Trek of Joy

Haven't found a perfect one yet and I've mostly bounced between Sony, Fuji and Canon. Its been awhile since I sold it, but I do remember the NX1 got a lot right, but needed a flippy screen. Sony needs a better grip, LCD, menus, a functional touchscreen, and... From a current body standpoint, I really like the design of the EOS R, Canon got a lot right - they just overthought it with the goofy touchbar instead of a simple joystick and jog wheel. Looks like the R5 got it sorted. The R's grip is perfect, its tall enough so the pinky doesn't curl under, its deep enough to carry the camera by the fingertips (I like to hold the camera when walking around so it doesn't bash into anything, but I have a loose grip on the body so I don't develop a claw from gripping it), and its spaced far enough from the mount so fat lenses don't squish your fingers. I like the return of the top display too, its nice to have another place to see settings. One underrated aspect with the R is the placement of the strap mounts - they're flush in the top plate, none of those annoying pointy lug mounts that stab your hand when grabbing the grip or when you press the shutter like Fuji and Sony use. The touchscreen is so good compared to Sony and Fuji too. I don't like the bulk of vertical grips, the new Meike grip extensions are a great solution, had one on the a7III and now have one on the EOS R. Chris

Rad lens. Its earned the Dream Lens nickname. Been eyeing a bargain knockoff - the Mitakon Speedmaster 50mm 0.95 mkIII - for the last couple days, super specialty lens, but the look they create is unique. Chris

We're really only talking about 2 generations (max) beyond what's currently available or the a7s3 finally being released, so changes will be incremental. Some of what I hope to see on cutting edge hybrids in the next few years Global shutter E-ND Larger LCD's with a more phone-like experience - this is where current cameras really lag behind so many other things, Sony's horseshit little LCD on a $4500 camera is a prime example. The user experience is something all cameras can improve on, I would hope more would be invested in that area instead of fattening the spec sheet, but a fully functional 4-5" OLED touchscreen doesn't grab headlines like raw video. Chris

I saw a NHK 8k demo in Tokyo back in April of 2017 as they were starting the hype for the Olympics. On a giant screen its pretty amazing. Chris

That's a $3200 camera, Sony isn't cutting the price on any mythical a7s3, not going to happen. Ever. That's the territory of the a73 and its eventual replacement. Chris

Some footage from the Komodo for the SNL Brad Pitt monologue: https://www.engadget.com/snl-brad-pitt-anthony-fauci-red-komodo-6k-123147689.html Chris

Where I live cheap TV are all 4k, like 55" panels for $300. 4k is now the budget TV standard, even if its not the broadcast standard. The Costco I shop at is all 4k. But my first 1080p TV came in a 480i era, the consumer space moves much faster than the broadcast/Hollywood worlds.

Interesting theory. I said it in another thread, this is the first game changer we've seen in awhile - IMO not since the a7r2. Being a dominant market leader does mean they can play the long game better than anyone else, because incremental upgrades still keeps them flush with cash and not needing to play the spec game everyone else is to try and cut into their massive slice of the pie. Toyota does the same thing, people constantly blast them for not having tech that can compete with other brands, but they're consistently the best selling brand on earth. What I find most interesting is for years everyone has thought Canon's engineers are a bunch of buffoons and Sony was a couple generations ahead, when it turns out that's really not the case. I thought the same thing, but holy hell they just bitch slapped the entire industry. I don't really care, the R5 is great as it forces everyone else to up their game. Chris

That just makes mine boot Grant Theft Auto!

The R5 doesn't make any camera irrelevant, IMO its just raising the bar. Competition is good, no matter what you shoot the next gen cameras across the board will have to step up. Sony certainly has the hardware, the a9 could have been a video beast with that insanely fast readout and its incredible AF. But it didn't even get pic profiles. If you're planning on buying a camera in the next year or so, I get the feeling there will me more of these crazy specs that would have been unthinkable before Monday's R5 bombshell. If the #1 camera maker is pushing raw at the enthusiast level, the rest are going to follow. We won't see a lot of 8k, but more 6k or 4k120p seems a given now. I was so close to getting a S1/S1H, but the way I work reliable AF is must have. I spent a few hours in B&H tinkering with every camera available a few months ago, it was clear Sony and Canon were better suited to my needs. I'm slightly far sighted and shoot in the searing Florida sun daily, for me just tapping the LCD or moving the focus point with a joystick to track a subject or rack focus makes my life a lot easier. After shooting with the various a7's, the XT3 and the EOS R - the DPAF is easily my favorite, hence my move to Canon. As always YMMV. Chris

