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Category: Camera User Groups

09 April 2018

Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is here!

Written by Paul Moon

Blackmagic Design has just announced their Pocket Cinema Camera 4K at the NAB show, and pre-orders to get early in line for planned September delivery are already being taken at this link (and for those in Europe, also here). They did a great job building suspense, with a huge banner outside the convention center. Some leaked photos added little to the launch, as usual, with misleading speculation about a 16mm sensor size, flip-out screen, and even IBIS!

One of the great virtues of the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera was its stripped-down nature, offering just the most fundamental settings that any budding (and experienced) cinematographer needs to know. And as one of the first early adopters to shoot something cinematic with it, I really cut my teeth with this test run, shot over a weekend in New York City:


Shooting “First Day Out” using BMPCC (dir. Josephine Decker, 2016)

As my associated commentary on the video explained, there were big issues to work around — mainly, battery life and ergonomics/menus — but the payoff far outweighed those hassles. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera delivered compelling 1080p video in log format with excellent highlight roll-off, film-like grain, 10-bit 4:2:2, and a “vintage” look from its 16mm sensor (the same aesthetic accorded by the now-defunct Digital Bolex). After starting the biggest User Group dedicated to Blackmagic Design (combined with Facebook and Twitter) built primarily on user-submitted content, it became clear that the original Pocket was a sort of democratization tool, putting cinematic videomaking into the hands of more creatives than ever. It definitely kickstarted my career.

That makes the arrival of the Pocket’s successor a bit anxious. If one thing has changed since the launch of the original Pocket, it’s that mirrorless cams have gotten even more feature-packed — while even so, what never changed is the split-identity crisis between still cameras and cinema cameras. Aliasing was the biggest Achille’s heel of hybrid cameras, but then, enlarged photosites and optimized pixel binning have minimized what used to seem like an impossible technical compromise. Menus on the Sony Alpha and Panasonic Lumix cameras, for example, continue to be a swirl of endless features that mix still photography with optional video features that aren’t really in a professional cinematographers’ wheel house (e.g., auto-focus). Thus it always felt like the future would bring us an amicable divorce between digital still photography, and cinematography.

So the first concerning feature of the new Pocket 4K is the addition of still photography into the mix. Lots of us would rather not have it; and the sensor size doesn’t accommodate sufficient megapixels for the camera to become a serious candidate for stills.

But that would be nitpicking, if the stills feature doesn’t really compromise the video features. On the early side, I’ll get my hands on this to make sure, but let’s focus only on video. First, it’s useful to consider what everybody else is doing wrong — especially the market leader, Sony.

Yesterday, Sony “re-launched” their PXW-FS5 with a Mark II model that added one of the least relevant features for serious creatives: high frame rates (and even so, that’s only after hooking in a “compatible” external recorder for the marquee feature — nearly mooting it). But worse, it failed to include what I think we should all agree by now is the baseline minimum for acceptable cinematography: 10-bit 4:2:2 capture. Panasonic has laudably packed that into the small GH5 body, and there’s no option anymore to leave it out in this market. Sony didn’t launch the a7S III at NAB, but whenever they do: if it’s mainly just a bump up to 4K/UHD at 60fps, it’s another non-event from Sony. And what all these cameras have in common is a relatively lossy internal recording codec, in every case a derivative of H.264 compression. It’s simply not ideal.

But back to Blackmagic. This is where the new Pocket 4K continues the tradition of its predecessor: 10-bit 4:2:2 at high bitrates into a robust recording codec. ProRes remains a proprietary (and protectionist) industry standard by Apple, that I have always estimated — and still do believe — is on its way out. ProRes RAW had promised to breathe new life, but it’s missing on the new Pocket 4K. (Bitter rival Atomos might have eclipsed that possibility, given secret industry boardroom hijinx, but who knows.) Regardless, for a better alternative, the new Pocket 4K also offers 12-bit true CinemaDNG 4K RAW capture — and to make that feasible, the high-speed USB-C port can connect to an external SSD for longer recording times in RAW.

As to high frame rates, even 60fps at UHD/4K still lacks priority in this overall context (along with the capability to crop in, for lower-resolution 120fps capture). Other, larger cameras can be leveraged for those very rare (please!) occasions when slow-motion can be creatively justified. I hope that the strangely persistent customer demand for high frame rates (wedding videographers?) didn’t cripple other features that could have emerged in the Pocket 4K — and in cameras across the market, generally. Again, to mention the FS5 II: Sony exploited a tiny tweak in high frame rate capability for justifying a whole new product launch (which is an accounting department con to increase profits), which was, in reality, just a firmware update to the original FS5. (Does anyone even look at this kind of behavior from an environmental perspective, as it adds more metal/plastic to Earth’s landfills with no real reason?)

But on to some positive things: the lens mount staying Micro Four Thirds was sort of pre-ordained, but it’s nice to see it again (especially after lens investments for the predecessor, and those of us who dallied with Lumix cameras when they were hot). Mounting those rarer lenses that actually include Power O.I.S. will be all the more critical, since the new Pocket 4K lacks in-body image stabilization. The full HD monitor on the rear will make those days of squinting at the old Pocket, seem comical — I hope the “nits” of lux are loud. How the internal audio pre-amps perform remains to be seen, but the stereo/dual microphones on either side of the lens (assuming the lens motors are quiet!) seem promising, while having a mini-XLR input with phantom power literally shames every other portable camera on the market today. Using the ultra-ubiquitous battery that’s used on Canon DSLRs, too, will open up cheap and longer-lasting power, paired with the further option of external 12V all-day hookup. (Meantime, Sony lawyers bully the third-party market against emulating their overpriced yet much-hyped NP-FZ100 for newest Alpha cameras). And best of all, the sensor: though we’ll lose that forced vintage look, and wide depth of field, from the former 16mm sensor, going to Micro Four Thirds was all but certain — not only for better light-gathering, but also to evade that prior 3x crop factor (and there’s only so much room to cram in pixels for 4K video).

The price at $1,295 retains the democratizing and generous spirit of the original HD camera, and the estimated September 2018 delivery might need to be taken with a grain of salt given Blackmagic’s history — but they’ve improved on manufacturing, and I know they’ll deliver. This is a really exciting new product, exceeding nearly every expectation. I love this company. The Aussies are killing it.

Here’s a gallery of photos from the NAB presentation:

What do you think? Looking forward to your comments here and on Facebook/Twitter. You can see the entire product page at Blackmagic Design’s website, and as mentioned earlier, pre-orders are already being taken at this link (also here in Europe) for planned delivery in September.

April 9, 2018 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, FocusPulling Original Leave a Comment
12 January 2018

Sony a7R III: Interactive Menu Guide, Samples and Review

Written by Paul Moon

The headlining video for this page runs 1¾ hours. It is the most comprehensive guide to the Sony a7R III menus available anywhere. For your convenience, the below interactive guide breaks this video down into organized sections, taking you directly to a discrete explanation of whatever menu page you’re interested in. Just click it, and a video will play back with a detailed explanation. Use the top index to skip around between menu tabs and pages.

