Oliver Daniel

I couldn't give a crap about scientific camera tests. It's 2017 and every new release is more than suitable to get a great result. Rent the camera, buy the camera. Take it out outside, inside, down the stairs, inside a cave, on a car, underwater, in space. Wherever. Keep, sell or return. Stroke it. Kiss it. Crush it. Burn it. Canon, Fuji, Sony, Panasonic, GoPro... whatever suits. Shoot shoot shoot. Learn, and shoot again. Again. Again. Again. Over and over.

I got the A6500 mainly for stills, but I've been using it a lot more for video actually. I'll give you a breakdown: 1. The 4K image is outstanding. Better than my FS5. Special sauce here. 2. Color isn't an issue. White balance, grade well and the results are fantastic. This includes Slog2 - worth it for the lovely highlight rolloff. (Try Omeneo Primers as a base). 3. IBIS is great with a native lens. Good with adapted lenses, although I find that it's much better to use Sony lenses as adapted ones make it very front heavy. 4. Autofocus is very useful on a gimbal! (Get the Zhiyun Crane - amazing gimbal). 5. When handheld, don't whip the camera around too much, be smooth and steady - rolling shutter is poor. 6. The camera is best operated bare bones due to the small size. Buy a bigger camera otherwise. 7. The camera has not overheated, but has one up with a warning twice. 8. Use the normal Sony batteries, about 4-5. Get a dual charger. Buy a USB power bank for backup. 9. The screen does dim when recording 4K. Use zebras and histogram to judge Exposure. 10. It's really fun to use. As a video making tool, the A6500 is a very capable camera. The image quality can be outstanding. The GH5 might be a better fit - although I'm keeping the A6500 because I have an FS5. The workflow is easier. We'll see how the GH5 pans out over the next few months.

Don't waste time with the F35. It's old. I think you should check out the Panasonic DVX100. It's a game changer with progressive frames.

I agree with you Ed. I had a music video nominated for a Metal Hammer award, they played it on the big screen for a bit. I was blown away by the quality. It was shot in a GH3. Sat back, I also saw a test clip on Vimeo I thought was the Alexa. No, it was actually the 8-bit A6300 in Slog3. I'm also gobsmacked how much better my videos look on an iPad or iPhone. Noise is gone. Images I thought were soft actually resolve brilliantly. Most is low bitrate footage. We all know that content is most important. With cameras, they're all good enough to realise that content. The skill is choosing the correct characteristics for that content and maximising a cameras capabilities. I've got little interest in the "camera race" at the moment, it's extremely minor in the scheme of things.

I think it's Bloom who said it in his blog. I'm really enjoying the A6500 at the moment, and even chose it ahead of my FS5 for a shoot this week. The 4K image is pretty special sauce. Better than the FS5's internal 4K. The IBIS is super useful. The autofocus is great, awesome for a gimbal. Just wish it had 4k60p. This peaks my interest in the GH5 - as I expect the experience to be similar, and better in some aspects. Its one of them though. I'm totally covered with my Sony's. No colour issues. Got past that. I'll keep watch of the GH5 but new cameras and gizmos are way, way down my priority list. Making stuff is No.1

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the GH5 will be getting a firmware update later in the year for 4k 60p 10bit? Is this true or false?

The best example of 10 bit Vs 8 bit is comparing the 4K XAVC-I image from the FS7 compared to the 4K XAVC-L image from the FS5. The FS7 image feels more complete, whole and chunky. The FS5 feels thinner, lighter and rougher. But I think it comes down to more than just 10 bit Vs 8 bit. There's the codec and data rate too. The FS5 1080p stills feels thin at 10bit, the codec is XAVC-L and 50Mbps. The FS5 raw to ProRes 4K 10bit is vastly superior and more like the FS7 XAVC-I. Complete, whole and chunky. The 10bit on the GH5 is just marketing strategy speak at the moment until it's proven to be the big step up its advertised to be. Hope so!

