Arikhan

@tugela Yeah...and ethernet port for immediate FTP file transfer...One more proof for mainly addressing journalists, documentarists and photographers...

They say, it will be able - after a next firmware upgrade - to shoot 10fps with A-mount lenses (and a LA-EAx adapter). This would be very useful, as there are many good A-mount and superb and affordable Minolta lenses out there....

I guess, there is a (high megapixel) A7R iii AND a A7S iii to be announced in the next 12 months...The A9 addresses the HFR shooters - documentary and photo journalism - trying to attack Canons and Nikons "sweet spots", 1DX m2 and D5 with insane AF-points, high FR and a much cheaper price...Never forget, Sony is only challenger in this market, CanoNikon hold together nearly 75% of the market...

@Don Kotlos My guess is, Sony recognized that the market for such called "enthusiasts" (requiring 16k 4.4.4) is a minor niche market. The place to make profits is higher end photography and photo journalists spending a lot of money, not just in third party adapters and bells and whistles, but in native lenses and expensive native gear...And that said, 99,5% of journalists don't care about 4K, they don't even know a dime about S-LOG...They don't have compute power to edit 4K, most of them just send a max. of 1080p footage to their office to an editor, who uses Magix Video x or Corel to edit the footage...Just my 2 cents....

@Window_Frame + @Don Kotlos - In my eyes, it seems Sony made the A9 with sports photographers in focus, so video functions are just a "give away" for documentary work. The A9 has even some nice functions for immediately transmit photos or footage to editorial offices and social media...So obviously it's made with sports photographers and journalists in mind - and not a specialist for more sophisticated video functions...

Important for video shooters: NO S-LOG ! (confirmed)

@Germy1979 Oh, I was waiting for such a camera - didn't buy the 1DX m2 and sold last year many Canon sports lenses and even the Canon FFs, so now I am happy to get into the SoNykon world without need to save money. Some weeks after release I will buy it and hope on a A7S iii with insane low features too. FF in 4k when talking 25fps rules... I hope they offer a real 1080p in FF mode too...

@jcs 1. May I ask you, why you've sold your FS700? 2. I've seen some FS700 RAW footage and it was really great IQ. Are you experienced with the FS700 (4K RAW) and the 7Q+? As I will buy 2 identical cameras (+ recorders) this summer for "dual use" (1. 4.2.0 8bit for ENG & quick shooting AND 2. RAW option with an external recording device for great IQ) I was just considering, it would be a great option for me. 2 x FS700 + 2 x 7Q+ fit my budget and it seems to be the only camera at the moment fitting my "dual use" requirements and budget. Thank you! (I believe, @Tim Sewell owned a FS700 too...)

Great news for FF shooters - more and stronger competition is very good for us all. Manufacturers have to adapt - or die. Inspired by this thread, I began a small poll within my WhatsApp-Group, asking 16-19 years old German teenagers which kind of photos they like or/and they would pay for. As we are on Eastern vacations at the moment, there were 36 people who answered. Quintessence: "We like photos we can NOT shoot ourselves with our smartphones...." They like: Night photography Night / low light portraiture (hard to do with small sensored devices) Night street photography Creative lighting and Contre-jour photos (eg. HSS portraiture with sunset in background) Spectacular photos of fast moving objects (bikes, cars, runners) They don't like: "Documentary style photography" - because boring and "dead" Instagram-like post as done by many smartphone apps - not original and creative at all "Selfie-style" shots - they can do it theirselves and many of them are tired of What all of them like, are expressive photos - with a "personal touch" - telling a story. And nearly all of them like a shallow DOF. And Black & White photography with creative lighting... This is not a scientific or representative poll, but it could suggest what the young audience likes/prefers. And as most professional photographers don't shoot for their private collection, they will have to follow the requirements of their potential customers.

