Django

here's a new video centric review: so many quirks it seems.. AF, IBIS, that horrible smear bug (wtf) and yeah the zoom lens exposure issues. I so wanna love this camera cuz on paper the specs are great but then it sounds like so many compromises and also the severe lack of exposure tools. is there even a rec709 assist view when shooting log? I haven't shot Fuji since XT2..

From what I've gathered from C70's CRL upgrade videos on YT, there seems to be minimal IQ increase when shooting RAW on this camera. I was expecting more sharpness/detail so I guess you could add that do the "disappointment" list although it is perhaps on the flip side proof of the XF-AVC codec robustness (pretty much ProRes equivalent). The C70 has a pretty soft (non oversampled) 4K image generally speaking, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, although I mut say I've gotten used to the 5K oversampled 4K image from my R6. Just strikes that perfect balance of slightly oversampled but not insanely sharp 6K/8K. A bit like the C100 struck that right balance for FHD. Anyways, thanks for the update, some interesting user feedback & video content (pretty exotic scene from a central European perspective!). Lens wise if the 50mm 1.4 is your favourite, may I suggest you check out the RF 35mm 1.8 IS Macro lens. Its affordable, converts to 50mm on the C70, is very compact, has great IS, fast aperture and bonus macro. It's my run & gun choice on the R6 (doubles as a fast 35mm/50mm depending on FF/crop mode). I've noticed a lot of C70 users depend on it as well..

Ok interesting but my main question is then why go done this route? Wouldn't it have made much better sense if the photo side of A7S3 was 48MP and flip to 12MP for video or lowlight photography as you suggest those 100MP smartphones do? That would really be best of both worlds no? Why lock it down to 12MP only? There is still MP sacrifice going on.

@androidlad wasn't it revealed A7S3 actually uses a 48MP quad bayer sensor binned down to 12MP? That would explain the increased read noise and performance similar to A1. https://www.sonyalpharumors.com/surprise-the-sony-a7siii-actually-has-a-48-megapixel-quad-bayer-sensor/ Yup, I've done many photography events including two weddings with R6 no problem. It uses the same sensor than 1DX3.

I thought so too at first (its not that we're mean spirited OP, but there have been similar trolls before) but a quick check in post history and it seems consistent: That said, it also showcases a pattern.. from Sony to Fuji.. To Canon.. and now back to Sony..and Fuji? All in the span of about a year?! I mean these things do happen but have to ask don't you get tired of switching systems so often? seems like endless tail chasing and money drain. I don't wanna beat a dead horse but perhaps its time indeed to actually learn a bit about shooting & colorgrading! I really don't think the problem is with your cameras. You still haven't told us what your lens situation is either by the way ?

That's what I thought but then Komodo came out with RF mount.. Surely there is a licensing fee that maybe BMD doesn't wanna pay to keep the price tag low but EF closes so many lens options, especially the new wave of anamorphic. I'm anxious to see what they got coming next, they were rumoured to drop a camera last month but maybe parts supply shortage made that impossible? FS5/FS7/FX6/FX9.. C70. It's doable !

@SRV1981 You keep bringing up the X100V.. it's a neat camera but really not as small as most may think, A7S3 is actually less large (and FX3 would be as tall without the EVF): Stick a pancake lens and an FX3 would be rather similar dimensions with the benefit of IBIS & FF. Of course you'll be missing the faux-Leica look and manual controls which are part of the charm. Just saying.

Great points/suggestions. The ND situation is really first on the list imo. Still zero in-cam solutions on a hybrid in 2022. And yeah a 5" display changes everything. The BM6K Pro does address that, and has NDs, and has compressed RAW. If only it wasn't EF mount, I'd be all over it.

I've posted the trailer & BTS here earlier, here is the official page: Short film "AION" Trailer by Giulio Meliani Shot in ProRes HQ F-Log2 with the MK 18-55mm & Fujinon 19-90mm Cabrio Cinema Zoom. A7S3/FX3 are solid all-rounders but the shooting experience still lacks. R5C has it all except IBIS with internal RAW, 8K and full video assist tools, shutter angle, LUT import etc. XH2S is interesting as for $2500 you get 6K/4K120p, ProRes, Open Gate. Great DR & minimal RS. I do wish the video mode would have proper exposure tools, shutter angle, LUT support. That's still what a lot of these hybrids are missing. Only Panasonic & R5C seem to get it.

Actually the new 23mm F1.4 WR uses a different "Linear Motor" then the previous version and has night & day video AF performance. That would probably be my main prime lens (35mm f1.4 being my favorite FF lens) if I switched back to Fuji! Here is an XH2S video showing the video AF & IBIS performance on the new 23mm F1.4 WR: pretty good tracking performance and smooth wide open auto rack focus at 1:48 & 5:40. btw, never mind the poor DR, its shot in 8-bit classic chrome.

