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Just going to weigh in here as someone who switched back to the 'camcorder' form factor with the FS5 (mark 2) after using mirrorless for years. The traditional camcorder form factor with its side controls is noticeably easier to use on a tripod. I never once used the viewfinder on my FS5 and would generally want to use a third party EVF if I went that route - the one on the camera is simply not that good and would be very difficult to judge focus on, and the positioning of the EVF I find fairly awkward for hand-holding (you'd have to lift the camera up to your face. Generally with a small camera like this, I'd prefer to brace the camera against my chest, which feels more secure and results in less arm strain. Using a C70 style body in a similar way seems like it would cause the controls to be squished up against the operator. I know some folks on here are a bit dismissive of client perception, but I do a fair bit of corporate (not glamorous but hey) and doc work. Client perception is super important to my bottom line and I've had clients specifically call out the video form factor in a positive way, saying things like "oh, what did that camera cost" and "That looks a lot better than my mirrorless that I have at home". It's not (although specs aside I much prefer the SLOG 2 our of the FS5m2 than the A7s in an unquantifiable sort of way), but that perception goes a long way to justifying my day rate and the money that I spent on the camera. I miss WAY fewer shots with the FS5 than I did with an A7s. Don't underestimate the value of internal ND where the colour shift is compensated for automatically, being able to use large-capacity batteries that don't require swapping out every hour etc etc. It makes shooting on primes much more viable in a quick moving situation and removing colour casts from an ND (any ND) filter from log footage in post is a huge pain, if it's even possible with the limited codecs on these cameras. All that being said, I'm sure mirrorless ergonomics have come a long way in the last few years, so take my comparison to an aging Sony model with a grain of salt. Happy shooting folks.

Apple should buy Nikon and bring all their innovative technologies to professional cameras.

Very true, actually, when you think about it, unless you are watching camera reviews, or sample gimbal and drone footage, the average viewer could easily never encounter the speed ramp effect. Even the real estate videographers in my area aren't really doing them. I've gotten countless new clients for big real estate projects that say they want a video just like I did for xyz customer and almost 9/10 times speed ramping was involved. I do think camera reviewers tend to overuse it but I also think real estate is one of those types of projects that its perfect for. No one wants to see 15s of you walking down a long hallway, or 2min for a drone to dolly into the target property, speed ramping is an elegant way to still show a particular direction without wasting the viewer's time and is less jarring than a jump cut

Well, that's a matter of opinion, as you say. I think it makes sense and anyone who's worked in broadcast can instantly pick up one of these (or an FX9 or FS7), start shooting, and find most of the controls they're used to. Apart from setting the right res/codec for the project or formatting cards, you can often get through an entire days shooting without ever needing to enter the menu's with these cameras. And usually you can find the button you need without even looking. You literally push one button. The video you linked shows you how to change your S&Q settings, but once that's done, it's a single push of a button to get into slow-motion mode. It will be far from "less cluttered" once you have 2x xlr cables (+ adapters to full-size), headphones and HDMI cable coming out of the side with all those little rubber doors dangling around. Not everyone will need that, but it's just as easy to criticise the C70 design as the FX6 (even more so in this regard). The FX6 has the ports right where you need them on a set - on the dumb side. It even has the ports recessed enough so that you can avoid obstructions when using a battery plate. Unless you need to shoot any high or low angles, or on a shoulder mount, and can't use the non-rotating handle. In that situation you have exactly 0 nice dials. FX6/FS7/FS5 style handle is very versatile and convenient. Fair point, in some cases. But if you're stripping the camera down, say to shoot on a gimbal or to mount it in a car, are you really going to want audio in-camera? All those cables/mics/receivers would just get in the way and go against what you're trying to achieve. You'd probably be recording externally anyway. A deal-breaker for some, (eg if you MUST have in-cam audio on gimbal), but for most it's a problem that is easily solved when it arises. This comment shows just how out of touch you are with most people who will actually use a camera like the FX6. The reason people will build a rig is to improve ergonomics (for their particular preferences) and reduce fatigue. It also lets them use all the tools they'll need when they work in a crew with a 1AC, soundo, director, etc. It lets them go from tripod to handheld to shoulder faster. It lets them put the shoulder mount and top handle directly in line with the COG for perfect balance. It lets them put the camera down on unbalanced surfaces without getting damaged or falling over. It lets them power everything from a single battery. It also gives the camera more mass which reduces shake and gives a more natural feel to the images (and if done right, makes it easier to balance and operate too). The only people building rigs to impress other people are those who care more about THEIR image than THE image. Again, we're all entitled to opinions. But you're also making pretty outlandish statements that show how much understanding you lack about this product and the people who will use them. It's the equivalent about me writing an article claiming the Isuzu N series is a "monstrosity of stupid design" because it doesn't fit into the average household garage.

