BTM_Pix

BLE timecode as well. Tricky for them in the market they’re going for with the limited number of DX format Z mount lenses (even with Sigma now pitching in) up against the big back catalogues of Fuji and Sony. They’ve likely bundled it with the wrong kit lens for them too as the wider 12-28mm might be more appropriate for the walk and talk merchants. Hopefully they will update the Zfc to a mark ii with these new additions too.

I’ve already changed my mind so fair play.

Next Monday I will be buying my final camera* and it will be from the same brand that I have bought in every one of the last five decades. Nikon. *insert your own rolling eyes gif here

And they would be right ! I don’t know where I got that notion from. In my defence I am not far off qualifying for a bus pass, not really a fan of the destructive nature of IBIS and prefer OIS which a lot more of the X mount lenses have. Well in my new role as Minister of Disinformation, I could only speculate but as it’s is the X-S20 internally then I’d go by that.

I'm wondering whether the new FujiFilm X-M5 might be an option if you looked for something outside the MFT format. Its a proper little powerhouse for video with IBIS, PDAF, 10 bit 4:2:2 and 6.2K open gate etc It is also just plain little as well, even against the GX80/85 Price wise its also substantially cheaper than anything comparable MFT wise like a G9ii or GH7. X mount is a mature format so there are lots of lens options used to keep the overall cost down and lots of fast primes both first and third party to keep the low light situation up. There are a lot of very capable zoom lenses as well from Sigma's 18-50mm f2.8 to Fuji's own 18-135mmF3.5-5.6. If you need that extra boost to over 10x zoom then the Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 would have you covered and then some. For something more premium but under 10x, the constant aperture Fujifilm 18-120mm f4 would be the option and it also includes servo zoom. The following full kit : X-M5 Fuji 15-45 3.5-5.6 kit lens Viltrox AF 23mm f1.4 Viltrox AF 33mm f1.4 Viltrox AF 56mm f1.4 Tamron 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Works out around $200 more than the GH7 body only and of course, aside from the camera itself, are all readily available used to keep the price down further. Its a sobering look at how far MFT prices have crept up. As I say, I know you're not really looking to buy something new but if you were then I think the X-M5 route is worth consideration. Oddly enough, my recent experiences of travelling have shown a shift in the negative perception of people with "real" cameras as my observation is that people are now getting far more irritated by the pouting photoshoots using smartphones happening everywhere. I was walking through St James Park in London a few nights ago and the amount of people draped over the bridge doing the "take a picture of the back of me as I gaze thoughtfully at Buckingham Palace" was ridiculous. Particularly considering it was virtually pitch black !

It works with any generic basic USB-C hub and the camera provides enough to power the attached devices.

Oh yeah, forgot about that. I stand corrected.

It’s exclusive to the GH7 *edit - No it isn’t.

To be fair, their own product page for the S9 certainly says otherwise though. It’s all about the casual shooter. Particularly the crossed out edit graphic. I don’t disagree that it does a lot more but that’s what they’re aiming at based on their own marketing. Which is another aspect of the bundled launch in not having the right lenses or the right type of “reviewers” there. They hedged their bets and it all just looked very confused. Plus, the S5ii 😉 https://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/cameras-camcorders/lumix-mirrorless-cameras/lumix-s-full-frame-cameras/dc-s9.html

All of whom work in their accounts department.

I've said it before but the camera that presents the biggest challenge to Panasonic getting traction with their latter releases isn't made by someone else, its made by Panasonic themselves. The S5ii is the spanner in the works for the G9ii, GH7 and S9. Cheaper than the first two (and lets not ignore the not insubstantial difference of it being FF over MFT) and easily justifying the extra £300 over the last one for the additional features. How likely do you think it is that someone walks into a camera store to buy a Panasonic camera and doesn't walk out with the S5ii when presented with all four? Actually, or even all five if you are in Europe when you throw in whatever the hell the S5d is The ARRI LogC3 got a lot of buzz for the GH7 and maybe it could be the thing that does the same for the S9 but that is at the expense of pissing off every owner of the other S cameras. Discontinuing the S5ii seems the only way out of this for them !

I think the significance of this camera extends far beyond whether you actually want it because it doesn’t tick every box for you. That significance is being able to say to other manufacturers “OK, now why can’t YOU do this for $799?”

Oddly enough, I think this might well re-awaken interest in the XS-20 too.

Just going off prices at B&H (dream on for UK/EU punters of course) the S9 with the new 18-40 kit lens is $1797.99. Whereas the following : Fujifilm X-M5 15-45mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens with OIS and Power Zoom Viltrox 23mm f1.4 AF Meike 55mm f1.4 AF Fujifilm 55-200mm f4.5-6.7 OIS zoom MK2 Adds up to $1796.99 So for a dollar less (not sure what that buys you in NY anymore but still) you can have the camera, a more useful kit lens due to the OIS and the power zoom, two fast and very capable third party AF primes and a real hidden gem of a stabilised telephoto zoom. For anyone not married to L mount looking at an S9, that is a pretty compelling alternative as you can get a really comprehensive kit instead. IBIS and Full Frame be damned !

