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Liking the 6k 30p ‘open gate’ (3:2) on the S5ii… Testing it ahead of the arrival of that pair of S5iix’s due hopefully soon… I think I will probably be using it as my go to for the bulk of my work going forward because it does have an extra edge of detail over 4k and allows for better quality 9:16 highlight films using the same material, on top of my regular wedding films/videos. The only issue I seem to be having is my M1 chip MacBook doesn’t seem to like it much whereas 4k footage flies through it. Not sure what’s going on there… The baked in LUT works great so will also be using that going forward. Using the Gamut conversion LUT which is my preferred one and the footage coming out is nicer than using any profile with more DR. After some minor adjustments, it’s then just a case of the grade but I am much preferring getting an ‘a good starting point almost ready to go’ SOOC image. No ‘worthy’ examples at this time as I was just messing about really trying out some different set ups and getting round any potential flicker etc (using 30fps in a PAL region). It’s tungsten that is the only occasional issue but these things have synchro scan so as long as you don’t mind breaking the 180 degree shutter rule, you can tweak it any which way. Or just shoot 108/216/324 degrees if you know it’s just going to be awful. Most of my work is daylight plus some LED so not really an issue anyway.

I used to be in love, and still am, with the mini dv cameras of the 90's. The practicality of it made me looking for that breeze of use in many newer cameras but have yet to find it. I don't speak about mirrorless cameras or dslrs, but camcorders with great usability and image quality. One that probably come to mind is the hated Canon XC10/15. Of course, I understand that a Sony Fx3 with a zoom lens could potentially be something similar, and better, but again, I'm talking about a camcorder with great image quality, small form factor, great usability.

In the same vein as the XC10, have a look at the Panasonic FZ2000/2500. Its a stills camera style form factor but it can be considered a full on 4K/HD camcorder, complete with integral 4 step ND filter, V-LOG, 5 axis stabilisation, servo zoom (with LANC input to support external control), audio monitoring etc etc. The 24-480mm zoom lens makes it ideal in the tourist camcorder role to get that broad range of coverage and shot sizes and here are some frame exports from footage that I shot with mine in that role, shot in v-Log using the 200mbps all-i HD codec. \ Panasonic made a camcorder style version of it (with additional high frame rate capability) but it obviously was significantly more expensive (at least double if I recall correctly) as these things tend to always be. You can pick up a used FZ2000/2500 for around €700 or under which makes it a very decent option for a camcorder role. As long as you ignore the fact that it doesn't actually look one 🙂

Am afraid the standard Zoom F2 is useless for using with TC, you need the Zoom F2-BT version. (plus the TCS Ultrasync Blue, and 2x TCS USO for each Blackmagic Pocket 6K. Oh, and TCS Ltd has been bought out by Atomos now) If you haven't yet got the Zooms, I'd recommend you get instead the Tentacle Track E instead, it is a better/easier setup. If you can wait, you might want to get the Deity PR-2 pocket recorder instead. https://deitymic.com/products/pr-2/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2023/04/18/deity-releases-the-pr-2-pocket-recorder-with-32-bit-float/ https://www.gothamsound.com/product/pr-2-pocket-recorder

Such an awesome discussion here. Thank you everyone!! Small update: the concert has happened. I ended up using only the 24-105mm f/4. Thanks to many of you I realized that changing lenses would have cost me shots, no matter how much I wanted the look from my primes. Light wasn't an issue as the FX6 is amazing at its second base ISO. Technically speaking the shoot went very well. I was on-site for 2 days capturing all sorts of BTS footage of load in and set up. There were a few pretty dramatic setbacks, though. As with many big name acts, there were some strict PR guidelines put in place that I could not control. So, I wasn't able to get many of the types of shots I'd originally scoped for this project. The video is being reviewed by the band's management now. So, hopefully another update coming soon.

