Micro Four Thirds

Leaked: the specs of the Panasonic GH5S, & *FINALLY* we get the first stills camera with timecode I/O!

Posted on by David Peterson

This camera has not yet been announced by Panasonic (it will be in a few hours at CES), but the Panasonic GH5S got leaked by Tech Radar.

They put up a page too early, now gets redirected to their old GH5 review.

But Google Cache remembers!

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:nTmLu6vItjcJ:www.techradar.com/news/the-lumix-gh5s-is-panasonics-most-video-focused-camera-yet

Key info:

  • 4k Cinema at 60/50p
    Internal 4:2:2 10-bit
  • V-LOG preinstalled
  • Complies with 4k HDR with Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) mode in photo style.
  • Bundled BNC terminal, built-in time code generator
  • Focus in lower light level -5EV compared to -4EV on GH5
  • Max ISO 51,200
  • 10.2 MP sensor
  • Dual Native ISO
  • Multi-aspect sensor
  • GH5s available from end of January
  • US$2,499

Lots of interesting points there, such as Dual Native ISO like the Varicam LT & Panasonic EVA1, a multi-aspect sensor (means a wider field of view, like the famous GH2 had), and only 10.2MP sensor (“The Megapixel Wars” are truly over!).

But what excites me the most is that *FINALLY* we get the first stills camera with timecode input/output on the camera’s body!! (YAGH doesn’t count)

Because we have had the “HDSLR Revolution” for a number of years now, which have given us glorious image qualities at low prices, but DSLRs (and mirrorless cameras too) have always been rather crippled on the audio front in numerous ways. One example, is always lacking any way to jam timecode. Now all this is going to change with the Panasonic GH5S!

To quote the relevant part from the Tech Radar leak:

The Lumix GH5S is also compatible with Timecode In/out, making it easy to synchronize multiple compatible devices when filming, for pain-free post-production editing. A bundled coaxial cable for a BNC terminal connects to the flash sync terminal of the camera, allowing the camera to be used as a Timecode generator for other GH5S cameras and professional camcorders. 

 

This is amazing news, as it has never been done before. Although the bad news is they’re not using any existing standard for TC I/O….  oh no, not yet another TC cable us soundies need to buy!! But wait, there is good news: it says the GH5S comes bundled with a cable for it to  be used as a BNC connection, thus every GH5S owner will have one. Phew! We can just use our existing standard BNC cables with the GH5S that we already have in our sound kits.

Although it would have been nice to have seen a full size BNC on the GH5S itself (rather than using the bundled cable), it is very understandable that a small mirrorless camera couldn’t have this (but please could we get at least a DIN connection? At least that is used by some TC systems already, such as the Ultrasync ONE. But that is probably even less likely to happen).

And in a way, it is kinda ingeniously smart of the Panasonic engineering team to use the flash sync terminal of the camera as the timecode input/output. Because you’ll never ever need the flash sync terminal otherwise while doing video (the camera flash is only for stills! Not needing while filming).

And if they’d used the 3.5mm audio input or the smartshoe (which can be used for the Panasonic DMW-XLR1, which is an accessory for the original GH5 that allows 2x XLR inputs, & I assume the DMW-XLR1 will stay compatible with the GH5S’ smartshoe) then that would be two steps forward and one step back for the GH5S’ audio capabilities (as you’d gain TC, but lose flexibility in audio inputs).

But by using the flash sync terminal that keeps both the 3.5mm jack and the smartshoe free to be used as an audio input source, My hope (because as of yet, we have no detailed info at all as to how many tracks of audio it can record at once) is the GH5S will allow us to use both at once! To record 4 tracks simultaneously.

At a “minimum” hopefully the 2x XLR inputs via the smartshoe (the Panasonic DMW-XLR1) or the stereo 3.5mm input, plus the built in stereo mic. Thus allowing you to use a stereo camera hop from your bag to the camera, while also keeping a safety scratch track from the camera’s own built in stereo mic (to wish to record all six tracks at once is just greedy and dreaming! 2x XLR + stereo 3.5mm + built in stereo mic). I expect however my hopes will be dashed to pieces!

