wrong?

Read moreOne step closer to WWIII – Throwback to my Taiwan footage and experience living there