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Yes HLG works in 5K 10bit. HLG needs 10bit. So it doesn't work in the 8bit 4K modes. Bit rate is 200Mbit in H.265, so rather good. That compares to just 75Mbit on the OM-1 in 10bit. 200mbit is a good sweet spot for me as 400Mbit I find to be a bit on the large side in terms of file sizes. I have configured the lever on the front of the camera to switch between Rec.709 and HLG. Which is quite fun. The way it works is whenever I need extra DR in 5K I just flick that lever. Boom. And when you don't feel you need it and can't be arsed to grade the HLG, flick it back again and your originally selected picture profile is re-enabled automatically. Meanwhile on a button near the shutter release I have made it a one tap to go between full frame 4K 60fps and S35 5K 10bit. So all these unusual options triggered within a second during the action, rather than diving into menus for them. The only thing that takes a bit of menu diving is the Super 16mm pixel-pixel crop mode. As for rationale for selling S1... Which is a very good tool... Well with S1R I was wanting something a bit different. My S1 has been great but I mainly see it as a full frame 10bit 4K/24p camera or the 6K mode which gives you rather similar end result, and so it doesn't have the same variety of creative purposes. The S1R has the resolution to do that unusual 4:3 5K mode and Super 16mm crop 4K. I also like that it is 4K/60fps full frame and would take 60fps over 10bit creatively speaking. The other thing with the S1 is that now the EOS R5 is working more reliably and I have the Sony A7 IV, my full frame 10bit 4K needs are covered - with the Sony handling 60fps and the R5 120fps whereas S1 maxes out at 30fps. Also on the stills side I prefer the sensor of the S1R to the S1, it has more mojo and a lot more resolution. Undoubtedly the S1 in V-LOG has better dynamic range though but I am not a dynamic range fetish person. I like to see a strong contrast in my end result and shoot in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get fashion. This way I get to experiment in the moment. Does a bright area look better if you let it bloom outward, or should you box it in, preserve the detail there, and darken the other areas of the shot? I find it is always more fun to make that decision during the shoot rather than in an endless post production nightmare divorced from what you felt during the actual shoot, which also has other impact of distracting you from editing! With S1R I feel like I have the best camera for manual focus glass, along with the Fp-L. With Sony E-mount and Canon R5 I feel those have all the AF lenses covered. They are not as much fun to use as the S1R though. The Fp-L also has that uniqueness about it, which more formulaic and generic mainstream cameras lack. The Cinema DNG feature, the extensive 4K crop modes, the tiny form factor, articulated tilt-EVF and external SSD support. There is no point me duplicating over and over again other high-end do it all cameras like the R5. I need creative features and different mojos! Undoubtably though, if you just want full frame 10bit that new 6K mode on the S1 with V-LOG is a total bargain for what it sells for used.

Interesting technique https://ymcinema.com/2022/08/17/shooting-anamorphic-on-vertical-sensor/ Get that "Passing" look on your 3:4 S1R 5K or S1H without cropping.

I had a go at this, complete with fake grain and narrow DOF but without such a photogenic subject, back in the mists of time. It was a 2x anamorphic on a 16:9 5D2 to give a square format. Would be perfect for Insta now!

