I thought I would push one of the video stills a little more. DaVinci does a great job considering it is pushing these around, but C1 runs out of room quickly.
A Surprise Change Of Heart
I was set on the great little 26” soft box as my Neewer point light mod. Really set. I liked Joe’s image, I like the form factor and I like the theory of it.
So, I tried it out on my wife.
“Too bright, too close”, and that was at 10%!
So, not phased, well not too phased to keep going, I decided to try my new squeeze, the mod I am determined to master, the 4’ reflected octa brolly.
A 2k video lift, G9 Natural style, -5 cont, -2 sharpness with a little brightening and colour added in post.
No comfort issues, no consciousness even of the proximity (1m), just broad, soft light.
Painterly.
Counting My Blessings
Working in a tech reliant field tends to make you grateful for the better choices you make, so in the interest of sharing and also to acknowledge these winning devices and processes, here is a list.
Note; many well loved things are not listed, this list is limited to newer surprise givers or items that lifted my game unexpectedly.
The Panasonic Leica 8-18.
Not a huge wide angle fan, I am slowly coming around.
My only non Olympus lens, purchased over the Olympus 7-14 for practical reasons (filter size, cost, handling, focal range), it would likely have been an Oly 8-25 instead if it had been out, but I am happy with my choice.
This lens takes great images and does it reliably. AF was a little patchy on my older cameras, but touch AF on an EM10 flip screen or any focussing form on the EM1’s or G9 is nearly faultless.
It has also been dropped twice and so far (touch wood), no issues.
My only negative is the annoying AF/MF switch, that throws me sometimes.
Capture 1 and ON1 No Noise.
C1 has promoted all of my imaging up a level from Adobe. After a few teething issues and I will admit up front, I do not know it backwards yet, C1 now fills me with confidence. What it cannot handle comfortably (underexposed 6400 images or worse), ON1 No Noise handles easily and quickly.
Shots not previously possible are now easy enough.
Camvate Univercal C-Cage.
Since this image, weights have been added to the base, a longer side stem and the quick release mount for the top.
This was bought for the wooden handle, since added to the G9 cage, but the “leftover” half cage, made up of this C-Cage with 197mm extension bar, the Smallrig rubberised top handle and mini top handle used as a side handle/bumper bar, then with weights added, makes a very stable, nearly gimbal quality kit with the EM1x.
This cage effectively bought Olympus back into my video kit. It is not as smooth as the OSMO, but that is part of the charm. It adds a semi-obvious hand help vibe, without amateurish jitters, just like a heavy pro camera.
The Neewer Camera Backpack (model? Its big anyway…..with red piping).
Now the video kits home, this thing makes portable possible. With my hands free, I can wrangle a trolly laden with lighting and sound stands, somethng I could not do before.
My 130cm Hand Trolley
So, I finally bought a decent hand truck. The little flat pack one I have been using was too short, too flimsy and the wheel width was annoyingly small, making it “walk” a lot when crossing bumps etc. The base model, no frills delivery trolley now holds a rigid plastic tool box on the base and a long Neewer lighting bag strapped above it and can handle any environment without breaking my back.
My lighting kit now comes in at a minimum of 4-6 stands, poles, lights and other bits, which I can now carry without being tempted to leave behind that last item I end up needing. The bag alone is way too heavy to carry even 50m, but with the trolley, 500m is possible.
The G9.
The base rig, lots more to be added as needed.
It is hard to overstate how easy this camera makes video compared to the Olympus interface. Everything about this camera can take on a video persona, meaning set up as I have it, it simply has no distractions. All buttons (and wheels and dials) to the video task only. It is also generally better at video, especially 1080, even in basic Natural mode than the Oly, and when using 1080, there are a wealth of extras available. I especially like the 6 Custom settings.
The Godox 860 Flash.
I have a ton of flash units, mostly Yungnuo, with a couple of Godox and bunch of those handy little Oly ones that come with some cameras. The 860, my day bag unit has converted me to daylight fill, TTL ceiling bounce and TTL off camera. It just does it all so well and with high speed sync if needed. The 685 with eneloop pro batts is probably as good and the YN’s really nail studio work, but I will ride my luck with the 860 as long as I can.
The Neewer SL-60w Point Light.
Pumping out a ton of light through a double diffused soft box.
This little power packet has given me some serious video light. So impressed, I have since purchased a second and some extension cable options, this light get video into still camera flash territory for me and will likely see use with my stills cameras also.
They are cheap feeling, plasticky and obviously not built for abuse, but at less than $100au each, I can afford (a) a backup and (b) to replace them as needed. The remote is also handy and they are light.
Softly, Softly.
My testing of light modifiers before jumping at the 165cm umbrella has highlighted a few things.
All mods are good at something and any can be good at what you need with a little grey matter applied.
Some of the cheaper mods are by far and away better value that the dearer ones and usage trumps purchased expectation, which is to say, there was more variation just in stem length used with my brollies, than between some very different mods.
A 165cm white reflective brolly would not add much to my setup. My 7’ white or silver are softer and wider covering, my 42” white brollies are versatile and nice, my 4’ Octa soft boxes are under-used, being user friendly and versatile.