Agreed. As we've seen time and time again with Magic Lantern, every camera is far more capable than original spec. If the ancient 50d can shoot raw video, certainly cameras with modern hardware are far more capable. I get the frustration with the way Canon has operated before the 1dx3 because so many of us got into DSLR video with the 5d2 and the updates have been lethargic while others have created far better spec'd cameras. But Sony has yet to give us one Alpha camera that does 10-bit, or 4k60p when the 1dx2 has been doing it for 4 years. The cripple hammer clearly swings both ways. The sleeping giant has awaken. It will be interesting to see how others respond. Will Panasonic finally stop pretending PDAF doesn't exist? Will Sony do anything other than the same 8-bit 4:2:0 video they've been rolling for the last five years below the FS/FX line? Will Fuji go raw? Will Olympus stop rehashing cameras from 2016 and actually create something new? Will Nikon get their shit together? Even if you don't care about 8k raw (I don't and I'm still planning on getting the R5) and prefer to bash the R5 with speculation about limitations, its a significant achievement in this class (or any class) of camera. So what if it only does it for 5 minutes, or just 90 seconds, with those data rates you aren't shooting a 3 hour wedding anyway - and there's still nothing anywhere near the R5 from anyone. It still does 10-bit 4:2:2 internal FF 8k video and 4k120p with DPAF - which I'm sure people will find something to bitch about once footage is in the wild. The tide isn't just rising, they've created a tsunami. We will all benefit as this forces everyone to push the envelope or get slammed with endless cripple hammer comments - prepare for lots of "if Canon can do it..." with every new release. Its surreal how they've flipped the script, but the R5 is the first true game changer I've seen since the a7r2 was released in 2015. Chris

This. We've known for a decade that all cameras have massive amounts of untapped potential thanks to Magic Lantern, every manufacturer until the R5 hasn't been willing to unlock that potential because of other product lines to protect. That approach makes no sense because it assumes the user bases overlap. They don't. That's outdated mentality from the days before hybrids when there was a huge market for camcorders, but that way of thinking clearly still exists at the corporate level. I shoot a lot of stills and video - and I've been shooting hybrids since the 5d2 which replaced a giant kit consisting of a 40d + lenses, a Sony 1080i FX1 mini DV camera and a smaller HDV camera for cutaways and a ton of support gear. I've owned/used a ton of hybrids since including the 5d3, 5d4, GH4, NX1, a7s, a7s2, a7r2, a7r3, a73, XT2, XT3 and the EOS R. The only cine cam I've owned in that time is the OG Blackmagic Pocket and I didn't keep it for very long because at the time I owned the 5d3 and it was much more practical to shoot photos and video without juggling multiple cameras. Content creators are far more diverse than ever before, if you can deliver publishable photo and video content you're far more marketable. Every job I get is a mix of both - as such I'll likely never own a dedicated video camera again. I was just on a shoot with a number of small town restaurants that are trying to survive with current restrictions, one camera on a monopod (5d4) and one around my neck (EOS R) walking between storefronts in a small downtown area shooting a mix of stills and video. The user base is different and high spec hybrids can co-exist with larger cine cams. Good to see Canon finally embracing this instead of dumbing down spec to segment everything. I will likely never buy a C300, its just too cumbersome. My entire shooting kit - including a drone and gimbal - fits in a carry-on size backpack. I will be pre-ordering the R5 the second its live. Chris

If they're positioning the R6 as a a7III competitor, then it seems like a Raw/10-bit, 4k60p or even 120p camera is the minimum since Fuji and Panasonic have been in 60p territory for awhile now, and that would easily top anything Sony has. Based on the R5, my expectations for the R6 have been raised. And we still don't have the full R5 spec - just lots of headline grabbing specs. Don't see why 4k raw in some form can't happen, even if its a cropped mode that consumes less processing power compared whatever downscaling will happen to FF 4k. Also what about HFR or raw in 1080p? Will we see 240+ fps? Lots more to fuel the hype machine. Cheers Chris

