Emanuel

Apples to oranges, not exactly the same but I basically agree with you : ) Huawei Collector's Edition is going today for EUR 2250 / USD 2500, so too much for a camera phone... We buy a ZR for less : D A much fair price would be around the EUR 1500 mark... We buy the Honor/ARRI (not the Robot*, more expensive, especially comparing with other gimbal counterparts) and the 16/1TB version (against the Huawei's 16/512) for less these days... And you double the tele range with. So, a more interesting deal IMHO. Let's see what Black Friday brings us next month... - E. * For the same ticket you pay the other Honor/ARRI (without teleconverters, for a fraction of that Huawei's Ruiying Z10 module zoom lens) and you can even pick 1x Luna Ultra or Osmo 4P... ; ) two-in-one purchase, that is, Huawei is decidedly playing a pricey game for now : ) Makes me closer to be prone to end out there instead ; ) In any case, overheating has been my beef against these capture devices...

Piracy?! That is quite a leap from what I actually wrote. Yes, you later qualify it by talking about personal use, but you were the one who introduced “event video piracy” and making money from unaccredited shooting into a discussion where I had said nothing of the sort. For the record, I have never made a single cent from piracy in my life. And “not accredited” does not automatically mean “unauthorised” either. There are plenty of public concerts and events, including free ones, where there is no meaningful accreditation process in the first place. Sometimes they are organised or supported by public bodies and the whole situation is simply very different from a ticketed arena show with a tightly controlled press pit. And even at paid concerts, anyone who has actually spent years moving from one professional job to another with a camera in his hand will know exactly what I mean about the arrogance you can sometimes encounter from press offices. Being treated like livestock while being moved in and out, told where to stand, allowed three songs, then pushed out of the pit or backstage as though the people actually doing the camera work were an inconvenience. You really have to have worked with a camera in your hand to understand what I mean by that ; ) And that brings me to something the video world has a curious habit of forgetting: hey, still photography exists! : P Photographers, to be fair, can be equally guilty of forgetting motion : X A concert is not only something to be filmed. It is something to be photographed as well and photography, in motion or not, at its best, is art < 3 Then, of course, there is DSMC. Stands for Digital Still and Motion Camera. Perhaps you've heard of it : ) I don't know where you were when Jim Jannard and Jarred Land were already pushing that idea nearly twenty years ago, but I remember very well where I was and what I was already doing ; ) The distinction between “stills” and “video” has been breaking down for a very long time. Which is precisely why something like this Huawei or the other Honor (ARRI) : D posted in another thread, is still fairly interesting to me. Not because of piracy, for sure! (how easily people can pull the trigger on conclusions coming entirely from their own minds is beyond me! : ) but because it potentially gives you a serious imaging tool without immediately putting you inside the usual professional-access cage. And since you brought money into the discussion: if you ever feel like contributing to my income, you're more than welcome to put something from my actual work in the shopping basket ; ) With a bit of luck, it might even arrive signed not only by the alleged “pirate” himself LOL but also by the rock star the pirate photographed. And who knows, since he's a rock star, perhaps his autograph might even become collectible enough for you to sell it on eBay for a profit someday : D Now that would be such a commercial transaction! : P (E. :- ) The Waterboys / Mike Scott (posted on EOSHD), 2024 PS: I guess I don't need to post here every time I see him/them again as I did last June, the day before Robert Smith and his band aka The Cure, from whom I'm now ripping off one of their song titles for a book I'm prepping while dropping by here ;- )

No clue what it is for you but to me, and maybe in fact, definitely not for the usual naysayers ; ) it is OOAK : ) Price and convenience-wise? No less so :- ) - EAG

Take a better look at the video, Stephen, where the reviewer explains why this is actually an entirely new product concept... ; ) But let me answer you on this new one now: Have you ever been to a music concert with a camera in hands without being accredited as often happens but just not all the time? : ) Maybe not or perhaps you've already been asked to leave your telephoto zoom at the cloakroom, assuming there even was one... ;- ) Or then, going to the middle of the crowd with your gear after the first three songs... : X I bet you're able to pay for it in just a single gig! : P - EAG