But if not now, perhaps we can push Panasonic for a firmware update to do this? Who knows. We are living in a brave new world of audio possibilities on a stills camera!

 

Panasonic GH5 with the Panasonic DMW-XLR1

Panasonic GH5 with the Panasonic DMW-XLR1

 

Smartshoe of Panasonic GH5S used for DMW-XLR1

Smartshoe of Panasonic GH5S used for DMW-XLR1

 

Just had one final closing thought: I assume the the Panasonic DMW-XLR1 for the GH5 will be compatible with the GH5S as well. But maybe they will be updating that too, bringing out a “Panasonic DMW-XLR2” with excellent pre-amps and limiters? But also this new “DMW-XLR2” for the GH5S would be the perfect opportunity for Panasonic to include an industry standard BNC connection for timecode (or at least a DIN connection!). Assuming the smartshoe on the GH5S can support not just audio being passed through, but timecode too. Would be wonderful!

Minor final final note: “what about the Panasonic GH4 with a YAGH??”  Nope, that doesn’t count. As the Panasonic GH4 never had a timecode input on the body itself. (plus the YAGH was quite the flop, as it was awkwardly cumbersome, needed external powering just to use it!!) While the Panasonic GH5S doesn’t need any extra purchases whatsoever, as the TC input is right there on the body itself (and as a bonus: comes with a timecode cable for it! But you could easily make up your own if you wanted to).

First Ever Panasonic GH5 Footage Spotted Online…

Posted on by David Peterson

Take a look at Griffin Hammond’s latest YouTube upload:

Check out what YouTube says: 4K 60p!

 Yet it is shot on the Panasonic 42.5mm f1.2 lens….
& Griffin Hammond is a Panasonic brand ambassador.
You connect the dots! 😉  All the clues are pointing in one direction….   seems like GH5 footage to me! (the close ups that is)

Confirmed: confidential Panasonic GH5 prototype exists, is being tested by users outside of Panasonic.

Posted on by David Peterson

UPDATE: nope, unfortunately it is just the Panasonic FZ2500 (unless Panasonic has another superzoom camera secretly under development it plans to release very shortly after the just announced FZ2500??? While an FZ2500 with a constant f2.8 lens would be wonderful, I highly doubt Panasonic is bringing out a new camera for this particular niche so soon after the FZ2500 announcement).

This does however strike me as very odd, that Panasonic lends “The Camera Store TV”  a camera marked “confidential“ which has been announced in all its detail, can be pre-ordered, and even has had many multiple hands on reviews online already. So why on earth mark it “confidential“??

Anyway, you can see for yourself by looking at this picture of the Panasonic FZ2500 and comparing it with the image from Jordan Drake, they appear to be the same:

bildschirmfoto-2016-09-25-um-08-38-38

First photo of the Panasonic GH5 in action out in the wild! There had been doubters as to if Panasonic is up to the stage yet of having a prototype Panasonic GH5 body to hand out to outside testers to try out the GH5 for feedback to give Panasonic, well you can’t get a clearer confirmation than this:

instagram-thecamerastoretv-gh5-confidential-prototype

https://www.instagram.com/p/BKvyqb-DPIo/

Clearly by just looking at the picture you can tell it is a Panasonic body! But if you need even further proof of this, you can see Panasonic Lumix Canada’s response on Instagram “Anything for you guys Jordan !!” (Jordan is the name of the videographer for The Camera Store TV) and on Twitter:

 

Next question is which Panasonic body is this?? Due to the placement of the viewfinder we can say there are only four possibilities:

1) Panasonic GH4 successor (a Panasonic GH5)

2) Panasonic G80 successor (a Panasonic G90)

3) this is just an old photo taken before the Panasonic G80 announcement (but only now being shared after the G80 announcement)

4) an entirely new line of cameras

 

As the Panasonic G80 only just came out, and we already saw the Panasonic G7 released after the Panasonic GH4 came out, it seems very unlikely there will be a Panasonic G90 coming out before the Panasonic GH5 is released.

