Amazing. My rig is almost 1:1 with yours. I opted for a FX Lion Nano battery (and will likely buy a few more). I am looking at the Wooden Camera swing away matte box instead of the Tilta. Footprint is about the same, but the quality is a bit better and it can hold up to 3 filters plus a round filter option as well. I was going for a very light weight rig. Great video.
Good stuff. Just FYI if you send out a clean signal from the s6 to your ninja, so no preview lut or assist tools or anything like that, it outputs a full high quality signal. It’s the assist tools and lut that cause the quality drop
@@YungMilOnstage No it happens when recording internally on the camera. I believe if you want to record only on the Ninja, you can turn the internal recording down to 1080p and the HDMI output will then stay at 4K up to 60fps.
Thanks for that mate, thinking of the e2 for a first video cam, only ever borrowed and spent little time on cam, need something around always to hone in on
I have the exact setup but the F6 with Canon glass. I just added a PDMovie Live Air 2 focus kit with the gearfocus focus rings and it works like a charm!!! I shot a 15 1/2 hour wedding for my first shoot to test the focus kit and the same tiny batteries lasted the entire day and I didn't have to switch them out a single time! This is a super compact and cheap focus kit that will definitely suit your way of shooting, especially for the surfing videos, so awesome by the way. All in all, gorgeous setup and I love to see more and more people hopping onto the Z CAM bandwagon! It's a game changer for sure! Only question I wanted to ask actually was, how beneficial is the easy rig? I have been considering purchasing one sooner rather than later!
Sounds like a nice setup! The easyrig's do make things much easier - you're not holding the weight of the camera, just guiding it, so you get a lot more control and a lot less fatigue. I own a cheap one and rent a minimax on bigger jobs, and there's definitely a world of difference. A minimax is on my to-buy list. The one downside is they are not good if you're moving your feet. You definitely wouldn't want to follow a bride down the aisle with it! Any walking or running will shake the camera like crazy, but if you keep your feet planted you can still move the camera around a lot to get some smooth parallax motion.
Thanks Kinson. Really appreciate all the work you put in to engaging with your customers. I might have some criticisms of the Z-Cams but it really love the way your team is always trying to address the complaints people have and improve the cameras.
Hey Diego, it has push-AF but no continuous AF. So you could use it to pre-set focus before you record, or remotely through the app, but it won't track your subject at all.
Are you still having the HDMI drops? You might have it in auto.. if you got to "connect" in the menus, then "HDMI" you can select the resolutions you want to use for your HDMI output. NOTE: IT IS NOT COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT FROM YOUR PROJECT RESOLUTION. but it can surely avoid working with 720 output on your NinjaV. I have a pretty similar setup and that has been my work around.
Do you record on cfast and the atomos? Because with the vmount plate you have (i have that too) i can't plug in an ssd into the camera which is super annoying... Also, can you control your camera with a LANC cable? For me the start stop does not trigger at all. Maybe the new handle from portkeys will fix that. :(
Hi Mira, I use CFast cards but the Ninja V is capable of recording up to 4K60p to an SSD. Personally I prefer to use CFast so I don't have to worry about drop outs if I bump a cable. I'm using Angelbird 256GB at the moment but the Silicon Power ones have had good reviews too - and cost much less!
@@wileyvisuals5714 ahh okay cool thanks for the info! Maybe I'll get some cfast cards then. I could not get the ninja to record 4K 60P though in zlog :/ too bad. Only on the camera itself.
@@ThaOrangeBlues I have problems getting the HDMI output to display the right settings while recording internally, though if you want to record only on the Ninja, I think you can set the camera to record in 1080p60, and then set the HDMI output to 4K60p. It seems like it can't record & output 4K60p at the same time.
one more thing, I noticed you are linking the vmount plate to b&h, but that's actually not the correct one. I think you are using the nano version of the fxliion plate, cause my regular one doesn't let me insert an hdmi cable into the camera.
