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I was hoping to see more 10 bit 4.2.2 options and I hate when they post video specs and purposely omit the *S35 crop info. We Panasonic folk have long been missing FF, 4k 60p so at least it sounds like we’re covered up to 120p now. Will be nice to hear everything confirmed in a few days.

Does Sony have an app providing similar capabilities. New Lumix Flow app features: Designed for videographers Use an iPhone as an external monitor Storyboarding Editing LUT creation and direct import into the camera A filming assistant in a smartphone

@Andrew Reid ty! that was 800, but im seeing good stuff up to 6400, as you said, and even 12800. shocking -- i had no idea. makes the cam much more interesting. ive been getting great results w clog3 after getting the hang of it -- its easy. lovely color, respectable highlight rolloff, and decent dynamic range for naturalistic images that dont look like video puke. Not bad, i might get one of these. half the price of the R52 rlly makes me like it lol been stress testing, just some random frames

With the right monopod, it's not that hard. With something like the Cobra 3 from iFootage, it takes a fraction of a second to change height. It sounds like you have a really specific use case based on your subject matter and your preferences for how you shoot. In that use case, rolling shutter is super important to you because the combination of IBIS+OIS on your body/70-200 lens leads to wobbly jello footage. As you are seeing from this thread, not everybody shoots that way. For most people, higher RS is fine. And keep in mind that is coming from a person with 3 GS cameras (Komodo X, Komodo, and E2-S6G). GS might lead me to choose them over my other cameras, but other things might lead me to choose the Ronin 4D - and with that, I will sometimes opt for the ~30-31ms readout mode that has higher dynamic range vs the ~16ms mode with standard dynamic range. I have yet to hear a complaint from anybody when I hand over the footage. One thing to consider for your use case is the use of something like a Ready Rig or Easyrig and a heavier camera body with a shoulder pad. The footage is more inherently stable when using a heavier body and with more points of contact.

And for stills over the A7RV that I already have…?? In camera crop markers. Err, struggling. It’s not looking like being any kind of upgrade for me and possibly not even a sideways one…but still waiting to see the official announcement. And what Sigma might have cooking…

If you shoot a lot of 4k60 then R6 mk2 actually has a much better oversampled instead of line skipped image than R5mk2. But if that isn’t a concern then the original R5 may be a better choice as it’s now more or less the same price as an R6 mk2 at some dealers. You’d gain 45MP / 8K and internal RAW. yeah I always just go with the exposure meter on Canon cams, plus of course the view assist to get a rec709 preview. Unless mistaken the exposure meter is absent on Nikon’s in video mode? I always find the exposure meter most handy on small mirrorless lcd’s.

Check out Nowness.com - it's like a curated Vimeo feed filled with short format films in all kinds of genres.

I have worked with Red cameras all the way back from Red ONE, every Alexa camera except the 65 and Sony Venice 1 and 2. The reason that stuff shot on those cameras look better is because of the people using them. They're in a point in their career where working with reliable and professional customer supported camera-systems is necessary to deliver the expected level of craftmanship. If we're only talking about gathering data on the sensor, more than 95% of people can't tell the difference from a Pocket 6K and an Alexa Mini if handled by a professional DP. Yes rolling shutter, yes highlight latitude, but those are extremes. One camera stands above the rest and that is the Alexa35 - i haven't been able to overexpose that camera yet, and it's built like a tank.

He’s a well known camera reviewer who wears oversized trousers (pants to the US brethren but trousers in the more civilised world who can also spell words like civilised properly) with his pockets stuffed full of camera gear like flashes and tripods and snacks. Who the hell are Jane’s Addiction?

'the animal' dave batista has clearly cut down on his massive steroid + hgh intake. word is he wants some 'normal' movie roles i ran into him at my gym in LA years ago when he was at his biggest, and my trainer knew him and introduced me, and i gotta tell u.... you cannot imagine how huge he was. this is a golds gym in LA. many muscled up guys. hes standing next to my trainer who was 6'2" 235 and he absolutely dwarfed him. he ~WAS~ like an animal, the wrestling nickname was appropriate. fwiw he was SUPER nice so i like him lol

Yep, that's impressive by any measure imaginable.

