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...as was the new 20MP sensor, 4k 50p/60p video support and great oversampled FHD (which looked almost as good as 4k). And not forgetting internal 4:2:2 video recording. A well-rounded hybrid camera and reliable video workhorse, for me the GH5 is easily the most significant GH series camera since the GH2. Even 7 years after its launch they still fetch decent prices used - probably because they are good, get-the-job-done tools. The GH6 & GH7 are improved versions of the same basic idea, but it was the GH5 that pretty much defined the video-oriented hybrid with IBIS concept, not just for Panasonic but for the other manufacturers subsequent models targeted at the same market.

That one arrived last week from UK, still waiting for the adapters to couple the customary manual glass... which should arrive by tomorrow or Thursday just in time for The Waterboys concert this Friday. Those 4x G7 units are used for multiple-camera setup needs, here are some grabs extracted from one of those 4K 25p H.264 codec (where high resolution shows some advantages of its own) videos I cannot publish for music copyright not under my umbrella but just for a couple of ETTL samples here now: The artist is a famous Portuguese Grammy winner who represented the country with an honourable 7th place in Eurovision 1980 BTW with a few universal words in German/English/Italian/French mixed in the lyrics...

Another comparison I pulled the video into Resolve and did a little grading on the GH7 LogC image to match the Alexa, and it wasn't too hard to get this: Obviously colour grading a Log image that has been through YT is an abysmal image pipeline, so take that into account. It would be interesting to play with the files and see how they feel. I suspect the vast majority of people would be looking to get the LogC upgrade in order to get a nicer image, rather than match an Alexa, so shooting Vlog and LogC and then trying to work with the images would be interesting.

this is s5 iix plus a 55mm lens handheld. the stabilization is totally like on a tripod.

I've been over "shallowest DOF" for a while now. For quite a while, I've been more interested in "proper DOF." The right DOF is the one that fits the story that you're trying to tell with the right amount of detail in background areas. Want to express the subject's extreme isolation? You might actually be wide open with a very fast lens. Want to draw attention to the subject? Probably better to stop down a little bit so that the background is identifiable, but still oof. Want to present the subject occupying a place, such as in a wide establishing shot? Stop down a bit more. Similarly, lens choice should be driven by desired look/impact. Shooting futuristic sci-fi? Maybe you want some really sharp glass. Shooting something a bit more romantic with lots of high-key lighting and close-ups? Probably better to choose something a little softer. Making a short film starring a can of beans? Maybe don't overthink it.

Can we talk about the GH7 in this thread?

I am currently writing a guide to all the classic digicams from Y2k. And it has made me realise that I am getting a bit bored of full frame at F1.2. I think a similar thing has happened with anamorphic. The look has been held hostage by the ad world and cheapened, overused. So in a way it is quite refreshing to spend time with a Canon G2 from 2002 with (decent for the time) 2/3" sensor, or if you want a modern 2/3" sensor, the Fuji X-30. Also fun are the tiny Canon IXUS models with CHDK for raw, and some of the older smartphones like the iPhone 4S. It has made me think that if the light isn't right and the subject isn't interesting no amount of shallow DOF can make it worthwhile so why bother? And if the light IS right and the subject IS fantastic then a deep DOF can sometimes make it look even better, sometimes not - but it's definitely a valid creative choice. I also think the modern cameras are just getting too good... too clean, too clinical, too sharp, especially the modern lenses (be it anamorphic or otherwise). And we have had this discussion for about 15 years now and not a single manufacturer has listened. There is nobody in the modern camera industry fulfilling the niche of analogue / film compact replacement camera other than the y2k CCD digicams. And don't get me started on the desire for a Digital Bolex sequel!

Unfortunately, no. But I think that the EOS-M is getting pretty close. I only bought mine for the 16mm/S16 crop modes. Those are really unique features and I love the look when combined with interesting c-mount lenses. It's been pretty stable since the "Crop Mood" hack came out. The latest news is that developers are working on a whole new UI similar to BlackMagic's to make it a lot easier to use. Also, there is a new "dual mount" for EF-M mount cameras in the works that will allow the use of both manual E-mount lenses and MFT lenses (with the use of a third-part MFT-E adapter) on EF-M cameras. It's cool stuff.

