https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjx9nNtdNQ0 "Easy" by SPCZSourceLicense
Did I Mention How Much I Love the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO?
Lumix GH5, Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO, HLG, ISO 400, All-Intra 400Mbps
Closed Captions in FCP X 10.4.1
The closed captions feature in Final Cut Pro v.10.4.1 is a real godsend for those of us recording documentaries and interviews in a foreign language. Adding text to the timeline - a tedious process that used to take hours - now takes just minutes when used in conjunction with real-time voice translation in Google Translate.... Continue Reading →
Portrait of Huong
https://youtu.be/kh9zovfWN_Y "Keep it in Your Heart" by Lobo Loco SourceLicense
Does the BMD Pocket 4K Render the GH5 Obsolete?
https://youtu.be/pmHnTfyl-c0 There's a lot of understandable excitement online surrounding the announcement of Blackmagic's successor to the five year-old Pocket Cinema Camera. In their enthusiasm, many are still repeating the same tired BS that Panasonic's GH cameras produce garbage, plastic looking footage, and that this marks the beginning of the end of the GH5 and GH5s.... Continue Reading →
Has Panasonic Killed Off Cinema Lenses?
https://youtu.be/8y-_5VxlehM The primary reason for using cinema lenses is for pulling focus. Focus pulls have become a hallmark of the cinematic look. However, cinema lenses can run anywhere from around $1,000 to over $30,000 apiece. And that doesn’t include extra expenditures like rails, matte box, follow focus, a heavy duty tripod, an external monitor, batteries, cables and more. Not... Continue Reading →
Liking the Olympus 45mm f/1.2 PRO
Below, some screen grabs from a project I'm working on.
To ETTR or Not ETTR?
There's been a lot of discussion about whether or not it makes sense to expose to the right. Certainly, if you're shooting in dim light and need to raise the ISO, it makes little sense to expose to the right, since ETTR works best at native ISO. But if you are shooting at native ISO,... Continue Reading →
Mini Doc On Its Way
Lumix GH5, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN, ISO 400, HLG, ALL-Intra, 400Mbps, Leeming LUT, no color correction in post
The Importance of Running Your Own Tests
On social media and in the forums, camera owners often ask what the best settings and picture profiles are, but there is no substitute for doing your own tests. That's just one of the responsibilities of being a camera operator - one that should never be left to the discretion of others, however well meaning... Continue Reading →
Get Consistently Good Exposures with HLG
I still see filmmakers struggling with exposure shooting HLG with their GH5. In order to get consistent results, be sure to set your zebras at 90% - this should help avoid clipping of the red channel. Next, using a white balance card like the X-Rite ColorChecker, reduce exposure just until the zebras disappear. You should... Continue Reading →
Underrated? The Sigma 60mm f/2.8 DN for Micro 4/3
I've begun a new project - a mini-documentary - and couldn't make up my mind which lens to use for the interview portion: so I took along the Sigma 30mm f/1.4,the Sigma 60mm f/2.8 and the Olympus 75mm f/1.8. The Olympus 75mm f/1.8 has been my go-to lens for portraiture, but I didn't necessarily need... Continue Reading →
The Shogun Inferno as HDR Grading Monitor
At long last, I can confirm that the Shogun Inferno ($1,195) does indeed work with the Blackmagic Design UltraStudio Mini Monitor ($137) and 2016 MacBook Pro. This is currently one of the least expensive options for grading HDR in Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve on a Mac. A word of caution: the Ninja Inferno... Continue Reading →
Should You Buy a Cinema Lens?
I'm asked quite frequently by viewers of my YouTube channel whether they should get say, a photography lens like the Olympus 25mm f/1.2 or a cinema lens like one of the Veydra Mini Primes. There are dozens of differences between photography and cinema lenses, but I'm only going to touch on a few of the... Continue Reading →
Veydra: One Disappointed Client
I was really counting on being able to share some clips shot with the Veydra Mini Primes and my Fuji X-T2. I placed an order with Veydra on February 11th for a set of three Fuji X-mounts in the hopes of shooting a short documentary and alerting potential X-H1 owners that there exists a much... Continue Reading →
Scouting Locations in Saigon
If you're on the lookout for places to shoot models in Saigon that are safe, quiet and won't break the bank, here are a few suggestions. The Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts in district 1 (above), built in the early 20th century by a French architect, has some lovely light. Admission for... Continue Reading →
Does the Veydra Fuji X-Mount Even Exist?
I've always thought the Fuji X-T2 would be a great narrative filmmaking camera, but it's taken a back seat to my Panasonics for the past year. As it happens, I'm planning to begin work on a documentary next month and it occurred to me that this would be a great opportunity to try out my... Continue Reading →
The Daejeon Chronicles 