{"posts":[{"title":"Setting up your camera","id":80,"category":"tutorials","type":"post","intro":"So you've just received your brand-spanking new camera, you boot it up for the first time, set time- and date, and... now what? If you're new to filmmaking, it's easy to get overwhelmed with terms like frame rate, shutter speed, aperture, bitrate, etc. But at the end of the day, there are only a few settings you need to understand to get great results with any camera. This guide is meant to get you up-and-running quickly. Let's dive in!","body":"## Resolution\n\nMost modern cameras offer a variety of shooting-options: HD (1920x1080), 4K (3840x2160) or maybe even 8K (7680x4320). Even if you're delivering in HD, it can be useful to record in a higher resolution, and downscale the footage when editing. This way you'll end up with a more detailed image, and gives you room to reframe or stabilize footage afterwards without noticable quality loss.\n\nDo keep in mind though that your computer and must be able to handle the higher resolution and larger file sizes. Also check if the higher resolution doesn't come with its own drawbacks, like worse autofocus or a cropped image. In all of those cases you might be better off sticking to the lower resolution recording mode.\n\nSome cameras are capable of downscaling the full resolution of the sensor to a lower resolution file (for example 8K to 4K). This is called \"oversampling\" and can give you the best of both worlds: a very detailed image, without the massive file sizes or processing power required.\n\n## Frame rate\n\nThe third choice you need to make before you start shooting is choosing your frame rate, or the number of frames per second your camera records. In North- and South America, the standard frame rate for video is 30 frames per second (fps), and in the rest of the world the standard is 25 fps. Cinemas traditionally use a frame rate of 24 fps. The frame rate you choose has an effect on the way motion looks in your films, so if you want your movement to look cinematic, it's best to stick to 24 or 25 frames per second. If you're planning to shoot slow-motion footage, use a frame rate of 50 fps or higher, so that you can slow it down afterwards.","gallery":[{"filename":"img/80-1687870653571.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","description":"","subcategory":"","slug":"filmmaking-basics-part-1-setting-up-your-camera","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","table_of_contents":"","featured":"","border":"","image":"","label":"Filmmaking Basics","camera":"Part 1","related":"","related2":""},{"title":"Setting Exposure","id":81,"category":"tutorials","type":"post","intro":"To get a useable image that isn't to bright or to dark, you need to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. In other words, you need to set the exposure. In photography and video, there are three main controls to adjust the amount of light:\n\n* Your camera's **shutter speed**\n* Your lens' **aperture**\n* Your camera's **ISO**\n\nThese three work in conjuction to limit (or boost) the amount of light reaching the sensor, but each of those settings have their own unique 'side effects' on your image. For example, the aperture not only affects the brightness of your image, but also changes how much of your image is in focus. So you can use your aperture to get a blurry background, or conversely: to get everything in the shot in focus. If you understand how each of those three settings affect your image, you can really get creative with any camera!**\n\nThis is going to be an introductory article, so if you already know the basics, feel free to skip ahead or jump to the quick reference.","body":"## Shutter speed\n### What does it do?\n\nShutter speed determines **how long the light hits your sensor**, measured in fractions of a second (e.g. 1/50, 1/200, etc.).\n\n### Side effect\n\nAs a side-effect it also **determines the amount of motion blur**. Our eyes have been trained to expect a certain amount of blur whenever someone or something moves in films. To get that natural-looking motion in your shots it's best to stick to the so-called '180 degree shutter rule': **your shutter speed should always be double your frame rate**. For example, if your frame rate is 25 frames per second, your shutter speed should be (2 x 25 = ) 1/50th of a second.\n\nWhile you *could* break this rule for dramatic effect, a faster shutter speed leads to jarring, restless motion (as if there are frames missing from your footage). If you use a longer shutter speed, your actors will look like ghotly figures that leave behind a trail of blurs.\n\n

\n\n## Aperture\n### What does it do?\n\nThe aperture determines how much light hits the sensor, measured in f-stops. The aperture is a ring inside your lens, that can open up to let in more light, or close down to let in less light. Very much like your eyes' iris.\n\n### Side-effect\n\nA nice side-effect of the aperture is that it also determines how much is in focus in your shot. If you open the aperture to let's say f/1.8, not only will there be more light falling onto your sensor, only a small part of your image will be in focus. On the other hand, if you close down the aperture to f/11, everything in your shot will be in focus.\n\nThis way, you can really use the aperture creatively: open your aperture for those creamy blurry backgrounds and draw the viewer's attention to your subject, or close it down to show all of your subject's surroundings.\n\n> Note: the confusing part about aperture is that opening the aperture to let in more light, equals a low number (e.g. f/1.8 or f/1.2) while closing the aperture equals a high number (e.g. f/22)\n\n

\n\n## ISO\n### What does it do?\n\nWe'll end with the most straightforward of the three: ISO. ISO determines how sensitive your sensor is to light. In the analog film days you would have different film stocks with different sensitivities, but luckily on digital cameras you can adjust the sensitivity without changing your film stock ;-)\n\n### Side-effect\n\nThe higher your ISO, the more noise gets introduced into your image. While most modern cameras can handle higher ISO's with ease, it's still a good idea to test what ISO setting you find acceptable on your camera.\n\n

\n\n## Quick reference\n\nTo sum up, here's a quick reference chart:\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n

Name	What does it do?	Side-effects
Shutter speed	How long does the light hit the sensor?	Motion blur
Aperture	How much light hits the sensor?	How much is in focus
ISO	How sensitive is your sensor to light?	Adds noise

\n","gallery":[{"filename":"img/81-1687870616723.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","description":"","subcategory":"","slug":"filmmaking-basics-part-2-setting-exposure","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","table_of_contents":"","featured":"","border":"","image":"","label":"Filmmaking Basics","camera":"Part 2","related":"","related2":""},{"title":"ND-filters","id":82,"category":"tutorials","type":"post","intro":"If you're filming outside in daylight, but still want to open up your aperture to let's say f/1.8 to get a blurry background, you'll notice that you won't have many options to limit the light coming onto your sensor any further. The shutter speed should be [double the frame rate](/article/filmmaking-basics-part-2-setting-exposure), your ISO is already at its lowest, and because you opened up the aperture of your lens to get a blurry background, way too much light is hitting the sensor. In this case, a variable ND filter can come in handy.","body":"A variable ND (neutral density) filter is a screw-on lens filter that allows you to control the amount of light hitting the sensor, by turning the filter’s ring. Kind of like sunglasses for your lens. The nice thing about ND-filters is that they do not affect the motion- (like shutter speed), depth-of-field- (like aperture) or noise- (like ISO) characteristics of your image. By adding an ND-filter, you can limit the amount of light, while keeping the aperture wide open.\n\nThere are some downsides to using an ND-filter though: because ND filters screw onto the front of your lens and different lenses have different diameters, you need several ND filters. A solution to this issue would be to buy an ND filter that fits your largest-diameter lens (e.g. 77mm) and use step-down rings to adapt the filter to other lenses. The downside of this approach is that you have to screw on/off your filter every time you change lenses.\n\nIf you have a Canon RF-mount camera, the [RF to EF adapter with built-in variable ND](https://amzn.to/3SbmKeP) is a more elegant solution. Because the ND-adapter sits between the body and the lens, you can use the same adapter with any lens, and the filter is automatically protected from dust and scratches. Meike makes a similar adapter, which is a lot cheaper than the Canon version and also performs a bit better on the darkest settings.\n\n

\n\n*The Canon RF-EF adapter with built-in variable ND adapter*\n\nAnother neat option are the [Freewell magnetic variable ND filters](https://amzn.to/3PAPhwm) which you can just click on- and off your lens. You can even stack several filters on top of one another.\n\nAnother annoyance I’ve found with ND-filters is that they never come with a lens cap (and the one that came with your lens doesn’t fit). This is quite unhandy when you want to temporarily stow away your camera and lens. The only brand I know of that does provide a lens cap with their filters are PolarPro (they’re also the most expensive…)\n\nDo keep in mind that variable ND’s (especially cheaper ones) can lead to a loss of sharpness, and some add a purple, blue or green tint to your footage. Expect to pay $150+ for a good variable ND filter that doesn’t degrade the sharpness and colors of your footage. If you want the best quality ND filters at a lower price, you could opt for a non-variable ND (and ND filter that stops the light by a fixed amount). From my experience I would only advice this in situations where you have control of the light, otherwise you’ll be changing filters a lot.","gallery":[{"filename":"img/82-1687874979165.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","description":"","subcategory":"","slug":"filmmaking-basics-part-3-nd-filters","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","table_of_contents":"","featured":"","border":"","image":"","label":"Filmmaking Basics","camera":"Part 3","related":"","related2":""},{"title":"Filmkit LUT Viewer","id":75,"category":"tools","type":"post","intro":"","body":"","gallery":[{"filename":"img/75-1685923352119.jpg"}],"subtitle":"Test out your LUTs, right in the browser!","subcategory":"","slug":"lut-viewer","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","featured":"","image":"","label":"NEW","related":"60","related2":"62","url":"https://filmkit-lut-viewer2.vercel.app/"},{"title":"Filmkit Aspect Ratio Calculator","id":76,"category":"tools","type":"post","intro":"","body":"","gallery":[{"filename":"img/76-1685806697155.jpg"}],"subtitle":"Resize your footage while maintaining the same aspect ratio","subcategory":"","slug":"aspect-ratio-calculator","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","featured":"","image":"","label":"NEW","related":"60","related2":"","url":"https://filmkit-aspect-ratio-calculator.vercel.app/"},{"title":"Filmkit Video Inspector","id":79,"category":"tools","type":"tool","gallery":[{"filename":"img/79-1687816016478.jpg"}],"slug":"video-inspector","label":"New","subtitle":"Get detailed specs about your video files, like codec, bitrate, color space and much more!","url":"","related":"74","related2":"","featured":"","draft":false},{"title":"Welcome to the brand new Filmkit website!","id":78,"category":"blog","type":"post","intro":"The aim of the Filmkit website has always been to help you create new things. We have in-depth [articles](/) about how to get the most out of your camera, [Filmkit Flat](/article/flat-picture-style-for-canon-mirrorless-cameras) and [LUT packs](/store) for a growing number of cameras, and now we're adding a collection of handy, interactive [online tools](/tools) for filmmakers!","body":"## Tools for Filmmakers\nWe're launching 3 new tools, with more to come:\n* [LUT Viewer](/tools/lut-viewer): test out your LUTs, right in the browser and save the resulting images\n* [Video Inspector](/tools/video-inspector): get detailed specs about your video files, like codec, bitrate, color space and much more!\n* [Aspect Ratio Calculator](/tools/aspect-ratio-calculator): resize your videos while maintaining the same aspect ratio (e.g. when embedding on websites)\n\n## Other new features\nSome other new features include:\n* a completely new design\n* new [articles](/)\n* new [products](/store)\n* the full website can now be installed as a progessive web app on you phone/tablet\n* the RSS feed is back\n* lots of small improvements, and a lot more to come!\n\nI hope you enjoy the new Filmkit website, stay tuned for more!\n\nThe website was built from the ground up using [Sveltekit](https://kit.svelte.dev/) and hosted on [Vercel](https://vercel.com).","gallery":[{"filename":"img/78-1687863957120.jpg"},{"filename":"img/78-1687698556353.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","subcategory":"","slug":"new-filmkit-website","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":true,"table_of_contents":"","featured":"","image":"","label":"new website","camera":"","related":"74","related2":"75","border":false},{"title":"Set up the Canon R10 and R50 for filmmaking","id":77,"category":"blog","type":"post","intro":"With the Canon R10 and R50, Canon is finally bringing many of the higher-end features to their entry-level cameras: no longer do we have cropped 4K with contrast-detect AF, but highly detailed oversampled 4K with Dual Pixel AF and subject recognition! With a little care and the right settings, you can similar results to much more expensive cameras. If you purchased the R10 or R50, this quickstart guide will help you do just that! This article is aimed at beginners, so feel free to skip ahead.","body":"## Switch to manual video mode\n\nOne of the most important aspects of making your footage look cinematic and unlock all sorts of creative potential, is to manually control the shutter speed, aperture and ISO. To get full control over your camera's settings, first switch to manual video mode. To do so:\n\n1. First, make sure you switch the mode dial on the top to video mode\n2. Press the 'menu' button and select 'shooting mode' on the first page\n3. Select 'movie manual exposure'\n\n## Set your resolution and frame rate\n\nNext, you want to choose your resolution and frame rate.\n\n1. Press the menu button, and go to 'Movie rec. size'\n2. For normal speed recording at the highest quality, choose 4K 23.98P or 4K 25P\n\nThe R10 also has the option of shooting 4K at 50/60 frames per second in both line-skipped 4K (lower quality) or using a one-to-one crop of the sensor (higher quality). For the best 4K image quality, choose the 4K crop mode. Note that this will give you a 1.8 times crop of the image, so it will be challenging to get wide-angle shots in this mode.\n\nBoth the the R50 and R10 can shoot up to 100/120 frames per second in HD for super slow-motion. To enable this mode, press the menu button and set 'high frame rate' to 'on'.\n\n

\n\n*The resolution and frame rate screen*\n\n## IPB vs IPB light\n\nThe R10 and R50 both give you the option of shooting in either IPB (120 Mbps) or IPB Light (60 Mbps). From [my testing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iES-LhebH7M), both are visually indistinguishable. IPB Light saves 50% on card space and is easier to edit, so for most cases I would recommend choosing IPB Light.\n\n## Start video recording using the shutter button\n\nFor a hybrid camera, it's a little strange that you can hit the big shutter button to take a picture, but you need to hit that tiny red record button when in video mode. Luckily this can be easily fixed by going to:\n\n> menu > camera > shutter btn function for movies > fully press > start/stop movie rec\n\n## Setting your exposure\n\nSince we've configured our camera for full manual control, this means we will also control our exposure (the amount of light hitting the sensor) manually. If you're new to terms like aperture, shutter speed and ISO, you should check out my [full tutorial on exposure](/article/filmmaking-basics-part-2-setting-exposure) which explains everything you need to know.\n\n\n## Quickly switch between recording modes (R10 only)\n\nOn the Canon R10 (and R7) you can quickly switch between your most-used settings by assigning those settings to the custom modes on the dial. I find it especially handy to be able to quicly switch between normal recording and slow-motion (and automatically adjust the shutter speed when switching). To do so, go to the menu > wrench > Custom Shooting Mode > Register Settings. This will assign your current settings to C1/C2 on the mode dial.\n\n

\n\n*The Canon R10 with the RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM*\n\n## Quickly pausing servo autofocus\n\nAlthough the R10 and R50 come with Canon's reliable Dual Pixel Autofocus II, there are situations where any autofocus system will struggle:\n\n* when the subject you're tracking suddenly leaves the frame\n* when face-tracking is enabled and new faces enter the frame\n* in back-lit situations\n* in low-light conditions\n* with lenses that only allow for a center autofocus area (like the RF 600mm and 800mm f/11)\n* with macro lenses when set to full-range autofocus (like the RF 85mm f/2 IS STM Macro)\n\nIn all of these cases it's going to be handy to be able to quickly pause the autofocus, so the autofocus stays right where it is. The easiest way to set this up, is to assign a button to it. To do so, go to:\n\n> menu > customize (next to the wrench icon) > customize buttons\n\nThen choose the button you want to assign, and set it to \"pause movie servo AF\".\n\n## Shooting flat on the R10 and R50\n\nWhen you shoot with one of the built-in cutom picture styles ('standard', 'vivid', 'neutral', etc.) you get a great looking punchy image, that you can use right away. But the downside of shooting this way, is that you're actually throwing away a lot of highlight-and shadow-information, which also means you can't easily correct any exposure mistakes while editing or change the look and colors of your footage. To capture more dynamic range and have much more flexibility in post-processing, I recommend installing a flat picture profile like [Filmkit Flat](/article/flat-picture-style-for-canon-mirrorless-cameras).\n\nI designed Filmkit Flat specifically for Canon's mirrorless cameras and it allows you to retain more dynamic range and color information from your footage. A big benefit of Filmkit Flat compared to other picture styles is that it does not raise the noise floor, so there's significantly less noise in the shadows. [Filmkit Flat](/article/flat-picture-style-for-canon-mirrorless-cameras) comes with several LUTs to convert the flat footage back to Rec709.\n","gallery":[{"filename":"img/77-1687183647523.jpg"},{"filename":"img/77-1687625793342.jpg"},{"filename":"img/77-1687626210803.jpg"},{"filename":"img/77-1687629197022.jpg"},{"filename":"img/77-1687629323026.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","subcategory":"","slug":"set-up-the-canon-r10-r50-for-filmmaking","notify_text":"","notify_link":"","created":"","draft":"","featured":"","image":"","label":"Set-up Guide","camera":"Canon R10 and R50","related":"38","related2":"62","table_of_contents":true},{"title":"Portra Gold","id":74,"category":"store","type":"product","body":"**Introducing: Filmkit FilmStocks, a collection of meticulously created LUTs inspired by famous film stocks. Available for C-log3 Cinema Gamut**\n\nInspired by the classic Portra analog film, Portra Gold lends your footage that classic film look, but with more subtle contrast and saturation. Works great for skintones, landscapes, rusty industrial remnants and moody indoor scenes.\n\nThis pack comes with LUTS for C-log3 (Cinema Gamut).","extended":"Portra Gold comes with LUTs for Canon C-log 3 (Cinema Gamut)\n\nThe download also includes a readme on how to use the LUTs","gallery":[{"filename":"img/74-1685459589383.jpg"}],"subcategory":"c-log-3","image":"","label":"LUT Pack","subtitle":"for Canon C-log 3","slug":"portra-gold","featured":"","compare":"film-stock-1","prod_title":"Portra Gold","prod_description":"","prod_price":"19.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/portra-gold/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","faq_compatibility":"Portra Gold is compatible with footage shot with: Canon C-log 3 (Cinema Gamut)","draft":"","notify_link":""},{"title":"Filmkit Flat picture style","type":"product","id":62,"category":"store","body":"Filmkit Flat is a picture style that expands the dynamic range on Canon mirrorless cameras that do not come with C-log (like the M50, M6 Mark II, EOS RP, R10, R50 and R100). It is tuned to take advantage of the additional dynamic range and image pipeline in Canons recent mirrorless cameras. It closely matches the official Canon Log found on the EOS R, so it is fully compatible with [LUTs designed for Canon Log](/article/canon-log-to-rec709-luts-for-eos-r.html). The picture style can be installed on any Canon mirrorless or DSLR that supports custom picture styles.\n\nI've tried many of the third-party flat/c-log-like picture styles available, but they were either:\n\n- much flatter than actual Canon log, making them harder to match to other cameras and grade\n- skewing the colors in unnatural ways\n- straining the 8 bit codec, leading to noise and artifacts\n- leaving an artificial gray 'haze' over the footage, even after grading\n\nThat's why I decided to create a picture style for Canon mirrorless cameras that fit my requirements of matching Canon-log as closely as possible, retaining accurate color response (no reds turning purple), and minimizing degradation of the image.\n\n## Review of Filmkit Flat\n\n

\n\n_Review of Filmkit Flat and comparison with Technicolor Cinestyle and Prolost_\n\n

Shot with Filmkit Flat

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\n\n\n ","gallery":[],"image":"","compare":"filmkit-flat","slug":"flat-picture-style-for-canon-mirrorless-cameras","prod_title":"Filmkit Flat","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/canon-flat-picture-style/","prod2_title":"Filmkit Flat Bundle","prod2_description":"Includes Filmkit Flat, Filmkit WideDR and Cinematic LUTs for Filmkit Flat","prod2_link":"?variant=Filmkit Flat Bundle","prod2_old_price":"22","prod2_price":"14.95","subtitle":"for cameras without Canon Log","subcategory":"filmkit-flat","faq_compatibility":"The picture styles are compatible with every Canon mirrorless and DSLR that supports user-defined picture profiles, which means every Canon camera released in the last 10 years. This includes the Canon EOS M6, M50 (original and Mark II), Canon EOS RP, Canon R10, R50 and R100, but also DSLRs like the Canon 5D, 6D, 90D and 800D.\n\nUnlike C-log, you can also use this picture profile for photography. It will greatly improve the dynamic range of your images compared to the standard picture profiles. You can then apply the included LUT in Photoshop via:\n\n> Image > Adjustments > Color lookup","label":"Flat picture style","featured":true,"extended":"Filmkit Flat comes with:\n\n* the Filmkit Flat picture style (in .pf3 format)\n* 5 LUTs (in .cube format) for converting the footage shot with the Filmkit Flat profile back to Rec709.\n* a PDF guide on how to install, use and grade Filmkit Flat."},{"title":"Blackmagic Gen 5 LUTs","type":"product","id":66,"category":"store","body":"Although Blackmagic is known for its cinematic colors and organic highlight roll-off, getting the footage to look right can be quite a challenge. The dreadful magenta shift, oversaturated reds and inaccurate white balance readings are all issues that plague Blackmagic's cameras and can make it difficult to even reach a natural-looking base-grade. To help with this issue, I've created a natural Rec709 LUT Pack that makes it a lot easier to get your Blackmagic footage to look right. To get the best results, set your white balance a little to the cool side.\n\nThis LUT pack has been specifically designed to take advantage of the rich color depth and highlight roll-off of Gen 5, while preserving natural skintones. Also included are two cinematic LUTs that bring out the natural color contrast of your footage.","gallery":[],"subcategory":"blackmagic","image":"","subtitle":"for BMPCC4K/6K and 6K Pro","compare":"blackmagic-gen5","prod_title":"Blackmagic Gen 5 LUTs","prod_description":"","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/blackmagic-natural-rec709-luts/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","slug":"blackmagic-gen-5-luts","faq_compatibility":"The LUT Pack is compatible with all cameras that support the Gen 5 color science, currently:\n\n* BMPCC4K\n* BMPCC6K\n* BMPCC6K Pro\n* URSA Mini Pro 12K\n* URSA Broadcast G2","label":"LUT Pack","extended":"The LUT pack comes with 5 LUTs for different types of lighting situations:\n\n* WideDR - LUT that retains the most dynamic range, great for dynamic scenes and low-light shoots\n* Gen 5 - provides a natural filmic image\n* Vibrant - a more vivid LUT\n* Cine Cold - adds cinematic color contrast\n* Cine Warm - a warmer version of the Cine LUT\n\n"},{"title":"Filmkit C-log 3 LUTs","type":"product","id":63,"category":"store","body":"This C-log 3 LUT pack is meant to provide you with a great-looking and punchy image, without the hassle. It comes with 15 LUTs for C-log 3 Cinema Gamut, BT.709 and BT.2020. For the best results, slightly over-expose your footage and the LUTs will fall right into place.\n\n### How are these LUTs different from the Canon provided ones?\n\n- Canons official LUTs still need some tweaking, this LUT pack provides a finished look out of the box.\n- Canons official C-log 3 LUTs raise the lower midtones, which can introduce noise in your footage. The Filmkit C-log 3 LUT pack does not raise the midtones, giving you a cleaner end result.\n- Canons official LUTs only provide one LUT per color space, this LUT pack provides several different looks.\n\n","gallery":[],"image":"","prod_title":"C-log3 LUTs","prod_description":"","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/filmkit-c-log-3-luts/","prod2_title":"C-log3 Bundle","prod2_description":"Includes C-log3 LUTs, C-log3 WideDR LUTs and C-log3 Cinema LUT Pack ","prod2_link":"?variant=Filmkit C-log 3 Bundle","prod2_old_price":"22","prod2_price":"14.95","slug":"filmkit-c-log-3-luts","compare":"c-log3","subtitle":"for Canon R5, R6, R6 II, R7 and R8","subcategory":"c-log-3","faq_compatibility":"The C-log3 LUTs are currently compatible with the following cameras:\n\n* Canon R5\n* Canon R5C\n* Canon R6\n* Canon R6 Mark II\n* Canon R7\n* Canon R8\n* Canon R3\n* Canon 1DX Mark III","label":"LUT Pack","extended":"The LUT pack comes with LUTs for C-log 3 Cinema Gamut, BT.2020 and BT.709, with different variants for each color space:\n\n* WideDR > retains the most highlight and shadow detail, useful as a starting point for your own grade\n* Natural > has a very smooth and natural highlight roll-off, add contrast to taste\n* Standard > this will work for most situations\n* Strong > high contrast, vibrant colors\n* Cinea > Alexa-like colors for C-log 3 (only available for Cinema Gamut)\n\nThe LUT pack also comes PDF guide on how to use these LUTs in different situations.","featured":true},{"title":"Filmkit C-log LUTs","type":"product","id":64,"category":"store","body":"