Terrific tool... PDAF + IBIS at this level put it at a special place for under $2000 indeed ;- )

I thought that despite some good fortune with both goals that you definitely deserved the win. The disallowed Jota goal was unlucky too as it was such a narrow offside against Ronaldo that even the defenders didn’t claim it. The host broadcaster is very much into the shallow DOF shots from the roaming camera of fans in the crowd and the players in the tunnel etc. Its so jarring that it looks like computational fakery versus the regular camera images. We have a theoretically marriage dividing game in our house on Friday when England play Denmark but the national team leaves me so cold on multiple levels that I’m not fussed either way. I’m just looking forward to the Carlsberg and the hot dogs.

The Sony SRW900 comes in two variantes, one with the F35 sensor and a version with a 3 2/3" CCD sensor block. Is the latter a F23 in a shoulder mount body? @IronFilm Btw the S35 version was on sale on ebay Germany, with the 444 board, 50p 422, viewfinder and tapes, all for 2500 Euro, five or so years ago. Never found one for a price close to that again. Happy though that I did not feel tempted enough to spend my savings on it.:) Still got my G7 which I only used two or three times. Lovely HD, best in M43 land imho after GH5, rather average codec in lower light regarding macro blocks, otherwise fantastic image. I would even rather love to see some of your 4 x G7 videos than from your FF Blackmagic 6K. @Emanuel 😂 Nerdom.:) I absolutely love the form factor of the Panasonic NV DX1, another mini DV cult classic. It has 3 1/3" CCD sensors iirc. I would adore a 1080p or even 720p 8bit 422 version of it. The Panasonic HVX200 provides that afaik. I never had a chance to use a HVX, but it seems much bigger, close to EX1 territory.

Portugal won today a difficult match against the Czech Republic, now known as Czechia in our UEFA Euro 2024 debut. Former European Champion in the previous tournament before the actual champions Italy, we dream with the 'caneco' (slang for cup in Portuguese ; ) Match after match, we have to not be a loser 7 times in a row... That's the secret formula! LOL : ) What about your expectations? Who's from here is following the game?

Azden also has something similar: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1621121-REG/azden_smx_30v_30v_stereo_mono_mixable_video.html I've never used it, but I've heard it uses the same (or similar) shotgun capsule as my Azden SGM-250CX which I'm quite fond of and have had for nearly 10 years. A lot of the mics mentioned in this post could fit in your pocket very easily. The other thing is, you can get "decent" (decent being subjective, obviously) sound with a $100 (even less on the used market) stereo mic like the Tascam TM-2X and a $49 supercardioid mic like Deity V-Mic D4. You could fit both of those mics in the same pocket. You could also just use something like a Zoom H1 as a stereo mic, mounting it to the top of and plugging it into your camera. Basically there are options that fit within almost any budget that don't take up a ton of room. And if you buy from a reputable dealer that allows returns, you can always order something, try it out and return it if it's not what you're looking for.

Apples to oranges. Impossible to compare a pretty face with another one... Even when the angle is not the same! Let alone when she is prettier to each test published ; ) LOL

As a 12 year professional editor and content creator who's used all FCPX, Davinci, and Premiere extensively, I would highly recommend putting in the time to learn Davinci Resolve. The only reason to lean the direction of Final Cut would be if you only plan on a simple editing workflow and will be limited on computing power.

That’s all well and good but for the longest time even high end productions use cine expanders, wide angle adapters, and yes… focal reducers. Just an ignorant statement to make and doesn’t help the op’s cause or credit their other views.

One thing I think is overlooked is how insanely fast the sensor of the OM-1 is. Codecs, color science, bit rates and everything else aside, to me the OM-1 always seemed like the closest thing to a digital bolex available today. It's a real shame so few good examples of the video performance is posted online, would love to see some more to judge motion cadence etc. I've also heard the OM-1 is very hard to get to overheat when recording video, which is always a plus.