Huawei’s new Ruiying Z10 module for the Mate 90 Pro Max... Inspiring, to say the least : ) That is, an interesting development in the long-running convergence between smartphones and dedicated cameras. The module reportedly includes: its own sensor and optical system (detachable connection to the smartphone) 1-inch 50MP RYYB sensor 24–240mm equivalent range in 35mm terms (10x* continuous optical zoom) f/2.0–4.5 aperture So this is not simply an accessory lens placed in front of the phone’s built-in camera. It is effectively a separate camera module using the smartphone as its display, processor and interface. Strictly speaking, this is not yet an interchangeable-lens camera system in the conventional sense, since the entire camera module is replaced rather than just the lens. But it does raise an obvious question about where smartphone camera design may be heading. Smartphones already provide processing, computational photography, large displays, storage, editing and connectivity. If large sensors and modular or interchangeable optics become more common, part of the traditional role of the dedicated camera body could become less distinct. Mirrorless cameras still retain substantial advantages: larger sensors, mature lens systems, ergonomics, cooling, battery life, physical controls, professional I/O and more sophisticated video recording options. The question is how much of that distinction will remain relevant if smartphone camera systems continue moving in this direction. Are interchangeable lenses for camera phones going to kill the mirrorless camera industry or will they remain a separate category? - EAG :- ) *disclaimer: I can't help myself and invariably hate that 10x terminology, no matter what : D

Maybe a few of you may find this useless but, sounds to me as some unique piece of gear, designed by origin, powered for casual shooter, a real pocket tele in fact:

Do they have similar features other than the obvious difference with or without it? Well, they seem much distinct products when 200mm and 500mm come to the equation. As far as the price goes, the gimbal also looks like to introduce a 50% increase at least, if not doubles: CNY 9,999 ($1,487) with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, and CNY 12,999 ($1,933) with 16GB of RAM and 1TB * I still wonder on the leftover though, anyway : ) And maybe they may not beat the Luna Ultra or 4P FWIW after all :- ) * source

More here, there and also over there to include the new 200mm & 500mm teleconverters. E. ;- )

Nice to see you and your family — I presume, enjoying it! : ) The score fits the ticket perfectly! *thumbs upª Other people’s good fortune I can live with ; ) it’s their misfortune I can’t : X

Yeah, you beat me on that one... Same link to post, thanks anyway, glad you did it : ) For existing and some others to come as soon as they'll address the complaints : X These are very promising news, I guess I'll have to buy one this time, thanks to this, so you see how much this matters to many of us ; ) Exciting announcement... BTW one of my fav cams today, mid to late 2026 (EAG :- )

; ) https://petapixel.com/2026/09/04/gopros-founder-promises-it-isnt-done-making-consumer-cameras/ Sure not... why should it be kinda different? LOL :- )

Last time you did it, I bought one! : D

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gopro-enters-into-definitive-agreement-to-merge-with-starman-optical-inc-302866291.html GoPro merges with Starman Optical (AI data centers, defence and aerospace enter the picture). GoPro has entered into a definitive merger agreement with this US optical-photonics company making optical transceivers. GoPro shareholders are to receive $285 million in cash ($1.14 per share) while retaining approximately 10% of the combined company. GoPro's roughly $92 million debt is also expected to be paid off at closing. The announcement specifically talks about expanding GoPro into AI data center infrastructure, government, defence and aerospace, using Starman's US-made optical transceiver business. So a company which we still instinctively think of as an action-camera manufacturer is suddenly describing a future spanning cameras, photonics, AI infrastructure and defence. GoPro says the camera business isn't going anywhere. Nick Woodman has already published a separate letter reassuring users about exactly that. He says they intend to make more cameras, smarter accessories and better software, and that the stronger balance sheet should actually allow them to invest more heavily in imaging. That may well be true. Particularly interesting is GoPro's IP position. They mention more than 2,500 US patents accumulated over 24 years, and explicitly say the deal is intended to maximise the value of that IP in consumer, commercial and defence markets. In other words, this doesn't read merely as somebody buying a struggling camera brand. It looks more like an attempt to take what remains a very recognisable imaging company, recapitalise it, remove the debt and use the GoPro brand/IP as one component of a much broader technology company. And, strangely enough, this might actually be better news for GoPro cameras than another few years of trying to survive almost exclusively by selling action cams. Provided the cameras really do remain important after the merger, of course ; ) The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2026, subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. - EAG

