Django

I think it just confirms the on-going trend that in the broadcast/videography world Sony is the leader with Canon still present but trailing behind. Panny, Nikon & Fuji are so far behind they're basically absent although that could potentially shift in years to come. I've noticed the Sony dominance within my own local docu/concert/event scene. Its to the point where if you don't show up with Sony gear, people look at you funny. If you want work in that scene you basically just gotta be a Sony operator. I'm not sure how to explain it other than Sony FX ecosystem is really popular and yeah they have a head start with a FF range from A7 to FX3 to FX9. Also the A7S3/FX3/FX6 sensor is a lowlight champ with super low rolling shutter which helps a lot for run & gun docu style work. Also S-Log3 is kind of the standard in production houses. C-log is acceptable too. Other log formats can be problematic to hand in. For example I haven't even figured out how to expose/grade Nlog correctly so it would be complicated to send N-log footage to a post unit not familiar with it. Might sound silly but its workflow stuff like that that can dictate a brand/format choice from another.. and part of why ARRI dominates the cine world.

Why would Leica need to sell out though? They are doing fine financially. The Xiaomi partnership allows a strong revenue stream with a foot in the lucrative smartphone business. They already have the top tier M/SL/Q lines and lenses and the second tier rebranded Panasonic stuff for consumers. Plus the L-mount alliance. That a pretty healthy strategy for a boutique company. Hasselblad was in a much harder position hence the DJI buy out. And while that has indeed saved the company from going tits up, many users feel its diluted the brand who's shifted focus and hasn't really innovated much since. That's why I'm not usually keen on buy-outs from big tech companies unless the only left option. The Nikon/RED thing is interesting considering there was a legal feud right before that happened. If you can't beat them, join them type of situation. Will see if Z9 follow-up (ZX) will indeed have global shutter and R3D code. Its going to be interesting because they now also have to protect the RED cine line..

Can't say I agree. As a Leica user, I absolutely care about manufacturing, build quality, country of origin etc. Call me a purist but that's what I pay for not the badge, in fact my Leica MP has no badge/red dot. I'll go even further and say the only real Leica's to me are the M, Q & SL series. As for Panasonic, they have a strong and long legacy both in audiophile world via Technics (started in 1965) and broadcast/video/cinema with the various ENG/camcorders & Varicam products. Video cameras like the DVX100 were cult among indie docs, film and music videos and game changers as they introduced 24p alongside 3CCD sensors in affordable packages. Sony also has heavy legacy in video/film with DVCAM in the 90s and CineAlta the first digital cinema cams used by Lucas in the Star Wars prequels. So while both Panny & Sony don't have CaNikons & Fuji photography background, they actually precede them in the video/cinema world hence the head start they got on that side in mirrorless. Nikon up until basically Z9 was seriously lagging in the mirrorless video market. There were even bad speculation about their financial health and future viability. They made a surprise U-turn with Z9/Z8/Z6iii and the shock acquisition of RED. Still very curious about what RED will mean. Nikon didn't have a cine line to protect, now they do so will RED tech trickle down to the Z line or will it be more of a Z-mount ecosystem?

Yeah I don't see Canon, Fuji or Sigma entering the smartphone industry for a bunch of reasons. And even if they did, I doubt they could catch up to Apple, Samsung, Google etc. RED tried and failed miserably. Canon, Fuji etc can't even get their own smartphone apps to work correctly most of the time. Their speciality is imaging and should stay focused on that. Now what I do wish is that they actually implemented on their cameras more advancements coming from smartphones. AI is just starting to creep but they're still pretty behind. Computational stuff, I know lotta people hate it but why not have access to it. Image upscaling is starting to appear, Canon leading it with the in-camera 172MP upscale in R5 mk2. Panasonic seems to start getting it with S9/S1Rii and its Lumix LAB & FLOW apps. Oh and give us bigger OLED 120hz EVF/Displays ffs. What's up with these dim tiny low res displays?! And don't even get me started with menus & overlay displays.. Why does it feel like I'm playing Pilotwings in 1992.. Give us more gestures, tap functions but also modern physical commands. I know everyone hated the Touch Bar thing on original EOS R but I actually loved it for quick exposure/ISO adjustment while eye locked in the EVF. Still haven't tried the Canon eye-control AF but yeah that's the type of innovation I like to see. Sigma BF might also be on to something.. really time to shake up the UI/GUI on these cameras.

Yeah pretty wild that in 2025 Sony only offers it on their $60K Venice 2. I’d hope that would change in the FX replacements or even some kind of update although Sony are terrible in that department. There is a rumour Canon will introduce open gate in an upcoming R5 mk2 update. It would be a smart move because that camera isn’t getting much love and no one aside from Panasonic is doing it on a hybrid (would be a direct S1Rii counter strike). Plus if Canon add it, it might push Nikon to do so as well.

Yeah I don’t really think stills burst rate limits correlates to open gate. There are cameras from Panny and BMD that offer it with much older tech. Personally I wouldn’t mind if it were offered with certain codec/fps restrictions just as long as it’s an option. Fingers crossed.