Reflected is preferred over shoot through for me.
Control is a more important addition to my setup, something the black backed brolly would add, but egg crate grids would do even better.
All mods should be bought with grids if available.
Instead of a big white brolly, I went a second set of 2x 4’ Godox octagon silver/diffused brolly soft boxes, but with grids, for the same price as the single brolly.
A good base and consistent. Not the best light I can do, but versatile and always useable.
This will add the following;
2x more (4 total) 4’ deep silver or diffused white mods, which could make a massive 8x8’ wall of light with decent throw and enveloping coverage. I have enough 3m+ stands and flash units for these (with 1 of each to spare),
2x egg crate grids for any two of these which I feel are the best investment,
2x spare diffusers for two of them go double soft (which does make a slight difference),
2x spares for longer term durability, guaranteeing 2 at any time.
Filters, More Filters.
K & F filters look to be good value and well respected in the industry.
I decided to add a 62mm (my “big” size) 2-400 variable ND and 46mm (most of my primes) 1/8 Black Mist.
The BM 1/8 is going to be close to, but slightly different from the Kenko 05 and lets me have two cameras filtered up at once. I like these in comparison to the Tiffen Balck Mist, looking slightly less aggressive. One reviewer, a rare Kenko vs K & F reviewer, stated the K & F is “grittier” or less clean looking than the Kenko.
The Var ND is the same and will let me be more versatile with my “run-n-gun” Olymus kit. The fixed ones have more optical stability so give me more confidence, but some times a variable is handy, even if they have issues with some light sources. I went the Nano-X VND, the one with the green reflective finish and orange lever.
The Kenko is smooth, maybe slightly too smooth for all situations, the K & F is more aggressive and the two could be used together to make a 1/4.
On the shopping list, are the Kase Blue Anamorphic Streak and Tiffen Glimmerglass, both likely bought from the U.S. as any other source is way dearer for these.
The Anamorphic look also really appeals, although I do wonder if a Kenko 4 or 6 point star would be a cheaper and (for me), as effective option. The basic idea with either is light streak, being linear (anamorphic) or multi (star).
The Glimmerglass, as well as the Tiffen Satin, are two of the few Black Mist style filters that do not lighten blacks too much, just reduce sharpness, which i like. This is the true Black Net look of the pre digital period.
More research needed.
Black Magic Or Not
After such a small time in the world of Videography, I am already aware of the draw of Black Magic or similar.
Contradictorily, my real needs are regresssing to 1080p as my primary work flow setting, not yet needing 4k* for any job and enjoying the many cool features 1080 offers, like time lapse, super slow-mo, live cropping, I am loving the 1080 world.
The G9 can stream, shoot 4K 10 bit 422 in camera for 10 mins or continuously with a Ninja V upgrade and in Vlog-L, with an even cheaper upgrade, so a decent upgrade path can come from the kit I have.
So why would I need an even more powerful camera without any of the current benefits I enjoy like stabilisers and easy to use form factor?
Mainly for the benefits of RAW shooting, or just better LOG formats. This is a new horizon for me, discovering the benefits and power of grading.
The GH6 appeals also, as does the GH5s, using the same sensor as the BM 4k, but at less than $2000au the Black Magic Studio Plus or Pocket Cinema 4k models seems too cheap and too versatile.
The Studio in particular, with a full control panel option, still coming in under the price of the GH’s seems to be the one, and the existing cameras (EM1x, OSMO and G9) are then still useful for hand held and B camera roles.
Of course, I could just get another G9 on sale. Still a massive bargain of a camera for video or stills shooting.
*The EM1x may be shot in C4k for better capture, but down sized at output.
Too much? Sometimes too much is exactly that, other times it is the little extra that takes you to the next level.
Read The Damn Book!
I hate reading instructions, but I will admit, it never goes to waste.
I opened up Da Vinci Resolve the other day for the third time ever and stumbled my way into the colour grading section. I am not yet up to the whole timeline thing, just making my footage better for the project at work.
Lots of options, lots of new terminology.
When I transitioned from film to digital, a lot of the terminology came across easily. The basics were like for like, with only a few little changes like Noise = Grain to deal with.
Dealt with.
So, Gain, Gamma, Lift and Off-set………….What the hell?
My first reaction was to go to the things that made sense.
In the base colour correction panel in DVR, there are some old friends such as white balance, tint, contrast etc. These are little wheels, running in little windows along the top and bottom of the tool window and proved to be mainly a distraction.
The big ones, the ones that dominate the panel are the above. Each has a virtual wheel and the colour wheel (other type of “wheel”) sat proudly above it.
I needed to know why.
In Japan they are ready for anything, anywhere and I guess they always read the instructions.
In a brief moment of clarity, I decided to look for the actual instructions.
Easily found, all 470 pages down loaded and opened easily and to my surprise were both easily navigated and taken in. The section on Grading even has a small essay on the why and how of the process and a little history, a bit like reading a magazine article.
Lift = Shadows
Gamma = Mid tones (or tonal range)
Gain = Highlights
Off-set = Global
Simple as that.
The colour wheel in the middle lets you actually control the colour of each level of exposure separately. Very cool.
Want more contrast? Push the Lift down, blackening the blacks.