I think these camera chase politics and obsessions slow down the progress of many. We're at a time now where sticking and investing in the system of one brand is the best way to go. i currently shoot with the FS5 + Inferno, A7SII and A6500. I can do pretty much everything with these cameras. I have Sony as they cover a much wider spectrum of uses than any other brand. You understand the operation, the dynamic range, color space, the community, the workflow, the lenses etc without having to change your mindset and learning development much. I'd love a GH5, but it would be a camera too much in my kit, and the odd-one out. Plus I'd need native MFT lenses to get full performance. That money can be spent on native Sony lenses, a new soft light or even marketing. If you're not invested in a system, the GH5 is a no-brainer.

I've been shooting with the A6500 again today on the Zhiyun Crane and also by stealth on the streets (in the latter, I was filming a public stunt for inclusion in a music video). It seems to me that the A6500 4k image has some special sauce of something going on - it really is quite a fantastic image for such a tiny camera and low bitrate. I've also seem many more examples online of people getting much better results from the A6300/500 than any of the other A7 cameras. The IBIS is also the best I've used in a Sony mirrorless - it's excellent. The only issues I have is battery life and rolling shutter, but they are not deal breakers as they are both manageable.

SLog2 is fantastic on the A7 cameras (if you do it right!) Slog3 is too aggressive. (Although I've seen some really nice results). Cine4 is nice for many situations. Slog3 10-bit is where it's at!

Haha, well I guess it depends what you like, but there's no denying how great the Zhiyun is. The DJI Osmo RAW is a great concept with too many issues for the asking price, and those expecting to use the DJI X5S with the new planned handle grip should be cautious. Poor workflow - takes ages to get the files in ProRes. Cinelight software is absolute rubbish. Crashes all the time and is very basic. Too many error messages in Cinelight (doesn't boot SSD / says the SSD is invalid / fails to recognise / ejects from drive). SSD's are too expensive. 4k footage is at a mega bitrate! Barely manageable. Non-RAW fles (proxy) have good sharpness but very poor detail. D-Log is atrocious. Exceptionally hard to exposed grade this correctly. (best converting to BMD Film). Difficult to get exposure right as exposure tools are basic. Very noisy fan is distracting and will ruin any recorded audio. Fan is exposed at the top, so if it's raining a little bit, forget it! General gimbal movement is limited - very prone to side to side wobble and bounce. Joystick is very hard to use - difficulty reaching it with my thumb and getting the pan direction right. Focus peaking is unreliable - hard to get critical focus on a phone screen. Phone constantly needs charging - have to plug in a USB power bank and strap it to the phone holder (adding weight to the left side). Osmo will go to sleep when it feels like it. Phone will lose communication with X5R regularly. Will often fail to recognise wi-fi signal from Osmo to phone. Too many occasions when the X5R fails to recognise the SSD. Too many occasions the internal mic switches off on it's own. Battery life with Cosmo batteries is very poor. Inspire batteries are much better but you have cables running off the gimbal into your pocket. Image breaks up constantly on wi-fi signal, very hard to judge focus and composition. Great when the feed is undisturbed. On 1080p 50/60, sometimes the image has missing frame as the footage jumps on some shots. The Zhiyun has none of the above issues and just works. And I have the option to use multiple cameras

This is the video that convinced me to get the Zhiyun for the A6500. I think it's the best gimbal you can buy, when considering price / performance. It's an absolute joy to use, especially with the A6500 autofocus voodoo.

I've used the Zhiyun Crane on 2 shoots now with the A6500 - and it's the first time ever that I've been really pleased with a camera / gimbal combo. The Zhiyun is a beast and operates brilliantly. Works very well with the A6500 autofocus. The only real downside is that the A6500 doesn't have 4k60p, the 1080 60p is just ok, so I'd say it really depends on the GH5's autofocusing capability. I'm covered for cameras, the GH5 would be a treat if anything. How long until we see 4K 60p in Sony cameras? (But it likely won't be 10 bit in a firmware upgrade!)

The A7S: HE (Hollywood Edition) has a groundbreaking new feature, in which you can map ISO sensitivity by touchscreen to different pixels in the image, so you no longer need any lighting whatsoever!

I've just had a quick look at this thread, as I've recently bought a Zhiyun Crane and used it on an important music video shoot with the A6500 yesterday with no prior experience or practice. I've had a BeSteady, a Ronin-M and a DJI Osmo RAW. The latest, the Osmo RAW is a great idea but needs a lot of work to justify the price tag. There were too many issues and the movement wasn't that great, although the video quality is stunning in controlled lighting. The Crane is a breath of fresh air. Very high quality, not heavy, easy to set up, long battery life, great gimbal movement, simple and responsive settings. I've only used it for a day and I'd say (for the money / value), it's the best gimbal you can buy right now. Love it.