I'm still waiting for that camera to happen, and no a7-anything will do raw video or 4k120p 10-bit 4:2:2. Ever. Check. And. Mate I just want good 10-bit 4k, some decent HFR options and stills on par with my a7/a7r3, this looks like it fits the bill. And it shoots 12fps with its mechanical shutter, making it a pretty capable sports/wildlife body. So I can take this on safari, shoot 8k raw video and capture stills of lions running across the Serengeti at 12fps? Love it. Everything else is gravy - this is the unicorn camera. For me. YMMV. Chris

a7s-who? Damn, the rest of the camera world just shit themselves. Glad I'm already in the process of moving to the RF mount. I actually really like shooting with the EOS R, despite its shortcomings - all of which are cured with the R5. Chris

Interesting look at a hard hit area. Good to see people taking it seriously. I'm in the Tampa area and was down there late last year for work, I shot at many of the places you show. The lack of traffic/people is quite a contrast. Chris

I wouldn't be surprised if they revealed a little more info, they know the R5 is the years most anticipated camera. Each new snippet gets a lot of play. Chris

The press release specifically says broadcast and cinema, this is likely what would have been the NAB announcement. The R line is not a broadcast or cinema line. The R5 will get its own announcement day so the C300mkIII or whatever else they announce doesn't get drowned out by the R5 hype. That's my bet. Chris

Switcher Studio with an iPad as your broadcast hub and a few iphones. You can have an entire live streaming setup in a backpack. Its simple, they all sync up easy wirelessly and there's so many options. I use it all the time, its awesome. Chris https://www.steadireadi.com/blog/2019/9/12/cc8

Haven't searched too hard for bargain prices, but don't you still need a SDI recorder to capture raw? Once you get there, you're in the neighborhood (or do you spell it neighhbourhood?) of a E2-S6 with the E-ND mount. Just saying there are others in the same price bracket. Not to go OT, but I did see a DPAF c100 for $600 USD, which seems insane. Chris Your stuff is incredibly well done, you've really found your niche. Size-wise the FS5 is pretty much perfect for a run and gun camcorder, its not much bigger than a DSLR with everything stripped off it. Chris

$1500 in upgrades + a used FS5 + a Shogun also puts you into something like a Z cam S6 which does 6k raw, HFR, 10-bit Prores and has a E-nd mount. Plus it can record that to relatively inexpensive SSD's and its getting regular improvements since its release as the team keeps unlocking more untapped potential. You could probably get the full-frame F6 for the cost of a FS5 raw kit TBH. Plus you can talk to the head of the company and the main engineer in the Zcam facebook group. I love what Zcam is doing. Cool you found a solution though, I feel like I'm always turning over gear trying to find a better way of doing things. Chris Two words. Concussion lawsuits. Chris

20mp, 4k60p, IBIS, 12/20 FPS and so on. Its the a7s Sony doesn't want to build. If this hits the rumored $2k price point, it will be a big seller. Chris

Agreed. Just picked up a a7r "classic" with OEM battery grip, a couple extra batteries and Fotodiox tough mount for $500 with less than 2,000 clicks on the shutter. This fills the photo void left by selling the a7rIII and a7III. I still prefer the stills from 36mp sensor over the newer 42/47 versions, everything else not so much. its such a crappy design, amazing how people bash the EOS R and forget what a dumpster fire the a7mkI's are. This will be my main landscape camera until everyone shows their cards in the next few months. Just missed out on a Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera with a cage and metabones speedbooster on Ebay for $460. If you're not desperate and you waste a lot of time searching, there are amazing deals to be found. Chris

I have to say this is an interesting discussion. I've actually been shopping for one of the knockoff Easyrig's after working with a few crews that used them extensively. The production houses I work with are all smaller shops or in-house teams for ad agencies, but they're pretty commonplace here in Florida. All of the recent VISIT FLORIDA ads were shot with Red's floating on Easyrigs, or Red's mounted on Ronin's floating on Easyrigs - because its hot as balls with lots of humidity and carrying around a 30-pound setup all day is an exercise in torture. I like the look you can get from one too, more natural handheld with smaller cameras instead of that floaty gimbal look (I also shoot a lot with a gimbal, not knocking it at all). Its another tool in the toolbox. I have not shot any series/film stuff, strictly commercials and promo videos for the web/social. As to the new cinema camera, anyone think Canon is going to go IBIS or RF mount? Chris

Beautiful! Love the use of nat sound. Chris