So far, this "VLOG" proximity is working great (the "CLOSE" proximity didn't work out for this combo). It even sounds fairly balanced (LOWS/MIDS/HIGHS) and I don't think it will need much of an EQ! The only thing that's a little bit off, are the HIGHS which I can tune with the EQ, but other than the distant sound that's normal for recording at this "VLOG" proximity (around arm's length) it sounds really good. When I tried it with the MIC. LOWCUT OFF, of course it sounded fuller (more BASS) but it might be better to leave it on for added shake reduction (noises caused by bumps, etc.) Another good thing about leaving the MIC. LOWCUT ON for this mic/recorder combo, is that it reduces the overall level which it kind of NEEDS to not clip at the "VLOG" proximity. Also, it seems like the sound is going to be easier to EQ without starting with the extra BASS and potential clipping of the higher level...so let's stay with the MIC. LOWCUT ON. "VLOG" Proximity [22 inches / 55.5 cm] 7RYMS iRAY DW30 (Recorder) (NO AUX. Amplifier) Shure VP83 (Shotgun) Windscreen: FOAM + FURRY (Stock) 48k 24-bit REC. SETTINGS N/A REC. LOWCUT N/A REC. LIMITER N/A REC. LEVEL AUX. SETTINGS N/A AUX. BASS N/A AUX. HIGH-LOW N/A AUX. OUTPUT MIC. SETTINGS ON MIC. LOWCUT N/A MIC. HIGH PASS +20 MIC. BOOST (RFI) RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE LESS THAN 1.1ft / 0.34m BETWEEN 1.1ft / 0.34m -2.2ft / 0.67m BETWEEN 2.2ft / 0.67m -3.3ft / 1m BETWEEN 3.3ft / 1m -4.4ft / 1.34m Published: April 17, 2023 at 4:20:58 PM REAL RATINGS After testing each microphone, I like to know if it sounds realistic (accurate lows/bass, mids, highs/treble) in combination with the recorder and/or AUX. amplifier, to see if it needs EQ. LOWS/BASS A DO THE "LOWS" SOUND REAL? MIDS A DO THE "MIDS" SOUND REAL? HIGHS/TREBLE B DO THE "HIGHS" SOUND REAL? NOTES: So far, this "VLOG" proximity is working great (the "CLOSE" proximity didn't work out for this combo). It even sounds fairly balanced (LOWS/MIDS/HIGHS) and I don't think it will need much of an EQ! The only thing that's a little bit off, are the HIGHS which I can tune with the EQ, but other than the distant sound that's normal for recording at this "VLOG" proximity (around arm's length) it sounds really good. When I tried it with the MIC. LOWCUT OFF, of course it sounded fuller (more BASS) but it might be better to leave it on for added shake reduction (noises caused by bumps, etc.) Another good thing about leaving the MIC. LOWCUT ON for this mic/recorder combo, is that it reduces the overall level which it kind of NEEDS to not clip at the "VLOG" proximity. Also, it seems like the sound is going to be easier to EQ without starting with the extra BASS and potential clipping of the higher level...so let's stay with the MIC. LOWCUT ON. Remember to always monitor your audio while you're recording (using accurate headphones) because good settings can't fix bad audio. Also, these settings will not establish the exact level you'll need for every scene, but the goal is to provide a good starting point that will become clean, after adjusting in post. Additionally, these "custom settings" are used to make the Microphone-Specific EQ files work (as they won't work as intended if any of they aren't used). The EQ files were created to correct any imperfections of the microphone and/or wind protection (FOAM and/or FURRY) and were made in Audacity (the free audio editor) to make them as affordable & universal as possible.

REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. KIT PLAN RECOMMENDATION: ADVANCED KIT Panasonic FZ1000 This image is 100% REAL, and no A.I. (or Photoshop compositing) were used to make it, and I know because I took it myself. Quality? LIGHT USE OK Yes MEDIUM USE OK Yes HEAVY USE OK ? Portable? POCKET No CAMERA BAG Yes BACKPACK Yes Affordable? AVERAGE NEW PRICE $ 999.00 *Indicates SALE price. Amazon AFFILIATE LINK AVERAGE USED PRICE $ 359.95** **Indicates BUY NOW price. Ebay AFFILIATE LINK Common? ON AMAZON No ON EBAY Yes Easy To Use? SKILL LEVEL EASY These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget filmmaking KIT PLANS .

Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Panasonic 14-45 ADAPTER: None (Native Mount) Panasonic GH5 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -1 SHARPNESS -3 NOISE +4 SATURATION +2 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -2+4 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 0-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT 20 RADIUS 2.0 THRESHOLD 0 Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST C IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS D IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR D IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

This lens was a surprisingly good performer (for such an old lens) and showed little to NO color fringing or chromatic abberation (something present in most 75-300 lenses). I added +2 contrast to compensate for the lack of contrast you normally see at the long (telephoto) end of this type of zoom, and added +1 sharpness to improve the lens at the same focal length (around 300mm). I really like the idea of a constant aperture 75-300 zoom lens. It really makes things easier for video production compared to having the standard F4-5.6 variable aperture (which means you need to adjust exposure when you zoom). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Sakar 70-300 5.6 ADAPTER: Viltrox NF-M43x (.71x) Panasonic G85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST +2 SHARPNESS +1 NOISE -0 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW Standard iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST ? IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: This lens was a surprisingly good performer (for such an old lens) and showed little to NO color fringing or chromatic abberation (something present in most 75-300 lenses). I added +2 contrast to compensate for the lack of contrast you normally see at the long (telephoto) end of this type of zoom, and added +1 sharpness to improve the lens at the same focal length (around 300mm). I really like the idea of a constant aperture 75-300 zoom lens. It really makes things easier for video production compared to having the standard F4-5.6 variable aperture (which means you need to adjust exposure when you zoom). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. KIT PLAN RECOMMENDATION: BASIC KIT COMICA VM20 Shotgun Microphone This image is 100% REAL, and no A.I. (or Photoshop compositing) were used to make it, and I know because I took it myself. Quality? LIGHT USE OK Yes MEDIUM USE OK Yes HEAVY USE OK ? Portable? POCKET No CAMERA BAG No BACKPACK Yes Affordable? AVERAGE NEW PRICE $ 99 *Indicates SALE price. Amazon AFFILIATE LINK AVERAGE USED PRICE N/A **Indicates BUY NOW price. Ebay AFFILIATE LINK Common? ON AMAZON Yes ON EBAY No Easy To Use? SKILL LEVEL MEDIUM These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget filmmaking KIT PLANS .

I've heard a lot about this lens, but after testing (this copy) I'm not too impressed. It looks "dreamy" (wide open of course) but even stopped down, it doesn't render a realistic-looking image, something that is central to my goal of Realism. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Canon FD 50 1.4 ADAPTER: Canon FD-M43 (Non-Optical) Panasonic GH4 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -3 SHARPNESS +1 NOISE +4 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0 -0 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST NO IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS NO IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR NO IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I've heard a lot about this lens, but after testing (this copy) I'm not too impressed. It looks "dreamy" (wide open of course) but even stopped down, it doesn't render a realistic-looking image, something that is central to my goal of Realism. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

REAL REVIEWS Long-term reviews of budget photo & video gear. KIT PLAN RECOMMENDATION: MINIMAL KIT IEM Case (for Zoom F2) This image is 100% REAL, and no A.I. (or Photoshop compositing) were used to make it, and I know because I took it myself. Quality? LIGHT USE OK Yes MEDIUM USE OK ? HEAVY USE OK ? Portable? POCKET No CAMERA BAG Yes BACKPACK Yes Affordable? AVERAGE NEW PRICE $ 11.99 *Indicates SALE price. Amazon AFFILIATE LINK AVERAGE USED PRICE <$500 **Indicates BUY NOW price. Ebay AFFILIATE LINK Common? ON AMAZON Yes ON EBAY Yes Easy To Use? SKILL LEVEL EASY These reviews are just my opinion and are focused on my Q.P.A.C.E. packing method, so they're not comprehensive. I wrote these mostly to help me remember what items worked for my KIT PLANS (and which didn't). If I said anything negative I apologize, as these products still may work well for you in your situation, but they were not Q.P.A.C.E (Quality, Portable, Affordable, Common, Easy-to-Use) enough for my budget filmmaking KIT PLANS .