Want more “Crunch”, go to the Gamma tool.
Control overly bright highlights? Gain is your friend.
The other tools are more global, but are still useful as support for these. Want a warmer image, but not in the highlights? You could warm up the othe two settings, or drop the highlight warmth back and warm up the whole.
Natural colour style on the Panasonic reacts well to this. I shot flat, meaning +0 across the board, but now see the benefit of reducing sharpness and contrast. I have had less luck with the Olympus “Flat” profile and have heard little good about OMLog400 (which is however supported with a LUT in DVR). I may try their “Muted” profile in C4k with contrast and sharpness pulled back.
Six different clips were shot the other day in the same place, but over time. I will admit I got six slightly different looks thanks to poor white balance control and in-out natural light messing with exposure, but DVR has allowed me, with little practice and a quick read of the relevant instruction pages, to get five to match well and one to be “in the ball park”.
I know there are things I did clumsily, but overall the process felt linear and clean and more importantly, I got what I wanted.
Footage Taken, Lessons Learned.
The shoot today was a mixed success.
My wins were satifying;
My lighting was soft using a double sheer to cover the window and a hair light.
Focus was spot on using eye detect continuous.
The filter look subtle but effective adding a lovely Bokeh to background lights.
Sound was good with the Zoom H5 and SSH6 used as a boom and most importantly.
I have learned a little Da Vinci colour grading (see below).
Negatives were not terminal, but eye opening.
The light changed a little over the morning as morning sun slipped in and out of cloud cover, sometimes during a useable clip, which was reduced somewhat by the double diffusion used, but changed by about 1 stop in extreme cases.
The footage shot in Natural colour style was fine and had room for adjustment, but my white balance discipline was poor, creating headaches for me later, which thankfully DaVinci sorted.
The H5 goes to sleep when the camera is turned off, needing to be touched to wake up, which justified my using headphones to monitor audio.
Using Da Vinci, I managed to colour match all six clips well enough, the hard way I am sure, but matched none the less. I will provide a few different looks to the school, just to see what takes.
A steep learning curve, but one I am keen to take on. The main thing for me was separating the creation of a timeline based event and simple colour grading and sound adjustment. Once I realised I did not need to go through the process of making a full movie, but could just drop a clip in, compare it to others and adjust them to match each other, then render them together or individually, life got a lot simpler.
The Neewer SL-60W Quick Look.
So my Neewer 60w point source LED light, came today.
It cost $85au!
It is brighter than my 660 panel, probably my 660 and 480 together. It is handy to use with the remote, which is cheap, but works well, but equally in-convenient, needing power from the wall, but $85….. .
In comparison videos, this light actually looked slightly more even and a smidgeon warmer than the Godox, which retails at over $200 (for now).
Above, shot in manual mode, all at the same settings; Ambient light, then the 660 using all the warm and cool beads for maximum output and the SL-60 at 100%. It is actually providing daylight fill (see the window top right). The 660 was also wall connected which gives it a little more power than batteries alone. Out of frame is the nicely rounded edge of the SL-60 light.
It is plasticky and light weight, not built for heavy use, but again, $85….., so buy a few of them.
Fan noise is insignificant, especially considering it is capable of lighting a whole room from way back. You can feel it running when you are touching the unit, but have to put your ear to within a few inches to hear it. For closer work, I think it would be pushing it anyway as the minimum 10% setting is still a lot of light, so I will continue to use the slim-line 480 panel (silent and gentler).
The light is a point source, so yes, it is un-focussed by design. A modifier is needed to either soften or shape it. One reason I jumped at one, apart from the price, was the small collection of mods I have at hand that will not be used for stills work (plenty of other options available there), again keeping my total outlay to, you guessed it…...$85.
The 26” double baffle soft box is a little small, but provides even and soft light.
A brolly is good, probably reversed, and my 90x20 strip soft box, which rarely gets any use as it is a pain to assemble, is ideal for video and stills, especially as a hair light as the long flat edge can come closer to the subject and not be in the frame.
The 7” diffuser dish is perfect for it and works well with a grid and/or diffuser.
I have not tried it, but I guess my big umbrella mount, 4’ internal bounce soft boxes, or the monster 7’ brollies, would also be a good match. I do not trust the plastic brolly mount on the light for heavy loads, but on a C-stand to take the weight, it will be fine.
A 10.6 inch “Flapjack” light was also on my list, but several things stopped me. They are hard to ad mods to, much like the LED panels, but lack even barn doors. They are strong, but not as soft as I hoped. The point light is as strong and easily modified, both softer or more focussed.
I may buy another for, did I say……..$85, or the new Aperture Amaran 60D for about $250 instead, using the Neewer as a second light when indoors. It is slightly more powerful, can run on NP series batts and is even smaller.
Remembering The Before Times
In the before times (a few months ago), I liked or disliked movies based on my emotional response to their content. I judged a movie based on the promise and delivery of a story line that fell into my comfort zone pre-conceptions. If I knew before hand it did not sit there, I tended to avoid them. Cowardly I know, but the world if full of bad news, why go looking.
A little shy when it comes to putting myself in emotional harms-way.
