IronFilm

RED is amazing with their marketing, they're getting folks to PAY to be beta testers!

That's why the Mini is so extremely popular, but their secondhand prices are still a long way yet from being "affordable".

I'd choose a Panasonic GH5S if I had to select a mirrorless camera for a project with a need for extreme lowlight shots Or a Panasonic S1H (although this camera is priced at the extreme end for a mirrorless camera!). Edit: just read you're using this for filming the aurora borealis (my great uncle Leiv Harang established the research into this phenomenon!), thus DoF considerations make no practical impact on you when you're set to infinity. So ignore my GH5S comment as irrelevant for your specific purposes.

There are two main perspectives here: Production Sound Mixer: 32bit is pointless, and non-standard. Heck, there isn't even a single professional field recorder in existence that does 32bit!! Not one. Needless it say it is not desperately needed by a PSM. One man band videographer who does everything himself, including even audio post: Their attentions are being pulled a million different ways during a shoot, as they're trying to do too much, and thus mistakes might be made. And they don't need to worry about surprises in the post workflow, as they're handling this all themselves. Have you done the latest firmware update for the F4? For its hybrid digital limiters. (btw, note that almost everything on set is wireless.... so often by the time you hit the recorder, the limiters there are too late as the damage is already done) In my opinion (note: this is from the perspective of a PSM): It is a big step back to go from an F4 to a MixPre6mk1. Just some of the negatives: No dual media recording No safety track recording. Two less channels than a F4 if using TC Inferior powering options Ergonomics/design is a step back An alternative opinion, if you're a OMB videographer: The MixPre3/6 is a very compact form factor for mounting under a mirrorless camera, and worth the so called "upgrade" just for that alone.

Matthew Duclos has a great write up about the history of Veydra, which touches upon Meike as well: https://thecinelens.com/2020/04/18/rip-veydra-2014-2019/

Rokinon/Samyang lenses are designed first for the EF/F mount, so thus the E / MFT / etc mounts are basically just like an EF/F Mount lens with a permanently attached adapter! While the Veydra lenses were designed from the ground up specifically for MFT Mount cameras. So you won't be able to go backwards from these designs to a EF / PL Mount next.

Yikes, I'd recommend you at least get this instead: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32814668466.html Yes, it isn't entirely unusual for me to show up to an indie shoot with more gear than the camera dept has! The Rode Blimp is pretty cheap compared to the others on the market, if it makes you feel better, check out the pricing of these: https://www.gothamsound.com/product/cyclone-windshield-kit-w-windjammer-large https://www.trewaudio.com/product/cinela-pia-1/ I should really get one of them myself in the near future, but for now I'm surviving with a Rode Blimp v2 and an older Rycote Supershield. You should check out the Marantz Blimp: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1302687-REG/marantz_professional_zp_1_blimp_style_microphone_windscreen.html I personally have no experience with it, but it is priced ridiculously cheap, and it seems to perhaps be a clone of the Rode Blimp v1? (which one of the negatives of it is that the shock mounts in it are not as good as the Lyres in the Rode Blimp v2, but for your purposes on a C Stand, this shouldn't be a deal breaker) In the long run, perhaps a boom buddy and shock mount (which are each very cheap) will save you money vs how much duct tape you must surely be using up??

At least you can swap their mounts out for something else than a PL Mount, unlike the older C300 / C500 / URSA Mini etc which are all permanently stuck with the PL version they are made with. 100x this! And I believe that for lower priced cinema lenses it is more important that they have this feature of swappable mounts than on high end PL lenses. Someone who buys a set of Cooke S4 lenses won't be bothered if they can't be used on a DSLR, as they'll largely be exclusive using those Cooke lenses on the likes of ARRI/RED/CineAlta cameras. While someone who buys a "cheap" set of PL Lenses from Rokinon / SLR Magic / Meike / Venus Optics / IRIX / Sigma / Tokina is a different sort of buyer, and thus these are exactly the kind of lenses which need swappable mounts, Because their buyer is the kind of person who'd be using them on their daily driver which is a camera such as say a Canon C200 with an EF Mount, but once or twice a month rents in a higher end camera for a production, which would be nice to be able to use their existing cinema lenses on if only they had a PL Mount. Unfortunately Zeiss CP.3 / CP.2 and Schneider Xenons were until recently the cheapest sets of lenses which allow you to swap between EF or PL Mount. (although, recently you can with Tokina & Rokinon as well, which is a good change to see as originally the lenses they put out couldn't be swappable mounts) Those lenses were however MFT Mount, thus no chance these new PL/EF mount lenses will be the same optical design.

