Leaderboard

Well after a lot of humming and hawwing, I've decided to remain with L Mount for 2023 at least. I've looked at every single possible option and nothing quite 'works' for me... I've used bits and pieces from Sony before and it's probably the system that most meets my requirements...but it's nearly 17k to purchase (less what I'd get for the total sale of my L Mount gear which is around 7.5-8k trade) which is a big investment, ie, spend around 10k to get what exactly? An incremental 'improvement' in certain areas. None in some and quite a bit in another (AF) and really it's only the latter where there is any significant/worthwhile change. But 10k cost to change? For my needs, maybe not... Fuji. I had one in da house. An XH2. I came from Fuji and I love Fuji gear but same question and that is what do I stand to gain and what do I stand to lose? I didn't shoot a single frame before returning it. That one would be a 12.5k less 7.5 so 5k to change. For what? Possibly slightly nicer colour science...?? Smaller, lighter and slightly more efficient set up but otherwise... Nikon? Love the Z9 as a camera, but the rest doesn't quite work so... Canon? Too many questions for me, too much fudging, too expensive. (More than the Sony set up). There just isn't anything else...for my needs so I re-evaluated L Mount. I never completely gave up on it anyway and have always stated I hoped they might bring something new out over the Winter '22-'23 period that fits my needs better camera wise...and that may still happen. Or not. Or some time in '23... But I have decided to keep all 4 bodies that I have, sell some 'old' lenses and get some new ones and generally just re-purpose some elements of kit and practice based on my need/use case. So in that regard, I'm going to carry on with 4 bodies and not flip to the 3 that I would prefer and one day hope to. I could move to 3 with L Mount, but it doesn't quite work so I'll stick with 4; a pair of S1R's, an S1H and an S5. Selling all the f2/f2.8 primes from Sigma and buying Sigma f1.4's instead. The; 20mm, 35mm and 85mm specifically. One area where I have felt that I have made some sacrifices (glass-wise) over the last couple of years is in low-light capability. This switch of lenses will improve that capability. These 3 primes will be my workhorses mostly for stills ie, will only be used with the S1R's which themselves will carry on with 'stills only' duty other than a few bits of handheld 5k video during ceremonies and speeches. I LOVE the 5k that the S1R produces but I wish it was 50p... The S1H will continue in the role of primary video camera, mostly handheld. It's just so good. Size, weight, ergos, rear screen, quality of output and for '23 it's getting a new companion. The Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 has been my main workhorse here and that is going to continue, but as my outdoor combo. My new indoor combo is going to be the Sigma 16-28mm f2.8. Because I shoot 4k 50p, these give me; 24-42mm indoor and 42-105mm outdoor in FF terms which is bang on for my needs. That leaves the S5. That one is being paired up with the Sigma APSC only, 18-50mm f2.8 and going to live on a DJI RS3 gimbal. I still need something longer than the Panasonic 24-105mm f4 so hoping Sigma might bring out a more compact (a la 16-28 and 28-70) 70-200mm f2.8 next year and if so, I'll trade for that. And the cost? Nada. Or thereabouts... The sale of some existing lenses and a few other bits and bobs covers the cost of the 4 new lenses and gimbal so I'm pretty much covered. Sometimes the grass just isn't greener.

Yes, the Deity V-Mic D4 DUO: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1567144-REG/deity_microphones_v_mic_d4_duo_two_way.html Bingo!

I have one of these and I only use it as a secondary mic for weddings. I mic the groom and use a Sennheiser wireless transmitter to the XLR input on my A cam, then I wire a second mic using this Tascam. If the wireless signal drops for some reason I still have a safety track, and the Tascam is set to record a primary track and safety track at -6dB below the first track. I then add a 3rd recorder to the DJ's or venue mic via an elastic band. Long story short, as @IronFilm stated, there's no way I would trust this or any other setup where I had no way to monitor the audio. However, if you are filming something like a wedding where you only get one chance, then the Tascam is a good backup plan if and only if you also have a primary that you can monitor. I have heard good things about the Rode Wireless Go II, a friend of mine uses them for all of her weddings, but I don't have any first hand experience with them. I personally went with the Sennheiser Pro body packs and they have been rock solid. All I do is add the batteries and turn them on, haven't changed a thing since I first bought them. In fact, its been so long since I've been in the menu system I probably at this point shouldn't change anything. They just work....every single time with no interference or drops.

