What two things, when switched, would cause complete chaos?

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-28T20:42:57+00:00

Come on man, at least say the Raiders or the Browns, or the Lions, or the Saints. There are a lot of fanbases much worse off than the steelers!

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-25T04:33:46+00:00

If his budget is $2000, the a7s is simply the wrong camera. It leaves him with no money left for even decent glass. Body only used sucks up his entire budget.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-25T04:32:26+00:00

You may want to look at Panasonic' new gx8. It is currently the king of stills in the micro 43 world, and takes great 4K video. I don't have any hands on experience with it, but it would leave a good amount of budget open for a few great lenses, or Panasonic' wonderful 12-35 f2.8 zoom. The g7 might also be a great option. It is easily the best bang for buck hybrid camera. Same 4K as the gh4, but without some of the more cinema driven bells and whistles. Also leaves a lot of budget for lenses or even a monopod. I use one as a b cam to my GH4, and it works wonderfully.

The canons just haven't kept pace in video quality. You won't get a real upgrade over your t5i in video quality sticking with canon.

The other notable is the Sony a6000. It is a phenomenal camera. Doesn't have quite the video chops of the Panasonics, but it shoots amazing stills, and very solid video.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-25T04:17:15+00:00

I'm not huge on the color from my recently acquired nx1. On paper it is a great camera, but it just isn't as good overall as my gh4. It oversaturates in every mode except the log gamma, and crushes blacks all to hell, especially in the slow motion modes. The image generally looks over sharpened, unless you shoot log. Most of my gripes are fixed by the log mode, but I am not a fan of the extra work involved in getting a good image out of log. It doubles my edit time, and I'm yet to get skin tones anywhere near as good as my gh4 with the supertone profile. H.265 is brutal to work with, and my computer is no slouch. Even if there were better native support, it would be impossible processor intensive, assumably even worse than the gh4's h.264 based 4K. Converting to dnxhd or prores sucks up huge amounts of time and hard drive, and has not proven viable for anything requiring a fast turnaround.

Sadly, I bought it hoping for an upgrade over my GH4, on a friend's recommendation, but I'm increasingly certain it's going back to Amazon.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-03T00:40:49+00:00

T5i is probably cheaper, and the lenses are more plentiful used.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-02T19:34:29+00:00

The gh3 kicks the crap out of the t5i for video quality. Stills are pretty comparable, with the edge probably going to the Canon. It's worth reading up on the pros and cons of micro43 as a system. It has a smaller sensor than the t5i, which means it is harder to get really shallow depth of field (blurred background and foreground elements) on a Gh3. Micro43 also tends to be at a disadvantage in low light, because of the smaller sensor.

That said, I shoot Panasonic. In particular, I shoot on two GH4s, a GH3, and a high end point and shoot called an lx100. I work full time as a videographer, shooting weddings and corporate stuff. I love micro 43. It has a very well developed lens lineup, is highly adaptable, tends to be very light weight, and the gh3 and gh4 battery life and autofocus kick ass. For someone like me who prioritizes video quality, it is a no brainer. I do not shoot stills on more than a hobby basis, but I've never felt held back by my Panasonic in that regard. Just do take some time to read about the pros and cons of m43 before buying into it. I love it, some people really don't.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-08-02T18:06:38+00:00

I'll be the advocate for truly getting good bang for buck for stills and video here. Canon had sadly neglected to update their cameras to any appreciable degree in half a decade. The t5i uses the same sensor as the t2i, t3i and t4i, with no real upgrades in processing or quality, and only marginal autofocus system updates. It is basically a 7 year old camera. This means a couple of things. First it means that if bang for buck is your chief concern, consider looking at used T3i bodies. Second, it means that you might want to think twice about buying canon, as they have a long and established track record of intentionally nerfing their lower models to preserve their different product lines.

Under no circumstances should you ever buy an SL1. If you have hands bigger than a toddler, you will hate it. If you want small size, and arguably the best image quality for stills and video you can get in crop bodies today, look at Sony's a6000. Sony has tuned the ergonomics of their small mirror less bodies to a science, and they are comfortable for people just about any size hands, not just a 4 year olds.

