jonpais

No question Sachtler is the better fluid head, and they have three bowl head models and one flat base model for lightweight rigs to choose from. I would still buy the sturdiest available, you won't need to buy twice should you move up to a larger camera, and all three Sachtlers have counterbalance to 0, so they should still work fine with DSLR and mirrorless cameras. Even though the heaviest camera I own at the moment is a GH4 (or the X-T2, not sure!), I still bought a tripod (the iFootage Wild Bull T7) with 40kg max load. For tripods, I would divide the manufacturer's stated capacity by ten to arrive at a more realistic figure. Sure it's a little heavy, but I carry it around with me every day, and I'm 60 years old and weigh 140 lbs. Right now, I just use a slider, but in the future, I may invest in a good jib, so I'm covered there. And if I get stupid and buy a Kinefinity or something, I won't have to get a second tripod. I went ahead and inquired about the S8 anyway, waiting to hear back from the shop in Hanoi. The S8 sells for around $260 over at B&H, which I consider cheap when it comes to camera gear. But again, I'm not sure what tripod Alex is using, he doesn't say (is it the Be Free?), and he also doesn't say exactly how he'll be using it or what other gear he might expect to purchase in the near future (monitor, slider, jib, follow focus, shoulder rig?), so pretty difficult to make any recommendation without having that information first. Even the topic heading is a bit confusing: is the OP looking for a tripod or a head? Update: Just heard back from Hanoi, S8 out of stock (meaning will never have it). Can't even buy a decent fluid head in the third world!

Here's an excellent comparison between the Manfrotto 504 HD and Benro S8.

Any color comparisons between the GH4 and the GX85 that don't involve a bowl of fruit?

I just might end up getting one of the Benro heads after all. Right now, I'm waiting to see how much Vietnam customs is going to gouge me for the Manfrotto I ordered from B&H. But I'll need something I can also place on a slider, and the 504 HD's ball (or bowl) is not detachable as far as I know. So, in addition to making sure the counterbalance goes to 0 for light loads, I guess a detachable bowl is another thing to consider. It's only money...

I would go with the heaviest duty fluid head you can afford. If you're at home, you won't be carrying it around much anyway I assume. And if you ever get a larger camera, you are all set. Don't cheap out on a poor tripod head. Actually, good fluid heads for lightweight cameras are not that common. Be sure the fluid head counterbalance can go down as far as 0 kg or you will always be struggling to balance it. You don't say what tripod you are using, but a 75mm bowl would be ideal.

Here's the page explaining the update procedure. First, hold the DISP down while turning the camera on. The screen will show the latest firmware for both body and lens.

You're lucky to be able to walk into a shop and actually handle real gear.

I finally went out and shot with the camera. The 16-55mm f/2.8mm is incredibly sharp. AWB, which I've never, ever trusted to my Lumix cameras, was spot-on. Not having to tinker for hours with the color in FCP is a godsend. Speaking of which, the new FCP X 10.3.1 interface is exceptional, and even on my 2013 iMac, rendering time has substantially decreased. My overall impression of the X-T2 is overwhelmingly positive. Touch screen and IBIS be damned!

Actually, no need to flip the camera to check AF/M mode, as the information is displayed in the viewfinder.

And to the best of my knowledge, the camera never will have IBIS, something to do with Fuji's sensor... And, yes, in order to go from movie mode to stills, you've got to struggle with a small lever beneath the ISO dial and turn it FOUR clicks. The AFS, AFC, and M switch could easily have been placed to the right of the joystick so users wouldn't have to keep flipping the camera over to change the settings. Unfortunately, I don't have the option of returning the camera. To be fair, I only just got the camera and only had a chance to try to set it up, which was confusing, but so was my GH4 when I first got it. I haven't shot with it yet, and don't want to come across as a hater or anything. The X-T2 is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship - no shitty plastic anywhere, the dials are all engraved, the lenses are metal and have equally impressive build quality. It feels great in the hand, just like my Nokton 17.5mm. And even Fuji's firmware update page was a revelation coming from Panasonic's. But I wanted to express my serious disappointment in all the reviewers, who failed to mention many of the quirks that might be of interest to video shooters. I couldn't resist throwing in this ad for an earlier Konica.

