MrSMW

There are wants. There are needs. And there is reality. I try and find a balance between the 3. With the least amount of dancing as possible.

I’m not sure whether the supply issues with these things is a good or a bad thing… For me, it is a negative and I would not wait endless months for something. Not that I am impatient, but with the X100V it pushed prices to silly levels and it almost (or is) a case of folks becoming desperate to buy a thing at any price, just because it’s popular.

But I’d rather have the Hassie 😉 I ogled one in a camera shop window the other day, but dared not enter and actually handle it. Or risk divorce papers being served.

It always does. I currently hope they do not make a successor to the FP because my dancing skills are shit. But until then, the GFX100S for me. I have almost pressed that button so many times, but in the end, came down in favour of the A7RV.

Z8, Z6iii, Zf? Perfect trio for me… Z8 stills workhorse with Zf more for candid and walkabout plus Z6iii as the primary video donkey, but all 3 could pull that role as required. I was wandering around old London Town yesterday late afternoon/early evening, heading for HMS Belfast as I had not been in years, but it changed into finding and having the missus’ phone fixed instead as it stopped working. But just during that period and yesterday in York, reminded and cemented for me, how great the Zf is to own (again) and use. Build, feel, clicks, shutter, EVF and rear LCD quality. So much nicer than any Fuji I owned. I think Nikon has moved for me back into pole position as my favourite camera brand. Just not for lenses. But then all of e Mount can be adapted so the options are the biggest with any current lens mount; Z, F, adapted M and E. And M can be adapted with the AF they do not have! But every day walkabout, Zf with a 40mm is that chefs kiss thing they talk about.

Just made use of it with a bottle of Boss Bottled Absolu for £57. Bargain.

25% off men’s colognes, Boots, UK 👍

I didn’t try it but looked at one in a camera shop window yesterday and indeed, pretty tiny!

Nope, but… Well I am interested in it and was aware it was coming and for me, it is another lens that I am VERY interested in except for one fact, it’s a bit expensive 🤔 Until 2024 came along, for my needs, lenses have always been the Achilles Heel for me and I have both wanted and needed fast do it all lenses. At the end of 2023, the ‘best’ option I had in L Mount was the Leica 24-90 f2.8-4 which was; big, heavy, variable aperture and not especially fast for indoor / low-light work. Since then, all under 1kg/2lbs, we have had; Sigma 28-45mm f1.8, Sigma 28-105mm f2.8 and now this new Sony. My system has been L Mount for photo & video for 2 years with Sony coming in this year for stills. Nikon is coming back for 2025 for me as a hybrid option, as in can shoot stills alongside my main Sony (A7RV) cam, plus video alongside my Lumix. But, as I am down to just 1 camera and 1 lens for L Mount and STILL no sign of any S2H or S2R, I have decided to throw my lot in with Sony & Nikon for 2025 and onwards. Why? Lenses. More specifically because I can lens share across both Sony and Nikon bodies with any e Mount lenses including if I fancied it, putting this new 28-70 f2 on any Nikon Z body. Except I won’t because for one single fact and that is whilst any e Mount lens can be adapted with near native AF and IBIS on any Nikon Z body, you do not get the in camera corrections that you get with using native lenses on Sony bodies, so I am somewhat wary of using e Mount lenses on Nikon bodies. More for stills than video, but a couple of tests required on that department before fully committing… But back to this lens specifically… Faced with a choice of Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 for indoor and low-light work plus Sigma 28-105mm f2.8 for outdoor, for the SAME cost as this new 28-70, this new 28-70 does not make financial sense to me. It’s a stunning lens in isolation and if you do not need longer than 70mm, possibly great, but as above, I can’t see how it could work for me with this pairing of Sigma lenses which cover FAR more bases for the same total cost. The camera doesn’t interest me. The S5ii does all I need and the Z6iii, most likely my main video unit for 2025, arguably even more and providing it can work with the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 which I am going to test on my Zf, will almost certainly be my video A cam. Actually, I have tested that combo for stills over several weddings earlier this year and for stills, worked very well other than the odd vertical distortion that was a bit of a PITA to fix in post, but for video should be OK. Mostly I am happy to see these new fast zooms which were but a dream only one year ago.

Picking up my re-purchased Zf today (only the second time in my 20+ year career I have ever done this!) and having had a look at various use cases of the 4 LUTS, it’s the only one that looks interesting to me. The B&W looks very flat, the offset or whatever it’s called, overcooked and bleach bypass, err, no thanks. Going to shoot some crap over the next few days in Northern UK and London and then have a play, but the Film Bias looks at least promising…

Define 'better'... Personally, I went from XT3 to S5. It was going to be XT4, but Covid got in the way and as a result, I tried an S5 and liked it enough. For me, it was slightly better video but noticeably better stills. Video I was shooting S35 mode with either so not so much difference, but the stills, due to being full-frame over APSC, definitely better low light and the raws had a bit more latitude in post. Tried S1R and S1H and S5ii since and of them all, I actually liked the video-orientated S1H files the best. The S1R obviously had more detail being 45mp over 24mp, but there was something I preferred with the S1H files. The S5ii I didn't much care for as a stills unit. Video yes, but not so much for stills. Mostly due to the shutter mech feel and sound. Step forward Nikon Zf. Tried it and loved it. Bought 3x Tamron zooms and the Megadap adapter. Loved the zooms but not the quirks of using non-native lenses in the edit so reluctantly went Sony (A7RV) for stills. But as per that post, regretted selling the Zf though it was the right thing at the time. Now it's back. It's a bit of a Marmite camera for some... It's not as small or as light as some would hope and the screen is somewhat controversial for some folks but my only criticisms are yes, I wish it was smaller (lighter I don't care about as it's only 700g for heavens sake) and it's ergos do not suit bigger primes or zooms for all day use. Can you use them? Sure, but a Z6iii would make more sense. My own use case for re-purchasing is simple, - it will have 4 roles. 1. Personal camera with manual focus only Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 2. As above for low light scenarios at weddings 3. Candid camera at weddings with the Nikon 40mm f2 SE where AF will be used for speed and accuracy 4. Flips to longer form video mode on tripod with adapted Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 for ceremonies and speeches. But pocketable it is not, regardless of the lens other than maybe a very large jacket pocket! S9 or Sigma FP would be my picks for something small for stills and video with the S9 if IBIS and AF are important. And a tilt screen, better battery life, and probably a few other things but the FP can arguably shoot produce 'nicer' video and stills in certain modes. My only question now is do I flip my remaining S5ii and sole remaining lens for a Nikon Z6iii because I already have the equivalent lens for it and 2 systems are better than 3 right...??