I remember @Emanuel raising the possibility of using Micro Four Thirds glass on Fuji cameras. Well I asked RAF Camera to make a prototype for EOSHD and here it is. So in past year I have been experimenting with a lot of M43 glass on the Super 35mm sensor of the Fuji X series cameras. We see beyond the usual 2x crop image circle! Here's what I found: - X-T4 has a Micro Four Thirds 2x crop mode in the menus. So you can use anything on that, basically. - The adapter doesn't have any electronics capabilities (maybe later?) so I have only been trying manual focus lenses - Voigtlander super fast F0.95 primes look lovely on a Fuji! - Some M43 lenses even cover the entire Super 35mm sensor - X-H1 is 1.7x crop in 4K so that works well, as it is closer to the 1.86x crop of the GH2 or multi-aspect sensor Panasonic bodies - The affordable Meike cinema lenses work brilliantly as these are all Super 35mm lenses just different mounts (they come in Fuji X-mount versions and Micro Four Thirds, with same optics for both) - SLR Magic stuff very tasty with it especially on the X-T4 in 2x crop mode - Focus to infinity is fine (sometimes slightly over even) So I am wondering, how much interest would there be in an EOSHD branded adapter for Fuji X cameras, that enables you to use Micro Four Thirds glass? This is the only adapter in the world of this type. I have been wondering how many of you have both Micro Four Thirds mount glass and Fuji cameras, maybe you switched but didn't sell all your GH5 lenses? Maybe you are just curious to turn your X-T4 into a GH6? Or interested to discover the unique images made from one of your exotic Micro Four Thirds mount lens on an X-H2S? Also rather than buy separate lenses for Fuji and Panasonic you can use one set on both systems (as in Meike 25mm T2.2 for instance!) If there is enough interest in the adapter I'll put RAF on notice and finally start that Indiegogo up!