As an example, I would have had little or no interest in “12 Years a Slave”, not because I am not sympathetic to the plight of the characters or lessons learned, but becasue I find these stories troubling and frustrating on a deeply emotional level, something I do not need reinforced time and again.
This goes for tragic animal stories especially.
I know these things happen, I am realistic, but not happy about them nor keen to share their imaginary plight. I do my little bit as able to prevent or repair the real issues through my own actions and support of charities, but I do not need to be beaten over the head with more tragic stories. No “Lassie” for me.
Unfortunately for me, many of the greatest scenes in the most beautifully crafted films come with this baggage.
The tragic evacuation scene in “Atonement”, a massive and magnificent one take sweep around the beaches, only reminds me of the people and animals killed in the name of human hubris. The compelling but horrifying hanging scene in “12 Years”, most of “No Country For Old Men” are good examples of the craft at its highest level, but hard can be to watch content. “Amelie” they are not.
With a new found awareness of movies that are true modern (or older) master productons, my preferences have shifted to those that are well lit, with gripping sound, are masterfully blocked, strikingly shot and equally well written.
Does this mean I feel more comfortable with the content? No, it just means that my judgement of these films, for what it is worth, is now split into an awareness of content and one of production qualities, each judged on differnet levels.
More Lite Duty With "Kit" Lenses
A small swimming event this time, with even lighter gear.
The amazing little 40-150 “plastic fantastic” kit lens, one of the best value lenses around, gave me a very lite day at the swimming pool.
Obviously no faces of these little ones, But look at that colour and clarity. Hundreds more like them.
This lens is a real sleeper. It got a little wet, hopefully without long term issues, but even if it dies, a second hand one will come in at $100au maximum or I may just buy a kit.
Big Rig On The Horizon
First up, sometimes I like a good mistake.
Sssssttttteeeaaaadddddyyyyy cccccaaammmmmmmm.
The last delivery of the day (the first was the Neewer SL-60 light) is the long side bar for the Camvate “leftovers” rig.
This is a thing now. Something that is genuinely powerful and useful (if a little ugly).
The amazing stabiliser on the EM1x, with its very capable and reliable touch AF, auto exposure and white balance, gives me a “free” rig, something that can be literally grabbed and run with. The OSMO is still the ideal gimbal replacement (actually a gimbal), but the nearly gimbal like Oly, has a very good organic feel, something between hand-held and too perfect smoothness.
The little smallrig handle on the side gives my left hand a contact point and provides protection for the screen.
The top handle is perfectly balanced with the 12-40 lens, which is 20% longer in MIS-1 (total range 24-100 eq). I am mostly using the primes on the G9 with its dual focal length extender ability.
The whole thing is heavy enough to let gravity help make it stable, but not so much that it is uncomfortable for extended use.
For decent quality, I will be shooting in Flat C4K, then down sizing, so two card slots and 2 batteries are handy.
The only down side is regular dis-assembly for camera duties, but I will worry about that as needed. I have since ordered the quick release adapter for the top plate fixing this and cleaning up the leftover side bar sticking out of the top of the cage’s top plate.
Testing, Testing, 1 2 3 4 5..........
Lots of testing, because in a few days, my self proclaimed video competency is going to be put to the grinding wheel.
Thirty interviews over a month in several locations, none of my chosing, but within tolerances, then to be mixed together for a set of quick fire short films about the schools three learning parameters (Curiosity, Courage and Compassion).
So far we have;
G9 set to Natural, flat settings, with the Kenko 05 Black Mist filter used to slightly soften contrast, smooth Bokeh and helps control highlights. All very cinematic.
White balance will be set manually, exposure also using Zebras and the Histogram. I a more comfortable with the Histogram, looking for the subject to sit slightly right of middle when introduced.
The 25mm f1.8 will be used wide open, which is not as risky as it sounds in M43, but still needs some care with focus. This will provide (on this lens), a nice relaxed middle ground between a true portrait lens and wider angle, with gorgeous Bokeh, added to by the filter. An ND filter will be applied if required.
Thi combo seems to give plenty of warmth and oomph, without harshness. White balance is the key.
This lens and the natural profile have been tested over and over and provide a perfect balance of smooth/sharp, with softer Bokeh than the 17mm and less compression and contrast (room needed) than the 45mm. If I am forced to use wider or longer lenses in later shoots, the settings will be reduced to -1 contrast for the 45 and -1 sharpness for the 17, to help take the edge off these.
For lighting, I am sticking with a simple three light setup;
The main light will be natural if possible or a 5500k balanced Neewer 480RGB panel into a white brolly or through a diffusion disc (disc most likely unless it is too contrasty). I may switch to the Neewer SL-60w when it comes for bigger spaces.
Fill will be either a small reflector or nothing, depending on the softness achieved with the main light.
A small hair light will be used (176 Neewer), set to light amber and very low, which will contrast well with the slightly underexposed background, unless a background light provides this.
Backgrounds will be as they come, but darkened and blurred. In the first room, there are a pair of soft down lights in the background, framing the subjects nicely.