Yes it has those options on the mode dial. Actually, I think the R7 is better for hybrid shooting at least for events. The R7 impresses me more and more as I work with it. The R7 has no record limits, hybrid hotshoe, uses identical memory card types in both slots, hasn't once overheated on me using the original FW even in 100F degree heat, battery life is way better, and the button layout has really grown on me during fast moving hybrid shoots at events. Due to the R7 I have changed my whole shooting style at events. I have the R7 in a cage with a side handle for hand-held shots for both photo and video along with a hotshoe flash on top and can flick from photos to video and back without ever lowering the camera. I also added a strap mount to the cage which is another first for me for a video camera. So, 3 months in below are some of my findings with the R7 so far. This is from my perspective when shooting with it for both photos and videos at events: Best Hybrid Lens: Canon EF 24-70 F2.8 L. This was a surprising one for me, I tested out the Sigma EF-S 18-35 F1.8 which many people rave about but it did not seem sharp to me, especially at F1.8. Also, the lens AF motors were some of the loudest I have ever heard; definitely not acceptable with a camera mounted shotgun mic. It also was wider than I needed it at the wide end and not long enough at the long end. When I tested the Canon EF 24-70 F2.8L the R7 was suddenly razor sharp, focusing noise was greatly reduced and the FF sensor focal length of approximately 38-112mm was perfect for both pictures and video. This lens also works very well with the R7 on the Ronin RS2; it balances perfectly. A final plus for the Canon 24-70 F2.8 is the lock switch which locks the barrel so I would engage that whenever it was on a gimbal to keep the balance. Ergonomics - This is the first camera I have ever owned that I feel equally comfortable shooting both photos and video. When shooting a fast-moving event, the ergonomics of this camera really start to shine as a hybrid. I can flip the power switch from off/on/video then adjust the aperture using the ring around the joystick all within seconds and without moving my hand from the grip. For events I literally just hand hold and use the back screen for images then flip to video get a few clips without lowering the camera then back to photos. A hotshoe mounted flash gets me down to ISO 100 for photos and video starts at ISO800 so once it is all set up I can shoot the optimal ISO for both formats without touching the settings. Photo / Video Separation - None of the photo and video settings are linked which is another pro and a slight con. It would be nice to be able to pick what to link like the S5 let me do. I would like to link the WB, and Aperture because they are typically the same between photos and video. AF Separation - This is a subtle nuance that is also pretty nice with the R7, the AF settings in photo mode also do not affect the video mode. So for example you can set continuous AF with person tracking and eye detect in photo mode and continuous AF with tracking and eye detect off for video mode. You can also create a box on the screen and limit the AF features to just that box if you have time to set all of that up. Flash Sync Speed - I am totally confused on this one. The documented maximum flash sync speed is 1/250s but I went as high as 1/500s at times and my flash output did not drop nor was my flash in HSS mode so I have no idea what that's about. It was a very pleasant surprise though. Most cameras stop at their flash sync speed and won't let you go any higher until you set the flash to HSS at which point your output drops quite a bit or you have problems in your image due to exceeding the sync speed, but neither occurred when I exceeded the flash sync speed. The Bad - unfortunately the R7 is not perfect, I have found a few more annoyances after shooting with it for awhile Flash Hotshoe Doesn't Fire - This is my main annoyance, the hotshoe has approximately a 5% failure rate when triggering the flash. Same flash I have had for years, never once had it not fire when attached directly to the camera, but with the R7 it fails to trigger sometimes. At first I thought it was just coming loose, but no matter how much I tightened it, it would still fail occasionally. For events that's a major annoyance when you are trying to capture peak action and relying on the flash for fill. Recording Doesn't Stop - Sometimes the recording would not stop after pressing the recording button. Holding the button doesn't help, pressing it repeatedly doesn't help, it will just not stop recording without additional fiddling. Sometimes I had to press the stop button on the screen itself to get it to stop. It never took more than a few seconds of fiddling to get it to stop, but annoying none the less. Horizon Leveling - This one is very minor, but I did discover that this has to be turned off when on a gimbal. The horizon leveling makes the image slowly rock from side to side on a gimbal. It took about an hour of fiddling to find that one. I thought sure it was my gimbal, but then I turned off the horizon leveling feature and the image was rock solid. I am not sure yet how useful this is when handholding since I don't have time to turn it off and on at events so I just leave it off. R7 or R6II? I know @Django asked me if both were available today which one would I pick? I think without having ever shot with the R7 then the R6II would be no contest. But now after shooting with the R7 I think the main technical drawback the R7 really has is line skipped 60FPS. The R6II has some really nice to have features (most could be added via a FW update to the R7 if Canon felt generous), but for event hybrid work the R7 is great. For events the line skipped quality is probably more than adequate, but for higher end work like commercial work or possibly mid budget weddings, it may not hold up. The Verdict - The R7 has actually exceeded my expectations for a hybrid camera. Even the fact it is a crop sensor is actually helpful because it breathed new life into my Canon EF 24-70 lens with the change in focal lengths. The IBIS is great, AF of course is perfect even though I still only use the cross hairs for AF, none of the fancy tracking features, but the part that I do use is rock solid reliable. I was looking at speedbooster options (and may still need one for lowlight situations), but so far the R7 is a perfect fit even with the crop sensor. I need to practice with the more advanced AF options more to see if I can incorporate them into fast moving run and gun situations. I don't trust tracking or eye AF for video, but for photos it seems pretty solid. Below is a recent event highlight video I shot with the R7. Approximately 90% was handheld, the entire event (photos and video), I shot with just the Canon EF 24-70 F2.8 lens. I also used the 4K30FPS Fine option with compressed IPB and CLOG3 Cinema Gamut combined with Davinci Resolve Managed Color and a slight creative grade to finish it off. The colors straight out of camera were great to work with. This shoot was particularly challenging because the event was half under massive really dark unlit tents and half in shade with midday sunlight all around so my focus was on properly exposing the subject matter with no regard to the background exposure. As a refence point, another videographer was there with a C300III running the live feed and he was also unable to keep the DR within the C300III's sensor so it was no fault of the camera that it couldn't handle the full DR of many of the scenes. Below are a few sample images from the event. These were shot with a hotshoe mounted flash handheld and the same Canon EF 24-70 F2.8 lens. All images were shot raw and post processed in LR. Colors are straight out of camera, nothing was added to the colors.