Who the heck is Dave Bautista? The singer from Jane's Addiction?

If it’s something filters and technique can’t fix there’s always Kolari. Easy fix for a lot of people on the S5iix https://kolarivision.com/product/olpf-aa-filter-upgrade-for-panasonic-lumix-s1-and-s5-cameras/?srsltid=AfmBOopFsw5dPlgKUes_emPZ2SlZb_WExlwAj5PRubAwVK87j0VeSK6B

I'm very intrigued to see what they are bringing with this camera. I assume that the S1R II will not include an optical low-pass filter (OLPF), so even though the video specs are impressive there still likely will be a need for a potential S1H II. Wish they would come up with some sort of interchangeable OLPF solution. If I remember correctly moire was quite bad when recording video on S1/S1R?

You do you bro… this scenario is not new or unique you’re describing any basic event or wedding style coverage. If RS is bad for you on a longer focal length you might want to learn how to slow down your movements and be ahead of your subjects slightly. I’ve been shooting video since the early 90’s so I’m old. We didn’t have IBIS and light Mirrorless cameras and have been making it work with no issues. I’ve shot hundreds of weddings and half of them on the 5Dmk2 so yeah, keep telling me how the S5ii is terrible.

This is exciting. So glad they broke with the Leica SL-3 specs. The faster readout and lower megapixels should really make this a true hybrid. And priced the same as a used Sony A1… perfect. Panasonic Lumix S1rII images and specs leaked! Lumix S1rII PRESS TEXT (deepl translated) Panasonic introduces the Lumix S1RII, a full-frame mirrorless camera for professional photographers and videographers. The camera has a newly developed 44.3 megapixel BSI CMOS sensor and a powerful L2 processor, which together enable a high level of detail and a wide dynamic range of up to 14 f-stops. The native ISO range extends from ISO 80 to 51,200 and can be extended to ISO 40 to 102,400. Improved autofocus and fast continuous shooting function The phase-hybrid autofocus of the Lumix S1RII utilizes 779 focusing points and AI-supported subject recognition for people, animals, vehicles and other subjects.The camera can take continuous shots at up to 40 frames per second in electronic shutter mode – with continuous focus tracking (AF-C). A pre-burst mode saves images before the actual shutter release so that spontaneous moments are not missed. Functions such as white balance and ISO sensitivity can be accessed directly at the top of the housing via dedicated buttons. Optimized image stabilization and high-resolution photos The camera has internal 5-axis image stabilization on the image sensor (IBIS), which enables compensation of up to 8 f-stops. In combination with a compatible lens and Dual I.S., up to 7 f-stops of stabilization are possible in the telephoto range. For high-resolution images, the Lumix S1RII offers a high-resolution mode that captures eight images with a slightly offset sensor position and composes them into a 177 megapixel file. This mode is available for both JPEG and RAW images and enables detailed results without a tripod. L-rumors.com Advanced video functions with Open Gate and RAW recording For the first time, a Lumix camera offers internal 8K video recording at 30 frames per second. In