Well, here's another interesting one from Samyang for L-mount. Previously Sony FE only... ...now also available in L-mount ; ) The new LK Samyang AF 60-180mm F2.8 weighs only 728g, which is remarkably light for a constant f/2.8 full-frame telephoto zoom (and at about a grand it is also considerably cheaper than the usual 70-200mm f/2.8 options). It has no optical stabilization (OIS), in either L-mount or Sony FE, unfortunately : ( A deal breaker for Sigma FP owners/lovers, as for instance. 60mm at the wide end is actually quite useful for video, and losing 20mm at the long end seems a very reasonable trade-off for that size and weight.

https://www.eisa-awards.org/awards/nikon-zr/ Interesting to see the Nikon ZR taking EISA’s Photo/Video Camera 2026–2027 award. On paper, I can understand it. The overall package is unusually strong, particularly for the money, and Nikon has clearly managed to turn the RED acquisition into something rather more tangible than a logo on the box. Still, awards like this always make me wonder what is actually being judged. A camera can be outstanding as a specification sheet, and even as an overall product, while still having one or two behaviours that matter disproportionately once you start using it seriously (codec implementation, processing, noise reduction, workflow, etc.). That does not necessarily make the award wrong. It just shows how different “best camera” can look depending on whether you are judging features, image quality, value, or the less glamorous realities of actually shooting and finishing a project with it. The ZR may well deserve the trophy. I'm rather more interested in whether Nikon keeps refining the bits that do not fit quite so neatly on the award plaque ; ) That said, kudos to ZR! EAG :- )

https://camerajabber.com/photography-news/isabelle-huppert-directs-and-stars-in-a-short-film-shot-entirely-on-the-dji-osmo-pocket-4p/

I think that word “affinity” is actually more important than people sometimes admit : ) On paper we can reduce everything to specs, codecs, lenses and prices, but after a certain point a system also has to make you want to pick it up and use it. Sony can tick practically every box and still somehow not be the answer (I know exactly what you mean there : ) Since you are very much a hybrid shooter, and stills seem to matter at least as much as video, I would probably look at this slightly differently. On the L-mount side, before changing anything, I would certainly try the Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. It is not an exotic lens, but for somebody moving constantly between stills and video it is exactly the sort of lens that can make a system considerably more useful: sensible range, stabilisation, very useful close focusing and one lens that can stay on the camera for most of the day. Sony is tempting for a different reason. Beyond the enormous stills AF lens catalogue, E-mount also gives you an unusually broad selection of genuinely affordable full-frame AF glass (the AF-AFF route, AutoFocus to Affordable Full Frame ; ) And then there is the increasingly interesting cine side. The compact Samyang V-AF primes are a good example. They are relatively affordable, matched as a family, and the 24mm in particular is interesting because it makes perfectly good sense on full frame while also becoming a very useful lens on something like an FX30 (a cam I am particularly used to : ) Add Samyang's 1.7x anamorphic MF adapter and AF becomes MF. But put something like DJI Focus Pro LiDAR [ 1 | 2] into the equation and you can effectively bring automated focusing back again (the AF-MF-AF route ; ) And you no longer even need to go through that slightly mad route if you simply want AF anamorphic. Blazar now has the Apex 1.33x S35 AF lenses and the Talon 1.5x full-frame AF line, while Sirui has its 20mm/40mm T1.8 1.33x S35 AF anamorphics plus the new Astra full-frame AF series. So E-mount is beginning to look less like a one-off anamorphic experiment and more like an actual affordable AF-anamorphic ecosystem. The interesting part is that some of this does not necessarily lock you into Sony either. The Samyang V-AF 24mm has already been shown working with AF on the ZR through the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+, so at least part of that E-mount investment could potentially follow you across. And Sirui already offers native Z versions of its S35 AF anamorphics. Blazar had actually announced Z-mount for the Apex originally too, although the production lenses have so far remained E/L. So for me the real attraction of Sony in your case would not simply be "better video AF". It is the combination of the huge hybrid/stills lens ecosystem, lots of affordable AF glass, the possibility of adding something like an FX30 without changing lenses, the Samyang V-AF route, and now a growing choice of genuine AF anamorphics as well. At the same time, the ZR increasingly looks capable of borrowing some of those advantages without necessarily committing yourself completely to Sony. Which, unfortunately, probably makes your decision harder rather than easier... ; )

