IronFilm

Only Leica was making them. They can't do that, not unless they plan to totally kill their entire MFT line up. You can't have only one stop difference between two different mounts that you are supporting. They need to be two+ stops apart, such as Nikon F Mount vs Nikon CX Mount, or Fujifilm X Mount vs Fujifilm G Mount. Otherwise if you have camera line ups that are only one stop apart in size then they must be sharing the same mount, such as is the case with Nikon F / Canon EF / Sony E / Nikon Z / Canon RF (note how the EOS-M series is getting killed off, not even Canon can support both of them at once when they're only one stop apart).

Yeah the price is a bit nuts, but I'd hope if the X-M5 is gangbusters popular then a third party will make it for half the cost, or even a quarter of the cost. So you can rig it up with the fan if you need it, but also you can strip it down and go lightweight (maybe you're just going to be a tourist and take a few snaps during your trip).

Ideally Panasonic should have two "flagship" products, one for enthusiasts to eat up and another for influencers to love. I guess they hoped the S5mk2 and S9 would be that. But the S5mk2 wasn't an S1Hmk2, and the S9 is a little too pricey. Fujfilm is dominating the influencer segment with their X100 series and now the X-M5. A new X-H3S could see them run away with the enthusiasts end of the hybrid shooters segment as well. I could say similarly for Sony too, the likes of Sony ZV-E10 + Sony ZV-1 + Sony ZV-1F have seen Sony be very popular with the vloggers / "influencers" / social media "content creators". While of course with the Sony FX30 / FX3 they've been crushing it for the more serious enthusiasts / semi pros. I agree.

Scott Choucino has talked a lot about this, he has a great channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TinHouseStudioUK He makes the point that a lot of what he does could still be done in a pinch with merely a Canon 5Dmk2! (or translated into Nikon speak: Nikon D3X / D600 ? You could pick a D600 up right now for less than US$300 on eBay ) Or even "splurge out" for the likes of a Canon 5D S (or in Nikon speak: Nikon D800, which you could grab right for US$350), which he could do all of his professional photography work on.

The Fujfilm X-M5 is compatible with Fujifilm's Cooling Fan FAN-001 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1708267-REG/fujifilm_16757344_x_h_fan.html I wonder if that, or a similar third party product, would make it reliable vs overheating.

I believe in you. Hit the gym during the off season, and you can do it! Probably the only thing stopping the Fujifilm X-M5 from being "the perfect" sub $1K camera is the lack of IBIS. But I'd imagine the average vlogger / "content creator" would be happy enough with the OIS from the kit lens + EIS Might be the worst thing about the X-M5, it won't remain in stock anywhere between now and until after Christmas. At this price, it's pretty easy to own 2x X-M5! Keep one fully rigged up with an external monitor / recorder + V Lock + MixPre3 + etc Keep the other X-M5 stripped down, let it be the camera to be the B Cam angle / BTS stills camera / gimbal camera / whatever. Rent it. Just like anybody else would. And do the low budget / spec shoots with the X-M5. Indeed, puts so much pressure on every other manufacture to offer something more compelling in the sub $1K price point. Will Panasonic slash the price further of the S5mk1? Or will Panasonic find a way to release an even cheaper L Mount camera, perhaps a "Panasonic S90"?? Will they give us an epic "Panasonic GM6"? (is crazy that the GM5 was way back in 2014!!) Maybe Sony will do a sub $1K "Sony FX300"??? Will be interesting to see. Agreed, Panasonic has always been the budget / value market leader I felt. (a big reason why I shot with Panasonic!!) But now it feels like Panasonic is merely "the middle ground" when it comes to budget value. They're definitely not grossly overpriced, and do offer you good value. But they're no longer a leader in this category. Of course if you don't care about stills, then Blackmagic is kinda beating them here. And for the hybrid photographer it feels like it's Fujifilm who are the leaders now. Panasonic is now not leading it but is positioned midpack, where the likes of Sony a7C / a7mk3 / FX30 or Nikon Z6 mk1 / mk2 or Canon R8 / R7 / R6 are now very competitive in this "new normal" of what "low / mid budget" pricing seems to be. (i.e. $1K to $2.5K ish)

I feel the release of that as well was just a coincidence in the timing, they should have perhaps more fully separated the release timing? https://phillipreeve.net/blog/review-viltrox-28mm-4-5-af-pancake/ oh wow! "Full frame" too Only is available for Sony E Mount, but I guess they'll eventually release an X Mount version? With it being FF on APS-C it should have good corner performance too. Won't have the slight color cast in the corners that this lens has on Sony a7 series cameras.