While that analogy has some descriptive benefits, you also have got to be careful to not fall into the trap of thinking too deeply in that manner of thinking that there is a "lenses = microphones" equivalency. For instance using a Sennheiser MKH816 is nothing at all like filming with a 200mm lens. As a lens completely 100% cuts out everything that is not in the FoV of this 200mm lens. And draws in what is seen "closer" in a sense. But something that is say behind you for instance, or to your immediate left or immediate right? 100% eliminated! Of course this is nothing like how the Sennheiser MKH816 behaves! Not even close. Another factor to consider is that your mind plays very sophisticated tricks on you, with lots of fancy auditory processing of what's coming in through your ears. Your brain has an incredible ability to filter out sounds you don't wish to hear. But audio recordings are nothing whatsoever like that, you'll capture everything raw as it really is at the mic. (I think an important skill as a Sound Mixer, is to be able to not have any filters on your ears, but to instead to truly listen. It's incredible how often I might say "do you hear this... ?" and they initially have no idea what noise on set I'm talking about) You might think you want an omni microphone to emulate the feeling you get standing on a street watching a musician playing music on the corner, but in reality that MKH816 might come an awful lot closer to delivering the feeling of what you actually perceived yourself to be hearing. That's why I've said many times in this thread, "it depends". There are a lot of factors to consider, and what's the "right" answer can vary from one situation to another. Heh, I kinda guess a mid-side mic setup is kinda that. Well not "all-in-one", but it's certainly "multiple-in-one"! Something like a Sennheiser MKH8030 +MKH8050 would be quite nice to have in a blimp, but I'm afraid would be far outside your price bracket. https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/04/13/sennheiser-mkh-8030-figure-8-condenser-microphone/ https://www.michaelgallagher.co.uk/how-to/understanding-mid-side https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/26494-sennheiser-mkh-3050-for-ms-vs-sennheiser-mkh-8040-stereo-pair-for-ambience-and-sfx-recording/ https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/46551-2-sides-1-midcenter-microphone-setup/ https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/29875-advice-on-mid-mic-in-ms-configuration/ https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/59671-sennheiser-previews-mkh-8030-figure-of-eight-rf-condenser-microphone/ https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/35954-mid-side-advice-shotgun-or-not/ https://jwsoundgroup.net/index.php?/topic/17857-which-ms-stereo-solution/

I'm not holding my breath, when e.g. at present you can't even use any standard photo profile in 10-bit video (and the mk ii version didn't have any video improvements over the mk i, other than in AF as part of the overall AF improvements). It'll be interesting to see what is actually in the promised autumn firmware update for the mk i. But the OM-1 mk i is now good value used - you get a lot of camera (for around £1000 - £1200 in the UK), with a very nice fast stacked sensor and lovely EVF, and useful computational still photography features (like the live ND).

actually, i have a feeling that gh2's 1080p is oversampled from the 5k-6k sensor, that it is so good, it still holds until now. the body like evf, lcd, other functions, etc, may not be as good as the latest. but iq alone, seems to me it is not far behind the current gh cameras. just my feeling when watching on youtube.

interesting, i did not know that gh3 can be unlimited in certain countries. good to know.

I agree with that. It's a real shame that with some work on the OM-1 firmware it could compete much better with the G9ii for primarily video use, but OMDS (and Olympus before them) don't seem to be interested in doing it. Maybe because they ask their existing user base if they'd like more/better video features and the response is 'err - what's video?'. I've been to a few OMDS camera store events and online Q&A sessions - honestly I've never met anyone who regularly uses the OM-1 for video, it's nearly all stills photographers, particularly wildlife ones, that are there. (The ultimate silliness on the OM-1 is that in photo mode, by default, the video record button is assigned to another function - so unless you re-assign it it's impossible to start a video recording when in photo mode...)

Why would I need a GH6 when the auto clock set is a function of the Lumix Sync app that is common to the Panasonic cameras that I do have ? To answer your question, the camera syncs to whatever time and timezone you have set on the of the device .

Zoom make an interesting product that might be applicable called the M3 Mictrak which is a combined stereo/mono mic and 32bit float recorder. https://zoomcorp.com/en/gb/mictrak-recorders/mictrak-recorders/m3-mictrak/ It can record in Mono, 90 degree and 120 degree and this is switchable on the mic so you can do it on the fly to adjust to whatever you are trying to capture with it. However, it also has a trick to enable you to change the stereo width in post production so you can tune it later. Of course, with it being 32 bit float, it also has the benefit of being very forgiving when correcting levels in post production too. All in all, its quite a feature packed all in one bridge between your on board mics and more elaborate (and bulkier) setups to dip your toe in as at £160 it won't break the bank either. HOWEVER.... The Mictrak range (there are two others) had a lot of issues with RF interference when launched. Zoom did address these issues immediately and replaced affected units so make sure you do your research and get one of the later batches. Its for this reason that there is hardly any buzz (ho ho) about this range which is a pity because they are really interesting products.