Looking for C-log 3 LUTs? They've moved here

\n\n**Although Canon does provide official C-log conversion LUTs, those LUTs are meant for their cinema line of cameras. They're too punchy, skin tones look off, and vibrant colors quickly turn toxic. That's why I created a C-log LUT pack specifically designed for log footage from cameras like the EOS R, R5, R6 and 5D Mark IV.**\n\nThe LUTs convert C-log footage to rec709 without altering the colors, and can be used for quick turnaround, or as a starting point for further grading.","gallery":[],"image":"","subtitle":"for Canon EOS R, R5, R6 and 5D IV","compare":"canon-log","prod_title":"C-log LUTs","prod_description":"","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/canon-log-luts/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","slug":"canon-log-to-rec709-luts-for-eos-r","subcategory":"c-log","faq_compatibility":"The C-log LUTs are compatible with the following cameras:\n* Canon R5\n* Canon R6\n* Canon 1DX Mark III\n* Canon EOS R\n* Canon 5D Mark IV\n* Canon 1DC\n\nThe C-log LUTs are designed for the EOS Original color space","label":"LUT Pack","extended":"## What's included?\n\nTo account for various types of lighting, both LUT packs include several different LUTs:\n\n- WideDR > retains the most highlight and shadow detail, useful as a starting point for your own grade, or for low-light footage\n- Natural > has a very smooth and natural highlight roll-off, add contrast to taste\n- Standard > slightly more contrast than the ‘Natural’ LUT, while retaining highlight detail\n- Strong > crushes the blacks and highlights for a more punchy look, also useful to boost colors and contrast on cloudy days\n\nThe LUT pack also comes with a guide on how to use these LUTs in different situations."},{"title":"Filmkit C-log 3 WideDR LUTs","type":"product","id":65,"category":"store","body":"Canons most recent cameras retain a lot more dynamic range than models from just a few years ago, and with 10bit and C-log 3 we now have a lot more control over the final image. This LUT pack aims to preserve as much of your camera's dynamic range, while still giving you punchy midtones and an image that is easy to grade further. Great for high dynamic shots like interiors with window light, landscapes and low-light scenes. Highlights roll-of smoothly into midtones, and shadow detail is preserved, lending your footage a natural, cinematic feel.\n\nFor the best results, over-expose your footage slightly and bring the exposure down using one of the \"strength 1-4\" LUTs that come with the pack. Cameras that capture more dynamic range (like the R5C, R3 and C70) especially benefit from this LUT pack, as the shadows and highlights aren't clipped. The LUT pack also contains a \"Skintone Pop\" LUT, which makes skintones really come alive.\n\n**Note: this LUT pack is meant for C-log3 Cinema Gamut footage**","gallery":[],"subcategory":"c-log-3","image":"","subtitle":"for Canon R5c, R3 and C70","compare":"c-log3-dynamic-range","prod_title":"C-log 3 WideDR LUTs","prod_description":"","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/c-log3-dynamic-range-luts/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","slug":"filmkit-c-log-3-widedr-luts","faq_compatibility":"The C-log3 LUTs are currently compatible with the following cameras:\n\n* Canon R5\n* Canon R5C\n* Canon R6\n* Canon R6 Mark II\n* Canon R7\n* Canon R8\n* Canon R3\n* Canon 1DX Mark III","label":"LUT Pack","extended":"* WideDR > retains the most highlight and shadow detail, useful as a starting point for your own grade\n* Natural > has a very smooth and natural highlight roll-off, add contrast to taste\n* Strength 1, 2, 3 and 4 > four LUT strengths that you can apply depending on how much you over-exposed\n* Low Light > designed specifically for low light and other high contrast scenes\n* Skintone Pop > enhances skintones. Note: first apply one of the C-log 3 LUTs and then apply this LUT.\n\nThe LUT pack also comes PDF guide on how to use these LUTs in different situations.","featured":false},{"title":"Panasonic Lumix V-log LUTs","type":"product","id":67,"category":"store","body":"V-log is easily one of the most flexible LOG formats for mirrorless cameras around: it provides tons of dynamic range and colors that are easy to push around. However, the LUTs for V-log that Panasonic provides suffer from stong color-shifts (magenta/green). I created this LUT pack to provide a more natural starting point, with a smoother contrast curve than the Panasonic LUTs provide. It also contains two \"Cinea\" LUTs to for rich Alexa-like cinematic colors.\n\n## How to use the LUTs?\n\nBecause V-log retains most dynamic range in the midtones and highlights, it's best to slightly over-expose, and correct the exposure after applying the LUT.\n","gallery":[],"subcategory":"panasonic","image":"","subtitle":" for GH6, S1H, S1, S5 & S5 II","compare":"v-log-luts","prod_title":"Panasonic V-log LUTs","prod_description":"","prod_price":"9.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/panasonic-v-log-luts/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","slug":"panasonic-lumix-v-log-luts","faq_compatibility":"The V-log LUTs are currently compatible with the following cameras:\n\n* GH6\n* S5\n* S5 Mark II\n* S5 Mark II X\n* S1\n* S1R\n* S1H\n* BS1H","label":"LUT Pack","extended":"The LUT pack comes with 8 LUTs for different types of lighting situations:\n\n* V-log Standard - The base LUT for converting V-log L to Rec709\n* V-log WideDR - Retains the most dynamic range, great as a starting point for your own grades\n* V-log Natural - Slightly more dynamic range than the V-log base LUT, ideal for high contrast scenes\n* V-log Vibrant - make your colors pop\n* V-log Medium & V-log Strong - great for overcast days where you or to add extra punch to your image\n* V-log Cinea & Cinea Teal - Alexa-like colors for V-log\n"},{"title":"The Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide","id":73,"category":"store","type":"product","body":"Turn your Canon M50 (original or Mark II) into a movie-making powerhouse with the Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide! In this extensive PDF guide you'll learn:\n\n- how to set-up your M50 for filmmaking\n- how to work around the limitations of the cropped 4K mode and get great results\n- what are the best lenses and accessories for the M50\n- how to drastically improve the dynamic range of the M50 and get more cinematic images using the included flat picture profile and LUTs\n- how to record better audio on the M50\n- how to get the most out of the 4K time-lapse function\n- and much more!\n\n### Includes Filmkit Flat picture profile & LUTs for the M50!\n\nThe guide also comes with the full Filmkit Flat picture profile designed specifically for the M50 as well as instructions on how to install and use the picture profile and included LUTs.\n\n> This guide can be used with both the original Canon M50 and the M50 Mark II","extended":"* PDF Guide, suitable for desktop and mobile\n* The full Filmkit Flat picture profile and LUTs\n* Free updates","gallery":[],"subcategory":"filmkit-flat","image":"","label":"e-book","subtitle":"Includes Filmkit Flat picture style & LUTs!","slug":"the-canon-m50-filmmaking-guide","featured":"","compare":"","prod_title":"Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide","prod_description":"Includes Filmkit Flat & LUTs!","prod_price":"14.95","prod_link":"https://filmkit.gumroad.com/l/canon-m50-filmmaking-guide/","prod2_title":"","prod2_description":"","prod2_link":"","prod2_old_price":"","prod2_price":"","faq_compatibility":"This guide is suited for the following camera models:\n\n* Canon M50\n* Canon M50 Mark II\n\nBecause the R100 is essentially the M50 Mark II in an RF-mount body, the guide can also be used for the R100","draft":""},{"title":"It's a great time to buy a second hand camera body or lens","id":71,"category":"blog","type":"post","intro":"Camera-development has reached a bit of a plateau (and that's a good thing!). While in the past each new camera generation brought along groundbreaking advancements, currently even the previous model is likely very capable. This means that now is a great time to opt for a second hand camera body or lens. If you can live without that one 'killer new feature', there's a lot of great gear to be found at bargain prices. Here are some examples:","body":"## Canon R6\nHave you been eye-balling the Canon R6 Mark II, but held back by its hefty price tag? Or maybe you've been considering the R8 instead? Why not pick up the original R6 at the same price or less than the R8, and get the benefit of built-in IBIS, more advanced controls and longer battery life. The main difference between the R6 and R6 Mark II is the overheating 'fix', the other changes are quite minor. If you don't need long runs of continuous shooting, you can save a lot of cash by going for the original R6.\n\n## Panasonic S5\nThe headline features of the S5 II is of course the introduction of phase-detect autofocus, but brushing up your manual focus skills could save you 800-1000 when picking up a used original S5. This will allow you to get that same oversampled 10bit image and tons of dynamic range at a much lower price of entry.\n\n## Fuji X-T4\nThe Fuji X-T5 can shoot 6.2K internally, but does so with a crop. If you're fine sticking to full-size 4K, the X-T4 offers the same 4K, 4K/60 and IBIS at nearly half the price second hand.\n\n## Canon M50\nAlthough the new Canon R50 has the advantage of uncropped 4K, it also costs 1.5x the price of the M50. Furthermore, there currently is a much larger lens ecosystem of affordable APS-C lenses for the M50 than there are for the R50. If you're on a budget, getting a second hand M50 might be the most cost-effective way to get into filmmaking.\n\n## EF lenses\nCanon has been phasing out their expansive line of EF lenses at breakneck speed in favor of their new RF mount lenses. This means that many lenses that were top-of-the-line just recently, have now significantly dropped in price on the used market. And EF-mount lenses can be used on all of the aforementioned cameras, if you get the right adapter.\n\n## Used gear from retailers\nIf you're not looking forward to meeting up in someone's garage late at night, or the risk of getting a defective body or lens, another option is to take a look at some of the second hand offerings from local retailers. You often pay a bit more, but you do get a camera or lens that has been serviced by professionals and often a limited time warranty.\n\n","gallery":[{"filename":"img/71-1684753206295.jpg"}],"subtitle":"","slug":"its-a-great-time-to-opt-for-a-second-hand-camera-body","draft":"","featured":"","subcategory":"tips-tricks","image":"","label":"Tips and tricks","related":"53","related2":"63","created":"2023-05-22","camera":"Second hand gear"},{"id":69,"type":"post","title":"CSR!","category":"home","gallery":[]},{"title":"Editing 8K H.265 footage on the M1 Macbook Air","type":"post","id":68,"category":"blog","body":"**The H.265/HEVC codec is roughly twice as efficient as the older H.264 codec, meaning filesizes can be half the size compared to H.264, and with less artifacts. Although more and more cameras offer H.265 recording, most Intel Macs and PCs will have a hard time decoding H.265.**","gallery":[],"image":"test.png","related":"","related2":"","slug":"editing-8k-h265-footage-on-the-m1-macbook-air","subcategory":"tips-tricks","draft":true,"subtitle":""},{"id":"61","title":"The best recording modes on the Canon R7, R6, R6 II and R5","type":"post","label":"quick-reference","slug":"the-best-recording-modes-on-the-canon-r7-r6-r6-ii-and-r5","embed":"","related":"53","related2":"63","body":"## 4K/30\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

	4K	4K crop
Canon R5	oversampled	oversampled
Canon R6	oversampled	line-skipped
Canon R6 II	oversampled	1 to 1 pixel
Canon R7	oversampled	not available

\n\n## 4K/60\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

	4K/60	4K crop
Canon R5	line-skipped	oversampled
Canon R6	oversampled	line-skipped
Canon R6 II	oversampled	1 to 1 pixel
Canon R7	line-skipped	1 to 1 pixel

\n
\n\nNote that the crop mode on the R6 (original) is actually upscaled to 4K from 3.4K (3408 x 1917 to be exact), which makes this mode a lot 'muddier' than the crop mode on the other cameras. The R6 II uses a 1 x 1 pixel readout.\n \nOn the R7 you can choose between line-skipped or cropped 4K/60 modes. In the cropped mode you get a 1 to 1 pixel readout (which gives you slightly better quality than the line-skipped mode) but it adds a 1.8 times crop to the already cropped APS-C sensor (3x crop compared to full frame).\n\n> If you're not familiar with the term, *oversampling* means you start with a large image and resize it to a smaller size (for example 8K to 4K) without throwing away the extra pixels. This method of resizing leads to a more detailed image with less noise. Other methods of resizing like line-skipping or pixel-binning don't have these benefits and actually lead to loss in image quality.","main_image":"20220823-381264329.jpg","main_image_path":"","gallery":[{"filename":"img/61-1684794574086.jpg"},[{"filename":"img/1679780699617.jpg"}]],"link1":"https://amzn.to/3R5qI8g","caption1":"Canon R7","image1":"

","link2":"https://amzn.to/3TcIg4c","caption2":"Canon R6","image2":"

","link3":"https://amzn.to/3Cq2gKI","caption3":"Canon R5","image3":"

","draft":"","category":"blog","image":"","subcategory":"canon","featured":true,"intro":"Canon cameras have traditionally been somewhat lacking when it comes to sharpness/detail in video, but with the highly detailed oversampled 4K on the R7, R6 and R5 this has finally become a thing of the past. What's confusing though, is that there are big differences between which modes are oversampled on each camera. For example, the R6 has an oversampled 4K/60 mode whereas the R5 only oversamples 4K/60 in the APS-C crop mode (which in turn is line-skipped and upscaled on the R6). This becomes particularly confusing if you use multiple Canon cameras on your shoots. To clear things up, check out the quick-reference chart below.","subtitle":"","created":"2022-08-17","camera":"Canon R5, R6, R6 II & R7"},{"id":"60","title":"How to shoot flat on the DJI Mini 2, Mini 3 and Mini 2 SE","type":"post","label":"tips and tricks","slug":"how-to-shoot-flat-on-the-dji-mini-2","embed":"","related":"51","related2":"","body":"## How to shoot flat on the DJI Mini 2, Mini 3 and Mini 2 SE\n\nWhen you search for \"DJI Mini 2 log\" you'll find lots of tutorials telling you to shoot normally, and then apply a LUT afterwards to 'convert your footage to log'. To me, this seems like a really bad idea, because:\n1. it doesn't actually increase the dynamic range. You can't get back what you haven't recorded\n2. it will only increase the noise in the image\n3. color fidelity will suffer from pushing the image around this much\n\nThere's actually a much better way to approach this, so read on. The official DJI Fly app does not allow you to change any of the image parameters like contrast, saturation and sharpness, so you're basically stuck with the default punchy, vibrant and oversharpened image. To get around this, all you need to do is:\n\n1. purchase the third-party app **Litchi For DJI Drones** ([iOS](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/litchi-for-dji-drones/id1059218666)|[Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aryuthere.visionplus&hl=en&gl=US)) \n2. once installed, click on the settings-button () and then click on **Style Settings**. \n3. set both **contrast and saturation to -3** and dial down the sharpness to taste. Notice how the histogram gets compressed to the center as you lower the contrast.\n4. after making these adjustments, close the Litchi app and open the DJI Fly app. You'll notice that your image settings have carried over to the DJI Fly app! That's because the settings are stored on your drone, so they work independantly of any app.\n\nUnlike other methods (like converting the footage to log in post using a LUT), this method actually gives you more dynamic range to work with in post, and allows you to tweak the colors much more easily.\n\n![Litchi for DJI Drones App](https://dp-filmkit.b-cdn.net/img/20220816-630615639.jpg)\n*The 'style settings' screen in the Litchi App*\n\n## How to expose when using this flat profile?\n\nIt's going to be very hard to grade footage if your exposure constantly changes, so you're going to want to switch to manual exposure (or PRO-mode as it is called now). Since we're going for the best results, I strongly advise you to get a set of [ND filters](https://amzn.to/3C3AymO) for your Mini 2 as well. This allows us to keep the shutter speed low and get a smoother image with natural motion blur.\n\nSince you cannot change the aperture on the Mini 2, and your shutter speed should ideally be set to double your frame rate (1/50 or 1/60), you can only use your ISO to compensate for any light changes during the flight. When shooting flat, it's better to slightly over-expose than to end up with an image that is too dark. I usually make sure to get a well exposed image at ISO100, so I can always increase the ISO during the flight. If you feel you need to go higher than ISO 400, it's better to change to a weaker ND.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nOf course, this trick won't give you the dynamic range of 10bit D-Cinelike on the Mini 3 Pro, but it does protect the shadows and highlights and gives you a lot more flexibility in post. I hope this blog post helps you to get even more out of your DJI Mini 2. Happy Flying!","main_image":"20220812-667777705.jpg","main_image_path":"","gallery":[{"id":"img-95331556","filename":"20220816-630615639.jpg","title":""}],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3QL7pBy","caption1":"DJI Mini 2","link2":"https://amzn.to/3T7Wd3x","caption2":"ND Filters for DJI Mini 2/Mavic Mini","link3":"","caption3":"","image1":"

","image2":"

","image":"","subcategory":"dji","featured":true,"intro":"Even after the release of the DJI Mini 3 Pro, the Mini 2 is still a magnificent drone. It's small, light-weight, inconspicuous, super stable even in strong winds and roughly half the price of the Mini 3 Pro! \n\nOne thing sadly missing from the Mini 2 though, is the ability to shoot with a flat or log profile. Shooting flat allows you to preserve more of the sensor's dynamic range and allows you to much more easily grade the image to your liking. What if I told you there IS a way to shoot with a flat profile on the DJI Mini 2 (and DJI Mavic Mini)? Read on below to find out how!","subtitle":"","notify_text":"

LUT pack designed for flat DJI Mini footage

I'm currently working on a LUT pack specifically designed for footage shot with these flat settings. If you want to be notified (and show your interest), submit your email-address using the button below.