While there is maaaaaybe a chance Panasonic is releasing a new line up of cameras, perhaps their take on a Canon C100 body but with a MFT sensor inside it? That however seems very unlikely.

If you compared this picture with the back of the Panasonic G80, you can see it clearly is not the G80. So we can rule out that possibility.

Thus the only reasonable conclusion we can have, is that this is the Panasonic GH4 successor, and we’re seeing here the first ever picture of the Panasonic GH5 body in action (and not just the mock up that Panasonic showed at Photokina hidden in a glass case).

How does this compare to the current Panasonic GH4 body:

panasonic-dmc-gh4-back

 

We can see this Panasonic GH5 prototype has moved the Q.MENU button up to be next to the AF/AE LOCK button, and thus presumably the record button has been moved elsewhere? I wonder where…. presumably on the top, like we can see here on the Panasonic GH5 mock up shown at Photokina:

photokina-panasonic-gh5-body-top

(one small notable difference between these two pictures however is that Photokina Panasonic GH5 mock up appears to have a button (small joystick?!) located between the AF/AE LOCK and the EVF, however you can’t see this in the Instagram picture? Unless maybe the angle of the photo means it is obscured by the eyecup, but I doubt it)

 

Couple of key conclusions we can take from this is that Panasonic is well developed along their process of bringing out the Panasonic GH5, so we can be very confident it is indeed on track to be released in the first half of 2017, and that it is very encouraging that Panasonic is actively seeking out and getting feedback from a wide range of top notch users (such as Jordan Drake, Illya Friedman, Griffin Hammond, Luke Neumann, Chris Niccolls, & Nick Driftwood, just to name a few). Means the Panasonic GH5 is sure to be an excellent and well polished product when it is launched! (just like the GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4 have each been!)

Panasonic GH5 leak: will have full size HDMI! (also, a new XLR audio extension, & low light improvement over the GH4)

Posted on by David Peterson

Looks like the bastard awful days of micro HDMI might be over? I’ve heard from a Panasonic GH5 tester that it will have *full size* HDMI! (am very happy to hear that!) One stop better as well, and IBIS too.

 

In other news, we can see this on top of the GH5 body at Photokina:

panasonic_gh5_hands_on_photokina

 

panasonic-gh5-xlr-audio-addition

 

panasonic-gh5-xlr-audio-addition-close-up

 

Very pleased to see, as I have many times suggested, that Panasonic should go with a Sony XLR-K2M audio addition instead of doing another YAGH again!

 

While it is exciting reading about all the new features the Panasonic GH5 will bring (such as 4K 60fps or 4K 30fps 10bit 422), it is somewhat  depressing reading on other places on the internet how quick the anti-MFT trolls are out, and of course their first red herring is “but it sucks at low light”.

This low light argument reminds me of the megapixel race, sure there was big benefits from going from 2 megapixels to 5 megapixels, then to 12 megapixels, but then at around 16 megapixels to 24 megapixels range… the arguments got a lot weaker. And for 99.9% of users we don’t need 50 megapixels!

Ditto low light, not being constrained by 50 ISO film is AWESOME, then getting to 200 ISO… great! And now we can do workable 800 and 1600 and even 3200 ISO!

 

 

The Panasonic GX85 is as good in lowlight as the new Canon 5Dmk4 (but the GX85 is a fraction of the cost! & has better detail):

 

Let’s assume GH5 carries on and is one stop better even than that? How is that not a very workable ability to handle?

Do we NEED to have clean 100,00 ISO?? Nah, that is over the top in nearly all cases. Like having a 100 megapixel camera (for some people they’ll *need* that, but for most of us it is serious overkill and a bad compromise to purchase a 100 megapixel camera).