addition, the Lumix S1RII supports Open Gate recording, which utilizes the entire sensor area in 3:2 format for video recording in 6.4K resolution. This offers filmmakers maximum flexibility in post-production, as they can crop the required aspect ratio (e.g. 16:9, 1:1 or 9:16) later. Panasonic has also announced a firmware update for 2025 that will also enable Open Gate recordings in 8.1K and 7.2K. Apple ProRes RAW HQ can be recorded internally at 5.8K at 30p on CFexpress Type B cards or an SSD hard drive connected via USB. RAW videos can even be output to external recorders in 8K via HDMI. The Lumix S1RII also offers the option of recording a proxy file with a low bit rate in parallel. This is linked to the original video and enables more efficient post-production. Robust protection and other features The robust magnesium alloy housing is protected against dust and splash water and is frost-proof down to -10 °C.The Lumix S1RII also offers new sensor protection: when the camera is switched off, the mechanical shutter can be closed automatically to protect the sensor from dust when the lens is changed. The camera has a 5.76 megapixel OLED viewfinder and a folding and swiveling 3-inch touch display with 1.84 million pixels.Two memory card slots are available for storage: one for CFexpress type B cards and one for SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) cards. Optimized workflow and enhanced connectivity The Lumix S1RII is the first Lumix system camera to support Capture One Tethering.This enables direct image transfer to a computer. In addition, the camera is compatible with Adobe Camera to Cloud, so that image and video files can be automatically uploaded to the cloud and edited there. Two apps are available for an enhanced user experience: The LUMIX Lab app enables, among other things, the easy transfer, editing and management of LUTs (Look-Up-Tables) to use color styles directly in the camera or on the smartphone. The new LUMIX Flow app supports video productions from planning to editing and offers functions such as automatic sorting of recordings and the use of the smartphone as an external monitor. Price and availability The recommended retail price is €3,599 for the Lumix S1RII without lens and €4,499 for the kit with the 24-105 mm F4 Macro O.I.S. standard zoom. Full Panasonic Lumix S1RII specs (preorder here soon): New 44 MP “high speed” sensor 40fps in electronic shutter 10fps in mechanical shutter 8 stops image stabilization 176 MP High Res with sensor shift…handheld(!) and by combining 8 images. 5.76 megapixel OLED viewfinder 1.5 second pre-capture 8k30p 4K120 without crop 8,1K Open-Gate will be released later with a Firmware Update 6K ProRes RAW HQ internal recording Internal RAW Video Recording: ProRes 422 HQ, ProRes 422 plus Proxy Recording You can record on external SSD via USB-C Frame marker for 2.39:1, 2.35:1, 2.00:1, 1.85:1, 16:9, 4:3, 5:4, 1:1, 4:5, 9:16 and Custom 32 Bit Float audio Multi-Angle-Screen like A9III/A1II Body size about the same of the Lumix S5II(just a tiny bit thicker) Weather-sealed and ventilated RED record button in front of the camera on the corner near the mount red Tally in front and on the back fo the camera Price €3,599 Announcement: Feb 25, 1-2pm London time

