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I think they often have the good information, but I also believe Panasonic is a company run by committee. I don't think there's one primary designer who's creating camera concepts nowadays, probably with a few exceptions. Companies like Pentax and Olympus had people like Yoshihisa Maitani. I think we can kiss those days goodbye. The results from those designers were probably hit and miss but, when they hit, they'd strike gold. Panasonic needs to have input from everyone under the sun and you get results like the GH4, coming from the GH3. I don't pretend to know the inner workings of any brand, but I imagine it's something of the sorts. So, why do they get it wrong? Some voices are louder than others is what I think. When Steve Jobs was around, he was the loudest voice at Apple and you'd get the right product at the right time because he was an experienced genius. Tim Cook, as smart as he is, listens to the wrong people sometimes and you get some products that seem "out-of-sync" with the times. Panasonic seems to chose not to develop to their own detriment. For example, someone with loud voice said that the point and shoot market was too hard to get back. And yet they don't have the foresight to understand people would still want a PAS experience. Fuji did and we got the X100 V and VI. Panasonic is seemingly slow and reactive, which is too bad. They need to find a better system somehow because Fuji is eating their lunch in the PAS market IMO, regardless of their savvy production knowhow. Besides, where in the HELL is a small rangefinder-style M43 camera with 10bit H.265 and Vlog with full sensor readout and a mic jack? How many years have we asked for that? It's getting embarrassing and sure hope someone at Panasonic is blushing at this point.

I can’t speak for YouTubers but one of my previous roles was writing magazine features and product reviews. In addition, I also covered the press only product launches and the major trade shows such as IBC, NAB and AES. At no time during any of that was I provided with prostitutes by any manufacturer. And God knows I asked them enough times.

Gentlemen, warm up your keyboards... remember, no imperfection shouldn't be blown completely out of proportion!

"Chimp Empires" should be a documentary about Fujifilm X-Pro 3 users - the ones that raved about the stupid back LCD that brought back "real photography" and after made a class action suit against Fujifilm for the LCD ribbon cables being broken (because, of course, in real life, not making online dick measuring, the open the fking LCD all the time to chimp the photos).

Ah, that will be why she refuses to respond to any of the dozens of communications I send to her every day. Thinks she’s too good for me 😏

I have my doubts that could have thrown that all together at the last minute. It would be giving them too much credit. However, there are some indicators of that- the use of stock photography for one, and the lack of a proper lens being the other. Still, they handed out a lot of cameras to people and I doubt they could have made a production run in that little time if the theory is a last minute change. Yes, a 35mm and 85mm, each on a S9, for a wedding shoot would be a nice setup. You could also color-code them as to not get confused!

Well now I have the z8 for stills I just need them to put the z8 in a cine body (fx3 or komodox) with internal NDs, open gate, and a better log curve.

Well it was a close call for me John because despite initially dismissing this camera at launch, other than the lack of a mech shutter (not itself an issue, just in the instance of this camera) and despite my wish to move from 4 cameras to 3… But what it has going for it is that as someone already using an S1H and an S5ii for video, actually using two more dinky full frame S cameras with primes, would be a pretty good set up! Same batteries (as the S5ii anyway), ability to swap lenses and whole units around throughout the day etc… Yes, a huge draw…but upon further reflection, I prefer my current LUMIX video + Nikon stills approach. I think if I had not moved to Nikon for stills this year, then a pair of S9’s and some primes would have been on the cards. Several viable ways to skin this particular cat. Multiple options with multiple systems and has been for a few years now.

Reading the news about June 5 and putting the whole S9 Gerald Undone Special Edition drama in perspective, I am left with the only real big curiosity: why they decided to introduce S9 at the last moment. What accident did they have? Because it is clear that they did not have a ready lens for the presentation. The 26mm/F8 pancake is a joke. Or was it all prepared?

Yeah, it's even got a tick-box that disables all the parts that can't be turned into a LUT, so unless I'm mistaken, there will be a zillion LUT packs based on FLC over the next years. Of course, with FLC part of Resolve, the market for LUT packs might drop considerably, as getting a film-like look is about to go from quite difficult in V18 to literally only a few clicks in V19. Part of me is a bit annoyed that FLC will make it so easy, because whenever I create a decent filmic grade it's not valued much anymore, but of course skills are always useful and I can adapt.

June 5 looks like the video maker's holiday. Double announcement Pana and Canon. Rumors run wild. https://www.43rumors.com/ft3-panasonic-lumix-gh7-to-be-announced-soon/ https://www.canonrumors.com/canon-usa-to-launch-new-cinema-eos-product-on-june-5/ If a GH7 really comes out, I'll have to break my piggy bank. P.S. I wonder if Gerald will have had one of these machines on test 😉

Awesome lens. Sigma is definitely one of my favorite companies in the camera and lens world. It's not a huge zoom range, but 28 and 50 are basically the only two primes I use regularly. 45 isn't quite 50, but if you're looking to cover a LOT of scenarios without compromising on speed or sharpness, it looks like a great choice. Too bad they couldn't put a linear focus ring on it. It's so difficult to use something like this with a wireless follow focus. Maybe they'll eventually make a cine version, like their 24-35.