It's got a tiny scale running vertically to the left of the screen showing + or - up to 2 EV, which is harder to see than on my very first camera, the Konica Auto S2, which cost $70. I think they could do better than that. How could serious reviewers fail to mention the lack of zebras, or that, when switching over to movie mode from stills, the (super tiny) histogram suddenly disappears? Moreover, as Davey rightly points out, many of those reviews have been video-centric.

My little rant.

The histogram only appears in the camera modes, when I switch to movie mode, bye bye.

Am I mistaken, or does the XT2 not have any exposure aids in video mode? I was setting up my camera this morning and couldn't find a histogram or zebras.... I wish I'd known!

Here in Vietnam, they quoted me 4-7 weeks for a build, I'm guessing at least 7 then... ☹️️

Max kind of threw me for a loop when, after knocking the rolling shutter, overheating, dim LCD screen, color, menu system, overpriced and limited lens selection, and so on, he went for the Sony after all. ?

Sorry to hear about that, Alex. Seems like you're having bad luck these days. Off topic, I know, but my aging, cheap Weifing fluid head started leaking sticky goo from between the seals a little while ago, so I thought it was time to look for a new fluid head. I was actually ready to go all out and buy a Sachtler Ace, but everywhere I looked, the heads were bundled with tripods. I already have sticks. And this was true not only for Sachtler, other huge names in video heads (like Vinten and Miller) were paired with legs as well. So I just went ahead and ordered the Manfrotto 504 HD, the only one I could find by itself. I'm really worn out and stressed from wasting so much time online looking for damned USB-C cables.

Even while Max is right about not needing dongles for everything (you can replace cables on external drives with inexpensive USB-C to micro USB cables, for example), it was driving me insane trying to shop for the four or five I will need, to the point that I just gave up.

Here's a video showing how I balance the Crane. Warning: NSFW! ???

Bought one this afternoon, with 16-55 f/2.8 zoom. Hope I can shoot some wicked things with this camera, too! ?

I'm hoping the firmware update solves the glitches too, since I've got a build on preorder myself. After watching Max Yuryev's comprehensive testing of the MBPr 2016 specifically for video editing (the only one I'm aware of). I just had to have this machine.

wait for someone else to try it.

I agree about the lens, but I've gone on and on about how much I dislike variable aperture zooms already, no need to wear everyone's ears out. Even if it meant a slightly larger body, I wish the GH5 had built-in ND filters. Chris demonstrates how the lens barrel doesn't change length when zooming, which he says means you won't have to rebalance every time you change focal length if used on a stabilizer, but I'm not so sure about that - after all, the lens elements are still moving. I own the G Vario 35-100 f/2.8, and while the barrel doesn't extend when zooming, when I change focal lengths, my gimbal needs rebalancing. I should double-check that though, since it's been a while. And while Chris says at the conclusion that this camera is for everybody, I'd say 'except for filmmakers'. But still I always enjoy watching their reviews.

I just finished watching the TCSTV review of the FZ2500, and think it's quite generous of Panasonic to offer things like V-log and 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 out to HDMI, when they could have reserved those features for their flagship model. And they include internal ND, which Sony inexplicably removed from their RX10 III. So what's all this got to do with the GH5? Well, first, I like Panasonic's business model. Second, I only got a glimpse of Jordan's grading of the V-Log clip in the segment, but it looks quite good, especially when we're talking about a 1-inch sensor. While I installed V-Log on my GH4, I've never used it, for one thing because I rarely find myself shooting in contrasty lighting, secondly, because I didn't want to go through the hassle of purchasing an external recorder. If it was possible to shoot V-Log internally on the GH5 without the artifacting issues that affected the GH4 (unless hooked up to an external recorder), that might convince me to try it out.

Glad to hear, Pablo! I've been corresponding with Rose since forever, and she's always replied the same day, sometimes even when she's no longer at work. I see she even subscribed to my YouTube channel, which shows that Zhiyun is really interested in customer feedback. Great company!