Cool, now what they really need to add is LUT support. Especially considering the current log assist mode isn’t really that reliable for exposure. Another major one would be open gate. If they add both LUT support and OG, I’d switch to Nikon in a heartbeat.

I’m curious how you find the grading workflow and latitude, especially compared to R5 log & RAW. I had trouble getting the log exposure right.. Check out the new RED luts, especially the technical one. By the way, latest Z9 update brings some cool stuff including shutter angle options. That should trickle down to Z8 pretty soon imo.

Yeah I was so set on a Z9 but after doing some tests I got very frustrated with N-log. Exposing it right, grading it. Such a struggle I ended up using the baked profiles like flat or neutral. Maybe I didn’t find the right workflow but log footage was all over the place with often very little latitude. Call me biased but Clog is just so effortless to work with in comparison. N-log really killed my GAS for switching to Nikon..

Like I said earlier, open gate is very appealing to me and currently Panny are the only hybrid cams doing it. But with 37ms RS in 6K it’s basically useless. I also like what they did with S9 allowing you to stack LUTs and adjust opacity in cam etc. Even vertical aspect ratio. Panasonic have real useful features for the working videographer/filmmaker but always seem to drop the ball somewhere. Not by much but enough for me to look elsewhere. Here it feels they’re playing catchup with a way overdue model. The absence of a stacked sensor or even semi stacked sticks out like a sore thumb..

..and showcase 52ms RS 😂

37ms rolling shutter for Open Gate is such a deal breaker to me. Open gate is the only reason I’d consider switching to Lumix. Plus it overheats ?!! Fuggetaboutit..

Sigma cameras have always been quirky in a good way I think. Niche cameras from a niche company. As Andrew stated they aren’t competing with Canikon or Sony. More of a Japanese Leica without the price tag. Also differentiating themselves from other sister company Panny so yeah very different from S9 despite similarities. More high brow artsy, very early Apple/Braun philosophy. Design first, form over function. There is no open-gate AFAIK. I don’t think the target audience is social media users like S9. Video is really a side show here. This is more for the Leica audience. Stills oriented for mature enthusiasts that doesn’t want to delve into technical aspects yet want a sleek compact rugged camera with minimal controls that’ll output beautiful SOOC stills. It’s not so unlike their Merill/Foveon cameras.. I won’t lie I want one just because I’m a sucker for this type of design philosophy but it makes very little sense spec wise in todays market. Beautiful Foolishness, name really checks out!

I think the name says it all. Specs aside this is the most « think different » camera from an engineering and UI perspective I’ve seen in a while. Very ZX1 reminiscent with the monolith design and aluminium unibody is right out of the Apple Johnny Ive MBP / iPhone 5 playbook. You gotta give it to Sigma for always bringing something different to the table. The Fp was already impressive with its compact solid construction and minimalist approach and this takes it to the next level. Personally I still prefer the modularity of the Fp-L with optional EVF etc but this Bf is stunning in an ultra minimalist way. Spec-wise it’s more a mixed bag but this is more form over function. It’s nice they gave us 6K and L-log but a real shame they took away video DNG Raw, especially considering it’s got internal storage. But I think this is more a premium lifestyle and photography oriented camera. Curious to know if it shoots 10-bit. Probably not because of heat management like the previous compact Fp’s..

If you shoot a lot of 4k60 then R6 mk2 actually has a much better oversampled instead of line skipped image than R5mk2. But if that isn’t a concern then the original R5 may be a better choice as it’s now more or less the same price as an R6 mk2 at some dealers. You’d gain 45MP / 8K and internal RAW. yeah I always just go with the exposure meter on Canon cams, plus of course the view assist to get a rec709 preview. Unless mistaken the exposure meter is absent on Nikon’s in video mode? I always find the exposure meter most handy on small mirrorless lcd’s.

No there are zero compatibility issues with Sony Slog and Davinci. FWIW Sony were the first to introduce log on a mirrorless camera so its supported in every NLE. FX3 is super compact so ideal for confined spaces like a car. Reason I recommend it is that the FF 12MP sensor is optimal for low-light situations with a second base ISO of 12,800. Other strong points is super low rolling shutter (great for fast run & gun), IBIS and cine features like shutter angle and in-camera LUT support. And it comes with an XLR handle. Oh and The Creator was shot entirely on it so yeah its pretty legit even on the high end.

Can’t chime in on the vehicle talk but getting back to camera needs I’d look nowhere else than Sony FX3 / FX6. Since OP mentioned lowlight / nightscape / astro. Pair em with a 24-70mm f2.8 GM.

On a pure IQ level, mirrorless has definitely made significant strides wether in DR, color science, resolution, rolling shutter etc. And more importantly now with chunky internal RAW/ProRes/10-bit/Log files the gap towards high-end cinematic imagery has definitely narrowed significantly. RED/ARRI still rule in highlight roll off, DR but all the extra mileage you see on an image is indeed mostly lens, light, color grading related. On a related note, with CST in Davinci you can transform your log footage to RED/ARRI Clog and apply their LUTs & look files. Results may vary but the gap isn't as big as you'd think.

