MrSMW

If the next 2 announced are less than half the price, ie $3k top XH2 and GH6, some balance will be returned to The Force.

Thanks @SteveV4D makes sense. So because I shoot with the intent of being able to slow down by 50% pretty much every piece of footage (except the full ceremony and full speeches which isn't), I shoot 50p being in a PAL region. My S5 I think is shooting downsampled 6K which is probably why the stills look so good and also because I'm shooting at 1/100th of a second? 6K 50/60P would be better, but I don't think there is an AF camera that can do this? Various cinema cameras and the BMP6K etc, but no what we'd call hybrid/DSLR type cameras? Having said that, if I move more into this territory and won't have to flip between stills and video or do both at the same time, I could fully exploit manual focus. And then there is this aftermarket gaydar tech that has various possibilities.

A couple more questions because I am not very techy and don’t mind admitting I don’t know the answers and these are: Are all 4K screen grabs basically the same size, regardless of whether the screen grab is from a 4/3, APSC or FF sensor? Or is there an advantage to using a larger sensor and say a 50mp over say a 24mp? 6k mode on my S5 is rubbish. OK, to be fair, it does make very nice pics, but in regard to AF tracking, it’s worse than in video mode. In normal stills mode, it’s very good however. 6k video would obviously make for better stills however and 8k even more so, but I tend to shoot for slow motion and 6k 60p might exist (?), but 8k is probably pushing it for me in many ways. So the question is now not whether you can or should...because I have proved to myself that the results from my S5 screen grabs are indistinguishable from Jpegs from raw files...for today’s ‘normal’ use, but which cameras might excel at it?

If I was going back to Fuji...and at this point in time, I am not, there are a couple of options I’d consider but primarily: XT3 on sticks for video with a pair of XE4’s for stills. But more likely, a pair of XT4’s hybrid use. Can’t see a scenario for the XS10. Really only interested in seeing what an XH2 might be and that other mythical beast, the Panasonic GH6. If anything will sway me in any direction for a few years, it will probably be one of those two. But as both are currently unicorns...

Same here, though a certain fondness for Fuji and Olympus. Re. the AF, just to confirm that you are using native lenses aren’t you as in Panasonic rather than other L Mount? I just tried my new Sigma 45mm f2.8 and similar to the Sigma 56mm f1.4, night and day difference compared with native. I’m not tempted to switch to any brand because of that brand, but the new Sony has my eye. But...and it’s a big BUT, the cost of the body alone would be about the same as a 3 body S5 and 4 prime kit. For better AF and 4K 120p. Needs and all that... Well arguably for me the latter is more a want than a need per se and it’s more a question of whether the AF with the S5 is good enough for my needs and the answer is yes, 95% of the time and can I get around that 5%? Right now, it’s easy to get round that 5% as there’s no work! If I was going to go anywhere, I think it would have to be Fuji and the XT4 based on my last near 10 years with them up to XT3. Nikon have failed for me, Leica is just nuts pricing, Canon can go and do one and Sony have had compromises to date I haven’t liked. If only the A7SIII had been 24mp eh?

I never shoot portrait format and haven’t shot flash in over 5 years! Just my ‘style’. My video work has always been essentially a mirror of my stills, ie, I shoot video as a photographer. It’s been a steady evolution for 10 solid years with the previous 10 being I shot stills and my brother shot the video.

I just grabbed some stuff from one of my recent commercial shoots. It has completely changed how I look at this kind of thing. Going to explore it some more.

I’m the opposite and want my stills and video to match as close as possible. I’m going to try some 4K 50p 1/100th with my S5 using my tweaked version of the Natural profile. I’m thinking this approach could be perfect for my needs and with twice the resolution, double the frame rate and shutter speed combined with the best AF in the business... Potential overheating is a consideration then but there aren’t really any other contenders other than Sony as the fast shutter is key for stills. It will give me a project in these shitty times if nothing else!

Are we now there? The new Sony has got me thinking. Not only is it the most capable all round hybrid ever made, but are we now at the point where we could simply extract the stills from the video? I am thinking as someone who provides hybrid capture at weddings without strobes. Shoot 4K 120p clips throughout the day (as I do but at 60p at present) and 1/240th of a second. I don’t shoot log but try to get the best SOOC image for minimal post editing. With the Sony, probably the S-Cinetone. What am I missing/overlooking? If I could do this, I could reduce my kit down to a single camera and single (zoom) lens instead of my current 2 bodies + 4 primes. I dismissed the Sony A1 as being above my needs and budget, but actually as a ‘one and done’... I would still need/have another body for static full length ceremony & speeches. No way round that, but for the more ‘artistic’ wedding film and the photography? Interesting (to me anyway) at the very least... I’m thinking body + battery grip + Tamron 24-75mm f2.8 indoors and Tamron 70-180mm f2.8 outdoors, my focal length needs being typically in the 50-150mm range. Comfortable with my Sony ZV1 as back up in my bag.