Hi there! I have Zcam-E2-M4 with FXlion adapter, but for some reason, I cannot attach HDMI cables due to the adapter itself is close to the camera... I am using Alvin’s cable. And I would like to ask what HDMI cables you are using. Anyways great work!!!! Like that a lot!!
I'm using a right angled Alvin's cable. The FXLion adapter has 4 little screws on the NPF side of the adapter - if you undo these you can adjust it so that the top of the NPF mount sits level with the top of the V-Mount plate. Once you do this you'll have more clearance for your HDMI cable, though you'll still need a right-angled cable.
Not sure what there is to say about it really haha! It mostly does what I need it to but it iis not as comfortable or robust as the Easyrig Minimax, which Istill rent when possible. I bought the knock-off version so that I'd always have something on hand for that style of shooting, and it's definitely worth the couple of hundred bucks I paid for it, but it's not in the same league as the actual Easyrigs.
Great Work bro! I also film a lot of surf and I'm thinking about to get a s6 too. There's any sensor crop filming 6k60p or 4k60p in prores? What are your thoughts on the 100fps in h265? Have u ever tried the 2.8k 120p also in h265? Sorry about all the questions. Thankss
So far I've only done quick tests on any of the h.265 modes The 6K60p and 4K100p modes are 2.4:1 ratio. 6K60p shoots the full sensor width, but vertically it is cropped. 4K100p is a centre crop with a similar width to 4/3rds sensor. Usually in these 2.4:1 modes you end up having to crop the sides off anyway when you're editing for a 16:9 project, so it's best to think of those modes as actually being more like 5K60p and 3K100p if that makes sense. If I was shooting surfing most of the time I'd probably get the E2-M4 for the higher frame rates and because the smaller sensor actually works in your favour with telephoto lenses. For me surfing is only about 10% of what I shoot so the other features of the S6 were more important to me.
@@carloschaves9634 Those modes are only h.265 at the moment. There is a new firmware update coming soon that will add additional Prores options; I'm not sure if those particular modes will be updated or not. Currently you can shoot up to 4K75p or 6K30p in Prores. 4K60p uses the full sensor with no crop, going up t to 72/75fps there is a crop. Also I need to amend my previous comment - the 6K60p mode has no horizontal crop (ie full sensor width) but the 4K100p mode does. Sorry for that mistake!
I wouldn't say I worry about it but I'm certainly conscious of it when mounting the battery. Normally with V-mounts you can slam them into place but with this one I'm a lot lot more gentle and I support the bottom of the FXLion plate with my other hand. I'm patiently waiting for Smallrig to release the Z-Back to see if it's a better option for battery & cable management.
Hey Gustavo, I'm not sure I understand your question; The 18-35 is made for aps-c so has an image circle that closely matches the size of the S6 sensor. However all lenses (even aps-c lenses) will have a "crop factor" when comparing FOV on s35 to full frame. When shooting 4K or less with the S6, you can choose to crop in to the sensor even further without losing any noticeable quality. Does any of that answer your question?
Is there any way to control the camera via the LANC port? I can't get it to work., tried with different SonyLanc compatible cables, I have the portkeys keygrip but it just doesn't work! Is there a setting I have to change on the camera for it to work??
I have not tried ZRaw yet. Maybe I'd get a slight increase in IQ, but once that goes through the whole imaging pipeline, I just don't think it's worth the hassles of data/storage/proxies when the end product is almost always 1080p h.264 viewed online. I can cut 6K Prores422 like butter on my 4-year-old workstation, even using 7200rpm drives and USB-3. At least I know I have the option there if a client ever demands it, but that has never happened to me before!
Well the 'best' in any lighting conditions is almost always the native/base ISO which is 400 or 1250 on the S6. I usually try to light to those ISO's (1250 if the eND is installed, 400 if not) wherever possible. However I suspect what you're actually asking is what the maximum usable ISO is in low light, and in that case I'd say I'll never go over 6400 in 4K full-sensor, or 3200 for 6K or 4K crop mode. It seems the full sensor downscaling from 6K to 4K cleans up a bit of the noise so I feel I can usually bump the ISO up a little higher in that mode.
