Andrew Reid

Funnily enough that massive microwave screen bezel doesn't look out of place. Only at second glance did I see it 🙂

Very cool, thanks. It's a thing of beauty. Control scheme is groundbreaking. No more main menu diving.

I find it over-engineered and fiddly with the catch, and too thick. Have you tried the a7r V? Screen mechanism is in a different league. I think you'll find S5 II and S1R II a big step down from that.

Do tell us more!

It's nearly time for a spring clean where 4 or 5 cameras turn into 1! I have decided to divest in L-mount. The Sigma Fp-L is staying but I'm moving on from Panasonic and the L-mount lenses with no plans to get more. When the Sigma BF comes out I'll certainly consider swapping the Fp-L for it but want to see if it retains Cinema DNG raw video. Nikon Z8 used prices are now under $3000/3000 euro. So it's a cheaper option than the Panasonic S1R II, with a much more flagship design of body and very nice chonky EVF. Of course the autofocus is in a different league and the sensor is a lot faster. I thought about returning to a Sony a1 and selling my a7 IV along with some Fuji stuff. But the a1 prices are still as high as 12 months ago and well above what I'll find a Z8 for. Nikon Zf mount has the nifty Leica M autofocus adapter (latest version) from Techart, and the MegaDap Sony E mount adapter which serves all my autofocus needs without requiring a $15,000 investment in Nikon Zf lenses. Thank the lord. Whereas with the S1R II and L-mount, options are very limited for adapters. Sigma 35mm F2 ART for Sony E-mount on a Nikon Z8 is a tempting duo. Build quality tip top and not too big. Ergonomically fantastic. 8K RAW video and super fast. One of the best range of H.265 codec options and some very good crop modes. 4K/120p full frame mode. So I think it's time to get into Z mount in a big way and commit to it. Would you go for the Z8, or something else for $3000?

They will leave 8K 60p and faster sensor performance for an S1H Mark II presumably. It will probably be able to match the Nikon Z8. The question is, do we need another Z8?

So the 6K 60p is a crop with vertical binning according to Slashcam, but still very good detail: https://www.slashcam.de/artikel/Test/Panasonic-LUMIX-S1R-II-Sensor-Bildqualitaet---Debayering--Rolling-Shutter-und-Dynamik--Rolling-Shutter---Panaso.html#4KDebayeringPanasonic

Nice long (2 hour!) review from Richard Wong. I've been thinking about the standardisation of body designs at Panasonic. Taking inspiration from Sony they seem to want to design a one-body fits all standardised ergonomics. But the lack of the top panel LCD and the angular body of the S5 Mark II does nothing for me. And I'm wondering when Panasonic will start adding a bit of flair and soul to their designs. If they came up with the S5 Mark II body design as a way of creating a Sony a7 IV mould to then go and do a whole set of other cameras with only minor ergonomic changes, they have done a really bad job. The S5 Mark II body is not flagship material. Sony a7 IV is. The Sony a1 has an almost identical design and ergonomics to the a7 IV, but still feels like a flagship. It's been the same since the Sony a9 being based on the a7 III. The Nikon Z8 is probably the nicest of the bunch I think? Not too small, not too big, top panel LCD, very nice viewfinder hump, feels premium. So in general just the design... what do people think of the direction Panasonic have taken since the S5 Mark II to standardise their bodies? The G9 II of course shares the same basic layout and looks too. Maybe they will break the mould a bit with the S1H Mark II if we ever see it? They could certainly use some imagination at this point.

He uploaded the originals which is good... https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1obqp8z2FJCVnLswPCDq4MYPdat6va-AQ?usp=sharing S1H I thought didn't really have a moire issue in 5.9K. So perhaps he has found a way to break it.

Is the full frame 4K 60fps on the S1R II actually oversampled from 8K/60p? The sensor is too slow for that. So when he labels it 4K/60fps full frame, I can't help but question it. It's either a crop or binned, it can't be a full frame oversampled mode.

In Berlin at the moment they have had a number of damaging strikes as they don't treat their workers properly. The thing with MPB is that they should not make this the customer's problem, but intervene on their side and promptly refund if DHL loses a package. They have basically just tossed me to the wolves and said wait 1 month, maybe you'll get something, maybe you won't. It's fucking terrible customer service.

Ah Scotland! Have you any experience with https://www.ffordes.com? They have been pretty good from a buying perspective.

Nice idea for a test but he's only testing the APS-C modes. On a 24 megapixel sensor we are talking rather low resolutions in 1.5x crop mode - something between 12-15 megapixel. So he is comparing 12 megapixel with no oversampling to 44 megapixel with oversampling. What happens when he does the same in full frame. S1H with AA filter at 6K full pixel readout, versus S1R II at 8K - the result would be much closer. S1R II in full frame at 60fps is pixel binning, which is the worst thing possible as far as moire on fine textures is concerned. So it would be nice to see him extend the test beyond APS-C mode, but then that would complicate the conclusion which isn't as attractive for YouTube videos.