Plus remember there is the Metabones Speed Booster XL that gives Micro Four Thirds an extra 1.3 stop gain with the lens you’re using, nothing else has that aside from MFT. And Micro Four Thirds mount has access to a uniquely wide range of very fast lenses (I love my SLR Magic 25mm T0.95!).

I’d rather pass on the unnecessary over the top extreme high ISO capabilities and have instead the well polished and extensive range of features that the GH5 will have (just like Panasonic had each time with the GH1/GH2/GH3/GH4, relative to the other cameras of their time). So while yes I agree, better lowlight would be nice, let’s keep some perspective about this (when do you ever hear anyone complaining about lowlight from a new Canon APS-C release?!).

 

Lens Options for 360 Degree Virtual Reality Camera Rigs? And other thoughts on cameras.

Posted on by David Peterson

Sony 360 Degree Virtual Reality Camera Rig

I’m a long way from upgrading my multiple (from six to a dozen cameras at once!) action cameras 360 Degree Virtual Reality Rig (thus I don’t need to worry about interchangeable lens options on this rig), but when I do I am thinking to go with Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera. Even though high resolution is very important for 360VR.

If you do go with 4K cameras then the Panasonic GH4 is a very popular 4K option (such as these guys using GH4 cameras for 360VR: http://shinichi-works.info/project_gh4.html). Also there is the Sony a7R mk2 / a7S mk2 options (but costs skyrocket, after all you’re not buying just one camera but many!) or Sony A6300 (which has overheating issues, an especially troubling issue if you have six of these operating all cramped up close together to each other! As then they’ll overheat even faster). Also Blackmagic Design has their Micro Studio Camera, but that requires an external 4K recorder, which introduces significant size/power/cost issues. Samsung NX1 is also very much worth a look (& NX500, but in 4K it has a harsh crop factor), but it is a dying system and ever since the NX1 hack came out the secondhand prices of the NX1 have been staying high.

Thus in the end I’d prefer the BlackMagic Micro Cinema Camera (BMMCC), because I’d prefer the dynamic range, bit depth, and color space of the BMMCC. And while the Panasonic GH4 / G7 does a max of 30p @ 4K, you are gaining resolution but giving up frame rate and I’d rather keep it at 60fps (as arguably high frame rates are nearly just as important for Virtual Reality as resolution is. Least you give the viewer motion sickness. And you can get higher resolution by using more cameras!). Presumably the GH5 will give 4K 60fps, but that will probably cost US$2K or more per camera (and you need many multiple ones of them of course for complete 360 degree coverage!), and it hasn’t even been announced yet so who knows.

Though given the likely length of time until I’ll be upgrading, we’ll surely see a Panasonic G7 sale by then which might make that option too cheap to resist vs going with BlackMagic Micro Cinema Cameras.

Anyway, I have still been putting a lot of thought & research this year into the various options for the future, and I decided I’d at last put the metaphorical pen to paper and share a few of my thoughts on this particular aspect of lens choices. We can broadly speaking split it into three groups:

  • a) native mount (i.e. MFT lens, or E mount lenses if a person was using A6300/A7 series instead), but then this can severely limit a person a couple of years down the track if they change bodies. It would be a lot smoother / cheaper if only the bodies need to be swapped out and not lenses as well. I’d like to have some degree of versatility with this rig.
  • b) full frame UWA lenses (in Nikon F mount of course, as I’ve explained in other blog posts), but not an option as you can’t then go truly wide if using them on APS-C or smaller bodies. And A7r mk2 / A7s mk2 are the only truly interesting options to consider here for use that are full frame. Maybe with the one exception of the Rokinon 14mm f2.8 lens, which does almost hit the sweet spot for price & focal length even when used on APS-C. Or the Rokinon 12mm F2.8, but then you have to deal with fisheye distortion.
  • c) APS-C UWA lens, this appears to hit the sweet spot of maximum versatility plus maximum FoV.

