FS7: So what IS the OMB ENG solution..

haha didn't mean that. Although it seems youtube blogging is funding a lot more Reds than parents these days....

I meant that the niche is a lot lot smaller than just the 1% of shooters who earn their bread from it. e.g. Your very specific requirements don't tally with those of people working in commercial/branded content/marketing stuff.
 
Ben Scott said:
You want the moon on a stick, matey. Also, if we're looking at 'acceptable compromises' can't you just be more telephoto to create depth and get you some shallow DOF shots rather than swap to a fast 50?
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A few pages back I did refer to a 'self critique' so you may indeed be correct :)

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cloud mount.. yep chat to me about that offline
 
We all have Sam's conundrum and we all approach solving it in our own way. I have a shoot on Sunday with the same issue of needing speed and dynamic coverage at the same time (Bear Grylls jumping out of a helicopter). I'll be doing some fast lens swapping, probably going between 150-600, 70-200, 16-35, followed by a 35mm prime for an interview shortly afterwards (all speed-boosted). There's no one lens that can cater for that in 4K on S35 or FF135, and it would be far easier on 2/3rd cam.

I nearly pulled the trigger on Fuji 18-55, but I tend use zooms that are longer or shorter and use primes for the mid ranges. Still tempted though...
 
I haven't tried it myself but I heard good things here is a test:

https://vimeo.com/197840863

I think it might be worth trying out.

morgan_moore said:
Icarus.

Do you have examples of s16 in use - my tests of crop mode (previously linked) and my minimal noodling with a 2/3 Sd lens suggest that using the most sensor that you can render "better" results.

"Better" is of course subjective - to my eye optical aberrations where less invasive than digital aberrations and the optical ones disappeared when one stopped down.
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icarusfilm said:
I haven't tried it myself but I heard good things here is a test:

https://vimeo.com/197840863

I think it might be worth trying out.
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Thanks for posting that Icarus. Makes my point far better than words can - for a lightweight, affordable lens with 'superzoom' range on these cameras, S16mm glass is the obvious way to go. And gives you the option of high-quality glass, and professional manual mechanics, for a very reasonable price.

Obviously the crop mode is never going to match the overall quality of the full sensor, but it still looks damned good, and you get the zoom range to cover all the angles you need at breakneck pace.

For situations where getting that coverage is the top priority, it seems a no-brainer to me. And then when you sit down for interviews and need the prettiest image possible, just change out the S16mm lens for a S35mm lens that gives you the full sensor's image.
 
I did shoot some stuff with the cooke 10.5-52mm T2.8 in crop mode. Its was really nice, and really small. Felt wide enough for me, but way to long ;)
 
So I have some recent feedback on the FS7 2/3 lens combination.

I just got back from a 2-day shoot at the IndyCar Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

I purchased a FS7 II, the MTF B4 EF-E adapter contraption and a 2/3 ENG lens without a doubler (FULL DISCLOSURE- thought I was getting one with a doubler, but the picture and the description weren't correct. It's going back and I've got a Fuji 22x lens arriving today) I shot all weekend in center crop.

1) My rig is HEAVY. Shape plate, Core AB adapter plate, AB battery, Wireless kit, rails, matte box (because the lens came without a hood...grrr) It's the heaviest camera I've shot with going back to the BetaSX I started on in news 9 years ago.
2) I really liked the video it churned out
3)The MTF adapter doesn't lock down on to the lens as tight as I would have expected. Nothing is going to fall apart, but I could feel the whole setup sort of shift and shimmy in my hand. Figured it would have been more solid.
4) It took a little bit of trial and error to figure out proper exposure and to dial in focus. I will say the variable ND on the MkII is a nice feature.
5) Here's a breakdown of other cameras I saw this weekend:
FS5 with a kit lens
A combination of DSLRs, cages and external recorders
A Panasonic 4K (not the one with the red case)
Some type of RED cam
An ARRI Alexa
Panasonic P2 Broadcast ENG
Sony Broadcast ENG
Sony F5/F55 (didn't get a close look, but it was that shape) with the high end HDx4 optical adapter and 2/3 glass
Sony FS7 with DSLR lens

The guys shooting the Sony cinema cameras worked for IndyCar shot a lot of the same video I did and you really can't tell much of a difference- granted it's all been compressed for the Web.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my setup. I get to take it back to work this weekend armed with what I learned in Florida. I'd love to have a 25K Canon lens, or a Cabrio, but that's just not in the cards, nor does our client really care.