Everything you’re describing is perfect for a monopod situation. Your description is no different than what most of us deal with several times a day on any event or wedding shoot. Remember that many of us shot things like this before there was any sort of IBIS or OIS at all. You’re complaining about a situation that is only negative for you because you are not using the right tools or technique. To blame the camera is a cop out.

My instinct based on absolutely nada evidence is that if Sigma do indeed announce a new camera in a couple of days, it will not be a fovean sensor. I am ready to enter into a hat eating contest (as long as the hat is of reasonable size and relatively hygenic) if it’s not the same 44mp sensor as this new PannyBoy. Seems too big a coincidence to me. If that is the case, it had better have IBIS and some form of tilt screen this time or I’d stick with the LUMIX offering. I really REALLY fancy a Sigma FP type camera but they have fallen short (well short) of my real world needs so far.

Six years ago we had S1R and S1H and all the rumours always talked about two new cameras and that the first to come out would be the photography-oriented S1R. Reading the leaked specs raises a question in my mind. What if Panasonic only released one camera? From the specs, it looks like it will be chock full of video features in pure Pana style.

If you're shooting at 200mm handheld for long periods of time in video you should probably be using a monopod or at least a shoulder rig. I know there are situations where that isn't possible, but that's a pretty extreme scenario. That's a really high standard. We have to remember that these are still sub-$2000 cameras. From my perspective, as someone who started out in video 28 years ago, I look at a camera like the S5II X and am in awe at what this camera I paid $2000 for can do. I am in awe, really, at what any of these cameras can do because I never imagined I'd be able to own a camera with these capabilities. When I was 16 working for a local production company that had Canon XL1s I was literally giddy when I would use it! I didn't sleep the night before the first time I knew I was going to use one! Obviously we can't judge everything based on what was available/what we used when we first started, but it does make some of our complaints seem pretty silly considering how fortunate we are. The fact that a $2000 camera can even be mentioned in the same breath as an Alexa is pretty crazy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foveon_X3_sensor Tl;dr it captures RGB data at every photosite, instead of using a color filter array to capture RG or B at each photosite. Thus it does not require color interpolation, aka demosaicing, to reconstruct its color image. It's not as good as it sounds, however, because interpolating colors from the vertically stacked photosites is very complicated. The upside is less color moire, higher resolution per nominal pixel count, and arguably "better" color accuracy. The downside is that (with current technology), it has significantly lower SNR, sensitivity, and readout speeds.

I have the movmax + insulator version that came out before. I use it for Cars and MTB

FP X3? Did I miss the one and two?

I got a similar mount from another company to suction cup the OP3 to my car (and then shortly after, Tilta announced their mini-hydra for cars, darnit!). I haven't tried it yet, but I'm champing at the bit to give it a shot in Spring/Summer and maybe get back to vlogging some of my visits to old mines (more likely, recording a bunch of footage of it and then never editing the video, like my last several expeditions). Anyway. You should probably just buy it if you see a sale. It's really very good.

Same here. If I were to think RS were a problem, I'd simply shoot in crop mode because it keeps up with everything in that mode. RS performance is way over-rated anyway. I've never said to myself "look at that crappy RS"! You only say that kind of thing in reviews and when you A-B test cameras.

I don't know what some folks are doing (or smoking) but I've been shooting with S5II's since they came out and not experiencing all this crazy rolling shutter, moire, open gate long lens talk. I have at least 20 hours of total finished work on-line from just last year alone shot exclusively on S5II's in 6k open gate and if you can spot any of these issues, you have sharper eyes than I do. I just have my fingers crossed that the S1-2RXii is slightly more useable than the piece of shit S5ii. Because it's been holding me back and if only...

I believe he had brain surgery a few years back. I don't remember what exactly the problem was. He's clearly fighting something. There have been others too on YouTube. It reminds me to make more efforts to eat healthily and take care of myself that much more. Life is so fragile. I send my good wishes his way.

In that video posted below he says he's lost about 35 kilos just by not drinking alcohol and "being drunk" almost every day for the last "20 years". A year later he's lost about 15 kilos more, by the look of the picture I posted. In total, about 50 kilos in less than two years. That's 110 pounds or almost 8 stone for you guys in the UK hehe

My Only Fans page? But sherioushly, although YouTube is bulked out with some utter shite, especially if you simply scroll, using the search function might yield the fruits you are looking for? It depends what your interest and ‘inspiration’ is really… Is it ‘Hollywood’ movie making? Documentary travel? Wood-turning household objects? Scantily clad ladies? Or fellas? But otherwise I suspect there is no actual official source for ‘Good Shit’ other than your own legwork.

On a pure IQ level, mirrorless has definitely made significant strides wether in DR, color science, resolution, rolling shutter etc. And more importantly now with chunky internal RAW/ProRes/10-bit/Log files the gap towards high-end cinematic imagery has definitely narrowed significantly. RED/ARRI still rule in highlight roll off, DR but all the extra mileage you see on an image is indeed mostly lens, light, color grading related. On a related note, with CST in Davinci you can transform your log footage to RED/ARRI Clog and apply their LUTs & look files. Results may vary but the gap isn't as big as you'd think.

The point I was making, is that if a production runs into even merely just thirty minutes of overtime, or/and has a very slight increase to post production costs, then those additional costs to production would totally wipe out any "savings" they might get from renting a cheaper camera than an ARRI/Sony/RED/Varicam. I love this feature as a Boom Op and Sound Mixer!! (nothing to do with an actor entering the frame though, I mean for our purposes) Huge time savings having an ARRI on set vs "random Camera X" that nobody has ever worked with before. A great analogy. (to carry on this analogy: you'd save time using a F1 over a Camry at the race track, but you'd lose time if you used the F1 for a shopping trip. Ditto cameras, it could be "fast" or "slow" to use, depending on the type of set it's being used on) Now excuse me while I go do this week's grocery shopping in a F1....