","notify_link":"/notify-me/dji-flat-luts","created":"2022-09-21","camera":"DJI Mini 2 & 3"},{"id":"59","title":"Five Canon R5C tips and 'hidden' features","label":"Featured Article","slug":"five-canon-r5c-tips-and-hidden-features","type":"post","embed":"","body":"## Trick to save battery life when not recording\n\nFirst let's address the elephant in the room: it's no secret that the R5C's power-consumption in video mode is quite high compared to the R5. The reason for this is that whereas photo cameras switch to a low-resolution output when idle, Canons cinema cameras keep processing/outputting the full resolution image, no matter if you're recording or not. That's because cinema cameras often use external recorders or are used in live broadcasts/streaming. This applies to all cameras in Canon's cinema line.\n\nFrom my [R5C battery tests](#my-r5c-battery-life-tests) I found that the R5C draws the same amount of power regardless whether you're recording or not. I went through all the possible recording resolutions to determine which mode would draw the least amount of power (if you really want to know: it's the Super16 crop mode with a frame rate of 1 frame per second...). But the solution turned out to be much simpler than I expected: just press the 'media' button (the screen where you can view your recorded clips and photos) and suddenly the camera uses MUCH less power. It feels like a bit of a hack (let's call it the \"media-button hack\"), but if you're not recording you can use the media screen as a makeshift standby-mode, without having to switch off the camera between takes.\n\n![Canon R5C on the bench](/img/num/59/canon-r5c-on-the-bench.jpg)\n_The Canon R5C on the bench_\n\n## The Canon R5C can record 3K RAW at 120fps!\n\nWhen going through the resolution and frame rate options on the Canon R5C, I discovered something quite unexpected: you can actually record 3K RAW at 120fps! The caveat here is that 120fps is only available in the camera's Super16 crop mode. Still, the image quality holds up, even when upscaled to 4K, and you get all the flexibility of working with RAW sensor data.\n\nTo enable 3K RAW at 120fps, set your camera to record RAW (can be any flavor of RAW), then enable the Super16 sensor mode and set the 'slow and fast motion' recording frame rate to 100/120fps.\n\n## Take photos in video mode\n\nBecause the video mode has its own dedicated operating system, Canon removed all video features from the photo mode. This means you can't quickly shoot a video while in photo mode, and switching to video mode takes several seconds. You can however take stills while in video mode. Note that the resolution of the final image depends on the currently selected video resolution. The image will also use the currently selected color profile (this means you can now shoot stills in C-log3 or WideDR!). To access this feature, go to:\n\n> menu > assignable buttons > assign a button to the 'photo' function\n\n![Canon R5C assign button to the photo function](/img/num/59/photo-function.jpg)\n_Assign a button to the photo function_\n\n## Toggle between normal and high frame rate recording\n\nOne of the great things about the Canon R5 is that you can create several presets (which can be any combination of resolution, frame-rate, sensor size, color profile, etc.) and assign them to one of the slots on the 'mode'-button. This way you can quickly switch between your most used settings. Sadly this function isn't available in the R5C's Cinema OS. You can however set up the mode button to quickly toggle between normal recording and high frame rate recording. To do so, go to:\n\n> Assignable buttons > 7 > Assign it to 'slow and fast motion'\n\nNow you can quickly toggle between the frame rate you have set for normal recording (e.g. 25fps) and 'Slow and fast motion' (e.g. 100fps). Do keep in mind that when you have set 'Slow and fast motion' to a frame rate higher than 60fps and then change the sensor mode or resolution to a setting that is not compatible with high frame rate recording, the camera will reset the frame rate to a lower frame rate.\n\n![Canon R5C record button](/img/num/59/record-button.jpg)\n\n## Quickly switch between sensor crop modes\n\nI often shoot with prime lenses, and the sensor crop modes on the R5 allow you to get several different focal lengths from a single prime lens, without any noticable loss in image detail (at least for the Super35 crop). Unlike 'Slow and fast motion', the sensor crop modes aren't available in the 'assignable buttons' menu, but here's a workaround:\n\nGo to the assignable buttons menu, choose the button you want to assign the crop modes to, and choose \"User Setting\". Now you can assign ANY item in the camera's menu to a button on the body.\n\n![Canon R5 C User Setting](/img/num/59/user-setting.jpg)\n\n## My R5C battery life tests\n\nAlthough the R5C and R5 share a lot of the same video resolutions and frame-rates, the R5C is a lot more power-hungry at those same resolutions. This isn't necessarily because of the fan, but because of the way the Canon Cinema OS handles power. Where photo cameras switch to a low-resolution output when idle, Canons cinema cameras keep processing the image, no matter if you're recording or not. The reason for this is that cinema cameras often use external recorders or are used in live broadcasts/streaming.\n\nTo give you an indication of which record times you can expect from a single LP-E6NH battery, I ran some tests:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Recording mode	Record time
4K/25 XF-AVC 10 bit	70 minutes
4K/50 XF-AVC 10 bit	45 minutes
4K/100 XF-AVC 10 bit	48 minutes

\n\nI found the 1 hour and 10 minutes of record time in the bread-and-butter frame rate of 4K/25 actually not bad at all. Just remember to bring a couple of fully charged LP-E6NH batteries, and swap them once every 70 minutes. It's nice that you have the option to keep your set-up nimble with the internal battery, or add a battery-grip, external battery or USB-C powerbank for more demanding shoots.","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","main_image_path":"/img/num/59/main_image.jpg","related":"53","related2":"65","link1":"https://amzn.to/3AIYgE5","caption1":"Canon R5","link2":"https://amzn.to/3CqP9t0","caption2":"FXLION Nano battery","link3":"https://amzn.to/3pDgAYN3bOWxDC","caption3":"Smallrig R5 C rig","image2":"

","image1":"

","image3":"

","subcategory":"canon","featured":false,"subtitle":"","extended":"","extended_title":"","intro":"If you're used to Canon's mirrorless cameras, the R5C might look familiar, but internally it's a vastly different camera. The configuration options are endless, and some things you relied on in the past, might work a little different on the R5C. Here a five tips and hidden features that are easy to miss. For example, did you know you can record 3K RAW at 120fps on the Canon R5C?","created":"2022-06-18","camera":"Canon R5 C","table_of_contents":true},{"id":"57","title":"Should you ditch your EF lenses (in favor of RF)?","label":"Canon EF vs RF lenses","slug":"should-you-ditch-your-ef-lenses-in-favor-of-rf","type":"post","embed":"","body":"Of course, some of the newly released RF-lenses simply have no EF counterpart. Lenses like the 28-70 f/2, 600mm f/11 or the innovative 15mm f/2.8 Dual Fisheye simply didn't exist before the RF-mount. And then there are lenses whose optical designs haven't been updated since the analog era (like the 50mm f/1.2 for example). In those cases, the RF-versions offer a compelling argument for buying into the RF-system.\n\nBut for many more recent EF-lenses the advantages of switching to RF aren't as clearly cut. For filmmakers especially, sticking to EF might actually have a lot of advantages. I'll list some of those advantages below:\n\n## EF-lenses are cheaper\nThe most obvious advantage of EF-lenses over RF-lenses is that currently the EF-versions are a lot cheaper than their RF counterparts. Going for EF might save you up to 50% in some cases! Canon are now slowly releasing some more affordable lenses, but most of them are still more expensive than the Ef versions. The second-hand market for EF-lenses also is a lot bigger, allowing you to get even better deals. As the RF system matures, lots of affordable EF lenses will hit the second-hand market in coming years.\n\nWhile some of the older EF lens designs don't quite hold up on modern high megapixel bodies like the Canon R5, most of the lenses released in the past 15 years outresolve those sensors with ease. In fact, when the 50-megapixel 5Ds was released in 2015, Canon [issued a list](https://www.canonrumors.com/canon-releases-recommended-lenses-for-eos-5ds-eos-5ds-r/#ixzz4sOAbruUl) of lenses that were sharp enough to work with that camera. Some lenses notoriously missing from this list have gotten updates since to improve their resolution. Lenses like the 35mm f/1.4L II, EF 70-200mm f/4L IS II and 16-35 f/2.8L III can now be safely added to this list.\n\n![Holy Trinity](/img/num/57/holy-trinity.jpg)\n*Both the fairly recent 16-35mm f/4 and 85mm f/1.4 already have RF-'replacements'. The much older 135mm f/2 doesn't exist in RF-mount yet.*\n\n## EF-lenses are compatible with almost every other lens mount\nIf you work with different camera-systems (or switch systems every few years...) EF-glass can be easily adapted to whatever system you please. I've adapted my EF-lenses to FujiFilm, Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic, Canon EF-M and even the Samsung NX1. Depending on the adapter you sometimes lose continuous autofocus, but compared to buying a whole new set of lenses, that's a small price to pay. Because of their short flange-distance RF-lenses can not be adapted to other systems other than the RF-mount.\n\n## EF-lenses allow you to use the variable ND adapter\nBesides the standard EF-RF adapter, Canon also released an adapter with a built-in variable ND. This adapter has become my #1 reason to stick with EF glass: it's just so convenient to have the variable ND in an adapter between the lens and body instead of bringing ND-filters for different lens sizes or attaching/removing ND's and step-up rings. Although it might seem a little pricey for what it is at first, it saves you a lot of money compared to buying different variable ND filters for every lens you own. It's like having a built-in variable ND, but much more gradual control. Because the adapter contains a removable filter-tray, you can even swap-out the ND for other filters like a circular polarizer or clear filter. I love it!\n\n![Canon Drop-in ND adapter](/img/num/57/canon-drop-in-nd-adapter.jpg)\n*The Canon drop-in variable ND adapter. A wheel on the side allows you to dial in the strength of the ND.*\n\n## EF lenses are generally smaller and lighter\nAlthough Canon promised that the new mount would make it easier to create high performance lenses with less glass, we haven't really seen that come to fruition yet. The most extreme example being the RF 50mm f/1.2 which comes in at almost double the weight of its predecessor! While most other RF lenses don't go quite so extreme, the trend seems to be 100-300 grams of added weight for the RF version. And while a lens like the RF 70-200 f/4 is actually significantly smaller than its EF counterpart, it comes at the expense of extending out once you actually use it.\n\n## Most EF-lenses have a mechanical focus ring\nMost EF-lenses have a mechanical focus ring. This means turning the focus ring mechanically moves the glass-elements inside the lens for precise and repeatable focus. Conversely, all new RF-lenses have so-called STM motors where the focus ring is not mechanically coupled to the lens. Instead, the movement of the focus ring sends an instruction to camera body, which in turn instructs the lens to change the focus. This can make it much harder to get repeatable focus. Another downside is that STM-motors require power from the body, while the USM-motors used in most EF-lenses also work without any power. This might not seem important, but makes a big difference if you want to adapt your lenses to camera bodies that do not provide power to the lens, or if you're using a so-called \"dumb\" (non-powered) adapter.\n\n# Conclusion\nAlthough the RF-mount opens up a lot of new optical possibilities, your current collection of EF-lenses hasn't become worthless all of a sudden. In fact, there are a lot of advantages to holding on to your EF-glass: they're cheaper, can be easily adapted to other mounts and allow you to use all sorts of filter-adapters. And despite the click-baity title of this post, maybe the best way forward is to mix-and-match: hold on to your favorite EF lenses and add some of the innovative new RF designs.","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":true,"category":"blog","main_image_path":"/img/num/57/main_image.jpg","related":"53","related2":"63","subcategory":"canon","intro":"In the short few years since the introduction of their full-frame mirrorless RF-mount, Canon has been steadily releasing lenses for the new mount. Or should I say *replacing* lenses, because in that same time-frame loads of EF-lenses have been officially discontinued or otherwise mysteriously vanished from stock. It's clear that Canon wants you to give up EF, and invest in some tasty mirrorless glass... But should you?","subtitle":"","camera":"EF Lenses"},{"id":"55","title":"Can software stabilization outperform a gimbal?","type":"post","label":"Pocket 2 VS GoPro","slug":"can-software-stabilization-outperform-a-gimbal","embed":"","body":"Software stabilization has a bad name. From rolling-shutter artifacts to huge crops and resolution loss, a physical gimbal seemed like the preferable solution. So I went out and got the DJI Pocket 2 and (oh the naivity!) a bracket to attach it to my bike...\n\nI soon found out that the bike transfers every little vibration over to the poor little Pocket, so it was time for plan B: I bought an actual vest to attach the DJI Pocket 2 to. Although the vest wasn't really my size, it helped removing the micro-jitters from the footage. But still I had to drive carefully and keep my body still and upright all the time. It wasn't the the set-and-forget option I had envisioned. Another downside of the vest was that I couldn't film sideways or at low angles. I was limited to that one straight-on perspective.\n\nWhen the GoPro Hero 9 was lowered in price, I bit the bullet, and it became immediately clear this was a much better solution. I could retire the vest and mount the GoPro directly to the bike and still get smooth shots in situations the Pocket 2 struggled with. I slammed my bike over brick-roads and cobble-stone alleyways and the GoPro's stabilization didn't break a sweat.\n\n## How can software stabilization be so good?\n\nThis got me wondering: why is the digital stabilization on the GoPro so much more effective than on large-sensor cameras, and with none of the stabilization artifacts? I think it comes down to a number of factors:\n\n1. Smaller sensors have a faster read-out speed, leading to much less of the dreaded rolling -shutter effect that has become the tell-tale sign of digital stabilisation.\n\n2. The GoPro Hero 9 has a very wide field-of-view and 20MP sensor, so there's a lot of room to crop.\n\n3. Shooting in 60fps also helps software stabilization, because the difference between each individual frame is smaller, and there's more information to work with.\n\n4. Due to the crop, the GoPro can rotate the image in order to keep the horizon level. This principle has been taken even further by the Insta360 Go 2, which actually has a square sensor! For an in-depth look at the Go 2's sensor and cropping, check out this [excellent video by The Running Dutchman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlJtXBYIfyM).\n\nThe GoPro's stabilization does come with some loss in detail, and in many situations you might not need stabilization on every axis, so in those cases the DJI Pocket 2 might give you better results. But when in comes to stabilizing harsh and sometimes uncontrolled camera shake, like mounting it on a bike, the GoPro has the edge.\n\nAnother important consideration is that the DJI Pocket 2 is quite fragile and keeping the gimbal clear when it's mounted to your chest, isn't always easy. Add to that the fact that the Pocket 2 has no waterproofing, so your trip could easily be cut short by a sudden cloud burst. The Pocket 2 just requires a lot more attention. It grabs more attention too, by the way: my GoPro set-up could easily be mistaken for a head-light ;-)\n\n![GoPro bike set-up](/img/num/55/gopro-bike-set-up.jpg)\n_My GoPro disguised as a head-light_\n\n## My GoPro settings for the best stabilization\n\nFor the best stabilization on the GoPro Hero 9, use the following settings:\n\n1. Resolution: 4K/25 or 4K/60 (preferable, see above). If you set the camera to 5K, there's less room to crop, which means slightly less stable footage.\n\n2. Lens: Linear and Horizon Leveling\n\n3. Hypersmooth: boost\n\n4. Although I would never recommend this on any other camera: a high shutter speed reduces motion blur, which in turn helps the software stabilization\n\nAlso note that in low-light the software-stabilization has a much harder time to stabilize the footage, so if you plan on doing a lot of low-light stabilized shots, the Pocket 2 might actually be a better performer.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nFor large-sensor cameras, IBIS or a gimbal remain the best ways of stabilizing your footage, but small-sensor cameras benefit from faster read-out and higher framerates to mitigate the wobble and weirdness ususally associated with software stabilization. Of course, a lot more factors go into deciding between the DJI Pocket 2 and GoPro Hero 9, but if stabilization is your main concern, take a close look at the GoPro Hero 9.\n","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":true,"category":"blog","main_image_path":"/img/num/55/main_image.jpg","related":"51","link1":"https://amzn.to/3Tb2LhW","caption1":"GoPro Hero 10","link2":"https://amzn.to/3dPC7Ll","caption2":"GoPro Hero 9","caption3":"DJI Pocket 2","link3":"https://amzn.to/3dORrHU","image1":"

","image2":"

","image3":"

","subcategory":"tips-tricks","intro":"I've been looking for a way to record my bike rides, and made the mistake of thinking that an actual gimbal (Pocket 2) MUST be better than software stabilization (GoPro). Long story short: after a lot of hassle I replaced the DJI Pocket 2 with the GoPro Hero 9, and never looked back. Could software stabilization actually outperform a gimbal? A comparison of the stabilization in the GoPro Hero 9 vs the DJI Pocket 2","subtitle":""},{"id":"53","title":"The Canon R6 for filmmakers","type":"post","label":"review","slug":"the-canon-r6-for-filmmakers","embed":"","body":"

\n\n*The Moresnet Viaduct (BE), shot with the R6*\n\n## Image quality\nCompared the EOS R, the R6 feels like the first uncompromised hybrid 4K Canon camera. Gone is the 1.7x crop that made it challenging to shoot wide, and thanks to the 5.1K oversampling, we finally get a noticably more detailed 4K image than the 1-to-1 crop on previous cameras. With 10bit 4:2:2 internal C-log recording, you get a solid and very mallable image, without the need for an external recorder. The R6's 'modest' megapixel count of just 20MP even gives the R6 a slight edge over the R5 when it comes to low-light performance: because the pixels are larger, each pixel gathers more light, which in turn leads to a cleaner low-light image.\n\n## Handling\nWhat struck me even more than just the image quality, is the fact that everything you need is built right in. No need for an external monitor: focus peaking, zebras, histogram and audio meters now come as standard, and 10bit internal recording mitigates the need for an external recorder. 5 Axis IBIS means you can leave your rig at home, reliable touch AF does away with the need for a follow focus, and the optional RF to EF variable ND adapter completes this tiny capable cinema package. A lot of those little features come together to make shooting fast and convenient, and very well suited to run-and-gun. Not to mention the fact that you're always carrying a pretty capable full-frame photo-camera with you.\n\n## H.265 codec\nA lot has been said about the H.265 codec: while it does help keep filesizes down (you get nearly double the record times compared to H.264), the files really need transcoding to a more edit-friendly format first. Although transcoding in [EditReady](https://www.divergentmedia.com/editready) is fast on anything but the old Macbook Air I happend to have with me on a trip, it can be an annoying extra step when you arrive home from a shoot and just want to get editing. The story is radically different on Apple's new M1 Macs though, which have native hardware decoding for H.265/HEVC. Even my baseline M1 Macbook Air has no issues playing back or editing the native H.265 files.\n\n![Filming at the Moresnet Viaduct](/img/num/53/moresnet.jpg)\n*Small R6 set-up at the Moresnet Viaduct*\n\n## IBIS\nOne of the most exciting features to me is that we finally have In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) in a Canon camera, and this makes a huge difference: I'm finally able to shoot handheld with my favorite non-stabilized EF 85mm, even in the APS-C crop mode (135mm equivalent). Of course stabilization improves even further when using a stabilized lens, and when used in conjunction with an RF-lens, both IBIS and lens stabilization work together to create an almost 'floating' feel. As with any IBIS system, it works best when you hold your camera relatively still, so don't expect to get super-smooth walk-around vlogging shots without a gimbal or other means of stabilization.\n\n## 4K/60\nFor a long time, shooting slow-motion on a Canon hybrid camera meant switching to HD, or even good old 720P, so it's great to finally see 4K/60. What's more, there's no drop in image quality: you get that same detailed 5.1K oversampled image as in the lower-framerate modes. In conjunction with IBIS, slow-motion can really smoothen-out your shots. Although the R5 offers 4K/120P, slowing down normal movement by 4 times or more can easily become too slow. If you're not into extreme sports or fast action I think 60P is the sweet spot.\n\n## APSC-Crop Mode\nI love shooting with primes, but switching lenses all the time can easily become tedious. That's why I'm a big fan of the 1.6x crop mode on the R6: often I just bring one full-frame lens, and then switch to crop mode for close-up shots. My 35mm becomes a 56mm lens, and my 85mm lens becomes a 135mm. In fact, I use this so often I wish you could assign this function to a custom button. The crop mode is also fully compatible with Dual Pixel AF, IBIS and 4K/60. The only downside is that on the R6 you do lose some detail compared to the oversampled 4K mode.\n\n## Overheating\nAll of the above would make the R6 a no-brainer, if it wasn't for that one big flaw: the overheating issue. Thanks to a number of firmware updates, the overheating isn't as prominent of an issue anymore, but if you plan on using the R6 as your A-cam it could still be a deal-breaker. I'll weigh in with my personal experiences and tests.\n\nWhen I first got the camera I mainly used it outside: grabbing a few shots on one location, shutting down the camera and moving to the next location. On these shoots I never experienced any overheating, not even a warning. But when running deliberate overheating tests indoor at room temperature, I did get an overheating warning after about an hour of recording. When recording at 60fps, the overheating warning came on after just over half an hour. Repeating those same tests outdoors, I never got the camera to overheat:\n\n![Tweet](/img/num/53/tweet.png)\n\nMy take-away from these tests is that the temperature of the surroundings has a huge impact on your record times. So will the overheating affect your shooting? I guess it really depends on what kind of shoots you do. If you do long-form recordings of events or long indoor interviews, the R6 probably isn't the best option, but if you do run-and-gun recording, outdoor events or lots of short takes, the overheating likely won't affect you at all.\n\n> Update: firmware 1.3.1 allows you to record at a lower bitrate IPB Light, and from my testing this improves record times indoors by another 20/25%.\n\n## Conclusion\nThe R-system has quickly matured. Where the original EOS R in some ways seemed a little unfinished, the R6 and R5 are the first Canon hybrid cameras where video doesn't feel like an afterthought. The gorgeous full-frame oversampled 10bit 4K, the 5-axis IBIS system, 4K/60 and Dual Pixel AF all make the R6 a versatile and smooth video shooter. If the overheating doesn't interfere with your shoots, that is.","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","main_image_path":"/img/num/53/main_image.jpg","related2":"63","related":"45","link1":"https://amzn.to/3TcIg4c","caption1":"Canon R6","link2":"https://amzn.to/3pDgAYN3bOWxDC","caption2":"Smallrig Canon R6 Cage","image2":"

","image1":"

","subcategory":"canon","intro":"With the R6 and R5, Canon is finally going all-in on video: no more crop in 4K, oversampled 10bit internal 4K/60 recording, C-log, IBIS, and a plethora or video-aids. And while the specs of the R6 might not be as headline-grabbing as the R5's exotic feature set, it strikes a great balance between advanced video features and price. The full frame 10bit stabilized image is gorgeous, and everything you need is built right in. But is worth the potential heat issues?","subtitle":"","created":"2021-07-24","camera":"Canon R6"},{"id":"51","title":"DJI Mini 2, the drone you're actually allowed to fly","type":"post","subtitle":"","label":"Review","slug":"dji-mini-2-the-drone-youre-actually-allowed-to-fly","body":"> Update: the DJI Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro and Mini SE also weigh less than 250 grams, so the same regulations apply\n\n> Update 2: check out how you can [shoot flat on the DJI Mini 2, Mini 3 and Mini SE](/article/how-to-shoot-flat-on-the-dji-mini-2)\n\nThe DJI Mini 2 is classified as a toy, but its feature-set is far from toy-like. The Mini 2 can now shoot 4K/30 and 2.7K/60 and thanks to the inclusion of Ocusync 2, it can retain the signal up to a distance of 10km! The Mini 2 now also comes with the same full-size controller as the Air 2, which includes a massive 5200 mAh battery, removable joysticks and it can even charge your phone while flying.\n\nWhat's more, in using the drone I found that it is exceptionally stable and silent, hardly attracting any attention. The drone really helps minimize that feeling of stage-freight every drone-pilot experiences just before take-of. Its small size and relatively low price only add to the worry-free experience. In many ways it's the perfect throw-in-the-bag drone: with USB-C charging, small spare-batteries and a built-in phone connector, the only thing that can go wrong is forgetting your micro-SD card (note to self!).\n\n

\n\n*Utrecht (NL) with the DJI Mini 2*\n\n## Downsides\nThe image of the Mini 2 is comparable to other DJI drones: slightly oversharpened, with vibrant colors and decent low light performance, but it doesn't hold a candle to the 1 inch 5.4K 10 bit sensor in the Air 2s. It also lacks the D-Cinelike or any kind of flat profile, so there's not a lot you can tweak in post. Update: I found a workaround for [shooting flat on the DJI Mini 2](/article/how-to-shoot-flat-on-the-dji-mini-2)!\n\nAnother downside of the Mini 2 compared to drones like the Air 2s is that it lacks obstacle avoidance. Especially in an entry-level drone obstacle avoidance could really help speed up the learning process. The omission of obstacle avoidance also is a limiting factor in the automated Quickshot modes: although the Mini 2 can do Dronie, Rocket, Helix, Circle and Boomerang, you have to be very mindful of the drone's environment to execute these with confidence.\n\n This is speculation on my part, but judging by the fact that the weight of the Mini 2 is actually lower than advertised (232 grams instead of 249 grams) and the fact that the front-facing holes now contain actual grills instead of stickers, I get the feeling that DJI tried to include front-facing obstacle avoidance sensors, but decided against it at the last moment. I'm sure the next version of the Mini will have some sort of obstacle-avoidance. Update: I was right; the DJI Mini 3 features obstacle avoidance sensors.\n\n> In the absense of obstacle avoidance, I did find another feature quite helpful: the Mini 2 has a 2x/4x digital zoom function, which allows you to get in really close, while flying at a safe distance. Although there is a slight drop in image-quality, I found it more than worth it for the more immersive footage you get.\n\nDrones have evolved so much that even today's entry level models are way more advanced than high-end models from a few years ago. Drones like the Phantom didn't have obstacle avoidance or a flat profile either, yet they were used in many professional productions. The Mini 2 has double the flight time of a Phantom, QuickShots, better dynamic range and low-light performance, quieter and more reliable operation.\n\n## Conclusion\nAlthough it's easy to think of the Mini as a beginner's drone, the performance and feature set is very close to that of more expensive drones. If you can live with the lack of obstacle avoidance, the Mini 2 might prove more than good enough for most shooting scenarios. Especially those situations where bigger drones are not allowed.\n\n> DISCLAIMER: the information in this article is based on the current European drone laws and may not apply to your locale. Always check your local regulations before making purchase decisions or flying. For example, in the US you do need a part 107 if you use the DJI Mini 2 for **commercial use**, in Europe and the UK there isn't such a requirement.","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","main_image_path":"/img/num/51/main_image.jpg","related":"60","link1":"https://amzn.to/3BpDN6d","caption1":"DJI Mini 3 Pro","link2":"https://amzn.to/3QL7pBy","caption2":"DJI Mini 2","image1":"