Agreed, I have an R6 and it can spit just as good IQ as any latest-gen Canon/Sony in 10-bit Clog3. At least give it a try before giving up and switching systems. If you haven't even shot with it in Log yet and have no grading experience, then you really haven't given the camera a proper chance to prove it self yet. What lenses do you have? Also having ND filters or even something as basic as choosing the right time of the day in relation to forecast/sunlight and avoiding harsh backlit shots etc can make or break footage looking video/filmic. Let's analyse the (FX3) wine commercial you referenced: notice how all shots are done before/after/during sunset (aka golden/magic hour) and on a cloudy overcast day. good location, composition, shot diversity, camera movement, tight editing, synced music, adequate grading that fits the LA beach scenery, faux 8/16mm cuts etc. Plus you know good looking smiling stylised actors living it up with their favourite beverage. that's quite bit of work/experience to get there. every shot is prepared, calculated and staged, not just point & shoot random people at random time/location with an expensive camera. pro video is hard work, having the right tools is just 101 prerequisite.

Like I told you in my PM last night: You seem a little all over the place with what camera system to chose. R5C/R6/C70/A7S3/FX3/FUJI.. There is no magic "cinematic" camera out there. Thing is all latest gen camera bodies will do a good job, but it's really the operator and color grading that will be the decisive factor for making things look filmic.. or not. My advice to you is, again, to learn how to properly shoot/expose in LOG and learn how to grade with the help of some LUTs you enjoy. Nothing will look truly cinematic SOOC. Also more important than camera body is probably lens choice. This can really go long ways to improving IQ. Consider that also when you're planning camera system switching or you might just end up chasing your tail. Too many people focus on camera body and not enough on lens, lighting, filters and color grading / pp skills.

Its definitely the video centric model with the upcoming 40MP XH2 being the photo centric hybrid. Short film trailer & BTS shot with the MK cine zooms:

That announcement is so vague lol. These companies just love speaking in riddles. "L2 Technology" is on some Empire Strikes Back secret duo shadow tech..

yeah some pretty ugly footage in most reviews. but a lot of it is rushed and/or poorly graded. This is one of the better ones IQ/Grading wise imo:

Here is a pretty nice deep dive from an actual pro Fuji shooter. 6K Open gate + Sirui anamorphic test included:

Yeah the external fan seems based on the Tilta R5 cooling kit.. That said XH2S's internal heat management performance seems fairly adequate without it.

6.2K/4K120p, ProRes & Open-gate mode. Looks like we have a new APS-C hybrid king. Still seems like quite a few quirks but impressive specs on paper. It's almost like a BM 6K with IBIS & AF. And a more flexible mount.

VENICE is definitely not more affordable than ARRI. Neither retail or rental. VENICE 2 & Mini LF both retail at around $59K. While the Mini is at $36K. What it brings is FF and what it has over Mini LF is few main things: 5.8K90p/6K/8K60p, Dual-Base ISO & Rialto. Rialto is kind of a game changer, allowing the lens to decouple from the body: Ozark DP explains: “VENICE has a smaller footprint. Ozark is a physically difficult show, shot in remote locations, and not on stage. So we needed a camera that could hang off the side of a boat and perform in random scenarios. It’s a great camera for the Steadicam, no question, but it has this great accessory, Rialto, which cables off the body. It provides a package smaller than anything else that’s available. For tight locations, like the Byrd house, there are narrow hallways, so machines, dollies, and multiple actors interacting is tough. With Rialto, you can suspend it off a modest rig, slam it against a wall, allowing actors to pass easily. The smaller presence you can have can only benefit the actors in their ability to forget about production and act.”

Kinda late to this but its a subject I can definitely relate to and comment on. Clients are more and more educated/savyy about gear. Not only do they know most mirrorless models, they even know about lenses, audio, rigs, gimbals etc. Especially the younger ones, i.e. juniors, interns, assistants in their 20s/30s. I think it's mostly thanks to Youtube. Not always a bad thing, especially if you've got nice gear. Nice glass often gets the most respect, justifiably so. So I won't front, we do tend to overdo it a bit, especially with new clients: cine cams, big lenses, cages, rigs, gimbals, lights, tripods in fancy pelican cases. It's part of the show, even if sometimes less than half actually gets used. It can sometimes backfire though, because more equipment means more setup time etc. And clients aren't stupid, if all that gear isn't backed up with adequate footage, or you're inconsistent with what you're bringing, they'll see right through you and you're just an overpaid clown eating up their time. I've never actually experienced that but it's always on my mind. There are so many more elements to get right on a paid shoot. More gear also means more things to manage and higher risks/mistakes. I've done some dumb shit by overdoing it. Sometimes less is more. I won't hesitate to go monopod, handheld over tripod or gimbal, or even whip out an action cam if timing, shot or location constraints demand it. Same thing with bringing a ton of people on set of a bigger budget crew type project. Rookie mistake. More people, more problems. Keep it down to the essential. In the end only, only respecting the time frame + footage results really matters. Show some creativity and confidence with your shots, composition, direction, decision-making, time management and human skills and even the toughest client will respect you no matter the gear..

