The Perfect Camera 1.0

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jcs

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The Perfect Camera 1.0 / Competent Camera 1.0
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What makes a perfect (fully competent) camera?

Competent:

  • Color Science / Skin Tones
  • Dynamic Range (Log Support)
  • Autofocus
  • Audio Quality
  • Stable Shots
  • Light Enough for One Hand

In 2019, this is what it takes (IMO) to get a Competent Camera (about 7.5lbs).
This $32 gem made using that excellent and very lightweight mic possible: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07J5QT23H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01 + these very lightweight batteries (+ high mAh): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079G37Y61/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01 (needed to do a simple mod to make removing the batteries easier).

Parts list:

  • Camera: Canon EOS R (A7 III for improved detail (6K => 4K sensor))
  • Lens: Canon RF 24-105 or 16-35 F2.8 II (+ EF => RF adaptor), similar lenses for Sony E-Mount
  • Gimbal: Crane 2 with Samsung 30Q 15A 3000mAh button top batteries (50% more runtime over stock's 18hr rating): easy to use, good bang for buck and high payload (can also fly the 1DX II with Crane Arm Upgrade)
  • Variable ND: Tiffen 77mm
  • Good mic that can handle some wind: Schoeps CMIT5U + Rode WS6 + Mic Holder
  • Bonus: servo controller for zoom lens control (included with Crane 2)

Someday we'll have cameras with all this built in, producing even better quality in a much smaller, lighter package. Until then, this will do. Will post footage shortly of first time using this rig, including running while tracking a roller blader. So nice to finally get ultra clean audio (that's super directional and wind noise tolerant) without being limited to a wireless lav.

In other news, I'm a bit surprised I seem to have matched Canon Log's DR with a custom picture style on the EOS R. I like the look of Canon Log, however auto ISO is disabled in Canon Log mode. Started modifying Filmic Skin to match Canon Log, and after a few iterations, found this new custom setting has about the same DR as Canon Log: didn't think that was possible. I've also made peak white a bit more film like. Will post examples when I have time (also need to see how this works on the 1DX II & 80D and if it will help with matching all 3 cameras).
 
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JPNola said:
"Light Enough for One Hand"

That's so..."millennial". :)
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Have you shot running forwards, backwards, sideways, any direction you wish with a one-handed camera rig of any kind? It's pretty frickin' awesome to get stable footage and liberating too!
 
The perfect camera in what scenarios though? There is no perfect one size fits all camera because there are so many different scenarios you’ll be faced with in the TV/Film business. A single handed gimbal with small mirror less camera is a great tool to have in my kit, but I use it about 5% of the time for what I do.
 
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At this point, shotgun mics are the weak link when it comes to size.

Cameras have gotten smaller than traditional EVF’s.
 
I really like the size of the Rode M5 ... a bit easier to wield than the NTG 3 ... although I love the clarity of both.
 
jcs said:
Someday we'll have cameras with all this built in, producing even better quality in a much smaller, lighter package...
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And they'll be called smartphones.

Heyoooo.

Seriously -- IBIS, AF, preamps, magnetic rather than electronic gimbals, 8K reframed down to 6K to eliminate the camera shake, motion control by a head movement, higher frame rates/global shutter to eliminate jitter, dual sensor readout for higher DR. Some of those things already exist on the high end cameras. It's when they'll make it down to the lower end devices ... to shoot footage can be watched on smartphones. In 720P.
 
No offense, but in my opinion this physical form factor is the definition of the WORST camera design. There are different ways people use cameras and I just hate this. It's exactly the style of photography I loathe. I'm glad you have a form factor that would ideally work for you, but don't assume that this would hold true for others.
 
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Mitch Gross said:
No offense, but in my opinion this physical form factor is the definition of the WORST camera design. There are different ways people use cameras and I just hate this. It's exactly the style of photography I loathe. I'm glad you have a form factor that would ideally work for you, but don't assume that this would hold true for others.
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Yes. The continual pushing of the “little cameras” and “no heavy tripods” ideals onto working professionals that have been doing this for decades and know exactly what they want and need is getting a little tiresome, especially when they tell you it’s not “tiny cameras on gimbals” that they want. If that works for you and that’s what you want, that’s great. Are there times that I wish my F55 w/17-120 was lighter? Yes. But on the flip, 9/10 times when I’m using a little camera, I wish it was a big camera.
 