","image2":"

","link3":"https://amzn.to/3T7Wd3x","caption3":"ND Filters for the DJI Mini 2/Mavic Mini","image3":"

","subcategory":"dji","featured":false,"intro":"The DJI Mini 2 may not have some of the bells and whistles of its bigger counterparts like obstacle avoidance or 4K/60, it does have one major benefit over all other DJI drones: you’re actually allowed to fly it! New drone regulations require a license for any drone over 250 grams, and even with a license, you’re not allowed to fly near buildings or people. But because weight of the Mini 2 comes in at a meager 249 grams, those restrictions do not apply, and you do not need a license. This begs the question: should you invest the time and money in obtaining a license, or is the Mini 2 actually more than good enough for most productions?","camera":"DJI Mini 2"},{"id":"50","title":"The Lumix S1 is a whole new camera now...","type":"post","body":"Ever since the release of the S5, the S1 was in a bit of a strange spot in Panasonics full-frame line-up. The S1 was more expensive, yet the S5 had more advanced video-features like external ProRes RAW recording, anamorphic modes, and it even came with V-log pre-installed. Firmware 2.0 for the S1 not only fixed this, but turned the S1 into a different class of camera.\n\n## Open gate 6K\nThe most eye-catching specs are of course the addition of open gate 6K (3:2), 5.9K (16:9), Cinema 4K (17:9), 3.5K anamorphic (4:3) and 5.4K (16:9). All in 10bit 4:2:0 with a data-rate of 200 Mbps. To put that in perspective: where the camera previously maxed out at 8 Megapixels (4K), in open gate 6K it now records the full 24MP sensor at 30fps! Do keep in mind that unlike the S1H, the S1 does not have a fan, so continuous recording in 6K, 5.9K and 5.4K is limited to 15 minute clips.\n\n> As a side-note: if you ever wondered why those 'in-between' resolutions like 5.4K (S1) and 2.6K (Pocket 4K) exist: most de-bayer algorithms need 1.4 times the resolution to produce a tack-sharp image, so 2.6K produces the best Full HD (1920 x 1.4 = 2688), and 5.4K produces sharp 4K (3840 X 1.4 = 5375).\n\n## 5.9K ProRes RAW recording and Dual Native ISO\nWhile you could already record 4K to an external recorder, firmware 2.0 unlocks the ability to record 5.9K ProRes RAW to an Atomos recorder, as well as the option to trigger external recording by pressing the record button on the camera. Do keep in mind that to activate all of the above video-features, you need to have purchased the V-log upgrade first. The only new feature that doesn't require the V-log upgrade is Dual Native ISO. While this feature was already [available under the hood](/article/the-panasonic-s1-has-a-hidden-6k-mode#dual-native-iso-on-the-s1), you can now manually set the ISO-range (low: ISO640 or high: ISO4000) through the menu.\n\n## How does the S1 now compare to the S5?\nWhere in the past the S5 was the clear choice for video between the two, firmware 2.0 has brought the S1 much closer to the S1H in video-specs: internal 10bit open gate 6K and 16:9 5.9K recording, external 5.9K ProRes RAW. Add to that the chunkier ergonomics, bigger and higher resolution EVF (2.36 dots vs 5.76 dots), bigger screen, bigger battery and full-size HDMI, might now be the more compelling option between the two. And because many S1 users switched to the S5 when it came out, you can often find used S1 bodies for less than the price of the S5.\n","main_image":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","slug":"the-lumix-s1-is-a-whole-new-camera-now","category":"blog","subtitle":"","label":"Firmware 2.0 review","main_image_path":"/img/num/49/main_image.jpg","related":"47","link1":"https://amzn.to/3R1QtpX","caption1":"Panasonic S1","caption2":"Panasonic S5","link2":"https://amzn.to/3pDNAQH","image2":"

","image1":"

","subcategory":"panasonic","related2":"67","intro":"Firmware updates used to be boring. Between the 'minor bug fixes' and 'translation errors', usually there wasn't a compelling reason to install an update. But boy, how things have changed: Canon recently added C-log3 and Raw Light to the R5, Blackmagic added their Gen5 color science to the Pocket 4K and 6K, and Panasonic... Panasonic basically released a whole new camera through a free firmware update. Let's take a look a some of the S1's new features.","camera":"Panasonic S1"},{"id":"49","title":"Fix the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K's biggest issues","type":"post","label":"howto","slug":"how-to-fix-the-blackmagic-pocket-4ks-biggest-issues","embed":"","related":"41","related2":"66","body":"## Battery life\nThe most common complaint of the Pocket 4K is the mediocre battery life. The screen, processing and heat dispersion all need lots of juice, and those tiny LP-E6 batteries can hardly keep up. In my testing, I went through a battery every 30-40 minutes! Although firmware updates have slightly improved the reliability of the batteries, performance is still mediocre at best.\n\nTo make matters worse: the battery indicator on the BMPCC4K isn't all that reliable, with the camera sometimes shutting off when the indicator still shows there's enough juice left. The most reliable way of gaging battery power is to switch the indicator from percentages to volts (by tapping on it), and swap the battery when the level goes below 7.4 volts... \n\nThe simplest battery solution right now is to just buy a lot of Canon LP-E6 batteries. This keeps the camera small and light, and keeps the amount of wires dangling from the side of your camera to a minimum. Ironically, the battery that came with the BMPCC4K isn't all that good, and I also had some issues with the 'Jupio' branded ones. I found Wasabi batteries and genuine Canon LP-E6 batteries to be the most reliable. The newer, LP-E6n batteries also provide slightly longer run times.\n\nIf you already use an external monitor like the SmallHD Focus, the Swit CM 55C, or Feelworld F6, you can get an dummy LP-E6 battery, which allows you to power the camera from the monitor's bigger battery, while keeping your rig lightweight. Some monitors (like the SmallHD Focus) even allow you to hot-swap the batteries. Gimbals like the Moza Air 2 can also power the camera through the 2-pin power plug on the side of the Pocket 4K.\n\n![Pocket 4K Monitor](/img/num/49/bmpcc4k-v-mount.jpg)\n*My current BMPCC4K V-mount battery set-up*\n\nIf you already own an URSA mini or any other camera that uses V-mount and don't mind a little rigging, you can also get a D-tap to 2-pin lemo cable, and power the Pocket for hours from a single v-mount battery. Another option for powering the Pocket 4K is the Core Powerbase Edge: a V-mount battery that you can srew directly under your camera and features two D-tap- and two USB ports. Because it’s a V-mount battery, it’ll also work on the URSA or any other V-mount-powered camera.\n\n## The Screen\nAlthough the BMPCC4K has a wonderful 5 inch 1080P touch-screen, making it easy to navigate the menus and get critical focus, the fact that you can’t tilt it quickly becomes awkward when shooting low angle shots. Also, with a brightness of just 500 nits, it's pretty hard to use in direct sunlight. I more than once had to resort to old-school techniques like putting your jacket over your head and over the camera... :-S If you shoot outside a lot or at low angles, you really need an external monitor or EVF.\n\nI would recommend an external monitor with at least 500 nits of brightness (the same brightness as the Pocket 4K's screen). If you shoot outside in direct sunlight a lot, take a look at a brighter monitor like the SmallHD Focus (800 nits) or the Atomos Shinobi/Ninja V (1000 nits). Even though the Pocket 4K already comes with lots of excellent focus- and exposure tools built-in (peaking, tap-to-zoom, histogram, zebras, false color), it doesn't have waveforms or a vectorscope, so that's another benefit of going with an external monitor.\n\n![Pocket 4K Flip-out-screen](/img/num/49/tilta-bmpcc4k-screen-mod.png)\n*Tilta BMPCC4K/6K Display Modification Kit*\n\nIf you're feeling adventurous, Tilta now makes a [BMPCC4K/6K display modification kit](https://tilta.com/shop/bmpcc-4k-6k-display-modification-kit/) that allows you to turn the BMPCC4K/6K's screen into a flip-up screen. It must have inspired Blackmagic, because the tilt-screen on the Pocket 6K Pro looks a lot like this design ;-)\n\n## Stabilization\nLike most cinema cameras, the BMPCC4K doesn’t feature any sort of internal stabilization, so if you’re going handheld, you need to some other way to stabilize your footage. Luckily the rolling shutter on the Pocket 4K is very minimal, which really helps when trying to stabilize shots in post.\n\nThe easiest way to stabilize your handheld footage is to get a stabilized lens, like the Panasonic 12-35 F2.8 or Olympus 12-100mm F4 IS PRO. If you use a speedbooster the Canon 24-105 F4 IS or 35mm F2 IS are excellent choices (among many others). Going with a stabilized lens allows you to keep your setup small and inconspicuous, but they’re not really suited for walking shots. If you want more versatility and cinematic movement in your shots, getting a gimbal might be the best option.\n\nThe BMPCC4K is lightweight, but because of its awkward wide shape and different weight distribution, the Pocket 4K doesn’t fit on most of the smaller gimbals. I tried it (with some modifications) on the original Zhiyun Crane, and that thing intermittently just gave up. Even the gimbals that are known to work with the Pocket 4K, will not work without some modifications. The DJI Ronin S is a good option, but you will need to use the [extender plate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6rXcV78iOI) that comes with the Ronin. And once you add the extender plate, the camera will be [slightly slanted](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVCVfY7UF24). Eventually I found that the best solution is this Smallrig offset plate for the Ronin S and Zhiyun Crane 3:\n\n![Smallrig BMPCC4K offset plate for the Ronin S](/img/num/49/smallrig-offset-plate.jpg)\n\nThe gimbal that probably works with the least amount of tweaking is the Moza Air 2. This gimbal was created after the Pocket 4K was announced, and has a wider profile to account for the shape of the pocket. Another benefit of the Moza Air is that you can power the camera from the gimbal (using the Blackmagic Cable Pack). The gimbal has battery power to spare, and extra batteries are pretty cheap.\n\n## Grading Blackmagic Footage\n\nAlthough Blackmagic is known for its cinematic colors, getting the footage to look right can be quite a challenge. The dreadful magenta shift, oversaturated reds and inaccurate white balance readings are all known issues that plague Blackmagic's cameras and can make it difficult to even reach a natural-looking base-grade. To help with this issue, I've created a [natural Rec709 LUT Pack](/article/blackmagic-gen-5-luts) that makes it a lot easier to get your Blackmagic footage to look right. To get the best results, set your white balance a little to the cool side.\n\n## Conclusion\nThe Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K is priced ridiculously low for what it offers, but you will need some extra accessories to get it fully working. Depending on your workflow, the cheapest option would be to get more batteries, a bright monitor and a stabilized MFT lens. Or get a gimbal that supports powering the camera, and save on batteries and stabilized lenses!\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3dUNule","caption1":"Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K","link2":"https://amzn.to/3R57gse","caption2":"Smallrig cage for BMPCC4K","link3":"","caption3":"","image1":"

","image2":"

","subcategory":"blackmagic","intro":"The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC4K) is a very capable camera with its 13 stops of dynamic range, 10 bit ProRes and 12bit BRAW recording, XLR inputs and stunning image, but like any Blackmagic camera it does have its issues. I’ll go over 3 of the biggest problems and how you can fix them.","subtitle":"","camera":"Blackmagic Pocket 4K","table_of_contents":true},{"id":"48","title":"Swit CM-55C camera monitor","type":"post","label":"review","slug":"swit-cm-55c-camera-monitor","embed":"","related":"15","related2":"","body":"The Swit CM-55C (known as the OSee T5 in other parts of the world) has the size of an iPhone and the thickness of a paperback, making it an ideal candidate for pairing with small mirrorless cameras. With a weight of just 160 grams (without a battery) and the option to power your camera from the monitor, the CM-55C allows you to shoot with a minimal amount of rigging. Where other monitors often come with a big bolt-on battery plate, the battery plate on the Swit is neatly integrated into the chassis, and even the HDMI-port is recessed on the side of the monitor.\n\n## Powering options\nPowering options are another strong point of this monitor: the integrated battery plate accepts both Sony NPF-style batteries as well as Canon LP-E6 batteries. The power draw is so low that you can even run the monitor from a USB powerbank! That's a lot of powering-options to have in such a small monitor.\n\n![](/img/archive/36-19091202313031173.jpg)\n*Swit monitor with Swit battery*\n## Interface and features\n\nAlthough the design and the interface of the Swit CM 55C is clearly 'inspired' by the smallHD 501 monitor, the Swit is nearly half the weight (160 grams vs 300 grams), has a bigger and slightly brighter screen (450 nits vs 400 nits), has much more powering options, and costs 5 times less than the SmallHD.\n\nBesides the usual suspects (peaking, zebras, histogram) the Swit CM 55C also features 3D LUT support, waveforms (3 sizes), false color and even a vectorscope! If your camera sends audio over HDMI, the Swit can also display audio meters and outputs the audio through the monitor's headphone jack.\n\n![](/img/archive/36-19091202314247507.jpg)\n*The original Canon C100 could certainly use a better monitor*\n\nWhere most other brands use the finicky 4-button menu navigation system (back, up-down, select), the Swit uses a single joystick to navigate the menus. With a traditional 4-button menu you have to constantly look if you're pressing the right button, while with Swits joystick you can just keep your eyes on the screen.\n\nWhat isn't really intuitive is that Swit also added a 'press-and-hold' function: it took me quite a while to figure out the general display settings could be accessed by a long-press left. A long press right allows you to add a new 'scene', a whole new set of assist-tools.\n\n## Screen\nComing from years of working with 720P monitors, the 1920x1080 resolution on this monitor is a treat. I found it much easier to pull focus, even without focus peaking engaged. Colors are vivid and accurate out of the box. The screen is 5.5 inches and has a viewing angle of 178 degrees (which means you can see it from any angle). The brightness of 450 nits is standard for monitors of this size, but won't be bright enough for filming outside in direct sunlight (at least not without the provided sun hood).\n\n![Direct sunlight](/img/archive/36-19091202024214624.jpg)\n*The monitor was actually turned on...*\n## Catch\nIf there is a catch to the price and feature-set of this monitor, it must be the build quality. The all-plastic encasing creaks even when you gently press it, and doesn't feel like it would survive even a slight drop. Although nice to have, the included mounting bracket and sunhood are of poor quality. For normal use this is a perfect trade-off, but I don't expect the monitor to survive years of rigorous set-life.\n\n## Conclusion\nBecause of its lightweight and compact design, the Swit CM-55C is better suited as an on-camera HDMI monitor than many of its pricier rivals. Add to that the extensive feature set, high resolution screen, nice interface, great number of powering options and extremely low price, and this monitor becomes a no-brainer to have in your kit bag. Only if you need more a more durable design, higher brightness or a bigger screen, this monitor is not for you.\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3wkDqrS","caption1":"Swit CM-55C on-camera monitor","image1":"

","subcategory":"accessories","intro":"The Swit CM-55C is one of the most affordable 5 inch full HD monitors available, yet it is compact, jam-packed with features, has a host of different powering-options, a very friendly user-interface, and a very detailed and color-accurate screen. There must be a catch, right?","subtitle":"","camera":"Swit CM-55C"},{"id":"47","title":"The Panasonic S1 has a 'hidden' 6K mode","type":"post","label":"howto","slug":"the-panasonic-s1-has-a-hidden-6k-mode","embed":"","related":"50","related2":"67","body":"> Update: Panasonic has now released firmware 2.0, which unlocks a lot of the features described in this article. Check out my [review of firmware 2.0](/article/the-lumix-s1-is-a-whole-new-camera-now)\n\n## 10 bit 4:2:2 internal after V-log update\nIn July 2019 Panasonic released a paid upgrade for the S1, which brings the video spec of the S1 more in line with its bigger brother. There’s full V-log (not V-log light like in the GH5), 10 bit 4:2:2 internal recording, a waveform display and support for in-camera LUTs. Add to that the Varicam color science and 5-axis IBIS, and this camera is already leaving a lot of the competition behind. But it gets even more interesting if we take a look at the specs Panasonic *didn’t* officially announce.\n\n## 6K recording on the S1\nAlthough the main selling point of the S1H is its 6K recording capability, via an option buried deep inside the menu the S1 can indeed shoot open gate 6K with sound! It’s just that Panasonic *named* it differently on the S1! If you go to:\n\n> Menu > Tab 1 > Others 2 > 6K/4K Photo\n\nYou’ll be able to choose between 6K/30P or 4K/60P and your sequence will be recorded as a 10 bit 6K 200Mbps H.265 file with sound! And just like on the S1H, the video is recorded in a 3:2 aspect ratio of 5952×3968. You can even set the burst to start/stop recording by pressing the shutter-button, just like in the normal video modes. To do so, go to:\n\n> 6K/4K Photo > Rec Method > 6K Burst (S/S)\n\nBy default, the 6K photo mode is assigned to mode 'II' on the burst-shooting dial (the dial below the mode dial on the left-hand side of the camera). Activate that mode and press the shutter to start recording.\n\nOnce you stop recording, the camera will ask you to choose a frame to export, but if you exit that menu the whole video file will be saved in h.265 format. The only limitations of this mode compared to the S1H is that you can only record at 30P and for 10 minutes at a time in burst mode.\n\n![4K/6K photo mode on the Panasonic S1](/img/archive/40-19092610105510319.jpg)\n\n## Dual Native ISO on the S1?\nAnother selling point of the S1H over the S1 is the Dual Native ISO at 640 and 4000. But, as YouTuber Andy Trace [discovered](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHrPbDXXfiY): the V-log update also seems to activate Dual Native ISO on the S1! Look at the image below: on the left is the noise performance at ISO 3200, and on the right the noise performance at ISO 4000 (both shot in V-log). As you can see, at 3200 ISO the image is quite noisy, and at 4000 (apart from the dead pixel) it’s super clean!\n\n![Dual native ISO on the S1](/img/archive/40-19092609525093614.jpg)\n\n## Conclusion\nIt's hard to say why Panasonic didn't actively market these these features on the S1. The most probable explanation would be that they don't want to steal any of the S1H's thunder. Of course, if you need unlimited record-times, the ability to record ProRes RAW externally, or prefer the bigger body and flip-out screen you should certainly consider the S1H, but if 6K or the Dual Native ISO had you on the fence, the S1 has just become a great option at half the cost!","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3R1QtpX","caption1":"Panasonic S1","link2":"https://amzn.to/3pDNAQH","caption2":"Panasonic S5","image1":"

","image2":"