I've come to the same conclusion for now. I can't find better value than L Mount. What I would say is that if you haven't tried the Panasonic 1.8 lenses then you should. I really like them and they work well for both photo and video.

this sounds really good for my purposes!! good deal too. much appreciated!!!

I think Rode Go wireless and similar (such as DJI's one) have their place. But not on professional shoots. For casual hobbyist documentaries? Sure. Or a youtuber filming at home? Sure. But I'd lean towards recommending the Deity Pocket wireless instead, because: 1) higher RF power output than the Rode Go 2) has a locking connector (which shockingly the Rode Go lacks! That's unacceptable) 3) comes with a free lav mic (and the Rode Go doesn't) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1665635-REG/deity_microphones_pwb_pocket_wireless_digital_microphone.html Exactly, the Rode Go has zillions of shortcomings, beyond just simply its unreliability. Don't assume a Rode Go will be a miracle cure to your sound issues. And the Rode Go is unsuitable for professional productions. Use a waist strap (or thigh strap) and then I think a Sony UWP (which is a fair bit slimmer than a Sennheiser G4, is 24mm vs 20mm. Yes, the G4 is 20% thicker! ) isn't too hard at all to hide at all to the standard of any lower/mid budget corporate time shoot. Agreed. Many little potential issues that won't get picked up if you're not listening, especially aspects novices might not even realize (such as subtle jiggling jewelry could be very noisy if it is right next to the lav mic!).

Yep, overkill. Luckily, 95% of the jobs I do have the budget for a sound person. I've never liked the Sennheiser G3 and G4's that I've used even though many rave about them. Found their wireless signal not very robust. Yeah, might go for the two UWP-D21's and scrap the Mi interface. I got the XLR handle so can mount them both up to that.....somehow! Ha, yeah I've dabbled in audio quite a bit to know just a bit!

