Minji. Sony a7 III, 35mm f/1.8, Cine2, Leeming LUT Pro and RocketStock LUT.
Happy New Year!
A Very Affordable HDR Monitor
This and many other stunning HDR videos were shot by Eugene Belsky with the amazing Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and graded on the modestly priced Asus ProArt PA32UC. While many on the Internet go to great lengths to disparage sub-forty thousand dollar monitors, others quietly go about perfecting their craft, creating mind-blowing imagery with... Continue Reading →
Asus Lousy Customer Support: Exhibit A
So I contact Asus Online Customer Service because I'm unable to adjust the brightness level of HDR content in the OSD of the PA32UCX. The chat lasted thirty long minutes. Had I known Asus support was this atrocious, I would have gladly spent the extra money for Apple's Pro Display XDR instead. Asus: Hello! Please... Continue Reading →
Random Stuff
My Asus PA32UCX arrived several weeks earlier than promised; but it's been almost six weeks now since placing my order for the 16" MacBook Pro from a premium reseller here in Ho Chi Minh City. Any day now, I guess? In the meantime, I'm having the walls painted and new curtains installed in my room... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX: Fan Noise Test
Some have expressed concern about Asus PA32UCX fan noise, so I took a little time out of the day to make an audio recording. An HDR clip in the timeline of Final Cut Pro was looped for an hour to let the monitor warm up before recording the fan noise with a Sony PCM-M10 audio... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX: Cable Management
From behind the monitor, cable management looks neat and tidy. Cables can be run through the stand. The rear of the monitor and the stand have a nice finish. Cable management, cover on. Once the cover is removed, it becomes apparent you've got to grope around in the dark with your fingers searching for the... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX Blooming
Blooming on the Asus ProArt PA32UCX in HLG HDR. It is unmistakable when viewed off-axis; less noticeable when sitting directly in front of the monitor; and a non-issue for the vast majority of my own work. Keep in mind that in a well-lighted room, blooming is practically imperceptible, whether viewing the display head-on or from... Continue Reading →
HDR Calibration: What They Don’t Tell You
The reason production houses spend as much as $40,000 on reference monitors is quite simple: they need to have unwavering confidence that their work is going to be displayed exactly as intended. However, all displays change with time, and the only way to ensure consistent results is to calibrate them on a regular basis.* Yet,... Continue Reading →
Asus ProArt PA32UCX-K Woes Begin
Update: Why none of this matters. In a previous post, I wrote how I was unable to install Asus' proprietary calibration software; but having read somewhere that X-Rite's i1Profiler was supposed to give better results, I went ahead and used that instead. But the colors weren't nearly as accurate as they were supposed to be;... Continue Reading →
Pro Display XDR: The New Gold Standard
What we can say for sure is that the XDR is the display HDR content creators have been waiting for and that, while it may not be replacing Sony BVMX reference monitors in production studios, it will most certainly find a place right alongside them; and it is the answer to the prayers of every... Continue Reading →
Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE: Disable Lens Compensation?
https://youtu.be/czSN8GxD-ns?t=301 In a test I posted a while back, I demonstrated how the Samyang 85mm f/1.4 made abrupt changes visible on the edges of the frame during continuous autofocus. Till this day, no other filmmaker I'm aware of has written about this type of behavior - until now, that is. During his comparison of three... Continue Reading →
Baby Canon C300?
I seldom write about Canon except to find fault with them, but in the interest of - impartiality? - I'm just gonna say that this video, shot with the EOS R, almost made me cry. hehe It's the closest thing to a C300 I've seen by any YouTuber using a mirrorless camera, which is to... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX: First Impressions
Apart from uploading a handful of Sony HLG HDR videos to YouTube last year - mostly out of morbid curiosity - I'd pretty much all but given up on HDR, for the simple reason that there were no remotely affordable monitors. That all changed last month when I learned about the Asus ProArt 32UCX at... Continue Reading →
XDR in HDR
https://youtu.be/pmXA9IlTKDU As part of his what I presume is his ongoing review of the Pro Display XDR, tech guru Jonathan Morrison shared what I believe is his very first HDR video uploaded to YouTube, and it looks just gorgeous on my LG OLED display. Darn you Sony! When are you going to release a 10-bit... Continue Reading →
Asus PA32UCX-K vs. Apple Pro Display XDR
While awaiting delivery of my Asus PA32UCX-K this afternoon, I thought I'd compare a few of the features and specs of the two displays, bearing in mind that the XDR has not yet been tested. The XDR boasts 6K, while the Asus is a 4K monitor; however, only the 2019 Mac Pro and 16-inch MacBook... Continue Reading →
Asus Monitor Arrives!
The ProArt 32UCX-K arrived in Vietnam weeks earlier than expected. My dealer ordered four of them. He sent me these shots. Delivery should be tomorrow morning or afternoon. So excited!
Compressor v.4.4.5 App Not Verified by Google
If like me you get this dreaded message at midnight when urgently trying to upload your latest masterpiece of cinematic art to YouTube from Compressor, follow the steps below. Update [12.12.2019] Updating to v.4.4.6 made no difference.
Buying & Servicing Gear in SE Asia
I'm much happier with my little arrangement now (save for the audio, which I goofed up!). To my right, I've got the Lishuai LED 100WB-56 and to the left is the Lishuai C-700RSV. Throwing a touch of color on the wall behind me is a Yongnuo YN216 with blue filter. I've still got to find... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 