I got inspired to throw this together after creating a menu guide for the Sony RX0 recently. Now, after lessons learned from an ongoing trans-media creative project of mine (www.95thesesfilm.com/concordance), combined with a full test run using the Sony a7R III to create www.scroogeopera.com last month, I’ve combined sample footage from that project with observations about this camera (triggered by explaining its menus), resulting in a hybrid resource of: product tutorial, review, and footage samples.


SONY a7R III MENU INDEX

tab1 : PAGE   1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10   11   12   13   14
tab2 : PAGE   1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9
tab3 : PAGE   1
tab4 : PAGE   1
tab5 : PAGE   1    2    3    4    5    6    7
tab6 : PAGE   1


TAB 1/PAGE 1 — manual and automatic selection between full-frame mode, versus APS-C/Super 35mm “crop” mode:

    TAB 1/PAGE 2 — on leaving things alone at the acquisition stage:

      TAB 1/PAGE 3 — dual memory card slots:

        TAB 1/PAGE 4 — (not relevant):

          TAB 1/PAGE 5 — auto-focus modes:

            TAB 1/PAGE 6 — auto-focus face priority:

              TAB 1/PAGE 7 — (not relevant):

                TAB 1/PAGE 8 — (not relevant):

                  TAB 1/PAGE 9 — ISO/gain, arbitrary minimum ISO in S-Log:

                    TAB 1/PAGE 10 — (not relevant):

                      TAB 1/PAGE 11 — (not relevant):

                        TAB 1/PAGE 12 — white balance, picture profiles/S-Log:

                          TAB 1/PAGE 13 — peaking:

                            TAB 1/PAGE 14 — (not relevant):

                              TAB 2/PAGE 1 — movie file formats, fast-slow motion, proxy recording:

                                TAB 2/PAGE 2 — auto-focus responsiveness, audio recording:

                                  TAB 2/PAGE 3 — wind noise reduction, display markers:

                                    TAB 2/PAGE 4 — accommodating non-native manual lenses, image stabilization:

                                      TAB 2/PAGE 5 — zoom and ClearImage Zoom:

                                        TAB 2/PAGE 6 — on-screen display, zebras, rule-of-thirds grid line:

                                          TAB 2/PAGE 7 — (not relevant):

                                            TAB 2/PAGE 8 — custom keys and menus (and avoiding the temptation to over-customize):

                                              TAB 2/PAGE 9 — turning off the beeps:

                                                TAB 3 — viewing/controlling from smartphone or tablet, absence of applets:

                                                  TAB 4 — playback:

                                                    TAB 5/PAGE 1 — gamma display assist:

                                                      TAB 5/PAGE 2 — overheating, world camera, cleaning the sensor:

                                                        TAB 5/PAGE 3 — touchscreen, say-no-to-timecode, wired remote control:

                                                          TAB 5/PAGE 4 — HDMI, USB options, tethering:

                                                            TAB 5/PAGE 5 — file naming:

                                                              TAB 5/PAGE 6 — redundant versus overflow usage of two memory card slots:

                                                                TAB 5/PAGE 7 — firmware version, both camera and lens:

                                                                  TAB 6 — on being your own star:

                                                                    The Sony a7R III is available via B&H for under $3.2k by clicking here. I hope this resource helped! Please share it with other Sony a7R III users.

                                                                    January 12, 2018 FocusPulling Original, FocusPulling Original Video, Sony a7S 2 Comments
                                                                    29 June 2017

                                                                    Full-frame cinematography: Sony says they’re all-in, but it ain’t so

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Sony proclaims that they are all-in for full-frame cinematography (e.g., the video heading up this post). But what Sony needs to do first (and should have done last year), couldn’t be simpler. They almost nailed it with their NEX-VG900, putting a full-frame sensor in the proven/award-winning/ergonomically fantastic VG-series camcorder body. But the VG900 was barely too early for the market, and it aliased like a 5D Mark II. The sensor wasn’t purpose-built for video. Yet, how easily folks have forgotten that the NEX-VG10 was absolutely revolutionary when it arrived! Just speaking for myself, it was my entry point into filmmaking, and around it, I built my first camera user group that eventually became this community.

                                                                     

                                                                    Sony’s auto-pilot, pernicious behavior is to fiercely defend its professional camcorders that are at the highest profit margins, amounting to impossible options for independent filmmakers, and what they’re cooking up next will be no exception to that corporate universe. Yet their debacle of overheating in the a7 series, and obvious dissatisfaction from creatives who want bare-minimum-quality audio inputs, manual controls, etc., is easily and quickly addressed by simply putting the a7S II sensor into the VG form factor. They can (and need to) do this without charging much more than a grand as a premium, on top of what the a7S II costs. Even that is a largely artificial expense. Sony doesn’t know how to read supply-and-demand curves. An a7S II sensor in an affordable VG camcorder body would sell extremely well.

                                                                    It will take some thinking outside the box, ruffling old-world hierarchical feathers overseas, but it needs to be done. Think of how Blackmagic upended the camcorder world, with the aim to democratize technology instead of penny-pinching that’s practiced by protectionist mid-level accountants from Ivy League schools of theory. The best technology evolutions are always bottom-up, not top-down. Time for Sony to wake up.

                                                                    June 29, 2017 FocusPulling Original, Sony a7S, Sony CineAlta F3/F5/F55, Sony NEX-FS100, Sony NEX-FS700, Sony NEX-VG10/VG20/VG30, Sony PXW-FS5, Sony PXW-FS7 Leave a Comment
                                                                    02 March 2017

                                                                    Introducing the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Blackmagic Design just introduced their new URSA Mini Pro, expected to become available on March 9 via this link in the United States, and/or this link in Europe. It combines their prior URSA Mini 4.6k with more broadcast camera features, and more manual controls. Here’s a summary of its key additions:

                                                                    1. Three built-in ND filters
                                                                    2. PL, B4, Canon EF and (coming soon) Nikon lens mounts
                                                                    3. Physical on/off toggle switch
                                                                    4. Auto white balance mode
                                                                    5. Black-and-white LCD on side panel
                                                                    6. Still frame capture and audio channels 3 and 4 functions coming after beta testing
                                                                    7. Redundancy for many of the most important buttons
                                                                    8. Both CFast and SD dual card slots (total of 4)
                                                                    9. Costs $5,995 and is available now
                                                                    10. URSA users can upgrade to this camera for $3,495

                                                                    My initial thoughts:  these days the trend is towards continuously adjustable electronic ND filters, but having at least three neutral density choices in this camera is a nice feature (and seems more reliable as a physical element).  Apparently the Nikon mount will come mid-way into this year, but it’s an interesting new addition to the Blackmagic camera line-up to those who swear by that lens format which has direct aperture controls, and a flange distance that’s maximally compatible with other cameras.

                                                                    I love the clever idea of adding an old-skool physical toggle switch for power!  It’s true, especially as these cameras get more sophisticated, you don’t want to hold down buttons and wait to confirm that the power-up sequence is really happening:  you just flip the URSA Mini Pro’s switch, go do other stuff, and rest assured it’s gonna get there!

                                                                    That full-blown color LCD panel on the side of prior models always seemed like overkill (and sucking more battery life away, for minimal gains).  A monochrome LCD panel, which also can be seen in more lighting conditions including bright sunlight, is a great design evolution.  Back to the basics!