I picked up the Canon R7 a week ago and shot with it for a week in a variety of conditions before starting this thread. I had a trip to Las Vegas coming up and a retailer showed one in stock near me, so I literally got it on the way to the airport. I had one hour to put it in a camera bag with the kit lens and I took the Sigma EF 50mm F1.4 and straight through RF to EF adapter because I knew I wanted to test it in lowlight conditions and the kit lens at F3.5 wasn't going to be fast enough. On paper the R7 checks every box I was looking for as s b-cam to the C70 and as a second body for the R5 so I went for it. So, below are my thoughts on the Canon R7 after shooting with it for a week. My intended use is as a B video camera for the C70, possibly a gimbal camera, and some light solo/travel photography/video work and maybe as a second camera for the R5 for weddings (not a fan of weddings at all but who knows what the future holds). This review will ramble a bit, I now own the R5, R7, and C70 and have owned the Canon R6 (for 1 week), Panasonic S5, and GH5 so at times I will probably compare some likes and dislikes with those cameras. I will probably compare it mostly to the Panasonic S5 since to me they are the most direct competitors that I have used. THE GOOD Ergonomics - This camera's ergonomics are perfect to me. This is without a doubt one of the most comfortable cameras to hold that I've ever owned. I like big heavy cameras (I already added the battery grip to my R5) and thought I wouldn't like the ergonomics of the R7, but the grip is perfect. I actually did not like the ergonomics of the S5 at all, very uncomfortable to hold with its shallow grip and even the R6 wasn't that great in my opinion. Canon made the grip on the R7 much deeper and somehow that did the trick for me. I did not even have time to rig up a camera strap before my trip so I had no camera strap when shooting photos or video and it still was really comfortable. Joystick Thumbwheel - Another home run for Canon. I was a bit neutral on the thumbwheel; I don't like change as much as anyone else, and was unsure about the thumbwheel around the joystick, but after using it I wish all of my cameras had it there. It is very logical and the height of the joystick protrudes just enough that you don't accidentally scroll then wheel. Speaking of the joystick, it is so much better than the one on the C70, it is actually precise and useable unlike the terrible one on the C70. Dedicated Video Switch - It is great that they brought back the dedicated video switch, its still annoying to me on the R5 to have to customize a button for this and use that button instead of a toggle switch. Viewfinder / Backscreen - These are pretty acceptable, I read online some people were complaining about the viewfinder specs; personally, I am still not a fan of EVF's in general and still miss my OVF in my 5DIV but to me the R7's EVF is no worse or better than say the S5 or R6. The backscreen is definitely better than the S5, the back screen on the S5 especially when focusing was a constant source of annoyance for me. Batteries / Battery Life - Nothing short of incredible. I shot a mixture of clips and photos each day for about a week and the battery only dropped 20%. Way better than the R5 in this regards and maybe slightly better than the S5. This is the first camera I would be comfortable shooting photography with without a battery grip. As far as batteries go, I am literally overflowing with them...they are the same batteries as the DSLR 5D series as well as the R5 and R6, so its nice to be able to swap batteries between the R5 and R7, interchangeability is very important to me. And yes, I know the older DSLRs took a slightly different battery, but it still works in the R7 (minus in body charging). Video Quality - The video quality is pretty much what I expected, nothing earth shattering, but also totally acceptable results. 4K60FPS, 4K30FPS, 4K Fine, and regular line skipped 4K are all there. I like compressed IPB so that's the only thing I used during the trip. Loaded up with dual 1TB SD cards and I could probably shoot on a month long trip without running out of space. Dual Slot Recording - Canon finally gets it, they released this feature on day 1. A huge Canon pet peeve of mine has been they typically don't offer dual slot video recording. With the R7 it is there and works as expected. Speaking of recording its great that it uses SD cards, I can share them between the C70, R5, and now the R7 so there's that interchangeability thing again. Photography Quality - Nothing out of this world, but perfectly fine for social media or even print work. I didn't get to really test the photography features, since I did not take a wireless trigger or any sort of lighting, I did not really push the quality boundaries of the sensor since I was stuck with ambient light. Ambient light does make you work a little extra in post, and the images did not fall apart when pushing the shadows and dropping the highlights. For the images I shot in cRAW. Kit Lens - I haven't used a kit lens in years, and forgot how useful that range is. The kit lens is a RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 with no lens IS. Yes I hate variable aperture, but that turned out to be super useful range when travelling. No lens swapping needed to get wider or longer, for what it was it performed pretty well. IBIS - It was nice shooting with a camera with IBIS again (after shooting with the C70). IBIS is rock solid when stationary and only doing simple camera movements. I also turned on horizon leveling (a first for Canon cameras) but couldn't tell how well it works since I am already a stickler for level horizons so I couldn't tell how much it was helping me keep it level. Walking with the IBIS is still impossible to me, if you want to walk with this camera and have good results you still need a gimbal. CLOG3 - I used CLOG 3 extensively, it performed as expected, nothing exceptional, but no surprises isn't a bad thing. Build Quality - I would say the build quality is about on par for Canon's recent releases (R5, R6) and of course above the quality of the C70 (sad isn't it?). All of the buttons, the back screen, and the feel of the camera is better than the C70. I would place the build quality right below the S5 and two steps below the GH5. Not bad....just predictable at this price point for Canon. Menu System - If you have ever shot with any Canon you will be right at home with the menu system. You do know though that you are using a modern Canon offering when you hit the first menu and it has 10 pages. I actually like the S5's menu system better in some ways, but once