When all is said and done, I should have just bought a DSLR...

I had to break out the 7D today for a dimly lit restaurant scene. I didn't have glass fast enough for the AF100 to expose properly without getting noisy. We couldn't use more than a single bounce light because the client did not want full lighting during the sunday brunch crowd. They are indeed just tools, and it pays to have the right tool for the job. We had a Canon XL H1s, AF100, Go Pro HD, and the 7D, and they all were used for different purposes. Until I get some F.95 glass in my bag, the 7D will always tag along.
 
OP Here:

I will keep the AF100 since I doubt the resale value is high and I do think it's logical to go Nikon D800 since I own a DP6 and that has HDMI in, correct?

Thanks,

Ned
 
mcgeedigital said:
While i love the hell out of my pix240 and sounddevices constant updates, the monitor lacks the resolution of say, the tvlogic 5.6"
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No doubt, and if you want high-quality monitoring you're going to need a high-quality monitor/EVF. However for the video options and sound recording abilities it adds to something like the D800/D600, I think the PIX recorders are pretty hard to pass up at the moment.
 
keylight said:
Never had a client demand a certain camera before. But if a client (or prospective client) came to me and offered me a job providing I shoot using a specific DSRL that I don't have, I'll offer something better. If they say they must have it on the specific DSLR, I'll go rent it with the lenses I'll need and build it into the cost.

On the day of the shoot I'll bring both, and give them a choice - this DSLR (sitting without a cage, rails, matte box) or the gear I normally use (primarily an ENG camera).

Somehow I doubt they'll still want me to use the DSLR, but it'll be there if they do.

Of course, I'm thinking about gearing up with a GH3, cage, rails, matte box..... But that's not because anyone has asked for this stuff.
Click to expand...

A typical call I'll get from a broadcast network kinda goes like this:

"Hey, we need a xxxbrand camera owner operator for $XXX for a ten hour day" to which I can reply, "I don't own that camera but call so-and-so as he's a talented cameraman with that camera", or, "Yes, I own that camera and can work for that rate".

The client has an infrastructure they work with and usually an insanely short turn around. Any attempt I make to change their workflow is wasted effort. They don't want to hear it. Renting a camera I don't own for this particular type of client (Discovery/A&E/NatGeo/etc) is possible, but it doesn't come out of their budget, it comes out of mine.

The idea of showing up with multiple cameras would not sit well with this client. When we arrive on set, we hit the ground running, there's no time to discuss anything accept what's on the shot list.

Just my .02¢
 
Just wrapped a shoot with the 5D MKIII. It was a small shoot in a recording studio. They gave us the smallest space they had, literally 8'x8', so based solely on square footage this shoot had DSLR written all over it. To top it off this was a TWO camera shoot with available light.

A camera was set up to iso 1250 with a 28mm Canon EF F/1.8, wide open.
B camera was set up to iso 1600 with an L series 70-200 IS F/2.8 also wide open.

In looking a the images on my 24" Dell via Premiere Pro CS6, I can see practically zero noise. @iso 1600, if I pixel peep I can detect the tiniest array of mosquito noise in the blacks but I'm really hunting.
This is my first time using the MKIII professionally, and I have to admit, I'm impressed. I do wish there was a little more head room allocated to the dynamic range. Once the image clips, it's gone. The canon seems to roll off nicely, I just wish I could get another stop out of it.

BTW, both cameras set to typical Nuetral Flat settings (0, -4, -2, 0)

Here's the iso 1600 example:

5DMKIII iso 1600.jpg
 
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Winding up this thread and I agree with Bill immediately above. Here's a notice I got this AM from Production Hub's job alert:


Greetings,

The ProductionHUB Request Engine has received this active production request:

SUBJECT:
A 5D or 7D shooter who can also do separate audio in Chicago area for 1-day doc-style shoot.

LOCATION:
Chicago, Illinois

DATE NEEDED:
Wednesday, January 23, 2013

To find out more, visit:

http://www.productionhub.com/request.aspx?rid=c2ccc4d4-5ce8-467d-b6da-09ac05e1e652&pid=46393

*** This is an automated message. Replies to this email address are not read. ***

I thought DSLR would die by now but it is chugging more than ever. Why buy something more expensive?
 
I thought DSLR would die by now but it is chugging more than ever. Why buy something more expensive?
Click to expand...

Because there are another set of clients that demand a higher end product from a higher end camera for a different end purpose.
 
nedcam said:
Winding up this thread and I agree with Bill immediately above. Here's a notice I got this AM from Production Hub's job alert:



SUBJECT:
A 5D or 7D shooter who can also do separate audio in Chicago area for 1-day doc-style shoot.
Click to expand...