OK lets talk about this. First of all like I've said: AF isn't magic. There is skill involved in using an AF system, no matter what kind. Especially with challenging scenes, subjects and fast glass. AF is there to help but you should always be in control of it. DPAF absolutely allows you to choose who's in focus, that's absolutely crucial and the whole beauty of it. The most common method is simply to move your AF box with either joystick or touch & drag gestures or just tap to focus on your subject and it will not only lock but track. R3 can even do Eye-AF selection right inside the EVF (a tech developed on EOS 7 DSLR). Point being that you have total control on who it focuses on. That's absolutely essential and always the job of a solo operator. You can also do rack pulls or even allow DPAF to guide you using rack focus tools to manually pull in between subjects. Here is a break down on the old DPAF: There are a bunch of settings and tricks to make it even more effective. And DPAF2 brings faster, better settings. It isn't at all limited to talking head content either, its actually most practical when R&G handheld or on gimbals doing dolly shots. Not limited to pro usage neither, use it for travel, family, hobbies, whatever. Most challenging things to track is action/sports, animals & kids. There are AF tracking modes for each. Now it isn't fail proof but if you know what you're doing, your hit rate and motion shot creativeness will improve tenfold over unreliable contrast AF. That said never go full retard and let the camera on Af autopilot. I always have one finger on disable Af and the other hand on the focus ring when using AF on a paid job. It rarely disappoints though and is so much less stressful than punching in to check focus every time your subject moves or coming home with those unexpected OOF shots. Like anything, your mileage may vary and I have tremendous respect for manual focus which will always be what I prefer when conditions allow it. DPAF can be almost too perfect, the MF Guide mode is brilliant for that though, especially as it works on manual-only cine glass.

It's all good, we're all entitled our perspectives & opinions. And perhaps indeed splitting hairs. Panasonic is not for me for various key reasons but I respect the company & its users. I'm not attacking them, its pretty much factual that their AF system is lagging behind competition. They excel in other domains though like DGO sensor & ProRes in GH6 which is fantastic. Now wether or not AF is important is definitely subjective. I try and not use it as a crutch, it's not magic neither. It's actually always off by default and I dedicate an on/off toggle button. I have a whole DPAF technique I've developed. Its really more of a safety net for challenging situations. I'm actually not much in favour of the "dumbing-down" of skill brought by tech. fortunately I learned a few things the "hard way" i.e. pre-digital. And I still keep myself in check by doing full manual shoots and 35mm film photography whenever possible. I love shooting shoulder mount on the FS7, I love that real ENG look over super steady floating gimbal look for example. But I'm not fighting tech either. Its all about finding that right balance that works for you.

Ok well thanks for clarifying that because when you said "I don't think I have ever heard one positive thing about RED cameras from people who work in higher end productions." it kinda sounded like you were generalising your specific market to the overall industry as a whole. Clearly there are high-end DoPs that shoot and have good things to say about RED.. I couldn't even make it to the end but yeah wasn't the cameras fault.

Squid Game is a Netflix Original Series and was fully developed/produced by Netflix Asia based in Seoul. Budget was $21 million for 9 episodes. Fairly low budget by US standards, perhaps not so much by Korean. Of course all that is changing after the overwhelming success of K shows. Henry Graham is DOP of GoG2 & Suicide Squad, both shot on RED. The Alexa LF is definitely cutting into the Netflix market, and the upcoming Alexa35 surely even more. Getting back to RED, is Matrix 4 big enough budget/high-end? 15 RED Rangers & a custom Komodo..

I wouldn't place FX9/FX6/FS7 in the same conversation as RED/ARRI. Unless we're talking the Komodo which has been disruptive with its price point where it competes with FX/Cxxx/BMD. As for the high-end, ARRI is obviously on top. However, Netflix with it's high-resolution requirements has reshuffled the cards and Venice, Varicam & RED have been the popular choice among DoPs. RED has been the choice for many ultra popular shows: Squid Game, Stranger Things, Narcos, Glow, Sabrina.. Army of the Dead, Guardians of Galaxy 2. It's compact size, modularity and high resolution often being the key selling point: The camera's ability to adapt to various rigs and handheld scenarios coupled with its ultra-high image quality led Henry Braham to compliment the capabilities of WEAPON 8K VV: "It's a large format camera, and yet it's tiny. And that's its brilliance."