again, the R7 is just very predictable. Auto Focus - Just like every other Canon.....it just works. I didn't really stress it or try to break it, I just shot with it and it focused on what I needed it to and it maintained AF. I still am not really a fan of the person or eye AF when there is more than one person in the frame, I probably just need to learn how to work with it better, but for me, the most predictable AF settings are still to just use expand AF and put the cross hairs on what I want in focus. Eye AF works well though for talking heads or when the subject fills the frame. The AF is definitely much better than the C70 and seems about even with the R5 and R6. Low Light - I think it is not bad, definitely not as good as the S5 with its dual native ISO, but perfectly acceptable up to about 3200ISO. With a speedbooster and fast lens it is probably on par with the S5 in low light. Lens Mount - I mentioned it somewhere else, this is the ONLY Canon camera that supports EF, EF-S, RF, and RF-S at the moment; meaning it has a massive lens selection on day one. Knowing I can use every Canon and Sigma lens that I own on this camera is a great feeling. So, to wrap up THE GOOD, my overall assessment is that it is just a very predictable middle of the road camera which does photography and video equally well. Of course putting it like that makes me realize just how good this camera really is, I have said many times that I think Canon accidentally created the perfect hybrid with this camera and based on my experience so far, I still think that is the best way to describe it; a reliable solid 4K camera that is also very good at photography, that's all I have ever wanted out of a hybrid. BTW, I was in Las Vega with average daily temps of 95F-106F and never even thought about overheating. These were short clips mixed with photography and fiddling with menu settings; the exact same setup I had with the R5 when it gave me an overheat warning. THE BAD Highlight Rolloff - without a doubt the absolute worse problem with this camera. The highlight rolloff is horrendously bad. I don't even think about highlight rolloff with modern cameras, I typically leave that to the pixel peepers to complain about, but with the R7 it is without a doubt its biggest flaw. Its highlight roll off performance is about equal to my Canon T6 Rebel and far worse than even my drone with its 1" sensor. At first I thought it was just the kit lens causing it to be so bad, but I shot with the Sigma 50mm F1.4 and it did not get better. Highlight rolloff is important to me because I mostly shoot people in bad lighting where hot spots abound. Kit Lens - Yes it has a great range, but optically it just isn't very good. At the long end it gets cloudy, somewhere in the middle its not very sharp, and at the short end its somewhat acceptable. I think the Canon EF 24-105 F4.0 L lens or the Sigma EF-S 18-35 F1.8 would be a much better lens for this camera but neither offer the type of range that the kit lens offers. The camera sensor definitely far outperforms the kit lens as is to be expected. IBIS Wobble - at the 18mm end of the kit lens the IBIS wobble is pretty bad, definitely worse than anything I got with the S5. If you try to walk at all, it introduces wobble that cannot be removed in post. Towards the 30mm+ end of the range it gets better. Also, the lens did not have IS so a lens with IS may perform better. Video Tools - Typical Canon, no WFM, no false color, and my #1 pet peeve....the electronic level and histogram disappear when you hit record. The S5 and GH5 both keep them on the screen while recording. The R5, R6, and now the R7 don't. The C70 doesn't even have an electronic level. Accessories - No battery grip and possibly there never will be one. I am on the fence if one is needed with a hybrid camera, I typically use one for photography and none for video and I also typically put a cage on my video cameras and none on my photography cameras, so this one is a bit of an oddity to me. But I do like the battery grip because I mostly work with people and shoot vertical, with a battery grip the shutter button and wheels are at my fingertips when shooting vertical. Power PD - This camera like the R5 needs a Power PD USB-C power supply. This is annoying for me because my current setup does not meet the requirements for power PD. Ironically, the C70 doesn't even have this requirement and works just fine with my V-Mount battery. The R5 and R7 have this requirement, whereas the C70 and S5 work just fine with my current setup. Settings Sharing - The R7 does not seem to share settings between the photography and video menus. With the S5 it let me pick which settings to share between them such as ISO and WB. This may be an option in the menu settings somewhere but I haven't found it yet. OTHER I think this camera combined with the Viltrox speedbooster and EF lenses could be a great combination if you already have EF lenses. Or you could go with the straight through adapter and use your EF-S lenses. I have both Twice out of over 100 clips during my trip the camera for some reason ignored the CLOG3 profile and recorded in something else. I never even went back into that menu during the trip so I don't think it was user error. I also thought maybe I pressed record while in photography mode but it doesn't start recording when you do that; so I am not sure why it did that. I noticed the same thing with the R5, it will randomly record a clip without using CLOG3 occasionally. CONCLUSION I think I am done with purchasing any camera bodies for the next 5yrs or so. I once again have a fully interchangeable system, batteries, memory cards, and lenses are mostly interchangeable. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Here are my reviews for: The S5 - Panasonic S5 User Experience The C70 - Canon C70 User Experience BONUS I shot a video with the R7 while I was in Vegas. My goal was to test photography, video, daylight, dusk, and lowlight. I do think I did this camera a disservice using the kit lens for a video test, but it was the most useable lens I had with me; the 50mm turned into an 85mm on this camera and was too zoomed in for most of what I wanted to film. I also did not bring a mic, so I was stuck using the integrated mic. For the video below I went out of my way to film different skin tones, lighting situations, etc. I also graded it to Rec.709 since I always hate seeing camera test videos where they have a heavy creative grade making it impossible to see what SOOC looks like. I don't believe in doing the pixel peeping test chart thing so I just get out and shoot the type of content that I shoot to see how a camera performs.