Indeed. But in 2021, apparently you can’t with the Sony A7SIII because people might want to put the pics on social media and is 12mp enough? My smart phone has a 60”x30” triple retina 16k screen so I suspect maybe not?

That’s the deal breaker right there for me. I could compromise on the rest, but I might have gone on holiday at that time and if it stopped recording while I was away for those 2 weeks... Actually, now I think of it, that is ridiculous. Holidays and especially international travel are a thing of the past so not an issue. How does it compare with the Panasonic G100? I’m mostly interested in vlogging.

OK, serious question... Had a thought today and that is 120fps 4k with 1/240th shutter speed, shoot video clips all day long at my weddings (ha, remember those things?) in 2027 or whenever we're back in business...and just pull off the stills instead of shooting them separately? One camera, one lens, job done? I'm an available or LED light shooter so no strobes etc anyway. What am I missing or is this the fewtcha right now? Well this March. For 6.5k.

I think you will find the true figure to be somewhere between the two and around 91-92%. But being serious, yes I'd be one of those, if only to add it as a potential future option or pass it over. If this year had just got the fuck on with itself as it was supposed to, I wouldn't even be looking. But it isn't. So I am. Looking. A potential return to Fuji future with XH2 for video and XE4's for stills, or... Stick with Panasonic, especially if a GH6 gets announced soon and if it has phase because if it doesn't, Panasonic might as well give up the camera game as the market will have gone elsewhere. And I have to confess a new interest as of today in the 'one and done' new Sony option. Shoot 120p 4k video all day long and pull of the stills... single body, single lens, end of? I'd rather just have got on with it but my niche within my industry is realistically looking at another year with no work and in the 15 months since the last season ended, the landscape has changed.

Yup. Both beyond my means or needs. I think I could make a case for either as single hybrid camera with a zoom, but I'd be limiting myself at one or both ends and would still need a back up kit. Both seem pretty superb. For those with deep pockets. I think I'd be more tempted with the Fuji, but temptation is but a fading memory these days...

I’m looking forward to all the ‘Why I Switched’ videos on YouTube when the thing gets launched.

One bit of good news in this bleakest start to a year in my 1/2 century of life is my complimentary Sigma 45mm f2.8 turned up today. VERY poor show from Panasonic UK/EU in the process of obtaining it. Company boycott territory and if it wasn’t the S5 being the current best option for me, I would have ditched them completely. As things stand, because of their behavior, I am now sitting it out for a bit and seeing which way the wind blows in regard to my year and what Fuji do. Looking forward to testing the 45 though and it’s certainly a nice looking lens, well built and AF seems quite snappy.

All that aside @herein2020 when are you going to update your forum name to Herein2021? 😀

10 bit over 8 and 4K over 1080p never mind 10 bit 4K over 8 bit 1080. It’s all about latitudes for me. In non-tricky lighting, less noticeable difference, but when it’s not and you need to salvage something etc... Anything more though is overkill for me. Right now anyway, but I think for some time.

Same as it ever was!

I am going to add in Fuji’s shortly to be announced into the mix. Their 100V is my desert island stills camera. I loved the XT3 for my static video work. I’d go XT4 today over it for the additional build quality, marginal handling improvement, better battery life, but mostly for the IBIS. The XE4 if it has IBIS could be on my radar as a more flexible alternative to the X100V. But I suspect it won’t meet my needs...

My clients probably wouldn’t notice but why I don’t like to mix brands of anything...and this is even within the brand!

Hmm, OK this one is going to need some more research... May need to look at the alternative octopus thingy...

I suspect it won't as Fuji and Nikon always seem to be that one step behind Canon & Sony, with Panasonic and Leica, one step behind Fuji & Nikon. I know a few have criticised Fuji's AF, but I never had a problem with it, even in tracking where if there's any flaws, that's where they are most likely to be highlighted...and I can't see how the XT3 could be better than the XT4 anyway but... So just 'up a notch' would be OK with me, but I'm not interested in an XH2 (or any other camera) that doesn't yet exist other than as potential because they might cock it up or even make something only a tiny minority are interested in.

I encourage all of my weddings to have a central speaking point whether that is a lectern or a mic stand. I use it there. In some circumstances (indoors, but most of my weddings are outdoors) it can be the main/sole audio source, but more likely, I use it as the baseline and overlay & sync the individual lav mic recordings and then chop out the lesser quality baseline where I can. I think these F2's will provide an even better option as they should reduce any screeching etc that the crowd can sometimes make during speeches! But having said that, my 2021 clients are dropping like flies with either postponements or cancellations and my best case prediction is I'm going to end up with at best, 50% workload this year (following on from just 4% last year, ie, I lost 96% of my booked jobs) and worst case, all 100% will go. It's not looking great and I'm not sure if I can survive 2 years with no work. It's that bad.

The top two I would like to see are an XH2 and a GH6. I could go with either or neither. Neither especially if this year doesn’t happen for business and my best forecast is for 50% at most and worst case scenario, zero business. I expect we will see an A7iv and it shall be the son of god. For Sony fans...but it probably will be the most capable hybrid camera bar none when it appears.