As i will buy 2 cameras in July, I just took a look at the LS300 (@Mattias Burling has tested it) for a few hours with a friend who owns it. Some remarks: It has a respectable 1080p quality (25p +50p too), no complains. 4K IQ is also OK. Colours: Some kind of "sterile", no structure/texture in images - it reminds me of the NX1. Colors are pleasant/neutral, but not exceptional in any sense. Really useful: The dual card system allows you to record in different (independent) resolutions, so you could record 4K on the first card and 720p on the second card. GREAT, because, the LS300 allows you to send your footage immediately LIVE, eg to Ustream or YouTube. For people who need this feature - very good. (You can send your footage per FTP too...) AF is (for contrast AF) great, we've tested it with a Panasonic 35-100 2.8, the OIS of Pana lenses works with this camera well. BUT don't expect as much stabilization as from a classical camcorder or a modern IBIS + IS lens. AF + Canon (+ E2MFT adapter) lens is very slow and hunts sometimes, depending on used lens... Turns every prime lens you mount to it to a parfocal zoom lens - just focus and push the zoom rocker button and the camera will keep focus during zooming. A very useful feature too...Focusing features are good... The camera needs contrast (another similarity with the NX1) in low / decent light, otherways you will get very fast some noise and/or washed out colors. 4K J-LOG is maleable, no banding in the skies but we didn't push it too far. It seems, the coming update will make the recording of 4K 60p possible - but only with a external recorder. This way you loose the portability advantages of a very light camera. Generally the LS300 feels a little bit "cheap", but hey it's only 2.800 Euros... For a mixed usage - ENG + filmic work - hard to decide...Not enough stabilized (with IS lenses) for carrying it on your shoulder, but excellent for live broadcasting.

@Cinegain You think and write like a geek / enthusiast...But you belong to a micro niche market. The reality is like some weeks ago an old German public broadcast camera man told me: "You and your DSLR bullshit...If you want to shoot a film, buy a dedicated film camera or camcorder. Yes, even some of our people (mostly freelancers) shoot with DSLRs, but nobody takes them serious. DSLRs are toys...They are made to shoot photos...Sure, for some circumstances they do well, but generally buy a dedicated device for your needs. Or do you ever try to make a coffee with a washing machine? After months of work and technical tweaking, it could probably work...But while loosing time with an unappropriate device, you could buy a dedicated coffee machine and immediately get good results..." - that's how a vast majority of people think. And yes, @Mattias Burling is absolutely right: A vast majority of people take stills and never care about video shooting. This is the reality in DSLR/DSLM market: Money and profit are in stills and not in video. The reality is: ALL journalists I know (even specialized video journalists) shoot maximum 1080p videos and only in exceptional situations you meet one having an computer or knowledge in editing 4K. No need, no money, no competence... The fact, that a loud minority of enthusiasts ask for 16K 4.4.4 for less than 2.000 USD, doesn't mean, that there is a market demand for these requirements. CanoNikon knows this: There is nor REAL (profitable) demand for these requirements...There are only loud claims of a minority - from economical point of view, completely irrelevant.

@Andrew Reid Full ACK. BUT Canon can afford it - because Canon is by far market leader, is very profitable (even with their camera division) and Canon still owns the strongest "photography brand"...I don't know, if Nikon can afford the same illness - Nikon-itis. I don't believe that in the next five years all current manufacturers will survive...Not because of going bankrupt, but because of leaving the digital camera market because of continuous losts. Look, Samsung could afford the camera business, Samsung is an unbelievable big and profitable company. But they know about smartphones killing the digital camera mass market and they don't want to permanently loose money just for beeing "innovative". For a company even extremely innovative is not enough - you have to generate profit (either selling lower costs products in a mass market or very expensive products in a niche market), not innovative features and highest end devices for a micro-niche enthusiasts market looking for kind of cheap 16k 4.4.4 cameras...

The targeted audience of such a APS-C camera (pro sports photography, ambitionned enthusiasts, wedding photographers, passionned wildlife photographers in any weather conditions) care mostly about: dual card slots (reliability) - only 1 card slot in the D7500 buffer size: 19s/200 RAW with the D500 vs 5s/50 RAW with the D7500 99 cross sensors for maximum of focusing capabilities with the D500 weather sealing and a maximum of rugged built quality (D500) 10,3 photos/s (D500) vs 8/s (D7500) In my opinion, the targeted audience will NEVER EVER buy the D7500 instead of the D500 only for saving 400,- EUR (in Germany). Hobby photographers / other APSC-consumers will stay with the D7200 or buy another (much cheaper) camera. So, the D7500 will never cannibalize the D500... @gethin No peaking is a shame for people who want to film with nikon cameras and want to keep their gear portable (without addtional monitor). BTW: I know about 12 Nikon pro users (photo journalists / pro phographers making a living out of their profession) in Germany, NONE of them is using their Nikon camera for filming - mainly because of Nikon's disastrous video AF and no peaking when MF. That's why Canon has the journalism and documentary industry in his pockets, though some of their cameras are much more expensive (but not necessarly better) than Nikons...