Not that I want them to post less on the forums, since their posts are some of my favorites, however there are certain things that @herein2020and @MrSMWpost that honestly would be worthy of being on the main site, if that ever becomes a focus. I'm not sure if it gets more traffic than the forum, but their in depth write-ups about the equipment they use, why they use it, etc. are really good, and would compliment your articles well. I don't know if they'd be interested, obviously, but it's just something I thought of while reading @herein2020's R7 post. They are both quite thoughtful writers.

@Andrew Reid I have been a member of many forums over the years and really hope this one doesn't end, IMO it is the last place on the Internet where someone can still go to have deep technical discussions about all things video production related. So, I do hope you make the decision to keep the forum running, and my contribution to what I think will help it do so is below: Remove the Edit Post time limit - This is my only technical complaint with this forum, no other forum I have ever been a member of has this. I know awhile back you had a problem with spammers editing some posts after posting, but I am not sure this was the right answer. Maybe you could do like some forums, after a member has reached a certain level of posts then the limit is removed or at least raised to 24hrs. Many times I will find a typo in my post or want to write some more after reading it and there is no way to edit it. So either I just skip it (usually) or write it in a follow up post (looks like I am overposting to me). Cater to Photography as Well - I know this forum is micro-focused on video production, but these days many of us myself included is a hybrid shooter. I rarely post anything photography related here simply because it caters so heavily towards video. The reality is though, most of the cameras we talk about on here also have great photography features. I think you would attract new members if you also started covering more depth in the photography area. Maybe not you personally but making the forum more attractive for photographers somehow. I think Fred Miranda is the last really deep photography site out there. Also, it is so much more work to produce a good video that you know will immediately get picked to pieces by other forum members 🤣 vs taking a good photography image and talking about the technicals behind it. Members love showing their work, having a gallery where we could post photography as well would definitely increase the forum's appeal in my opinion. That gallery could also let members vote on their photo pick of the week or something like that. Sub Forums - I know you just got rid of them and this will probably be an unpopular recommendation here, but when I look at every successful forum that I have contributed to (Fred Miranda, AutelPilots, CanonRumors, DodgeDurango.net), they all have one thing in common; they force you to pick a sub forum. I know many subforums is where things go to die, but that's because most forums have too many sub forums. A few big parent forums would organize things better than many sub forums. For Example, parent forums could be (Photography Talk, Video Talk, Drone Talk, Gear Reviews, Classifieds, Editing / How To, Show and Tell). Those are just examples. AutelPilots is very well laid out and has a lot of interaction in the subforums mainly because new posts in the sub forums are surfaced in the latest threads section helping everyone find new posts regardless of subforum. Advertising - I know you need revenue, and I know everyone dislikes ads, but I would rather the site have ads then get removed. I am not sure how ads work, maybe you could be selective with who can advertise on your site, but I know the site has to generate revenue as well. Most of the forums if not all of the ones that I listed have ads and the members still come. Classifieds - I don't know if your classifieds section currently charges to post something for sale, but I know Fred Miranda's site does. Its a very nominal fee ($5 I think) but its still better than nothing. Obviously that comes with its own headaches (scammers never sleep), but I would trust buying or selling to a well known member here than eBay any day. If you already charge for classifieds then you can ignore this suggestion. Educational - This forum has vast breadth and depth of knowledge when it comes to video and probably photography as well. But very few educational posts are made, probably because YouTube already has literally everything you could ever want to know. But I think an educational section here would be very helpful. The problem with YouTube is most of the time the viewers ask follow up questions that don't get answered in the comments. I am a member of AutelPilots and my instructional posts get more interaction than any other posts that I make there. People always want to learn something