Hmmm... just widely speculating here, but I wonder if there is some kind of USB-C Hub a person could use together with a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone dongle???? That's why the Deity Pocket wireless comes with a lav mic as well. You can easily hide that.

edit: omg im such an idiot... you plug your tiny lav mic into those things 😂 oops lol

Docos can be a logistical nightmare in terms of managing all the disorganized data, so it is in order. Thus a bodypack recorder is a 100% bad idea for you (unless... maybe, if it has timecode. And that the camera always has a timecode box too. This actually makes the bodypack recorder setup more expensive than you think, and closes the price gap vs say a Sony UWP-D21). You're better off recording the audio directly to the camera itself, so as to keep it simple for yourself. Are you going to shoot a lot of it with your cellphone do you reckon? I'd suggest the Deity Pocket wireless for you. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1665635-REG/deity_microphones_pwb_pocket_wireless_digital_microphone.html They're a much higher RF power output than any of the direct competition (*cough* Rode *cough*), has an essential locking 3.5mm connector which again a lot of their competition lacks (*cough* Rode *cough*), and comes with a lav too! Another bonus many of Deity's competitors don't give you. (*cough* Rode *cough*) how would i do that in said situation? would i need headphones, or....? talk to me like im 4 years old lol Yes, headphones (or even just earphones, is better than nothing!). Hopefully your phone & cameras all have a headphone output??

I have a Tascam DR-10L and love it within its limitations. Lately, the kit I've used for almost everything is the DJI Wireless Mic. Two transmitters and one receiver, onboard recording, mic jack for lavs, good reception, great battery life, charging case, excellent user interface. I really ticks all the boxes for me as a solo run and gun shooter.

I see you in your bubble. Do you see me in mine? 😂 I use IG for business and another account (private) for personal. I still have a Facebook account but don’t use it. I have a Twitter account but never used it and have been locked out for years having forgotten the password. Just not a big user of social media and never heard of WeChat either!

I had the Tascam and whilst it worked it was good. But… it stopped recording sound one day and since then I’ve never trusted it. I found other people online who have had the same problem. For critical sound you should get something you can monitor.

Great to see some of you enjoy the look I get with the FZ47. I guess I'll have to shoot some more videos and maybe even a short film 🙂

I finally finished and released this film yesterday. 5 years late is better than never, right? I was dissatisfied with it for a while, and there's a lot I would still change, but I've come to appreciate it. Now. So here it is, at last: The film has been given a makeover with FilmConvert Nitrate. I'm pretty shocked at how good this a6300 short looks and how much I could recover from overexposed shots. There are only a couple of shots with sorta mushy compression.

I have access to an R6 at work and have to say it's the most frustrating camera I've ever used - the image is lovely but the overheating, and 30 minute limit stop me from using it most of the time. The micro hdmi is an accident waiting to happen although I tend not to use it anyway as Canon has slyly stopped the use of the touchscreen if you attach a monitor. They want you to buy the R5 for this simple 'feature' that works on most other cheaper cameras I've used. No idea if the R6ii remedies this but it's Canon so am sure there'll be something missing My main irritation with Canon in all this is that I am pretty sure the 2 main beefs I have with the R6 could be sorted with firmware. They magically fixed the overheating with the R5 but have neglected the lowly R6 wanting folk to spend their hard earned money on the R5 and now the new R6ii. I have a feeling that when they've sold enough R6ii's they will allow the R6 to work without overheating just like they've done with the R5 a while after releasing the R5c. Not sure I want to play that game

Rumored cameras are terrible at video. And photo. 😜

As an R6 user, I can tell you this is going to be Canons best selling camera (which R6 already is). It finally eliminates recording time limits and overheating at 4K30p. That alone is major. Adding false color, specific easy video menu, focus breathing comp and other video centric tools is fantastic. DPAF 2 is indeed killer. The faster read out times surely means lower rolling shutter. Really seems like the perfect mid-tier mirrorless. I don't see any cripple hammer, aside from no ALL-I codec so you'll need an M1 Mac to edit the 10-bit Log footage. Aside from that detail this is an A7IV killer. Needless to say my R6 is going up for sale today. Here is a pretty good rundown of the camera:

For something that simple you are probably going to want to look at phone bluetooth lav mics. I don't know anything about them but that's where I would start then read the reviews and watch a few YT videos to pick the best one.