                                                                    Adding two additional audio channels (3 and 4) will be a welcomed feature; not sure why they claim it needs “more beta testers,” but when it arrives, that will keep pace with the URSA Mini Pro’s competitors, including the Sony PXW-FS7 — while there’s a strong argument to be made that Blackmagic’s color science, and actual dynamic range in practice, are the best in the industry, especially better than Sony’s.  Also, a still frame grab button feature they mentioned in association with the forthcoming 3rd and 4th audio channels will be nice too, but nothing you can’t simply do in post where you’re more likely to do it with one click.

                                                                    Blackmagic seems to want to carve a niche for itself as making the most durable cameras, including an all-metal design, and I like the thought of making multiple buttons control a single feature, for purposes of redundancy just-in-case.  This is the first time I’ve seen a manufacturer tout it as a feature, and literally deliver on it.

                                                                    Because I’m a cheapskate and stubborn about adopting new standards when they’re unnecessary, perhaps the most exciting news (in comparison to the URSA Mini and URSA) is the addition of dual SD card slots, as an alternative to the still-bloated cost of using CFast cards (though they offer dual slots for that too).  Blackmagic Design warns that you’ll need UHS-II speed ratings for SD cards, and 4K RAW won’t be possible onto SD cards, but (let’s be honest) most Blackmagic users in practice actually shoot in ProRes, so the cost (and storage) savings of now being able to use SD cards for 4K-UHD is killer.

                                                                    I wasn’t an original URSA buyer, but it seems really generous to me that Blackmagic offers this new $5,995 camera to verifiable URSA owners for only $3,495.  Blackmagic says that this camera is “available now” — a huge paradigm shift from prior behavior, when we waited for months! — and this B&H link says expected availability is March 9, so you can pre-order now to get it earliest; or maybe Adorama will deliver first; will see.  (European customers can order from CVP.com at this link.)

                                                                    Keep watching our Blackmagic Cinema Camera User Group on Facebook and on Twitter @bmccusers for more information as it arrives!  Here’s the official page for the product at the manufacturer’s website.  And here’s my gallery of pictures from their live presentation:

                                                                    March 2, 2017 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, Camera User Groups, FocusPulling Original Leave a Comment
                                                                    04 November 2016

                                                                    Production Notes: Election Day Edition

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Heading into Election Day, most Americans are feeling low (count me among them). Between some songs that I had the honor to document when Denyce Graves gave a hometown concert in September, American Anthem by Gene Scheer really stuck with me. In 1998, she sang its premiere to Bill and Hillary Clinton, then later at the inauguration of George W. Bush. But it transcends partisan politics and speaks to who we are, heroism at the middle. When Denyce sent her warm approval today, the timing couldn’t be better. It’ll resonate with Election Day and the complicated term of a new President, but whatever the outcome, I want to think that we’ve still got a lot of life left in us.

                                                                    PRODUCTION NOTES

                                                                    I’ve been shooting with The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. for years, but lately I’ve shifted my kit to something less hearty than the old workhorse Sony NEX-FS100.  Since that was a “real” camcorder, it required less rigging and had actual “pro” ports, but I couldn’t resist the allure of upgrading to 4K resolution these days, not to mention the continued improvements in low-light sensitivity accorded from full-frame sensors.  It’s incredible to think that for a very long time, the purpose-built Super 35mm sensor of the FS100 was a low-light beast, and practically the best you could get until Canon Cinema EOS came along.  If nothing else, I was pretty happy to see it kill off the bain of our existence a few years ago:  aliasing.

                                                                    Yet now, the only full-frame cinematography option happens to be a toy.  Well, sort of.  The Sony a7S II has the form factor of a purse camera, but no other acquisition device on the market (besides something totally beyond reach like an ARRI Alexa 65) combines a full-frame sensor with credible LOG-color cinematography (though maybe the FS7 II launching next week will up the game, breaking from its predecessor’s Super 35mm sensor size).  Full-frame sensors don’t assure optimum quality — I’ll take an ARRI Alexa over an a7S II any day — but in a pinch they certainly guarantee quicker options for manipulating depth of field, and using practical lights.

                                                                    sony-a7s-ii-rig-2

                                                                    Problem is, you end up with the monster kit seen above.  That’s what I used to shoot the concert up top, as my A-camera.  For this style of shooting, one typical no-no in cinematography — zooming! — becomes something of a necessity, thus the full-frame Sony 28-135mm f/4.0 power zoom cinema lens is a godsend.  Since it’s practically parfocal, tack-sharp focus doesn’t creep off as you zoom in and out.  That’s really important when you’re shooting alone, without someone doing dedicated FocusPulling.  (The name of this whole website community is sort of tongue-in-cheek, at least for me.)  Even so, the continuous f/4 aperture on a full frame still guarantees a fairly shallow depth of field, making it necessary to adjust focus even during a zoom toward your focal point destinations — and for that, I’ve got a shockingly cheap-o gadget made by Fotga plugged into the USB port on the a7S II that controls the power zoom lens, strapped onto the tripod handle, so that I can simultaneously pull focus using a D-Focus gear locked into the teeth of the cine lens barrel.  I’m feeding power to everything using a V-Mount MAXOAK high-capacity battery, on a CAME-TV plate, via an IndiPRO Tools battery adapter, as further described in my power rigging video at YouTube.  I’ll get into more of these physical rigging details in an upcoming dedicated video that follows up the “viral hits” I created on Rigging the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera and Rigging the Panasonic GH4.

                                                                    SHOOTING IN LOG, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO

                                                                    Speaking of which, since I’m an indie who can’t just expense stuff out to a media house/corporation, I didn’t have two additional perfectly matching a7S II’s to cover my other angles.  So, those old BMPCC and GH4 workhorses filled in the gaps, since they offer that one wondrous common denominator that brings parity between cameras these days:  LOG color profiles.  Controlling highlights has become a pet peeve of mine, to preserve dynamic range and attain that elusive “film look,” so I’m still stubborn about still shooting in LOG even where there’s low light.  I even committed the worst infraction, choosing S-Log3 for my a7S II A-camera, which struggled with noise in the shadows well beyond the profile’s native design.  But, that shortcoming aside, the primary virtue of LOG color is its flexibility in the color grade, especially when dissimilar cameras are in the multi-cam mix:  as long as they all shoot LOG, there’s a fighting chance to match them, especially using my tool of choice FilmConvert that aligns distinct camera profiles with a common film stock emulation.

                                                                    sony-a7s-ii-rig-1IT STILL OVERHEATS

                                                                    A common myth is that Sony solved its overheating fiasco even after updating the a7S II (and a7R II) firmware.  That’s only partly true, as they merely raised the heat threshold to some higher amount before shutdown (which was an expedient compromise that might someday be proven to damage internal components, a remaining concern in their same strategy for the upcoming a6500).  So:  the desperate bag of tricks to keep the a7S II cool are to use an external battery, and an external recorder.  At left, you can see the Atomos Shogun hooked in, which of course doubles as an excellent full-HD monitor given the lack of a good loupe, and it also records in a “better” (even though it’s Apple) codec direct to SSD.  The a7S II delivers 4:2:2 sampling to the Shogun, instead of 4:2:0 into itself, which is a nice little bump up but still not 10-bit.