","subcategory":"panasonic","intro":"It’s starting to look like the Panasonic S1 might be the bargain of the year for filmmakers, especially compared to the S1H, which is more than double the price. The reason for this is that it’s becoming more and more clear that the S1 ‘secretly’ shares a lot of the advanced features that Panasonic claims are unique to the S1H! There’s of course the official V-log update which unlocks 10 bit 4:2:2 internal recording, but now S1 users have discovered a hidden 6K mode, and the existence of Dual Native ISO on the S1! Let’s dive in.","subtitle":"","camera":"Panasonic S1"},{"id":"38","title":"Set up the Canon M50 for Filmmaking","type":"post","label":"setup-guide","slug":"how-to-set-up-the-canon-m50-for-4k-filmmaking","embed":"uQkPZYcL_BE","related":"62","related2":"","body":"> Check out the [The Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide](/article/the-canon-m50-filmmaking-guide) (eBook)\n\nThe affordable M50 even pioneered many of the features that were later implemented in the $2500 Canon EOS R! The M50 was the first camera to feature the DIGIC8 processor, eye-tracking Dual Pixel Autofocus, compressed RAW for stills, and where the audio preamps in Canon DSLRs are known to be quite noisy: the ones in the M50 are actually quite good! No more audio-levels hacks for this guy!\n\nThe M50’s 4K mode does need a little help to get good results though: the Dual Pixel autofocus is not available in 4K, and there’s an additional crop when switching to 4K. But the 4K image itself is actually very detailed and sharp, with great color and dynamic range. This is mostly due to the high bitrate of 120 Mbps and the fact that there’s no pixel-binning or line-skipping in 4k. Below I’ll explain how to work around these limitations and how to set up the M50 for 4K filmmaking.\n\n## Crop factor\n\nTo combat the considerable crop-factor in 4K, you’ll want to pick up an ultra wide-angle lens. Luckily ultra-wides for APS-C sensors are a lot cheaper than their full-frame counterparts. Canons offers the EOS-M 11-22 f4-5.6 as a kit with the M50, and with the EOS-M to EF adapter you can use the excellent (and very affordable) Canon EF-S 10-18 f4.5-5.6 (which I use). The latter gives you a field of view of 22-40mm full frame equivalent, which is perfect for general purpose filmmaking. Many Canon shooters already own the Sigma 18-35 or Canon 17-55, both of which would complement the range of 10-18 perfectly. There’s also the Samyang 12mm f2.8, if you need better low-light performance and shallower depth of field from your wide-angle lens.\n\nAnother option is to get the Viltrox EF-EOS M2 Speedbooster, which reduces the crop in 4K by 0.71x, effectively turning the M50 into a 4K Super 35 camera (or a full-frame HD camera)! Another huge benefit of the speedbooster is that you gain nearly a full stop of light. Note that the Viltrox Speedbooster will not work with APS-C (EF-S) lenses, only EF lenses.\n\n![Canon M50 with adapter](/img/num/38/m50-adapter.jpg \"Canon M50 with adapter\")\n\n*The Canon M50 with the EF adapter and the EF-S 10-18mm*\n\n## Autofocus\n\nThe M50’s lack of Dual Pixel AF in 4K will certainly makes it less suited to 4K vlogging, but for most other filmmaking applications it hardly is a deal breaker. Especially considering the fact that most cameras from other brands require you to focus manually anyway to get reliable results. To compensate for the lack of DPAF in 4K, Canon added a slew of rather excellent focus-aids. There’s a customizable focus-peaking function (strength, color) and a magnify function that allows you to ‘look around’ in the area that is magnified by swiping the screen or using the D-pad. Both features are sorely missing from Canons higher-end DSLRs, and now we have a wonderful implementation on this $500 mirrorless camera.\n\n## No Canon log\n\nUnlike the EOS R, the M50 doesn't come with Canon log or any flat profile. This makes high-contrast scenes more challenging to shoot, and leaves less room for grading or matching different cameras. To work around these issues and increase the M50's dynamic range and flexibility I created a [flat picture style for the M50](/article/flat-picture-style-for-canon-mirrorless-cameras). It closely matches Canon Log on the EOS R and is fully compatible with [C-log LUTs](/article/canon-log-to-rec709-luts-for-eos-r).\n\n## How to set-up the M50 for 4K filmmaking\n\nBy default the M50 shows a ‘beginner-friendly’, simplified version of the menu, which is different from the standard Canon menu and even hides lots of advanced settings. To get access to all settings, switch to the ‘classic’ Canon DSLR menu by going to:\n\n> Menu > Disp level settings > Menu display > standard\n\nSet the shutter-button to be the record button in video-mode\n\nThe M50 has a small, recessed, record button, which can be hard to find by touch. To assign the shutter-button to start/stop recording go to:\n\n> Menu > Camera > 5 > Btn function > fully press > Start-stop record\n\n## Control aperture with the front dial\n\nBy default, the front dial (the dial around the shutter button) controls shutter speed in video mode. To set it to control aperture instead, just press up on the D-pad (exposure +/- button). This will allow you to quickly toggle between what the front dial controls. This works the same in other modes, for example in aperture priority mode (Av) it allows you to toggle between cotrolling the aperture or controlling exposure compensation. Note that although you can shoot HD video in any mode, to shoot 4K video you need to switch to video mode.\n\n## Enable Focus peaking\n\nAlthough I found the M50’s screen so crisp and detailed that in many cases I didn’t need focus aids, in bright sunlight or with low-contrast subjects the built-in focus-peaking can be a shot-saver. To enable focus peaking, go to:\n\n> Menu > Camera > 5 > MF peaking settings > on\n\nYou can also set the peaking level (low, high) and color (red, yellow, blue).\n\n## Stabilization\n\nThe M50 has a built-in electronic stabilizer. Being electronic means that it does not shift the sensor but it slightly crops the image. While a nice feature in a pinch, I found that it sometimes causes warping of the image (just like when applying stabilization in post), so I suggest you turn it off and rely on your lens’ stabilization or tripod/gimbal.\n\nTo turn digital IS off, go to:\n> Menu > Camera > 5 > IS settings > Digital IS > disable\n\nI did find use for the IS in another situation: because the IS crops the image slightly (in the ‘enable’ mode) to severely (in the ‘enhanced’ mode), you can use it to get some more reach out of your lenses. This deteriorates the image quality though, so use with caution and avoid higher ISO’s.\n\n## Conclusion\n\nThough it’s hard to tell from the specs alone, using the M50 makes you realize how versatile, advanced and fun the M50 is as a filmmaking tool. In many ways, Canon included all the features we’ve been wanting on their high-end DSLRs into this small, inconspicuous body. And at a price that is simply a steal.\n\n## The Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide (PDF)\n> Like this article? Learn all about filmmaking on the M50 in the [The Canon M50 Filmmaking Guide](/article/the-canon-m50-filmmaking-guide) (eBook)\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3PJSXbq","caption1":"Canon M50","link2":"https://amzn.to/3Cmdznj","caption2":"Canon EOS M to EF Adapter","link3":"https://amzn.to/3R1ducK","caption3":"Canon EF-S 10-18mm lens","image1":"

","image2":"

","image3":"

","subcategory":"canon","featured":false,"intro":"The Canon M50 might not look like it, but in many ways it’s a more advanced and more refined filmmaking tool than any of Canons higher end DSLRs that came before it. Though it lacks Dual Pixel AF in 4K mode, it has a host of advanced features that aren’t available in any of Canons much more expensive DSLRs: there’s focus peaking, magnify and scan around (via D-pad or touch!), clean HDMI out, a flip-out touch-screen and OLED EVF, easy-to-use and high bitrate codec, customizable buttons and the best implementation of 4K timelapse I’ve seen. All things Canons 'higher-end' DSLRs cannot do.","subtitle":"","camera":"Canon M50"},{"id":"45","title":"Ten Canon EOS R tips for filmmakers","type":"post","label":"setup-guide","slug":"canon-eos-r-tips-for-filmmakers","embed":"","related":"40","related2":"524","body":"That doesn't mean the EOS R doesn't have its issues: there's of course the 1.7x crop in 4K, the lack of dual card slots or a joystick, and then there's that 'experimental' touch bar. Below are 10 tips and lesser known features to improve your filmmaking experience on the EOS R. Well, 12 actually, but that doesn't have the same ring to it...\n\n## Single-handed operation\nFirst, let's get a few basics out of the way: although the EOS R features a great touch-screen, when filming it's often much easier and faster to change settings single-handedly, using the buttons and dials on the body. In video mode, you can change the shutter-speed using the front-dial, the aperture using the back-dial and the ISO by pressing the M-fn button and then using the front dial. Since the shutter-speed isn't something you need to change often in video mode, you could also set the front-dial to be the aperture dial, and the back dial to change the ISO. To do so, go to:\n> Menu > Custom Functions > 4 > Customize dials\n\nThe nice thing is that these settings only affect the manual video- and photo-modes, so you can keep using Aperture Priority (Av) or Shutter Priority like you normally would. Configuring your EOS R this way also eliminates the extra button press for changing the ISO: the back dial now adjusts the ISO directly.\n\n## No Joystick\n\nMissing the joystick to set your focus point? You can either use the touchscreen (even when using the EVF if you enable 'Touch and drag' in the AF menu), or press the focus selection button on the back and then use the D-pad like a joystick. For even faster AF-point selection, go to\n\n> Menu > Custom Functions > 4 > Customize buttons\n\nand assign the arrow keys to \"Direct AF point selection\". To quickly recenter the AF point, press the trash-button.\n\nI also configured the Q-button to pause/resume servo AF. This way I can quickly pause servo AF, move the focus point and then resume AF, all using the arrows keys and the Q-button.\n\n## No dual cards slots\nBummed that the EOS R does not have dual card slots? Well there is a solution for this issue too, just go to:\n\n> Menu > Settings > Wrench > 5 > Wireless communication settings > Wi-Fi settings\n\nAnd enable \"Send to smartphone after shot\". Now every photo you take will be automatically be backed up to your smartphone! This feature great for instant sharing on social media and reviewing or editing your footage on a bigger screen. The downside is that this only works for images, not for video.\n\n![](../img/archive/38-19092310275717815.jpg)\n\n## Work around the crop in 4K\nOf course, one of the biggest downsides of the EOS R is the 1.7x crop in 4K. However, unlike the 5D Mark IV, the EOS R accepts APS-C lenses that were made for cropped-sensor cameras. With excellent APS-C lenses like the Sigma 18-35, Canon 17-55 or 10-18 the crop becomes a fairly manageable 1.1x crop compared to APS-C. This makes the EOS R a great B-cam to cameras like the C200 and C300, which come with a 1.6x 'crop' by default.\n\nAnother option is to get the [Metabones Speedbooster EF-RF](https://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-EFR-BT1), which has been specifically designed to mitigate the 1.7x crop on the EOS R and EOS RP. Apart from the wider field-of-view, you also gain an extra stop of light.\n\n

\n\n*Review of the Metabones Speedbooster EF-RF by Potatojet*\n\n## Get more reach out of your lenses in photo mode\nThe fact that the EOS R is the first Canon full frame that also accepts APS-C lenses (the camera crops automatically when you attach an APS-C lens), can also be used creatively. When you attach a full-frame lens, you still get the option to crop in on the sensor. This allows you to turn your 35mm prime into a 35mm and 56mm prime, or your 24-105 to a 24-105 and 38-168mm lens! To enable the 1.6x crop in photo-mode:\n\n> Press Q > Cropping/Aspect ratio > 1.6x (crop)\n\nIn that same menu you can also change the aspect ratio to 1:1 (Instagram), 4:3 or 16:9\n\n## Disable focus-by-wire on RF lenses\nThe release of the EOS R also marked the introduction of Canons new RF lens mount, along with a whole new line-up of lenses. A downside of Canons RF-mount lenses is that they are focus-by-wire (meaning the focus depends on the speed at which you turn the focus-ring, not the angle). This makes them hard to use for repeatable manual focus, and outright unusable if you use any kind of follow-focus. Luckily Canon included the option to make the behavior of the focus ring linear and repeatable.\n\n## Variable ND Adapter\nAlthough the new lens mount also means you have to use an adapter to use your older EF lenses, Canon actually turned this potential drawback into a huge advantage for filmmakers. Alongside the standard EF to RF adapter, they also released an adapter with a built-in variable ND filter slot. This means that you no longer need screw-on variable ND in various different sizes (and all the hassle of step-down rings or repeatedly screwing on and off filters). Furthermore: you can use the adapter with any (future) RF-mount camera, like the upcoming RED Komodo.\n\n![Canon EOS R with Smallrig cage and Nitze monitor mount](../img/archive/0-19092309342197274.jpg)\n\n*The Canon EOS R with Smallrig cage/handle and Nitze monitor mount*\n\n## Enabling timecode on the EOS R\nIf you do studio shoots or concert registrations with multiple cameras, you're going to love the EOS R's ability to use timecode. You can sync multiple cameras to a master clock, or manually start the timecode on multiple cameras. A great starting point for using timecode on the EOS R is [Kusharga's video on timecode on the EOS R](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7-YkihaHAE).\n\n ## Manual Focus Aids\n\nIf you prefer to focus manually, the EOS R has a very useful (almost game-like) manual focus assist feature called \"Focus Guide\". Line up the two triangles to make sure you're in focus. If the triangles are displayed on top, your need to focus closer (turn clock-wise), and vice-versa. To activate it, go to:\n\n> Menu > AF > 2 > Focus Guide\n\nIf you prefer focus peaking, you can enable it through:\n\n> Menu > AF > 2 > MF Peaking Settings > Peaking > on\n\n## No suitable C-log LUTs available\nAnyone who's tried the Canon-provided C-log LUTs on footage shot with the EOS R will notice that the results are far from satisfying: colors look weird, skin tones are off, and the LUTs are generally too punchy. That's why I've created a set of [LUTs specifically designed for C-log on the EOS R and 5D Mark IV](/article/canon-log-to-rec709-luts-for-eos-r). The LUTs convert Canon log to rec709 and can be used for quick turnaround or as a starting point for further grading.\n\n## Bonus tip: 4K timelapse\nI saved one of the nicest features in the EOS R for last: 4K timelapse. This feature silently takes 4K stills at the chosen interval, and automatically stitches them together into a higly detailed 4K video file. To activate 4K timelapse, go to\n> Menu > Camera > 2 > Timelapse movie\n\nand then choose the interval and number of shots. You'll see how long it takes to make the timelapse and how long the final movie lasts.\n\n

\n\t

\n\n*Compilation of timelapses I made on the EOS R*\n\nDo note that you need to disable Canon Log in order to use the 4K timelapse mode. Fun fact: the 4K timelapse function actually uses the 1.6x APS-C crop instead of the 1.7x crop it uses in 4K video, so it's slightly wider than the 4K video mode.\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3AHFSeP","caption1":"Canon EOS R","link2":"https://amzn.to/3QYFopC","caption2":"Sigma 18-35 for Canon","link3":"https://amzn.to/3R1ducK","caption3":"Canon EF-S 10-18mm","image1":"

","image2":"

","image3":"

","subcategory":"canon","intro":"If you think about it, the EOS R is currently quite unique in Canons line-up: the much more expensive 1Dx doesn't have C-log, 10 bit, 4k output, timecode, the option for built-in ND or a flip out screen, and even the C200 can only do 10 bit in RAW. Arguably, the colors are nicer on the EOS R too. And with the exception of the M50, none of Canons other mirrorless cameras can even shoot 24p anymore!","subtitle":"","camera":"Canon EOS R","table_of_contents":true},{"id":"41","title":"Review of the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K","type":"post","label":"review","slug":"review-of-the-blackmagic-pocket-cinema-camera-4k","embed":"","related":"49","related2":"66","body":"The BMPCC4K puts the image-quality, tools and flexibility previously reserved for cameras costing 10 times as much into the hands of many talented frugal filmmakers. In that sense, the introduction of the Pocket 4K is just as significant for filmmakers as the Canon 5D was 10 years earlier. Let’s dive in.\n\n![Pocket Box](/img/num/41/pocketbox.jpg)\n*Pocket Box*\n\n# The (very) good stuff\n## Dedicated film camera\nUnlike other camera brands, Blackmagic doesn’t have to cater for photographers, and this has some massive advantages for filmmakers. To name just a few: the low megapixel count (8MP) leads to much better low-light performance, heat sinks are in place for internal recording up to 12 bit raw, the user-interface and button layout are tuned for video work, and the four-thirds mount makes the camera adaptable to all sorts of cinema lenses, speed boosters and ND-throttles.\n\nAnd Blackmagic isn’t really protecting their higher end line-up either: slap on a speedbooster and the BMPCC4K gets you 90% of the URSA Mini Pro, with much better low-light performance, a better screen and easier lens-adaptability and portability to boot. Actually, the Ursa Mini Pro and Pocket 4K share the same color science which makes it the perfect B-cam to the UMP.\n\n## 10 bit ProRes & 12 bit RAW internal recording\nWhere hybrid cameras costing twice as much require you to fiddle with external recorders just to squeeze some measly 10bit 420 out, the Pocket 4K offers internal 10 bit 422 ProRes and 12 bit RAW recording. No holds barred. If you’re used to the standard 10/11 stops of dynamic range of most mirrorless cameras, you’ll immediately notice the increased latitude offered by the 13 stops of dynamic range on the Pocket 4K.\n\n![Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K](/img/num/41/pocket4k.jpg)\n*The BMPCC4K with the Smallrig half cage and handle*\n\n## Dual Native ISO\nAnother big draw is the Pocket’s Dual Native ISO. Where the URSA struggles with anything over ISO 800, the Pocket's optimal high ISO performance doesn't even start until ISO 3200! If you set your camera to an ISO between ISO 100 and ISO 1000, the camera uses the first native ISO of 400, and once you set it to ISO 1250 or above, the camera automatically switches to the second native ISO of 3200. This means that ISO 1000 is noisier than ISO 1250. You do lose some dynamic range in the second ISO range, but that's an easy trade-off in most cases.\n\n## 4K/60fps\nSlow motion needs lots of light, and thanks to that Dual Native ISO, the BMPCC4K could well be the first viable option for low-light 4K slow-motion! Thanks to the robust codec and the performance of the Dual Native ISO you can easily shoot great-looking slow-motion footage at ISO 3200 or even higher! Overall, I found that there’s no noticeable effect on image quality if you shoots 50/60fps compared to shooting 25/30fps. And unlike most of the competition, sound is also recorded while shooting slow-motion.\n\nWhat’s more: thanks to the ability to set a shutter angle instead of shutter-speed, ánd thanks to the dedicated slow-motion button on the back, switching between real-time and slow-motion is very fast! No need to double the shutter-speed manually, just press the slow-motion button and shoot!\n\n## Adaptability\nSome might lament Blackmagic’s choice to go for a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor, but I think it’s the only way they could offer all these features at such a low price. Once you go bigger, you need faster processors, which in turn need more cooling. It is no coincidence that the only companies that currently offer internal 10 bit 4K use smaller sensors (Panasonic and Fuji), and why we see so many innovations happening on the MFT platform first.\n\nAnother often overlooked advantage of MFT, is its adaptability: because of its short flange distance and small lens mount, nearly every lens in existence can be adapted to MFT. This allows you to use all sorts of vintage manual lenses. Stick a speedbooster in front, and suddenly that tiny sensor has the field-of-view and depth-of-field of an APS-C or full-frame sensor.\n\n## Connection galore\nBlackmagic didn’t skimp on connections either. Besides SD- and CFast-card slots, you can record straight to an SSD-drive using the built-in USB-C connector. Plug your condenser mics into the Pocket 4K to get phantom-powered XLR, without the need for an XLR box. There’s a full-size HDMI-socket, headphone jack, and the 3.5mm mic jack doubles as a timecode-in! \n\n# The not so good stuff\nAlthough Blackmagic cameras have always been pushing the envelope, every new model also seems to feature a few questionable design choices. The Pocket 4K sadly is no exception to this rule: the battery life is very mediocre, the screen doesn’t flip and is hard to see in direct sunlight, and balancing the thing on a gimbal can be a heart breaking experience. Luckily many avid users and manufacturers have already come up with smart solutions to many of these issues. I’ve outlined some of those issues and solutions in a [separate article](/article/how-to-fix-the-blackmagic-pocket-4ks-biggest-issues).\n\n# Conclusion\nAlthough the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K eats through batteries like crazy, has an awkward fixed screen at times, and looks more like a spaceship than an actual cinema camera; once you see the magical images it produces, those issues become small niggles. This small camera has the allure and flexibility of cinema cameras costing ten times as much. The release of the BMPCC4K might be one of those turning points (like the 5D was for large-sensor video) where things like 10/12 bit and RAW become democratized. Just the announcement of the Pocket 4K has already led other manufacturers to include 10 bit (Fuji and Canon) recording, and RAW recording (Nikon) within 6 months. Blackmagic keeps pushing the envelope, and the BMPCC4K is one of its finest cameras to date.\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3dUNule","caption1":"Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K","image1":"

","subcategory":"blackmagic","intro":"Like most Blackmagic cameras, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (BMPCC4K) is a little weird: it looks like a DLSR but doesn't do photos. It has a giant screen but small batteries to power it. It feels like a toy, but records RAW video. The BMPCC4K is a quirky contraption at times, but once you've seen the images it produces, you forget about all of that.","subtitle":"","camera":"Blackmagic Pocket 4K"},{"id":"40","title":"Canon EOS R vs 5D Mark IV","type":"post","label":"shootout","slug":"canon-eos-r-vs-5d-mark-iv","embed":"","related":"45","related2":"64","body":"Nikon, Canon and Panasonic, BlackMagic and Fuji weren't merely playing catch-up either: all of a sudden 10bit 422, LOG and 4K60 seem to have become the new baseline for a mirrorless camera. How things have changed in just a few weeks.\n\nWhile most manufacturers in the consumer-space compete mainly on the latest specs, Canon has traditionally been more focussed on stability, color and ease of use. You won't see a Canon camera overheat in the hands of customers (like Sony) or release a faulty software update (like Fuji), but you won't see the latest tech on board of Canon cameras either. In an interview with Cinema5D a Canon rep actually admits that they [weren't able to do full sensor readout in 4K from the 5D mark IV's sensor because of overheating](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzaKVkqjHV4&feature=youtu.be&t=2m38s), and that's why they decided to stick with cropped 4K.\n\nSo alas, the Canon EOS R still has the 1.7x crop in 4K, but compared to the 5D Mark IV's 4K mode, it has a distinct and very important advantage: on the EOS R you can actually USE lenses that were designed for crop sensors. All of Canons EF-S lenses that were designed to mitigate the 1.6x crop on APS-C sensors, can now be used on the EOS-R using the RF to EF adapter, with only a 0.1 extra crop compared to APS-C. Having used the 5D Mark IV extensively for documentary shoots and having a hard time to get wide shots, this is a major advantage of the EOS-R. It's great to be able to use my trusty EF-S 17-55 F2.8 IS again, or the 10-18 ultrawide.\n\n![Trusty 17-55](/img/num/40/eos-r-17-55.jpg)\n*My trusty EF-S 17-55 on the Canon EOS-R*\n\nAnother neat thing, which hasn't been discussed much, is that you can also use APS-C lenses on the EOS R in photo mode. To do so, go to the menu and set \"Cropping/aspect ratio\" to 1.6x. This is the first Canon full frame camera that also accepts APS-C lenses in both video and stills. It does make you wonder where Canon's APS-C line of mirrorless cameras (EOS-M) is headed, as there is no way to mount EF-M lenses on the EOS-R.\n\nIf you're currently on the fence if you should trade your 5D Mark IV for the EOS-R, I've made a list of pros and cons, based on my initial experiences with the EOS R.\n\n\n## Pros of the EOS R vs the 5D Mark IV:\n\n- 10bit 422 external\n- Canon LOG\n- Easier to use codec and choice of data-rate\n- (very big) EVF\n- Flip-out screen\n- Compatible with EF-S lenses. It can now actually be used as an APS-C camera\n- Focus peaking\n- UHS-II card slot\n- Option for variable ND adapter ring\n- 4K timelapse\n- 4K HDMI out\n- first Canon full-frame camera that accepts both EF-S and EF lenses\n- you can also make photos with crop lenses\n- better ISO performance\n- touch-drag AF\n- Digic 8 processor\n\n## Cons of the EOS R vs the 5D Mark IV:\n\n- 8bit 420 internal (vs 8bit 422 internal on the EOS R)\n- less robust body\n- less physical buttons\n\n## Conclusion\n\nHaving used the 5D Mark IV for video extensively for the last 2 years, I've learned to work around its quirks (and maybe even love it for them). But in the short time I've had the EOS-R now, I almost forgot about how difficult some things were on the 5D Mark IV (getting a wide angle shot, looking at the screen from a high or low angle, having to convert everything to ProRes before editing, not having an EVF). For video, I see no reason to get the 5D Mark IV at this point. Not because the 5D Mark IV doesn't produce beautiful images, but because the EOS-R makes it so much easier to do so.\n","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":"","category":"blog","link1":"https://amzn.to/3AHFSeP","caption1":"Canon EOS R","link2":"https://amzn.to/3wqFUVP","caption2":"Canon 5D Mark IV","image1":"