@Newsguy- it's perfect in the sense that it's competent in:

  • Color Science / Skin Tones
  • Dynamic Range (Log Support)
  • Autofocus
  • Audio Quality
  • Stable Shots
  • Light Enough for One Hand

Currently only Canon and Sony have competent autofocus. Canon's still got the best skin tones, however I could work with Sony, Fuji, and Panasonic with a bit of post work. I modify Canon's colors to get them closer to ARRI (still the best skin tones IMO, however I think Sony's F35, F65, and VENICE are right up there and would love to see that color quality in the A7S III). Sony's got the best sensors, by far, and it shows in low light and DR. Sony's IBIS apparently can't really ever be decent due to the tiny E-mount design.

Panasonic's S1 has decent IBIS but they removed the flippy screen and autofocus is worse than the GH5? Plus a new lens mount for yet another lens ecosystem to buy into? Guess it doesn't matter long term as these big & heavy lenses will be obsolete as computational camera systems evolve.

If Leica had decent AF & IBIS, I'd be open to paying those premium prices since their lenses are awesome.

@mcgeedigital the flippy screen works great and doesn't hit anything, however the ridiculous mic adapter does hit the gimbal. The screen isn't bright enough in daylight.

@James0b57, @docmoore, the Schoeps MiniCMIT sounds the same as the 5U and is about the size of the CMC641 (which could also be used). I'd really like to use my AT BP4029 mid-side mic as it works great for POV 3D-ish stereo. However I'd need a two-channel preamp which could be mounted to the handle. There's so much in audio that can be improved, including using a tiny tetrahedral mic array (ambisonics) with in-camera processing to provide any desired mic pattern as well as 3D ambisonic for POV shots. More advanced mic arrays can provide much better audio quality than the ancient shotguns, supers, hypers, etc. that we're still using, and these mic systems can be tiny too!

@DLD- it's not really about the phones per se, it's just that that's where the money is, and thus that's why we're seeing so much innovation in that space.

@Mitch Gross- did you see Kasey's S1 review on YouTube? Comic relief lol, though curious what's the real reason for the AF performance and removal of the flippy screen? Regarding the form factor in this post: it's completely absurd! All parts taken together, it forms a competent camera, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), which someday will be included in a single competent camera with no add-ons needed. "WORST" "loathe" "hate" => see a pattern here? This post is about creating a competent camera, an MVP: a starting point for iterating to better products.

Here's the EOS R + RF 24-105 OIS + EOS R digital IS (1st level), 100% handheld, built in mics, cheap VND; it's almost competent:

First time using the Crane 2 + EOS R:

Nothing too fancy, though pretty neat being able to get tripod-stable shots handheld! Have some fun roller blade footage to edit & post in the near future.
 
Run&Gun said:
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Yes. The continual pushing of the “little cameras” and “no heavy tripods” ideals onto working professionals that have been doing this for decades and know exactly what they want and need is getting a little tiresome, especially when they tell you it’s not “tiny cameras on gimbals” that they want. If that works for you and that’s what you want, that’s great. Are there times that I wish my F55 w/17-120 was lighter? Yes. But on the flip, 9/10 times when I’m using a little camera, I wish it was a big camera.
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What's it take to rig up the F55 with 17-120 to be competent per this list:

  • Color Science / Skin Tones
  • Dynamic Range (Log Support)
  • Autofocus
  • Audio Quality
  • Stable Shots
  • Light Enough for One Hand

Not possible and you don't really care, since it works for your needs, right? That's your opinion and these are mine, with different points of view. DLD & I (+perhaps NorBro) are letting everyone know what's coming, and how the market is changing. DLD clearly is doing a lot of research and supporting assertions with facts. I come from the creative tech world, where we've built software & hardware imaging systems for many years, as well as simulators, robotics, and AI. Creating content and developing new technology is fun, and that's why we keep pushing the envelope. If I worked as a pro camera operator, I'd use ARRI cameras, Cooke & Leica lenses, and eagerly await smaller, lighter, AI & robotic-enhanced gear. Anyone in F1 complaining about wanting a manual clutch (OK it's more fun lol)?

We're letting everyone know what's coming: small, light, automated / robotics. If one is offended / angry, ask yourself why? No one is telling you what gear to buy or how to do your job, however the trend is clear, and probably in one's best interest to be aware of trends when investing/selling gear.

What's the number one rental for high end cameras- ARRI full size or the Minis?
 
The perfect camera for you, maybe, but not for jobbing professionals who need things like timecode sync, SDI out, XLR in, 10 bit codecs, multiple frame rates, synchro-scan, global shutter, good ergonomics, dual recording, dual ISO, built-in ND and accessible controls in a camera built to withstand extremes.
 