Well, two years after the X4 and one year after the X5, here we are again : ) This time it actually looks like a proper generational jump rather than the usual yearly refresh: X6 brings dual 1/1.1" square sensors (33% larger area than X5), 8K50p (for smoother capture 'cause this is 360º shooting, folks! ; ) 10-bit I-Log and even native in-camera Dolby Vision. There's also a new 2600mAh battery design (finally no longer doubling as part of the actual camera body : ) rated for up to 140 minutes at 8K30. https://www.insta360.com/blog/insta360-x6-launch.html Funny enough, going back to the beginning of this thread, we were already asking for larger sensors, 10-bit LOG and better DR back in 2024... so they have been reading us after all? ; ) For me the really interesting bit is not the "action cam" side of the thing anyway, but how far 360 acquisition has now come as a tool to shoot first and decide framing/camera movement later. 8K was already making that increasingly usable with X4/X5, but larger sensors + 10-bit I-Log is another story for post. 8K50 is not exactly bad news either : P U.S. shooters will have to go down to 6K for getting 60p if needed. The usual guy. Looks like the X-series finally got the upgrade we were waiting for : ) Comparatives against the current 360º contenders or merely dethroned now? And against the other current action cams. Introducing auto editing features by AI, no less ; ) Their new PanoMind model is actually built around understanding the whole 360º scene rather than a conventional flat frame, powering AI Director, Auto Edit 2.0 and Moments Pro. AI Director can even go through your footage inside the X6 while the camera is charging, pick the highlights and have an editable finished cut waiting in the app afterwards (now that's actually useful AI! ; ) Auto Edit 2.0 can take one or several clips and handle the reframing, virtual camera moves, cuts, transitions and music automatically, while Moments Pro takes it another step into the cloud: give it the subject, mood, style and duration you're after and let it build the edit from there. In other words, the whole old 360º idea of "shoot everything now, decide where the camera was pointing later" is increasingly becoming "shoot everything now and perhaps don't even have to decide that yourself later" : P That's precisely where AI actually makes sense here: it addresses one very specific 360º problem: the absurd number of reframing decisions you can end up making in post. Maybe not yet refined but the concept is here : ) Computational cinematography has just landed... Photo Mode X6 vs X5 (who said higher resolution doesn't count? ; ) source (here's a new interesting tool to compare 360 cameras from this same guy, on topic) - EAG

Same here :- )

I have one URSA Cine 12K just waiting for... ;- )

One of my fave ones ever! : ) I have 4x units of them (the perfect steal for 100 bucks each ; ) and am usually recommending it as a primary cine camera for every newbie willing to pursue a career in this industry ;- ) - EAG

Yeah : D Get a good excuse and go for it! : ) And let us know what you think about it afterwards! ; ) We are all ears... Quite a temptation indeed, to say the least :- X

Sure : ) That's actually how this thread started back in January, and I updated it again in March with the 9.9.2 firmware update : ) So yes, PDAF itself isn't the new part here. What I meant by "quite an update" was 10.2.2 as a whole (and AF finally graduating from beta), especially "10-minute pre-record" and all on the "Same hardware" (which is why those were the two bits I put in bold), that's the news! No need for a new camera ; ) alongside 4-channel audio, Cloud Streaming and the rest. And yes, you were already asking for the URSA Cine 12K LF back in January... let's see if that one comes next ; - )