Leaderboard

f me. I'm over here shooting a doc with an EM10iii I bought used for $300 and thinking, "Dang, this looks pretty good!" And yet now I want an SL2. Damn you all.

A great portrait of a great man. And he finally found some comfortable pants.

The overall quality of life improvements (plus auto focus) are just worth it to me. Currently my three camera set up is the S5II X and two S5 bodies. I just prefer the image out of the S5, it has better colors and just looks more natural (less sharpening.) That's not to say that the S5II doesn't have a good image, though. It really boils down to preference. I've only used the S1 a few times, but it's a great camera too! I do think the S5 though is overall a better value on the used market. It's crazy how affordable they are. Some will tell you they are awful and completely unusable, but they are fine once you figure out how to work with their limitations. But there are limitations and it's important that you know that going in. It is nice not having to worry about it as much with my S5II X BUT there are times when that auto focus fails, as there are times when Canan and Sony auto focus fails.

1) With the caveat that I don't use AF, the Panasonic S5 is a wildly good value at $800 used (what I paid for mine). Imo, the improvement in noise and dynamic range over the GH5 is worth it, but if you're always in well-lit areas maybe you won't notice much benefit. If you aren't tied to existing lenses, camcorders can be more convenient than hybrids. I'm not familiar with available models since I don't shoot events, but I'd research camcorders for event videography with no photos. 2) C400 or FX6. The C300 Mk III is also fine--I choose full frame because of the lenses I own. It also depends on how much weight matters, as the FX6 is extremely light. If I need photos as well, then add a photo body in addition, and honestly everything is so good these days that I'd take anything modern. 3) Assuming 1-3 person camera crew, it depends on the script. My general pick right now for myself is a C500 Mk II (cheaper than a C400). I used to have Z Cam, which has unbeatable wireless monitoring and control, but I don't like the lack of color management support in Resolve. I would pick a Z Cam F6 if I need to fit the camera into tight spaces. If it's a lot of fast action like a car chase, a Komodo's global shutter would be great. The Ronin 4D is also very interesting for extensive handheld--never used one myself, though. If I can step up in budget, I'd love to try the Blackmagic 12k LF.

I wonder just how close we are to movie level now then... But I suppose the material still needs to exist to pull together to make this kind of thing and as a commercial and BTS, enough exists, but not for any kind of real movie that would require a unique script and acting. At least not without going CGI. It's crazy how good this stuff is becoming and if I was a youngster, I certainly would not be looking at the more traditional aspects of this industry such as cameras, lenses, lighting, sound etc, but what skills I could develop in my parents basement from my laptop. But for me personally, that would be a hard no as it would not interest me and I'd rather be a lumberjack or something.

This is exactly why I was asking for the need for AF, because if not really, then 3x these with a lens each.

I guess there are more Lumix updates: Actually, I'm quite happy about having some of those features. In particular, I'm very interest in trying out the mp4 Lite and hybrid zoom; the later is a feature is a unique selling point. Cool. Quick question: would Sony, Canon, or Nikon have released this firmware or would they have released a new camera?

I still believe there is no better value out there than the Lumix S5 on the used market. You'll be amazed at what images you can get even with the cheap 20-60 kit lens. There is just something really, really nice about that camera's image. I prefer it over my S5II. The GH5 is a great camera too, even today, but it's worth spending the extra to get the S5 for the better low light. That's a lot harder because there are so many options. As a Lumix shooter I'd still go that route and get S5II bodies and the Sigma 24-70mm for all of them, but there are no shortage of options if you aren't limited by budget. I still prefer to shoot as light as possible and are familiar with their cameras, so that's my primary reason for choosing Lumix, but you really can't go wrong with anything available today. Another hard one, honestly. There are just so many options. This is probably a weird choice but I think I'd still go with the original Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera. I still love that image very much.

I would get their 28mm f4.5 body cap lens for sure, perfect match to S9!