Trek of Joy

They have a Osmo for the X5 camera. But there are better options when its not on a drone - probably because X5 storage prices are insane, so it doesn't seem many are using it. I walk around with my a73 on a gimbal all the time, people look your way and then go on with their lives, its never an issue - but I don't live in a small town in the midwest. I find this exciting after lugging around the Ronin S over the last couple months. I'll be buying the SC in Sept after I wrap a few shoots. Chris

The r4 was announced first because its a higher margin body that will sell in large numbers, and they get to cash in on preorder hype. Sony has shifted from its initial release strategy and are now starting from the top down. They did the same thing with the r3. It wouldn't surprise me if the a9II was out before the a7s3 as well. Chris

Yes, on Fred Miranda the r3 is selling at $1750 in one post and the r2 is now under $1000, same sensor. That's a bargain and they'll just get cheaper as more try to shift their cameras. Chris

I was given one of these recently, its ok but not great, it is super stealthy though as most people don't know what it is. Mine has an occasional tilt to the left that sometimes can't be cured with re-calibration. Though my Osmo Mobile 2 does the same thing. Image is no different than any current action cam and worse than my iPhone IMO, plus I can route external audio into my phone. Audio in the Osmo Pocket is trash and I haven't been able to get one of the proprietary audio connectors as B&H just shows "coming soon" and has for awhile now. It would be much better with a 3.5mm plug built in. The Hero7 with hypersmooth is pretty close in terms of stabilization. Its a little bigger with a handgrip, but far more versatile. IMO. Chris

One thing I don't get is the whole Crimson Cult suing anyone that dares tread on raw recording when there are a number of cinema cameras that record raw. They can patent Cult-Code as a proprietary format, but anyone using Prores or Braw would be free to run wild, much like the ARW, CR2, NEF and so on for stills. Unless I'm not seeing the whole picture in terms of what the Crimson Cult can actually do to stop anyone from using the above or Cdng. I'd be frustrated if I owned the Z6 too, but these vague "coming at some point later this year" announcements have become the norm. Chris

The hardware is pretty robust, the software is only so-so, Lumafusion lacks color wheels and scopes among other things. Its a fine editor, its a poor color solution and there's really noting else in iOS at the moment. For fast turnaround stuff with just basic shadow/highlight adjustments and a LUT I really like it though. As far as being on topic, the footage is really nice, I actually tinkered with it on my XS Max in Lumafusion. If the a7s3 wasn't on the horizon I'd probably shoot from Sony and get the S1 along with the new Sigma lenses, its a cracking camera. Editing 10-bit on a phone, good times. Chris

Agreed. Make it a little taller so we can get a proper size LCD on the rear, better controls and the Zed battery. A better EVF is a must too. That goofy 16:9 has been around for a decade, its time to move on. Though I think Sony will continue to milk that old a6000 form factor for another 4 or 5 years. Chris

I'm definitely waiting as I'm in no hurry, gonna see what comes with the fall announcements - mostly the a7sIII. All the new sensor spec sheets Androidlad posts show the next gen will be capable of high frame rates with 30-ish MP sensors. Combine that with Sony's latest AF and 10-bit internal -- that's my unicorn camera. I'll buy two of them immediately. I shoot 50/50 stills and video and I'm always traveling, so I would prefer a hybrid over carrying a dedicated video camera + a stills camera + a backup body. I need all my camera gear to fit in a carryon bag. Its getting to the point where I'm also carrying a "personal item" smaller bag that's just batteries. The joys of run-and-gun. Chris

Who says I have to shoot Sony or Canon? The S1 is the best handling mirrorless body I’ve ever held and it’s not even close. It’s the AF that’s holding me back because pretty much all of my work is handheld or gimbal run-and-gun. Like I said, we’ll see what the next few months bring. I’m in no hurry to dump the a73 and switch from Sony, but I do like lots of what Nikon, Panasonic and others offer. Until someone drops a body with fewer warts than the a73, I’m content with what I have as I’m getting good results. First one to put all the pieces together gets my money. I hope it’s the a7s3 since Sony has the best lens lineup, but Sony being Sony there will be gotcha’s. Chris