Sound is, after exhaustive testing and re-testing, coming from the Zoom H5 with the SSH6, using the wind muff, vocal compression and mid/side set to off, which sounds to my ear, the fullest and most rounded sound and the muff removes the slight sibilance, which I don’t like and it is the most reliable*. The Lewitt mics are more open sounding, but lack the same vocal depth and the Boya LAV, which is very good, is a little fiddly for fast turn around. The Zoom will be at 45 degrees above and in front of the subject and about 1 foot away. I will take the Neewer, Boya and H1 as backups. Gain 5.5 seems about perfect as a starting point.
*The Lewitts seem to suffer from early drop-out when first connected, which I am guessing comes from phantom power draining the NiMH batts (they often go from 3 to 1 bar when this is turned on). It comes right after a few seconds, but then can drop away again (again battery drop?). This is something I am going to fix with an AC adapter, but until then, it is a little too twitchy for my needs.
Lighting, Media And Brain Melt
Hello again.
As I have said before, M43 has a huge advantage when using flash for still photos.
The 2 stop advantage over full frame is real. Shootng with artificial lighting is a fixed math formula for all formats, but M43 needs only a quarter as much to achieve the same depth of field! Sometimes, when I am doing a job, I bring out the “big guns”, a set of 5 YN560 units, all reasonable, but dumb mid range camera flash units and it dawns on me that to do this with full frame (where f4 becomes f8 etc), I would need several mono blocks, not cheap little flashes.
To this day, I have not ever needed to use all of my flash units on full power, so my maximum potential is untapped.
Ok, so now we are doing video. This is where it is harder, but some of the advantage is intact. Generally for video light has to be constant which is harder to achieve than strobe lighting. It also has to be used with fixed shutter speeds and low ISO’s, so the M43 advantage is a little less sure footed.
With this in mind I have bought a bargain Neewer 60w point light LED as a safety net. It cost less than $100au and I already have several modifiers that get little use with my stills kit (26” double baffle soft box, 80x30cm double baffle strip, 24” square double baffle with grid and 2x 7” diffusers with 6 grids and diffuser cloths), so no accessories needed.
A point light gives me a strong and controllable directional light, one that can be diffused and/or focussed, where my 480 and 660 panels lack that much control (or as much strength).
If it works well (and it reviews well against the Godox SL60w, even having slightly warmer light), then I will get a second.
On my shopping list I actually had a 10.6” Flapjack light, but on deeper researching, it looks like they still need controlling and even more diffusion to be a primary light, adding nothing much to my existing kit. The Point light on the other hand adds grunt and direction, it just needs diffusion, which I have.
The 480 can now be used for background colour, the 660 for fill and the little 176 for hair light. If I need to go battery only, I can get by, but logic says I will have power if indoors.
A project I am working on now, thirty talking head interviews in differnet locations around the school, needs a primary light (window or the 480 into a reversed umbrella), hair light (176 with an amber gel) and back light (a 216 with coloured gel). The reversed 480 with umbrella at only 1m from the subject is a little clutterred, with the stem jutting out a fair way. The 60W at 2m and a bigger brolly would be safer and more powerful.
The first look I liked, the 480 through a diffuser panel at about 2m. The panel was set at 50% and 5500k, so getting closer will give me a ton of power in reserve.
This is the 480 into a 40” brolly (shooting throught produced hot spots), with a small hair light (176 LED at 10% with amber gel or optionally a reflector), both at about 1m. This is the softest light, but maybe too soft and I dislike the stem sticking out towards the subject at only 1m. The first room I am in has a gorgeous window with a full length semi-translucent blind, which I may simply supplement with the 480. I will likely go with a combo of the above, slightly feathered and a hair light for separation.
After some testing the project has come down to;
The G9 in Natural +0/-2/+0/+2, 10 bit 422, 1080p, white balance at B2/M2, then set the white balance to the main light (5500k usually).
The main light will be a 480 through a feathered diffusion disc or into a reversed brolly, with a hair light and some flagging to arrest spill, or I will use window light, but best to be prepared.
The 25mm f1.8 wide open was chosen as my available space may be limited and its look wide open is warm and generous with gorgeous blurring. It will be filtered with the Kenko Black Mist 05. Without the filter, I would reduce the saturation and sharpness.
Exposure will bet a -1 to darken the background, then lifted to bring out the main subject. I will histogram this, but also match each job by eye for consistency.
A sample lifted from a video test (my poor wife, trying to earn the real money). A busier background than I will use, but the basic colour and main light (window) are good.
Sound will be a Lewitt 040 pencil condenser boomed 8” above and in front of the speakers mouth, run through the H5. This combo blew away all of the competition with the Neewer/Boya mini shotguns coming in second or optionally the SSH6 when used as a shotgun at 1m, not a boom. At gain 6, the Lewitt just filled the space with clean, full presence.
The Zoom and shotgun capsule or Boya boomed will be used if we go outside or for some environments. Without the Lewitts, I would just use these for consistency.
Eight Dollars Well Spent?
I got the cheapest lens adapter in the world to other day ($8), for the Helios 44-2 screw mount. It does not convert the 58mm to a full frame focal length equivalent like a Metabones or similar, so 116mm f2, here we come.
I must admit, I skimped on the adapter, for two reasons.
1) The lens is a little long to be super useful and I have shorter options.