Just remember those Ryzen Desktops cost 2400$ and 3500$, both need 850 Watts power to get those performance. Macbook cost the half and use 20 Watts. ByeBye X86 architecture.

So I’ve bought the Z CAM-S6, hoping it would be useful for some upcoming projects. However, I planned to sell it after finishing those projects, unless I find myself in love with this camera. Anyway, I took the camera with some friends and shot a little video. We didn’t plan beforehand because this was meant to be more of a feeling out process and a camera test. I’ve tried very hard to make it a more coherent story, though I must admit it is still very confusing. 1. Modular design is fantastic because you can build it up the way you wanted, however the cost adds up very quickly. 2. Very well built, but the metal body makes it a little bit heavy, despite the size. 3. A lot of codec and resolution options. It’s always nice to have internal ProRes recording and H265 is very efficient indeed. 4. Image Quality is detailed and organic, and you can always shoot in 6K. 5. Battery life is quite good, especially if you use a bigger battery. 6. Control needs time to get used to, and it’s still slower than a proper video camera like the C200 and FS5. 7. CFast 2.0 Card is VERY EXPENSIVE. This forces me to use H265, which sometimes requires transcoding. 8. AF is just as bad as, if not worse than, EVA1. Normally, this won’t be an issue but… 9. The HDMI Output is very soft, for some reason. Maybe this is due to user error. The image is so soft that even using a 6 inch monitor, it is still hard to judge focus sometimes. This is my biggest problem by far. 10. Playback is in LOW resolution. Clients may not like feel confident about the footage you just captured. The whole video is shot in 6K 2.4:1 mode, 23.976 FPS ,with Z-Log2 and in H265. All is shot handheld. I’ve mainly used the Sigma 18-35 1.8 and for one shot the Canon 85 1.4. Thank you. PS. I'm not sure should I make a topic like this. I apologize first if it violates the rules.

While shooting an semi long feature film latest days of this summer, I took a breath and one day climbed around and casually recorded some used locations with lovely Pocket 4k. Maybe it would not be too boring, so just little bit оf reminding of of the beauty of not so distant nature, so happy living out of our - so often desperately and absurdly busy - human world...

The C70 looks very interesting. I think Canon finds a good balance between cinema camera and DSLR styled form factor. And I'm happy to hear it performs well. I guess I have to come up with a reason to rent it and try it out! 😉

Use V90 cards. Get used to the joystick as it’s a stubborn little bugger. Other than that, it’s very easy to shoot with.

I would definitely keep the Panasonic since you already have it especially if the barrel doesn't fall out and in like the Canon. Also, you get to use continuous AF with the native lens. If I did not have so much Canon glass I would probably have gotten native lenses because no matter what everyone says about Panasonic's continuous AF, its still better than none at all which is what I get with EF glass.

I am using version II and honestly its not great. Its not a very fast lens so I mostly use it during daylight and outdoors only but the worst part about it is it won't hold its focal length if you point it up or down unless you hold onto the lens barrel. This isn't a big deal for photography but for video its really annoying having to hold the ring to keep the front element from sliding in or out, with a little more friction it would be way better. I still like the range though and as long as you hold the camera level it works well and is definitely sharp enough, it also has a good weight to it which helps for hand held shots. If I did not already own it though I definitely would not buy it for the S5. Its a great walkaround photography lens, but even then it should really have a barrel lock to keep the extension in the barrel when not in use. On a tripod though its perfect, it could be used at the back of a conference or other event like that. My favorite two lenses so far are the 50mm and 24mm primes. That is good news I'm going to update today, I've been missing the shutter angle feature in the GH5. I do wish they would add false color capability though, it would be much easier to do it on set vs in Davinci Resolve like I am doing now.