I hate those videos that try and compare a $1000 camera to an Alexa with a stupid thumbnail that suggests you'll be surprised by the results. Inevitably, you learn that the operator wasn't as good at using cameras as he was at making thumbnails, or they intentionally cripple the Alexa by shooting in ways to highlight the $1000 camera. That said, I agree that probably 9 out of 10 times, nobody will realize what camera you shot your movie with as long as the story is good and engaging, but I do think that a couple of those people may feel like something was off without knowing why. An Alexa costs 50K+ for a reason. And although I believe craft and resources lend to the final look of the film, the sensor, the Arri color science and its thick files are a piece of the puzzle. A long time ago, I got hooked on my Canon 5Diii with ML Raw because it was the first time I had shot something where I looked at it and thought... man that almost looks like a real movie. So there are some "intangibles" involved because I am not that talented, nor that skilled. I have shot with a bunch of cameras since... GH5, GH6, Sigma FP, S5iiX, Canon R7, etc... and although the FP comes close, but even its 4K raw image is no match to my trusty, old 5D3 in gross old 1080p raw.

I am equally as confident that my camera is capable of burning in my LUT saving me hours and hours of grading per job and no client ever has, or ever will ask for me to do anything further with the end result. But then I am the opposite end of making movies and just a hack wedding vidiot. It will not stop them asking me however if I have any footage of random Aunt Jane who flew in from Canada chatting with uni friend Sandeep with Uncle Herbert in the background chatting with my mum. Nor is there any more footage of your empty dance floor. I once had a bride list 3 things I had not captured: 1. Blossom on a particular tree outside. 2. A chandelier that was in the entrance hall. 3. A brown leather sofa. But I digress…

I'd be confident that I am capable of making any camera - irrespective of price - look absolute garbage... Ergo... it's not just the camera.

It's about the overall big picture workflow. If shooting with an ARRI Mini saves even a mere 30 minutes each day and makes post merely just 5% more efficient, then the total cost differences between renting an ARRI Mini vs S5II is totally nonexistent. Well, today in 2025 you can buy an ARRI itself (the old classic edition) for sub $5000! Exactly. Even if we accept 100% (even though it's a very debatable claim indeed) that "Camera X" can look exactly as good as an ARRI, to use "Camera X" instead means you're going to have to spend money (because: time = money) of at least a couple of days for at least half a dozen people (Director/DP/Editor/VFX/PSM/Gaffer/1stAC/2ndAC/etc). Of them running tests, pushing/pulling it to its max, and ensuring compatibility with existing workflows. Even if that's merely $500/day for each person (a very low rate indeed, especially so for an HoD), that's $6K blown on costs at least (am using very conservative guesses here) just so that they can use "Camera X" instead of a mainstream well known choice. Those are utterly trivial costs when you consider the costs to rent the whole camera package across say the three weeks you need it for a low-ish budget film. (I say "low-ish" budget in the sense of say a Hallmark TV Movie of the week type of movie, or even something that costs 10x that. Of course as you move up to mid budget or AAA budget films, then saving a few pennies on camera rentals makes even less sense) Makes no sense at all to spend $6K to try and save money on the camera package, when it only costs six grand ish or so for the entire rental cost (for a three week shooting period) to get an ARRI Mini package (just the body and basic supporting accessories, not counting lens etc) is merely six grand ish! https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/arri-alexa-mini-premium-v-mount-kit-pl Or even less.... for an ARRI AMIRA: https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/arri-amira-premium-kit-pl And of course if you go for say Sony BURANO / RED RANGER Monstro / RED V-RAPTOR / RED DSMC2 GEMINI / Blackmagic Design URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 / etc, then these are still at least somewhat mainstream cameras and will be widely known/understood by others on set while still being even cheaper to rent for the length of the production: https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/sony-burano-8k-digital-motion-picture-camera https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/red-ranger-monstro-8k-vista-vision-starter-kit https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/red-v-raptor-8k-vv-dsmc3-starter-pack-v-mount https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/red-dsmc2-gemini-5k-s35-premium-v-mount-kit https://www.lensrentals.com/rent/blackmagic-design-ursa-mini-pro-4.6k-g2-premium-kit-pl