Its such a shame, this is exactly an ignorant client who would be so much better served by a Fs/C100/AF100

While the client may be ignorant, they might have some money

S
 
morgan_moore said:
Its such a shame, this is exactly an ignorant client who would be so much better served by a Fs/C100/AF100

While the client may be ignorant, they might have some money

S
Click to expand...

It could also be a client who thinks it'll be cheaper to go this way. Rather than come out and say they have a small budget, they could be trying to skirt the issue by asking for a DSLR.

Too many buyers of video production services associate the cost of production with the equipment they see being used. Cheaper equipment must mean cheaper production costs.

Truth is, they're paying for the experience of the people operating the equipment. Equipment gets amortized over a long period of time and the more work you do, the cheaper the equipment costs per job. Labor costs go in the opposite direction. The more work you do, the better you become, the more you can charge.
 
Indeed.

The trouble is there is a bit of a cycle - those people generally a little more skilled - quickly dropped DSLR because of sound etc

Now they are odd bods having jobs 'stolen' from them by those less skilled who still feel a DSLR is a tool

That shoot - rng with a DSLr and dual sound,

hopefully the client will advertise next time:

"A large chip shooter who can also do audio in Chicago area for 1-day doc-style shoot - no DSLRs"

S
 
Gary Huff said:
I see these every few months or so here in the Austin market. I have a Canon DSLR, a P2 camera, and now the C100. One for each kind of client!
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Yes, I have clients who want to shoot using DSLR's because they think it is cheaper. They get quotes from 5D shooters
and want to match it using an EPIC….LOL.
Many times they will go with a 5D shooter and complain about the audio or better yet - ask me if I can sync up the sound
and give them files!! Really LOL….. Once I give them an editing quote they realize they screwed themselves.
Of course I have a GH2 and have shot many projects using dual sound set-up.
Many clients get sucked in by a beautiful demo reel and forget to ask to see and hear a project like they want to produce.
 
You can totally get a Sescom cable to go from the Line Out of a recorder into the Mic In jack of the DSLR. I do this all the time. It actually works fine for the GH2, but the 60D is soooo noisy it still sounds like crap compared to the 24-bit 48k files from my Tascam. What's nice is that you have a decent scratch track and the waveform looks more or less identical, making it possible to sync up entirely by sight alone.
 
keylight said:
It could also be a client who thinks it'll be cheaper to go this way. Rather than come out and say they have a small budget, they could be trying to skirt the issue by asking for a DSLR.

Too many buyers of video production services associate the cost of production with the equipment they see being used. Cheaper equipment must mean cheaper production costs.

Truth is, they're paying for the experience of the people operating the equipment. Equipment gets amortized over a long period of time and the more work you do, the cheaper the equipment costs per job. Labor costs go in the opposite direction. The more work you do, the better you become, the more you can charge.
Click to expand...

Fortunately my rate remains the same. I just can't expect rent a DSLR for the same rate as my F3, or something else along those lines. With the small investment (of the DSLR) I can satisfy another market. And because it's a low investment I can turn away the lower and productions if I choose to without it hurting my bottom line.
 
It make the most sense, to me, to divide your rate into separate line items. I.e, this is my labor fee, this is my camera fee, this is my audio gear fee, this is my lighting fee, etc. That way any component can be switched out/left out per the client's wishes, and the rate will be changed in a fair manner that reflects that. In that case, yes, you would charge less for a 5D than with a RED, strictly speaking of the gear portion of the fee.
 
I have been happy with the AF100s image for 2 years (or however long since it first released). But I never really felt like I had that "DSLR" look, until I plopped the SLR Magic 12mm f1.6 on the front. You want the 5D wide/shallow look? This lens gives it to micro 4/3s in spades. A MUST BUY IMO for AF100 or GH(123) owners.

http://www.adorama.com/SLR1216MFT.html
 
Hi Reverend,

Do you have a sample I could take a look at? This may be the answer. And to several above, the clients who were requesting the DSLR look from me weren't budget conscious, they were not technical marketing agency types that sent examples that are obviously 5 or 7D.

On a big job where I knew te AF100 couldn't deliver it I hired a Scarlet Owner/Op and still didn't quite get that DSLR look. I do realize that some cheap prospects call wanting a 5D for about $300-$400 cheaper day rate.

But I am very interested in seeing some video fro this lens the Reverend mentions.
 
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