Hello ! This is a pretty harsh article. You are commenting on this camera as someone who wants dslr with all the extra pro camera things (xlr, nds...). But like you said, it will be the perfect camera for a lot of people. So when you say "What you see above is a monstrosity of stupid design.", you should say "I think". I've had lots of DSLRs, and the FS5mkII, with the atomos on it. I also use RED cameras. The FS5 coupled with the atomos is a little beast. Really great to perform lots and lots of various jobs (mainly commercials/brand content). And i managed to assign one boutton which allow for VERY quick change to enter slowmo options (just one press for 4K100fps, and two press for 1080p 200fps)....). Actually quicker that on my A7SII. I guess there is the same possibility with the FX6, but as always, they did'nt give it away in their little video tutorial, they wanted people to see all the menus. Every user then has to enter the shortcuts they want. I can see you never really used cinema cameras like red or alexa for instance. They are just boxes with lots of things missing. But you have to build around it. The FX6 provides everything except for the EVF, which is a bummer, for sure, but X70 is the same (with a screen that you cannot move a lot..). And having no XLR on the FX6 bugged me at first, but when i think about it, i always have the handle attached when shooting sound though XLR anyway. When doing gimbal work i usually don't record "pro" sound, i'm too occupied shooting, and a sound engineer is taking care of it. And scratch audio and/or TC is sufficient enough for synchronizing. With it's full frame sensor, great DR, variND, full size XLRs, I think it just beats the X70, (which is also a very very convincing solution). An when you think about a camera, you also have to think about the second camera. I thnik the FX6/A7S3 it a great combo, as well as the X70/R5. But we all know the implemented issues with the R5 to cripple it.... ;). And the A7S3 has the same sensor than the FX6, and colors are matching very closely. One thing i dislike about sony are the lenses. I just hate them. I use old vintage manual lenses, but also canon lenses. I would love to have AF on the FX6 with canon lenses...but i guess that's not possible... 😞 Oh and FYI: for the moment, technology doesn't allow for IBIS to be implemented along internal NDs, so that's why. Cannot explain why though, but there is a physical problem. I guess it will come in the future... But no camera has it as for now, so we shouldn't complain about something not possible as of now ! Best, from france,

I'll be filming with the C70 later this week as a replacement cam for the C200 in RAWLite – any tips at all? I'm familiar with the C line of cameras and exposing CLOG 3 so I don't expect many issues there unless this new sensor has dramatically changed anything.

Still would rather pay more then use mac os.

Alexa>anything else aside from Film of course. Its super odd to me that no one has been able to match the Alexa since the classic came out 10 years ago. I guess 10 years isn't a long time.

For S5 (and S1-series owners), the new firmware update is out. Ver 2.0 for S5 owners, Ver. 2.2 for S1H owners, and version 1.6 for us owners of the S1 and S1R cameras. https://av.jpn.support.panasonic.com/support/global/cs/dsc/download/index4.html

LOL! Well, I think that some of the images that I linked were actually shot on Ektachrome and Kodacolor, but I mostly gave Kodachrome examples, as it is the "extreme" of the color emulsions. Also, I said early in the thread that color depth was probably the key variable for digital "thickness," so I agree that "dense" digital images can be (and have been) achieved with digital cameras. Both trailers look good, but the Red footage looks thin/brittle compared to that of the Alexa footage. Of course, much of these looks could result from the grade.

It lacks certain design aesthetics, values. It is the layout, grouping, hierarchy, how and when you expose information, contextual aware design, affordance, terminology, interface design etc that is wrong. Different font sizes, pixelated menus, overload in terminology, too many irrelevant options, no clear understanding of the user, etc... Japanese companies often are “tech/engineering first”. Their engineering mindset echoes in the user interface and user experience. Which is weird - look at Japanese gardens, modern Japanese interior design and architecture; they are minimalist and balanced. Look at their cuisine; minimalist, simple yet rich, delicate and artful. Almost the opposite of tech hardware design. An evolution of ingraining their (beautiful) cultural design values into their cameras still needs to happen. It requires their companies to be structured differently and I fear their traditional org structures and formal approach prevents them to keep up with modern times.

AMD 5950x can do 3 stream of H.265 422 4K60P from R5 full resolution without dropping frame, current M1 capped out on 2 stream of H.265 with dropping frames, so more like 2X more performance, it can also playback 1 stream of full res 8K from R5 fine in Premiere, none of the Intel CPU can do it like 5950X can do atm.

eh I think I'll just wait for Tupp to show up and say that it cannot have a dense image as long as it wasn't shot on Kodachrome(tm), seeing how that has been this thread for the last month or so.

Ummm.. I think you just named the reasons.

