BTM_Pix

My point was to the exposure, field of view, AF consistency and optical degradation. If I am using my 400mm at f2.8/ISO6400 and 1/1250th and either crop in post to get to an 800mm FOV or use the Hi-Res Zoom then the exposure won’t change, the AF won’t change and the optical quality won’t change. If I attach my TC-2.0x then my exposure WILL change (by two stops), the AF will degrade and as good (relatively) as the Nikon TC is then it does take a hit. So the lenses will always be f2.8 and my exposure remains unchanged (which is hugely important when even category A stadiums for night matches are very tight when balancing high shutter speeds and ISO) and my FOV needs are met in a more dynamic way. A 70-200mm becomes a whole lot more useful when an extra 100mm can be activated without having to commit to having it on all the time. Will they be “real” f2.8 in terms of absolute equivalence ALL the way throughly the range once they’ve got beyond their base focal length ? Nope. But the compromise in those areas when using a clear image zoom type of function compared to using TCs when you need extra reach on tap are absolutely minimal compared to losing two stops of light and AF performance as and when you need it. HOWEVER….. Having said ALL of that, I’ve just discovered to my researching shame that unlike the Sony (and JVC) options the Hi-Res Zoom feature is ONLY available in video mode not stills! So disregard everything I’ve said on the subject from a sports photography point of view as it is moot 🙂

Vertical video in this instance is delivery rather than capture and is a fact of life now even for national broadcasters pushing content through their social media feeds. I’ve just walked past three grown men here dancing a routine for TiKTok (presumably) in front of a smartphone on a tripod. This may not be the camera for them. Yet. Although such is the way of the race to the bottom with the fees for editorial images they it’s entirely possible that they will be making more money with that content than the intended users of the Z8/Z9 will be. I’m pretty sure wedding/event videographers are seeing increased demand (quite literally) from clients for vertical format delivery at least in part.

When it comes to the specific case of the Z8/Z9, the answer to the question of “who the hell needs all that resolution?”, the answer, quite simply, is the target market for them do. These are cameras intended for photojournalists/sports photographers/wildlife photographers. In the case of the latter two in particular, with f2.8 long lenses costing £20-30 per millimetre of focal length, the variable 2x digital zoom functionality pays for the camera itself. If you are shooting a match then from your fixed position at one end of the field you will generally not have enough reach with a 400mm. Depending on the stadium you might actually be so far behind the goal line that even 600mm will struggle. As the distance is variable you end up having to bring 1.4x, 1.7x and 2x TCs whereas with the Z8/Z9 you can dial it in and not have to worry about losing stops of light, IQ and AF performance. Cropping using the digital zoom on these much higher resolution Z8/Z9 sensors, even at 2x is still giving you the D5 resolution and giving you impossible lenses such as 70-400mm f2.8 and 400-800mm f2.8 for free. Just that one aspect - which is standard operating procedure for the intended market rather than a niche outlier- is absolutely massive and justifies the bump in resolution. When it comes to the video side - again for its intended market - the 8K video is also a big deal in terms of practical rather than spec wanking purposes. Not only does it give sufficient resolution to enable the reframing to cut, say, a two person interview into a convincing multi-cam look without it falling apart (see the MEVO camera for almost getting this right) but it also addresses the issue of repurposing content for (whisper it quietly) vertical video at good resolution. We may not like vertical video but it is now a fact of life for mobile journalists having to provide vertical versions and regular versions of content for online consumption and these two cameras are ideal for it. It is also a growing fact of life for event filmers too and with the AI “revolution” seemingly coming for an awful lot of roles in the next few years, covering live events might be the last bastion for many people wanting to stay in the game. I say all this of course as someone who ended up not buying either of them ! However, If I was still doing the work I used to then I wouldn’t have blinked as it is absolutely fantastic for that role as it is intended to be, for the reasons above and more. But I don’t, so I didn’t. A rare case of objectivity that is completely out of character and which I am blaming on the jet lag.

NOT = Neither Nikon nor Sony I made the decision to go with the S5ii for very dull and practical reasons that I’ll elaborate on in a new thread.

The BLE Timecode protocols are also not compatible between the Atomos (ie what you need for the F3) and the Tentacle systems. Infuriatingly.

I’ll find out soon ! Judging by the release notes for the latest firmware there are still a few known issues. One known issue they solved in this release is that you can now have two rather than one BLE timecode equipped device synced to it. That there was any limitation to one was unknown to me and increasing it to two is a bit of a limitation. I’m guessing they still want people to buy an UltraSync Blue to act as a hub to increase capability up to seven (one direct and six using the UltraSync Blue as a hub for the other six) There is always some niggle with Atomos products. https://f002.backblazeb2.com/file/atomos-uploads/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/02174154/AtomOS_10.92.00_NINJAV_Release_Notes.html

Live update from the counter of the shop as I’m making the purchase. It has very much NOT gone as expected. More news to follow

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As you already have the Ninja then it may be worth looking at the Atomos Connect which does a few different things (shoot to cloud, stream on set, adds SDI to the Ninja etc) but can act as the central timecode hub. It will embed the timecode into whatever you are recording on the Ninja V (which would also take care of your footage handoff scenario) whilst also acting as the master wireless timecode source for the Atomos/TimecodeSytems family of products. So you could attach an UltraSync One to anything that has a timecode input (such as your F4 or other cameras) and they would sync wirelessly and you could also do the same with your F3 (with the BTA-1 dongle) or anything else that supports their Bluetooth timecode protocol. As the Atomos Connect provides the timecode over Bluetooth then you wouldn’t need the additional UltraSync Blue unit that is usually required to sync things like the F3. So in that regard you can knock £180 off the price of the Atomos Connect due to that saving. You’d then be also able to painlessly integrate other products such as the F2-BT lav recorder or even Tascam X8 or Nikon Z8/9. I’m picking my Atomos Connect up the week after next (they had it in a heavily discounted bundle with the AtomX Cast which turns the Ninja V into a 4 camera switcher) so I’ll report back if it works as advertised!