Yes you are right, the same goes for here, certain churches don't allow flashes during weddings, many events/venues don't let you bring anything even resembling a professional camera on their property or in their venue unless you get approval first which of course is nearly impossible to get. For places that are that bad, I just tell my client that I refuse to film there. These days I don't really do the tourist thing anymore but if I did even the R7 would probably be too big for venues like that. I didn't even think about the smaller size of the venues there. I have been to Europe a few times and each time, the smaller size of everything was the first thing I had to get used to. By comparison most things in America seem large to the point of being wastefully excessive. Events are the same way, most events are in huge venues with large crowds and the zoom lenses really help close those gaps. I think with smaller venues I would be more likely to consider primes or something like the 24-70 F2.8. I guess that's why it was hard for me to even imagine some of the lens choices that people were making here when I was thinking about the amount of space I need to cover in my typical event. I have even used the 70-200 on occasion because things were just so far away or so high up that the 105 wasn't long enough for me to capture the level of detail that I wanted. BTW the 70-200 RF F2.8 is incredibly stable handheld even at 200mm way more so than the EF version ever was. Its funny, I don't look at them as compromises at all as long as you deliver something the client is willing to pay for. At the end of the day it is just photos and video footage, to me it's only a compromise if you compare it to something else you could have done or some other equipment you could have used, but if the client is pleased with the final product then I consider that as having picked the right equipment for the job even if that client happens to be yourself. Sure you could have picked a sharper lens, shot with a higher resolution camera, used a gimbal instead of handheld, etc. etc. but none of those things mattered in the end so I don't consider not using those things to be a compromise.

I seem to be spending a lot of time thinking and posting about the Z series cameras considering that I don't actually own one. Well, not yet at least. What is solidifying what now seems like an inevitable purchase of the Z8/Z9 (more likely the latter) is the mount but not necessarily the native lenses themselves. Not that there is anything wrong with the native lenses from what I have seen more that I have a some may say addiction level collection of lenses and I don't fancy the expense of adding to it with a collection of native Z mount lenses. Not least because, of course, I won't get any utility from them with any of my other some may say addiction level collection of cameras. The supreme adaptability of the Z mount means that it is unsurpassed in terms of allowing me to use the, erm, "carefully curated " collection of lenses of various mounts that I have in no way impulsively purchased over the years, particularly when it comes to providing AF translation too. There are four adapters that I will be buying when I eventually cave in and buy the Z9. Nikon FTZii - Absolute no brainer for most users of course but particularly for me as I do have a legitimately large collection of actually carefully curated high end F mount lenses from when I was a working pro. Meike EF>Z With Drop In Filter Adapter - EF lenses feature second largest in my shame and this lets me use them with full ND control built in. Meike/Megadap E>Z - This one has really pushed my decision to commit to Z mount as I have a few E mount lenses already but the bigger interest is in using it as a pathway to get cost effective mirrorless lenses in the form of the Sigma E mount contemporary range. TechArt Pro TZM02 - The secret weapon for the rest of the groaning draws of glass and metal as it provides AF for manual lenses on Z mount. Predominantly for M mounts (of which I have "a few") but with cheap adapters can also perform the same miracle for my Contax/Zeiss etc and, of course, the old Nikon F mount collection. The only gap is for PL mount lenses but only because I don't want to buy a basic PL>Z adapter when I suspect that Meike will produce a Z mount version of their PL adapter with drop in filter that they already produce for RF, E and L mount. These adapters definitely cement the Z9 as my forever* camera as it fulfils the notion of bridging the requirements of what I need now and the future with a modicum of mitigation for the profligacy of the past. Having said all that, one Z mount lens that I wasn't aware of that looks quite interesting is the 24-200mm. Not fast but very versatile and decent performance. forever* - AKA this week at least.

YES...you can freely use my music and sounds in commercial projects...(I've been getting that question a lot lately on social media.) So no worries...just be sure to properly attribute me as indicated on the attribution page on my site: https://soundimage.org/attribution-info/ Enjoy and make money with your projects! That said, this week's new free music tracks are: On my Fantasy 12 page: "ENCHANTED ENDING " https://soundimage.org/fantasy-12/ And on my Sci-Fi 12 page: "STRANDED IN THE OUTER RIM" https://soundimage.org/sci-fi-12/ Stay safe and keep creating! 🙂

2 days ago, hearing about the tragic death of Ben Kweller's son (very sad news indeed - Ben almost died from monoxide carbon intoxication when rising to success, stopped his career for 9 years, and was just coming back to form, and is a very gentle guy), I remembered that I shot videos from some song in his Rio's concert in 2012 with a Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.5 Macro made by Kiron. Never used it as a macro, but as a tele...maybe is the sharpest old lens that I have, tied with the Contax-Zeiss 135mm f/2.8. In fact, is so sharp that it looks like a modern lens. Got it for around US$90, with original box, just returned from CLA - it is pristine, without a single dust spec, to this day. Good times. This was the video - GH2 with Sanity hack, no Ibis or manual focus aids. Vimeo dropped the resolution to 720p, the original file is much sharper. Another remembering - the GH2 mics were superb, the audio is from the on board mics, only with a little EQ. And all my thoughts to Ben - after this gig he spent hours talking with the fans, taking photos, always with a smile in his face. Hope that that smile returns soon.