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10-year-old 2K cine camera goes up against 8K smartphone camera in this side-by-side comparison

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The 2K Arri Alexa was a revolution in digital filmmaking. It was the first camera that saw a lot of big Hollywood filmmakers really start paying attention to digital and consider ditching the laborious, messy and expensive film process. But with 4K now standard and 8K on the way, does it still hold up?

In this video, Gene Nagata, AKA Potato Jet, puts it side-by-side with the new 8K Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra to see how well these tiny sensor 8K smartphones do and just how well the old Arri Alexa competes today.

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This is what happens when you try to intentionally overheat your cameras

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Overheating is a common issue for some photographers and filmmakers (especially filmmakers). Certain brands have been pretty notorious for it, while others seem to handle things just fine. In this video, Gene Nagata (AKA Potato Jet) throws a bunch of different DSLR, mirrorless, cinema and action cameras into an incubator at their maximum claimed operational temperature (40°C or 104°F) to see just how long it takes for them to overheat and shut down.

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This is the world’s most advanced “handheld” camera stabiliser rig

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I’m a big fan of gimbals. I have several from companies like Zhiyun and Moza. For my needs, they’re awesome and fit into my different workflows wonderfully. But in the grand scheme of things, the gimbals most of us own pale in comparison to the $50,000+ Arri Trinity – the world’s most advanced camera stabiliser.

Potato Jet got the chance to go speak with one of the masters of the Steadicam, Ari Robbins (before this whole quarantine thing) at the Arri store in Burbank California to check out the Trinity rig that allows him to get some of the most amazing shots you ever saw.

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Does the $119 Akaso v50 Pro action camera really stand up against the mighty GoPro Hero 8?

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For all their ups and downs, GoPro is still at the forefront when it comes to action cameras. The latest iteration of their flagship camera, the GoPro Hero 8 Black, has received very favourable reviews since its release last October. But how do the low budget “knock off” action cameras really compare?

That’s what Gene Nagata, otherwise known as Potato Jet, wanted to find out. So, he pairs them up to challenge them side-by-side. Ultimately, it looks like the $349 Hero 8 Black does win, which you’d expect given the cost, although the $119 Akaso v50 Pro doesn’t look too terrible for the price.

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These are five most common mistakes you’ve probably made as a freelance creative

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: we all make tons of mistakes and it’s a way of learning. However, some mistakes are just cute little “hiccups,” while the others may cost you a lot of your time, effort and wear you out emotionally. In this video, Gene Nagata a.k.a. Potato Jet shares five biggest mistakes he’s made as a freelance filmmaker, and they apply to photographers, too. I’m sure we’ve all made them, and many of us still do. So, this video will remind us to stop making the same mistakes and starting making the best out of our filmmaking or photography careers.

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Here’s what it looks like to shoot a cinematic video with a $94 camera

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As we have seen before (more than once), you can take photos even with a potato. And what about video? Can you make it cinematic with a crappy camera? YouTuber Potato Jet didn’t use a potato to shoot a cinematic video, but he limited himself to a $94 compact camera and some items from a dollar store. Let’s see how it turned out.

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This Canon G7X II vs iPhone X comparison tests to see if phones really can replace compact cameras

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There is no doubt that increases in smartphone camera technology has made a huge dent in the sales of compact cameras. Compact cameras, also known as point and shoots, vary wildly from very low end to fairly high. And for stills photography, there’s no doubt that most of the current top smartphones can easily keep up, and even beat, the selection of compacts that are out there.

But what about for video? That’s what Potato Jet aims to find out when he puts his shiny new iPhone X up against vlogging staple, the Canon G7X Mark II. Perhaps not surprisingly, the iPhone actually won in some areas, although the G7X II definitely shone in others. Ultimately, it looks like you’ll mostly be good with either, although specific needs may demand one over the other.

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This guy put a $48 Yongnuo lens on a 5K RED Dragon to see how it stands up

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We’ve all seen this lens vs that lens and camera vs phone comparisons before, but I’ve not seen one quite like this before. A $48 Yongnuo 50mm f/1.8 lens on a ridiculously expensive 5K RED cinema camera. They say that no matter what camera you’re using, it’s all about the glass. So, how does this lens really stand up? That’s what YouTuber Potato Jet wanted to find out, so he bought one,, and then stuck it on his RED camera.

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