8K screens and cameras are all over trade shows now, and starting to be available on cellphones.

8K looks fantastic!

Some of the details get tricky, and creates a visual distraction or illusion, but alot of it looks really natural. It does demand more of the camera, as flaws like unnatural clipping in the highlights slip into the uncanny valley quicker than in HD.
 
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Liam Hall said:
The perfect camera for you, maybe, but not for jobbing professionals who need things like timecode sync, SDI out, XLR in, 10 bit codecs, multiple frame rates, synchro-scan, global shutter, good ergonomics, dual recording, dual ISO, built-in ND and accessible controls in a camera built to withstand extremes.
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But none of the above require a 20 lb weight, something that ARRI realized when they began to lose market share to Red and its 5 lb units. And so they came out with Alexa Mini. And then Alexa Mini LF. Canon's Cinema EOS 100-200-300-500 line is a mix between the photo - size and layout - and cinema and C300 dominated the doco/reality niche for several years. And now the photo-layout looking BMD Pocket6K is flying off the shelves to an overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception.

As to styles, James Cameron and his Tethered Sensor Block Sony Venice was covered in a different thread. So, let's turn to Mike Figgis, the designer of the Fig Rig.

This was from the Guardian online chat from a couple of years ago.

": Do you still use your Fig Rig?

Mike Figgis, 19 June 2017 1:17pm: Good question. I use it all the time. And have spent the last two months redesigning and updating it, based on using a 15-mm bar system, combining it with bits of equipment acquired cheaply from the internet. And it has been a revelation.

I’m using it with a Canon C300 and the new Nikon D5, adding follow focus and a 7-inch monitor and it is working beautifully.
I’m talking to Manfrotto about relaunching it and if not them, would love to find a small British company and stay local."
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https://creativityinnovationsuccess...egendary-innovative-fig-rig-video-camera-rig/
 
I'm genuinely curious for those who prefer this type of camera / set up as the "perfect" camera... do you not need a proper viewfinder because you are that confident in the AF and can judge exposure, etc on those tiny flip out screens - even when shooting log?
 
jcs said:
What's the number one rental for high end cameras- ARRI full size or the Minis?
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Have you seen what an Alexa Mini looks like when it goes out on an average rental? You can't even see the camera because it's covered in accessory items.
 
@Liam Hall- the Competent Camera list is about good enough stable in-focus footage with good audio. I had much of those features you listed on the C300 II. In the end it was too big & heavy for one-handed operation (and that's super creative & liberating- try it!). I also built a shoulder rig with a big heavy battery etc. for the C300 II- sure it was more stable however not stable enough and this Competent Camera set up produces far superior results, with one hand.

@James0b57- would be cool if the A7S III has 8K and 10-bit => full res HDR for Sony's (and Samsung, LG etc.) latest 8K HDR TVs. The EOS R can do 10-bit log externally; the 4K is somewhat soft (and cropped), however AF makes up for a lot. X-T3 & S1 have great ~6K => 4K 10-bit with ball-dropping AF. A7 III has great 6K => 4K and great AF but no 10-bit. Starts to become clear why the A7S III is 'delayed' lol: looks like a kind of 'game' is being played with the market.

@markfpv I check exposure using the histogram and from experience round-tripping footage and viewing the screen (in log mode with the assist LUT turned OFF). The challenge is typically keeping blue sky blue (vs. white) when shooting outdoors (while maintaining shadow detail / least noise). For one-handed / running shooting, an HMD and wireless trigger-style FF for the other hand would be a useful option (for both wireless zoom and manual focus). The Venice Beach video in this thread was shot using the EOS R's viewfinder pressed against the eye/face- 3 point contact and works pretty well. To really nail manual focus, especially for moving subjects in 4K, I prefer a really big viewfinder (as with putting one against the back of the camera and using the LCD as the display). I've tried out the higher end VFs (e.g. on the Canon C700 FF)- prefer a wider FOV to see detail.

AI + AF tech can provide better manual focus too; when it comes to the high-end pro market (ARRI level), everyone will ask what took so long (it's been possible for many years now- classic market sand-bagging).

@Mitch Gross- yes, and the same is true for fully rigged Reds, BMs, DSLRs, and even phones (https://www.dpreview.com/news/88177...e-entirely-on-the-iphone-and-he-s-impressed):
shotoniphonefeat.jpg


Smaller gear = more flexible = more useful to rig up or down as needed.
 
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