C70 is great but I’m a FF hybrid shooter. I wanna invest in RF lenses (24-70mm f2.8, 35mm 1.4 VCM) so FF makes a lot more sense. Plus with 8K/45MP resolution you have great cropping power. The 35mm prime can become a 50mm & 105mm at a flick of a button on R5C. That’s great because I don’t like changing lenses on run & gun shoots. The new teleconverter feature is what’s pushing me towards R5C at the moment.

Yeah Josh Sattin did a 8K RAW Clog2 comparison test in between both and the R5C has significantly more noise, color shift and banding issues, so it seems you're right! My bad it was herein2020. SRAW 4K is interesting to me as it is a downsampled from 8K RAW so it gives really sharp 4K with cropping possibility but much smaller file sizes and easier project management. I'd probably use it quite a bit with 8K RAW for high-end projects. Yeah the AF appears next-level, not sure if the R5 ii has face-only AF from the cine line though? Interesting so R5C battery still sucks when shooting RAW huh? But I guess the upside is no overheating. Yeah its really hard for me to choose, the R5C is almost half the price and I could finance a nice RF lens like the 24-70mm f2.8 IS with the saved funds. Losing IBIS is my biggest concern but gaining all the video centric features like shutter angle, LUT baking, S35/S16 modes, the new digi teleconverter cropping etc makes it really tempting. I will probably rarely shoot 8K60 so maybe R5C is a good option with maybe an R5 mk2 further down the line as second body?

Hey have you read my questions above? Really curious about your take on 4K60p SRAW. I've played with test footage and found that reducing the default sharpness setting from 10 to under 3 seems to get rid of any moiré issues and still leaves a much more detailed image than the soft HEVC 4K60p. I'm overall quite impressed with the R5 mk2 footage I've downloaded, especially Clog2. Skin tones are so much more natural and DR a lot less crushed than every Clog3 footage I've had previously. Gives a way more filmic image and nuance to grading. That said R5C in RAW does give Clog2 option although I haven't played with that footage. Anything else you miss or recommend vs R5C (aside from WFM on/off!)?

I've seen that video and for sure there are some surprises in there! Main IQ advantage of R5C is in 4K60p which is actually quite a big deal. However I've found that shooting 4K60p in SRAW gives a very sharp detailed image on R5 mk2. SRAW is really a great option, I'd probably shoot that a lot. And again its nice to have Clog2 in every mode. I shoot mostly handheld and appreciate IBIS for locked tripod stability. I also have quite a few non IS lenses so IBIS would benefit my type of shooting. Other than that, R5C has the edge in a lot of video centric features and is for sure excellent value compared to R5 mk2. Still leaning towards R5 mk2 for reasons mentioned above but you make some valid points! That TC feature for punching-in is definitely ace, especially if quality doesn't take too much a hit.

Is the TC basically cropping the sensor the same way you can select S35 (x1.5) and S16 (x3)? Or can you use the Digital TC on top of those crop modes? I saw a vid on YT showing how you can now assign the TC to a button for quick punch-in like you'd do on an iPhone with the x1 x2 buttons. Does this work while you are recording? I was set on an R5C but I'm now more interested in the R5 mk2 because of Clog2 + SRAW and IBIS. That said when shooting RAW on R5C I guess you gain access to Clog2 right? Still would rather have Clog2 in all shooting modes but its a workaround I guess.

Main difference is sensor size. FS7 is S35 and FX3/FX6 are FF. The FX3/FX6 sensor is also that 12MP A7S3 sensor so its got that second base 12,800 ISO for extreme low light. Personally I prefer a lower second base ISO but YMMV. Rolling shutter is also excellent on those FF sensors. Those things aside the image will grade the same and there is no bump in resolution or codec quality, actually you'll get a sharper image from the S35 sensor of the FX30 as it downscales from 6K. FX30 is probably the best bang for buck cine camera in the current Sony roster. C70's currently sell used for as low as 2500€. Lowest I've seen an FX6 is 4900€ so about double the price. Sony will soon release FX3 mk2 and possibly FX6 mk2. That's when those cameras will lower in price. They are still very in demand right now so holding their value quite well (as did the FS7 before being replaced by the FX line).

I love the IQ of my FS7. Nice chunky 4K 10-bit XAVC-S. You can bake in LUTs. I really don't see much difference in specs to the current Sony cams (FX30, FX3, FX6 etc) aside for extreme low-light. Ergonomics are great for shoulder mount, its a workhorse. I keep mine because Sony is used everywhere in pro use and it gives me work. Don't really feel a need to upgrade. That being said for personal hybrid projects I prefer Canon/Nikon. I'd recommend R5C or Z8 if you're a hybrid shooter. Personally I'm thinking of going for R5 mk2 mainly because of Clog2 and tiny bitrate SRAW, total game changer. Guess a C70 would be a good cop, great form factor with NDs and long battery life with that DGO sensor, only caveat is the image is a little too soft for my taste.