That's the way it works nowadays. People want to turn their camera on and (with default settings) the device has to work properly --> means as in users phantasy and fictional world. If not...well, then people are very disappointed. I believe, it's more than 90% of buyers thinking and acting like that. That's why Canon is market leader: Quite perfect DPAF even on consumer devices and easy to use cams for the masses. When a Canon cam works immediately properly with default settings, why tweaking around and getting used with another brand? In the modern - smartphone dominated - Instagram-, Facebook- and YT-economy WHO cares about 4.2.2 10bit, skin tones, etc.? In a superficial and fast moving world, over 99 percent of audience never care about fine image quality, balanced color science, etc. But ALL people are noticing out of focus footage...O tempora, o mores...

There are no "dumb" documentaries in my eyes...A documentary mostly tells a story... It's quite hard to do 2-3 minutes shorts...It's an art to do a self-contained and explaining story in this short time...BTW: Don't believe the claim "films longer than 2-3 minutes are useless because people don't watch them". It's an ignorant lie - may be relevant for news, selfish corporate image films or commercials, but not for good stories...

@jonpais That's it! BTW: I like your portrait shootings, specially composition, skin tones and general settings, as currently done with your gx85. I would wish a story...a story about the people or locations you're filming...something narrative, making your beautiful and balanced images even more beautiful...People telling their story - there are no banal stories out there, dumb reviews solely fixed on imagery (IQ) are banal and boring. Engaging stories about people and locations (special places in Vietnam?) are much more interesting for your audience than 5.000 boring reviews on the same subject/camera. Don't rely on the "love" of gear heads, use your talent in portraiture to tell stories (with voice over) about real life and real people and locations. It could be a harder way at the beginning, but it will last longer...Just my 2 cents...

@Nodnarb That's an interesting aspect, but we should consider the reality, eg in Germany: Many editorial staffs know nowadays, that video is becoming more and more important. BUT - as newspapers income drive more and more down at the moment - there is no money for a video specialist (=specialized video journalist). So they give their "normal" editorial staff menbers a camera for photos and filming. This camera MUST be quite cheap, must take acceptable photos and the (from filming point of view) "uneducated video-journalists" must deliver quite nice results. So...many of them use the 70D - because it's affordable, simple to use, it has a "foolproof" AF and nearly every kid can get good results with it...NOT spectacular cinema, but subjects are almost always in focus, so the footage they download to their YT channel is perfectly acceptable as "documentary style"... And there are not only journalists acting this way, there are soccer moms and pops and many other people just happy to get OOC footage that is mostly in focus... On the other side, there are many pros nowadays, admitting, that they are never so good in focusing compared to reliable AF systems. So, if you have to consider production costs as DOP, AF is in some situations much cheaper and faster getting to good in focus shots than repeating the same scene 10 times with a dozen of assistants... And don't forget the claim: "Capture the moment!". When you want to capture a moment - with no chance for a re-take - and the moment is unpredictable, AF has an immense importance...In my eyes, the megapixel discussion is mostly a theoretical (nowadays 20 megapixel are enough for 99% of users) one, while AF is a matter of necessity - likewise for pros, amateurish moms and enthusiasts...