Same here. Between the S1 doing 4k60p and 10-bit, the Zed 6 + Ninja V doing raw, the FP with CDNG raw, and the S1H doing 6k and who knows what else, there's lots just around the corner. There will always be something new coming, but the bar is being raised as an explosion of competition in the FF mirrorless space combined with a rapidly shrinking market is forcing everyone's hand -- the days of low bitrate, 8-bit 4:2:0 are thankfully coming to an end. Good times. Chris

Welcome to the dark side. I've been eyeing the FS5 as something a little more robust than my a73 (plus 10-bit) and right now Adorama has a stripped body for $2k. The raw upgrade, a few Smallrig bits, and an external recorder would come in under $4k total. But with 10-bit and 4k60p popping up in hybrids like the S1 and upcoming S1H - my preferred form factor - I can't pull the trigger just yet. There are some great values in used cameras a generation older than the current model. Chris

Those specs are pretty amazing, 14 bit and 36fps on the 30mp, 120fps or more at ~4k resolutions and 300fps at ~HD resolutions - in 14 bit mode. The stacked 48mp looks amazing too. Sadly we'll never see anything near those capabilities in an actual camera from Sony. 10fps and 8-bit 4:2:0 - no soup for you!

I believe they said expected price is around $4000 for the S1H. I'm betting raw out to an external recorder, then internal with paid upgrades. Chris

Another interesting tidbit, it does 18fps in stills mode. If those are raw images, that's close to a9 territory. From Sigma: “Able to shoot whenever you want, wherever you want”―to realize this concept, the SIGMA fp incorporates a construction without a mechanical shutter for quiet shooting. This allows shooting without worrying about noise in a situation where one would have hesitated with a conventional camera because of its shutter sound. It gives no shutter shock even when shooting in quick succession at a frame rate of 18 frames/sec. eliminating even the tiniest shakes."

Love the concept and its actually a pocket 4k camera, hopefully the image delivers. If its using the S1/Z6 sensor, should be high IQ. The electronic only shutter will be an issue on the stills side, but its a FF camera and its crazy small. Wonder if they can squeeze 4k60p out in a future update as well. L-mount just got a lot more interesting. Chris

The DR comparison with the a73 is impressive, I really like the S1's image. Still waiting for the a7s3 and full specs on the S1h before dipping a toe into the L-mount. Chris

Everyone on EOSHD outbidding each other and pushing up prices on sub $200 cameras...

These are two I was zeroing in on as well.

HDV and cameras that record on cassettes? Now things are getting really interesting. Chris

I have the Samsung T5, its actually a couple dollars cheaper here in the US than the Sandisk with the same capacity, its also been perfect with large prores and raw files. I don't think you can go wrong with either option. Chris

Hmm. I saw a Pen EPL2 with kit lens for $150, but IQ is not so good from the videos I watched. Question for Andrew and rules clarification - is the challenge limited to ILC's? Are Canon's without ML allowed? Chris

Sounds like fun. Now a deep dive into the ebay abyss to find a $150 camera that shoots decent video... Chris

Why not just get a GH5 or a lighter gimbal like a Ronin S or a Crane? Then you don't have to buy new lenses or alter your workflow in any way. Chris

Saw this on FB and it made me think of this thread. Perhaps some inspiration? Don't be afraid of a boom in the aisle during the vows, haha! Chris

Spent some time tinkering with the S1 and I have to admit I really, really like it. Ergos are fantastic and holy cow the EVF is flat out amazing! Touchscreen and LCD are so good, and IBIS looks really impressive as well. The AF and lenses are the big drawback right now. I'm always on the move and I now wear glasses, not going back to MF, especially with modern fly by wire lenses. Though that EVF certainly would help. The S1R/H combo would be a mean one-two punch for someone like me that splits paid work between stills and video. But until the 2.8 trinity and the Sigmas are out, the L-mount is a no go for me, so no GAS ... for now. Plus I'll see what Sony brings this fall with the a7s3 and possibly more with some of the leaked sensors @androidlad has been talking about. But man the grass certainly is greener when you have that camera in hand... I agree with the video above, the S1H is a big deal when looking at the overall market. Newsshooter's interview says Panasonic brought cutting edge cinema camera tech to a hybrid body before the EVA and Varicam lines, and elements will trickle up to the next versions of those respective cameras. That's huge. Chris