","image2":"

","subcategory":"canon","intro":"It's been quite a month. While for the last 5 years Sony was the only company offering a full-frame mirrorless camera, in just a few weeks the landscape changed completely. First Nikon announced their Z6 and Z7, followed by Canons announcement of the EOS R one week later, leading to even Panasonic haphazardly presenting a clay model of a future full-frame line. Add to this two other groundbreaking mirrorless releases: the BMPCC4K and the Fujifilm X-T3, and you understand why Sony postponed the release of the A7s III while promising features that would \"exceed customer's expectations\"...","subtitle":"","camera":"Canon EOS R"},{"id":"39","title":"Edelkrone SliderOne Pro","type":"post","label":"review","slug":"review-edelkrone-sliderone-pro","embed":"","related":"48","related2":"","body":"Edelkrone, being the kind Scandinavian innovators they are, set out to solve all of these issues in one small product: the SliderOne Pro. It fits snugly in your camera bag, has a supersmooth slide and is fully motorized and can take quite a beating. You can control the slider from your iPhone, and one full slide can last as short as 7 seconds or as long as several hours. It's 'biggest' feature is how short it is. Edelkrone's slogan \"Carry only the most frequently used part of your slider\" might sound like smart marketing, but in practice a few second slide is more than enough for most edits. And its small size does really make it it much more of a 'throw in the bag' kind of item. Because of the small size of the track, you only need one tripod.\n\n![Edelkrone SliderOne Pro](/img/num/39/depth.jpg)\n\nBut the small size of the SliderOne Pro does also have a few downsides: it's more important than ever that you keep the center of gravity of your camera and lens in the middle of the slider, otherwise the slider can easily tumble when it's on the ground, or start stuttering when it's on a tripod. The optional Flex-tilt head can help with this. Another downside is that in keeping everything small and compact, Edelkrone omitted an on-off button, meaning the slider is on as long as the battery is in the slider. Although in practical use this has also been a benefit: the slider is always ready to go once you startup the app. The battery might drain, but that happens very slowly: I found I could leave the battery in there for weeks, and the slider would still be ready to go as soon as I started the app.\n\n## The App\n\nSpeaking of the app: when it comes to apps for cameras/camera-tools, it's often easy to spot if companies outsource their app-development or not. Outsourced apps are often clunky, and are often not as easy to use as the actual product they're designed for. This is not the case for the SliderOnePro app: it really feels as an extension of the SliderOne in its elegant simplicity, design and responsiveness. You can pre-program the slide-speed, direction, distance and easing (and yes, you can loop your slide by long-pressing the start button). You can even manually control slide-speed and direction during the slide.\n\nOf course, where a motorized slider really shines, is when it comes to timelapse and stop-motion, both things you cannot do with a manual slider. The timelapse function makes a great combination with the Canon M50's built-in 4K timelapse function. Check out this video which I made with the M50 and SliderOne Pro in Liège, Belgium:\n\n

\n\t

\n\n## Small niggles\nWhile the performance of the slider has been stellar, I did lose one of the sliders rubber feet after only a few days of use. Luckily I found it back in the house, but not until I had combed through all the fields I had been to with the slider that day... And while I love it when manufacturers keep improving their software, I did run into two times where I was time-pressed and abroad, and the app started updating the slider automatically, with no way to postpone the update.\n\n## Conclusion\nThe SliderOne Pro has all of the benefits of a motorized slider, without many of the downsides. It's designed to fit in your existing bag and workflow: it has the size of a small tele-lens, uses the same batteries as your camera, and makes use of the phone you have on you. And the convenience of have a small slider always at hand, makes up for those 5% of cases where you wished it had a slightly longer slide.","main_image":"","main_image_path":"","gallery":[],"draft":false,"category":"blog","subcategory":"accessories","intro":"A slider is one of the cheapest ways to add cinematic motion to your videos. While a slider might look pretty simple to handle, it does take some practice to get an even slide, especially with slow movement. To make matters worse, many of the cheaper sliders also have a 'stiff point' somewhere along the track, making it next to impossible to create a smooth slide. If their large size isn't prohibitive enough, you also have to factor in a second tripod for stability. If you want to do timelapse or stop-motion, you better pack a third bag for the controller, motor, wires and wrenches. If you somehow make a dent in the track, you're once so smoothly sliding life is no longer on a roll...","subtitle":"","camera":"Edelkrone SliderOne Pro"},{"body":"

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Have the X-T20? Check out our X-T20 Quick Setup Guide
\n

\n\n

Ok, let’s not get ahead of ourselves: Fujifilm did reserve the LOG-output and headphone-jack to the (battery grip of the) X-T2. Furthermore, both differ in the way the 4K image is processed: the X-T2 uses oversampling, whereas the X-T20 applies line-skipping. This -in theory- means a slightly less detailed 4K image on the X-T20, but keep in mind that most other 4K cameras in this price range also use pixel-binning/line-skipping. The Sony A6300 being the only exception at the time of writing.

Image quality

I came across the XT-20 when I was looking for a camera that had a great built-in 'look' to use as a B-cam on projects with a quick turnaround. For many projects having less choice in post is actually a good thing. I can spend hours finding the right LUT, and tweaking colors and exposure, only to then decide on a different look (sounds familiar…?). Having a great baked-in look can be an enormous productivity-booster, so of the big draws to me was Fujifilm’s color science and film simulations. There’s a distinct ‘analogue’ feel to the images that makes it a pretty unique camera. And the stills are pretty special too.

One of the downsides of having a baked-in look is of course you can’t easily recover over- or under-exposed shots. Some of the film-simulations are rather contrasty, so I did end up with quite a few over-exposed shots in my initial testing. In this case, setting highlights and shadows to -2 allowed for a little more leeway. I you really need LOG, the XT-20 isn’t for you, because the in-camera image-adjustment options are limited.

Since the days of analog film, Fujifilm has always been known for its great color science, and it’s a smart move from them to enable these film emulations for 4K video. Sure, on other brands you can also switch color profiles, but these are mostly slight variations of the same camera-specific color-rendition. Switching film emulations on a Fuji feels a bit like switching to another camera, the differences are that pronounced. For general shooting, I found the Provia profile to provide the most natural but still punchy image and good skin tones. Velvia would work well to liven-up a dull cloudy scene, whereas others seem to swear by Classic Chrome for everything.

Image detail is better than I expected, also on wide shots where lack of detail is often most noticeable. The image structure looks very organic, and without that harsh artificial ‘pop’ that some other manufacturers add by default.

\n\n\n

Design and handling

The X-T20 features a positively retro design with physical knobs and dials for the camera’s most important functions and working with the camera it reminded me more than once of the Panasonic LX-100. In fact, when you compare the top layout of both camera’s, they’re hard to keep apart!

$\"X-T20$ \nLet’s just say Panasonic was ‘inspired’ by some of the older Fuji cameras ;-)

Their design-philosophy being so similar, they also share some of the same quirks. For example, just like on the LX100, there’s no 1/50th of a second on the shutter dial (for European users). The solution to this issue is also the same for both cameras: you have to fine-tune the shutter-speed using a different dial.

Similarities end there, because the X-T20 has a much more intuitive menu, a tiltable touch-screen, bigger EVF and of course a larger sensor and interchangeable lenses. In working with the camera I’ve found the X-T20 has some of its own peculiarities and quirks. I’ve created a separate article containing the best settings for 4K video recording and workarounds for some of those quirks, to make shooting with the camera even easier.

Once you’ve customized the camera’s settings to better suit your shooting-style, its small size becomes its biggest advantage. I found I could easily take it with me everywhere I went and get useable 4K footage without many of the issues associated with other small camera bodies (shaky footage, hard to see the screen, hard to get to settings). The 3-inch tiltable touch screen quick control dials make filming with the camera a lot faster and more ‘direct’.

I did find the grip a little too small for my liking. A good grip makes holding the camera nearly effortless, it just 'clicks' in your hand. The X-T20's takes some more effort to hold on to. A solution would be to get this grip-extender designed for the Fujifilm XT-10/20.

Lenses

The X-T20 comes in a kit with the affordable16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens, or the 18-55 f2.8-4. While both have image-stabilization, the 18-55 is slightly sharper, has a one-stop light advantage over the whole range and much better build quality. I tested the latter and was pretty impressed by its sharpness and colour reproduction. It’s pretty impressive for a ‘kit’-lens, and for many situations it’s the only lens you’ll need. Fujifilm also makes a series of ridiculously good primes, so if you're thinking of getting into the Fujifilm lens eco-system, check out Zed ProMedia's YouTube channel for lots of reviews.

I also got a passive Fuji X-mount to Canon EF-mount so I could use my Canon glass on the X-T20. Currently there’s no active adapter for the X-mount (Metabones, please consider!) so you’re limited to manual focus and no image-stabilization. This is one area where I wish Fujifilm would have added in-body image-stabilization to the X-T20.

$\"kit$ \nNot your average 'kit-lens'

Conclusion

With the X-T20 Fujifilm managed to make a small mirrorless camera that feels and functions like a much bigger camera. Nothing is finicky or slowing you down. And a the price-point of just under a thousand dollars, currently only the Sony A6300 comes close to its feature-set. While the Sony has the advantage of offering full-sensor readout and LOG, it comes a the cost of overheating issues and much poorer color-reproduction. An area where Fujifilm outshines all its rivals. If color and ease of use are important to you, and you're looking for a camera that you can have with you everywhere you go, but still gets out of your way, the Fujifilm X-T20 is pretty compelling choice.

If you're intrigued, but need LOG-output, a headphone-jack or longer record times, take a look at the X-T2.

\n
Have the X-T20? Check out our X-T20 Quick Setup Guide
\n

\n","title":"The Fuji X-T20 for filmmakers","slug":"the-fujifilm-x-t20-for-filmmakers","category":"archive","type":"archive","embed":"2mFZO9D6JI0","id":37,"related":36,"related2":523,"path":"./src/posts/archive/37_xt2-review.md","intro":"Apart from their line of Fujinon cinema lenses, Fujifilm hasn’t been a brand you’d readily associate with filmmaking in the past. This all changed just recently when Fujifilm released the X-T2, a beast of a mirrorless camera that features full sensor-readout for very detailed 4K video, Fujifilm’s famous film simulations, LOG-output and a headphone-jack through the optional battery-grip. Now how does the X-T2’s smaller and cheaper sibling, the X-T20, hold up for 4K filmmaking? Can we really have all the 4K-goodness of the X-T2 at roughly half the price?

Where other brands would have reserved their best processor to their top-tier camera and leave out the mic-input and EVF on the cheaper models, not so with Fujifilm. The XT-20 has the same sensor and processor as the X-T20, an EVF, a mic-input and the same film-simulations. One could even argue that Fuji stuck the better screen on the X-T20: both have the same size and resolution, but the X-T20 has a touch-screen for focussing!","label":"review"},{"body":"

Formatting the card

Like most consumer-cameras the X-T20 is not without its quirks. But luckily the menu-system is much better and easier to use than that of some other brands (here’s looking at you, Sony!). Furthermore, getting good video does not require you to switch to photo-mode (here’s looking at you, Panasonic!) ;-)

One common function I did find oddly placed within the menu was the option for formatting your card. If you need it: it’s under Menu > Set Up > User Setting > Format.\n‘Wrong’ way around\nStrangely FujiFilm did left out the physical ISO dial present on the X-T2 in favor of a more easily accessible shooting-mode dial. To fix this go into Menu > Set up > Button/Dial Setting > Fn/AE-L/AF-L Button Setting > R-Dial and set it to ISO. Now you can finetune your shutter-speed using the rear dial, and press and turn the rear dial to adjust the ISO.

Which bring me to another issue: some dials work the other way around: while turning the rear dial to the left the shutter speed number gets lower, but if you press once and turn the dial left, the ISO-number goes up. One could argue that turning left in both situations increases the amount of light, in which case it would still be more logical if turning right would increase the light, and not left like it is now. Maybe it’s a Japanese thing, because on Nikons the dials also turn the ‘wrong’ way around ;-)

Focussing

Speaking of wrong directions: by default the focus ring also turns the opposite direction of most cinema lenses and Canon glass. And unlike the direction of dials, this can be hard to get used to. Furthermore, focussing the wrong direction during a take, can ruin the shot. Luckily Fujifilm has realized this and gave us an option to reverse the focus direction! Go to Menu > Set up > Button/Dial Setting > Focus Ring and set it to CCW.

This does bring me to a downside of many of the Fujifilm lenses: the only way you can possibly reverse the focus-direction is when the focus-ring is not physically connected to the lens elements. This means Fuji uses an electronic focus-by-wire system, which makes it hard to accurately repeat manual-focus moves. Luckily FujiFilm incorporated a few great focus-assist tools to help out. Firstly there’s a good focus-peaking function (activate via Menu > AF/MF > AF Illuminator) and an enlargement function for manual focus. To activate the latter, go to Menu > AF/MF > Focus Check. Now if you turn the focus ring, the image will be enlarged.

If you really can't work around/with the focus-by-wire system, there are some Fujifilm lenses that offer a mechanical focus ring, like the Fujifilm 14mm f2.8 or of course make use of Fujifilm's rather excellent touch autofocus.

Shutter-speed

Just like the Panasonic LX-100, the X-T20 features a dedicated shutter dial. And just like on the LX100, it uses the NTSC-based shutter speed values (1/60th, 1/30th. etc.). There's no 1/50th on the dial, which videographers in PAL-countries need. To overcome this issue, set the shutter dial to 1/60th and fine-tune the shutter speed with the thumb-dial. Downside of this approach is that you can now only choose shutter-speed values that are close to the value chosen on the shutter-speed dial. Set the shutter-dial to 'T' if you want to be able to select any shutter-speed value on the thumb dial.

Got any questions or suggestions about the FujiFilm X-T20? Be sure to let me know in the comments below!

\n
Also check out our X-T20 review
\n

\n","title":"Set up the Fujifilm X-T20 for filmmaking","type":"archive","slug":"fujifilm-x-t20-best-settings-for-4k-video","category":"archive","id":36,"related":37,"related2":523,"path":"./src/posts/archive/36_xt20-best-4k-settings.md","intro":"The Fujifilm X-T20 is a wonderful little 4K filmmaking machine, but like many smaller cameras its size means some compromizes had to be made to fit everything in. In this article I'll explain some of the camera's quirks, and offer some workarounds to get the most out of this tiny wonder.","label":"setup-guide"},{"body":"

Need Canon Log?

One of the biggest complaints about the 5D Mark IV was Canons decision to leave out Canon log, and this criticism eventually lead Canon to offer a Canon log upgrade for the 5D Mark IV. The only downside is that you have to send your camera to Canon to do the upgrade, which will often mean 4 to 6 weeks without your camera (unless you become a Canon Professional Services member, in which case it will only take a few days).

Another issue I found is that the Canon-provided C-log LUTs don't work well with cameras like the 5D Mark IV and EOS R. They seem too punchy and skin tones quickly become unnatural. That's why I've created a set of Canon log to Rec709 LUTs designed specifically for Canon log on the 5D Mark IV and EOS R.

5D Mark IV lens choice

The other issue with the 5D Mark IV's 4K video mode, is the fact that it has a 1.64 crop factor. Although almost every cinema camera available has that same industry standard Super-35 ‘crop-factor’, it’s easy to see how it’s a little disappointing for anyone expecting the 5D Mk III’s full frame video look.

The reason Canon chose for a crop over downscaling was to avoid the pixel-binning that plagued many of the early Canon HDSLRs (remember our old friend moiré?). While personally I would take a cropped image over a pixel-binned image any day, it does make getting wide shots a little more difficult.

While the 1.64 crop factor is exactly the same as Canons APS-C DSLRs, those lenses will not fit onto the full-frame 5D. Of course you could spring for Canons expensive 16-35 L lenses, but luckily there's a host of third-party APS-C lenses that DO fit the 5D (and due to the 4K crop factor they finally make sense on the 5D)! The back of lenses like the Sigma 17-50 f2.8 or wonderful Sigma 18-35 f1.8 does not stick out as much as Canon's own APS-C lenses and that's the reason they will fit without an issue!

If you need wider than that, check out the Tokina 11-16 f2.8. While in the past this lens was only useable at 16mm on full frame due to heavy vignetting, if you factor in the 1.64 4K crop factor this lens will be useable over its entire range! Effectively turning it into an affordable 18-26 full frame lens!

Focus peaking/zebras

Another much-heard complaint is the fact that the 5D Mark IV still does not feature focus-peaking or zebras, while many mirrorless cameras have been featuring these filming-aids for a while now. The easiest (and most obvious) way to work around this would be to invest in one of the many external monitors or EVFs, monitors or monitor/recorders. Thanks to the external-4K monitor-recorder craze, prices on simple external monitors have come down dramatically the last few years. A great low-cost option is the Aputure V-screen 2 that offers many advanced video options for less than 250 dollars!

Investing in an external monitor is something I highly recommend anyway, because of the small size and sometimes poor quality of the built-in monitors on DSLRs and mirrorless cameras (here’s looking at you, Sony!). This also compensates for the fact that the 5D Mark IV has a fixed screen.

Another option is to use Canons Camera Connect app on your smartphone to remotely view and control your camera. While this doesn't give you peaking or zebras, it does allow you to view the screen from different angles and combined with touch-to-focus it works surprisingly well!

4GB file size limit? Not if you follow this tip

Although from the first reports it seemed that the 4GB file size limit was still in place on the 5D Mk IV (meaning each shot would be split into chunks of 4GB in size, and had to be re-assembled in post), I recently found out that if you use CF-cards larger than 256 GB or SDXC SD-cards, shots are no longer divided into chunks of 4GB.

Speaking of SD-cards: the 5D does not support the (faster and more expensive) SDHC-cards, but it works great with SDXC cards. I use Sandisk and Sony class 10 U3 94MB/s SDXC cards, and they work a treat.

There you have it! A number of easy workarounds for some of the Canon 5D Mark IV’s biggest complaints. Have more tips? Chime off in the comments below!

","title":"Workarounds for the 5D Mark IV's biggest issues","type":"archive","slug":"5-easy-workarounds-for-the-5d-mark-ivs-biggest-issues","category":"archive","embed":"-D5Gl9fqZVk","id":35,"related":40,"related2":"64","path":"./src/posts/archive/35_5div-biggest-issues.md","intro":"Ok, so the 5D Mark IV didn't exactly live up to the promise of being the perfect hybrid 4K DSLR many had hoped it to be. It doesn't feature Canon-log, does not have focus peaking or zebras, and then there's the crop factor in 4K video mode... But hey, Filmkit wouldn't be Filmkit if we hadn't come up with some clever workarounds!

Canon DSLRs have always needed a little DIY-ing to get the best out of them: remember when we taped reading glasses to the back of our DSLRs as a viewfinder, or when we hacked the iRig pre to get better audio? A little TLC goes a long way in working out most obvious kinks.","label":"tips & tricks"},{"body":"

In many ways the NX1 is the first mirrorless camera to not only compete with other mirrorless cameras, but also take on traditional APS-C DSLRs. Just look at the design of the body. Samsung didn’t go for the retro-style mirrorless body so many other manufacturers went for, but focussed on solid DSLR-like ergonomics instead of fashionable looks. This makes the camera handle so much nicer than the miniature grips and finicky buttons found on other mirrorless cameras.

Another clue as to which cameras the NX1 really competes with is revelead when we take a closer look at the specs compared to Canons flagship APS-C DSLR, the 7D Mark II: 4K video vs HD, 15fps vs 12fps burst rate, a 5-core vs a dual-core CPU, a 28MP (6.5K) sensor vs 20MP, H.265 vs H.264 codecs and the list goes on. It even beats the 7D Mark II when it comes to focus speed! This is the first mirrorless camera that not only outperforms its direct competitors, but also DSLRs that up to now have had a leg up when in comes to build-quality, autofocus speed and burst rate. Give the NX1 any APS-C DSLR, and it will eat it.

More importantly for filmmakers though: the NX1 downsamples its image from a 6.5K sensor to generate one of the most detailed 4K images available. Images from the A7s Mk II and GH4 look mushy on my 5K iMac, compared to the glorious detail in the NX1's image. And where the Panny and (notoriously) Sony struggle to get their color science right, the NX1 comes with very pleasing (Canon-like) colors and natural skin-tones out of the box. They don't charge you for a flat color-profile either: it comes as a free software update.

In many ways, the NX1 is technologically ahead of its time, which makes it all the more puzzling that Samsung recently decided to pull the NX1 from the market. The upside of this, is that it has never been more affordable to own such advanced technology. You can get an NX1 now for less than a GH4, slap on a cheap lens adapter and be happy. Bottom line: get one while you still can, it might take a few years before others have caught up with what Samsung is presenting here.

$\"Samsung$

Image quality

One of the NX1's biggest party pieces is its gloriuos amount of detail. The trick Samsung pulls here is taking a full-sensor readout of the 6.5K image, and (helped by its 5-core CPU) downsizing it to 4K without line-skipping/pixel-binning. The GH4 and A7s by contrast start off from a much lower-resolution image. Theroretically such a detailed image can lead to aliasing/moiré, but I have yet to come across an instance of this in my footage. Als cheack out Mattias Burlings infamous "Building of Moiré"-tests to see how well the NX1 fares against the competition.

While I love the Sony A7s for its low-light capabilities, getting skin tones to look natural on any of the Sony cameras has been a struggle (and I am not the only one). Panasonics are easier to work with, but tend to have a more video-y color rendition. The colors out of the NX1 by contrast are warm and Canon-like, and skin-tones look very natural. Furthermore, footage shot with the Gamma DR profile responds very very well to any color adjustment or LUT you throw at it.

The NX1 comes with a flat profile called Gamma DR, which is actually very nice, as it retains much of the color-information (albeit subdued) while bringing down the black levels. This means you get the full dynamic range of the sensor, without having to spend hours trying to restore skins-tones or get the colors to look natural. If you prefer, you can get an even flatter profile by turning down sharpness, contrast and saturation, but in my testing this messes the colors up. To me the sweet spot is using Gamma DR at default settings, with sharpness between -3 and -5.

Low light performance is slightly better than the GH4, but of course nowhere near the performance of the A7s. Horses for courses. ISO 800 is super clean, and ISO 1600 is perfectly useable. Avoid going higher than ISO 1600 though, as at ISO 3200 the noise-reduction kicks in rather harshly.

