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Neither cinema and photography are well suited to a small screen and even smaller attention spans, they are supposed to be viewed on a large canvas and in a socially interactive way like in a gallery or theatre. Now with stuff like streaming, this works fine when everyone has a subscription to one or two of the same platforms like Netflix and are stuck at home with nothing better to do like during covid, but after a while there is a total oversupply of stuff to watch, and a total ADHD mess of an audience who is getting constantly distracted by social media content in direct competition to the long form stuff. High quality displays are now higher quality and more affordable than ever, so it's easy to view video content in high quality and on a fairly large surface - people aren't limited to viewing on smartphones if they make the time to sit down for a bit. For it to be a socially interactive viewing experience, that really requires people to gather in the same place at the same time, and that probably requires a scarcity of content. If content is viewable at any time anywhere, then people don't bother to join others to watch it. There used to be a huge scarcity of content and people would sometimes struggle to find things to do on their free time, and this lead to (in-person) social activities being more relevant a part of life than today where one can just entertain oneself at any time with a mobile phone. This state of affairs leads to people not being able to focus on what they should be doing and also it seems to be leading to significantly reduced birth rates in the developed world. So, will a humankind which is too connected to each other lead it to extinction, or will there be a corrective move? Probably fewer humans would be better for the planet's ecosystems, but then this would also likely mean the current level of technology (or technology development) is difficult to sustain because (in the future) there is not enough volume to pay for the costs.

This music video was shot on the 5D II, still looked good today

I assume the old Canon D Mark II was 8-bit, right? It was used to shoot this (which was actually a clothing advert masquerading as a short film; the trailer was released and the other segments are available on Vimeo but no full-length film was ever released):

That's true, I have definitely noticed the different processing in my S5iiX. But model/lineup-wise, the S5iiX is the intermediate model you mentioned. I just hope the new camera isn't super expensive, or if it is, they do an S1 successor that meets my wants and is $2500-ish.

Let's look at the bright side now... The LSI and firmware keeps being developed, this is a good sign as they are expensive to do. Panasonic may have cut the budget but at least they are still getting access to the latest chips, new encoders, ProRes, and so on. Also, both the GH6 and GH7 had brand new sensors, seemingly not from Sony - perhaps this indicates a switch to OnSemi, makers of the ARRI ALEXA 35 sensor, or even a switch to a joint-venture Panasonic managed fab. This would explain a delay for the flagship full frame cameras with new full frame sensors, if they cannot just pick a Sony up off the shelf. The S9 was certainly a lukewarm move... The lovely but niche Sigma Fp has shown that there's not a particularly mainstream demand for very small full frame cameras, as the Sony a7 stuff is small enough for most but with the extra features you need such as an EVF and IBIS. The S9 is also a very cost driven product, when you pick one up in your hand you will realise it. But again there's the new processor and firmware, with extensive LUT support and latest gen phase-detect AF. The S5D is of course the strangest move imaginable, but it also could have a positive connotation... The S5D is born of a collaboration with DJI who are in the L-mount alliance. It could be a sign that DJI and Panasonic are developing a closer relationship with the intent to produce a full frame DJI mirrorless camera with L-mount. DJI are an extremely innovative company and this could really be quite a special beast if it was to come to market next year along with a Panasonic S1H Mark II with a similar sensor (and huge DR) to the ALEXA 35. So I've not lost hope yet, just a bit concerned and worried because nobody least of all me wants to see a diminished Panasonic presence in the camera market. One of the great things about the Japanese is that they have largely avoided the monopolies and duopolies and mergers that you see in the US tech sector... Does one country need 6 or 7 camera companies all taking sales off eachother? Probably not, but it is good for us.

I am not sure i understand what kind of movie you actually have in mind. I am with you that due to the recent streaming wars the market is oversaturated at the moment and this boom is over but on the other hand my watchlist is growing longer and longer with great films and series. And of course that's not the fault of the EOSHD Forum - but the forum has been a great documentation of the change that has happened in the recent years.

This is the key to it for me also. ’Influencer’ is a bit of a dirty word to some and has some negative connotations of being nothing more than a shallow paid shill and that is the case with some if not many, but not all. The key to it would be collaborating with the right people. But they NEED to shout to survive. It’s just how shit works these days. And yes, they do not necessarily need to say what it when though a roadmap would be nice but at least have the courtesy to let your professional heavily invested users know that (if) a next gen model is coming. This recent launch has highlighted that because the community are talking about it left right and centre as a negative and LUMIX are not in a position to have much if any negativity. As above in this thread, they are so close… S5ii/x = good release GH7 = good release S9 = lukewarm release S5D = WTF release No pro lenses in a while (not too bothered as Sigma has picked up some of that slack) Actual most recent lenses = a manual f8 pancake and now a pretty slow compact short travel zoom? Firmware updates = pretty good I’d be happy if they just used the S1H body and stuck the guts of the S5iix in it and called it an S1Hx. I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

We all, myself included, were hounding Lumix about the GH6. Their silence was deafening at the time. Eventually what they released was a pretty decent camera, but one that also simultaneously left many of us underwhelmed. Then a few months later the G9 II comes out with PDAF. It was terribly confusing for users and, in many ways, self-sabotaged their own flagship camera. Was the GH6 rushed out to be a stop gap because the community was pressuring them so much? I don't know, but it kind of looks like that with hindsight. It would also kind of explain why they were content with not fixing some of the ghosting issues that people had, which was not a typical response from a company that has very much been attentive to users and known for improving their cameras even years after their release. If that was what happened it could've been avoided with more communication. Laying out a road map would've saved them from releasing a camera that would be overshadowed almost immediately and made almost irrelevant within a year. People just wanted to know what the future held, whether they should stick with Lumix or look towards a different system. The other companies don't have to convince people that they will be around for the long haul. Lumix does. Lumix also needs to increase their market share. The way to do that is to collaborate with users (and, I hate to admit it, try to win over the influencers) and be more transparent. That includes telling people that follow ups to the S1 lineup is in the pipeline instead of just absolute silence.