One thing the Wing doesn't have is motion control. Check out the SliderONE wit motion module for portability. I've just picked up the SliderPLUS Pro with both motion modules. Edelkrone are the only company where I crave all their products!

I don't bother looking at charts. Just try out a few cameras, see what looks best, and shoot with it.

I'm not pre-ordering because it doesn't have the Auto Hollywood Mode, in which I'm guaranteed to be a Hollywood cinematographer. I don't want to buy lights and go to all that effort just to get a usable picture at night time. ;-D In all seriousness, the camera seems like a no-brainer. I had and loved the GH3. But I'll be waiting for these firmware updates and some user experiences / knowledge before placing an order. I made that mistake with the RX10 II (which didn't work out for me at all). I also need to break in my A6500 first!

I have the A6500 and the Sigma MC-11 and I've used the 18-35mm briefly so far. Autofocus is pretty good however I've noticed lock-on AF is greyed out. My 18-105mm Sony lens does work much better - The Sigma just has a much nicer rendering of the image. Other little issues: - The Sigma can hunt a little bit and miss focus. - It's very front-heavy, much better with the 18-105mm for handling. Other comments? - The Sony lenses are underwhelming for video, hence why i still have EF lenses. - The 5 axis with the 18-105mm is great, good with the Sigma. - My wife's stills on the 700d wipes the floor with the A6500, side by side. Canon mojo is special! There's still something about an optical viewfinder I find more enjoyable to use! - The 4k in the A6500 (when steady) is better than the internal FS5 and A7S II 4k. It's very very nice! Onto topic, EF lenses are probably the best lens system to be instead in, due to adaptability. I thought of going all E-mount as I only ever use Sony cameras, but I don't like the E-mount lenses for video. Slow apertures and horrible fly-by-wire. GM lenses are very heavy, and make little sense on something like the a6500.

I barely read any articles on "sponsored" blogs due to this very reason. If you're going to spend a lot of money that your job depends on... you need completely unbiased, truthful reviews with authenticity. This is why I read EOSHD and actually bother to post. It's unique and honest. I dig deep for more independent blogs and reviews, and cut through the shit on Youtube and find the best review of a camera (that only has 40 views).

I do have the MC-11 adapter and an A6500 arriving in two days.

Yep, I got the hunch that my FS5, or a new 1DX II wouldn't be able to breathe together, given the sheer cost and differences. I'm going to keep my EF lenses and do bits of photography on the 80d. Don't need more than that for stills. I could get an A6300/500 - not overly keen on Sony for stills though. Selling my DJI X5R and Osmo if anyone wants it btw!

Those 2 lenses are awesome indeed. I actually will probably keep my EF lenses - just curious on any user accounts of E-mount lenses.

Today I decided to say "fuck it" and invest completely into my FS5 and be gone with my other cameras. So I'll be "stuck" with Sony, as I want to get rid of all my EF lenses for native lenses for peak performance. I only have 1 E-mount lens: the 18-105 f4. It's alrite. I'm looking at only a handful (it would need to be an oversized, mutant hand) lenses on this criteria: 1. F2.8 aperture minimum, constant. 2. Covering wide to telephoto. 3. Electronic with autofocus (for stills too on the A6300500700900). 4. Ideally OSS. 5. Nice enough manual focus ring (not that 24-70 f4 style fly by wire awfulness). Hit me! (appreciated).

There are many reasons to favour an FS5. 1. It can be stripped down to a palm sized box or into a 4K 120fps monster (with upgrade and recorder). 2. Ergonomics are brilliant. 3. Electronic ND filter - just awesome. 4. Internal 10bit. 5. Internal super slow motion. 6. Audio controls and XLRs. 7. Super 35 sensor. Use more lenses. 8. More wow factor to clients I'm unsure on the future of stabilisation in the FS-Series, however it's well controlled using a Sony lens with OSS and a steady hand. It's perfect for gimbal and sliders too, being so compact.