The second clip would need to be at least one frame long. For the most part, I just do them in the same clip. I taped a color chart to the back of my slate and I ask the person who is using the slate to flip it around before clapping.

There are a few camera-mount mics around like the AT8024, which combine a mono cardioid mic with a mid-side mic and are switchable between mono and stereo - https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at8024 (I've never used it so no idea what the sound quality is like). That will plug directly into the 3.5mm mic jack on the camera if you want to keep things as light/small/simple as possible. As an alternative, if you can take two mics, I'd be tempted to take maybe a stereo Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro for the 'ambient sound' situations, plus a mono Rode VideoMic NTG for when you need a more directional, more focused mic. Both will plug directly into the camera and are lightweight (about 100g each), not huge and not too expensive. Again, I've not used either mic so can't comment on the sound quality. If you're going to be recording outdoors a lot, make sure you have decent furry windshields/windsocks for the mics - you'll definitely need them at some point...

GH2, GH4, GH5, from left to right in ascending order. Perfect points about the GH5 and the other cameras as well. Back then Andrew and Andy Lee made me buy the GH2.5, how Andrew named the G6 back then in his review. A big sleeper. Too bad it didn't have the 50mbit codec from the GH3. GX85 was the first lumix for me being really effortless in color grading. It was amazingly generous from Panasonic to give us a camera like the GX85. It still holds up. But now we want the GX10, 10 stands for 10bit, if not 4K60, then downsampled HD in 50/60p, plus an optional high quality S16 mode, make it h264 and 422. Thank you. FF could be boss for me with S35, M43, S16 modes and various ratios and gates, HD, UHD, Cine2K, Cine4K in a S9 body with EVF, hotshoe, full HDMI and mechanical shutter.😊

Around 1.6:1 for BM, around 2:1 for the others. Will vary with image content, lossless compression being variable bit rate.

That depends on where you purchased it, in my country the GH3 was unlimited recording length. This is what I felt made the GH3 the ultimate stills camera (for filmmaking) of the 1080 era, and a refinement of the GH2. All the great benefits of the GH2 hack (such as unlimited recordings and better image quality) you could get in the GH3 without needing to hack it. But you also got other benefits from the GH3 as well that the GH2 didn't have: better weatherproofing, better battery life, slow motion FHD, much better OLED, better low light, better DR, headphone jack, clean HDMI, WiFi, and more. I think the GH5 was more than just a refinement of the GH4, as internal 10bit and IBIS are both two big things And yeah, mentioned the GH5 already Yeah it is a question of if with time (say in 2030, or even 2040) will the GH2 be most famous for its hack and early impact in the beginning days of the HDSLR Revolution? Or will it be the GH4 for being the first with 4K?

I dunno, but it wouldn't surprise me. Wasn't the SRW900PL the F35 in a broadcast from factor? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/737286-REG/Sony_SRW_9000PL_SRW_9000PL_HDCAM_SR_Camcorder.html So the SRW900 itself with a 2/3" might be based directly upon the F23 and share the same sensor. I know the older F900R is the broadcast style body that's older than all of them, and is what the F23 itself was directly based upon but aimed more at cinema shooting. In a way the SRW900 is the full loop back from first the F900R (broadcast body) then to F23 (film body) then back to the SRW900 (broadcast body) Yup, the upgraded S35 F23 and the F35 is one and the same identical model. Does make them very easy to remember! haha! They're offering me now a Thinkpad P73 instead! (because the P71 went missing) For the same price I have already paid. Wow, that's amazing! Incredible deal. Which laptop model is this specifically? It's crazy how much stuff gets discounted for a minor issue. Sometimes it's a non-issue you don't care about and you can work around, other times it might be an easy fix if you have the knowhow. (for instance this P71 I originally purchased had a bad battery and charging issues, but a battery is super ultra easy to replace, and probably should be anyway for a laptop of this age. And the charging issue I think should be a very easy fix. Especially as for the P70 the charging port isn't even soldered on! So I wouldn't even need to use the soldering iron to fix that)

