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As far as inspiration...it just comes, but you have to be looking for it. If you're constantly looking for a good story to tell, then you'll start to see images, and if you focus on them and look for ways to bridge them together, a story begins to form. Probably not very helpful, but it's hard to say exactly where ideas or inspiration comes from. But once you get into the habit of dreaming cinematically, I find that more ideas flow from there.

I can recommend the G6. I come from a T2i, moved up to a T3i with Tragic Lantern (and a Nex5 for slow mo). I just shot a music video with the G6, it's a whole different world. The resolution compared to a Canon is incredible. The only downside is that you lose a bit of low light performance. However, the G6 lets you shoot up to 3200 ISO with no problem (where my Canon at 1600 ISO looked horrible). The G6's noise if much finer and grainlike, where the Canon has ugly macroblocking. I still have my T3i, but am not touching it for video anymore. For stills though, it still beats the G6. But the G6 is probably the best videohybrid you can buy right now.

For my need, I would never go Canon any-more. I cannont bear the moire/aliasing and the low rez muddy look. For the rest it is more like best image quality in the D5300 and best convenience into the the Panasonic line. One good advice is the lens choice as it will last much longer than the camera body and Nikon is a good one because it will fit almost anything. One advantage that people rarely talk about the Nikon D5300 is the uncompressed hdmi output. For $ 200/300 you can add a nice monitor that will be much better for exposure/focusing than the tiny inbuilt screen in other dslr. For $ 700 you can have a Ninja 2 with the focus/exposure aids and prores 442 recording.

Thanks for confirming the GM1 as a great cam, and that FCPX 10.1 has no issues with AVCHD. I just went for the G6, although I do mind its plasticky body a little bit (the camera vanity indeed), but it's even cheaper than the Speedbooster now! So I'm staying within my 1000€ budget, while opening up an amazing range of lenses for the future.

I have had the GM1 for a few weeks now, its fantastic. No issues at all importing into FCPX and editing. I am finding that in most cases the video quality is as good if not better than the GH3. One point of interest is that since getting the little one the big one has had hardly any use at all. In fact i am thinking of selling the GH3 whilst its still under warranty and before any new models come out.

Ah, understood. Busting out some Barry Lyndon level shooting, eh?

Jason, FYI: The D5300 doesn't have a headphone jack. Any claim that the GH3 gives better video quality than the D5300 is entirely subjective. The GH3 has better resolution, but the D5300 has better dynamic range, colour, low light and a larger sensor. I prefer the D5300 image to the GH3's. The GH3 is easier to use for video, so in that way you may get better video from it. The D5300 is a bit of a pain to use, but if you're talking about graduating to pro stuff like BMPC4K down the road, you need to learn your way around a camera anyway. The G6, GM1 and GX7 are the only Panasonic models with focus peaking AFAIK. Personally I wouldn't buy any Canon APS-C DSLR - including the 70D. Moire, aliasing and softness are deal breakers for me (and relative to D5300 poor low light and DR too). I own a G6 and a D5300, having sold my Canon 600D because I was tired of softness, moire and aliasing. You'll get that with a 70D too. Autofocus might be nice, but if you're looking to learn how to shoot like a pro then manual is the way to go. The G6 is by far the best deal out there at the moment for video. I would recommend it as a perfect camera for a beginner who wants to learn how to shoot video 'properly' - it has all the tools you need and is so easy to use compared to Canon, Nikon etc. The difficulty is deciding whether to go for MFT glass or get an adapter/speed booster and use Nikon mount glass. MFT is perhaps the easy route as it's small and communicates with the camera. SB + Nikon mount (e.g. Sigma 18-35; AI-s manual primes) is the best investment because you can use them on almost any future camera you buy, the result is more filmic than MFT, and the SB gives you Super-35mm crop and improved low-light. The G6 gives you all the tools you need to shoot with manual lenses anyway (peaking, histogram, etc). Resolution of the G6 is much better than the D5300, and it's easier to use, but in all other ways I prefer the D5300 image. My 2 cents :)

I wouldn't want to put anyone off the D5300. I'm completely happy with mine based on the criteria I listed above. It's just without histogram, or focus peaking, touch screen, etc. some of those other options seem like friendlier video choices.

until that work has stopped, waiting for funding. continue about 2 weeks. #1 - front part anamorphic adapter, cilyndrical. #2 - minus 2 diopter lens, spherical. #3 - back part anamorphic adapter, cilyndrical. #4 - camera lens.

Those are all valid concerns. I like the GM1, but I don't plan on running around with it as my A cam. It's a stealthy and small option to capture nondescript shooting. That's the biggest feature of the cam for me. However, when not trying to "steal" shots I certainly don't plan on running and gunning with the thing (even though I'm confident that I could do so if needed). It'll serve well though for more considered (sticks/slider) shots, flying, and getting into tight corners.

With the Sigma 18-35 and Speedbooster, you cover all FOVs equivalent to 30-60 mm full frame (I know this is an awkward way of translating it, but people are not used to think in FOV angles yet, perhaps in a few years). This will be sufficient for 80 % of situations. What is missing for about 15 % is a moderate tele. With a Novoflex Nikon to MFT adapter (~150 bucks), you'd add 52mm - 100 mm with the same lens. For the rare occasions when you plan steadycam-like shots or a landscape, you'd need a very wide lens.