If you absolutely promise that you won’t want to pan/tilt while recording then a geared head might well be the solution for you. The venerable Manfrotto 410 will support up to around 5kg and won’t break the bank.

The recording to SSD and ProRes of the S5iiX (with a minor mention of the connect to phone for streaming) are big differences that might persuade me if I was looking to buy an S5ii. Not that I am of course as I'm completely adamant that I'm not interested as I am dead set on a Z9/Z8/A1/X-H2S purchase next week. Absolutely nailed on. Not going to waver in the slightest. Honestly.

No, I have the 28-85mm f3.3/4 and the 35-70mm f3.4 but have no experience of the 28-70mm f3.5/4.5. If I see one cheap enough next week then maybe I should get it as, of course, as we all know, if I don’t like it, I could, erm, EASILY recoup my costs 😉

This is an interesting comparison between this lens and a modern equivalent.

That FP is just fooling with your emotions at this point 😉 Alternative viewpoint to those excellent images though is that it might just have something to do with the person taking them.

My unfeasibly patient and indulgent wife meeting me outside every 2nd hand lens shop in Tokyo next week when I use that exact same line.

I used to use a very not folding one for the Tour when I couldn't park close enough to the position I wanted to set up in. This is my 2012 setup during which I managed to inadvertently find myself actually on the course itself Mr Bean style when I was getting into the village to get into position. After covering his "interesting" acceleration up Alpe d'Huez the following year, I like to think my efforts convinced Chris Froome on his choice of bike. That was the year of the failed RED EPIC-X hybrid experiment so with the amount of weight in those bags (not to mention the rider) its amazing the thing moved at all. I can confirm from personal experience that if you are doing final checks of your gear and find you've left your Apple ethernet adapter at the previous match then, electrically assisted and shouting "fuck, fuck, fuck" as kick off approaches, you can get to FNAC in about 8 minutes from that site, so should be about 15 into the city centre.

I did a few matches in Bordeaux during Euro2016 and stayed at quite a nice site called Yelloh Village which was in gear dragging distance of the stadium but a bit outside the city. It looks like even unfolded your trolley of gear would fit on the back seat/in the boot of car so even though it is out of town I'd be tempted to base yourself at the site and then get a cab to the venue to do the gig and then back again when its done. That way you've got easy access door to door to the venue wherever it is without having to be bothered about finding suitably sized safe parking nearby or trundling through urban environment with a trolley full of gear, particularly on the way back late at night. Its about a €35-40 round trip in a cab to the very centre of the city so its only another €15-20 on top of what it would cost for secure parking if you could find one without the height restriction.

I used to work out of my little Mazda Bongo camper a lot back in the day. Same logic regarding the savings and convenience particularly when I had to cover games late at night or be at pressers first thing in the morning. Great to use it as a mobile office as well to file from too. The biggest cost savings were covering long multi day events away such as football tournaments and particularly like here when shooting the Tour de France. Using the camper saved me a lot and meant I could ram it full of boxes gear as well as utilise it as a mounting point for remote cameras ! Its got me quite nostalgic for covering the Tour again to be honest, although these days it would be far more lucrative shooting it as a vanlife vlog than it would as an editorial photographer.

Some real world usage overheating tests.

Wow, the cart AND the camper van? ”And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.” Curious about the tripod mounted gimbal - do you use that as a remote control PT head during the ceremony or is just purely for mounting purposes when not wafting it about ?

I'd give a mention to the Contax Zeiss 28-85mm f3.4/4 Its a bit annoying in that its a push/pull zoom design but its very nice optically and has not gone crazy in price like many other CZ lenses. If you don't mind paying a bit more and have a more limited range at both ends then the 35-70mm f3.4 is a great option.

It was Monty Python that invented it anyway.

Yes https://petapixel.com/2019/05/29/alter-rfs-a-hinged-lens-filter-adapter-that-swings-out-of-the-way/

The release of the Z8 has certainly stimulated a lot of trade ins of Z9s at MapCamera at least as usually there are between 0-1 on any given day. Probably cements my decision to get a used Z9 when I get there. Well, I say "cement" but, you know, its only Thursday

Of course I didn't avoid the internet today ! Officially announced now. Full-frame BSI CMOS Sensor with Triple Resolution Technology (60MP / 36MP / 18MP) Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH. fixed lens with integrated macro mode Hybrid Autofocus System (Phase Detection AF + Contrast AF + Depth from Defocus + AI) Tilting 3" display and 5.67MP OLED viewfinder Fast and convenient connectivity with the Leica FOTOS app USB-C and HDMI ports Up to 8K-Video and multiple video formats including .h265 and ProRes Made for iPhone and iPad IP52 ingress protection I'd recommend having a download of the full technical spec document as there are a lot of caveats involved int he video formats such as 8K being 4:2:0 and ProRes being 1080p only. Not mentioned in that document but stated in the PetaPixel "preview" is that anything above 1080p is cropped. Considering that Leica is really pushing the video specs of this camera, it is pretty laughable that it doesn't have a microphone input let alone not having a headphone socket. https://leica-camera.com/de-DE/fotografie/kameras/q/q3/technical-specification $5,995.00 / €5,950.00 (Germany) / £5,300.00 https://leica-camera.com/en-GB/photography/cameras/q/q3-black