Handling

Like I said in the introduction, Samsung chose to design the NX1 much more like a DSLR, and in doing so created a mirrorless camera that handles better than any of my Canon DSLRs. This is partly due to the comfortable handgrip, but Samsung also added a chunky thumb-rest, which makes the camera just lock into your hand as if it were a piece of LEGO. I’ve always liked Nikons on/off switch which is part of the shutter-button, and the NX1 works exactly the same way. The body is littered with customizable buttons, and although the record button is a little too submerged into the body for my taste, the placement is great (next to the shutter-button). If you prefer, you can also assign the wifi-button at the back to function as the record-button (Canon-style).

Samsung went all-out on display options by adding a high-resolution tiltable AMOLED display that has pretty amazing color rendition. The EVF is bigger than the competition and its comfortable eye-cup makes it feel much more like a DSLRs optical viewfinder. Oh, did I mention there’s also an illuminated settings-panel on the top ánd a clean HDMI out for external monitoring/recording? I’ll just leave out the fact that you can also monitor/control the camera over wifi.

Another advantage Samsung has over companies like Canon, Nikon, Panny and Sony, is its years of experience in designing smartphones. The menu really resembles that of a high-end smartphone: you can control it through the touchscreen or through dedicated buttons on the body. It is quick, responsive and with very smooth animations, but it gets even nicer when you try to send an image to your smartphone. On most mirrorless cameras this is a painstaking process involving a back-and-forth between settings, apps, browser-windows and your camera. Not so on the NX1: press the wifi-button, type in your wifi-password on the touch-screen display, and off you go!

$\"Samsung$ \nButtons, dials and displays galore

Lens choice

One of the downsides of most mirrorless systems, is their limited choice of native lenses. Luckily, most lenses in Samsungs line-up (especially the S-lenses) are top-notch, and cheap adapters allow you to use any other lens on the NX1. If you’re thinking of getting at least one native Samsung lens, get the Samsung 16-50 f2-2.8 S lens. It’s as sharp as the Canon equivalent, and allows you to make full use of one of the NX1’s party pieces: the DSLR-like autofocus performance. In video mode, you can also use the rather nifty touch-to-focus feature, and you get weather-sealing and image stabilization.

As a Canon-user I found it a little awkward to get used to the opposite focus and zoom-direction, but Nikon users will feel right at home. Another downside of the native Samsung lenses is that they are (just like Sony’s and Panasonic’s lenses) focus-by-wire. But the focus-peaking on the NX1 is so well-implemented, that I didn’t notice it most of the time. Another thumbs-up for Samsungs software department.

You could also opt for getting one of Samsungs cheap but rather splendid pancake lenses, or just get a passive adapter and throw on any of your current lenses. Do keep in mind that there are currently no active adapters for the NX-mount, which means you’ll lose autofocus (not an issue for filmmaking) and aperture control on lenses that don’t have manual aperture rings. I got the cheap Kiwi Photo Nx to Canon Eos adapter, and used my Canon lenses wide open without a problem.

Another downside of using a passive adapter is that you also lose any image stabilization your lens might have. But through one of the many firmware updates Samsung now offers a solution for this problem in the form of the Digital Image Stabilization (DIS) feature. This feature allows you to stabilize lenses that don’t have native image stabilization. It does so by slightly cropping in on the image, allowing for a live warp-stabilizer-like software stabilization. From my initial testing it works rather smoothly, but do keep in mind that it will not work as effective as the sensor-based stabilization in the A7s II.

My advice would be to get a passive adapter so you can use any lenses you might already have, and get at least one native Samsung lens for run-and-gun type situations (or photography, of course!).

$\"Samsung$ \nUsing a cheap passive adapter on the NX1

True hybrid

Where the GH4 and A7s (II) are mostly video-focussed devices, the NX1 hasn’t scrimped on either side: it has just as much to offer for photographers (high-resolution sensor, 15fps burst rate, fast autofocus, built-in time-lapse capabilities) as for videographers (4K video, peaking, mic- and headphone-jacks, audio-meters, 120fps slow-motion in full HD). In that sense, it’s the first true hybrid 4K mirrorless camera.

Conclusion

In creating the NX1, Samsung set out to make the first mirrorless camera that can directly compete with a high-end APS-C DLSR. It leaves behind other mirrorless cameras when it comes to focus speed and handling, and it surpasses any current APS-C DSLR when it comes to 4K video, a burst rate of 15fps and easy connectivity. Most important for filmmakers though, is its highly detailed 4K image, with smooth motion reproduction and smart color science. I’ll say it again: get one now, while you still can!

\n","title":"Review of the Samsung NX1 for filmmakers","type":"archive","slug":"review-the-samsung-nx1-for-filmmakers","category":"archive","embed":"o4QcQ1PzXlI","id":34,"path":"./src/posts/archive/34_samsung-nx1-review.md","intro":"I’ll start off with the conclusion: the NX1 is an amazing camera that is technologically ahead of its time. If you need a camera that has a more detailed image and better color science than any of the current 4K competition, a mirrorless camera with the build-quality, battery life, autofocus and weather sealing of a pro DLSR, and the intuitive interface and connectivity options of a high-end smartphone, look no further: the Samsung NX1 is the camera for you.","label":"review"},{"body":"

What is ClearImage Zoom?

Much like the 3x crop mode on the Canon 600D I wrote about here, the ClearImage Zoom allows you to double the reach of your lens. A 200mm lens becomes a 400mm lens! But it gets even better if you combine the ClearImage Zoom with Sony's APC-size capture, which adds another 1,5 times zoom/crop! That 200mm lens is now a 600mm lens! Pretty stunning eh?

This not only allows you to get more reach out of your lenses, but also allows you reach a much higher magnification when doing macro shots. And just like with the Canon 600D, you can do all of this without losing light! Your 135mm f1.8 becomes a 270mm f1.8!

The function also allows you to perform smooth zooms from 1x to 2x magnification, or you can use every increment/focal lenghth in between. The feature isn't exclusive to the Sony A7s either: aparently it also works on the A7s II, A7r II and FS5!

Hiding in plain sight

Sony is known for its confusing menus, but I wouldn't have thought a major feature like this could hide in plain sight for so long. I have been shooting with the Sony A7s for over a year, but it wasn't until Erik Naso mentioned the feature that I found out about its existence! Then again, it isn't a feature you accidentally stumble upon as it requires you to change settings in two seperate places in the menu.

How to activate Clear Image Zoom?

To activate ClearImage Zoom, go to the menu, and under the cogwheel icon you'll find a setting called "Zoom Setting". Set it to "On: ClearImage Zoom". See, nothing happens? To activate the Clear Image Zoom you need to go to the Camera icon in the menu and then press "Zoom". Once you've pressed it, you'll see a zoom indicator in the bottom right corner of your screen. Use ANY wheel on your A7s to zoom in or out. If you want to do smooth zooms, press the ISO dial left or right.

$\"ClearImage$ \nThe ClearImage Zoom indicator

For faster access, I assigned the zoom function to a custom button. To do so, go to the cog menu and select "Custom Key Settings". Under the custom button of your choice, select "Zoom".

Conclusion

Sony's ClearImage Zoom is a ridiculously useful function, that has been hidden in plain sight for way too long. It allows you to shoot diffent subjects without changing lenses, and even use standard lenses for macro work, without any light loss! If you own any of the compatible cameras, your shooting possibilities have just been upgraded!

\n","title":"Double your zoom with Sony's ClearImage Zoom","type":"archive","slug":"video-double-your-lens-reach-with-sonys-clearimage-zoom-function","category":"archive","embed":"v3hNeIqpc2M","id":32,"related":18,"path":"./src/posts/archive/32_sony-clearimage-zoom.md","featured":false,"label":"tips & tricks","intro":"Hidden deep down in the menu of your Sony A7s (or A7s II) is a zoom feature that allows you to double the reach of any lens by two times, without quality loss! Find out all about it."},{"body":"

$\"Sennheiser$ \nThe Sennheiser AVX wireless bodypack and receiver

With the older G3 system you would scan for available frequencies before an interview, but if the chosen frequency experienced interference during the shoot, you would be forced to stop recording and go into the clunky menu to scan for another frequency. The AVX system aims to solve this issue by automatically and seamlessly switching to another frequency whenever interference is encountered. Because the system operates in the license free 1.9 Ghz band, legal issues are also a thing of the past. As a comparison: my old G2 system will be illegal to use in The Netherlands starting January 1, 2016 because the frequency it operates in has been sold.

Another real-world issue the AVX system claims to solve for one-man band camera-operators is the problem of unusable audio when an interviewee suddenly shouts or whispers. Sennheiser claims to have built in a system that can inaudibly adjust to the volume of the interviewee. Sennheiser has been quick to note that this is by no means an automatic gain control (AGC) system, but more like a limiter that works for both soft and load sounds and increases the dynamic range of your audio.

$\"Sennheiser's$ \nSennheiser's miniaturized receiver

Design

But it’s not just the internals that have changed: Sennheiser has really thought about how single camera operators use their systems out in the field, and has come up with some clever design ideas. The most striking design change is that of the receiver: where in the past the receiver was a sizable box that needed a cold-shoe to attach to your camera, the AVX receiver is a tiny little stick that can be plugged directly into your camera’s XLR-port. It even rotates to make room for other accessories and has an internal antenna. To keep size and weight down, the double-A batteries have been ditched in favor of a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery that can be replaced or even charged via USB during a shoot. Pairing sender and receiver now has been simplified to just pressing the “pair” button on both sender and receiver at the same time, and setting audio levels doesn’t involve diving into the menus either: there’s a button for that.

The waist-pack has also been modernized with a slimmer form factor, internal antenna, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that lasts about 15 hours and a small display that doesn’t show the battery time in bars but in the much more human-friendly format of hours. The handheld mic now has an interchangeable mic capsule instead of the plug-on XLR transmitter in the G3 series. In this case I prefer the old design, because it allowed you to turn any mic (also a boom-mic) into a wireless mic. With the new design you’re limited to the mic-capsules Sennheiser makes.

$\"The$ \nThe Sennheiser AVX reporter-mic

In use

Although the first AVX set I received had an issue where sounds/transmisions(?) coming from the receiver were picked up by the microphone, my replacement copy had no such issues. Compared to the G3 system, this system is truly plug-and-play: no need to fiddle with frequencies while the rest of the crew is waiting, no worries about interference, just plug in the receiver (it powers on automatically when you power on your camera!), power on the transmitter and go. Another big advantage I found when using the system is the small size and weight of the receiver. Whenever I wanted to use two wireless G3 sets in the past, I had to add a cold-shoe bracket to attach both receivers to the camera, and the weight went up quickly. With the AVX system there’s no need for rigging, and the weight of two AVX receivers is less than the weight of one G3 series receiver!

$\"Canon$ \nTwo Sennheiser receivers on my C100 MkII

Latency

All digital systems have a small amount of latency compared to analog systems like the G3 series. Sennheiser claims the AVX system has a latency of 19 miliseconds. That’s about half a frame delay and from my testing this is not noticeable when you view your footage together with the AVX audio. It does however become audible when you combine the digital AVX system with an analog system like the Sennheiser G3 series. Because of the slight delay between the analog audio and the AVX signal, the sound becomes a little tunnel-like. So if you already own a G3-series set and wish to combine the two, be prepared to move the AVX-audio 19 ms to the left in your editing software.

Conclusion

In re-designing their wireless system Sennheiser shows they have a great understanding of how their systems are used in the field, and which issues users run in to. While they could have updated their successful and trusted wireless line-up by just changing the internals, Sennheiser chose to completely re-think the established wireless system form-factor. This resulted in an innovative system that truly takes away the worry from wireless.

\n","title":"Sennheiser AVX wireless","type":"archive","slug":"review-sennheiser-avx-wireless-audio-system","category":"archive","id":30,"related":10,"path":"./src/posts/archive/30_sennheiser-avx.md","intro":"Having used the Sennheiser G3 wireless systems for years, I was enticed when Sennheiser announced a smaller digital wireless system that promised to solve interference issues and speed up the wireless workflow. With the UHF band used in the older G3 system becoming more and more crowded, the digital AVX system certainly comes as a welcome update to a system that has hardly seen any major changes since the introduction of the G2 wireless series almost ten years ago.","label":"review"},{"body":"

My first shots with the Phantom 3, shot on a trip to Los Angeles

As a user of the Phantom 2 with GoPro, I had very much gotten used to lugging around a hefty field monitor, fiddling with antennas to get a better signal, and the countless Zenmuse reanimation plans. Not to mention the occasional GoPro crashes and GPS glitches. I was nearly starting to enjoy all of this lugging, tweaking, fumbling and fixing when DJI went and released the Phantom 3.

The Phantom 3 integrates the mess of wires, print-boards and antennas that were dangling underneath my Phantom 2 into a sleek, integrated design. Just plug in your smartphone, launch the DJI GO app, and you’re ready to fly. No more lugging around screwdrivers, wrenches, monitors or cables. I’ve been using the Phantom 3 for a couple of months now, and it has been performing flawlessly.

At the heart of the new system is the DJI Go smartphone app, which in conjunction with the LightBridge system built into the controller allows for a level of control that wasn’t possible before. With the DJI Go app you can:

view an HD live-feed from your Phantom’s camera
control your camera’s exposure, record modes and settings during flight
get detailed information about your craft’s distance/altitude/speed and status at any moment
view your craft’s exact location on a map
see the battery status and the impact of your current flight behavior (speed/altitude/distance from home point) on your remaining flight time.
control the new intelligent flight modes like Point of Interest, Waypoints and Follow Me

The app makes flying much easier, safer and so much more fun and I applaud DJI for the wonderful job they did on the interface. It’s intuïtive and very well thought out. Some companies develop an app as an afterthought, but DJI clearly put the app at the center of their development-process. Recently DJI also moved the Phantom’s software update process into the app, vastly simplifying a process that used to involve learning the meaning of abstract beeping sounds.

$\"On$ \nThe Phantom 3 "on set"

Hardware

Apart from slightly longer arms, bigger motors and longer legs, the Phantom 3 itself hasn’t undergone any major changes. The remote control on the other hand received a complete overhaul and now resembles the one that comes with the Inspire 1 (minus the HDMI-output). It includes physical dials for controlling the gimbal and the camera’s exposure, switches for flight mode and camera mode, a record button, and a number of assignable buttons. It also comes with a built-in smartphone-/tablet mount, so no more finicking with wonky third party solutions.

The camera

The other major change is of course the integrated 4K camera. DJI decided to stop sending their customers to GoPro for a camera (a smart move now that GoPro is planning to build their own drones) and develop their own camera. Previous efforts like the camera on the Phantom Vision+ couldn’t really compete with GoPro image-quality wise, but the camera on the Phantom 3 is a huge step up from those humble beginnings. Right now I even prefer it over the GoPro Hero 4. Though the camera does seem to have issues with large detailed green surfaces (erhm, I mean, grass…) the colors are clearer and less mushy than the GoPro, and the camera is much better in low light. The GoPro becomes very noisy at everything above ISO 400, while the camera on the Phantom3 can go up to ISO 1600 without many issues. Apart from low light performance, both cameras are actually very comparable, but for many users the convenience of the integrated camera/smartphone system will be the deciding factor.

$\"Apple-like$ \nApple-like packaging

Conclusion

From their product- and packaging-design to their advertisements, you really get the feeling that DJI is looking closely at Apple. And just like Apple, DJI moved the development of all hardware- ánd software in-house for the release of the Phantom 3. This has not only paid off for DJI, but even more for Phantom users. The flying-experience vastly benefits from the fully integrated system that DJI has been able to make by controlling every aspect of the product. The Phantom 3 is by far the best consumer drone at the moment, and with the recent release of the intelligent flight modes, it will be for the foreseeable future.

\n","title":"Phantom 3 professional","type":"archive","slug":"review-phantom-3-professional","category":"archive","embed":"-81cSzBUfn0","id":29,"related":51,"path":"./src/posts/archive/29_phantom-3-review.md","label":"review"},{"body":"","title":"Motion 9 Cube Alpha A7s cage","type":"archive","slug":"video-review-motion-9-cube-alpha-a7s-cage","category":"archive","embed":"D7r_z6knLCA","id":26,"path":"./src/posts/archive/26_motion9.md","label":"video review","intro":"A comic review of the Motion Nine Cube cage for the A7s, with guest appearances from our team of experts: Ren & Stimpy, Philip Bloom, Mr. Horse and Michael Knight. "},{"body":"\n","title":"How to update the Phantom 3's firmware?","type":"archive","slug":"video-tutorial-how-to-update-the-phantom-3s-firmware","category":"archive","embed":"uhrwI78p97k","id":25,"related":29,"path":"./src/posts/archive/25_phantom-update.md","label":"video tutorial","intro":"If you power up your Phantom 3 for the first time, you'll get a notice saying you need to update your firmware. This process used to be straightforward on the Phantom 2, but on the Phantom 3 it's a little more daunting. That's why I made a quick tutorial video. "},{"body":"

First impressions of the C100 Mark II

Image quality

From my short experience with the Mark II I can say that the image quality has slightly improved over the original C100. Noise performance is better for sure, with the Mark II showing less noise at every equivalent ISO. The noise structure is also much finer, less flaky. There also seems to be a slight improvement in detail. I can't really comment on moiré/aliasing, because the original C100 had virtually none. Rolling shutter is exactly the same. All in all, the image quality improvements are so small that I can't imagine it being a decisive factor to choose one camera over the other.\nThat OLED screen...

What really sets these two cameras apart is the OLED display on the Mark II. It is a lovely detailed screen, with vivid and accurate colors. On the original C100 I was always pleasantly surprised when I reviewed the footage I had shot, because it looked so much better then when shooting it. Now, I wonder how I could even use such a low-res LCD for focussing! The new OLED is such a joy to use, and makes judging focus, exposure and color much much easier. I even found myself having much less need for focus peaking, that's how crisp the display is!

EVF

The EVF on the Mark II is now actually usable. Compared to the miniscule peeking hole on the original C100, we now get a luxurious tiltable EVF with a pretty good screen. The screen in the EVF is large, but not so big that you have to scan around. I did have to make some adjustments to the brightness and contrast settings of the EVF, as by default the image looks a bit dull. The large eyecup does a great job of keeping out external light, even when wearing glasses.\n50P/60P

By now, it seems like someone at Canon watched all the C100 reviews, took notes, and sent them to the design department, as Canon fixed all major complaints about the original C100. Philip Blooms passionate plea "Don't take away my slow motion" is certainly one of them, as we now have 50P and 60P framerates. From my tests, the image is only slightly less detailed than 25P (hardly noticable). I also found it quite convenient to have the option of doing the slow-motion conversion in-camera, as you can immediately see the result of what you did, and when mixing slow motion with realltime shots in the edit, it saves a lot of work too.

Dual Pixel AF

Autofocus isn't among my first priorities when looking at a large sensor interchangeable lens camera, but after a little testing must say I'm impressed by its speed aand accuracy. I can see it coming in handy in walking interview type situations where the distance to your subject varies greatly. When used in conjunction with the perfectly placed AF-lock button, the Dual Pixel can also be used to quickly grab focus, lock it, reframe, and start shooting. I do find it a shame that the focus square cannot be repositioned to either side of the frame, as I seldomly make shots where the subject is in the center of the frame.\nOther improvements

Futhermore Canon added loads of refinements that make the camera a lot easier to use in the field: a real EVF (nothing like the stub on the original C100), scopes and much better button placement. Though nothing groundbreaking, together these small improvements all add up to a more enjoyable and faster experience. When doing these comparison tests, I soon found myself fumbling with the controls on the original C100 (a camera I have used extensively), while on the Mark II everything was easy to find and fast to adjust. And then that screen...

Conclusion

While the updates to the Mark II might seem far from groundbreaking at first, I found these small changes matter a whole deal in my level of confidence in working with the camera. On the original C100 I was constantly toggling between focus assist modes, just because the screen didn't give me that confirmation. On the Mark II I find myself hardly needing those tools. White balance on the original C100 always seemed a lot cooler than what I was actually recording, while on the Mark II it is spot on. Colors and exposure are also more accurate, giving me a much better impression of the image I am actually recording. The vastly improved screen alone turns it into a totally different camera to work with.

If you need 4K or 120fps for your projects, this is clearly not the right camera for you, but if you're doing any kind of broadcast-, documentary- or fast-paced fiction work, the updated version of the camera fixes everything that sometimes made the camera harder to work with. If you're looking for a lightweight camera, with great ergonomics, superb audio-capabilities, built-in ND's, flexible rigging and now one of the nicest screens available, be sure to consider the C100 Mark II.

Is the Mark II worth the premium over the original C100? I guess you already know my answer to that...

\n","title":"Attic shootout: C100 vs C100 Mark II","type":"archive","slug":"attic-shootout-c100-vs-c100-mark-ii-video","category":"archive","embed":"oqNHA_sQuoc","id":20,"path":"./src/posts/archive/20_c100-shootout.md","related":"59","label":"shootout","intro":"Introducing the Filmkit Attic Shootouts: a series of totally improvised camera comparisons shot in Filmkit's attic. Paper backdrops, wonky tripods and flickering LED lights! In this first episode of the Attic Shootout we compare the image quality, features and low-light performance of the original C100 with the C100 Mark II."},{"body":"

Want to shoot 4K video? Switch to 4K photo-mode!

If you activate 4K video shooting through the Q.menu button you'll notice that the image crops to 4K mode after you press record, which can be quite annoying when trying to frame a shot. Furthermore, the exposure shifts once recording starts, even when you're in full manual mode. To fix both issues you need to go into the menu and in the "Motion Picture" menu activate the 4K photo mode. For some reason this configures the camera to be optimsed for 4K video shooting, without the exposure and crop changes after you press record. Another added benefit of this configuration is that you can now use the shutter button to start/stop recording.

ISO increments

By default the camera only allows 1 stop ISO increments (200, 400, 800, 1600, etc.), which makes it hard to adjust the exposure precisely. To change the increments to 1/3 of a stop, go to menu > Rec > ISO increments and change the setting to 1/3EV.

Focussing

The LX-100 features a plethora of customisation options for focus. By default the manual focus function will display focus peaking AND an enlargement of the center area, but you can easily change the camera to only display one (or none) of these focus aids. I personally found it easier to focus with just the peaking feature enabled. To do so, go to menu > Custom > AF Assist and select the third option.

When using the (quite spectacular) autofocus the camera will refocus every time you recompose. In some cases you might want to use autofocus to quickly grab focus before recording but maintain that focus when you recompose. To control focus with a half press of the shutter button, go to Menu > Custom > Quick AF and set it to "off".