You're not even going for the absolutely cheapest options. The TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 is even cheaper than the Meike. Could have also gone for the cheap TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 Lens pancake lens instead of the Viltrox (sure, it's not as fast, but it's also much smaller! And some people might prefer that). Could also have gone with the cheaper Fujfilm XC 50-230mm f/4.5-6.7 OIS mk2 lens as the longer telephoto zoom. That now adds up to $1576 in total, that's quite a bit cheaper than the Panasonic S9 with its kit lens! And you get a hell of a lot more with the Fujifilm setup.

Or OIS, such as the kit lens that comes with the X-M5 for only an extra $100: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1855426-REG/fujifilm_16900771_x_m5_mirrorless_camera_with.html Very handy wide angle too, starting at 15mm! Yes, that will be Fujifilm's biggest problem. Trying to keep the X-M5 in stock and on the shelves! Everyone who can't get their hands on the out of stock (or too expensive) Fujifilm X100VI is going to get the X-M5 instead.

Depends on how you define "prosumer", but arguably when we're being given 6.2K @29.97fps in 10-bit (with 12raw output too, and anamorphic support!) then couldn't you say the release of the X-M5 is indeed supporting prosumer shooters? I kinda think it is. I had been thinking if I buy a new camera next year (highly unlikely, but always possible) it would probably be a cheap Sony FX30. But perhaps this Fujifilm X-M5 is worth a look? Especially as it would be priced substantially cheaper than a FX30. Heck, for only a hundred bucks more you even get a handy 15mm to 45mm zoom lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1855426-REG/fujifilm_16900771_x_m5_mirrorless_camera_with.html I guess the lack of IBIS and TC would be the biggest two negatives for me. And perhaps the overheating. But.... https://petapixel.com/2024/10/14/fujifilm-x-m5-first-impressions-a-surprisingly-powerful-little-hybrid/ "If you need to record for long periods of time, you can shoot a long-play mode which still has the 1.18x crop but should dramatically extend record limits and avoid overheating. There are two screw mount brackets to allow the attaching of the Fujifilm cooling-fan unit if overheating needs to be more acutely avoided with the intensive record modes." Handy! I feel Panasonic has abandoned a little the MFT market underneath their flagship GH7/G9mk2 We used to have the "Gx series" (G3/G5/G6/G7) that were solid budget options. But the G9 changed that, being a flagship camera. And the G90/G100 just don't cut it in comparison. We need a "Panasonic G7mk2"! Fujifilm's X100 series cameras have been massively popular. This new X-M5 with a pancake lens is the perfect camera for everyone who can't get their hands on an out of stock Fujifilm X100V or X100VI. Or heck, this X-M5 is also perfect for everyone who simply can't afford a X100 series camera! Because a Fujfilm X-M5 with a TTArtisan 27mm f/2.8 autofocus lens is still a lot cheaper than a X100VI (heck, get a TTArtisan AF 56mm f/1.8 autofocus lens too! You're still a lot cheaper than a X100VI) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1732752-REG/ttartisan_af2728_x_b_af_c27mm_f_2_8_lens.html https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1815332-REG/ttartisan_af5618_x_b_af_56mm_f_1_8_lens.html

Exactly. Most first time buyers are not pixel peeping reviews of lenses, they don't care, or even for those who do care they night not even fully grasp understanding the reviews to figure out just how much better one lens is vs another. Or they might just flat out not have the money for it yet, even though they do want those better lenses. The 50mm f2 lens for $159 with the image quality of a nifty fifty from the 1980's is always going to out sell the $399 50mm f1.8 I am saying "generally speaking", and it's not true for all users. Of course lots of exceptions exist who buck the trends, such as yourself. You're very happy to experiment outside the mainstream. Plus you work solo? Never with other shooters? (either under you, or you working for someone else) And you never / rarely rent in extra equipment such as extra lenses or cameras? The dynamics of investing in gear changes so much once you consider those factors.