                                                                    You can probably guess which of the two remaining angles used which camera:  after all, the camera on the piano keyboard stays fixed (Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera at 1080p) while the wide shot (Panasonic GH4 at UHD-4K) zooms in and out slightly, almost always cropping me out from view as camera operator.  It’s the classic bonus benefit of 4K acquisition in a workflow that’s eventually output to 1080p anyway:  you get all that cropping latitude, as if you’re an active camera operator in post, even though it was just sitting there on sticks during the shoot.

                                                                    The concert audio is fantastically above my pay grade, as it’s professionally recorded (by ace Edward Kelly), and I just throw his 24-bit uncompressed audio files into PluralEyes for the multi-camera synchronization in Premiere.  The tinny, awful sound quality from each of the cameras’ internal microphones is more than adequate for nailing sync.

                                                                    YOU CAN DO IT ALL

                                                                    I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, given the things that I couldn’t control like the dim mix of outdoor versus indoor lighting, and poles obstructing a view that I had to edit around.  I think the weakest link is that rear wide shot, from the Panasonic GH4, which really struggled using an f/2.8 aperture to capture enough light in V-Log using 1600 ISO:  I had to crank up Denoiser II in post to 200%, which compromised image quality of course.  Classical music concerts are a tricky environment to manage these technical strategies, because there is little room for re-configuring things after the curtain goes up, to preserve silence and uninterrupted sightlines.  But those limits also make multi-camera shoots from a single operator (e.g., me) surprisingly feasible — all this stuff fit in one backpack and one shoulder bag, and I carried it all home on the subway.  So I guess these tiny little cameras aren’t so bad after all.

                                                                    November 4, 2016 Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, FocusPulling Original, Panasonic GH4, Sony a7S Leave a Comment
                                                                    27 September 2016

                                                                    While we wait for the GH5: Review of the VARY-i GH4 & GH3 Viewfinder

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Is it just me, or did that GH5 announcement at Photokina seem a bit rushed?  What they brought was only a caged, not-working shell, which amounts to showing up empty-handed.  Panasonic did commit to announcing a few upgrades from the GH4:  internal 4K 30 frames per second recording at 10-bit 4:2:2, and 60 frames per second at 8-bit 4:2:0; and something mostly useless to filmmakers called 6K Photo (burst mode, basically).  What they could not commit to is fixing two Achille’s heels of the GH4:  in-body image stabilization, and improvements to the light sensitivity of the necessarily small Micro Four Thirds sensor.  Betting odds are in favor of them actually delivering on those two critical features (as if they have the choice now, in this market).  But we have to wait until 2017.

                                                                    What does this mean for the GH4, and the GH3 for that matter?  Well, their non-working GH5 shell certainly looked a lot like the GH4 body, which was almost exactly like the GH3 body, so maybe they’ll keep it going.  That would be great news for those of us who invested in accessories to rig up our cameras.  I created a widely-circulated guide to rigging, in the below video.

                                                                    One of the themes in my video was that the G-Cup eyepiece created by Miller & Schneider (still the best you can get) adds a critical third point of contact, to stabilize shooting hand-held.  And another key point:  Zacuto didn’t quite get it right with their adapted Z-Finder system on the GH3 and GH4:  over-complicated, expensive, and cropping the view.  I explain this starting from the 3:48 mark (you can click this link to go straight there).

                                                                    Thankfully, just like Miller & Schneider, another independent entrepreneur has created a large-sized loupe that performs better than the Z-Finder using the rear LCD screen, as an alternative to the more portable G-Cup that attaches to the cameras’ smaller eyecup display.  Fitting both the GH3 and GH4, it adds a diopter for eyeglass wearers, more points of contact for steady hand-holding, and sturdy protection of the swing-out LCD screen.  (Indeed, when I got one of the first GH4s arriving to market, the rear screen flickered badly, as if a loose connection, and required replacement — straight out of the box, not because of rough treatment, suggesting that the swing-out LCD screen is delicate.)

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-01

                                                                    The VARY-i costs €229.75 Euros, and if you’re in the United States, after shipping it’ll cost you about $275 USD.  If you do any serious hand-held shooting with your GH3 or GH4, I think it’s worth it.

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-04Something you’ll notice from this top view is that there is a red diopter ring that twists into a lens correction that might or might not match your eyesight, without wearing glasses.  It’s not as advanced as Zacuto’s, also lacking their patented anti-fog coating, but it’s a great bonus if it you normally wear eyeglasses.  That said, I found that regardless of the diopter, I was able to use the VARY-i comfortably with eyeglasses on, too.  Another thing you’ll notice is a switch next to the diopter ring:  it activates a snappy, sturdy shutter over the loupe to protect the glass as well as the rare possibility of direct sunlight getting magnified and damaging the LCD screen.

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-08The VARY-i is somewhat “modular”: you first attach a proprietary baseplate to the bottom of the camera, as seen in the above pictures from several angles (click each to enlarge).  You’ll notice a molded simple lens mount on the surface, which might further stabilize but actually can cause a bit of trouble:  you’ll see in the last picture that it can skew everything off-perpendicular (I moved the set screw as far as I could), but that small amount didn’t cause any problem.  Moreover, it’s not an adjustable height, so you may have lenses (like the one you’ll see in these pictures) with a wider lens barrel, fitting differently than any slimmer barrel.  That said, the main purpose of the baseplate is to slide your camera into position onto the loupe’s bottom bracket fitting into the slot you see, then lock it there using the red thumbscrew (which is a little hard to turn with any lens in-place, butting right up against the barrel, but it has a flat-head screwdriver slot for tightening too.  You’ll see in the picture at right that the baseplate includes both 1/4″-20 and 3/8″ threaded sockets for mounting options, so that you can leave the VARY-i attached while using a tripod.

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-10vary-i-gh4-loupe-09As seen at left, the rear LCD screen slides into a protective sleeve, and once everything’s in place, it’s surprisingly sturdy.  There’s one more thumb screw (seen at right) to tighten, further reinforcing the bracket’s connection.

                                                                    The below pictures give a wider view from below of how the VARY-i hooks onto your camera.

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-13One of the great features of the GH3 and GH4 is its articulating LCD screen, which means that it can flip out and turn in all directions (compared to, for example, the Sony a7 series which is comparatively limited).  The VARY-i takes advantage of this by also letting you adjust the angle of the viewfinder loupe, as seen below.  You can pivot it up, to look down while pointing forward, or pivot it down, to look up while pointing forward, as you’ll choose whatever gives you the best leverage for different shooting conditions.  The knob seen at right tightens the angle.

                                                                    And finally, another great feature is the latch built into the VARY-i that lets you flip up the loupe, revealing a direct view of the LCD screen (seen below).  Come to think of it, that’s necessary:  unlike other cameras such as the Sony a7 series, we’re talking about touchscreens here!  It’s a bit of a stretch, poking fingers into that box to reach the surface of the screen, but it’s short enough for any adult-sized fingers to reach it comfortably.