GoPro HERO7 Black [UNFILTERED] GoPro HERO7 Black ADD-ONS: None LENS MOD: None "Linear" FIELD OF VIEW COLOR MODE FLAT SHARPNESS LOW WHITE BALANCE NATIVE EV COMP -1.0 SHUTTER AUTO ISO MINIMUM 200 ISO MAXIMUM 200 Published: March 25, 2022 at 5:18:09 PM You might be wondering why I set the ISO MIN. and MAX to the same thing (ISO 200) but what I've been finding with this camera is that it seems to keep the auto exposure (which is a combination of auto ISO and auto SHUTTER) from changing too abruptly (i.e. it looks more smooth and natural with the ISO fixed). Also, I only use 2.7K on this camera (not 4K) both so I can shoot using the "Linear" FOV (Field of View) mode, and because shooting in 2.7K allows using "HyperSmooth" stabilization. I was shooting in 30p for these tests. NOTE: The footage WILL need a custom LUT (but I just haven't gotten around to creating one so stay tuned). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

REAL ANSWERS Answers from REAL people with REAL experience (not from A.I.) Can you use Nikon F/G lenses on the GoPro ILS? Yes, Nikon F and G mount lenses are good lenses to adapt to Micro Four Thirds. The aperture control is different for F and G lenses though, as G lenses need an adapter for control (which makes it stepless) and F-mount lenses have click stops. < Back to ANSWERS Nikon F/G Mount Lenses on the GoPro ILS Nikon F and G mount lenses can be effectively adapted for use with Micro Four Thirds (MFT) cameras. However, there are some important differences between the two types of lenses regarding aperture control: Nikon F-Mount Lenses F-mount lenses typically feature click stops for aperture control. These lenses can be directly adapted to MFT systems, allowing for straightforward use. Nikon G-Mount Lenses G-mount lenses do not have a physical aperture ring, requiring an adapter for aperture control. The adapters often provide stepless aperture control, which can be beneficial for video recording.

IMPORTANT: After having a camera's sensor get scratched (after dropping it with a speedbooster on) I don't recommend using speedboosters anymore on cameras with sensors that have IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization). The reason is that the optic sticks into the lens mount (more than an OEM lens) and if the camera is dropped, the extra force and motion of the IBIS sensor can cause the two to collide (thus scratching the sensor). This is not only a review of this vintage lens, but also a review of the Pixco focal reducer (specific to this camera) and so far, I like it! This speed booster is inexpensive, and though it DOES create lens flare, it doesn't look too bad, and can be controlled (with a lens shade) if needed. This lens-sensor combination (of the Lumix GX85, the Canon FDn 50 1.8 + Pixco speed booster) is a pretty good way to get an F/1.2 lens, for a low price. What's really weird about this lens-sensor combination is that, even with a LOT of NR (Noise Reduction) added, it is still producing a lot of NOISE. You might wonder how a specific lens could produce MORE noise than another lens (with the same SENSOR) but I think it comes down to what was done to the light before it reaches the sensor, and then the interaction of the sensor and the light affects how the sensor displays things. It sounds really simple, but each lens-sensor relationship is a little different. So, because the digital noise is not going away, what I'm attempting to do is to make it look like film grain (as much as I can). Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Canon FDn 50 1.8 ADAPTER: Pixco Focal Reducer Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -2 SHARPNESS +1 NOISE +5 SATURATION -1 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -3+3 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE DEFAULT Canon FDn 50 1.8 PIXCO Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 P1160538 CUSTOM Canon FDn 50 1.8 PIXCO Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -2+1+5-1 HS -3+3 P1160537 REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST B IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS C IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE C IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR D IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: IMPORTANT: After having a camera's sensor get scratched (after dropping it with a speedbooster on) I don't recommend using speedboosters anymore on cameras with sensors that have IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization). The reason is that the optic sticks into the lens mount (more than an OEM lens) and if the camera is dropped, the extra force and motion of the IBIS sensor can cause the two to collide (thus scratching the sensor). This is not only a review of this vintage lens, but also a review of the Pixco focal reducer (specific to this camera) and so far, I like it! This speed booster is inexpensive, and though it DOES create lens flare, it doesn't look too bad, and can be controlled (with a lens shade) if needed. This lens-sensor combination (of the Lumix GX85, the Canon FDn 50 1.8 + Pixco speed booster) is a pretty good way to get an F/1.2 lens, for a low price. What's really weird about this lens-sensor combination is that, even with a LOT of NR (Noise Reduction) added, it is still producing a lot of NOISE. You might wonder how a specific lens could produce MORE noise than another lens (with the same SENSOR) but I think it comes down to what was done to the light before it reaches the sensor, and then the interaction of the sensor and the light affects how the sensor displays things. It sounds really simple, but each lens-sensor relationship is a little different. So, because the digital noise is not going away, what I'm attempting to do is to make it look like film grain (as much as I can). The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.