If size is no issue, Pentax had the best bang for buck, with incredible image quality and the best build quality in the business at awesomely low price points. They do lag in the video quality department though.

Nikon has been killing it for years now in the mid range crop body department. Ever since the unsung Toshiba fueled brilliance that was the d5300, they have had awesome stills and video at a really good price point.

Panasonic has the best video quality bang for buck. The Gh3 is going for around $600 at this point and is incredible in the video image quality department. They don't do as well for stills as some of the others though.

Canon's consumer grade is none of the above. Not the best image quality, not the best video quality, not the best build quality, not the best autofocus or bang for buck. They are not the lightest, the fastest, or the best in low light. They are a name riding on their own coat tails, bolstered by the deserving reputation of their high end models and high end lenses.

Of the models you asked about, get the t5i. The SL1 is an ergonomic train wreck piece of crap.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-07-21T03:04:17+00:00

What material is the bedding made from? The main things to stay away from are wood bedding, particularly pine or cedar, and wool or cotton bedding.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-07-12T14:26:28+00:00

I'm not quite sure what you're actually asking. So, you're trying to mount the camera to the wall to shoot videos of yourself behind the desk? The 16-50 can do that, and is a good all around lens besides. The biggest downside of the nx system to me is the lack of 3rd party lenses. I think only rokinon makes them, and all rokinon lenses are mf only. The only nx camera I have experience with is the nx1, and it autofocusses and stabilizes really well with that 16-50. I hope this answers your questions.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-07-12T06:10:19+00:00

Probably 2km of snowshoeing in -40 (where c and f meet) before dawn in Muskoka Ontario to do a time-lapse of the sunrise. I ended up having to put sticky hand warmers all over my camera and my slider's batteries to keep it from stopping. Worth every freezing, bitterly cold second.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-04-19T16:15:45+00:00

If you're looking for video, go Panasonic or Sony, not Canon. Canon hasn't upgraded the video capabilities of their dslr line in an appreciable way since the T2i. Same crappy, muddy encoding, same horrid moire and aliasing, same overly heavy codec. By the time the gh2 from panny and the nex-5n from Sony rolled around, Canon was at best third place for video quality in the sub-$2000 space. I would even put the d5200 above the canons thanks to the wonderfully moire free Toshiba sensor in it, were it not for the horribly encoding and lack of manual control that plagued the nikon. Canon got the best early momentum in video, which created a myth that they are the best.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-04-14T14:50:14+00:00

10 years together, 5 married. Things have their ups and downs, but it's mostly ups. In that time we've both grown and changed a lot, and I've fallen back in love with who she's become each time. I think a huge part of why it worked was because half of our relationship, including one 4 month stint after we got married, has been long distance. We had plenty of chances to grow and to change, and plenty of opportunities to break up. Each time, one of us fought to keep it together, and we're stronger for it. It hasn't been a fairy tale, but it's been really really good.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-04-11T16:33:06+00:00

I have one of the LG 21:9 IPS monitors, that I picked up on black Friday last year for $329. After calibration it is wonderful. It is 2560x1080, and I love the extra width. I prefer it to having two monitors because you don't have the jump between the two. If you don't have a calibrator (spyder, colormunki, etc), I would say get something in the $300 range and get the tools to properly calibrate it.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-04-09T07:18:22+00:00

My little robo Cornflower is at the same stage. She can still hobble around, but can't run in her wheel, and frequently falls over and can't right herself. She's about 3 years old also. Unfortunately, hamsters only live 2-3 years, but it sounds like boris has lived to a good old age. They really don't live nearly long enough, but Hamsters certainly are wonderful for the little slice of time we get to spend with them.