Another little gem form Filippo Chiesa. Reading the comments: His reply:

I think for narrative filmmakers they really appreciated the GH5S at the time, and didn't mind so much about the loss of IBIS vs the GH5 itself (or the poor AF vs the Sony/Canon competition). But for the average videographer, they prefer the standard GH5 model over the GH5S. But the problem is that most narrative filmmakers were either shooting with something a lot better, like an ARRI, or if they were on an ultra tight budget generally went with Blackmagic instead of a GH5S. So I feel the GH5S never got the proper recognition it deserved, was a bit of a sleeper.

This demands a hugging emoji!🤗

Speaking of Tokyo, MapCamera have opened up reservations for the Z6iii this morning. The base price of ¥356,400 equates to a “don’t stop at that counter at the airport” price of £1815.00 The “stop at the counter price” would therefore be £2170.00 Depending on your preference for that counter at the airport, that is either a £984(35%) or £629(22.5%) saving on the UK price of £2799.

It's an identical body to the F35! But with a 2/3" sensor. The F23 came out first. And most F23 bodies got upgraded to a F35. Is one of the reasons why so few F23 bodies still exist. A bullet dodged! I do find it very hard sometimes to resist the temptation of incredibly cheap bargain deals on old technology that was for its time the very best. Last night on eBay I got a working Lenovo Thinkpad X270 from Lithuania for only a hundred bucks NZD!! (including shipping!! Incredible) The X270 was for its time the very best ultraportable business laptop, capable of up to 24hrs of battery life! (yes, you read that right! And if 24hrs of nonstop computing time wasn't enough for you... you could do battery hot swaps! Because the X270 used dual batteries, so could run on one while the other one was unplugged) Also last night I scored a Thinkpad P71 for only US$185! (plus shipping & taxes) The Thinkpad P71 is a 17 inch beast, a desktop replacement workstation with a tonne of power under the hood and heaps of upgradeability potential! (unlike most laptops) Although very worryingly... they messaged me now saying they accidentally shipped it to the wrong addressed???? wtf! They're trying to reroute it now back to themselves or to the correct address? I don't think they're trying to scam me... they've got thousands of feedback ratings with a 99.6% rating! And they said if they can't sort it out they will offer me a different laptop (but they don't have any I want...) or a refund (but I want my P71!). Or a couple of weeks ago I got a miracle deal on a Lectrosonics UHD200D for just US$100! (my other one I paid about less than US$300 for secondhand in 2022, and I thought that was an amazing deal for it! Yes it's technology from the early 2000's, but still works well and sounds great in 2024!) I think that UH200D I got this month will remain my most amazing #1 bargain of 2024.

That's wild! Didn't think Nikon and Leica would be collaborating. Wouldn't it make more sense to do a S5 like this than a Z6?? At least Panasonic and Lecia have a long history of working together Awww.... that's cute

I saw a used S5 for 650EU. Now, that is tons of camera for the buck. It's like a mini Varicam and a Nikon 750D in one solid and ergonomic body. The 150mbit codec is amazing. My suggestion for serious video and photo starters, if much cheaper is needed, a used G85. I experienced the exitement of an enthusiastic starter doing his first shortfilm three months ago. He felt blown away by the image quality of a G85. It reminded me of my first shots with my G6. I didnt care too much for other cameras for a while. Unfortunately that started to change two years later. The Nikon Z6III is indeed not a beginners camera but very compelling nevertheless for full frame 4k60 raw and prores fans. The skating video which kye posted looks fantastic in the outside parts, high end cine cam look. Interviews looked ok with dubious quality of the highlights imo.