So how did I end up with what I purchased? Well...I test drove a FS7 with the original kit lens 2 weeks ago while shooting racing and while it was great, the lens was a bit of a handicap. It's SUPER heavy and does not zoom fast enough for motorsports. Could I have gone with the cheaper original FS7? Probably...but I found the rod mount for the viewfinder to be a little annoying with its tendency to spin every which direction. And I've used the variable ND on the FS5 and really liked that feature.

One downside-- with the square rod on the MkII...you can't rotate the viewfinder parallel to the body of the camera for transport...so it has to come off the camera completely. Not a big deal, just unexpected.

I've got everything in a KATA CCC-10 bag that my last camera lived in. And it's really too small for my new rig all all the things I need to take to a shoot. I'm now looking for for a shorter, yet wider bag that will fit in an overhead bin and hold the whole kit.

Here's one of the videos we churned out...I'd be curious if any of you guys can pick out which shots came from my FS7 and which came from my partner's FS5. I know which ones are which and I can't see much of a difference.

https://youtu.be/B-3_Sqw7ujM?list=PLz3mp9xI08Fl_UhGyHRF6sP4JXc6YbmWj
 
The video Icarusfilm posted from "old_fast_glass" on vimeo was very very nice looking. That's one of my favorite ways to shoot, slog3, burned in LC709a (for shoots where I'm not grading, or even editing). And I really don't mind crop mode on the fs7, it's a welcome feature for the 1080p world in my mind.

I really like the idea of a s16 zoom for the "eng type" jobs that come up, and s35 primes or shorter zooms, I.E., 18-55/50-135 for the 4k days.

I have a 24/35/50/85 set of rokinon primes for interviews, I think the s16 zoom, and two e mount fuji MK's could be a real real great combo. Would really cover all the shooting I do that doesn't involve renting lenses for high end projects.

Thanks for sharing, Icarusfilm. I love learning about these old s16 lenses I don't know much about.

Recently there was an 11-120 for sale in the classifieds that had me excited for many of the same reasons, but without having seen test footage on a modern camera (or specifically, the fs7 since I own that) I was a bit unsure - and of course it got sold QUICK.
 
the canon 8-64mm t2.4 is probably one of the finest super 16 Zooms out there its super sharp its 2.4 through the range and Im seeing it used at around 5K US.
I can't imagine it lacking anything for standard 1080 Jobs.
 
I sort of gave up looking for S16 lenses shortly after fw 3.0 here in the states - cause I simply didn't see many decent ones out there available (at least here in US)....
This thread now will push me to start looking again.
 
icarusfilm said:
the canon 8-64mm t2.4 is probably one of the finest super 16 Zooms out there its super sharp its 2.4 through the range and Im seeing it used at around 5K US.
I can't imagine it lacking anything for standard 1080 Jobs.
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Im loving the look of that canon zoom. (so thanks Icurus)

It would seem to me that it will cost about the same as the Sony Lens.

So what would the fine folk here buy? Which do you think I could rent more?

Sony 18-110
-AF- IS, auto correction
-emount only
-'4k'

Canon 8-64
Just lens wonderful po_rn. One feels one would love this lens for a career, whereas the sony one would survive it.
Canon Sony Panasonic Arri, BMC crop modes.
'hd' (as most of the cameras are HD in their window modes)

I wonder what it would cover with a PL doubler..? 16-112 T5, actually the lens that IMO the Fuji should have been. (Given the size/mass/cost considerations)
 
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Anyone heard of the slightly cheapers Canon 21x7.8 EC

(edit Im seeing this listed as 2/3 and 16 - I guess it is 2/3)
 
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I've lusted for a 8-64mm for a several years, but the better ones seen to hover in the $5K to $7K price range, & are gaining value. With any older zooms I'd want to have it throughly inspected, which makes finding a eBay bargain a bit tricky.

Perhaps icarusfilm's approach of using the Fujinon 18-55mm in both S35, & S16, would better suit most users needs. Wouldn't be as wide, or have quite the reach, & require menu dives to switch formats, but the lens also weighs less than half as much as the 8-64mm.
 
The performance of center crop depends wholly on the resolving power of the lens and the Fuji is definitely super sharp. I just shot with it over the weekend and it holds up perfectly in crop.
 
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