new, and I feel like at the moment this isn't the site people go to to do that. Gear Review - I think every member here watches gear review videos. We all know most of the YT reviewers are heavily biased and most of them don't actually use the equipment to make a living; but, there are a few very good ones that I do watch. MonkeyPixels, Gerald Undone, and a few others I do value their opinions. Since it would not be cost effective and redundant for you to try to match the "professional" gear reviewers on YT, maybe you could curate instead....find the one single best review that you consider the most thorough and accurate and post that one video here, where members can discuss it in greater depth; also where you can provide your own deep insight into what you thought of the review and the gear being reviewed. Social Media - We all hate it but we all use it in some way, I use it just as an alternate gallery posting location to show my past video and photography work and also because my clients typically go there to reshare their content from my social media to theirs. I know you hate it as well, but I think you could use it to your advantage without it becoming and bottomless endless waste of time. On my website I use software so that everytime I post a blog post on my website it automatically posts on all of the social media platforms as well. Maybe something like that would reach more people and attract new members. Other Forums - I am pretty sure you have already done this, but I think a review of other top forums might also give you more ideas on what it takes to get members these days. The most successful forums that I see are usually the ones where members turn to when they need help or want to learn something from someone else that will most likely have an answer (i.e. DodgeDurango.net is the biggest forum for Dodge Durango owners and where nearly everyone goes when they want an answer to their specific problem). AutelPilots is very specific for Autel Drones and they get tons of new members every time a drone is released by people trying to learn everything they can about Autel drones. Learning and education IMO are the biggest and best performing categories on YT and rank the highest on Google searches but I don't feel like this site currently caters to that category. Show and Tell - I mentioned a photography gallery previously, but maybe a video one as well. I always hesitate to post my content here because it could be considered spamming or self promotion, but if you had a section where members could post their work and answer any questions other members had about how it was created, the gear that was used, the technicals behind it, how it was edited, etc...that would be great. Obviously you would need to keep spammers out, so maybe the gallery sections could be read only until a member reached a certain posting level (similar to Fred Miranda). Pinned Posts - I don't think they are a bad thing, I do think they shouldn't be more than 3 or 5. This is where subforums would help as well. Great information can get buried in this forum, pinning 3 or 5 posts of what you consider the top post or most relevant information at the time in the sub forums could be conversation starters, could be instructions for newcomers, could just be very useful information that might answer a question for new users visiting the subforum. Metatags - Not sure if members here would use them, but metatags really help with searching posts. It can be hard to find information on any forum, but if you allowed for a metatag field (just like metataging photos), it could make searches easier if members used them. Instead of having to type them, they could be easily clickable right before you post. Here is where I could rant about the current state of things where no one wants to read more than 180 characters, everyone is just using their cell phones so things are in a state of decline, people don't want to read, or type anymore and just want a YT video that spoon feeds them, etc. etc, but its all been said before. Those are definitely all uphill challenges and they won't get any easier but here's to hoping this site can overcome them. As other sites fold up or go under, maybe that in the end would be a good thing for this site as those members look elsewhere for an outlet. I think at the end of the day this site has currently narrowed down its focus to a very small niche of users (video content producers endlessly pursuing the absolute best image quality possible by all means necessary) which is a turn off to new members who might just want to know what that exposure triangle thingy is, or the short answer to how to get started in Davinci Resolve. Maybe your intent is to keep members like that off of this forum, but I think if you want to grow the forum you have to somehow find a way to balance what the general population is looking for with what the absolute purists are looking for as well.