Nice. Does 12bit raw though over HDMI! I had been thinking if I buy a new camera next year (highly unlikely, but always possible) it would probably be a cheap Sony FX30. But perhaps this Fujifilm X-M5 is worth a look? Especially as it would be priced substantially cheaper than a FX30. Heck, for only a hundred bucks more you even get a handy 15mm to 45mm zoom lens: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1855426-REG/fujifilm_16900771_x_m5_mirrorless_camera_with.html I guess the lack of IBIS and TC would be the biggest two negatives for me. And perhaps the overheating. But.... https://petapixel.com/2024/10/14/fujifilm-x-m5-first-impressions-a-surprisingly-powerful-little-hybrid/ "If you need to record for long periods of time, you can shoot a long-play mode which still has the 1.18x crop but should dramatically extend record limits and avoid overheating. There are two screw mount brackets to allow the attaching of the Fujifilm cooling-fan unit if overheating needs to be more acutely avoided with the intensive record modes." Handy! I feel Panasonic has abandoned a little the MFT market underneath their flagship GH7/G9mk2 Where is the cheaper "Panasonic G90"? (a G7mk2?)

100% It can't be understated what a powerful factor having a massive user base is when it comes to choosing a camera. I'll happily take a 15% worse camera if it has 5x more users. Is why a Sony FX30 will probably be my next camera (if I even get another camera next year). As everyone and their dog has a Sony camera. You have to seriously beat Sony on price and/or features to make a person consider anything else. (although Canon gets an honorable mention when it comes to popularity, and Blackmagic does ok in their little indie niche) It's also why back when I first started with photography I went for a Nikon D50. Just didn't make sense to consider Pentax / Sony / Olympus / etc, as you can't just be better/cheap than Nikon/Canon. You need to be a lot better/cheaper. At the very least, Panasonic needs to be price competitive against the likes of the a7mk2 (which is still being sold brand new!) / Sony a7C / Canon EOS RP It's too much to think Panasonic will ever undercut them in price, but at least be within a couple of hundred dollars of them! Yup, it's not just camera bodies that need to be price competitive to grow the number of new photographers/videographers into the ecosystem, but the lenses too. Look at their prices for L Mount: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/Mirrorless-Camera-Lenses/ci/17912/N/4196380428?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH&filters=fct_a_focus-type_5738%3Aautofocus%2Cfct_lens-format-coverage_3332%3Afull-frame-lenses%2Cfct_lens-mount_3442%3Aleica-l-mount%2Cfct_lenses-kits_7315%3Alenses-only Cheapest is a $350 prime. Next cheapest from Panasonic is their new compact kit zoom at $500! Compare that with Canon, who have four lenses which are cheaper than Panasonic's cheapest. Nikon has also four (well arguably "two") lenses cheaper than Panasonic's cheapest. And a zoom cheaper than Panasonic's cheapest zoom. (none of this is counting the various third party lenses either, of which there are for more for them than there are for L Mount) Ideally I'd like Panasonic to do something such as a 50mm f2 lens for $160-ish, and a 28mm f2.8 pancake lens for sub $300 And a medium range zoom (24-90mm ish that is f4 ish) that's cheaper than any of their current zooms. That will fill in some big gaps in the entry level starting out lens kit, to make Panasonic competitive again.

Yes, but how much is that really?

Canon made a misstep with the EOS-M series. Had to get out the EOS R, otherwise Sony would have ran away with the FF mirrorless niche. Without those then Fujifilm would have an even smaller percentage? Would they even be #4? Or would Panasonic? Is it a loss? They've stripped away the DSLR to a bare bones no frills experience with the Canon Rebel T7, remember its RRP was US$550. So is $400 really that much less all this time later? Canon has long ago recovered the R&D costs for this, what's the marginal cost for each extra unit now? And Canon would 100x rather any new buyer of a Canon Rebel T7 is joining the Canon family, rather than buying say a refurbished Nikon D3500 or a secondhand Panasonic G7 or secondhand Sony a6000. Agreed, personally this is an approach I'm glad to see Panasonic doing.