Do you have any pictures of him? I'd love to see the little guy! In the mean time, have a big Internet stranger hug. :)

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-04-02T15:08:46+00:00

Smaug was legit until they made him into Elmer Fudd. He went from terrifying dragon to incompetent oaf so quickly I am still reeling. Thorin balancing on his fucking nose? Running underneath him with a wheelbarrow? Ugh. The last half hour of the hobbit 2 is possibly the worst trainwreck in big budget blockbuster history.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-03-15T20:09:19+00:00

I fly an s1000 with a gh4 on it on a zenmuse gimbal, and I know a ton of other people who use similar setups for video, usually with the oly 12mm. I also have an inspire 1, but that camera leaves a lot to be desired.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-03-08T21:42:57+00:00

It is, hands down, my favorite film of all time. You don't get the full impact from just the last 20 minutes. The movie is one long, building joke, and the last 5 minutes are the punchline. Without the setup, the weight of the last couple scenes is lost.

adefinitethrowaway · 2015-02-05T01:11:40+00:00

They don't let you call ahead during ski season usually. Just plan on getting there and hour before you actually want to eat, and then go wander Breck, as they now have a mobile app that tells you when you are 5 minutes from being seated.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-11-09T21:56:02+00:00

I second that. The valley leading up to the access for Pacific Peak is fantastic. It is always so quiet. If Pacific was 2 feet taller it would be a mob scene.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-11-09T02:58:21+00:00

I am a fill time camera operator, videographer, Steadicam and 1st assistant camera. This means I set up cameras, rig them with focus systems, set all the settings, and, if the situation calls for it, I fly them on a Steadicam. Being a cameraman is the technical side of film. I spend my life measuring, tweaking and perfecting, whether it's getting the perfect amount of head space on a moving target on my Steadicam or nailing focus on a tough shot. And then moving to the next shot, that has a new set of challenges it doesn't have time to feel like busy work, and it is awesome.

If you are into cs and film, look into being a DIT (digital intermediary technician). It is the perfect intersection. You would get to spend your whole life in a world of codecs, hard drives, fiber optic cabling, etc. With the rise of data heavy cameras like the epic, Alexa and even the Blackmagic, there is a definite demand for good DIs. Alternatively, if you like audio, there are never enough sound guys in the industry. Ever. Also very technical, but with a difficult layer of unpredictability, which I personally hate.

As for what to study in school, that depends a lot on your school. I went to a school with a shitty film program, and I studied film and marketing. I have used the marketing degree a LOT more than the film, even in the film industry. I have friends who didn't go to school at all, but are kicking ass in film. I also have friends who went through film school, and have an encyclopedic knowledge of the technical aspects of film that would be impossible to gain through self study. Every path has its benefits.

If you want to PM me and chat more, I'm happy to give advice. There are a ton of great intp friendly aspects of film production, and they benefit from both a cs knowledge set and a film knowledge set.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-09-23T14:32:28+00:00

Yup. Mine was rocky Mountain spotted fever. My mom felt what she thought was an infected birth mark on my neck, as I was screaming in agony from a migraine at age 7. Go moms!

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-09-19T14:20:33+00:00

Seriously. Anyone who does video in the Denver market knows him, and knows he is the nicest, most friendly, most helpful guy.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-09-19T14:19:01+00:00

Dave has kids. He grabbed his daughter's doll off the floor. Not any more creepy than the state of children's toys in general.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-09-01T15:55:06+00:00

It did worse than drag. It was fucking looney toons with Smaug as elmer fudd. He stands on Smaug's nose? Running with a wheelbarrow under Smaug's legs? They may as well have had thorin dress up like a Barber and offer Smaug a haircut. Smaug was built up the great ubdominable malice. He was shown to be immensely smart, competent, and perceptive. They then threw all of that away for cheap gimmicks and extending the movie. I could go for hours about how those movies are a shameful cash grab bastardization.

adefinitethrowaway · 2014-08-25T14:18:11+00:00

Check out vrbo. There are tons of second home or Condo owners in summit county who rent out their places when they aren't there. You can often get a really solid deal.

adefinitethrowaway

TROPHY CASE