@@wileyvisuals5714 appreciate your reply mate, i understand the with atmos - prores / prores Raw options, but native internal recording formats as prescribed on B&H say only H.264 / H.265 variates ???
@@gabrielzachary5804 It definitely has internal Prores - most of what I shoot is Prores 422 but I use LT for higher frame rates sometimes. The B&H listing appears to be incomplete for some reason.
@@wileyvisuals5714 Thanks again, Totally weird because i just checked a couple more reviews and they mention avc / hevc but never ProRes ?? Perhaps they installed them later with a firmware update ? strange
@@gabrielzachary5804 The only E2 model that might not have Prores is the budget E2c, but all of the others (E2, E2-M4, E2-S6, E2-F6, E2-F8) all record prores internally. Any reviewers who state otherwise have not done a proper review!
Amazing. My rig is almost 1:1 with yours. I opted for a FX Lion Nano battery (and will likely buy a few more). I am looking at the Wooden Camera swing away matte box instead of the Tilta. Footprint is about the same, but the quality is a bit better and it can hold up to 3 filters plus a round filter option as well. I was going for a very light weight rig. Great video.
Good stuff. Just FYI if you send out a clean signal from the s6 to your ninja, so no preview lut or assist tools or anything like that, it outputs a full high quality signal. It’s the assist tools and lut that cause the quality drop
Thanks Josh. I always send out a clean feed from the Z-Cam, but at prores at higher frame rates it still drops to 720p.
Ah I didn’t realize that. That’s 👎🏻 for sure
Wiley Visuals is that strictly when recording to ninja v ?
@@YungMilOnstage No it happens when recording internally on the camera. I believe if you want to record only on the Ninja, you can turn the internal recording down to 1080p and the HDMI output will then stay at 4K up to 60fps.
Thanks for that mate, thinking of the e2 for a first video cam, only ever borrowed and spent little time on cam, need something around always to hone in on
I have the exact setup but the F6 with Canon glass. I just added a PDMovie Live Air 2 focus kit with the gearfocus focus rings and it works like a charm!!! I shot a 15 1/2 hour wedding for my first shoot to test the focus kit and the same tiny batteries lasted the entire day and I didn't have to switch them out a single time! This is a super compact and cheap focus kit that will definitely suit your way of shooting, especially for the surfing videos, so awesome by the way. All in all, gorgeous setup and I love to see more and more people hopping onto the Z CAM bandwagon! It's a game changer for sure!
Only question I wanted to ask actually was, how beneficial is the easy rig? I have been considering purchasing one sooner rather than later!
Sounds like a nice setup! The easyrig's do make things much easier - you're not holding the weight of the camera, just guiding it, so you get a lot more control and a lot less fatigue. I own a cheap one and rent a minimax on bigger jobs, and there's definitely a world of difference. A minimax is on my to-buy list.
The one downside is they are not good if you're moving your feet. You definitely wouldn't want to follow a bride down the aisle with it! Any walking or running will shake the camera like crazy, but if you keep your feet planted you can still move the camera around a lot to get some smooth parallax motion.
Great work.
Thanks Kinson. Really appreciate all the work you put in to engaging with your customers. I might have some criticisms of the Z-Cams but it really love the way your team is always trying to address the complaints people have and improve the cameras.
@@wileyvisuals5714 😃
Nice! Do you use the eND module?
Thank you john!
Great vid man! Quick question, is there any autofocus on this camera?
Hey Diego, it has push-AF but no continuous AF. So you could use it to pre-set focus before you record, or remotely through the app, but it won't track your subject at all.
Are you still having the HDMI drops? You might have it in auto.. if you got to "connect" in the menus, then "HDMI" you can select the resolutions you want to use for your HDMI output. NOTE: IT IS NOT COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT FROM YOUR PROJECT RESOLUTION. but it can surely avoid working with 720 output on your NinjaV. I have a pretty similar setup and that has been my work around.
