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“Crappy” 8-bit 420 non-log.

I agree with this sentiment entirely 😉

Just think…these cameras, the original S5, FX30, Fuji XT3/4/5/XS20, Nikon Z6 + Ninja, current gen bodies like the FX3, ZVE1, R6 II, these give us all of the image quality we need. We literally don’t need better until sometime comes out with Alexa-level DR and color. Nowadays I view upgrading cameras as just quality of life improvements. Because my setup can achieve as good of an image as I will ever need. 10-bit, full frame 4k in LOG…is all you need. You genuinely don’t need better.

We'll definitely look back at todays cameras as inferior, but the number of pixels will be one of the last things that we'll be looking at. Isn't it funny how when people talk about resolution they say more is better, but when they talk about images they put the Alexa at the top?

Even just thinking about 8K 60p makes my hard drives hurt!

Just to confirm for the eagle-eyed amongst you, yes, I have commenced shooting on a super-secret project to be shot on the P2K and M2K cameras. These are the current rigs, but are likely to evolve over the course of production, which is scheduled to last all winter...

NOT = Neither Nikon nor Sony I made the decision to go with the S5ii for very dull and practical reasons that I’ll elaborate on in a new thread.

I love this approach. My mentality has really been shifting. To one of maximizing and being content with what I have. Some gear upgrades are awesome. A good lens. C-stands. Diffusion fabrics and floppies. Quality audio gear. I’m tired of looking towards the latest and greatest camera. Because the pursuit of that is endless. Where does it stop? It doesn’t. You get a perfectly great camera, and then a “better” one comes out and you just have to upgrade. And that mentality gets pushed so hard on YouTube. Even on this forum sometimes. I’d prefer to just get to know my current camera better and become better in skill. I’ve been seeing this happen. What I get out of my Nikon Z6 8-bit flat footage is better than what I used to get out of 10 bit NLOG Prores. I’m not going to upgrade my camera for a while.

As someone that is using two S5 bodies and a GH5 for a multicam set up... If you don't find yourself in a situation where you're struggling with something that the S5ii would do better, then there isn't really a compelling reason to "upgrade." My plan is to upgrade to the S5ii (or S5iix) in a couple years, when a successor to it or the S1/S1H is released and the used price goes down. I made a post a few weeks back talking about how I am done buying new and am perfectly content with being a generation behind, because all of these cameras are so good at this point that it doesn't really matter. Yeah, there are definitely quality of life upgrades but none of them are worth the cost for me. The S5 will produce an excellent image for years to come, and ultimately that's what matters to me. When the used price becomes compelling enough I'll start planning to upgrade, but I'm done investing thousands of dollars into camera bodies that won't retain their value much at all. I'll let others take that hit and just wait. 🙂

Looks like a new camera will be announced soon. Nikonrumors claims it’s the Z8…but I’ve heard that’s pretty expensive still. Nikon need To come out with an answer for the Sony a7iv, canon r6 ii, etc.

Yep, if you don't need AF then the S5II is a minor upgrade - possibly even a downgrade if you're concerned about sharpening in V-Log and other issues with standard profiles already mentioned in this thread.

Yes, 90 in one direction and 30 in the other, so even if the legs are on very uneven ground you can still level the horizon.

When I sold most of my M43 gear to get the S5 bodies I was very briefly bummed when the S5ii was announced. But then I remembered that I basically paid slightly more to get two S5 bodies than what I'd have paid to get one S5ii. I think I paid about $2100 total for both, after selling the extra accessories I didn't need that came with them? And those two, along with my GH5, will be a powerful trio for years to come, especially when it comes to event videography. I got the most out of my small budget and couldn't be happier. And when the time comes to upgrade, I'll do the same and be just as happy because I didn't spend thousands of dollars on a camera that immediately lost hundreds in value once I opened the box. Waiting two or three years to buy a S5ii or S5iix for %50 less than what I'd have paid for it brand new sounds like a pretty good plan to me! I'll give them a nice new home and lease on life! 🙂

There are two ways of adjusting it. You turn the knob to make fine adjustments. It's stiff, but that's good because it helps you to be precise. If you need to turn it more than let's say 5 or 10 degrees, though, you would use the other way which involves turning the wavy looking ring thing (which is also quite stiff to turn, so slightly tricky). Then the head will move freely in that axis with no resistance. That's when you'd run into problems with a very heavy setup that isn't balanced - if you wanted to tilt with a front heavy setup then the whole thing will fall forward when you release the wavy thing. Now, you can avoid all this by only using the fine adjustment but that takes a while. I just tested it there and it's 10 to 12 wrist rotations to turn 45 degrees. If you were going to get this head then it would be worth figuring out a way to get the rig balanced on it.