2) The lens is a little rough. The camera it came off, an old Praktika, is a bit mouldy and smells as such, so I assumed a little haze would have crept into the lens. They can be self cleaned, but I will see first.
Technically only an upgrade of “1” I guess (M42 to M43).
My first bit of footage was eye opening. It has a similar look to my Olympus half frame 25mm. The colour is cool and muted, the contrast high and the Bokeh……odd, swirly, maybe jittery? Not sure, but certainly full of character.
It looks sharp also. Not modern “perfect” sharp, more clear and old school sharp.
The images below are; f2, then closer to show the quality, f4 and a portrait at f2.8. The portrait is a little subject movement and/or focus miss soft, but has a snappy look I like. I added the same small amount of de-hazing and saturation to the files, but did nothing to the natural colour of any of them. The f2.8 and f4 images look a little different becasue the aperture ring is quite stiff, so I had to reframe.
Some Oly lens images for comparison, both lenses shot at their minimum focus distance. F2.8 first, then closer then f4. The Oly needs some de-hazing at f2.8 (applied). Notice the jittery Bokeh on this lens, which looks similar to the helios, but in this image is more pronounced. I feel the colour is pretty close, but contrast is heavier on the Helios (more testing needed). Overall I rate the Helios as the better lens for contrast and colour, the Oly slightly sharper.
Below a simple Bokeh test, all wide open for each lens (Helios on top). Slight magenta caste to the Oly, but that may have been the angle.
A FHD video frame lift. No filter added, showing the gritty nature of the lens.
The adapter is tight and sure, being as simple as a tube needs to be. There is no play nor any aligment issues.
The one issue I may have to deal with though is excess oil on the aperture blades. This looks to be a common issue and one I can likely find a fix for, but so far, it has not actually made any difference, only being noticed very recently. The lens is manual only, so as long as they move when pushed, no issue.
Rig(s) Complete
A couple of handy arrivals last thing Friday ad I am almost on top of the rig thing, that as it turned out is now rigs plural.
The thing missing it seems was a proper handle on the left side (my bad). The camera can now be operated with either hand as the Camvate handle feels as solid and secure as the cameras own grip. Cables and focussing are also fine. The soft-rounded handle shape and width from the camera have sorted that.
In its first form, the monitor sits well and the two handles give this camera a solid and stable feel. For extended hand holding and pan follows, I think this will work well. This takes the 35cm HDMI cable.
In its next shape, the top handle extends the run-and-gun options. There is room for a shotgun mic, even with a Zoom H1n as pre-amp, or a light.
Moving on, basically the same as above with monitor front and low. This takes the 55cm HDMI cable.
Finally, “Interview configuration”. This allows the H5 on its shock mount to sit under the monitor with either the Shotgun capsule for interviews or the XY for performances. For this one I would use my heavy duty HDMI.
Now for the support act or the camera that was not even an idea until a few days ago.
Deciding to use an Olympus (not sure which one yet*) has allowed me to do another full rig out of the left-overs. The fast and low, hand held movement rig. This has reduced the pressure on the primary rig to be all things all the time. When I find it, a left over cold shoe adapter will go on the top cheese plate. Notice the Camvate name printed upside down on the cheese plate extension. Odd.
*I have a longer bar coming, so it could end up being the EM1x, the camera best suited to hand held video and usually reserved for sports, but even my oldest EM1 with a firmware update will do.
My goofy idea of re-purposing the mini side handle is ideal here as it allows my left hand (aka touch focus control) somewhere to rest, even a stabilising point if using the top handle and the screen gains a protective bumper. The whole thing is well balanced and sturdy. Not the neatest looking cage, but it is well thought out. The top plate has an optional cold shoe foot slide-in connector, meaning the whole thing is double contacted (or you can just secure the top plate down tight).
So after two rigs, all I have left to use is a Smallrig switch-out cheese plate and some screws.
As over the top as it sounds, a second camera, purpose built to do a different job with a different lens is so much faster and more convenient than trying to set up the Lumix differently in the field. Faster even than just changing lenses.
The way I want to use it is as different as the brands are, so having a rig that is just like donning a different hat for a different job makes as much sense as trying to re-think the use of the same camera and change it on the fly. I have enough filters and mics to set each up on its own also. The reality is also, the EM1’s are just better at some things.
The EM1x Becomes A Dual Role Monster
My kit for stills has been settled for a while now, robotic even.
I take out an EM1 mk2 with a long lens (by needs), EM10 mk2 with a wide (I prefer the flip up screen for the wide angle) and an old EM5 mk1 with a fast prime (I like how they handle noise). I can duplicate this, so I regularly rotate cameras and feel confident in my depth.
The EM1x is my big event, low light and sports specialist, the Pen F and Pen mini are my personal cameras and a couple of the rougher old EM5 mk1’s are used for “hack” work around home-most of my boring blog images.
The EM1x usually goes out on its own or with one of the EM1’s and the Em10/wide angle depending on the sport.
So, my best and most durable camera only gets an outing a dozen or so times a year. It is a resource that I would struggle to justify replacing, so nursing it makes some sense, but really, it is an unwarranted luxury to hold it back.