I actually think the S9 now looks pretty interesting. I had considered trading my S5 for a S9 but the recording limits and a few other things put me off. Now I'm reconsidering it again! In fact, if the S9 had the same lens bundles on offer as the S5mk2 then I'd probably go for it. I really like the idea of lightening the gear I carry and a S5mk2 with a S9 seems to make more sense than the S5mk2 and S5 (apart from the spending money bit😆). They have the same PDAF which I now use a lot as well as the punch in to check focus and have the exact same look. Hmmm🤔

Not giving up, not personally anyway as in I don’t see a scenario where L Mount does not form 75% of my kit as it presently does and for probably the next couple of years… But disappointed. I thought the S9 was a pretty OK release and it’s an even better tool now, despite buying and returning one pretty quickly. (A third S5ii just made more sense). Mainly disappointed not so much there has been no replacement for the S1R/H, but that they are not giving any indication whatsoever re. the future. It’s not game over yet by any means, just not looking so positive longer term.

Something the S9 has going for it over the other S cameras is the hybrid zoom function. Its 1.5x in 4K so this new 18-40mm becomes an 18-60mm with that extension so it actually makes the whole combo a more interesting proposition as a package. I'm guessing that Panasonic not giving it to the other cameras is a deliberate differentiation for that purpose so they can offer compact packages albeit with slower lenses that still maintain some of the range people want. If it was launched as this combo from the get go then I think a lot of the "I'm trying to be positive about this camera because they've flown me all the way here to shill it for them" lukewarm fixed grin "reviews" would've been a lot more positive. Because with this lens - and I'm guessing a similar tele companion version won't be far behind -the S9 makes a whole lot more sense. As it was, they blew that by having the silly pancake lens with it for the launch so all compactness would have to go out of the window by putting the usual L mount lenses on it.

What heresy - I can tell in both of those images that there are cupboards just a few feet behind him and he's in a kitchen! Any proper image with Toneh should be at f/0.95 and I shouldn't be able to tell if he's in a kitchen, at a lake, or mountaineering!

To be honest looking at GH6 used prices now you could probably stretch to one of those for not much more?!

Well as they are part of the L Mount Alliance, they have a huge lens option right there, so it’s just a body they need.

You had a lot of nice things to say about the codecs and other stuff in the Panasonic GH5 Review and exclusive first look at Version 2.0 firmware - EOSHD.com - Filmmaking Gear and Camera Review Has anything changed ? because i'm almost sold on a gh5.

Interested to see what DJI may do. Not interested in anything Toneh has to say on the matter.

IMO 10bit and 8bit are identical in perfect lighting conditions. Even when color grading the two, to me they are identical since few people are going to color grade to such an extreme that the difference will matter. The key words though from my statement above is "perfect lighting conditions". Where 10bit shines (when paired with a good codec) and far outperforms 8bit is when the lighting conditions are not so perfect. For event work I do not usually have time to get the exposure or white balance perfect. At events people couldn't care less about mixed lighting, or the fact the sun just went behind a cloud while they are posing, or I just came from a brightly lit area to a heavily shaded area, they just want their 5s in front of the camera then on about their day. What I have found in those scenarios is that 10bit combined with LOG is far more forgiving than 8bit. 8bit falls apart very quickly if you start changing the WB or tint, or bring up the mids or shadows. 8bit likes to start adding color shifts, banding, or highlight rolloff gets harsh and skin tones are the first to suffer; whereas modern 10bit feels almost as pliable as raw footage. I used to think 10bit was overkill until I went from the 8bit GH5 to the 10bit S5. The latitude that I had to fix marginal footage was eye opening for me. Also surprising to me, was I then went from 10bit to raw out of the C70 and R5 and raw was not some magical step up to me. Raw seemed only slightly more pliable than 10bit but with massive file sizes; if anything I might even say that raw might be the actual load of b***** strictly from a color grading/exposure fixing standpoint. Obviously raw comes with other benefits especially with Canon cameras depending on the camera and sensor, but I would say the difference between the raw that I have seen and 10bit seems to be smaller than the difference between 8bit and 10bit when you need to fix a marginal clip. I don't do charts and graphs let alone have time to shoot the exact same scene in both 8bit and 10bit, but I do have over 15yrs of shooting events and working in the fashion industry where they are very picky with their skin tones, and I can tell you from firsthand experience I would never want to go back to 8bit. One thing I do wonder sometimes is if 10bit 4:2:0 vs 10bit 4:2:2 matters and I questioned that difference a lot as my previous editing workstation could not smoothly edit 4:2:2 out of the Canons since NVIDIA cannot HW accelerate H.265 4:2:2 but these days I don't notice or care anymore after upgrading to a QS capable CPU.