If I could have only one camera... After going out filming with the Bmpcc 6 days in a row I must say, Wow factor and big-to-small Fail factor have been provided generously by this little camera. I had mentioned the S1H as my cam of choice but here we go, Bmpcc won me over, S1H has not even been looked at for my week of golden hour roaming and filming. Still, "that one camera" has not been made for me yet. Bmpcc with reliable power monitoring, 1h recording time and focus zoom assist would make it such a much better camera. 2.5K 60p and full Hdmi, now that's "that one camera" category for me. A 4K M43 fairchild sensor with additional S16 mode and various aspect ratios would make it my "perfect camera". I'd sing that silly song like the camera conspiracies guy with all of the verses, but only once.:) I don't need super low light, nor Ibis nor what not. It's amazing how close manufacturers get but yet how long they keep resisting to deliver the essential pocketable camera. The og pocket and the bmmcc have the best image quality for the painterly look and for small pockets and for small pockets worth of money. All these cameras, so close yet so far.

Here are a few short and uninteresting clips in f-log2. They're still uploading, should be done in about 10 minutes. I'll leave them up until I remember to delete them or need to free up space. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wXDZ0j8JvTxejzKbjjnEYq0XWv1qZJ30?usp=sharing

I’m on the fence on this one… On one hand, I’m a fan of fast zooms. I don’t own any, but the likes of Canon’s 28-70 f2, their 24-105 f2.8 (technically fast for that focal range), the Tamron 35-150 f2/2.8, but not the Samyang which is bigger, heavier and uglier. This one though for me is very much a case of ‘if it was available in a pair’ with a 45-90, also internal zoom and also f1.8, then it would be good night, Vienna, give me a LUMIX S1Rii and I’m done. Ideally, the lighter and more compact the better, but when it comes to these bigger zooms, I can compromise because of what they can do, which is genuinely replace at least 2 primes. There’s not that much between 28 and 35 so arguably this one just replaces a 28 and a ‘wider 50’ for me but that’s a winning combo in my book, especially as an indoor lens. For outdoor, I do need longer and could max out with 90mm on a 60mp body, 105mm on a 45mp but really need 150mm on 24mp. So on balance, just 1 of 3 parts of a puzzle for me…but having said that, Sigmas tiny 90mm f2.8 on a second 60mp S1Rii would work for me. But as things stand, doesn’t work for me. I like it though.

We live in a bizarre world where a large chunk of the middle class and low income folks think the guy that literally shits on gold toilets cares about them.

I think that too, but I suspect Panasonic decided that it was more important to launch the S9 now (to some extent to ride the X100VI wave and pick up some sales from people who can't wait for one of those). The 26mm pancake feels to me like a 'we gotta have a really small lens, in a hurry, to sell or give away with the S9' rushed product - otherwise why would it be manual focus, given the target market? If it had been maybe F4 with AF, even if that meant it was a bit longer, I suspect the S9 launch YT videos might have been generally much more positive.

I've seen stranger things in the corporate world... Still, if you think they're all organised and rational, think about how well the camera offerings seem to match consumer requirements! 🙂 I'm hearing references to the Varicam, and that it might be high-end. At this point it could be anything!

Yep. Well natural and constant light anyway, just no flash, on or off camera as it is just one step too many for the one man band hybrid shooter. Been there done that, the resulting t shirt did not fit! No EVF does not bother me as I shoot rear screen 100% of the time. Bouncing between stills and video over an average 12 hour shoot is easier just off the screen. This however is one of my criticisms of the S5ii and not checked, but probably S9 and that is a rear LCD that is well under 2000 wotsit brightness things, whereas my Nikons are well over 2k. Makes a difference on bright days… Bit of a weird one isn’t it? Could they have gaffed or done a last minute turnaround, or did these folks also attend this other launch and have all been under clause not to release yet? Maybe and if the latter, we shall find out soon enough because at least a couple of dozen of them would almost certainly have been at any M4/3 or FF LUMIX launch. It’s all the other Sony or Canon or Fuji boys and girls that are/were a bit of an odd one on this…

If it was a last minute change then it must have been almost ready for launch anyway, which seems to fit considering they launched a camera basically without the lenses to go with it. So maybe the camera was ready and the lenses weren't (except for the F8 pancake) but it was the best option at the last minute.

Rumors speak about internal raw? BRaw?

I'm surprised they'd just straight up discontinue the GH6. The GH7 will need to have some really killer features to stand out, I think.

