it takes more time or gear or people or money. Or all of the above.
The depressing thing is that these days, I’m not sure anybody cares. Let’s just shoot it on an iPhone and call it a day.
We had a sound guy from Bangkok that told me he was now an editor. I asked what do you use and he said FCPex. I asked how long has he been doing it and he said around a month. I said that's not editing, that's just slamming stuff together. (I guess that didn't go over well, cause he then became a problem child).
Yes I know that people think they have a very good camera in their pocket, but as you said, to get better takes work/time (which is money) I don't pay attention to those people.
But the problem I (personaly) find with this is that it kills to some extend the
Idea of compacteness, addind devices and more cablery in
What in the end becomes bigger, more expensive, and uncomfortable
To handle. (Cages etc..)
I don't really see the reason why, aside from commercial oscur decisions,
Manufacturers couldn't enable solid recording features within
The volume of a high-end dslr, when we see that it could be done
In the GH5 and the BM pocket.
Fred,
On this forum small seems to be the talk of the day, especially Sony. I see the point, especially if your mounting in a car, or small area, when time is limited, but basically most small cameras like my Sony A7sII has a very low bitrate and honestly everyone tells me how it goes to such high iso, but mine doesn't and exposure must be very carefully checked, especially with skies as banding will come up quickly.
But Fred, the marketplace is full of all in one digital motion cameras, from the c100, 200, 300, 500, Sony has about 10, Black Magic 4 or 5, Panasonic about 5 and the list goes on and if you watched any of those utube comparison videos it's all there with a long laundry list of what's missing, what isn't.
I think the panasonic gh series cameras especially the gh5 that shoots (I think) up to 400 mBs is pretty amazing given the size of the camera and costs, and ibis. Also the gh series has about the easiest menu system to learn and set up. In fact it reminds me of a mini 1dxII and has tactile buttons for quick changes in settings.
In regards to cages and atmos recorders I don't see them as an issue with small cameras because a little added weight and the ability to mount accessories makes it more adaptable, especially wooden cameras products. It's probably a camera that everyone that shoots motion should have in their kit. The only downside with 4/3 because it's a fairly small sensor. I have a set of the voight 1.0 primes that allows for more focus separation but you lose some functionality. I really wish the gh series was super 35 or aps-c, as it allows for more coverage and adjustability for shifting foreground to background focus. But it shoots a highly compressed file so it's not a camera to do serious effects with.
Your dream camera that shoots uncompressed 4K to an SD card or whatever—I think that is coming, but I don’t think it’s as easy as you make it sound. I think the principal barrier for a small camera is heat. For uncompressed 4K, twenty minutes will use a terabyte of storage. It takes a lot of power to move that much data around. Small cameras will really struggle to dissipate that much heat. They will get there, but not for a while.
I don’t think the barrier is manufacturers protecting other lines—well, it may be that in Canon’s case, but certainly not Nikon’s—and I think Sony is up against the brick wall of physics with the a7 form. I’m so interested to see what they bring to the a7s3. The GH5 is pretty remarkable, but it doesn’t record uncompressed, or even lossless compressed. (And compared to an a7x, it’s not that small.) So while you get excellent color from its 10 bit 4:2:2 files, they will suffer from compression issues with the kind of subjects landscape shooters point the lens at.
Dave,
I think the time will come where there will be high bit depth, bit rate smaller cameras that are 4k and will probably go to 60fps, but I also think that time is a ways off and won't produce a cinema look.
I also agree that the biggest issue is heat. I know my RED R1s are big as the body weighs 10 lbs, but have never overheated in some very challenging conditions, where the original RED scarlet or epic had a tendency to get hot on long takes, and the fans would kick in, quite loud. I added the aux fan kit which helps the dsmc mx cameras a great deal.
I will always (at least today) think most cinema cameras need at least super 35 sized sensors (or aps-c) and even with stills aps_C produces a nice file.
This still image was shot on a mountain top we used as a makeshift landing zone. After we did the main session of landing, they turned around and flew by. Every cameras next to me had the data cards were full and in the bag I had a 70d so I just grabbed it and started shooting, really not knowing what I was gong to get.
This image was used large as a bus wrap and other very large print it looked good and a 70d is probably worth about $400 at todays prices, the 80d $800.
I do think Canon plays a little too many games in holding back specs like on the c200 and c300, but so does everyone. In fact looking at what Panasonic gets from the little gh5, there is really no reason that Canon can't make a super 80d with dual pixel focus and high bit rate, at least 10 bit internal, a good codec, even if they sold it at 2.5 times the price. I guess that would make it a Sony A-9 with better color.
Canon also needs to copy RED and BM with user changeable lens mounts, from PL to EF. Maybe they expect people to buy two cameras, but there a lot of times you want to go to PL and for quick lifestyle the dual pixel AF is very good.
Nikon has always surprised me as like you I don't understand that because Nikon has no cinema territory to protect. I'm just guessing but since their cameras have Sony sensors, maybe Sony kind of holds them back with second gen sensors, unlike what is in the Sony A9.
Bottom ine is real cinema cameras are large, with a lot of cables, variable output, variable inputs, variable power, and especially good sound suppression.
We have a great sound tech, that I always ask that every camera on set has sound running to it. On the ol' R1's the sound it records, vs. the sound cards the tech gives me are virtually identical. He never believed me until I set him down in one of our suites and let him listen himself.
Now he does it without complaint.
Second bottom line is if you're shooting utube instructional videos, get a gh5 and just shoot it with a directional mic pointed at the subject make it look good on the lcd. Nobody will know or care cause it's the tube.
That's not the goal, but nobody on the tube cares.
Third bottom line.
I don't need new cameras for 90% of what I shoot, but there always comes a time they want slow mo and fast focus pulling. So I guess my next camera is a C300 from a reputable reseller, used with low miles. Is it what I want? No, but when you're competing off the bottom line, it's probably the best bet because most don't know the difference between 12 bit and 8 bits and honestly with proper grading, fill and exposure it's almost impossible to see the differene. They just know the words 4k, so to get to 60p reliable focus my 1dx MKII does it and honestly with some light grading it can match my REDs in a few minutes.
IMO
BC