 

    APS-C lens options:
  • Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6, max FoV but I’d be concerned about the slow f-stop, as then you’d start to be losing one of the key gains of ditching GoPros with their poor lowlight ability.
  • Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 (or the newer Tokina 11-20mm f/2.8, but that costs more so no), this is the lens I own myself and is in my eyes the “best” UWA lens for normal filmmaking, but does that mean it is for 360VR too?? Hmm
  • Rokinon 10mm f/2.8, is lighter/cheaper/wider (all 3 keys points for a 360VR rig) than the Tokina but is a fixed focal length (probably not a disadvantage though at all! As you absolutely don’t want that focal length to change once you’ve set it, thus why people will tape down zoom lenses if using them on a 360VR rig). However the Rokinon 10mm f/2.8 isn’t cheaper than Tokina when you consider the older Tokina models can easily be picked up secondhand, but the Rokinon can’t be so easily found at all secondhand as it is a newer lens.
  • Rokinon 16mm f/2, the fastest option but by this point at 16mm it is only barely UWA at all.

Outside these options listed, I can’t think of any good UWA lenses, or am I missing something? Everything else that comes to mind seems that they’d all be a worse compromise somewhere in price/FoV/speed/etc than these four that I listed.

Keen to hear in the comments your views on my thought process and each of the options I reached at!

What if Kinefinity’s KineMount became a universal cinema mount?

Posted on by David Peterson

Is by any chance KineMount an open mount like say Micro Four Thirds is? I am guessing it is not.

KineMount with OCT-19 adapter

There is a thread over on BMCuser about possible interchangeable mounts for BMD cameras.
http://www.bmcuser.com/showthread.php?16668-Possible-interchangeable-mounts-for-4-6K

Got me thinking that the absolute best result would be if BMD adopted the FZ mount in future cameras. FZ mount is what is used in the Sony F3/F5/F55, which I’ve used and is an absolutely wonderful mount! You can adapt it to anything else, for instance I’ve got a rock solid Nikon F mount on my Sony PMW-F3. So it works, and FZ is an already popular mount used by many.

But Sony will never let BMD use FZ mount. Thus the very nearly almost as good option is to talk with Kinefinity and see if they’d open up KineMount for everybody to use (in many ways KineMount is like Sony FZ mount, and kinda better… as Kinefinity have a focal reducer option! Yay). As if that happened it would be tremendously good news for both companies, and a massive result to help the indy / hobbyist / low / medium budget film industry.

Be great if Kinefinity and BMD could talk together with each other to create a universal mount system which can go onto dominate the film industry in the future. As no longer would consumers have to choose between buying a Canon EF mount model or the PL version (such as happens with the C300, BMPC4K, URSA, and URSA Mini), they can have both!

It would fit very well with BMD’s corporate philosophy of have having an open system rather than a closed ecosystem you’re forced to buy into over and over again (hello RED!).

Like Tim Siddons from Blackmagic Design said 17 minutes into this interview:

So BMD appears to support open systems (such as using SSDs or CFast cards) rather than vendor lock in (like RED does!!). And this would obviously benefit Kinefinity in increasing their awareness, thus it appears to be in everybody’s best interests to make KineMount an open mount.

KineMount already has adapters read to go, and even a focal reducer! (which doesn’t even exist at all for Sony FZ mount. Being able to gain a stop of light with the KineEnhancer, and shoot effectively with a “full frame” camera, certainly helps make KineMount even more attractive over Sony FZ mount) So Blackmagic Design wouldn’t need to make adapters if they don’t want to (plus others, such as AJA and Sony already leave making adapters up to 3rd parties to do that).

I *love* that Blackmagic Design provides lots of camera choice (BMCC is available in *three* different mounts! PL/MFT/EF), but it would be so much better if the buyer didn’t have to choose and could just do all of it with the one camera!