I gave this lens a REALLY high REAL Rating in all areas except COLOR (because it produces a slight GREEN tint with this sensor at normal white balance settings) but with these custom settings there isn't much else wrong with it (so it's a pretty good lens AND it's super affordable on the used market). While I initially made a LUT for this lens-sensor combo (that made only SLIGHT changes to the image) I removed it from the website because these settings work pretty well SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) and I didn't want someone to pay money for the LUT and then see how little the LUT changes the image. Any links below are affiliate links. FILTER: None Minolta AF 50 1.7 ADAPTER: Minolta AF (Sony A) to M43 Panasonic GX85 Natural "PHOTO STYLE" LENS-SENSOR LUT CONTRAST -2 SHARPNESS -2 NOISE +5 SATURATION -0 HIGHLIGHT SHADOW -0-0 iDYNAMIC OFF LUMINANCE LEVEL 16-255 Unsharp Mask* ADOBE POST-PRODUCTION AMOUNT RADIUS THRESHOLD Blur / Sharpen DAVINCI RESOLVE POST-PRODUCTION LENS @FULL WIDE LENS @MID-ZOOM LENS @FULL TELE DEFAULT Minolta AF 50 1.7 Panasonic GX85 NATURAL -0-0-0-0 HS -0-0 CUSTOM Minolta AF 50 1.7 Panasonic GX85 NATURAL-2-2+5-0 HS -0-0 REAL RATINGS After testing each lens-sensor combo, I like to know if the rendering is going to look realistic SOOC (S traight O ut o f C amera) or if it will need a LUT (to match the shots to other lenses and cameras). CONTRAST A IS THE CONTRAST "REAL"? SHARPNESS A IS THE SHARPNESS "REAL"? NOISE A IS THE NOISE "REAL"? COLOR C IS THE COLOR "REAL"? *Click here to learn more about "REAL" Ratings . These ratings are AFTER my custom settings are applied (most combos don't look real good with default settings). NOTES: I gave this lens a REALLY high REAL Rating in all areas except COLOR (because it produces a slight GREEN tint with this sensor at normal white balance settings) but with these custom settings there isn't much else wrong with it (so it's a pretty good lens AND it's super affordable on the used market). While I initially made a LUT for this lens-sensor combo (that made only SLIGHT changes to the image) I removed it from the website because these settings work pretty well SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) and I didn't want someone to pay money for the LUT and then see how little the LUT changes the image. The goal of our camera settings is to improve what we call the "lens-sensor relationship" by adjusting the contrast, sharpness, noise reduction and color to create an image that looks less digital and more organic (more like film, etc). Therefore, the first step is to apply the custom settings while shooting, and the second is to add a lens-sensor LUT, to finalize the image.