Mike Krumlauf

David, given you used the panavision model quite a lot back in the day.. did you adhere to keeping the knee off and sticking to panavisions default settings or..? :)

I was thinking of that.. if i was still living in my homeland of Chicago where i had contacts at Panavision, VER, Keslow, probably would be a good idea but im really not that familiar with the outfits in Denver here and there are very few of them. If i was still in Chicago I would just take my camera over there and have them help me.

Could you read off the names of the gammas in the menu? Maybe i can track them down online?

I still need to see it! Looks great and i've been a lifelong redford fan. even as a director.. that film Ordinary People he shot in Lake Forest, Illinois is one of my favs

Dang. Did you make them or buy them/download them somewhere?

Anyway you could share these HG Curves? All i have are the Kodak curves and the curves from digital praxis which i think were more Log like or cineon emulating?

if you want to see a good example of a show shot on film that has been remastered from the negative.. get the blu ray box set of Pee Wees Playhouse. Beautiful picture!

I will add though that with the mans budget of $100,000 i think in 2018 he is better off getting a used alexa package of somekind with a nice set of primes. Alexas are going for 10K on ebay for the bodies and he could get a seriously nice PL lens, tripod, etc... Just me but for 100K i would not invest in RED.. not a big fan of red but i admire what they did to continue the movement forward in digital cinema. I think Panavision and ARRI are the kings of cinematic tools.. aaton is up there as well but they i believe shutdown once film no longer was standard

I've heard of people shooting in used genesis' or regular F35 bodies with the Blackmagic video assist 4K or the Oddesy monitor recorder to get 4:4:4 out of it. Always wondered if there were any internal modifications to the image block in the genesis from the F35 like how they changed things in the F900 for their HD900F? I honestly think their partnership with Sony was great! I think they panavised the F55 as well?

Yeah my thoughts exactly.. I know that the gamma curves Sony made with Kodak seem to compress the highlights.. gives you more room up there but then they compressed the darks so unless you are shooting in daylight as you would with 250D stock, you are really limited to what you can do. The HD900 in panavision's default settings actually has about 10 or so stops but those highlights clip so damn fast, i know there is a happy middle ground but from professional studio level things ive seen done on the panavision model like spy kids 2 and collateral (granted collateral was shot at night) it seems like they were getting more ladditude out of the camera than what the pana settings allow? I will say that the tonal range with the pana settings are the best i have seen but the highlights just clip hard, they dont roll off like what ive seen out of the camera in older films. Maybe they were sneaky and just shot interiors with a crap load of ND on the windows or something?

The internal menu settings. I never have used auto knee. I'm just trying to figure out the reasons as to why Panavision stressed to just leave all KNEE circuits in the camera off.. im a getting a better image by leaving knee off? Ive already realized that leaving detail off is best but it just seems like the dynamic range on the panavision camera is limited as hell when no knee support is applied. you have to be very mindful of highlights.

New Question: Panavision listed in the 900F manual to keep the Knee settings off.. my question is why? Do you get more tonal information if you leave the knee off and just expose accordingly? Did most features that used the HD900F abide by panavision's suggestions?

True, but I have never been a fan of frakensteining cameras, its just not my interest.

Indeed it was shot on super16mm using the Arriflex 416 camera so, believe it :D

Completely agree with you on the ENG form factor, it truly is the best.. most modern cameras dont even compare! It's one of the reasons why I still use and own an F900.. i just love the image and the ergonomics of the camera body.

One of my dreams is to own an Arricam LT/ST at somepoint in my life. Even if it just ends up being a conversation piece in my home. One day, in the words of Wayne Cambell "it will be mine.. oh yes.. it will be mine". lol

edit: got the link to work. i have heard the AFI tape many times :)