From the sounds of it, getting a blimp (be it a Rode brand or whatever) should be a much higher priority for you than an F4/F6/MixPre3/whatever What exactly are you recording and how? If it is say sit down interviews outdoors, then getting a C Stand and boombuddy so you can position your shotgun right on the frame edge should be a high priority too. (again, a higher priority than replacing your Tascam DR60Dmk2 with anything else)

Watch a few video tutorials to learn more. Get the mic in closer, how far away are you? Is the mic on axis? Are there other ambient noises in the room? etc etc (if you can, see if you can get a friend with another DR60Dmk2, or even say an H5/H6, to see if yours sounds similar of it is broken or perhaps you just got a setting wrong) Have you got the Rode WS6? That really is the bare minimum for wind protection, and if the winds are a bit heavier you really do have to get a blimp if you're working a lot outdoors. Cheers for adding your 2c, seems you've got overall the same general opinion as myself. (that modern tech has leaped forward far enough it is debatable if it is worth the hassle to swap to a much older but "better" recorder, as there are other factors to consider too. And also that the Zoom F4, and the F/MixPre series in general, is a really big leap forward for what we can get for low cost) I think it is easy enough to find your way around the menus, but also note that the low cut isn't something you should necessarily need to be fiddling around changing on a regular frequent basis.

Wow! That's a game changer for ultra low priced PL lenses, and about time. Now it might finally make sense to buy one of those crazy cheaply priced URSA Mini PL bodies, or a C500/C300 PL mount body.

If you go back and read my original comment, you can see I wasn't hating upon the Fostex, in fact I even started out by giving it a complement that it was good value piece of kit for its time. But my point I was making was for the OP in particular, specifically that it wasn't worth them going through the effort to swap out their DR60Dmk2 for a FR2LE: "today in 2020, I don't think you can make a solid argument it is worthwhile swapping a DR60Dmk2 for a Fostex FR2LE instead" That doesn't even mean I don't think someone should buy a FR2LE themselves, if they're looking for a cheap sub $100 recorder. (just like I also think the R44 / DR680 / etc still have their place too, although they need to be very well priced to beat out a DR60Dmk2/DR70D, as otherwise it just makes more sense to go for the next step up to a F4/MixPre3) Remember the question is not "should @josdr buy a Fostex FR2LE?" but the question is "should he swap his DR60Dmk2 for a FR2LE?" (and my answer was "I don't think it is worth the hassle", and even answer the same about others such as a DR680/R44/etc which I do respect even more, why sell and rebuy for a marginal gain if that? And especially not if a much better choice is not that much further way: MixPre3 / Zoom F4) People tend to often get narrowly focused on just a single spec measurement, and lose track of the bigger picture. Such as "which has the best limiters" or "which has the quietest preamps", when a few dB here or here won't be a deal breaker for the context of what the OP needs to do. We see the same when discussing cameras too, with sometimes people being obsessed with only just the resolution, or the best AF, or which has the best lowlight etc... to the exclusion of everything else, forgetting the bigger picture. This is like those discussion where people go on and on arguing for why the Sony a7S is so so so much better than a Panasonic GH5 purely on the basis of it being not as noisy, and being better at lowlight. Completely missing the point of why there are all the many reasons why a person would want a Panasonic GH5 in the first place. I didn't want to go into a detailed discussion of the FR2LE, as I didn't think it was worth the time, but here we go. Negatives vs a Tascam DR60Dmk2: 1) can't be camera mounted underneath the camera body, not purpose built for that 2) half the number of audio channels that can be recorded 3) can't be easily powered via any USB powerbank you happen to have at hand 4) uses CF cards (and with the Fostek's very old age, you're limited to smaller sized cards too) 5) you'll run a greater risk of failure by choosing the FR2LE due to its very old age vs a new (or at least "young") DR60Dmk2 (I do admit, perhaps my opinion of the FR2LE is slightly colored due to the only time I came across a FR2LE was a few years ago when it died on set!!! Luckily there was a Zoom H6 available someone had happened to bring along. Side note: this wasn't me! I wouldn't have brought a FR2LE to set, I was instead the AC on this short film, the last time I was ever a 1st AC! As I'm too focused on sound now) 6) no dual recording feature for safety with the FR2LE (quite a major negative in my eyes, as this is a very handy feature on the DR60Dmk2 for any newbie recordist) Can you see why for the OP's specific situation I don't think the FR2LE is worth the hassle to change over from a DR60Dmk2? From where I'm sitting it looks like one step forward, two steps back, if I'm being generous. Perhaps from another vantage point you could very generously say it is instead two steps forward, one step back??? Still, not exactly a highly compelling argument to go through the hassle of swapping out from his existing DR60Dmk2???