                                                                    vary-i-gh4-loupe-17

                                                                    Summing up, having a good viewfinder often gets taken for granted.  You’ll always find them on old-school shoulder-cams, positioned just right, while the bad wrap against digital cinematography using a photo-camera body is that it’s hard to nail critical focus and other adjustments when you’re fighting against the sun and peeking into a tiny hole.  Investing in a viewfinder can be expensive, and the VARY-i is not a small investment.  But with the GH3 and GH4 having more life left in them, and that GH5 looking hazy on the horizon (while maybe even compatible with the VARY-i if its body dimensions stay the same), this thing can really pay off.  Blowing focus or framing can lose you a priceless shot, but a good viewfinder has got your back.  This is the best one you can get for the GH3 and GH4.

                                                                    September 27, 2016 FocusPulling Original, Panasonic GH3, Panasonic GH4 Leave a Comment
                                                                    25 August 2016

                                                                    Announcing the Canon 5D Mark IV

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Canon’s true flagship camera has been its 5D series, and that’s the all-important theme, when it comes to assessing their next move into the Mark numbers of that lineage.  As a camera relied upon by probably more working professionals than any other, it has got to take good photos, in a weather-proof and durable body, even if it adds video features that keep pace with what’s going on in moving picture technology.

                                                                    Today’s announcement of the new Canon 5D Mark IV brings at least one sigh of relief:  it shoots 4K video.  Of course!  But in some regard, this video upgrade is really just a re-housing of the great Cinema EOS 1D C, because the internal video recording codec is still limited to 8-bit 4:2:2.  At least it’s not the 8-bit 4:2:0 of the Sony a7 series, but even so, the marquee feature of the 5D series — its full-frame sensor — doesn’t get leveraged for video the way it does in, particularly, the Sony a7S II.  The gigantic crop factor of the Canon 5D Mark IV takes us right back to the constant guessing game when it comes to using full-frame lenses that cannot deliver — remember Metabones and its progeny of focal reducers?  Problem is, the Canon EF lens mount leaves no room for a focal reducer, because of the Canon body’s flange distance to the sensor.

                                                                    But something in particular (already in this first hour) that all the blogs and media sources are avoiding is this extraordinary oversight:  no log recording!  Whatever the claimed specification of dynamic range, a camera’s true measure of latitude in video capture is its ability to shoot in log, requiring even just a minimal conversion to REC.709, etc., in post-production.  In 2016, log video capture is a bare minimum technical requirement.  I mean, even the sub-$1k Sony a6300 has got it.

                                                                    But the theme remains as always:  this is primarily a stills camera.  And for that, it’s all good news:  a 30.4 megapixel CMOS sensor with high exposure latitude, Dual Pixel CMOS auto-focus and a new Dual Pixel RAW feature.  Also underestimated and finally arrived is GPS metadata recording, which is especially vital to the core 5D customer who engages in things like photojournalism and research (where the archival value of ascertaining the precise location of a photograph is invaluable:  I learned that using a simple point-and-shoot with GPS capability through this fascinating episode in geology).

                                                                    But coming back to video, my experience shooting with a Mark III revealed two very specific shortcomings:  “soft” and “punchy” video, primarily caused by its anti-aliasing filter and default color profiles.  I did everything else I could:  uploaded the Technicolor profile to get the color space as flat as possible (angling to simulate log), and avoided shooting wide focal lengths for the usual reasons, then applying a sharpness boost in post.  Has the Mark IV gotten better at this?  The videos seem to suggest it, but of course they are demos meant to show the camera at its best (and naturally, 4K capture increases evident sharpness).

                                                                    But it’s early, isn’t it?  Next come the reviews, and that’s where/when all’s revealed.  For quite a few shooters, though, the Mark IV is an automatic upgrade.  To that end, pre-orders are already available at B&H Photo and Video, and at Adorama, to name a couple.  I can think of a few people who will jump immediately, and when it comes to the most important value for working professionals — familiarity with an esteemed product line’s interface and behavior — today’s feature improvements are fantastic news and there’s no hesitation.

                                                                    Ironically, I’m writing this in Cologne, Germany during a conference on film music called SoundTrack_Cologne, starting to see all the signs for Photokina going up around the city for next month’s big show.  The drama builds:  what’s next?

                                                                    August 25, 2016 Canon EOS 5D Mark III, FocusPulling Original Leave a Comment
                                                                    29 March 2016

                                                                    Two new full-frame Sony lenses: 50mm f/1.8 & 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Sony have just announced two new additions to their full-frame E-mount lens line-up.  One of them is a surprisingly affordable alternative to their 55mm f/1.8 Zeiss prime lens, and the other is a very long telephoto zoom lens that serves to “compensate” for the shorter focal reach implicit in full-frame sensors, to those of us coming over from crop sensors.

                                                                    Sony FE 50mm

                                                                    Sony FE 50mm f/1.8

                                                                    The latest in Sony’s ongoing tease, between their pricey “pro” lenses that deploy minor product differentiation for dramatic price inflation (example: their FE 85mm f/1.4 GM lens costs almost $2k!), versus amazingly affordable gear to democratize professional-quality filmmaking (example: their new a6300 APS-C camera), Sony has really hit it out of the park with this $248 prime lens.  To anyone with a full-frame E-mount camera in the a7 series, this is a fantastically affordable alternative to the $1k Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA lens.  Granted, that Zeiss is extraordinarily tack-sharp, with better coatings, better bokeh (nine-blade aperture versus seven) and more glass elements/groups (7/5 versus 6/5).  I wrote here about how it carried the weight of almost an entire documentary film project.  But, short of being able to do a side-by-side comparison yet, we’re talking about video here, not still photography, and the thought of being able to buy four of these for the price of that one Zeiss means there had better be a clear difference!  (Don’t forget, 4K video can only resolve the equivalent of about 8-9 megapixels.)

                                                                    What it does have in common with the Zeiss, though, is that it skimps on optical image stabilization (what Sony calls SteadyShot).  The feature has long been debated, mostly among still photographers who perpetuate the fallacy that it can damage image quality, and can substantially raise the cost of lens manufacture.  Less known is the fact that even on a Sony body with internal 5-axis image stabilization, performance is appreciably better when you pair an OSS lens with IBIS.  And for anyone without IBIS, the lack of OSS at this focal length is a recipe for amateurish jitter.  Sony has offered OSS on similarly affordable E-mount lenses before in this small form factor (notably, their 50mm and 35mm primes for crop sensors).  It’s an unfortunate trend, motivated by corporate accountants, and we can expect to see an elimination of OSS on mirrorless lenses justified by an increased deployment of IBIS into camera bodies.

                                                                    Sony FE 70-300mm

                                                                    Sony FE 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G OSS

                                                                    Though not quite in the same budget territory as the new prime lens, this long zoom at $1,198 offers lots of value to full-frame shooters.  Reason is, if we were used to zooms on crop sensors (for example, the flagship 18-200mm zoom lens), going to a full-frame sensor meant that 200mm became not-so-telephoto after all.  Absent a crop factor of 1.8x for widescreen video, 300mm gets us into the range of that visible focal length we had enjoyed at 200mm in the Super 35mm world.  Granted, this isn’t parfocal, and lacks the continuous bright aperture of the wonderful 28-135mm f/4.0 cine lens, but f/5.6 zoomed all the way in is respectable — remember, the 18-200mm stopped down to a darker and farther f/6.3 at its maximum focal length.  I also like the manual controls on this lens barrel, to switch between manual and auto-focus, and yes:  Optical SteadyShot is included!  Good for you, Sony.

