[Gary Huff]

[Kevin Camin] “for example, if the camera had a base ISO of 800, would shooting at 400 or 100 somehow produce a less noisy image?”

The answer is: it depends.

Noise comes from starving a sensor of light, not merely from the amplification of the sensor. Some cameras handle underexposed areas really well (C300 Mark II, A7S Mark II). Some cameras do not handle underexposed areas well at all (GH4). If you underexpose anything on a GH4, you get noise. Why would you underexpose? Well, some things actually [i]are[/i] dark, and you might want more contrast if you’re shooting to get as close to the final image as possible. This is where a waveform monitor comes in handy because you can actually see if you’re underexposing anything.

[Gary Huff]

[Gina Miller] “I did put the black pin in but since it is in the front which is where the big screw is”

The black pin goes in the first screw hole at the very front of the “shoe” that sits underneath the mount.

[Gary Huff]

[Francois Pénzes] “I’m already pulling 12hrs/day editing (I only shoot sparingly). “

12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? You have enough time to post a question, don’t you?

[Gary Huff]

[Micolli Davis] “Although is a Lens test not a camera test, but using two different cameras for the lens test. Hope this is clear.”

It is clear. The problem is that you don’t understand that it’s a waste of time on your part.

[Gary Huff]

[Noah Kadner] “Are you talking USB2 now? Single drives are a commodity item these days. I care more about warranty service and connection type.
“

No, I am talking about LaCie Rugged drives in both TB2/USB3. I have not had any issue with warranty service from any of the drive suppliers above, and, in the case of HGST, having a reliable drive is worth more than the warranty service of anyone else.

[Gary Huff]

[Noah Kadner] “the LaCie Rugged are now between $99-150 so you’ll be good to go with one of their USB 3.0 models.”

The LaCie Ruggeds are some of the slowest drives I’ve ever encountered. Either the HGST Touro (HGST has good reliability), the Samsung Backup Plus Fast 2/4TB RAID 0 (fastest in the form factor for spinning drives), or the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim, which is about the speed of a LaCie Rugged but hella more portable.

[Gary Huff]

[Francois Pénzes] “What would be the best settings on my XF305 in order to minimize blurriness if the end result has to be accelerated. “

This is what testing is for.

[Gary Huff]

[Micolli Davis] “Its the comparison of both camera quality. “

The FS7 is a better overall value and good for high speed work, but the C300 Mark II will have a better color and more autofocus features to get you shots that might otherwise require a 1st AC and a follow focus.

[Gary Huff]

[Blaise Douros] “More than a tiny bit confusing–very confusing”

Exactly. I would have to question the results of any test when these ideas can be mixed up. Will it really be that useful to bother doing in the end?

[Gary Huff]

[Sander Somma] “Adobe Premiere is lagging, freezing when using “Play” button. Fine when scrolling timeline. File type: MXF, 2k.”

What codec are you recording to?