7D or Mysterium X

True. But sometimes when betting on the underdog....and you actually win...you win bigtime!!
Sigh. And that, right there, is what keeps driving the world. Indie filmmakers seem to believe that if there ever was an exception to the rule, it's them. Which, you just gotta love... even if it doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

Here's a scary one: I forget the exact statistic, but in a poll, something like 80% of drivers identified their driving skills as "above average" or better. Which is statistically impossible, of course...

Or this -- you do know that half of the doctors out there graduated in the bottom half of their class, right?

So, yes... Rodriguez made a film on $7,000 and launched a career. And no matter how many times it gets pointed out that that was 17 years ago, and that of the ... what, 10,000 movies in the theaters since then, only maybe a few dozen have been micro-budget stuff like "My Date With Drew"... the indie will plug along thinking "That'll be me someday."

And maybe it will. And maybe you'll be the guy who makes a ten-million-dollar movie on a 7D that rakes in a couple hundred million at the box office. But the odds against it are about the same as the odds of a #16 beating a #1. Or of winning the lottery.

The difference is, in this game, at least you can push the odds more in your favor. Go to Simon Cowell and find out just how bad you are, find out what you need to work on, and work on it. Or change professions -- if you're a lousy writer but you're an awesome cinematographer, ditch writing and go into cinematography.

But anyway... yeah, perception vs. reality. In the long run, I think reality tends to win that battle.
 
The difference is, in this game, at least you can push the odds more in your favor. Go to Simon Cowell and find out just how bad you are, find out what you need to work on, and work on it. Or change professions -- if you're a lousy writer but you're an awesome cinematographer, ditch writing and go into cinematography.

But anyway... yeah, perception vs. reality. In the long run, I think reality tends to win that battle.

Are you trying to say I'm a terrible writer? Because, I read really far into your post, very far, and that's what I happened to get out of it.


(only kidding... maybe)
 
The same arguments against yet another tool in a price range not even closely related to this product. Squier and ESP Guitars will both get you on the stage, both require talent to make music with, the more refined and expensively crafted tool will carry you further and help you harness your vision smoother.

If you could do movies and commercial and broadcast level quality with a $1700 camera, millions even billions would be saved every year. There's a reason it's cheaper than a plane ticket to Tahiti, it's not the end-all-be-all. As pointed out earlier, the 7D is an amazing device, and for the aspiring filmmaker, a great tool to harness and craft a vision, a grand stepping stone to show people what you can do, and help them imagine what you could do with an even bigger budget
 
Are you trying to say I'm a terrible writer? Because, I read really far into your post, very far, and that's what I happened to get out of it.
Er, no -- in no way was I saying or implying anything of the sort... I addressed nobody in specific at all in any of those posts! Well, except Simon Cowell, of course...
 
Also to those who say it looks bad on a big screen, how do we explain lucas loving it on his 40'? I'd assume this guy knows something about IQ. [serious question] is it that bad?
 
Last edited:
Well if you haven't had any experience as a videographer, then you shouldn't be getting in so deep into your gear like the scarlet or 7d. These cameras are hard to use especially if you have no previous experience as a camera man. I don't know your background but if you haven't had any experience, the 7d probably isn't a good first camera.
 
Well if you haven't had any experience as a videographer, then you shouldn't be getting in so deep into your gear like the scarlet or 7d. These cameras are hard to use especially if you have no previous experience as a camera man. I don't know your background but if you haven't had any experience, the 7d probably isn't a good first camera.
You think the curve is that bad?
 
Last edited:
Also to those who say it looks bad on a big screen, how do we explain lucas loving it on his 40'? I'd assume this guy knows something about IQ. [serious question] is it that bad?

I don't recall anybody saying it looked bad on the big screen, just that it doesn't look as good as cameras that cost ten or twenty times as much (like Red, Genesis, SI-2K, etc.). Which should make sense. Lucas is interested for size/weight/cost reasons, not image quality reasons.

BTW - it looks amazing on the big screen.

Just... not as good as a Red ONE or Genesis or Viper or... you get the idea.
 
Just finished the whole thread. Good read. Nice to see a fairly good consensus that the 7D is a good "starter cinema camera," and that the RED One IS a cinema camera.

