Feli di Giorgio

Old thread, but just for the record I purchased an F3L back when they came out. The way I remember it is that the F3L included the sLOG 444 upgrade. With the stock F3 the 444 sLOG upgrade was optional and cost extra.

Looks like all three of my SDI cables were broken. Picked up some new ones and all is well... awkward..

I fired up the F3 today with the Odyssey 7Q+ and am seeing some very odd focus peaking behavior. I snapped a picture below. I'm seeing two problems. The peaking is being cut off and only working on part of the frame. It looks a little like the peaking information is vertically out of sync and wrapping itself vertically around the display. Sometimes the peaking works across the frame, but regardless when I pan or tilt I get focus peaking makers 'bunching up' along the bottom of the frame, again like they are wrapping around vertically from the top of the frame. I tried several SDI cables and ran ithe F3 with one and two connections (1.5G / 3G) and get the same results. The built in focus peeking on the small F3 screen or in the viewfinder doesn't not exhibit this problem. I fed the SDI-A output into my Flanders and the peaking built into the monitor did not have this problem. ​I did a reset on the F3 and reinstalled the firmware on the Odyssey. Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be a big in the odyssey firmware? The F3 appears to be working fine. Thanks in advance Feli di Giorgio www.felidigiorgio.com F3: 23.98 3G RGB444 S-LOG (I have the paid slog upgrade) Two SDI cables to Qdyssey 7Q+ Odyssey 7Q+: CAMERA: Sony Monitor-Record: HD 444 Prores Codec: Prores 444 / Prores 444XQ Project rate: Follows input Video Cadence: Progressive / PSF Timecode source : SDI

Just keep it simple. The Pocket is nice, because the RAW / Prores capture emulates the 'real' workflow of professional cameras at a fraction of the cost. Just keep in mind that a Pocket needs things like extra batteries, maybe a small cage etc to actually be functional. And to process RAW you'll need a computer that can handle Resolve. But the simplest solution to getting your feet wet is a DSLR or mirrorless. There have to be a ton of used GH4 out there by now. One advantage to using a DSLR with an APS-C sensor is that it is essentially s35, so you're already getting used to the most prominent professional format. Just don't make the mistake that many of us made staring out and feel that you need to shoot a pro format right from the beginning. Practice makes perfect and you just want something simple that you can shoot a ton of footage with and learn. Learning how to block a scene is really important and that comes with shooting tons of scenes and cutting them together.

Is the D-21 CCD or CMOS? I want to say CCD... thx

Yep, she needs at least +90w. Anton Bauer is the obvious choice, but there are a lot of new batteries out there like the HyoerCORE. I saw them on set two weeks ago, but didn't' get a chance to ask how they liked them. AB are more expensive, but I'll probably go with them again, because that's what most rental houses have and it's easy to just rent more batteries, if you already have the charger...

I'm pretty sure the Arri rep said that most s35 glass from 35mm up will cover the UHD window on the LF. If it was 20mm and longer almost nobody would be complaining, except that UHD still doesn't meet 4k DCI requirements.

I think the vast majority of DoP are perfectly fine with the current resolution of the Alexa. If anything there are a lot of people out there that feel that too much resolution is a bad thing. We shoot people, not test charts and most people don't look very good at 6k, when you can see every pimple and blemish on a 40ft wide screen. The problem are the beancounters, lawyers and 'spec sheet jockeys' at companies like Amazon, Netflix etc who are writing the checks that pay your mortgage and are demanding 4k. In all likelihood Netflix and Amazon are demanding 4k, because they don't want to get sued by someone, because they are advertising 4k streaming and the Alexa isn't true 4k. Oh, and by the way Netflix charges more for a 4k subscription, so you better believe they are going to cover their tail legally. Obviously you can shoot on a Varicam, Sony or RED and satisfy their resolution obsession, but if you want to shoot on an Alexa things get more complicated, because your only options are going to be the LF (which didn't exists until a few days ago) and the very expensive Alexa 65. It gets even more complicated if you want to own a 4k capable Alexa and in addition to the $90k for the LF have to pony up a considerable amount of money for a new set of glass. PS: You can put me in the 'Better pixels, not more pixels' camp. I have an Alexa EV and am perfectly happy with it. But unfortunately I don't dictate what clients are demanding.

I'm in need of some new on board batteries for an Alexa EV (85w). There are lot of new options the market and am curious what people are using these days. I'm thinking 90-99w for travel and +150w for local shooting. thanks

Now that's an impressive light... thanks

I sold a bunch of gear and picked up an EV aka Classic. A few notes Minuses: - It's heavy. 17 lbs, Almost 20 lbs just with the EVF. - With a prime, 15mm rods, baseplate, follow focus, matte box, battery and Odyssey you are headed for 30-40 lbs, plus the head and sticks. - It sucks down batteries (85w). - You need heavy duty cinema grade support gear like a heavy duty head and sticks. - External RAW recorder to get the most out of the camera (Odyssey 7Q+ with ArriRAW license) - No internal ND. Arri sells the IFM-1 (Internal filter module), but its about $2000 for the hardware and 3 x ND / 1 x clear. You need really high quality ND that won't shift color etc. and they aren't cheap. - The Alexa is bullet proof, but repair costs are astronomical. Plus: Still the gold standard for IQ. The first time you point it at a window and see that film like roll off in the highlights you'll be spoiled for all other cameras. I was lucky to have things like a heavy duty tripod and head from my film days, but if you are starting from scratch you really need to make a list and see how it all fits in your budget.