I don't doubt it may happen as the best bang for the buck nowadays but I still want that 8K 60p power as my most perfect dream of hybrid camera today, though... LOL ;- )

Actually I will elaborate on just how long it has taken me, but as briefly as possible… I was shooting Fuji hybrid up to 2019, but that system did not quite have the set up it offers today. I had big (creative) plans for 2020, but Covid reduced my booked weddings from 30 to just 1. I then took the opportunity to switch to Lumix and the S5. With hindsight, that was a sideways step. It was all supposed to then happen with the 2021 season but again, Covid did for it with what ended up as 5/30 and another frustrating year. 2022? So swamped with work it was an exercise to simply keep my head above water. No complaints about having work but there’s having work and bouncing off burn out and that is no good for creativity. 2023? OK start but the first few jobs I found I was still wrestling with the gear, despite thinking I had cracked it over the Winter. Paper plans and all that… I then cracked my own personal formula needs and again, with hindsight, it seemed so obvious but that’s how it goes sometimes. I’m currently waiting on one tiny piece of kit I can easily live without but otherwise I have finally been able to flip that creativity switch I wanted to turn on 3+ years ago. We get there in the end… The S5ii has been a large part of the puzzle.

i would also advise everyone to avoid manfrotto at all costs

This for me and this only. It has to be quantifiable. I just traded 2x (used) S1R’s plus 65mm and 24-105mm lenses, for another (used) S5ii and a (used) 70-200 f4 because it will both make my actual shoot workflow better and improve my end output. Ie, less kit to carry (2 bodies + 2 lenses swapped for 1 body + 1 lens) and fumble about with, but extends my focal range from what was capped at 105 up to 200. Less fumbling about = both less fatigue and more focus which = greater creativity which = more/better material to then work with…which should lead to an elevated level of output that will increase my own job satisfaction plus attract an ever higher quality of client with ever higher budgets. It all boils down to making decisions that either have a high probability of, or even better, a guarantee of making ‘everything’ work better for you. But if it ain’t broke… and in your case @Geoffrey it sounds like it ain’t broke.

I'm not across the details of the S5 vs S5ii, but as a general rule I think you should only upgrade equipment when the upgrade will fix an issue that you routinely have when using your existing equipment, or it would increase the quality of your output in some way that matters to you (e.g. can you charge more, or get the same result in less time, etc). This philosophy helps cut out the temptation to upgrade because the grass seems greener, the manufacturers marketing looked enticing, or you are playing 'what if', which are all normal human reactions and completely understandable, but don't actually help in being more effective/efficient.

S5 user here and a bit late to the party (been using the camera!) and only just aware for the S5ii. I am not much of a technical type but have enough interest to skim read through this whole topic. Cut to the chase, from what I have read I am not seeing a compelling reason at present for me to upgrade to an S5ii. Would the forum agree given what I say below? I use Cine D2 profile a lot, have little interest in LUTs and the like (at the moment anyway), find the AF on the S5 generally good enough for my needs (though something a bit more reliable in certain situations would be nice), love the image quality, look and ergonomics of the S5, still shoot mostly in HD (though guess that will change) and audio is very important. As an audio person generally I don't get why people are so excited about 96KHz as it is way OTT and unnecessary; 24bit is way more important. I mostly record audio to a Tascam device (XLR) mounted under the camera with a minijack output of it into the camera as a backup (currently on a three mic setup - COS-11D radio mic and a stereo DPA spaced pair).. My whole setup is designed so I can carry the camera with one hand and do everything alone, so the DPAs and radio receiver are mounted on top of the camera. Have the 20-60mm kit lens and a 50mm fixed one but mainly use the former for its versatility.

Man, I am glad for you! This community deserves it too : ) Let's put those overheating tests on track! I can't wait to see if that thing will help coupled to external powered battery? https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-CS-305-CFexpress-Type-B-to-SSD-Convertor-Card-Reader-Adapter-XQD-CFE-CFX-Replacer-Substitute-Nikon-Z6-Z7-D5-D6-D850-D500-PANASONIC-DC-S1-S1R-Canon-EOS-1DX-MarkIII-R5-C500-MarkII-p779221.html

For the money, this (and the many other versions available under different brand names) can definitely do a reasonable job: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00139W0XM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You are too cool and kind! @Emanuel Though, I must admit, a certain cheek in tongue is always within your words, my poet friend. 🙂 I did the shots quick and with a warm heart. Nothing wrong with that.;) A 2.5K version up to 60p, with GX85 battery life and full HDMI would be my dream cam, seriously. Would´t need anything else.

Any takers? https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-lenses/nikkor-lenses/nikon-z-mount-lens-reviews/ Let's also not forget whether 3rd party lenses or those coming from F, Canon and E mount adapters.

I shot the AROLL of this video on my Nikon Z6 using the Nikon 17-35 2.8 adapter via FTZ. Such a great lens! (All the photos in this video were shot by someone else, not using my setup)

Yeah, you've heard well but looks like people have no shown a single bit of love (yup, at least throughout this forum here) about their effort to satisfy all of our needs with light, sharp (even 8K, folks! : D) and really effective unique launch with consistent colour rendering, focus, let alone an inexpensive price range ; ) https://www.samyanglens.com/en/product/v-af.php You can find a few interesting tests and alike on YT as usual ; ) but it's here among us where the sharing of your thoughts are particularly welcome :- )

I’ll have to make a text video soon, but I got a working copy of the Nikon 17-35 2.8 lens. Adapted via the FTZ, AF performance is really good. Fast, snappy and stable on my Z6 when shooting 4k.

I've actually been wondering on how much we can workaround and circumvent the overheating hassle with something like this: https://www.zitay.net/ZITAY-CS-305-CFexpress-Type-B-to-SSD-Convertor-Card-Reader-Adapter-XQD-CFE-CFX-Replacer-Substitute-Nikon-Z6-Z7-D5-D6-D850-D500-PANASONIC-DC-S1-S1R-Canon-EOS-1DX-MarkIII-R5-C500-MarkII-p779221.html Let alone set it with a more convenient temperature cutout from (auto) standard to high: source