Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Funny you should say that. I got a call from the producers of a documentary, who have decided to shoot their movie on F3 instead of RED (which is why they were calling me).

RED fans will never understand a decision like that. Actually, I take that back. I'm a RED fan and I fully understand their decision. I guess I meant to say, the RED fanboys would never understand.

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Hi Aaron,

Can you tell us the reasoning behind your director's decision? And will you be using your Cinedeck with the F3 or something else, and is this project planned for before or after the F3's 444 upgrade is available?

Thanks to all so far for your input.

For cranes and jibs, has anyone had issues with the lens creeping when using a zoom lens from a stills camera?

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Hi Steve. Yes we are way off-topic for this thread here. I've had some pretty long talks with these guys about what they are doing and how they're doing it. I know they're not just blowing smoke either since their last film won an academy award. Those don't happen by accident.

I never really got a solid answer about WHY F3 instead of RED, but from what I can gather it's something to do with the post production and "quick turnaround" of footage.

They already own an F3 and they already have a defined workflow that they would like any B-camera guys (like me) to use. They are already shooting with Convergent Designs nanoFlash. I can already deliver footage identical to nanoFlash, since I have a Convergent Designs XDR. Their workflow with the nanoFlash won't benefit tremendously with the F3 S-log upgrade so I don't think that was a consideration. Plus they've already shot a ton of footage before the S-log was available so I don't think they care about it.

I sure do though. I just wish it wasn't $3,500. Seems a little steep.

Sorry to take the topic off the path. Now back to lens talk.

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Flexibility is a big key for me. The range from recording internally, too the Nanoflash, and then too Gemini, (or Cinedeck, Sony's new recorder...) Quick turnarounds with no real hassles to convert or encode the footage.

I like this range. I looked long and hard at the other options, but at the end of the day part of it was return on investment, and the projects I could use the camera on. Over the last month, I've used it on run and gun shoots to full blown commercials. With the Gemini, and other options this spring, I think it will push the bounds of where I can use this camera.

Once upon a time we paid over $70K for a Betacam. I did, but can you make that money back now in under a 3 years now. I think some of the economics have been forgotten in this equation about cameras. Technology is changing very quickly, and I've had people at rental houses ask me how owner/operators make money these days. Especially if they buy very expensive cameras, and day rates go down.

Am I off topic.... Lots of snow here today, and a long day shooting....With the F3 :) part of the shoot was some welding. Could not believe how well the F3 handled it.

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Nigel, thanks for the input.

No, you aren't off-topic. I only mentioned about getting back on-topic because I have seen threads go wayyy off on another tangent where multiple people start multiple conversations. Anything to do with the F3 is great for me as I will buy one within a couple months now that I know the FS100 is not what I need; although, its price is very tempting as I already have a nanoFlash. Plus, I really like the Zeiss lenses for the Sony Alpha mount.

Lets morph this thread some more: Nigel, Aaron and others - when do you find 8bit not enough from a nanoFlash/XDR? I am learning DaVinci Resolve on Mac (using FXPHD) and applying what I learn to After Effects. At least with my EX3/nanoFlash footage, I have found that I really need something 'better' such as low noise. However, I haven't had a chance to really push clean 8bit footage, which brings me to another question: anyone have a short clip of a scene with lots of contrast that I could download for testing?

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

I have to try really hard to produce any 8bit related artifacts, in camera, with the nano/XDR recorders. Under just the right circumstances you can probably force some banding with a high contrast scene and a perfectly graduated sky in the scene.

It's rare indeed to see any 8bit artifacts in footage I've shot. Of course, if you don't promote the footage in post, and keep it 8bit as you grade, it's fairly easy to introduce artifacts into footage being graded as 8bit footage. Of course I don't do that though.

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

Aaron,

I should have clarified that I was talking about pushing 8bit in post. So, do you convert to Pro Res or Cineform and do you find those converted files hold up better to heavy grading?

Re: What Focal Lengths For Interviews
 

That's right Steve. When I record with XDR/nano, I edit the native files right on the FCP timeline. I send the sequence to Color and I set the output type as prores HQ with higher bit depth. So I'm not really transcoding the source files, only working in Color in a bigger depth and outputting higher quality files.