From my perspective as a production sound mixer (note: my perspective isn't the same as everyone else! For instance in my eyes the F4 is clearly massively preferable to the MixPre3mk1, while for a solo OMB videographer they'd want the MixPre instead): No. Wind should be almost next to meaningless for your recorder itself. So the issue is your mic, so get proper wind protection. Do you have a blimp? What exactly is the setup you're recording usually?

I refuse to acknowledge that the so called Zoom "F1" is part of the excellently awesome Zoom F Series. Doesn't. Exist. To. Me. Perhaps the Shure VP83F LensHopper fits your purpose better for a "camera mounted recorder/mic combo"? https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/966010-REG/shure_vp83f_condenser_shotgun_mic.html The main "big" changes with Gen1 vs Gen2 of the MixPre recorders are: 1) internal timecode 2) Gen2 got a price drop 3) backs up to a USB thumbdrive (but this isn't true redundancy) 4) 32bit recording (which is overhyped in my opinion) The Fostex FR2LE falls into the same category as for instance the Roland R44 I mentioned earlier. In that, for its time (which was well over a decade ago!!) the Fostex FR2LE was an attractive kit for someone on a tight budget, because it could hold up to prosumer standards and thus for the low price of roughly around about £400inc it proved good value for money. But today in 2020, I don't think you can make a solid argument it is worthwhile swapping a DR60Dmk2 for a Fostex FR2LE instead, even though they sell for similar prices eBay.

Yes, unless you can get lucky and score a MixPre3 for cheap. (and don't mind dropping down your number of max channels from four with the DR60D to three with the MixPre3)

Your NTG2 isn't exactly a quiet microphone. Plus usually it is a person's technique more than their gear which makes the result unbearably noisy. For an example of awful technique, I experienced that first hand yesterday! Was cycling around town, and got interviewed by an agency crew out doing voxpops for their client's campaign. Was a very small "crew" of 3: The person doing the interviewing A person handholding a Sony a7 series camera (with a rodelink on it, I assume the interviewer was wearing the transmitter) A 3rd person, who was holding a Zoom H6 *(and NOTHING ELSE! Yes, just the H6 by itself! wtf) So was interviewed by them, and I couldn't but help ask him "would you like me to hold that for you?" Because he was holding it soooooo faaaaaaaar AWAY If you're not going to swing a boom, or use a stick mic, at least hold the H6 in closer! I really had to restrain myself yesterday Like when he was saying "it's very directional, works great!" BUT IT IS A HANDHELD ZOOM!! With an XY capsule on it!!!! arrrggghhh Not to mention, HOW. FAR. AWAY. he was standing from me It wasn't even like he was trying to reach out with his arm to get closer or anything, he was just holding the Zoom H6 by his side For half a second I was tempted to take pity on them, go back home to grab a length of XLR cable and a shotgun or a reporter's mic so they could use that today instead. But meh, I was running behind on some deliveries yesterday so had to go do those asap It wasn't like we were standing next to a water fountain while interviewing me or anything like that Oh hang on THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE DOING (next to the waterfountain/waterfall in the park behind the Cathedral downtown)

"Mike Russell" 😉 Or "Justin Frame"