And it means less inventory costs for BMD and the camera stores (because they’ll only need to carry one type of each camera model, & not up to 3 versions of it!), and less design costs for BMD (probably, as doesn’t need to be done 3x over for each camera version).

Obviously to make KineMount a universal mount they’d need to drop the Kinefinity branding (otherwise other brands will find it hard to join in behind it), instead of calling it KineMount perhaps just simply call it “K mount” (although that usually refers to Pentax’s DSLR mount, so “CK Mount” maybe for “Cinema K mount”??).

If this open standard is well documented then you open the door to 3rd parties quickly making active adapters like:

EF Speedbosters
EF with built-in Vari-ND
EF with electronic Vari-ND
EF-Mount active adapters

Plus all the usual “dumb” adapters that enable using vintage photo lenses like Canon FD, Minolta SR-mount, etc…

What a dream world this would be to live in!! With so many choices and possibilities.

Hopefully if these two companies unite on a common open standard then you’d see other smaller manufacturers like Apertus & AJA follow suit with KineMount on their future cameras. And if a big player like Nikon or JVC entered the large sensor cinema market then there would be a universal mount they could consider adapting!

JVC for instance would have no other option, unless they chose EF *or* PL (or created their own sub mount from scratch!). JVC does already have the GY-LS300 with a Micro Four Thirds mount which is kinda a “universal mount”, but the JVC GY-LS300 camera is not aimed at the high end, and Micro Four Thirds with adapters is not rock solid like Sony FZ or KineMount are.

And while Nikon could use their Nikon F mount if they ever entered the cinema market, this would cripple their sales as it wouldn’t be PL for the higher end (unless they make two models like the Canon C300… again, forcing the consumer to choose between the two, rather than giving them flexibility) and at the indy / low budget level many people have unfortunately gone with Canon EF lenses instead and would feel resistance to changing mount to Nikon. But this way Nikon could offer a Nikon F mount cinema camera (with a KineMount underneath) with a PL adapter, which then additionally gives people the freedom of choice to use Canon EF lenses with a 3rd Party adapter or any other lenses their heart so desires.

Hope Kinefinity and Blackmagic Design read this and start talking together about making a joint open standard for cinema camera mounts!

Look at how quickly Canon EF mount become popular and an almost “standard” with many low / mid range cinema cameras! (such as Varicam LT / Arri Alexa Mini / BMPC4K / BMCC EF / URSA / URSA Mini / Axiom / etc ). If a rock solid sub mount for cinema usage, such as KineMount, was set up as an open standard and adopted by a few manufacturers then I think it won’t take many years at all before it gets to the common usage level.

Set of camera gear for a school to use for teaching filmmaking to young teenage students?

Posted on by David Peterson

Is basically exactly a year since I wrote my newbie guide to filmmaking gear based around the GH2, so now is a timely time to write a short update?
It is a tribute to the GH2 and Panasonic’s range of cameras as a whole, that they still line up as a very competitive choice even today in early 2016!

Lots more interesting cameras have since come along, such as Sony A6300/RX10mk2, Nikon D5500/D500, & Panasonic G7. But if you want to keep costs down and the max bang for buck then my guide from a year ago still holds relevant the bonus that a year later you can find these secondhand even cheaper than before!

Here is a post I wrote in response to a request about gear for Highschool for their young filmmaking students. Naturally with a limited school budget, and the need to buy multiple gear kits for several student groups to be able to use at once (and not to mention the risk of youth breaking gear!), costs need to be kept under tight control, so my GH2 gear guide still holds very relevant:

A few secondhand Panasonic GH2 is my vote. Dirt dirt cheap, and you get top notch quality from it! Waaaaay better than any Canon APS-C DSLR (heck, people rated a hacked GH2 above a 5Dmk3 even!).