Often, it seems that people are talking about the same things from completely different situations and viewpoints...which results in blanket statements that advocates of a particular camera then respond to from their viewpoint. People mastering for 720p and DVD distribution see things differently than people mastering for 1080p and higher. Obviously the 7D can run with some shots from an M-X RED when down scaled and compressed for web. The higher your go resolution wise, I think the distinction becomes more and more clear.

Overall though, these screen grabs say everything:

 
Last edited:
But you're all going to ignore the part of that post about hiring pro writers. I just know it.
Well said.

For example, «and I am a DSLR and GH1 supporter from day one as much as RED» is different than to say «and I am a DSLR and GH1 supporter as much as RED from day one», have anyone noticed the difference? ;-)

Content is king. Still.
 
You can compare a Honda Civic to a Lamborghini... because they both move you from point A to B...

You can also compare a set of headphones to a G.I. Joe figure.

In this thread, both versions of comparison are applicable, as neither make any sense.


so funny... so true...
 
So do you "pros" think it's a waste of money to get a 7D or the ilk to make a reel and some web video? I'm not trying to be a filmmaker and print anything or make it big with what I'm doing, just get experience editing and being a camera op.
Of course it's not a waste -- it's excellent for that. In fact, I recommend everyone have a 7D -- it is awesome for incognito work, for C-camera angles, for interviews, for a director's viewfinder, for stills, for dozens of things. And it's still the best micro-budget digital cinema rig. I think a lot of the point here is -- if you're micro-budget, it's so unbelievably impractical to think that your work will be seen anywhere but on the web or DVD, and on the web/DVD, the 7D looks great. But if you're planning on big-screen exhibition, considering the competition out there, you really have to bring your "A" game, and a 7D is not an A-level camera.

Should I just save for scarlet?
Depends on what you intend to do. Scarlet 2/3" is not going to deliver the shallow DOF look of a 7D. Scarlet S35 should blow the 7D away in every possible way -- but at 7x the price, it had darn well better.

Also to those who say it looks bad on a big screen, how do we explain lucas loving it on his 40'? I'd assume this guy knows something about IQ. [serious question] is it that bad?
Depends on what you shoot. Philip Bloom is perhaps the best-known DSLR shooter, and he knows exactly what will look good and what won't. Some things look great. Some look terrible. If you have the luxury of picking, you can make the DSLR look great. But if you're relying on it as your only camera, inevitably you'll have to make the shots where it looks bad, and ... you're stuck at that point.

And Philip Bloom has also said that for 90% of his jobs, he'd still reach for the EX1/Letus instead of a DSLR.
 
Jay and Emanuel, nice to see you guys around the boards. I know that Emanuel, a RED owner, has deinitely been on the dslr front for a while. That does speak volumes about the validity of ownership.

I've just landed in Tuscon and were shooting two commercials over the next two days, two 7Ds and one 5D. Broadcast material. Yes, there is something nice about walking through the airport security with all of it in a photography bookbag and my clothes and laptop(s) in another. No checking any equipment.

So, of course, there're obviously positives.

By the way, I saw a McDonalds new Snackwrap commercial airing recently. It starts out with a girl in the foreground at night, a bike at her side and a [nasty] snackwrap I her hand, a couple in the backgroud.

That entire spot was shot on a 5D. I know because I still have some of the footage. =B
 
Jay and Emanuel, nice to see you guys around the boards. I know that Emanuel, a RED owner, has deinitely been on the dslr front for a while. That does speak volumes about the validity of ownership.

I've just landed in Tuscon and were shooting two commercials over the next two days, two 7Ds and one 5D. Broadcast material. Yes, there is something nice about walking through the airport security with all of it in a photography bookbag and my clothes and laptop(s) in another. No checking any equipment.

So, of course, there're obviously positives.

By the way, I saw a McDonalds new Snackwrap commercial airing recently. It starts out with a girl in the foreground at night, a bike at her side and a [nasty] snackwrap I her hand, a couple in the backgroud.

That entire spot was shot on a 5D. I know because I still have some of the footage. =B

music to my ears.....:love4:
 
Back
Top