Zoom F4 I think it is a bit pointless getting anything else below that, especially when you already have the Tascam DR60Dmk2. As the Zoom F series (and the MixPre series too) offers so so so much value for money, they're leaps and bounds above anything else. (to give a camera analogy, would you bother with a GH5/a7S/5Dmk4 if an EVA1/FS7/UMP cost only a couple of hundred of bucks extra? Most commercial shooters would say "nope!" That's the case with the Zoom F series, they've brought features/specs/quality that used to be far more expensive, down to very very low and affordable prices. Why settle for anything less?) The other issue, is that when you look in the world of non-F/MixPre series recorders and exclude them from consideration for a moment, then the Tascam DR60Dmk2 is damn good value itself in the "no budget" category. Sure, you could look around for something like a secondhand Tascam DR70D / Tascam DR680mk1 / Roland R44 / etc that could be found for only a little bit more money than a DR60Dmk2 but less than a Zoom F4 costs. However all of those other options merely give you extra channels over the DR60D, plus perhaps an extra little tweak or two, here or there, of benefits. But nothing at all which is a real step forward in features/specs/quality over your DR60Dmk2. So unless you DESPERATELY need "more channels" but can't afford a Zoom F4 (hint: you don't need more channels, not at this budget level), then I don't see why you should do anything else but stick with your Tascam DR60Dmk2 for longer into the future until you can afford a Zoom F series (or a MixPre series).

Doesn't the XC-15 count?

I'd say in the past, back in the pre-DSLR decades (say in the 1970's), that if you could simply get consistently a well exposed, and in focus image, then you could make a living from that. As that wasn't so easy to do. But in 2020 that alone isn't sufficient.

Same feeling here. Often it can be quite "relative", depending on the context. If I'm doing a no-budget short film with a couple of mates, then sure I can call myself on that set a "DoP" if that is what role I'm doing. But if I'm on a professional set, being paid my full day rate for what I usually do as a sound mixer, then I'd be mad to refer to myself there also as a "DoP" when around actually properly seriously experienced people!! As I'd be way out of my depth. (however, it isn't too much of a stretch to call myself a "sound mixer" though! As that I can justify) Depends on what you mean by "easier". For example, back in the pre-DSLR world, if someone simply owned a broadcast camera (such as a new Sony HDW-750) then they could get a fairly steady stream of work due to simply owning that camera. As you'd be a rarity! These days owning a Panasonic GH5 (or even a Sony FS7) is pretty meaningless, as dozens other people also have the same gear too. So in one sense of the word, it was easier to "buy your way into the industry" than it is today? That's true too. Back in day it took a certain level of minimal technical competency to get a good image with a analogue camera, so if you had that skill that often might be sufficient to get your work (might be just basic run of the mill, bread & butter, work. But, it was still work!). Of course that isn't applicable now, a higher standard is expected! Bingo! Is annoying enough just having a boom op under you who isn't living up to your expectation as a Mixer for what you want from him! But being a director, and being disappointed by the entire crew (and cast!) because they're not living up to the high expectations you've got in your mind? That's a stressful day! Deciding to focus on the Sound Department and specialize, was one of my best decisions ever.

Fingers crossed!

I bet RED could sell a camera with nothing but a price tag! Without a single spec released, and they'd still find RED fanboys who want the honor to be first in line to buy one Waiting for the RED Scarlet MX bodies to be given away for free on eBay. We're almost there.

Please don't say that to the President.

2012 was 4yrs after the first HDSLR was launched. So by then the concept of "DSLR filmmaking" was already firmly entrenched in the indie mindset. Imagine if the BMCC had launched well before the Nikon D90! Plus the BMCC EF was just the first generation of cheap cinema alternatives to HDSLRs. Currently the BMPCC / Z Cam E1 / Terra 4K are not the latest we have now, but they're still much more evolved than the BMCC EF was at launch and are cheaper and/or better than the BMCC EF was when announced. I think the path of indie/corporate/wedding filmmakers would have taken a very different route if we'd had access to what is currently the BMPCC / Z Cam E1 / Terra 4K (let alone the more advanced models we've got in 2020!) prior to even the Nikon D90 / Panasonic GH1 / Canon T2i / 5Dmk2 arriving.