"Pulsing" in AF mode is an old Pana problem, facing FZ1000 and new models too (as the FZ2000). The only way to sail around this AF flaw (continuous AF) is to lock and use the area mode (I told this @jonpais in this forum some times though...). When using a Pana in area mode (subject within a fixed AF area), there is no much pulsing/micro-hunting forth and back (microadjustments of the faulty AF). Take a look at the "successful" AF video of PhotoJoseph...Full of visible and abyssmal pulsing forth and back in the background. Look at the video of Peter Gregg...Again the pulsing when focusing on the remote of his TV...Hehe, this is a "P&P"-camera - permanently pulsing and pumping... It's simply a shame to blame users by saying, they can not handle it. Same users do well with Canons DPAF and with Sony's standard settings. No need to go to a university to use AF. It's simply a barefaced claim of fanboys & paid henchmen, who simply don't want to accept the truth. BTW: I use more Pana cameras, but AF on them is simply BS...far away from current standards...By "tweaking" you can get it to work in some situations...Continuous AF for professional use has to be reliable, that's why many DOPs rent the C300 mII... The AF ist not a great strength of the GH5...But as many Pana fanboys claim, AF is only for pussies...

If we were honest, we should admit, years ago our internet generation predicted, newspapers, print magazines and "classic TV" would die soon...because advertizers would spend their money on internet and classic media would lack a source of income. Now, the "online generation" faces the same problems as "old media": not enough income (advertizing spendings going down, demonetization, etc.) for content production...Only some cents for video/text/photo creating, editing and publishing, shadow banning for honest photographers on Instagram, not enough (unpaid) views on Facebook for posts... I never was convinced, "old media" does everything wrong, and the online generation does everything well. The current situation is for many "know-it-alls" a challenge - because NOW they must prove, how monetization of own work/content should be done to survive. Many of them will soon get the feeling of facing serious problems - like "old media" years ago...Just my 2 cents...

@Kisaha Hehe... I hope it will be the A9 (aka A7R iii or A7S iii). I believe it wil be announced at NAB. I think, I would even spend 6.000 for it. It would be a "portable FS5" (without RAW option) in FF format with excellent 1080p 10 bit internally and a AF system similar to the A6500 + touch screen (even as modest as in the A6500). OK, it's a hope till now... If not, the only alternative (at least at the moment) would be for me a C300 II or a C100 II (as I just saw 1080p out of it upscaled to 4K, and it was really good in the medium and close shots - only very small difference to "real" 4K). I need till end August a good S35 cam with a very good codec, acceptable ergonomics and reliable AF, so I hope Sony will offer something in this range.

@Kisaha With the Tiffen I never get banding in the skyes (some cheap variable ND filters cause or accentuate banding with the 4.2.0 8 bit of the NX1)...And it preserves me a very good colour balance between greens and blue when shooting footage with landscape elements. It preserves skintones and doesn't crush/falsify lamp lights when shooting in the night (even no unusual flare). I am quite happy with it and there is no reason for me to change.

@Kisaha I know, you use the NX1. I use for the NX1 and the A6500 the Tiffen variable ND. As you say in your post, not what you just want at the moment ("just not a variable one"), but it's worth giving it a try as it is a very good quality because not falsifying colours (no optical secondary effects at all in my eyes) at all. The only thing you should care about with the Tiffen, is not overdriving beyond "max." - if so (and you can not see it through viewfinder), you could get some unwanted vignetting. Before this, I used a cheap one, which was a true desaster, transforming some footage in pure garbage....

@kidzrevil Not as childish as the claim "pros don't need AF"...No offense please... As childish as the old style photographers claiming NOWADAYS the same and not wanting to accept facts and reality...Living in the 60s can make some fun, but I'm wondering why this kind of people doesn't use horses & carriages but cars... In many situations you will never be able to focus manually like a reliable and powerful AF...And still, there are many situations, when you want and have to control your focus speed and process manually...There is no conflict between focusing manually / or per AF, the two systems are a complement to each other. But oviously not for nostalgic know-it-alls... @Chrad They even don't need to make it "inexpensive"...Spending 4.500 - 5.500 bucks for a capable (portable) FF with reliable AF (like A6500), 60fps (4K), clean 1080p 4.2.2 10bit up to 100/120fps, very good low light skills and a pleasant colour science OOC isn't too much nowadays.

@TheRenaissanceMan + @kidzrevil Yeah...Modern AF cameras and generally electronic driven devices are for girlies and mollycoddles only. "Real" filmmakers shoot only with old sovjet cameras for max. 150 USD bought on Ebay.

@Inazuma Stills or video? Or both? Thank you for sharing your experience!