This lens is so useable, you find yourself using it like a short tele, then have to remind yourself it is not short by any measure.
Video on the other hand opens up some new horizons.
The EM1x has a few benefits over the EM1 mk2’s and the G9;
It can use auto ISO in manual, something the Mk2’s cannot.
Very stable touch control AF performance, that ideally suits its likely best-use scenario.
Probably the best in camera stabiliser on the market currently (MIS-1) and is noticeably better than the G9’s for movement (the G9 has very good static stabilising and is set up for that).
Added heft for even better stability.
Nothing better to do most of the time.
Can shoot 200mbs All-i 1080p. After some light testing, down sized C4K is still better, but All-i has advantages over the IPB format the G9 uses especially for busy subjects and fast movement. To be honest, this is OSMO territory, but filtering and longer lenses are problematic there.
Nicer looking colour (no green caste) and possibly slightly higher sharpness than the EM1 mk2. In Natural with contrast turned down or Flat profile, it can be matched reasonably to the other two cameras.
The Canvate cage with a 197mm extension column can fit it (I hope) and that cage’s blocky look may be softened slightly by the EM1x’s bulk.
My setup for this camera, purely as a run and gun option is the following;
Manual with top dials in position 1 for F-stop and ISO, or position 2 for White Balance and Shutter. Both ISO and WB have auto options that are reliable, but can be switched out instantly if needed.
The camera is in MIS-1 (sensor and electronic stabilising), slightly cropping the 17mm lens to about an ideal 20mm (40mm). This has a slight effect on 4k, less on 1080, but 4k is still ahead.
Auto ISO, which with Exp Comp handles exposure smoothly.
Touch AF (with the MF clutch option on some lenses). This is smooth, accurate and fast, ideal for fast movement and focus transition shots.
This, only bigger.
This is effectively the polar opposite of the G9’s settings. The AF and stabiliser on the G9 were known to be good, but not as reliable. The G9 with the new handle is much better for static shooting (static IS makes it even better), but for top handle following, the EM1x is superior. I want to be able to pick up an optional camera and just go, no thought, no fiddle and this is how this is set up.
If I need it for sport or similar, it can be easily removed and a Custom setting selected to suit the event in mind, changing its personality completely.
The fast 17mm has several benefits of its own. The long transition Bokeh this lens boasts helps with focus transitions, which in turn makes the f1.8 aperture very useable. The extra two stops it has over the 12-40 makes this the low light action lens. The lens ends up being roughly a 40mm equivalent with MIS-1 activated, which is perfect. If I want wider, I will use MIS-2 and get a wider lens with lower stability needs.
After a few test clips it looks like the MIS-1 mode is troubling C4k quality slightly, so I will use C4k in MIS-2 (sensor only), All-i 1080 in MIS-1 as it is smoother. I have also switched to Flat mode in All-i as it is gentler and more open (Pana like), and processes easily if needed. This camera will not do as much work as the Pana, so a little post if needed will be fine.
Thoughts On The Future Of MFT And My Kit
The new OM-1 looks to be a genuine improvement in a few areas that trouble MFT cameras.
Advancements across the board, especially in ISO performance, the “big” one for MFT, will see this camera and its Panasonic and Fuji equivalents continue the trend of annoying the big three. I still strongly believe that there is a place for all formats and that Olympus’s ability to offer all the advantages of MFT, with technological options to aleviate the formats short comings is near ideal. Who wants to shoot 46+ mp images for news based sport, when speeed and performance are more important and conversely, who needs to carry around a super speed machne for high res landscapes?
You can approach this from two ways.
A high res camera with large lenses and expensive sensor/processor combos for good performance, or a smaller, lighter camera with a sensor shift high res option, that does not need super lenses, massive sensors and processors. If Olympus and Panasonic can give us hand held high res, in camera depth control and noise performance that allows “A” grade low light sports capture (nearly there in all respects), then why full frame?Sure full frame can then match all of these with a bigger sensor, but do you need the F1 race car to adopt all the popular sports cars features? I.e, an expensive super car that you can drive sedately, or a motorcycle with high torque “haulage” and weather protected “luxury” modes.
The GH6 is also lifting MFT in video, at a time when all the competition are stretching, so playing catch-up is not an option. Panasonic need to stay in the front pack, but offering a serious MFT and full frame option validates both.
This makes me happy.
There will be something new to get later and a downward push on prices of the older cameras, all capable and really enough for me. It also means that the market has more players, therefore more ideas and stronger competiton in the mix.
I do also like the slight slowing of the industry, with new cameras every few years, sometimes after several upgrades of the last one, not seemingly constantly.
We have reached a point of unprecedented sufficiency. In some areas we are been over-catered to, if measured against our actual needs, so a slow down makes sense and allows great cameras to have a decent life span. The Canon RP and R, the G9 and G7, EM1/5/10 mk2’s and various Sony 6000 series and many Fuji’s are examples of cameras that won’t go away or that have not fallen dismally behind after years of service. They do their job, especially in image performance at an ever reducing price on balance with their newer comrades. Some advancements even come with un-needed stresses, like 6k video needed thousands of dollars of high speed storage to cover a days shoot, when high quality 1080 is all that is needed for most applications.