The higher resolution options are greyed out in the menu. It's not the same problem others were having with the "auto" option not working properly.
I think the camera is great, only I should like more slow motion
Do you record on cfast and the atomos? Because with the vmount plate you have (i have that too) i can't plug in an ssd into the camera which is super annoying... Also, can you control your camera with a LANC cable? For me the start stop does not trigger at all. Maybe the new handle from portkeys will fix that. :(
Hi Mira, I use CFast cards but the Ninja V is capable of recording up to 4K60p to an SSD. Personally I prefer to use CFast so I don't have to worry about drop outs if I bump a cable. I'm using Angelbird 256GB at the moment but the Silicon Power ones have had good reviews too - and cost much less!
@@wileyvisuals5714 ahh okay cool thanks for the info! Maybe I'll get some cfast cards then. I could not get the ninja to record 4K 60P though in zlog :/ too bad. Only on the camera itself.
@@ThaOrangeBlues I have problems getting the HDMI output to display the right settings while recording internally, though if you want to record only on the Ninja, I think you can set the camera to record in 1080p60, and then set the HDMI output to 4K60p. It seems like it can't record & output 4K60p at the same time.
@@wileyvisuals5714 will try that. Thank you! I saw some restriction on recording modes, apparently it's not the same in uhd and dci modes. Interesting
one more thing, I noticed you are linking the vmount plate to b&h, but that's actually not the correct one. I think you are using the nano version of the fxliion plate, cause my regular one doesn't let me insert an hdmi cable into the camera.
Hi there! I have Zcam-E2-M4 with FXlion adapter, but for some reason, I cannot attach HDMI cables due to the adapter itself is close to the camera... I am using Alvin’s cable. And I would like to ask what HDMI cables you are using.
Anyways great work!!!! Like that a lot!!
I'm using a right angled Alvin's cable. The FXLion adapter has 4 little screws on the NPF side of the adapter - if you undo these you can adjust it so that the top of the NPF mount sits level with the top of the V-Mount plate. Once you do this you'll have more clearance for your HDMI cable, though you'll still need a right-angled cable.
i see that youre using the VEVOR Easy Rig, why dont you make a review of it?
theres only 1 person that made a review of it stil.
Not sure what there is to say about it really haha! It mostly does what I need it to but it iis not as comfortable or robust as the Easyrig Minimax, which Istill rent when possible. I bought the knock-off version so that I'd always have something on hand for that style of shooting, and it's definitely worth the couple of hundred bucks I paid for it, but it's not in the same league as the actual Easyrigs.
Great Work bro! I also film a lot of surf and I'm thinking about to get a s6 too. There's any sensor crop filming 6k60p or 4k60p in prores? What are your
thoughts on the 100fps in h265? Have u ever tried the 2.8k 120p also in h265? Sorry about all the questions. Thankss
So far I've only done quick tests on any of the h.265 modes The 6K60p and 4K100p modes are 2.4:1 ratio. 6K60p shoots the full sensor width, but vertically it is cropped. 4K100p is a centre crop with a similar width to 4/3rds sensor. Usually in these 2.4:1 modes you end up having to crop the sides off anyway when you're editing for a 16:9 project, so it's best to think of those modes as actually being more like 5K60p and 3K100p if that makes sense.
If I was shooting surfing most of the time I'd probably get the E2-M4 for the higher frame rates and because the smaller sensor actually works in your favour with telephoto lenses. For me surfing is only about 10% of what I shoot so the other features of the S6 were more important to me.
@@wileyvisuals5714 Thanks bro! The 6K60p and 4K100p modes in 2.4:1 ratio are in prores? What about 4k60p prores? Any crop?
@@carloschaves9634 Those modes are only h.265 at the moment. There is a new firmware update coming soon that will add additional Prores options; I'm not sure if those particular modes will be updated or not. Currently you can shoot up to 4K75p or 6K30p in Prores.