I have a music video to show soon in the A7SIII, and some brand work on C70. I can tell you now, the C70 is a much better form factor to shoot with, but, the A7SIII is a monster. That camera is insane.

Y'all need to watch some Journey videos if you find this amusing.

I have a C70, the speed booster, and this lens on pre-order. I might pick up the 85mm F2 IS as well. The new 24-105 F4 IS looks interesting, as does the 24-70 2.8 IS. The RF mount features better AF, smaller sizes, and faster more light sensitive lenses. IMO buying this camera and not embracing the new lens options doesn't make much sense. Cool. Thanks. What frame rates work with the V60? 4K/24/10bit?

Yes! This is exactly what I want. Handicam form factor with large sensor and interchangeable lenses. EVF on the back, flippy screen on the side, handstrap for comfort. Winning combo.

I'm pretty sure the setup from Sony's video is just that, the initial setup for choosing framerate. (the same thing you have to do on a mirrorless camera) Once you have that loaded all you have to do is push the S&Q mode then the record button to be shooting your high frame rate. I don't see the clunkiness here but maybe I'm missing something. Seems to be about the same as most mirrorless cameras, maybe faster since they actually have a dedicated S&Q mode. To do that on my GH5 would take a dive into the menus to select basically those same options as on the FX6, only I have slow motion assigned to a custom function, basically like the S&Q mode. I do really really wish manufacturers would start giving us built in NDs on mirrorless cameras though, seems to simple to do comparatively and so incredibly helpful.

@Walter H Thanks man! These particular shots were with Zeiss ZE lenses, with a 35mm Distagon on the RED for the wide shot and an 85mm Planar ZE on on the S1. @TomTheDP Honestly not nearly as much of a DR difference between the RED and S1 as I would expect, at least in the limited comparisons I have made between the two cameras. I'm sure in a very high DR situation, especially with the red raw, that it would win out, but I have always been really impressed with the DR of the S1. @Robert Patts I know that "motion cadence" is a big thing for some people, I mean for me personally, the S1 more than suits my needs and is a whole lot of bang for the buck, and with it I have gotten some of the most pleasing images of my career. In my experience, I think the biggest factors that contribute to a "video" look vs a more cinematic, filmic one -- and not just on the S1, but on any camera -- is usually a combination of not respecting the 180 degree shutter rule, and using glass without character. Super sharp, clinical, modern glass, such as Sigma's art series or Panny's L-mount glass is always crazy detailed edge-to-edge, but throw something with more character and imperfections like a helios 44-2 or something like that, adding diffusion filters, etc. and keeping. a nice, filmic shutter speed, for me that gross video feeling goes away really fast. Purely subjective, of course. For me the S1 delivers cinematic mojo in spades.

My biggest problem with modern cameras is the form factor. Besides the profusion of buttons all over the damn thing, there isn't really any way to comfortably handhold the camera for smooth shots without having to put it on a gimbal or a Frankenstein shoulder rig The FX6 actually makes sense for me since the LCD is upfront on an arm. You press the camera to your chest and keep a hand on the lens. I hate shooting with cameras that have the LCD on the back (i.e. all mirrorless cameras). You wind up hovering the camera in front of your face which makes it difficult to maintain a steady frame. IBIS is not a replacement for having multiple points of contact. Also, if you've ever shot a documentary, you would know that supporting a camera in your palms for hours at a time is very hard. A properly balanced shoulder-mounted camera is invaluable in these situations. I just feel like there is no reason to cross-pollinate video camera design with mirrorless ergonomics. There needs to be a bit more consideration for how the camera fits the human body. I wish that makers would revisit the way cameras looked twenty or thirty years ago. Yeah, I mean VHS camcorders and Super 8 cameras. Those were actually built to be used by humans, not vloggers. You held it up to your eye and moved it like it was attached to your head.

I purchased a MacBook Pro M1 with only 8gb of ram. All of these reviews are dead on accurate. My older MacBook was really struggling with Lumix S1 and S5 footage in Premiere and not terrible in FCP but not amazing. Now it's amazing in FCP and Premiere is still a little weird so I can wait for a while to see where that goes. It's so stupid fast with 4k 10bit 422. I cut, put together, do grading and it instantly starts playing at full res immediately. I've never seen anything like this but I've also never dished out thousands for a new computer. I am so happy with this machine.