Nothing wrong with this approach, it's what Sony has been doing very successfully for a number of years. Can't afford the latest a7Rmk3? That's fine, maybe we can tempt you with the latest and cheaper a7mk3? Oh, that's still not cheap enough for you? Well look, we have an older a7mk2 still available for sale! What, not even that is cheap enough for you? No problem, we've got you, here is an OG a7mk1! And Sony is still doing this strategy even today. Look at B&H, where both an a7mk2 and an a7mk3 and an a7mk4 is available for sale! I see nothing at all wrong with Panasonic keeping around the Panasonic S5mk1 at a cheaper price. (currently US$1.4K https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1581612-REG/panasonic_lumix_dc_s5_mirrorless_digital.html) Even better if they keep on bringing it down in price, brand new $1.2K S5mk1 by Christmas? Sub $1K S5mk1 in 2025?

If it means giving us stills cameras ("S5R") and a video targeted camera ("S5H") with high end features / performance but at a mid range enthusiast price point, then I'm all for this! If it means more S5D, then I'd be sad.

https://www.l-rumors.com/panasonic-suspends-the-new-lumi-xs9-firmware-download-because-of-potential-issues/ The firmware download just got suspended?

It is fun fun fun times, both my main career (filmmaking) and my backup / previous career (i.e. the CS/IT world) are going through very rough patches right now. Want to go back to how it was a couple of years ago when I could be working 100hr weeks if I wished (& I did!).

At least he's self aware enough to realize that mainstream 8K capture is not happening any time soon. So all that's left is for him to push the case for high FPS. But the people who regularly need 4K 240fps / 480fps (& even higher????) is a very small niche indeed. The heyday for external recorder manufacturers (of which Atomos was arguably number one, with Convergent Design and AJA etc the smaller players) was the era of the Panasonic GH4 and Sony a7Smk1. As by the time the GH5 and a7Smk2 (or similar-ish cameras of that era, such as the S5 or firmware updated G9) rolled around, even though these cameras still benefited also from external recorders, it was clear from the writing on the wall that external recorders are going to become a lot less relevant. That's why the likes of Convergent Design and AJA are now gone, when it comes to playing in the recording / monitors space. Yes BMD jumped in late into this, but they've managing to make a space for themselves by keeping prices low and having a great value proposition. Atomos should have seen this writing on the wall and done something about it such as: 1) moving into the up market premium space, which to be fair I think they have kinda done (or is it just simply them raising their prices?) 2) focusing on delivering excellent monitors (without recorders), which they've kinda done. (btw, SmallHD wasn't always a premium brand!) 3) pivot into another different niche of filmmaking, which they've kinda done. (such as with their purchase of TCS Ltd, but since then... they've done nothing with it?? Or heck, worse than nothing? Arguably Atomos has made the timecode space worse since their purchase of TCS Ltd) I think Atomos' biggest problems is they've tried to ride out the wave of recording monitors for too long, without truly trying anything different to diversify themselves, or they have been trying (kinda?) just haven't been able to do it well with any success.

Perhaps film is growing faster (from a very low starting point) than digital cameras. Doesn't mean there are more of them being sold though! This video merely refers to one brand (Fujfilm, who dominate the film niche of new sales with their Instax subbrand). And it's including not just the sales of the cameras, but the film too (which can easily stack up to being even more than the camera itself!). So the headline of the video ("😱 Film is BACK and Outselling Mirrorless Cameras!") is totally misleading and false, as this isn't at all true for the wider camera industry once you add in Sony/Nikon/Panasonic/Pentax/Leica/etc sales.

True, I can think of lots of firmware updates the FR-AV2 could get but not so much the F3 could do. Yes, as while the FR-AV2 is a nice two channel record, Tascam is totally AWOL in the world of prosumer or professional recorders for anything more than two channels. Where is the Tascam DR701D mk2? Where is the Tascam HS-P82 mk2? Where is the Tascam DR680 mk3? I hope the FR-AV2 is a hint that there will be a future FR-AV6 / FR-AV12 / etc in the future.

A bearded review:

Nikon needs a camera that sits in the middle between stills hybrid cameras and cinema cameras. Whatever is the equivalent of Nikon's FX30/FX3/C70/R5C could be easily released under either the Nikon or the RED brand name. (or be released under both at once?)