I doubt I will need much more to see me out photographically, but I also doubt that will stop me buying more.
About a 2mp crop from a 16mp 1Ds Mk2 file taken with a 1990’s era 400mm lens (the original shot had most of 2 full monkeys in it). Advancements are welcome, but it is handy to remember when enough is enough.
What would happen if the little guys folded and had to move on?
I like the look of Nikon at the moment. Probably the weaker of the three giants right now (Z9 excepted), I feel their new mount will see them through to the future with an advantage and the lens range is now as good as I need. Of course there would be a heap of cheap MFT around as well.
The reality is, if I lost my kit and needed to replace it right now, I would buy;
2x EM1x for general shooting ($2000 ea)
2x G9 for video and backup ($1000 ea)
12-100 f4 IS Pro
Pana 200 f2.8 with TC
8-25 f4 Pro
17/25/45/75 f1.8 primes.
Much as I have now.
Thoughts On The "Cinematic" Look And My Workflow
As a practical expedient, I am working towards a “dump and run” video work flow. it goes against my little voice, but it is what it is.
This requires footage that is basically ok to go out of the can. I know this will potentially* effect overall quality and processing options and my capture processes will have to be top notch but unless things change and a work flow designed around post processing is possible, I have to find a way.
I started off this jourey looking at a lot of Youtube videos about settings to use. In most cases, Natural profile was recommended with a variety of setting changes, some common, some contradictory.
The main one applied is -5 sharpness and sometimes up to -5 Contrast to improve the “Cinematic” look of the files (i.e. reduce digital clarity and hardness). This is also often accompanied by a Black Mist/Net/Glow/Bloom filter of some type to recreate the “Netflix” look and I took the bait.
For context, many of these users intended to still do some post. Without post processing, I need to get to the end point directly.
The main settings rarely varied, but occassionally a Vlogger would choose +0 sharpness and I must admit, I liked it.
So, what is “Cinematic” look and why are so many anxious to emulate it?
The “Netflix” look as I tend to call it is a soft, glowy, look with bloomed highlights and often subdued lighting. It looks big, cinematic (go figure), lush and not a little bit film-stock like.
Looking at some streamed TV the other day, I had a realiseation.
One show “Battle Creek” was a prime example of full Cinebloom capture. One scene, shot in a loft space, had so much blooming, faces were hard to see. I had not realised before how much this annoys me consciously or not.
I realised that two responses bubbled up in me. The first was an old general dislike of “soft focus”, especially “white” or haze softening. The second was a new found dislike for the “cute”, dreamy look that this show and others like “NCIS” or “Jag” are after and use softening filters heavily to achieve. This is generally limited to American feel good or lite shows, helping keep the mood sanitised. Even death is “nice” in these shows..
It is a look I really dislike. It was also something that the latest series of “Vera” used against the grain of previous series and English TV in general and my (our) response was again negative.
The next show I watched was “The Rookie”. This has a far more realistic super high definition look, warts and all. There may be some mild filtering, but it is mild. The likely culprit would be something like a Tiffen Glimmerglass 1/8 or similar because the highlight blooming was very controlled and blemish softening almost non existent. I felt for the actors, but they held together ok.
It is possible to have sharp and smooth at the same time.
This I like a lot more. It still has warmth when needed, but the biting sharpness took me to a happy place and suspension of reality is reduced.
This came at the same time as some feedback from work.
I shot a lot of small clips at the school swimming using a sharpness reduced Natural setting on the G9 and the basic Normal setting for OSMO footage. The OSMO got the most positive reactions. This was partly due to the creative angles it allows (under frikkin water!), but also the sharp, contrasty and clear footage it produces at base settings with nothing applied (it offers no real modifications apart from Cine-D in post).
The end result is a shift back to Natural mode with no mods to any settings at this point. I will do the same with the EM1x, but will add +1 Amber and -1 Contrast, bringing it closer to the G9. When I am capturing basically the same footage out of all three cameras and get some more feedback, then look at slight mods as needed.
I can also now add gentle filtering to this without washing out the already washed out.
*At the end of the day, sharp clear and brilliant video is the desired end point, so within reason, just like with stills, how you get there is irrelevant as long as you get there.
A Light Day With The 75-300 Olympus
Following on in the vein of the “Power of MFT” post, I shot a small swimming carnival yesterday for year 6 students. This was the day after a full 8 hour senior carnival, so I decided to go light.
The bigger carnival was held indoors at a 50m pool. It needed the 40-150 and 300 Pro’s for speed. This time, at a 25m pool in gentle sunshine, I managed the whole thing with the “kit” 75-300 on an EM1 and the 8-18 on an EM10.
One of many taken tight and quickly with the budget super tele. This lens just takes very nice images, regardless of its pedestrian specs.
The EM1 mk2 was well balanced and the lens responsive. Again showing the benefits of MFT format. This lens is super sharp up to 200mm, decently to excellently sharp above that, especially at f8. I have seen tests that put it equal with the 40-150 pro with teleconverter and I would believe that and then it adds even more reach.
The only real issues with it are, no weather sealing, slow maximum aperture and slightly less sure footed AF than the pro lenses, none of which have ever held me back within reason.