Another thought is several GH1 bodies (nearly as good as GH2, but lacks live HDMI), plus one or two GH2 bodies for when they want to use it with an external monitor (Aputure FineHD VS-2, a quality 1920×1080 screen for dirt cheap!! 😮 Amazing), plus one G6 (or even G7, which some people even prefer over a Gh4! It is better than a GH4 at low light) for when they want 60fps FHD slow motion on a production (or 4K).

Get a few RJ Lens Turbos, and Nikon F mount lenses.

http://ironfilm.co.nz/a-priced-out-gear-kit-for-a-newbie-to-filmmaking-using-the-panasonic-gh2/
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/07/panasonic-g6-review-the-gh2-redux/

Nikon D5200 is also a solid choice! I own one myself (plus lots of Micro Four Thirds cameras). Again, maybe if you go with Nikon instead consider a mix with several D5200 plus one D5300 for when you want 60fps FHD slow motion on a project.

http://www.eoshd.com/2013/02/nikon-d5200-review/
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/02/nikon-d5200-vs-canon-5d-mark-iii/

For audio I’d avoid a Zoom H4n like the plague. (Ditto Canon for a camera body) An H4n or a Canon both “kinda” (but not really) made sense in the very very early days of the HDSLR Revolution (years ago), when there were very few other options. But it makes no sense to buy either today at all.

I’d go instead with a Tascam DR-60D mk2, paired with a cheap Xiaomi USB battery bank (Xiaomi is like the Apple of China!) which I Velcro to the back plus a camera strap around the handles of the Tascam. No need then for a mixing bag! And you’ll be able to run for a looooong time with that set up! (vs the internal AA batteries which get eaten up if you run only on them, but with a USB battery pack you never need to worry about that)

That there is my set up before I upgraded to a Sound Devices 552 (waaaaaaaaay more expensive! But worth it, for me as a semi pro soundie). A Tascam DR-60D mk1 is also worth getting if you find a very cheap deal on it, but improvements in the DR-60D mk2 I feel is worth it. (Tascam DR-70D is also worth a look, but for your school needs is not really worth it the extra XLR inputs)

For microphone, get perhaps one Sennheiser MKE 600? (I have a NTG2 at the moment, which is a solid microphone and I got a good deal on it! But I might suggest going with a MKE600 or perhaps a NTG3 instead) And the rest be HTDZ HT-81 microphones (which is what I started out with years ago, recording into a Zoom H1). Again following my suggestion of having the bulk of the gear being cheap while still decent (HTDZ HT-81) but get one or two nicer pieces (which are still frugal) for use on more important projects which deserve it (or/and for when they’re under closer supervision by you, so they’ll be looking after the equipment). This means they’ll also learn to appreciate the quality difference which can be output from lower end equipment vs better equipment (and also how it can *not* matter… how a HTDZ HT-81 in skilled hands will sound better than somebody clueless on a project using a MKE600).

So that is for outdoor recordings, for indoor you’ll want something else (due to reflective surfaces which will bounce the sound back, not ideal for using a shotgun in). I’m using a Takstar CM-60 at the moment, until I can afford an Oktava MK012. So I suggest you get a few CM-60 for indoor audio dialogue.

For a boom pole I got this:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-shipping-Miloboo-carbon-fiber-4-sections-microphone-Handheld-Grip-Rig-Support-Rod-Flash-Light-LED/32278111738.html

But I mainly got this because of the FREE SHIPPING, as I live in the middle of nowhere in a small island nation called New Zealand. Sometimes shipping of big bulky items from the USA can be painfully expensive! But if you’re in the USA then there are well priced boom poles with free shipping for you to choose from at B&H / Adorama or Amazon.com

Which first camera for photography for a newbie?

Posted on by David Peterson

Over on Geekzone.co.nz a poster asked about what camera to get, and as my reply was fairly lengthy I thought I’d make it a blog post for my site too.

Two big choices you need to make:

Point and shoot (or bridge cam) vs interchangeable lens camera.