I see, so low end compared to ARRI.

The big difference on a forum is the discussion is led by the customer. On YouTube the discussions are led by sales people. That's because the medium lends itself better to glossy marketing. It's TV. Of course you also have a mix of content, not all of it is marketing in disguise as editorial. But I always ask myself, what is the main purpose of the big-name reviewers and what they do... Is the main purpose client journalism, which pays their wages, gets them access, maintaining relations with the PR people at major corporations, going on the junkets and trips, getting your hotel paid for and so on, this is text book client journalism and it allows the camera companies to orchestrate all the good vibes you see in videos like this, by the usual slick operators. Or is it real journalism from filmmakers, like on Vimeo in the early days when we had actual pros and enthusiasts, customers of the camera companies not clients of the camera companies, putting their own independent field tests and shoots up. We have clearly had a bit of a pivot towards corporate propaganda since then unfortunately. And that's not to say the info in these kinds of videos isn't informative or useful in some way or another. But the purpose of it is to sell. I prefer to get my information from other filmmakers and people who can shoot. Chris is an actual real-life store salesmen. There's a layer of gloss over everything he does because he's a good salesman. That's his job, was before, is now. He understands the product, that's also part of a salesman's job. But he doesn't understand filmmaking or photography and that is a huge thing missing from a review of what's supposed to be an artistic tool. There's no Art in it. No cinematic language. Missing are any kind of outspoken views or provocations. There's a craft and grift but not so much any creativity or creative looking shots at a high level (not mediocrity or just eye candy) And it's also quite dry like reading advertorial, not very much humour or insight. Exhibit B: "Better than Sony & Canon" Northrup likes to employ a strategy of playing the different camera marketing teams off against one-another. Which makes them put more effort into satisfying his need to be happy, and his need for access. The troll headlines also have another purpose, to excite the masses in the comments section - most of whom are Sony and Canon users. It's not a one off. He tried it with the S5 II review as well "Better than Sony" If Northrup genuinely thinks Panasonic are a better option than Canon or Sony now you wouldn't know it from his Sony and Canon hype pieces! I know I am at risk of repeating myself here but I really do think all of this should be looked at by the FCC. YouTube is supposed to be part of the open web, not a haven of client journalism under the thumb of a small cartel of suppliers and their PR people. And the camera companies should realise that their modern marketing strategy is going to fall off a cliff pretty soon. People are getting a bit sick of it. People want honesty, journalism and independence, not a circus of shilling. Yes entertainment as well. And it is rare these days I am entertained enough to sit through their social media influencer marketing pieces.

Different planet these fucking filmmakers 😉

FX9 is low end?

I can vouch for that!

I didn't get a box of choc after spending £20k with them over the years. I should ask for one. Some good shops in the UK but it is a pity West Yorkshire Camera closed down recently. Loved them.

LOL!! An ingenious solution isn't it?

The thing with narcissists is they will voluntarily add themselves to any hitlist like Jordan did, it's all about them, it reveals how they see themselves as pretend-artists in an industry that prefers to reward the grifter over the creative at every opportunity. I think he has an insecurity complex because there's no visual talent to justify him being anything but cosplay.... no artistic substance, stubbornness, or interest behind the eyes... these people lack the self-sabotage ability to speak out like an artist would about various topics and issues. That's because any sane person would put their career first, well a career psychopath would anyway. It takes a certain amount of eccentricity and weirdness to buck the trend doesn't it? What's good about the current forum here... all this talk we do it because we consider it relevant and worth talking about or debating... We are not thinking about our careers and attention economy. Whereas the masses don't push back, they don't debate, they're mainly just are fed things for popular consumption, and there's a lack of appreciation that it's the art of cinema and photography that's the whole point of it all... no point in such powerful cameras and tools existing for any other reason, who the fuck needs 8K to shoot advertorial content for the web? And maybe the insecurity of people like Chris and Jordan or the Northrups comes from the fact that it isn't important what some fucking ex-camera store salesman thinks... not important enough to justify their celebrity status anyway. Eventually they will get tired of pretending to themselves. They're not important enough to justify earning more than a teacher, nurse or psychologist. Not important enough to make them a gatekeeper of public opinion and online content. Certainly not important in the grand scheme of things where art is remembered, cinema is remembered, camera reviews filled with mediocre shots of frozen landscapes, very quickly forgotten. I just think we can do better and here on this forum we sometimes prove it. We are not uncritical. We are not being spoon fed. We don't particularly look up to prominent and famous influencers on Tik Trump, or hang off every word Fro Knows Shit All says, and we are capable of judging the ex-stock photography models. No talent behind the lens... you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink. This is why I wish the camera companies would wake the fuck up, it is not selling cameras. If anything it is an unappetizing circus of shit. Off-putting. These fucking marketeers have been to some of the most beautiful and cinematic places in the world only to come back with nothing but mediocrity. I think it's really bad for sales, really uninspiring marketing. It has come along as a new thing, had some success and now it's time to move on. At the moment it seems to be all the camera companies want. The rise of tame client journalism, and creative mediocrity. They look down on us. They think mediocrity as a gold standard is what makes the normal guy on the street think he can be an artist too! I just think we need a much tougher push back against the camera companies and their marketing idiots. I am going to start myself. A message will go off to key Panasonic contacts soon, and point out that they're doing it all wrong. I don't care if I am ever invited or given access again, I think the push back has to start with me. It's not going to be Northrup doing it is it? They have completely undermined, rejected and neglected what really sells cameras... art, artists, people who can actually shoot, like you guys.