I don't think many people starting out are considering DSLRs over mirrorless. The stuff I see, even a bargain like a $1k D850 just seems to sit on the store shelves. The Z6 III isn't for people starting out anyway, it is aimed at existing Nikon DSLR users and owners of the Z6, and Z6 II... Plus they are hopeful a bunch of people might switch from other manufacturers, but it would be a brave beginner who drops $2.5k on their first camera body and a further $3k on lenses. So the $1500-2000 market and beginner market are two very different things. I am talking about the $1500-2000 range of enthusiasts who aren't beginners. The Z6 III is priced about $1000 too high for them especially in the UK. They have a massive range of mirrorless cameras to choose from on the used camera market. X-H2, X-H2S, GH6, A7 IV, A7S II, A7R II, A7R III, A7C, Z6 II, there's loads... Over at WEX they even have a special Z6 II Ukraine War Edition: ... It's sponsored by Leica, with pretty Sony crayon mode dial colours. Saw a GFX 50S for £1200 the other day, so if we take video out of the equation for these people... And realise they can go medium format 50 megapixel for that price... the Z6 III doesn't even come into their thinking at all. Why pay double the price for half the image quality?

The key to this approach is to maximise the savings to offset the cost of the trip to Japan so you get together a massive and definitive list of everything camera and lens wise that you will ever, ever, ever need and buy it in one go. It has to be all the stuff you'll ever need though so you won't ever have to buy anything else ever again in your photographic career. I've done that on fourteen different occasions now.

In my eyes, the ultimate ever 2/3" camera is still the epic Sony F23! But very hard to find these days. That's why the prices for vintage cine lens sets have gone insane. And many modern manufactures are attempted to recreate "the vintage look". For example, just recently in the past month these have been in the news: https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/06/06/ancient-optics-old-fast-glass-statera-1-5x-anamorphic-primes/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/06/06/module-8-variable-l2-pro-tuner/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/06/11/iron-glass-lenses-at-cine-gear-2024/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/06/01/v35-project-retunes-modern-lenses-to-emulate-vintage-lens-aesthetics/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/05/14/masterbuilt-ultra65-lens-series/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/05/02/fuji-ebc-primes/ https://www.newsshooter.com/2024/05/02/iron-glass-phenix-28-70mm-t2-7/ All of this going for the old "vintage look", that's just only in one month in the news, and only what was reported just on one website. Just scratching the surface here.

And this is why one shouldn't get hung up on imatest The whole point of RAW for me is that the RAW sensor data is exposed in the final image, including grain texture and shadow noise. Also this seemingly standard method in tests of exposing CMOS sensors for highlights, then ramping up the blacks - think about the impact that has on colour in the mids and tonality in the shadows. Yes you are showing what kind of dynamic range is possible but in creative terms it is a step back. And when you start applying NR to the shadows in some misguided uncreative attempt to squeeze out that last 0.5 stops of dynamic range, you may as well shoot H.265 It would be interesting to take the uncompressed Cinema DNG cameras... Blackmagic Pocket 4K original firmware, Sigma Fp-L, 5D Mark III Magic Lantern, Digital Bolex and compare the image aesthetically to N-RAW and ProRes RAW, in terms of how close one or the other looks to film. And film remains the gold standard for atmosphere, warts and all. I always look at images and not so much the numbers especially when we are talking less than 1 stop differences between cameras. Unless it is a case of Alexa 35 which is far ahead of everything else.

This is a subject I've long wanted to discuss. Sure, it's great to have shallow DOF sometimes, but what are you really doing? Hiding? Why hide something if your subject and story great, the framing and deep focus could enhance that as long as the quality is there.

Two things going on here... a Brexit cost, and an inflationary cost. We have had something like 20% price rises in just over 2 years and since before covid some prices have doubled... To cope, we have had some increases in wages as well. Consumer goods prices and wages are linked. It's why online subscriptions for example cost less depending on the country. Also if the UK Nikon marketing, sales, distribution, and then on top of that WEX store staff are all needing their 10-20% pay rise it will pump up the price of cameras and lenses. Since Brexit UK has decoupled from the third largest economic region on the planet, so no longer enjoys the economies of scale as much as it used to, and shipping has become much more expensive. The currency has also taken a hit vs the USD but the yen I believe is quite weak? So that doesn't really explain, or shouldn't explain the raw deal. VAT is still very high and should really come down. Anyway it all amounts to it being £300 too much at launch for mid-range camera and they will be hoping the better than R6 II / A7 IV specs on the video side and the long pent up demand for a proper Z6 upgrade gets it over the line. What I think they have also accounted for is future discounts. They know it won't be at £2699 for very long.