And that's because, at least in part, if 2 out of your 4 Alexas go down on set in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest Arri (or the rental house) will have replacements and/or technicians with you in under 48 hours. It's simply not worth it to provide that kind of support for 'cheaper' camera systems. Obviously Alexas are also engineered for an exponentially higher level of reliability and resilience in the first place too.

Even with extremely good technology, there is still an artistry and subjectivity in image creation. No cinema camera aims for "color accuracy above all else." Arri wants their images to look Cinematic--and at this point in time, many cinematographers' taste has been developed specifically by Arri's colors. Sony might have a choice between spending millions on user testing, expert opinions, and fine tuning, OR they could save all that money and probably not take much of a sales hit. Fwiw, I have never liked Sony cameras in blind tests, however, I love Panasonic's S1 and S5 even compared to Arri. So I actually don't even believe that "expensive" cameras always look better. I also don't believe Sony is incapable of making more or less identical colors to the S5. Maybe they decided keeping the same pipeline is a better business investment, or their product managers prefer the Sony look out of pride, or different taste--or maybe I'm simply not their target audience.

As others have said, for the most part, proper lighting and grading is often more important than the image straight out of the camera. Though with that said, Alexa is still the most flexible image that you'll find coming out of a camera, That's followed by Burano and V-Raptor and most recently, apparently, Ursa Cine (still needs more time for user tests to confirm/deny, but the tests on paper are impressive. If you're shooting a film with a big budget, your A camera is almost definitely Alexa. Why? Because it's the most flexible image. Because your high-end gaffer will automatically know how to light well for it. Because your high-end editor and colorist will instantly know how to push the footage around and probably have pre-defined workflows for working with it. Is it still the best image? Arguable. If you're shooting a decent budget indie flick, you're more likely to find Burano/Venice or V-Raptor? Why? Similar things to the above, but you're paying less than Alexa. If you're shooting lower budget than that, it's a complete crapshoot. It'll probably involve the letters F, X, and 6, but if it's a run and gun documentary, it might involve C300 and/or C70. From what I've seen, if you want to penetrate the bigger productions, you're better off not trying to compete with Alexa for A camera, but to aim to make secondary cameras that fit in places where it doesn't. Civil War, for example, famously used the Ronin 4D for a bunch of the handheld stuff because it's a quick/easy gimbal camera with decent autofocus. I hear they're making inroads on other productions too for similar reasons - and on other stuff because, like, the 4d flex is great for tight spaces and/or car-to-car shots. The most recent Mission Impossible and the upcoming one use Z Cam E2-F6 as crash cameras because they're cheap (for Hollywood), make a great image, and are reliable (no overheating, you can basically hammer nails with the body all day and then go record some video at night). That footage of Tom Cruise flying off a cliff on a motorcycle? Nearly all Z-Cam. Anyway, the point is that the image SOOC on high-end cameras should look good. Should it look THAT much better than a mirrorless camera in the hands of a proficient operator? Nope. Just a few weeks ago, Kye posted some stuff that he shot in Korea using, if I remember right, the original BM micro studio camera from like a hundred years ago. Looked great. You could project it in a cinema as part of a feature and the audience would be none the wiser to the camera used.

Kendy Ty and his T2i?

It's 100% in the grading. Why would the FX3 look like anything in particular... it's LOG.