                                                                    Both of these exciting new lenses are available for purchase on Thursday, March 31 at 11am EST.  I’ll let you know how they perform as soon as I get my paws on them, but sight-unseen, these look to be winners.

                                                                    March 29, 2016 FocusPulling Original, Sony a7S, Sony NEX-FS100, Sony NEX-FS700, Sony NEX-VG10/VG20/VG30, Sony PXW-FS5, Sony PXW-FS7 Leave a Comment
                                                                    21 March 2016

                                                                    Atomos Shogun Flame/Ninja Flame, Say: HDR is Now

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    I remember the moment when I first got my Panasonic GH4, feeling amazed that it shot 4K without breaking the bank, but also:  freaked out!  It felt like the beginning of the end for me shooting HD, and sure enough, about a year later, I got fully converted.  My whole workflow now is just Ultra-HD (that’s a few insignificant horizontal pixels shy of cinema 4K resolution), even though I’m usually delivering output in HD.  So, it was one of those moments, of no turning back, 4K or bust, innocence lost.  Mixed emotions!

                                                                    Today Atomos announces its Shogun Flame and Ninja Flame 4K HDR monitor/recorders.  Just like the GH4, you can call this another turning point, because Atomos is a company that makes things for everyone, not just rental houses and moneyed studios.  The Shogun Flame is up for pre-order now at $1,695, also the Ninja Flame at $1,295, and they’re both slated to ship March 28th, including a full kit of accessories in a hard case just like the launch of the original Shogun — but sooner.  Welcome to the front end of HDR.

                                                                    flame products lowrez 72dpi

                                                                    Unlike 4K resolution, which was an easy upgrade to grasp (just quadruple the dots of HD), high dynamic range (HDR) video is a much more complicated transition:  partly, because most of us already have it, and either we aren’t aware, or we’re confused about how to deliver it.  But words speak for themselves, and HDR is just what it says:  a higher range between the brightest and the darkest in your camera footage, generally 10 or more “stops.”  So, these days we’re accustomed to cameras boasting how many stops of dynamic range they can capture, even if the measurement is pretty arbitrary between one manufacturer and the next.  One thing’s for sure:  the more, the better.  And also:  it’s only relevant (for now) when you’re shooting in some brand of film log format, which basically squeezes the brightest and the darkest parts of an image into the gooey middle range of an image’s brightness and saturation, making it look “flat” and dull.  Sony calls it S-Log2 and S-Log3, Canon calls it C-Log, Panasonic calls it V-Log, Blackmagic simply calls it Film, and so on.  As we know, it’s only in post-production, back at the studio, where the flat log footage expands back out into the so-called REC.709 video format that’s ready-to-watch on a television or digital projector.

                                                                    That is, until recently.  Sony started baking into their cameras a “Gamma Assist” function, so that even though it’s recording those gooey log images internally, you can see an approximate viewfinder preview of the final result as it would look after post-production color grading.  That’s really important when it comes to judging exposure, managing color influences while you have the chance, and your overall composition as a cinematographer.  We aren’t goofing around here!  Meanwhile, for those of us with Shoguns, Atomos last year made good on their promise to release a free firmware update that lets us apply our own look-up tables (LUTs), just like “Gamma Assist,” for previewing the real thing.

                                                                    I mean, think about it:  when historic/legendary cinematographers peered into Panavision cameras (not today’s mirrorless OLED viewfinders at best), they saw the real world.  That’s important!  And our own eyes see HDR, on steroids.  We deserve something closer to that, whether on location or back in the studio.

                                                                    Focusing on the moment of acquisition, Atomos is setting us up for HDR with these new Flame monitors that add three crucial specs:

                                                                    1. Brightness capability of 1500 nits
                                                                    2. 10-bit color accuracy, resolving 1.07 billion colors (compared to only 16.7 million colors on the prior Shogun and Ninja Assassin 8-bit panels)
                                                                    3. “AtomHDR” engine to render HDR output in a live view

                                                                    Here’s the catch:  Atomos can’t solve your need for HDR farther down the road.  That is, their Flames will show you HDR on their monitors, as their prior ones couldn’t, but they’ll still just record whatever log footage you capture, the same as always, straight-to-disk.

                                                                    Log Equals HDR

                                                                    OpenEXRSo, it’s up to you once you’re back at the studio to figure out how to preserve all that detail being captured in log.  Normally, whatever LUT you’re using (e.g., FilmConvert) expands your log footage only into the narrow confines of the REC.709 color space, which limits dynamic range to “legal” levels that historically trace back to cathode ray tubes!  Whereas, for example, the latest version of Adobe Premiere has begun to incorporate HDR into the workflow, offering so far an output format you might notice in Adobe Media Encoder called OpenEXR (seen at right).  Meanwhile, when it comes to ultimately viewing the expanded dynamic range of HDR encoded content, there are — surprise, surprise — competing standards between HDR10 and Dolby Vision, sort of like HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray being technically similar but the former more widely adopted in HDR televisions for now.  At home, I have a Sony XBR X850C panel with HDR capability that arrived from a firmware update mid-way into the product’s seasonal life.  Going forward, most HDTV panels will include HDR capability — that was the moneyball at CES — but standards are still in flux.  It’s daunting and yet exciting to consider that everything you ever recorded in log can someday get upgraded to a render in HDR, as if this delivery technology existed all along.  Archive everything carefully?

                                                                    Shogun_Flame_3(smaller)

                                                                    Back to the Flames, if you’re like me, you might have felt underwhelmed initially by the news that they’re fundamentally an upgrade to an already best-in-class 7-inch monitor.  But Atomos has clearly treated this re-boot as an occasion to respect customer feedback in some key areas.  Their new design checks off a lot of the boxes that I complained about in my review of the Shogun Action Pack.  Their Armor was a rubbery loose fit on the Shogun and Ninja Assassin, but now it’s an integrally tight part of the Flame chassis.  It used to be that the Atomos Sun Hood posed an either/or dilemma, because you couldn’t mount it at the same time as the Armor; it’s not a problem anymore on the Flames, adding a “snap-fast” feature instead of screws you could lose — and the Sun Hood is included for free!  At that, if you’re shooting without the intention to monitor in HDR, you can flip over to a traditional video mode (REC.709) and get the full 1,500-nit brightness capability of the new Flames for outdoor shooting that has a fighting chance against sunlight, hood or no hood.

                                                                    1458565296000_IMG_604517Between the Shogun and Ninja versions of the Flame, the differences are parallel to their predecessors:  the Ninja Flame lacks XLR balanced audio inputs, SDI inputs, and raw recording capability from select cameras, but you save some money too.  But both have an upgraded approach to power, addressing a key concern in the battery-hungry original Shogun and Ninja Assassin design, by adding a second battery slot to facilitate longer uninterrupted sessions and hot-swapping.  It’s like they incorporated their Power Station that I reviewed here previously, finding that it added too much bulk as a piggybacked accessory onto the Shogun/Ninja Assassin.  The Flame design effectively incorporates the best of the Power Station, at no extra cost.