Personally, I’m all for interchangeable lens cameras! But they’re not for everybody, you have to be willing to spend a lot more (the cost of my camera bodies are rather minor compared to what I’ve spent on lenses) and carry the extra weight for the extra lenses. So if you’re only going to use kit lenses, I wouldn’t bother. I’d get a P&S/bridge camera instead.

Most (nearly all!) P&S or bridge cameras are pieces of sh*t IMHO rather rubbish! (just stick to your cellphone instead)

However… in recent years, a few of them are quite decent and really nice!

The key ones to check out (because they all have a 1″ sensor, or even a bit bigger in the case of the LX100) are:

  1. Sony RX100 series (mk1/mk2/mk3)
  2. Sony RX10
  3. Panasonic FZ1000
  4. Panasonic LX100

Personally, my P&S is a Fujifilm XF1, which has a bit smaller sensor than 1″ (but still bigger than most others), but has some other nifty features and I picked it up for next to nothing (much cheaper than even the cheapest one of those I just listed). Only US$150, perfect for taking with me when I might risk damaging/losing the camera with me (such as on nights out….).

Then, if instead you decide to get an interchangeable lens camera, you have to make the choice of:

Mirrorless vs DSLR.

From my perspective, mirrorless is very clearly the future. DSLR is only holding on barely in a few upper ends of various niches, and because of inertia (which is a BIG factor! But not so much for you, as you’re starting from scratch).

Thus as a person starting out, I highly recommend mirrorless be at the top of the list.

So then to determine, what system?

Micro Four Thirds is the oldest mirrorless system and thus the most well established mirrorless system BY FAR, others are not even close (Micro Four Thirds is the only system with multiple manufacturers backing it. Most people don’t realise, it is even more than just Panasonic and Olympus!).

Sony E mount is the next most well rounded system.

So I’d highly recommend just picking from one of those two, m4/3 or E mount.

Though Fujifilm is worthwhile considering too if you’re a hipster and like that retro styling. Personally though, I find them lagging behind in areas vs Sony/Panasonic/Olympus. As for the others, don’t even waste your time giving a second look at Canon/Nikon/Pentax’s mirrorless offerings!

Currently, I reckon the specific models which are offering the most amazing bang for the buck are: Sony A5100 (or A6000 if you want the EVF) and Panasonic GX7 (or Olympus OM-D E-M5). Personally I am using the Sony A5100 as one of my main cameras, I picked it up for just US$320. Also, I used to have the Panasonic GX1 (picked that up for just US$199! Back in mid 2013, an amazing bargain for then).

Kinefinity joins Micro Four Thirds!

Posted on by David Peterson

KINEMAX_6K_1

Was just strolling through their website when I saw:

“M4/3 and S16mm KineMAX can provide Multiple framing options for different lens, because 6K S35mm sensor provide sufficient resolution and framing choices. S35mm framing uses standard PL mounting lens, and DSLR full-frame lens, APS-C lens to recording 6K and binning 3K. M4/3 framing uses M4/3 lens and even B4 lens for 4K or lower resolution. In this S16mm mode, you can use S16mm PL cine lens, even the broadcast B4 mount lens, to shoot in 3K RAW image, with less rolling effect, and overcrank to 60fps@3K wide. One for All！”

I’m almost starting to lose track of how many camera manufacturers there are now with cameras in the pipeline with a micro four thirds mount! (Panasonic, Olympus, Kodak, JVC, Blackmagic Design, apertus°, fps1000 and now…. Kinefinity too! And that is just the camera manufacturers, many many more accessories/lenses/etc manufacturers too)

As I’ve often said, m4/3 is the most robust and best camera system, as it has so much more support behind it than any other mount.

The big question I have now, is will the m4/3 mount be passive or active?? Have reached out to them, but not got back a response yet.

Anyway, is great news to see another Manufacturer backing m4/3 and is the only 3K raw recording m4/3 camera in existence!