There's a massive problem with all these tests. In the old days of GH2 vs RED, obviously the gap was pretty big, but you could still light a scene for the GH2's limitations, and fool Coppola into thinking it's a cinema camera. Now everything is 10bit LOG or RAW. So in these sort of tests you are basically watching a grading test and a test of the editor's ability to match the cameras. I mean the difference with the ALEXA is clearly there, but had you exposed for the window on the FX3 and lifted the shadows, it would be a lot closer. The difference between the BURANO / FX9 and FX3 is so small as to be practically zero, yet the price difference is many thousands of dollars / pounds. Besides, I also think that the way we watch these tests makes a further mockery of it all. Aside from being mega compressed, YouTube has no facility to download the original files, and now the original files are so enormous in 8K RAW or whatever... It doesn't even make sense to look at the original files other than to crop really close in and pixel peep. 99% of us don't have a display technology in our home to do justice to the source material... either not big enough, or not bright enough. So in a nutshell... Difference between $3k (even some $1k like used S1H) cameras and $25,000 has never been smaller in terms of image quality. The ALEXA still has a dynamic range advantage, but it's only a few stops and not noticeable in every use case. An X-H2 10 bit LOG 8K image for $1.5k is likely overkill for your display without pixel peeping or cropping. When engrossed in a movie it's unlikely an audience will even see a difference between the BURANO or a $1k mirrorless camera, yes even on a cinema screen.

It's funny on your example, I thought for sure the second camera was the Alexa. Turns out it was the other way around. I'm not sure what you're seeing in the Alexa image in that comparison that looks better to you, to me the FX3 looks much better. That is solely due to user error more than likely though, I think the Alexa had a WB issue in that test.

Still kind of amazing that the notion of buying your way into image quality with a camera is a thing these days. What others have said. Don't ignore the craft. Swap out an ARRI with a GH1 in certain production environments and you'd be, like, "Holy shit! That looks awesome!" Three or four stops of DR does not a good image make. It helps, but it doesn't make it. A decade ago a bunch of cinematic heavyweights, Coppola and the like, did a popular test screening of hybrid camera tech at the time. They were more than pleased with what the products, like a 5dII, were delivering. If it was good enough for them in 2010's, what the heck are we worried about? Also, who remembers that one talented dude guy filming in 720p on a canon rebel? I think his name started with a "Z"? Beautiful stuff because he knew how to use it. Would it have been better if it was an ARRI? Of course, but would that really affect the narrative? Anyway... And then, yeah, add in a bunch of YT knobs playing with the gear without any deep wisdom about gaffing, camera moves, and storytelling --of course the video examples of hybrids'll end up looking like crap. Here's an anecdote: I'm currently editing a documentary with a decent budget. The cinematographer on the shoots sucked balls. He filmed with an ARRI and two different REDS along the way. The ARRI has a look. It comes out of the cam with a lot of "thickness" to use, you know? Regardless, we recently had to hire a different guy to do a half day of pick up shots and he used his lowly GH5. He knew how to find the right light, frame an interesting composition, and (thankfully) knew how to hold a mother-f'ing-shot longer than 2 seconds. Grrrr. Guess which footage looked better and was more useful? We can (and should!) chase the tech if that's what floats our boats, but real creatives don't really give too much of a rip about the tech. "Is it working? Good. Let's tell this story." They make it happen with what they got.

The Alexa 35 came out in 2022. There were instances where I thought the FX3, a camera I do not particularly care for, looked better than the Alexa, like in the outside handheld shot. I was genuinely shocked when he showed the results there. And in the interview scene it was wild how close the FX3 was to the Alexa 35, though the Alexa did stand out more. Ultimately the Alexa 35 is gonna have that secret sauce that helps make it stand out above every other camera in most situations, but in 2025 someone could absolutely take a sub $5000 camera, film a feature with it, and 99% of the people viewing it wouldn't know whether it was shot on an Alexa or Canon R5 II. Bo Burnham filmed his Netflix special "Inside" on a S1H and used other budget film equipment you can get on Amazon to do it. No one, outside of us camera nerds who paused and rewinded reflections of the camera and equipment like it was the Zapruder film, noticed or cared.