I'm a little perplexed by the LF. I really was expecting a true 4k s35 Alexa at some point. The LF UHD resolution window can't be covered by most s35 glass. Even Arri's own Master / Ultra primes can only cover it from 35mm onward. How are you supposed to shoot a movie or TV show without wides? What about people who have a lot of money invested in their own glass? What of you need to shoot 4k and want to use vintage glass like Pancros, Super Speeds, Super Baltars etc? Apparently UHD (3840) is not acceptable to Netflix either. According to their website they demand 4k DCI aka 4096. So, unless you shoot the LF in full frame you're not going to meet their delivery spec. Full Frame has its own quirks. Not everyone is fond of the super shallow DOF. Most s35 movies are shot around T2.8-5.6 and to achieve the equivalent DOF in FF you're going to have to stop down and that means you'll need a lot more light ($$$). Most of the FF glass is modern and maybe not what you really want for your show. From what I have read the Signature Primes aren't even all available. It's weird but, I kind of see Arri's logic here. Because all Alexa essentially use the same sensor you always end up with he exact same picture, if you shoot with a Mini, SXT, LF or A65. The only thing that really changes is the resolution. In theory that is great, if it wasn't for companies like Amazon and Netflix demanding 4k. Apparently Arri learned that a lot of people were shooting the A65 with a 4k window to meet 4k delivery spec, but dodge the massive data footprint of 6k ArriRAW. Supposedly the LF sensor is equivalent to the 4k window on the A65. But that still doesn't solve that problem that Arri doesn't have a 4k s35 camera. It's been about 8 years since the ALEV sensor in the Alexa saw the light of day and the world has made a lot of strides in that time in sensor technology. I find it hard to believe that Arri can't design a 4k dual gain architecture sensor that yields performance as good or better than nearly 10 year old technology. But maybe that's it. Maybe Arri is waiting for the 10 year mark to retire the current sensor and replace it with something new? Personally I'm not into the resolution arms race. I'm a firm believer in 'Better pixels, not more pixels'. I have an old Alexa EV and am perfectly happy with it. But the reality is that companies like Netflix are demanding 4k and you're not going to get past that.

I think Arri spoke to a lot of DoP and what they came away with was that people wanted a digital incarnation of Kodak Vision. There are many tests out there with Alexa shot side by side with Vision and they are extremely close. Of all the digital cameras the Alexa reacts to exposure the most like film. Just look at what happens when you overexpose it. The Alexa fails 'gracefully', like film does. In the 1990's and early 2000's Arri had already done an enormous amount of research into digitally quantifying film with the Arri laser film scanner and laser film recorder. I would eat my hat if a lot of that R&D didn't end up in the Alexa color science. Here is an article about Alexa color and saturation. http://www.dvinfo.net/article/production/camgear/what-alexa-and-watercolors-have-in-common.html

Can you elaborate on what the Wendy Light is? thx

I wonder if he overexposed a touch and then printed it down. Or those keys could just be very hard with no diffusion.

5296. I remember working on a movie in the mid 90's trying to pull green screens shot on that stock and it had grain the size of golfballs... I have some vintage low cons and Harrison&Harrison fog filters buried in a box somewhere. I'm going to have to dig those out and do a little experimenting to see how that works on digital. I always loved the glow around lights in Terminator.

Thank you, David. I appreciate all the information.

Or push s16...

Super Speeds makes a lot of sense and feels about right. I want to say that a long time ago I saw a picture of what may have been a BL-3 on set. Is there anything more you information you can add about the low contrast filter? Would this have been a very weak fog filter by someone like Tiffen or Harrison&Harrison? Adam Greenberg really outdid himself on this film. It's hands down one of the best color noir out there in my opinion. It feels very raw and gritty, which is something you don't see a lot of these days. Love the grain. The lighting is so straight forward and doesn't look 'over-polished' I watched the Blu Ray recently. Some scenes that I remember being more 'Cameron blue' are a little greener than I recall them being, but aside from that it looks really great. thx

Thank you, David. Would you care to hedge a bet on lenses? Maybe Super Speeds mk III or even Super Baltars? Could have also been older Primo... thx

Does anyone know what lenses and film stock were used on the original Terminator (1984) shot by Adam Greenberg? I have heard that Adam Greenberg may have used low contrast filters on the shoot. There is an article in American Cinematographer 1984 vol 66, No 4 April, but I don't have access to issues going back that far. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here's an interesting article http://www.newsshooter.com/2017/06/23/sekonic-l-858d-u-speedmaster-review/

Yeah, the travel restrictions are part of the equation. I was looking at a sharkfin and two 90's instead of individual 150w/190w blocks. Core makes the HyperCore Prime 190w that splits in half giving you two 95w batteries that you can fly with.

I'm moving from Sony to an Alexa EV and have a question about batteries. The camera draws 85w and I wanted to see what batteries people are using. 90w seems a little too close to the 85w requirement, so 150w seems a lot safer. Is anyone running the EV on 95-98w batteries or is everyone just going for 150w or larger? Any feedback would be appreciated. thanks

My first camera was a Mitchell NC-R. (no, I am not that old). Silent, 35mm, spinning mirror reflex with BNCR mount and a Cinema Products crystal sync motor. Sitting on an OConnor 100 head the whole contraption comes in at around 100 lbs. Believe it or not this camera was rescued by someone from the dumpster at a studio and I was able to purchase it at a bargain price. Next I bought an Arri IIc in BNCR mount. 35mm, MOS, reflex viewfinder. Nice and compact. This is one of my all time favorite cameras. (Back then my dream camera was the Arri BL-3 or 4) After a long break I went digital with a Sony F3 and the full sLOG upgrade. She's a few years old now, but ACES gave it a new lease on life. Along with the F35 I think the F3 is one of the HD camera out there. I still have all three cameras.