Mark Kenfield

For cheaper, more modern T/1.5 glass, the Sigma Cine Primes and Tokina Vista Primes are your main options. Both are excellent performers optically. If shooting by real candle light is the plan though, I'd suggest opting for some newer sensor tech than the Alexa. The Panasonic Varicam and Varicam LT have a dual-ISO mode, and can do 5000 ISO with a normal spread of latitude. The Sony Venice also has a dual ISO mode, with a normal spread of latitude at 2500 ISO (but it remains extremely clean up to 5000 ISO as well). With those cameras you could use the Superspeeds stopped down a bit (to avoid optical issues, or have a more usable depth of field), or you could pair them with slower, cheaper lenses if needed. For squeezing as much exposure as possible from a practical source like candles, the dual-ISO cameras offer a capacity that simple hasn't existed before.

Yeah, I'm very intrigued by what shifting the load to the hips will do to the movement. It's the one thing that's holding me back from ordering one just yet. I touched base with Jesse (the cam op who's created it) as soon as I saw the coverage of it at NAB, asking if he had any sample footage from it comparing the movement both with it and without it. But (unsurprisingly) they've been swamped with orders, so it's not something they really have time for at the moment. Jesse said he'd used versions of it on Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, American Horror Story, Pose, The Assassination of Giani Versace, Futureman, The Disaster Artist, Foo Fighters: Run, and Feud. I've seen two of those (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile and The Disaster Artist), and I certainly didn't notice anything strange or unexpected in the handheld work on either of them. So I suspect anything it does introduce into the movement is pretty minimal (certainly compared to the pendulum issues you have when walking with an EZ rig). But I'll probably hold off until I can actually see it in action.

I'd never attempt a full day's shoot with the Alexa without a minimum of 5 batteries of around 150wh each (and then, only if I knew I'd be able to recharge them during the day). The Arri chews through power in order to give the high performance that it does.

EZ rigs are amazing when you're standing still, but problematic if you need to move around. I'm very interested in the new "Ergo Rig" for that reason (I still can't quite believe it took until 2019 for such a camera support concept to appear). For me, handheld works best when there's a reason for it. When you want to take the audience and unsettle them in a particular moment or scene. For that very reason, I don't think it pays to overuse it.

And here are some screengrabs from a few things I've shot with it, to show what it can do:

Selling my lovely, maxed-out Sony F3. You won’t find a better version of this camera anywhere - this unit has both the RGB 4:4:4 upgrade (for 10-bit 4:4:4 uncompressed output) and Element Technica’s amazing body armour modification, which strips away all of the handycam-style nonsense of the original F3, and turns the camera into an incredibly solid and genuinely production-friendly machine. They called this thing the “Baby Alexa” for a reason, with full 4:4:4 colour subsampling, huge dynamic range, and incredible low-light performance (due to its massive photosites), when you pair it with an external recorder, you get fantastic images in 1080p up to 60fps. I’ve been using it as a B-camera to my Alexa for the last few years, and it’s kinda remarkable how well the image from the Sony keeps up. It’s been very well looked after and is in great condition, with a low 677 hours on the body. The baseplate also includes a rear 15mm LWS rod clamp (not pictured) for mounting a v-lock plate or other accessories. It has a great set of built-in pre-amps, so for documentary interviews, or corporate shoots where you need to run sound into the camera as well, it really works a treat. So if you’re after a cheap, but powerful S35mm camera, with the reliability that Sony’s Cinealta cameras always deliver, and don’t want to deal with the mess and complexity of the mirrorless cameras, this might be of interest to you. Looking for $3,200 AUD (ex. GST) / $2,400 USD Located in Melbourne, Australia, but happy to ship worldwide.

For me, when I have a stills camera on set, it's generally all of those things rolled into one. It becomes a viewfinder, BTS camera, and documents lighting setups.

If it’s close to the subject it’ll play, or if it’s a dark day out. But that’s about it. Even a 4k HMI is middlingly useful during the daytime. Generally I’d rather have good mirror boards and reflectors handy.

I’ve found it both excellent and terrifying. Very well done.

Congrats Uli! Just watched it, absolutely gorgeous! (with a lovely twist and soundtrack too) I feel like most of the 35mm features I've seen in cinemas recently have felt almost indistinguishable from the digital ones. But you really "feel" the analog in this piece. And it feels wonderfully appropriate. Did you do anything in particular with the processing, or rating of the stock?

Just steer yourself towards the "Activity" tab Greg. All of the new content is listed there.

Interesting. I can't say that method makes an awful lot of sense to me. I've always understood and expressed ratios in stops. So at a 2:1 ratio, the key would be 1 stop higher than the fill. At 4:1 it would be 3 stops higher etc. etc.

It depends entirely on the nature of the shoot. For sitcoms (like Seinfeld) that were recorded on-stage, in front of studio audiences, on multiple cameras. There was really no way to have any units on the floor. So an overhead grid was essential.

How much accessory gack do you expect to be adding to the camera? (wireless video, sync box etc.) The Amira is probably the simplest and easiest to work with overall, with 2, 4 and 7 stop internal NDs. The FS7 MkII is very light and very capable. But you really want to add a proper EVF to it, and (like with the Arri Mini) most of the rigs people put onto it, end up making the whole thing WAY heavier than it needs to be. It's also got the general Sony complexity of menus and ergonomics, that slow you down a bit when you need to change settings on the run. I haven't had a chance to bring one out on a shoot yet, but I think the Sony Venice (if you kept it in it's most stripped down form - with XAVC internal recording) might actually be one of the most appealing docu options at the moment. With the Venice, the weight is on par with the Amira (3.9kg for the body), you get a 5-second boot time (a big deal when you're running around) 1-8 stops of internal ND (so no need to fuss around with external NDs), you can very quickly adjust your ISO, WB, framerate and shutter angle, and it's got possibly the nicest EVF on the market. Also, because it has an E-mount (as well as PL), you have the option of opting for the featherweight Fuji MK zooms (18-55mm and 50-135mm T/2.9. Which would keep the overall weight down to a really nice level. If it'd fit within the show's budget, I reckon it's worth a serious look.

I don’t know. Ultimately, it’s a job title, not an honourific. You don’t need a degree to earn the title, you don’t have to pass any exams. So if you’re doing the job, even if it’s just with a small crew, on a small production - you’re fulfilling that role, and should be credited as such. I don’t really see that there’s much of an argument that can be levelled against that. Now, obviously if you’re one-man-banding it, or not working within the structure of a crew (in a conventional sense), then it’s really stretching the title too far. In which case “cinematographer”, “camera operator”, “cameraman/camerawoman”, “videographer” or whatever else, is going to be more important. But ultimately, I think the elitism that some people attach to the title of DoP, is really just fuelled by ego moreso than any actual justifiable reason. If you’re doing the job, you’re doing the job.