2021 - What would be your documentary setup and why?

morgan_moore said:
Requiring auto focus as a producer is completely understandable, reasonable and intelligent. S35 and Fullframe came to the masses as did sun reflection screens and a penchant for F2 and no rehearsals/using these cams for live unscrpted. Mix this with producer directors that come from 1/3 chip and never heard of focus, focus puller or any 'cinema methods' and a keen to please 21 year old operator and you have 80% of shots going in the bin.

I have some respect for focus (aka I take nothing for granted) leading to spending on monitors/hoods, but also just constantly checking to the best of my ability. Frankly that gets in the way of other elements of the shoot. My respect for focus means I do get a bit more than 20% sharp afer using manual glass since I was a teenager more than quarter of a centtury ago.

But really most 90% of shoots should be..
1/3 to 2/3in cameras
Use AF if the sensor is MFT or bigger
or
Be directed completely differently
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Yes, I think AF is a more legitimate request. Just as 6K is a legitimate request for directors that insist on being able to crop in post. It is a good option to have. And with the way the standards for image quality have gone up, there just aren't enough good first AC's for every budget.
 
ahalpert said:
On doc shoots?
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I don't understand the question, Abe. There are so many different types of documentaries. Some are shot on film, or animation only, or work best with old anamorphic lenses. Some may only have a one camera operator and on a tight budget using old equipment, others on an iPhone, or archival footage. I've had a producer wish for a camera with autofocus, but it was a sports related thing with a lot of different shooters, so it made sense there. It's just that prior to the last two years, I had never heard anyone request it. So, it was a humorous sounding request, especially since not long ago auto focus in video was sort of bad. We've come a long way. I no longer have to get nervous about those long push dolly shots. Cheers Abe.
 
James0b57 said:
I don't understand the question, Abe. There are so many different types of documentaries. Some are shot on film, or animation only, or work best with old anamorphic lenses. Some may only have a one camera operator and on a tight budget using old equipment, others on an iPhone, or archival footage. I've had a producer wish for a camera with autofocus, but it was a sports related thing with a lot of different shooters, so it made sense there. It's just that prior to the last two years, I had never heard anyone request it. So, it was a humorous sounding request, especially since not long ago auto focus in video was sort of bad. We've come a long way. I no longer have to get nervous about those long push dolly shots. Cheers Abe.
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I didn't mean to imply anything about doc shoots. I was just curious as to who had requested it. Sports-related makes perfect sense to me. I was only asking as a consideration for market/client research to gauge what's coming down the pike. I guess I was curious if it was a scripted drama, which seemed less likely. But before anyone tells me that autofocus will never be used in scripted drama - I've seen some big focus misses in big-budget scripted drama, usually on steadicam and shallow-DOF type shots. I could see AF entering the toolbox for that, especially since those focus pullers are already using so many complex tools for gauging distance.
 
ahalpert said:
I didn't mean to imply anything about doc shoots. I was just curious as to who had requested it. Sports-related makes perfect sense to me. I was only asking as a consideration for market/client research to gauge what's coming down the pike. I guess I was curious if it was a scripted drama, which seemed less likely. But before anyone tells me that autofocus will never be used in scripted drama - I've seen some big focus misses in big-budget scripted drama, usually on steadicam and shallow-DOF type shots. I could see AF entering the toolbox for that, especially since those focus pullers are already using so many complex tools for gauging distance.
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Thanks for clarifying. yeah, AF is really nice now. will see it on all sorts of media creation going forward. it is pretty game changing.
 
How about this:

9xUZBS.jpg


Less expensive than the rigs often discussed here and not quite cutting-edge, but, I posit, highly capable all the same.

In a way, 2021 marks the maturity of this tech, which is its own asset. The camera came out in 2018 – a year before James0b57’s 2019 starting point for new developments – but firmware updates since then have fixed the glitches, and prices have come down, and those are the factors that make this package attractive today. Most things just work, within the up-front limitations.

The GH5S doesn’t try to be anything it’s not, but it does what it says it will very well: great low-light performance, low rolling-shutter artefacts, decent internal codecs (though no Raw or ProRes), 10-bit log footage to SD cards, DCI 4K if you want wider than UHD, true 24p, 60p with all-pixel readout, line-level audio in, basic waveform monitor, focus peaking, etc.

There is no overheating, line-skipping, readout times that vary with the bit-depth or frame rate, crops at 60p, or weird gotchas like that.

But, sure, it’s still a mirrorless camera with consumer-grade lenses, no XLR inputs, no SDI, tiny battery, kinda small sensor in today’s market, no phase-detect autofocus, etc.

  • Gitzo Series 3 Systematic GT3531S carbon-fibre tripod
  • Gitzo GS3321V75 75 mm bowl adaptor
  • Miller Air fluid head
  • Sound Devices MixPre-3 (first generation)
  • Panasonic GH5S
  • Olympus 12–40 mm f/2.8 (among others including f/1.2 glass)
  • Rycote InVision On-Camera shock mount when the mic is on the camera like this
  • Rode NTG3 shotgun microphone
  • Audio-Technica ATH-M20x monitoring headphones
  • Zhiyun Weebill S gimbal (not shown).

From the tripod plate up, excluding the headphones, this weighs 2 kg as shown in the photo. Hand-luggage friendly, not that anyone cares these days.

Downsides:

  1. Battery life of camera and audio recorder are poor. Worse, changing the batteries requires slow disassembly (battery door of camera is blocked by recorder; Allen key for unscrewing recorder from camera is behind recorder’s battery). This would never fly professionally – luckily I’m not a pro, but it’s still a nuisance
  2. Screw-in ND filters are slow and risky, especially outdoors when you can’t set things down. But until the latest Blackmagic camera arrived, no-one had a solution for this anywhere near this price point (Sony FX6 is €6.5k here)
  3. Tiny, dim display for framing and focusing. But the camera has a decent viewfinder. An external monitor would add a lot of bulk and faff, and probably force the use of a cage. I’ve been trying to avoid that. Maybe I shouldn’t, because there must be some way to solve downside 1 at the same time – some way to run everything off Sony L-series batteries, maybe?
  4. No reliable tracking autofocus.
 
Doc is a compromise :) actually with AF that good one might be better with a 24-105 because you can live with a crappy feel on the ficus ring
Having fiz on that lens is defo nice.

Shooting car/gimbal you get more “rushing” with a wider lens ideally 20ff

28 did make it feel a bit boring and non cinematic- but overall I could say that combo really get the job done. Also he was moaning about minimum focus - which should flash red on the af!

The operator also bought a 16-35 and a 200-600(?)
 
morgan_moore said:
Doc is a compromise :) actually with AF that good one might be better with a 24-105 because you can live with a crappy feel on the ficus ring
Having fiz on that lens is defo nice.

Shooting car/gimbal you get more “rushing” with a wider lens ideally 20ff

28 did make it feel a bit boring and non cinematic- but overall I could say that combo really get the job done. Also he was moaning about minimum focus - which should flash red on the af!

The operator also bought a 16-35 and a 200-600(?)
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there's also the sony 12-24. i have the f/4 version. the f/2.8 is sharper and has better corners it would seem, but they both suffer from distortion on the wide end. but it's a terrific set of focal lengths. great for capturing wall-to-wall interiors. and great for stupid vertical shooting where you still need a broad horizontal FOV.

don't shy away from sigma/tamron/samyang, either. by and large, they do good autofocus on sony, sometimes better than the sony version
 
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