Yet they are happy to do it... They can't say no. They have to trade that little bit of credibility and trust each time to keep the megabucks rolling in. Far better to be an artist. Your store of worth is in the exchange beauty and creation of cinema, rather than in the negative slight of hand of a salesman... whether they are boxed into this position or don't have a choice is neither here nor there, it's what they are, and what they have chosen to be. The sad thing is all these influencers will have to keep on trading credibility and respect with every advert until there's nothing left in reserve and people's patience has simply run out. They are dispensable transient commodities whose ultimate destiny is at the whim of an online economy. Maybe they think it doesn't matter, that people will understand that it's just an advert and that the bills have to be paid. But one day they will end up on the trash heap, discarded and replaced by someone newer. Besides I really don't see the satisfaction in being this kind of influencer. It must be fucking horrible. To have to always sell yourself on demand to whoever is dangling the cash... Must feel like being a fully-clothed prostitute.

It takes a special kind of Kermitting to wind me up as a love camera shopping more than life itself. But MPB have managed it, on about 5 separate occasions now in two countries, which is an achievement Gonzo himself would be proud of. I think posting off thousands of euros of gear to a warehouse 20 mins bike ride away is daft. Especially if the post is on strike or it's DHHelllll. Their staff are so bad at communicating or making you feel valued. They let me drop stuff off once, and then dodged the question and refused to answer when I wanted to do it a second time. How about catering for this demand of 20-30 high-value customers per day wanting to do business with you and open a fucking counter! I don't care if it has Miss Piggy herself behind it, it's better than losing $$$ to the post!

Although I can be a bit negative about the current states of camera releases and so on, I just want to say how much I appreciate this forum. A daily fun read and fun to participate in. You folk have created a creative haven with a good technology knowledge, and this is very rare these days. I just provided the platform for it and a blog. It's striking how far it has gone thanks to you lot... I think there are cycles in human history, eras when good wins, eras when bad takes over. No guesses as to which era we are in as a world today. The camera community is a microcosm of reality. Go back 10 years ago and we had a camera community as a whole led by artists, photographers and filmmakers. Now we are in a different cycle, and I look at who is leading it with disdain. We have a bunch of gatekeepers who are all salesman cosplaying as journalists and artists because that's what the industry rewards and priorities with access. Client journalism has taken over from filmmakers and artists. How proud I am that this community is so different. In the face of such mainstream BS on YouTube. BTW - Do you remember when Jordan of DPR/Petapixel threw a big tantrum on this very forum and left for 2 years at the peak of the DSLR revolution / video, before returning with a nicey nice guy attitude like nothing had ever happened? It was based on a fundamental misunderstanding of EOSHD, from his side. I think when a filmmaker features your "content" on their blog it's a compliment and a good thing, not a leeching, or theft, right? But he was feeling insecure... attacked by my previous posts about the rise of the shills on social media. In order to feel targeted you first have to believe you are the victim. But if he stops to think about it and genuinely deep down considers himself the artist/filmmaker he always cosplays as, he would not have felt like a victim at all of anyone's push back against the shills and their excessive gatekeeping. Had he sympathized a little bit why I was "dumping on every reviewer", he wouldn't have had a problem with it. So in the end this tells us something important about influencers like Chris and Jordan - that they themselves sees themselves as defacto salesmen whose job it is to sell. It's their whole identity. So of course he felt particularly personally attacked. Even though I wasn't targeting him. In fact back in 2016 Chris and Jordan hadn't come to mind in my criticism at all. As creatives we need to push back when we see the over-commercialization of a space, or an online community. Don't be afraid to call these guys out.

Is this why they sent you the box of chocolates?