4K60p uses the full sensor with no crop, going up t to 72/75fps there is a crop.
Also I need to amend my previous comment - the 6K60p mode has no horizontal crop (ie full sensor width) but the 4K100p mode does. Sorry for that mistake!
@@wileyvisuals5714 Good to know! No worries. I'm planning to shoot always in prores 4k (24p, 30p and 60p) and switch to h265 just to shoot 100fps.
How do you like the FX Lion v mount adapter? Any worry about the stress it'll put on the NPF plastic brackets?
I wouldn't say I worry about it but I'm certainly conscious of it when mounting the battery. Normally with V-mounts you can slam them into place but with this one I'm a lot lot more gentle and I support the bottom of the FXLion plate with my other hand. I'm patiently waiting for Smallrig to release the Z-Back to see if it's a better option for battery & cable management.
@@wileyvisuals5714 did that plate get in the way of putting cables in?
The Sigma 18-35 does not crop on the Super 35mm Sensor ?
Hey Gustavo, I'm not sure I understand your question; The 18-35 is made for aps-c so has an image circle that closely matches the size of the S6 sensor. However all lenses (even aps-c lenses) will have a "crop factor" when comparing FOV on s35 to full frame. When shooting 4K or less with the S6, you can choose to crop in to the sensor even further without losing any noticeable quality.
Does any of that answer your question?
What cable are you using to power the Ninja V through a V Mount?
It's a Smallrig D-Tap to DC-barrel cable - though I'm not sure if they make it anymore.
Is there any way to control the camera via the LANC port? I can't get it to work., tried with different SonyLanc compatible cables, I have the portkeys keygrip but it just doesn't work! Is there a setting I have to change on the camera for it to work??
I know it is possible but I've not done it myself. I believe it uses the Panasonic lanc standard.
@@wileyvisuals5714 thank you for your quick answer! :)
Did you trying using ZRAW?
I have not tried ZRaw yet. Maybe I'd get a slight increase in IQ, but once that goes through the whole imaging pipeline, I just don't think it's worth the hassles of data/storage/proxies when the end product is almost always 1080p h.264 viewed online. I can cut 6K Prores422 like butter on my 4-year-old workstation, even using 7200rpm drives and USB-3.
At least I know I have the option there if a client ever demands it, but that has never happened to me before!
What is the best iso in low light for s6?
Well the 'best' in any lighting conditions is almost always the native/base ISO which is 400 or 1250 on the S6. I usually try to light to those ISO's (1250 if the eND is installed, 400 if not) wherever possible.
However I suspect what you're actually asking is what the maximum usable ISO is in low light, and in that case I'd say I'll never go over 6400 in 4K full-sensor, or 3200 for 6K or 4K crop mode. It seems the full sensor downscaling from 6K to 4K cleans up a bit of the noise so I feel I can usually bump the ISO up a little higher in that mode.
@@wileyvisuals5714 thanks 🤩
Just to clarify no internal ProRes recording options ??
It does have internal Prores up to 4K75p or 6K30p
It also outputs Prores Raw to an external recorder.
@@wileyvisuals5714 appreciate your reply mate, i understand the with atmos - prores / prores Raw options, but native internal recording formats as prescribed on B&H say only H.264 / H.265 variates ???
@@gabrielzachary5804 It definitely has internal Prores - most of what I shoot is Prores 422 but I use LT for higher frame rates sometimes. The B&H listing appears to be incomplete for some reason.
@@wileyvisuals5714 Thanks again, Totally weird because i just checked a couple more reviews and they mention avc / hevc but never ProRes ?? Perhaps they installed them later with a firmware update ? strange
@@gabrielzachary5804 The only E2 model that might not have Prores is the budget E2c, but all of the others (E2, E2-M4, E2-S6, E2-F6, E2-F8) all record prores internally. Any reviewers who state otherwise have not done a proper review!