Thanks! I haven't updated my Vimeo in a good few years. There certainly was a point where I was doing corporate work in 5D3 raw, but that video might have been h264 with the VisionColor picture style.

Wow, you have some nice work on your Vimeo channel! Did you shoot this with a 5d III in ML RAW? https://vimeo.com/81609980

It is important to have a nice smooth roll off to overexposed areas of a shot. Even with the new Alexa which has endless dynamic range, sometimes you want to blow stuff out simply because it looks better or a large amount of detail in, say, a window distracts from the overall shot. I will make this available for free for a few hours for anyone to try https://www.eoshd.com/uploads/private/customerlinks/03062021/EOSHD_DREnhance140621.zip Give it a go on the R7 footage and see if you get a smoother roll off, as it could be all about clipping too early in the NLE / OS.

I think you do not understand the very definition of highlight rolloff. You are showing scenes and examples where you were able to expose for the highlights without underexposing the scene or underexposing something that was important to you in the scene; in that scenario any modern camera will excel. Nowhere in your video or screen shots did you have an example of a person less than 3 feet from the camera backlit by a midday sun. The very definition of highlight rolloff is when you have to prioritize something other than the highlights and how the camera handles the transition from the clipped highlights back to exposure values that are within the dynamic range of the camera. Also, the examples you showed were definitely not worst-case scenario; in your examples you were pretty far from the subject and the direct sunlight was off camera to camera left; very easy actually to properly expose for regardless of skin tone and color of clothing mainly because the entire scene is well within the DR of the camera. You keep referring to "how the camera handles highlights" vs. how the camera transitions from clipped highlights to proper exposure. My opening shots were a much worse scenario, very close to the subject with the subject strongly backlit by midday sun. That is a scenario that exceeds the DR of the camera so in that scenario you have to pick what you will sacrifice...midtones or highlights. Since the subject was a person, I chose to sacrifice (clip) the highlights to properly expose the midtones which is where her skin tones will be. If I had exposed for the highlights (i.e. the crown or background) she wouldn't have been much more than a silhouette (trust me, in camera I tested that first and it looked terrible). I also checked false color when bringing the footage into DR and false color showed her skin tones were properly exposed. And yes, I do this all of the time when the DR of a scene exceeds the camera's DR...I pick crushing the blacks to retain the highlights or blowing the highlights to retain color and detail in the mids or lows, etc. Yes, as she twisted and turned the highlights clipped including the ones on her face, but this is the reality of the types of projects that I shoot, events and projects where I have no control over the lighting and typically must let the highlights clip to get proper skin tone exposure. Properly exposing for those hot spots as she changed in relation to the sun would have greatly under exposed the scene and the shadow side of her body. When you are that close to the subject that is moving from backlit to side lit to front lit in direct sunlight there is no way to avoid highlight clipping unless you have a camera with way more DR than the R7; that's why shooting in midday in direct sunlight is the worst possible time to shoot, but due to our schedules it was what we had to work with. If I wasn't trying to deliberately show how bad this camera handles highlight rolloff I just wouldn't have used most of the parts where she had hot spots on her face. If this was a commercial or paid shoot in the same situation, I just would have shot everything from the backlit direction or scouted a better location with shade, used a diffuser, used fill lighting, etc, etc....anything to reduce the DR of the scene to fit within the camera's DR.

Well, good news and as you already know since we've talked about, always free and eagering to be able to put my hands on it whenever possible ; ) Nice to know some idea to have popped up here in this forum to come to light two years and a half later solid and real : ) No pandemic stopped it! - EAG

In some ways the R7 would be great for weddings (AF, lowlight performance, battery life, light weight, good photography specs, lens availability, XLR audio options, etc), but it would be hard to recommend it as an A camera for weddings with the highlight rolloff issues, not to mention dynamic range seems to be just average as well; DR is definitely not comparable to the S5. Weddings are held outdoors in direct sunlight all the time and there's a lot of situations where the scene has a really wide DR. With the volume of weddings that you shoot, and your hungry competition, you will definitely get better quality photography and video results with your current setup since you found a way to get Panasonic's AF to work for you. I think for lower budget weddings the R7 would do just fine, but not for a couple that is paying for a destination wedding in France. Maybe my opinion of the R7 will improve as I use better lenses on it and shoot in more controlled scenarios, but I think its unlikely at this point.

Highlight roll off is a common problem at the moment. Try this with it, I'll give you a free copy https://www.eoshd.com/dynamic-range-enhancer-H264-H265/