You have your opinions and I have mine. I get work from "non friends" with my equipment. I watched for 8 months as people were shooting real jobs on older equipment that they rented. I am telling you that I agree that a lot of people want newer equipment and thats fine but im telling you that you are wrong in that people do not shooting gigs on older gear that puts money in their pocket.. ive seen it and i am apart of it. Maybe in your experience you havent seen the same and thats fine.. but I have seen different and you cant discredit it because you have not experienced the same... go over to DVXuser, you will see people talking about how they are using older cameras (most notably the F23 and 35) on both hobby and paying gigs. Also, The gigs i had in Chicago with my older gear were not friends of mine.. to think the only work i was getting was for friends is a tad insulting, as if i were to ever shoot for people i know its an inferer job.. no, i was hired by people who knew me only from my work and i shot with older gear, got paid nicely and had a satisfied customer. to each his own :)

I'm getting sports, weddings, music videos, and real estate tours. Thats the work I was getting before I moved to Denver. The great thing about my situation is that the varicam i had paid for itself in about 2 or 3 jobs given the camera cost a hell of a lot less than in their hayday. I sold my varicam and used that money to buy the Panavision F900 along with some tax return money i got. So in my situation, i am not delinquent money for what i have invested in. I am shooting football games for a team my brother is head coaching and the team is very very happy with the images i am giving them. Like i said, rental companies like VER still have revolving clients taking out the F800, Chain CCU sony packages, EX3s and so on.. older gear is still very much making its rounds and thats great. There are people on both ends of the spectrum and there is nothing wrong with either. If you want to invest in older gear for a hell of a lot less than what it was new and work with that either for hire or hobby thats okay. If you are more into modern gear and you want to invest in it, cool, the option is there. I dont discriminate against what can and cant be used for a project and i know there are others like me who think the same. Hell, the good ol HVX200 was renting out at VER Chicago at least once a week in the eight months i was working there, same with those EX3s and F800.. even the tape varicam model i owned was going out. We had old XDCAM and HDCAM SR decks transferring and going out.. and in my eyes it means there is still a market for this gear, even if its going to a business convention at a hotel or something.. work is work.

I understand where the market has gone. But to say that freelancing with CCD cameras wont get you hired is a load of bull. Maybe getting hired by people who want something specific like 4K or something I can understand, but like i said, all you have to do is rent. I boarded the 2/3' camera train a little over 4 years ago and for something to own i have not looked back. Contrary to your belief i had plenty of freelance work with my Varicam and F900s back in Chicago. I think that as long as you get an image out of your tools that the client who is paying you likes, it shouldnt matter what it is. If i had the money to finance a camera like the new varicam or the amira i would, but i dont and in my budget for something to own i prefer CCD cameras and im getting paid work with them. Saying renting is a mugs game is pretty stupid if you ask me. Tons of people rent gear around the globe and make money doing it. I worked at VER i should know ;). We had cameras going out left and right.

I have to agree with Sam. This camera is not worth its price at all. Then again i'm a bit biased in that other than the Arri CMOS sensors and some of the newer Reds, i really for the most part can not stand how CMOS looks and have remained faithful to CCD technology in the cameras i own. I will only rent newer gear when a cilent asks for it but for my personal work.. CCD all the way. Seems like im not alone in this either.. lots of people seem to be using older cinema cameras like the F23/35, varicam and the like.

Just wanted to make note that for all who need answers for my questions, yes, the front plates on the cameras are perfectly interchangeable with minimal work needed to do it.

I just wanted to make note that Panavision does recycle some of their older digital equipment to a company in LA that then sells it. I own a Panavision HD900F and made sure to call Panavision and they told me the process and steps in which it got on the used market. They do not sell any of their 35mm cameras or lenses though, but, if you are diligent enough, you can come across their HD900F and Genesis. So in theory, yes you are right, but there is some wiggle room within their "we dont sell anything" statement. I'm sure if you flashed enough money in their face you could purchase anything of theirs lol

Saw a really decent indie flick staring some major talent called Masked & Anonymous. It was shot on the F900/3. Available on Amazon Prime for all who has it. check it out!

I def see a difference in detail and overall quality between the two cameras. I have the Panavision Body and viewfinder but I am using an Optex Cine HD Zoom, HJ9x5x5. The varicam is a beautiful camera and i had many fun years with it, but, once i got behind a 900 and did my tests with one, i was hooked. Like i said, to each his own. Both cameras offer great pictures in the right hands, after experiencing both, i like the 900 more.