                                                                    Supported formats in the Shogun FlameSpeaking of which, we’re talking about Atomos here.  This is the company from down under (relative to where I am, anyway) who shipped the Shogun with tons of accessories that we’re used to getting gouged for when it comes to cameras, etc.  They never charged for firmware updates, and kept them coming.  They even shipped out free batteries when folks inevitably complained about the included one dying too soon.  I know, you don’t want to penny-pinch when it comes to production of important art/media, but at a time when the costs of gear are soaring into cynical opportunism (say, $2k lenses and bloggers getting flown all over the place to drool), Atomos is sending a message.  But mainly, it’s this:  HDR is here, and it’s for the masses.

                                                                    March 21, 2016 ARRI Alexa and Amira, Blackmagic Cinema Cameras, Camera User Groups, Canon Cinema EOS, Canon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon EOS 70D, Canon EOS Rebel/70D/80D, FocusPulling Original, Panasonic GH3, Panasonic GH4, Sony a7S, Sony CineAlta F3/F5/F55, Sony NEX-FS100, Sony NEX-FS700, Sony NEX-VG10/VG20/VG30, Sony PXW-FS5, Sony PXW-FS7 7 Comments
                                                                    29 February 2016

                                                                    Review of the Sony PXW-FS5

                                                                    Written by Paul Moon

                                                                    Remember when this thing got teased? It sort of worked as a marketing tactic, to spike interest leading up to the launch, but for a lot of us (misled by anxious rumors), the PXW-FS5 was a big disappointment because it didn’t take us all the way to a full-frame sensor, and it lacked internal image stabilization. These were features we started getting on the a7R II (and soon, the a7S II), but having them in a proper camcorder form factor would have tamed the awful overheating defect in the a7R II (which turned out to be an embarrassing clerical error in the firmware, finally fixed), while also adding balanced XLR audio inputs and an array of manual controls instead of fiddling with ornery menus to do nearly everything. That would have been the real #MissingPiece! And still we wait.

                                                                    PXW-FS5-01

                                                                    So the FS5 didn’t start a revolution (and I guess you can’t call something a game changer if it was just a missing piece).  But ultimately: it’s lovable. You can think of it as the NEX-FS100 brought up to date with 4K (as the intervening NEX-FS700 was a broken promise for 4K). The FS5 checks off all the boxes, squeezes into a smaller size, and feels good in the hand. It also has a fussy codec for internal recording, mediocre light sensitivity, and costs too damn much. But first up, happy thoughts. And in the normal pattern of reviews here, I won’t list out the specs, or rattle off the talking points, because my philosophy is to add to the conversation, not just repeat it. (Really wish other blogs did that.)

                                                                    PXW-FS5-02Is there anything brand new, never seen before, on the FS5? Yes! You can expect to start seeing it anywhere there’s room for an internal ND filter (and it’s even showing up in add-on peripherals). Instead of rotating two polarization filters that fight against each other, resulting in vignetting and even an X-pattern, this new invention is an electronic function (not only motorized). To begin with, you always get better results when you stack the ND filter behind the lens instead of at the outside, before the lens cap. The fact that the FS5 crams this new feature into such a small body is brilliant. In practice, you can lock down your aperture and shutter speed, while setting ISO/gain to whatever works at the lowest lighting environment you expect to have, then simply ride the variable ND dial to adjust exposure as necessary, maintaining consistent depth of field and motion blur. NDFilterI was worried that it would (like electronic aperture controls) clunk up and down in visible steps, but it doesn’t: the transitions from light to dark, and vice-versa, are smooth. And, as seen in the animated GIF at left, you can move the entire ND filter out of position to get a clear view, if you’re not using it, with just the press of a button.

                                                                    PXW-FS5-03From the picture at right, you can begin to see how smartly the manual controls are laid out, including an inset from the rear leading to an angled column in the middle that cheats out to the viewpoint of the camera operator. The HOLD toggle works out to be a clever stress-reducer if you know conditions won’t change, and you want insurance: in the classic case, I love it during an interview, especially when it’s a crew of one (me).

                                                                    PXW-FS5-04PXW-FS5-05Another clever feature is the way that manual audio level controls are inset, but flattened by a latch so that you can’t accidentally nick them and send the audio into unrecoverable clipping. At right, you can see how the hatch opens up. Granted, it’s an extra step when you want to adjust audio levels on-the-fly, pulling down the hatch and flipping it back up when you’re done, but I’m glad to have it for protection. Well done!

                                                                    PXW-FS5-06PXW-FS5-07At the back of the FS5, you can see the included small battery, and the room to upgrade for longer life. Although the battery format (Sony BP-UXX) is much costlier than the nearly-universal Sony NP-F used in the NEX camcorders, it adds the nice feature of an onboard push-to-check battery level meter. At right, you can see the SDI and HDMI outputs, as well as an Ethernet port for studio work (I’m not familiar with that feature, and apparently Sony doesn’t think we are either). The outputs, though, sadly deliver a mere 8-bit 4:2:0 at full 4K/Ultra-HD, so even if you’ve got an Atomos Shogun capable of recording 10-bit 4:2:2 color, pooey on you. Notably, the older brother of the FS5, Sony’s PXW-FS7, outputs 10-bit 4:2:2 4K/Ultra-HD. Unless seeing actual evidence otherwise, you can presume the usual hooey at play: Sony wants you to pay more for it, even though the FS5 could totally output 10-bit color without any significantly different hardware.

                                                                    PXW-FS5-08It’s true that the internal recording capability would be pushed past its limits with 10-bit 4:2:2 color for 4K/Ultra-HD, because the SD card write speed is a bottleneck (even at the minimum spec you need, UHS-I Class 3). This explains why the FS7 requires astronomically expensive, proprietary XQD memory cards (that’ll probably get outdated faster than you can say “Sony Memory Stick”). Speaking of which, the FS5 comically has one Memory Stick slot! And it’s 2016! PXW-FS5-20When you’re done laughing at that, there’s also a pair of SDXC card slots. This buys you the choice of redundant recording to two cards at the same time for insurance, or relaying from one that gets full, on to the next one without loss. Nice for peace of mind.

                                                                    I was disappointed to find that the port labeled “MULTI” in the above-left rear view, which uses a micro-USB connector, didn’t work as expected. When I plug the remote control seen at right into my a7S II’s port also labeled “MULTI,” I can control an attached power zoom lens, start/stop, and power. After digging into the FS5 menus and trying all possible combinations, no dice. Sony needs to do a better job at clarifying what it’s for (and the product manual doesn’t say, besides analog video/audio output).

                                                                    Ergonomically, the center of gravity that epitomizes the feel of the FS5 is its innovative hand grip, as seen in the gallery above. Improving upon the FS7’s that was fundamentally designed to be extended from a shoulder-mount configuration, this one thrives on a rosette (non-ARRI) that lets it pivot to your sweet spot. (The FS100 and FS700 were onto this, but never quite got it.) There are a zoom rocker, start/stop button and assignable controls, and you can remove the whole thing if, for example, you’re flying on a gimbal or need to slim down. The cable management is great, and you can still relocate it via an extension arm like the FS7.