Zhiyun Crane-M 3S and FeiyuTech Scorp Mini 2 would be contenders. Both are reasonably compact and not outrageously expensive and offer camera control as well as having enough weight handling to cope with much bigger cameras too with expansion options for focus motors. The Scorp Mini 2 has additional useful functionality with its built in AI tracking.

I think this a pretty significant release. The lack of IBIS wouldn’t bother me for a few reasons. Namely, that I can do without the destructive warping, a lot of Fuji lenses have OIS and the options for post stabilisation are now both more plentiful and more sophisticated. $799 reminds us of how things used to be in the golden days of MFT before we all slept walked into accepting the received wisdom that three times that price was the price of a low-mid price camera body.

Fujifilm have had Panasonic’s pants off with the X-5M release today. It’s offering the upgrade from the compact MFT cameras that Panasonic refuse to do and cuts the price in half from the still sat on the launchpad S9 and has appropriately sized lenses to boot. It also leverages the kudos that the X100 has created in the market that they are trying to break into. Panasonic should’ve made this camera two or even three years ago - particularly when Leica vacated the APS-C area discontinuing the CL and TL - but instead they put an MFT sensor in a FF body and priced it even higher. They definitely need to do something along those sort of lines as the “me too” stuff is not moving anyone’s needle. The head start they had by being in mirrorless early has now disappeared.

Fuji have just announced the X-M5 which is another swift kick in the goolies for the S9 (albeit "only" APS-C) and at $799 is the sort of price point and form factor that Panasonic should've been looking at for a new GX80. 26MP X-Trans BSI CMOS sensor X-Processor 5 with AI-powered subject detection AF On-sensor phase detection Fully articulated 3", 1.04M-dot LCD 20 Film Simulation modes, including Reala ACE Continuous shooting up to 8fps (30fps with E-shutter and 1.25x crop) 6.2K 3:2 video up to 30p, 4K up to 60p with crop 10 but 4:2:2 External mic and 3.5mm headphone socket https://fujifilm-x.com/global/products/cameras/x-m5/

They might well be working on one but the one they've actually released today is another one with the very much have used before APS-C sensor size. The X-M5 might be IBIS and EVF-less but it packs a big punch for $799. 26MP X-Trans BSI CMOS sensor X-Processor 5 with AI-powered subject detection AF On-sensor phase detection Fully articulated 3", 1.04M-dot LCD 20 Film Simulation modes, including Reala ACE Continuous shooting up to 8fps (30fps with E-shutter and 1.25x crop) 6.2K 3:2 video up to 30p, 4K up to 60p with crop 10 but 4:2:2 External mic and 3.5mm headphone socket https://fujifilm-x.com/global/products/cameras/x-m5/

So this could either be rumours of a new firmware version or him testing the version without the recording limits then. Removing the recording limit for the S9 does add to its utility because with a dummy battery it was likely not going to cause the same sort of heat issues that necessitated the limit in the first place so it would’ve been an artificial restriction for that use case. Fumbling the initial launch with the wrong lens and now fumbling the re-launch with the right lens and dodgy firmware is not a good look though. Though it will certainly benefit us S5ii users looking for a cheap companion version as the used S9 prices tumble due to these fuck ups !

Call me cynical but as the S5 already charged over USB then they could simply have removed the charger from the boxes to become compliant rather than make a whole “new” camera for a specific region. After all, the changes come in at the end of 2024 and it’s not as if the original S5 was going to have much of a life beyond that anyway as a new product. They could also make additional money by selling the chargers separately. I know that no manufacturer is going to say “we’ve got shitloads of these in a warehouse and need to get shut of them” but this stretches creativity in spinning that situation very thin. Also, the famously absolutely NOT part of the EU anymore UK government has previously stated that it wouldn’t align itself to this particular EU directive. Mind you, they say a lot of things. My conspiracy theory is that they took a production run of the old box camera and a production run of the S5ii and swapped the internals to make the new box camera and whatever the hell this is on the basis it would be easier to clear stock of a “new” S5 than the old box camera. I’m only kidding of course but it makes about as much sense as their given reason.

Something the S9 has going for it over the other S cameras is the hybrid zoom function. Its 1.5x in 4K so this new 18-40mm becomes an 18-60mm with that extension so it actually makes the whole combo a more interesting proposition as a package. I'm guessing that Panasonic not giving it to the other cameras is a deliberate differentiation for that purpose so they can offer compact packages albeit with slower lenses that still maintain some of the range people want. If it was launched as this combo from the get go then I think a lot of the "I'm trying to be positive about this camera because they've flown me all the way here to shill it for them" lukewarm fixed grin "reviews" would've been a lot more positive. Because with this lens - and I'm guessing a similar tele companion version won't be far behind -the S9 makes a whole lot more sense. As it was, they blew that by having the silly pancake lens with it for the launch so all compactness would have to go out of the window by putting the usual L mount lenses on it.

Live stream for the announcement of whatever it is they're announcing.

Yeah, as per usual, he's serving up more half baked nonsense.