Shutter speed in PAL countries

If you live in a PAL-country, you can't set the shutter speed dial to double the framerate (1/50 when shooting 25p or 1/100 when shooting 50p) because the shutter dial is based on the NTSC scale of shutter speeds. You can however fine-tune the shutter speed by turning the thumb wheel (or the focus wheel when you're in autofocus mode). The downside of this is that you can easily change the shutter speed without noticing.

Found this information useful?

If you found this information useful, be sure to check out our full Panasonic LX-100 Filmmaking Guide, which contains loads more tips and tutorials!

\n","title":"Panasonic LX-100 best settings for video","type":"archive","slug":"lx-100-settings-for-video","category":"archive","id":19,"related":17,"related2":501,"path":"./src/posts/archive/19_lx100-setup-guide.md","intro":"Out of the box the LX-100 comes configured for photography, which has led some early reviewers to dismiss it as a capable video camera. The fact that the menu isn't too intuitive doesn't help in this respect. Here's how to configure your LX-100 for video shooting.","label":"tips & tricks"},{"body":"

Introduction

For anyone expecting to get a GH4 with an f1.7-f2.8 lens for a fraction of the price, let me start off by saying this camera is less video-oriented than its bigger brother. Yes, it shares the same micro 4/3 sensor, has full manual control, 4K video, focus-peaking/magnification, zebras and a bitrate of more than 100 Mbps, but it takes a bit more effort to get great video out of this camera. Apart from the little differences like the lack of a flip-out screen or sturdy grip, there are a few other things that Panasonic saved for the GH4. For audio you will have to use an external recorder, as there's no microphone input nor a headphone out. Furthermore there's no log profile, leaving less room for color-correction or getting the most dynamic range out of this camera. What you get in return is the most pocketable 4K recording solution available.

Handling

While this camera seems aimed squarely at filmmakers, getting the camera set up for filmmaking takes quite some adjustments in the menu. By default the camera changes exposure and framing once you press record. To fix this, you need to go into the "Motion Picture" menu and activate the "4K photo mode". Not really intuitive, but it seems to work. Because the camera's full of these little menu quirks, I've outlined the best settings for movie recording in a separate article.

Apart from the menu, the camera's external controls are well laid out. There's physical buttons for setting exposure, and there's even a focus ring and aperture dial (!) on the lens. Because of the camera's small size, you might ocasionally press the wrong button, or turn the wrong dial, especially if you're used to working with larger cameras. The screen is nice and detailed with accurate color reproduction, though I wish it could tilt just a little. The EVF is a great addition, albeit a little small.

Image Quality

The 4K image out of this camera is very detailed and sharp. Too sharp maybe, so you might want to dial down the in-camera sharpening to get more pleasing results. Because of the camera's exceptionally small minimal focus distance of 3cm, it lends itself especially well for shots with a foreground subject. Focussing on a foreground subject renders the background fully out of focus, and displays your subject in full detail, with nice vivid colors. I found wide overview shots less spectacular with this camera, and in some brick walls moire patterns will appear. Though this might be due to the downsampling of my 1080P monitor.

I did find the image a little clinical, more video-like than I would have hoped. This has also been said about the GH4's image, and might be down to personal preference. If you favor super sharp detail over a more organic look, you will love this camera.

Low Light

The low-light capabilities of this camera proves to be a pleasant surprise, especially given the size and megapixel count of the sensor. 4K video is relatively noise-free up until ISO 3200. Only at 6400 ISO the noise gets blockier, sacrificing detail. I found ISO 3200 usable in most situations, because it is a very fine noise that's hardly noticable in 4K, let alone when downscaling to HD. It's a little confusing to see this kind of noise performance in a compact camera.

Stabilization

Another nice touch is the built-in image stabilizer, which allows you to get relatively steady shots without any rigging or tripods. Great that panasonic included it, especially since smaller cameras are harder to keep stable. You don't need anything else to just go out and shoot. Oh wait, you DO need a variable ND filter to shoot in daylight, and luckily Panasonic included a filter thread for that.

Conclusion

Panasonic surely created a unique camera: a compact micro 4/3 camera with a fast lens, internal 4K recording and other advanced features like built-in stabilisation and a filter thread. But is it the right camera for you? I think it mainly comes down to if you like the camera's aesthetic, especially since there is no LOG-profile so you can't drastically alter the image in post. Personally I found the image a little too harsh in sharpness, and the colors a little too bland for my taste. Still, I love the fact that this camera is so small, and yet is such a moviemaking powerhouse. It allows you to shoot 4K footage in such a casual, unintrusive way, and that's something that wasn't possible before this camera arrived. Once you find yourself grabbing B-roll at the bus stop, you know this camera is something special.

The LX-100 Filmmaking Guide

Want to know more about the LX-100? Check out my full LX-100 Filmmaking Guide!

\n","title":"The Panasonic LX-100 for filmmakers","type":"archive","slug":"review-the-panasonic-lx-100-for-filmmakers","category":"archive","embed":"aUggbOQC6Ok","id":17,"related":19,"related2":501,"path":"./src/posts/archive/17_lx100.md","featured":false,"label":"review","intro":"With the introduction of the RX100 in 2012, Sony invented a new class of cameras: a compact mirrorless camera with a large sensor and full manual control. With the LX100 Panasonic takes that concept, adds in an even larger micro 4/3 sensor, 4K video and physical dials for every type of setting. Is the Panasonic LX100 the new entry point for filmmakers wanting to get into large sensor 4K filmmaking?"},{"body":"

The A7s is a full frame mirrorless camera that features a 12 megapixel sensor. The great advantage of this low megapixel count is that individual pixels are much larger, and therefore gathering much more light. This brings us to the A7s's biggest selling point: its low light capabilities. This camera can see much more than the human eye can see, while keeping noise-levels perfectly in check. This is an amazingly freeing feature of the camera: you can create beautiful images in hardly lit places. This is something documentary-, astrology- and music-shooters will thoroughly enjoy. One can only applaud Sony for going against the status quo of more megapixels in every camera, and it really paid off, especially for video.

Another advantage of the low pixel count is that the camera doesn't have to scale down the image all that much to generate a 2MP (Full HD) or 8MP (4K) video image (or throw information away in the case of many other cameras). This leads to a much more detailed image with less image artifacts compared to cameras with a higher megapixel count. From my tests, there's no moire or aliasing artifacts, and the image is detailed in a very organic way. Colors are warm and filmic out of the box and the dynamic range of this camera trumps the most other cameras in this price range.

Full frame ánd APS-C sized capture

It doesn't stop there. Unlike Canon full frame cameras you can also use lenses meant for APS-C cameras, using the built-in APS-C size capture function. This basically does a 1-to-1 crop of the sensor, allowing you to use lenses that weren't designed for full-frame cameras. Another added benefit is that you can punch in on any full frame lens, effectively giving you more tele reach on any lens. For example a 35mm prime lens, becomes a 35 and 50mm lens. A 24-70 lens becomes a 24-70 AND 36-105 lens, giving you the same range as a 25-105 lens. The image quality is the same in the APS-C crop mode, but noise is a little bit more pronounced.

$\"Still\"$ \nStill from the A7s test video, shot in full frame mode, ISO 42000

Adapting lenses

Coming from Canon, I didn't want to have to invest in a whole new lens mount, but luckily the Sony E-mount is one of the easiest mounts to adapt to. With the help of the Metabones adapter, I can continue to use all my Canon lenses. Image stabilisation and aperture control work just like with a Canon body, and autofocus works as well, albeit rather slow. If you plan to use the A7s for photography you might want to look at investing in some Sony glass, or practice your manual focus skills ;)

$\"A7s$ \nThe A7s with the Metabones Canon EF to E-mount adapter.

Speaking of manual focus: the A7s features a plethora of focus aids, including focus peaking with options for setting the strength and color, as well as a function to punch in during recording. Furthermore it features zebras, a live histogram and grid lines.

Audio

The audio-department is just as fully featured, with a microphone input, a headphone jack (that even gives a nice loud signal) and much better preamps than I've seen in any DSLR/mirrorless to date. The camera has audio meters and you can even change the audio levels while recording (!!!). On top of this all, Sony released an optional XLR- and shotgun mic accessory that communicates with the camera through the hot-shoe. If it wasn't clear to you by now, Sony is very serious about the A7s as a filmmaking tool.

4K capture

This brings me to another unique aspect of the camera: while it only records 1080P internally, you can record 4K over the HDMI port, making this camera even more apealing and future-proof. At the moment the only recorder that can take 4K over HDMI is the rather unwieldy Atomos Shogun, but I'm sure that in time more compact external recording options will arrive. I haven't had the chance to test the 4K quality but going by some of the footage others have shot, the 4K promises to be even more amazing than the internal 1080P.

Screen and EVF

The screen on the back of the camera, though a little small, is very sharp and detailed and has great color reproduction. I've found it easy to set accurate exposure based on what I saw on the screen. It also flips up and down, allowing you to easily view it from high or low angles. The EVF is exceptional: it has a large detailed screen and the eyecup stick out enough to be comfortable. In many situations I found it even easier to judge focus on the EVF than on the larger back screen. It really is that good.

Other features

The camera also features 50/60P and 100/120P recording options for slow motion. I found the 50/60P only a hair less detailed than 25/30P, so this opens a lot of creative possibilities. Shots of ordinary things become dreamy once you play them back a half speed. Add in a slider move and some nice music, and you've got a magic recipe ;)

In 100P/120P the maximum resolution drops down to 720P, and the image quality quickly deteriorates, with moire and aliasing artifacts becoming an issue. I can see this mode working for close up shots, with a lot of the background out of focus. Anyway, it's great to see higher framerates now making its way into more affordable cameras.

Dislikes

There haven't been many dislikes in my extensive testing, apart from the awkward placement of the record button on the side of the thumb-grip. Although many functions can be assigned to one of the three custom function buttons, you can't reassign record start/stop to one of these better-placed buttons. This has been one of the biggest complaints about the camera, so I wouldn't be surprised if Sony adds this option in a firmware update.

Battery life is also a weak point, but not as big an issue as some reviewers have claimed it to be. Each battery last for more than an hour of casual shooting, and Sony provides two batteries with the camera.

Conclusion

Like I said in the introduction, this camera makes me want to go out and shoot. I've filmed much more in the past few weeks, than I have in a long time, and that to me is the camera's biggest recommendation: it makes you want to go out and shoot. Its small size, abundance of professional features, stunning low-light capabilities, and beautiful filmic image make for a camera that has you looking for filming-opportunities all-day. And in the A7s' case: all-night as well.

\n","title":"Review: the Sony A7s","type":"archive","slug":"review-the-sony-a7s","category":"archive","embed":"5mMfeCgb_Mg","id":18,"related":32,"path":"./src/posts/archive/18_sony-a7s.md","intro":"Let me start off by saying that I haven't had so much fun shooting with a camera in a long time. Working with the A7s gave me that feeling of excitement I had when I first bought the Canon 550D almost 5 years ago. The feeling of limitless possibilities and just plain joy about the image quality you get. I'm spoiling the conclusion here: the A7s is easily the nicest camera I've ever worked with. There, I said it.","label":"review"},{"body":"

$\"Epic$ \nZacuto (left) vs SmallHD (right), who will win this Epic fight?

Build Quality

Both EVFs are very well built: the Zacuto looks like a barcode scanner from outer space and the SmallHD looks like a cleanly designed high quality monitor. The SmallHD comes with a replacable screen-protector, which the Zacuto does not have. This makes the Zacuto a bit more vulnerable to scratches. The Zacuto's screen is more recessed though, and comes with a protective cap for transport.

Connectivity-wise they both feature large HDMI-in and HDMI-passthrough-sockets as well as a usb-port for firmware updates. The SmallHD also has a composite-in port and a headphone port. The SmallHD has plenty of mounting-points (one at the bottom and two on the sides) whereas the Zacuto only has one mounting-thread at the bottom of the device.

Image quality

Both monitors have the same 800 x 400 resolution, but the SmallHD spreads this resolution over a much larger area (4.3 inch vs 3.2 on the Zacuto). And while you might think bigger means better to see, I actually found it much easier to judge focus on the Zacuto. The image just looks sharper on the Zacuto, because the pixels are closer to one another.

Another weak point of the SmallHD is that the colors and exposure do not match the color and exposure of what you record. This is a major headache when trying to use the monitor for what it was meant to do: judging exposure and color. The Zacuto on the other hand seems to perfectly reproduce what is being recorded.

$\"SmallHD$ \nThe image on the SmallHD is much brighter than what is actually recorded, and has different colors.

Features

Feature-wise the Zacuto to me has the edge: it has a much more subtle focus-peaking feature, whereas on the SmallHD the peaking alters the image and exposure a lot. I would only use the SmallHD's peaking before I start recording, while on the Zacuto I can leave it on all the time. For judging exposure, the SmallHD only has a false color feature, no zebras. This is a real omission, because it's a feature I use all the time on the Zacuto, especially when shooting flat.

To me it seems like the philosophy of the SmallHD is more to be used on a tripod, where you have hands free to toggle between settings while recording, whereas on the Zacuto you can leave on peaking and zebras without tose features distracting you from framing, focus or setting exposure.

Viewfinders

This, to me is what really differentiates these two EVFs from one another: the Zacuto has a nice, solid loupe with a great eyecup (even for people wearing glasses like me), and the SmallHD's loupe is a heavy and unwieldy horn stacked onto a slim monitor. I found the SmallHD too big and the eyecup too uncomfortable to be used as an EVF, frankly.

And this really hints to my conclusion: the SmallHD is great if you need a small field monitor, and the Zacuto EVF is a pretty good EVF. Both try to be all-in-one: a fieldmonitor ánd EVF, but the Zacuto is too small to be a real fieldmonitor, and the SmallHD is too big to be an EVF.

$\"SmallHD$ \nThe SmallHD is quite heavy and unwieldy with the loupe-attachment

Conclusion

If you're looking for a small and portable EVF, go for the Zacuto, if a fieldmonitor is what you need, get the SmallHD (without the loupe attachment).

\n","title":"Zacuto EVF vs SmallHD DP4","type":"archive","slug":"evf-shootout-zacuto-evf-vs-smallhd-dp4","category":"archive","id":15,"related":"48","path":"./src/posts/archive/15_zacuto-evf.md","intro":"While the screens on most DLSRs are actually pretty good, they can quicky become hard to gauge in harsh sunsight, and they lack many of the features that can make focus and exposure easier. In comes the EVF or Electronic ViewFinder: a small monitor paired with a loupe that can help you block sunlight, focus on the image and provides you with tools like focus peaking and exposure assist. Time for a shootout between the two most popular EVFs for DSLRs: The Zacuto EVF Pro and the SmallHD DP4.","label":"shootout"},{"body":"

The iRig PRE from IK Multimedia is a 35 dollar (28 euros) XLR audio interface for iOS devices. While intended for use with programs like Garageband on the iPhone/iPad, a little adapter cable can turn it into a high quality DSLR audio interface.

$\"Headset$ \nThe "Headset Buddy" adapter cable you'll need

Because the iRig PRE is made to plug into the iPhone's headphone socket, it has a 4-part mini-jack plug instead of the standard stereo mini-jack plug that your DSLR has. To adapt the iRig PRE to your DSLR you'll need this $12 adapter cable, the "Headset buddy".

Plug the pink cable into your DSLR's microphone socket, and you're all set! If you have a DSLR with a headphone socket (like the 5D Mk III), you can also plug in the green cable into the camera's headphone socket and you'll be able to monitor the audio through the iRigs built-in headphone socket. The iRig PRE also comes with a velcro strap, so you can easily attach it to your existing rig.

$\"iRig$ \nThe iRig Pre with the Røde NTG-2

This set-up allows you to connect professional grade XLR microphones to your DSLR, amplify the signal of not-so-sensitive microphones and adjust audio levels while recording, all in a small and lightweight form factor and at a price that's 10 times less than JuicedLink and Beachteks offerings.

\n","title":"Use the iRig PRE as a DSLR preamp","type":"archive","slug":"tutorial-use-the-irig-pre-as-a-dslr-preamp","category":"archive","id":10,"related":30,"path":"./src/posts/archive/10_irig-pre.md","label":"tips & tricks","intro":"If you're looking to use a phantom-powered microphone with your DSLR, the obvious choice would be to get a XLR interface from JuicedLink or Beachtek. These boxes provide phantom power, the ability to use multiple microphones, mixing capabilty, audio meters, and a headphone jack for monitoring. While great tools, they can be a little overkill for a lot of situations where you just need a simple, affordable, small and lightweight way to connect you XLR mic, provide phantom power and have the ability to adjust the audio levels during recording. This is where the iRig PRE comes in."},{"body":"

The 3x crop function on the 600D is a digital zoom, but unlike other digital zooms this function works not by cropping the current image, but by cropping the signal coming from the sensor. This leads to much better image quality, with hardly any loss of sharpness and definition. In fact, the effects of aliasing and moiré are greatly reduced in crop mode compared to the normal mode. Below I'll outline the main benefits of the 3x crop mode on the 600D.

Increase the zoom range of any lens

The most obvious benefit would be the fact that this crop mode allows you to increase the zoom range of any lens by three times, with no light loss. For example, with a normal 17-55mm lens, you suddenly have a range of 17-55 in normal mode, and 51mm (17 x 3) to 165mm (55 x 3) and everything in between! Likewise, a 70-200 lens suddenly has a range from 70 to 600mm!\nZooming in without loss of aperture

Another important benefit is that in crop mode, the maximum aperture is maintained. A 135mm f1.8 lens becomes a 405mm f1.8 lens! There's not even a lens on the market that combines this tele-reach with such a large aperture. This allows you to do close-ups in dimly lit situations, and shallow depth of field tele-shots without buying any expensive glass.\nMacro shots with any lens

Not just faraway subject can be magnified: the3x crop function allows you to do macro shots without needing any specialised macro lenses or macro converters. Each lens will focus three times closer! Take a look at this example:

\n\n

Geting rid of aliasing and moiré

One of the biggest issues with HDSLRs is the fact that fine patterns cause aliasing and moiré problems (flickering or discolouring of the image). Turns out the 3x crop function can even cure these! Take a look at the example below: in the first (wide-angle) shot you see the camera can't quite cope with the pattern of the fabric on the amplifier. The second shot shows the same amplifier shot using the 3x crop mode. See how much of a difference?

\n\n

Conclusion

The 3x crop mode on the Canon 600D is a very versatile tool, that allows you to go from wide-angle to tele, from portrait to macro without changing lenses. For reporters and documentary filmmakers this means saving time and concentrating on getting the shots you need, while keeping the gear lightweight and portable. This feature makes the 600D stand out in the Canon line-up of camera's and makes me prefer the 600D above all other models.

Tip: shortcut for the 3x crop mode\nIf you want to switch between normal mode and 3x crop quickly and you have Magic Lantern installed, press the 'disp.'-button and the + or minus button simultaneously.

\n","title":"Why the 3x crop mode on the Canon 600D is great!","type":"archive","slug":"why-the-3x-crop-mode-on-the-canon-600d-is-invaluable","category":"archive","brand":"canon","id":"05","related2":"","path":"./src/posts/archive/05_crop-mode.md","related":"62","label":"tips & tricks","intro":"The Canon 600D/T3i has a special gem, hidden deep down inside its menu structure. No other model has this feature, not even its successor the 650D. It almost seems like Canon included it by mistake, and removed it when someone at Canon found out about it. In this article I'll explain why the 3 times crop function is such an amazing feature on the 600D, and why I use it so often."}],"categories":[{"id":1,"title":"Home","slug":"home","type":"post","subcategories":[],"disable_add":true},{"id":2,"title":"Blog","slug":"blog","type":"post","subcategories":[{"id":4,"title":"Popular"},{"id":1,"title":"Tips & Tricks"},{"id":2,"title":"Reviews"},{"id":3,"title":"Articles"}]},{"id":3,"title":"Store","type":"product","slug":"store","subcategories":[{"id":3,"title":"Filmkit Flat"},{"id":1,"title":"Canon"},{"id":2,"title":"Other"}]},{"title":"Tools","id":7,"type":"tool","slug":"tools"},{"id":4,"title":"About","slug":"about","type":"post","subcategories":[]},{"title":"Archive","id":5,"type":"archive","slug":"archive"},{"title":"FAQ","id":6,"type":"post","slug":"faq"},{"title":"Tutorials","id":8,"type":"post","slug":"tutorials"}],"design":{"bgcolor":"#F7FCFA","fgcolor":"#000000"},"settings":{"title":"My Website yeah","image_width":"1200","preview":false,"has_subcategories":true,"update_slug":false},"category":"home","permissions":{"categories":true,"types":true,"settings":true},"types":[{"id":"1","title":"Post","slug":"post","fields":[{"title":"intro","tab":"extended","type":"mde"},{"title":"body","tab":"text","type":"mde"},{"title":"gallery","tab":"images","type":"gal"},{"title":"subtitle","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"subcategory","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"slug","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"notify_text","tab":"settings","type":"txta"},{"title":"notify_link","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"created","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"draft","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"table_of_contents","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"featured","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"border","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"image","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"label","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"camera","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related2","tab":"settings","type":"txt"}]},{"id":"1","title":"Product","slug":"product","fields":[{"title":"body","tab":"text","type":"mde"},{"title":"extended","tab":"extended","type":"mde"},{"title":"gallery","tab":"images","type":"gal"},{"title":"description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"subcategory","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"image","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"label","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"camera","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"subtitle","tab":"text","type":"txt"},{"title":"slug","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"featured","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"compare","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod_title","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod_description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod_price","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod_link","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"notify_link","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod2_title","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod2_description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod2_link","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod2_old_price","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"prod2_price","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"faq_compatibility","tab":"settings","type":"mde"},{"title":"draft","tab":"settings","type":"switch"}]},{"id":"3","title":"Archive","slug":"archive","fields":[{"title":"intro","tab":"extended","type":"mde"},{"title":"body","tab":"text","type":"mde"},{"title":"description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"slug","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"label","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related2","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"featured","tab":"settings","type":"switch"}]},{"id":"4","title":"Tool","slug":"tool","fields":[{"title":"gallery","tab":"images","type":"gal"},{"title":"slug","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"label","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"subtitle","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"description","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"url","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"related2","tab":"settings","type":"txt"},{"title":"featured","tab":"settings","type":"switch"},{"title":"draft","tab":"settings","type":"switch"}]}]}

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