                                                                    PXW-FS5-16

                                                                    PXW-FS5-15Moving to the top, there are generous mounting points designed for custom rigs, and/or the included top handle with attached viewfinder display. In the picture at left, you can see the proprietary port that you can plug the viewfinder into, using the cable seen in the picture below/right, whether mounted onto the handle or somewhere else. Sony gives you generous options for where to locate all this stuff, more than I’ve ever seen. You’d think that companies like Zacuto would have nothing to add, but they do: the viewfinder ain’t great, and unlike for the FS7, Sony doesn’t give you a loupe to magnify it and isolate it from unwanted light. (The other, rear loupe/viewfinder may be adequate in a pinch, but not enough to pull focus accurately.) So, the one must-get accessory for the FS5 is Zacuto’s new custom Z-Finder. PXW-FS5-14 Sony also includes a boom microphone holder on the handle, but unlike the NEX camcorders, they don’t even include a microphone that fits (not that you’d want it): but if you use a non-Sony-proprietary boom mic (e.g., the great Rode NTG-4), it’ll slip out. Like Memory Stick and A-Mount, Sony just won’t give up on this one. It’s been driving us crazy for years, and they don’t even sell their simple rubber adapter sleeve at retail to make any standard microphone fit snugly. The best you can do (and believe me, I’ve scoured the field) is to buy a bunch of rubber rings made by Sanken, and avoid nasty thoughts as you load up the mic shaft.

                                                                    PXW-FS5-18When it comes to rigging up the FS5, my primary concern was how to get my Atomos Shogun hooked up, in a modular way so that I could quickly break things down, or go hand-held and back, or switch out gear. PXW-FS5-19I went with Zacuto’s Gorilla Plate v2 that is the quick-release base for many of their products, including the extension arm that’s seen at right. 15mm rods are a fast and sturdy way to quickly mount stuff and make adjustments. Worked out great. You’ll also see that I mounted my monstrous Sony 28-135mm f/4 cine lens, which as a full-frame lens is a little long for the FS5’s crop sensor, starting at 28mm. But when you have less freedom of movement and might be shooting from a farther distance anyway (e.g., music performances), it’s a killer combination that far exceeds the capability of the kit lens you can buy with the FS5. Its hard focus stops, parfocal mechanism, clickless manual aperture control, continuous aperture, and wide barrel are a killer throwback to the way lenses should always be.

                                                                    IMG_20151212_130402

                                                                    Having picked at some of these details, the real measurement for a review is field use! I’m sold on S-Log3 combined with the simplicity of dropping FilmConvert onto camera footage for a rich and easy LUT, making results similar across different camera types. Thus, the FS5 can be a great companion to another S-Log3 shooter like the Sony a7S II. That’s the pair you see above, in the studio of renowned piano interpreter and pedagogue Immanuela Gruenberg, where we created a series of tutorials on Béla Bartók’s “Ten Easy Pieces” for worldwide distribution by a major publisher — the first in a series. The FS5 is dedicated to 4K/Ultra-HD capture of the wide shot (with the option to crop in for a medium shot), and the a7S II is dedicated to 4K/Ultra-HD capture of the piano keyboard (with the option to crop in for a close shot of her hands), while the final output is 1080p.

                                                                    Graded with FilmConvert FS5 profile on left, original S-Log3 Cine gamma on right
                                                                    Graded with FilmConvert FS5 profile on left, original S-Log3 Cine gamma on right
                                                                    Graded with FilmConvert a7S II profile on top, original S-Log3 Cine gamma on bottom
                                                                    Graded with FilmConvert a7S II profile on top, original S-Log3 Cine gamma on bottom

                                                                    This is where the severe limits of the XAVC-L codec comes in, especially given Sony’s lock-down of 8-bit 4:2:0. It’s supposed to be a little better than the a7S II’s XAVC-S codec, but it doesn’t matter: if you’ve got slight shifts of color and brightness in your shot, you’re at risk of macro-blocking and tearing. It’s the perfect storm of ingredients: (1) 8-bit 4:2:0 suffers because it captures less gradients between one color and the next; (2) 100 Mbps is too slow of a bitrate to crunch 4K/Ultra-HD numbers on-the-fly; and (3) all the flavors of XAVC are terribly lossy compression. Granted, it’s neato that you can shoot for hours onto a single cheap card, and spare the massive archiving expense of RAW terrabytes from a single shoot. But we aren’t even given the option to improve the situation with hardware upgrades (e.g., the Atomos Shogun), because one bottleneck can bring everything else down — and again, Sony handicapped the outputs of the FS5 and a7S II.

                                                                    Is this all just a horde of theory? Nope. In the gallery above, there are ungraded S-Log3 Cine gamma, and FilmConvert graded counterparts, at two zoomed-in trouble spots from the FS5 footage. This was before a recent FS5 firmware update that improved upon, but did not eliminate, the problem. (Sony had messed up its implementation of noise reduction on the FS5, considering that we noticed the a7S II actually performed better using its similar XAVC codec and S-Log3 colorspace.) In the first pair of before/after grading, you’ll see concentric rings of banding. And in the second pair, an abrupt cliff where grayish simply turns pinkish. And these bugs look far, far worse in motion, compared to stills, because macro-blocks boogie like a disco dance floor.

                                                                    Sony’s spin control on results like this was comical, usually delivered by paid evangelists. Generally, the theme has been: what the hell did you expect? It’s not the FS7, it’s tiny, it’s cheaper than a CineAlta, the video ain’t RAW, etc. Funny thing is, the firmware update did improve (but again, did not eliminate) the problem, amounting to a belated admission. That “get over it” diagnosis didn’t turn out to be the end-all, be-all (just like the a7R II overheating product defect). We’ve got to keep our guard up! The solution isn’t to point our cameras away from anything with a gradient. The sky is not a limit!

                                                                    But still, for that perfect storm of ingredients causing the problem, you can eliminate its biggest factor by doing something simple (if it befits your final output): throttle down your resolution to 1080p, because there, you get 10-bit 4:2:2 internal recording. Even where your final output is 4K/Ultra-HD, if you’ve got a shot of the sky, etc., it’s a reasonable compromise to just drop in your shot at 1080p, and up-res it in post. After all, macro-blocking is a bigger pixel resolution downgrade than the gap between 2K and 4K!

                                                                    So, should you get this thing? Always the boilerplate answer: depends on your needs. For me, I’m a little disappointed: I want a full-frame sensor, dammit! And when you think about it, Sony is migrating its native E-mount lens line-up to full-frame almost exclusively, so there’s no turning back. We’ve almost arrived at that destination, putting the a7S II into a proper camcorder body for doing real work (not fiddling around with menus and recording separate audio, as if we’re using a tourist camera to make serious films). For Sony to close the gap with, say, a 200 Mbps bitrate and 10-bit 4:2:2 capture is a zero-effort proposition. Blackmagic jammed that into their sub-$1k Pocket Cinema Camera in what seems like an eternity ago for this market. And with overpriced lenses increasingly skimping out on image stabilization, Sony has got to make up for it with in-body image stabilization across the product line.  We’re almost there, Sony.  It wasn’t long ago that Panasonic was killing you with the GH4!  What’s your next move?

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                                                                    February 29, 2016 FocusPulling Original, Sony PXW-FS5 fs7 4 Comments
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