Yeah. Back in the early 80’s, Ridley Scott promised me those flying cars by 2019. Where da fuck is my flying car? I’m going to be disappointed in 2049 also if Ana De Armas doesn’t appear on demand as a hologram in my living room…

Where the hell is my flying car?!?!

I can't believe we are in 2024.

Good catch!

If I was considering using an S9, it would be a pair of and one with the 45 and the other with the 90, both of which I have had and particularly impressed with the 90 which is pretty tiny really. I’d flip the 17 and 24 for the 20mm f2 which whilst a little bigger and heavier, kind of does both but can do it in low light which for me would seal the deal! But I am not going to so… The lack of a mech shutter was the swing vote for me in this one. Would have been great for my video needs, but I already have that covered so it was the photo side I looked at, but again, better served by my Niks. Personal camera, and for hybrid use, right now, I think yes I would go S9. If LUMIX ever bring out a purple one, I reckon that would sell out just because, you know, Gerald.

Not unlikely whatsoever, and his conviction in New York is likely to be meaningless barring an additional conviction/development in dynamics IMO. The debates seem horribly skewed to hurt Biden. Americans mostly have the memory of gerbils, and many (key being voters in swing states) are looking at increased cost of living and telling themselves it was better under the orange con man.

I think we are probably a few days away from discovering that S9-gate was really GH7-gate all along. At the time the rest of them started gathering in Osaka, I commented that there were quite a few MFT oriented channels there. My speculation about that was that the S9 was being introduced as the “new” MFT camera to transition to FF. When the “there was another camera they were going to launch but didn’t” stuff started up and then Undone wet his pants, I felt that I was wrong about that speculation and that they were sent back from the trip with an MFT camera as well to “review” when they got home. The extent of his (likely bridge burning) reaction seemed too much for missing out on an interesting but not ground breaking camera so I think it’s because he’s missed out on a much more significant release. With his response to the GH6 he could probably have expected to get a lot of views for his take on the GH7. Incidentally, there is another Canadian YouTuber that received the exact same treatment in not being invited to Japan for the S9 (which he expected because he turns down all such trips) but, significantly, for the first time not being sent the camera. Im sure he has his own views about that, erm, conspiracy. So, Undone was not as singled out for “special” treatment from Panasonic as widely believed.

2 years is very short for a GH series camera. Yes, I think they were invited to see the GH7 and at some point Panasonic decided to show the S9 as well. I think Gerald decided not to go based on the GH7 and was upset he missed the S9. It sounds like a lot of sour grapes to me. I am surprised it got the play time it did. But that is social media for you.

Agreed that FLC is going to be pretty rough for sales of FilmConvert and Dehancer. I'm just waiting for YouTubers to start coming out with their FLC "packs" for sale. But really, I was just pushing back on the general concept that the R1MX has some sort of magical image because it has some super-OLPF that exactly mimics "film," whatever that is. Of course, a bunch of the rest of the above rant was weird too - like questioning whether "David Fischer [sic]" would choose a C70, a camera designed for fast run & gun operation - when Fincher famously does 50-100 takes of each scene and barely ever moves the camera. On a DF picture, for the most part, the camera and lights get set in a place and are expected to stay there for hours while they shoot endless takes. It doesn't matter a bit how heavy the camera is or how long it takes to set it up for the next scene. The corollary to that is if you're on a small crew and have a location for only 1 day and you have 5 pages to get through and a mix of interior/exterior shots, it's generally better to choose a lighter camera which can be operated quickly. If doing that, I'd think you were crazy if you said you were shooting the r1mx, a camera that is famously inflexible (needs specific lighting), heavy (needs bigger/heavier tripod and harder to move), and prone to randomly rebooting or crashing throughout the day. It's all a matter of which compromises. That's it.

Yes, I was absolutely talking in the general sense. Accurate emulation of a particular stock is definitely a niche that exists, but I suspect it's a pretty narrow niche and one that is narrowing. I don't recall ever hearing anyone talk about accurately emulating the resolution / sharpness or the grain from one particular stock combination, these seem to be much more generic and adjusted to taste. With the new Film Look Creator tool paired with the new Colour Slicer in Resolve 19 (which is still in beta) I suspect that a lot of people who would previously have used specific LUTs or a 'proper' emulation plugin like Dehancer or FilmConvert will switch to the more generic but adjustable approach of the new features. We may never know, as I've heard from a few colourists in passing that the majority of projects have a print film emulation LUT somewhere in the pipeline, but that very few colourists will admit this, likely because clients are likely to focus on it and devalue the other 27 things the colourist did. Like how people think that nice photos are made by nice cameras and the photographer doesn't matter much.