The pocketable part is the trickiest bit... Best of luck getting an S5 or R5 or anything of that nature in your pocket. Unless you are Matt Granger. S9 springs to mind and maybe with that new 18-40? Even then, still need a decent sized pocket! I've been guilty of it myself and that is chasing a 'grail' solution that does not exist and you probably are better off with that S5 + GX85 combo?

Is it pocketable?

My bad. Official then, but remains to be seen exactly what it is and costs etc... Above my needs most likely.

It's not an announcement but a rumour on the Fuji Rumors site. Might be real. Might not be...

I just re-bought one 🤑 I've had regrets ever since I sold mine because despite a couple of compromises (ergos not the best, especially without a grip and it could be smaller, but that is about it), it is one of my favourite cameras of all time. I have a policy which is if it does not have a place in my life/work, it doesn't exist. I originally bought it as both a personal camera and as a work workhorse with a trio of adapted e Mount zooms, but had too many niggly issues with the edit on the files due to the in camera corrections not being available as they are with a native Sony camera. So 'swapped' it for an A7RV which arguably is a more capable camera. It's just not as fun, or quite as good in low light, or for my video needs. The Sony I don't use for video anyway and my rationale to buy this back was: I like Sony for stills, but not for video. I like Lumix for video, but not for stills. The above has been my combo this year with 3x Lumix and 1x Sony. I just off-loaded 1x S5ii because it was overkill having 3x video units. I'm about to offload another and going for a 'hybrid' unit instead, ie, 1x pure stills = Sony A7RV + 1x pure video = Lumix S5ii + 1x hybrid = Nikon Zf. So the Zf will now offer me the following: A. Personal camera with 40mm f2 SE lens. Perfect combo but as above, ideally if the body was a little smaller, but it isn't but very well balanced and is an utter joy to otherwise use. B. Low light stills for work, ie, this combo is better than my 61mp Sony with f2.8 lens, so fills a need. C. Paired with adapted 70-180mm f2.8 compared with S5ii with Lumix 70-200mm f4, offers me a smaller and lighter static combo with better low light capability. I've always said I'd rather have everything within one brand but my 2 brand/zero cross-compatibility approach has been fine this year and the fact that the Nikon can lens share with the Sony whilst replacing a Lumix is a win for me. Ultimately, same number of bodies (3) and lenses (6) for next year, but more capable in so many ways. That's my justification anyway! Plus 37% off on Amazon UK and I snagged the last one 🤩

Dune should. It's been nearly 50 years! I can't remember, what did they do with this? Shot it on film, scanned it, made the tweaks, put it back to film...or something?

Could be interesting... But not for 2025 for me, - I have enough new purchases to finance!

Agree, seems a bit of an odd omission. Plenty of small cameras have very decent IBIS. I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect every single feature from a high end camera and have it packaged in a tiny body at 1/2 the price, but seems an odd thing to not have in this day and age. Some pretty disappointing camera launches this year, but then to be fair, most have been aimed at the lower end of the market. The Zf for me has been the stand out and toying with picking one up again as a personal camera if I can work out how to also use it for work, ie, justify it…

So reading between the lines, YouTube/Google smashed Vimeo and the operators of YouTube/Google are the CIA who as everyone knows, are funded by aliens? If so, that's cleared that one up. What about TikTok? Who is responsible for that shite?

If anyone spots a 50% off all things Hasselblad, shout in my direction. Thanks in advance.

Yup. They were my favourite for primes, but I preferred various recent Tamron's for zoom stuff, notably my current trinity of 20-40, 28-75 and 70-180. But this year, Sigma moved the game on with their 28-45 f1.8 and 28-105 2.8 and all that's 'missing' for me with them right now is a longer sibling to that 28-45. I've said it before and will say it again, - if they make something like a 45-90 or 50-100, also f1.8 and internal zoom, I'm done! As it is, I'm getting the 28-45 and 28-105 for next season as they just make complete sense for my needs. Plus, yes, I also love their philosophy and family run nature.

Possibly the less than stellar IBIS and AF, but even back in my Fuji days ending with XT3 for stills and XH1 with adapted Canon lens, I found both to be OK. Not great, but OK and it’s come a long way since with more recent models. I could EASILY shoot a GFX stills unit plus a pair of XH2’s for video. But just as easily an all Nikon set up based around a Z8 for stills and pair of Z6iii’s for video. Or an all Canon set up of R5ii stills plus a pair of R6ii’s for video. So many great options these days. For my needs anyway, but just 2 years ago, I did struggle to suit my specific needs, but knowing it was so close…

🙄

Because Lumix are far from being my favourite as a company. They have made some stuff, the timing of which suited me, but then continue to frustrate re. the future. I don't much care for Sony as a brand either, but hey, guess what? I shoot Lumix and Sony 🤪 I've never really bought anything much simply because of the badge or because how popular something might be.