I really don't see the point of this Zeiss camera, besides conspicuous consumption. Earlier this year I rented a Nikon Z6 to try it out and was blown away by the in-camera raw photo editing capabilities. Not quite Lightroom, but the best I'd ever seen in a camera. And of course it (like my Sony a7iii) can transmit photos and videos to my smartphone via an app for sharing or further editing. So I really don't get the point of this Zeiss camera, besides the Zeiss name (and of course you can put a Zeiss lens on a Nikon). B&H has the Nikon z7II at $3,046. You can then put any lens on it, but if we're sticking to the comparison let's go with the Nikon Z 35mm 1.8, which B&H has at $696. I rented that lens (see example shots below), and it was excellent, but I ended up buying the Rokinon 35mm Cine t1.5 since I like doing everything manually. So with Nikon you're spending $3,742, and have a camera that can do way more than the Zeiss, has more resolution and way more video options, and of course it can even switch lenses. What's the point of the extra $2,258?

I stopped using any IS for my real estate GH5 gimbal work. I just turn it all off, I shoot 60FPS and stabilize in post if needed. At least for the MFT sensor size I found I could get much better results this way. I also spent many hours tweaking my Ronin S settings and perfecting my ninja walk. What I have learned after many years of shooting real estate videos is that you literally should slow every movement to nearly a crawl, especially pans and walks. If you don't start out super slow with every movement you will regret something about the footage later. By moving super slow you will not need IS at all as long as your gimbal settings are optimal. I then use speed ramps and 60FPS to control the actual speed of the footage. You can always speed up footage, you can't always remove instability or slow down the footage enough to make it smooth. But if you start super slow and focus on stability you have much more flexibility in post. For really large properties I've seen people on YouTube use things like skateboards, etc.....to try to remove the up/down bouncing, but if you perfect your ninja walk and go super slow or use speed ramps Resolve can even remove the Z axis movement. The other mistake people make is when they speed ramp real estate footage they only go to 200% or 500%, that's a mistake, that just magnifies any instability that is already there; if you are going to speed ramp do it right.....jump to 2000% or higher then add the motion blur FX and suddenly your footage is buttery smooth; then drop the ramp down to 50% since you shot 60FPS and it looks great. Obviously don't over use this technique and its better for larger houses or commercial properties; for smaller ones I use a mixture of a monopod for pans, tilts, and detail shots, and only a little gimbal work and jump cuts to go from room to room. But back to the S5, I haven't shot any real estate with it and really don't know what lens I would use if I were to shoot one tomorrow. I feel like the 16-35 EF Canon lens that I have would be too front heavy for the gimbal. It would be great if Panasonic released a 14mm F1.8 prime lens for landscape/real estate use.

Amazing video and cinematography, not one thing seems off to me, I guess sometimes people just see what they want to see. They did a lot of speed ramping which isn't for everyone, but this wasn't supposed to be a corporate video; it really showcased the slow motion capabilities of the S5. What I found really interesting is they even used 1080P 120FPS for some of the shots which most people are saying is trash due to the bitrate; clearly pretty much anything is useable if you work within its limitations, have a good story, and know your camera. The entire video was flawless IMO and really showcased what this camera can do; they also managed to upscale the 1080P back to 4K without it being obvious which parts were which. Really well done. This video makes me look at 1080P out of this camera in a whole different way and I may try it one day if I want 120FPS.

I've been working with the GH5 for the past few years and the fastest lenses I could get were F0.95 MFT which translates into F2.8, so these lenses look great to me. I do wish they had a 14mm or 16mm prime on the way for real estate work, but other than that, the 24mm for video and the 50mm for portraits might pull me further into the "alliance". If the 24mm outperforms my current Canon EF 24mm for sharpness and usability then I may go for it. I tested the Canon EF-S 10-22mm; and holy sh*t I stand corrected @Lux Shots, the Sigma 18-35mm EF-S lens does work on the S5, but not the Canon EF-S 10-22mm. I also tested the Canon EF-S 18-135 F3.5-F5.6 and it worked also. Maybe the EF-S 10-22mm does not report that it is a crop sensor lens and the rest of them do which is a real bummer because that 10-22mm would have become my real estate video lens. I'm still not sure why manually selecting APS-C mode does not make the EF-S 10-22mm work unless its a crop factor thing that gets adjusted when the lens reports its crop factor to the Sigma EF adapter. This little camera just never ceases to amaze me; Panasonic has got to be the best kept secret out there. All YouTubbers will ever talk about is the AF, there's so many more important things to a camera system than just AF.

Just put arca quick release on the plates that's what I do.