I have juggled with so many combos, some of which have worked better than others and as a one man band, it always comes down to the same thing, - what is the max that you can do, and consistently, without tripping over yourself. The potential issue with 'minimalism' is that often there is no back up, but too much kit and as above, you risk over-complicating and tripping yourself up. Having 2 identical static video units being fed from 4 audio feeds is minimal set up, but maximum insurance. With a third roaming run & gun video unit, there is also extensive variety. Keeping it all within the L Mount family, adds a 4th option with the S1H being stills, but at a flick of a switch, becoming video. It's also the path of least investment financially and the fact that it is the least compromised option right now, it just makes utter sense. So I can carry 3 units on me (one each hip and one on a strap), but it's too much, especially when it was 3 different cameras re. ergos etc. There are still certain minimum's even applying the KISS principal, but this is as KISS as things can be for my needs. The S9 would never have worked in a 3 unit set up because of that limited recording time, but for several hundred 10 second clips spread over a typical 20+ hour job, perfect. Tiny Smallrig cage on it's way and will probably stick a small side handle on the side for handling purposes and even with Rode Micro shotgun, we're still talking well under 1kg for a 6k 30p Open Gate set up with near gimbal like stability, and that's a bit bonkers.

The decision has been made and the deed has been done, - I am once again fully L Mount. My return to Nikon for stills, was brief but hey ho. What have I just done? Put my Nikon Zf, Z6ii and 3x adapted E Mount Tamron lenses to one side for the moment and after I get back from my next trip, both of the Nikon bodies will be sold. The S1H has moved (once again) and back into the stills role, losing the battery grip as part of that process. This thing is supposed to be 'The Video One', and it is, but also a highly underrated stills camera that benefits (IMO) from having that OLPF. I've just ordered another (used S5ii) so will now be operating a pair of them, statically, for video usage, both paired with the 'cheapie' 20-60mm 'kit' lens and each with a Rode WG2. The final component for this year will be an S9. The S9 will be my run & gun lightweight unit paired up with the S1H for stills as my 'on me at all times' pairing. My only slight issue with this set up is that it remains a 4 unit scenario and I was determined to go to 3 units, but I can live with it as 2 of the units are identical static units. My previous issue had been 1 static and 3x units on me which was too much. Resolved that. Future? I'm waiting on any S1H/S1R replacement, expected towards the end of this year and for 2025 season. That will determine whether I retire the S1H and replace it with something more up to date, or I flip it for a Sony A7RV and use my 3x Tamron lenses. This Sony + Tamron is actually the dark horse in all this and currently is the best set up for stills and the more likely scenario because L Mount still does not have the glass for me. If within L Mount they do bring out a sibling to the new Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 such as a 45-90mm f1.8 or an f2.8 compact rival to the Tamron/Samyang 35-150, it will swing back in favour of keeping an all L Mount set up. But S9, preordered. Didn't see that coming but it actually makes huge sense.

Now this is marketing... clicked on an S9 thread? Here's a product you might also be interested in... the ARRI 416!

Normally, on a 16:9 screen - thin black bars top & bottom, on 16:10 screen - thicker bars top & bottom, on 21:9 screen - bars on left & right sides.

Which is exactly how I’m using mine. Originally for the former and now with the latter. No regrets over ditching the gimbal. None at all. It’s not like I was ever a big gimbal user anyway, but after going through 3 of the damned things and never enjoying any of them…in fact they were an utter PITA, now loving the ‘custom C3 gimbal setting’ on my S5ii at the flick of a switch. Using the 28mm wide end of my Sigma 28-70mm, in S35 mode, it’s more like around ‘50mm’ or something and early days, but suits my limited needs.

On the IBIS front, we've gone from taking out micro-jitters to gimbal replacement. IMO nothing truly replaces a skilled steadycam operator. However, if you're one man show, the Panasonic S5ii/x has the best IBIS in the business in June 2024. Sony is far, far behind for out-of-camera gimbal like shots on their FF bodies. Nikon and Canon still have issues with warpy corners on wide shots (the majority of shots for "gimbal replacements"). Coming from M43 and used to Panasonic and Olympus systems crushing FF bodies, I was amazed how Panasonic did it.