Someone had a question about this and in fact, the S9 CAN shoot 1080p 60fps and 100fps in full-frame with PDAF. Others were also saying this but without any proof. This is proof. So, here are the updated feature list: Pros for S9 258g lighter Smaller body $300 cheaper than S5ii LUT mayhem if you're into that Cold shoe Can shoot 1080p up to 60fps and 100fps with PDAF in full-frame Pros for S5ii EVF Mechanical shutter Dual card slots Headphone jack True unlimited recording with a fan Way more buttons and customisation in the body Proxy recording 14bit Raw files Better grip Weather sealed body Hot shoe for flash photography and XLR adapter Full-sized HDMI Charging via USB-C while using the camera

This is the problem. While you're not wrong that in general, the MTF curve for film has a downward slope near the highest end, for some film stocks, for some it is a curve which increases until a certain point and then drops off and the shape of the curve and slope of the descent varies. Kodak Gold only dropped off to around 70 where Velvia drops all the way to 30. On the other hand, for Tri-X, it's nearly flat until the higher levels where it drops down to like 20. https://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF1A.html https://imaging.kodakalaris.com/sites/default/files/files/resources/f4017_TriX.pdf This is where I am going. Film doesn't match the MTF of film, depending on which film you choose. It is a true statement that the MTF curve of all films (that I know of) drops off on the right, the amount of drop-off varies wildly.

This forum is now sponsored by Squarespace. You can use drag and drop templates to form all future posts from a word cloud. There is also a RED user version, RedSquare. This is far more strict with what words are available in the templates.

Back to the day job

Ha, you jest but actually, since 2010 when I first started making tentative moves into 'hybrid' coverage, I have probably considered it if not actually tried it. Every time someone says, "have you considered...", yep, let me stop you there, that was yet another dead end 🤪 As I have mentioned elsewhere before, there is more than one way to skin a cat (other animals also), but actually very few that are 'The Best' way to do something and with no handbook available, trials, error (a lot) and expense, have been involved. But I can say that other than my own need to move from 4 units to 3, I have finally nailed it. Nailed it as far as I am concerned for what I set out to achieve. Could it be improved? Margins... 2x stills units down to a single unit (for stills) is the last significant 'final change' for me but beyond that, at some point, the video units as in bodies + lenses, could be reduced in size as the S1H with battery grip plus f4 70-200 on a Manfrotto tripod is something of a beast! My future ideal, whilst not a necessity, but rather a wish, would be that all 3 units as far as bodies go, become identical for ergonomic and logistical reasons, one set of the same battery etc. That could happen with swapping the 2x LUMIX units for 2 further Z6iii's as I already have the lenses so would be a relatively low cost scenario. But not a 2024 one. I can make small(er) changes mid season, but wholesale change is too much. The only other thing I want to do this year is pick up another RODE WG2 so I can move on from having to sync audio to the main footage that is using the primary WG2 set up I already have, ie, be able to mic up 4 people speaking feeding into 2 camera units instead of the current 2 into 1 plus random recorders in pockets, clipped to dresses etc. Apart from that, as The Purple One says, I'm done.

Well that aged well 🤪 Latest is June 11th as a potential announcement date with availability some time after, but I’d hope within a month or so? Seems quite positive from some of the more reliable sources, but we shall see… I am going to preorder because I am pretty sure it will be what I am looking for… I am 4 jobs deep into the 2024 season and the combo of S1H and S5ii are doing the business on the video side and the Nikon bodies (Zf + Z6ii) with adapted Tamron glass, doing it for stills, but… …one too many bodies and I’d like the performance of the Zf in the Z6ii style body as a single body lens platform. I’ve gone back and forth over the Z8 or Z9 and I can make a case for either except I think the Z9 is just that bit too big and heavy, but I prefer it’s spec and capability over the Z8. We shall see, but I really can’t see there being a better option for my needs and all the Z6iii needs to be is, as a minimum, the Zf spec in a Z6ii style body and if it’s slightly bigger and heavier, great.

He’s just a rumor site spinning it out. I just choose not to click on his channel if it pops up and I think it may be one I clicked on YouTube to not recommend already as not seen him for a while. He’s not doing any real harm, just a bit of a twat.

Prores is a constant bitrate per pixel, so 4K is 4x the bitrate of 2K. This is a good reference: https://blog.frame.io/2017/02/13/compare-50-intermediate-codecs/

4K is 4x the size of 2K so it makes sense that 4K ProRes would be 3x (or more) the size of 2K ProRes. 🙂

You can adapt pretty much adapt anything and everything to Z Mount except L Mount and even convert what are otherwise manual focus Leica lenses to become AF lenses. OK, regarding the latter, it's not amazing AF, but at least something...though not something that especially interests me and I prefer the native manual focus options for Z that were previously primarily L Mount only, from Voigtlander. E Mount lenses on Z bodies with an ultra thin adapter is great though! Nikon have a range of 'native' lenses that are essentially rebranded older gen Tamron E Mount lenses, but I prefer the newer gen myself.