MrSMW

Standard M1 and the massive jump in processing was between the desktop and the M2. I didn’t see much difference between the desktop and M1 for most things. Possibly also differences in software being more streamlined? I don’t know and am not really interested in techy things as in ‘how’, but rather just that it does. And my M2 does!

Texas possibly? Otherwise my money is on a next gen S1/R/H.

5k? It's not even 6, never mind 8k 😜

Sounds like every wedding I have been to for the last 4-5 years…which has been circa 100+ (would have been more if it wasn’t for covid). EXACTLY, including that 60+ gent fumbling with his archaic DSLR and that Fuji hipster couple 😂

Plays a part as in the whole ‘photographer/history/kudos’ thing/myth. Plus in every side by side comparison I have seen, the results from the Hassie are ‘better’. It’s purely speculative hypothetical though as lottery win aside, I am going to own neither. Well actually, maybe the Hassie in 2-3 years when any investment would be sub 50% of what it is now… But that is not a plan, just one of many possibilities.

I’d really like one for stills but would rather have the Hassie X2D I will own neither due to 💰 As in lack thereof. MPB have one at ‘only’ 7.5k euros, but then lenses… I’m struggling a bit with Z8 and Z9 prices so never mind these medium format beasts. The GFX could be a compromise and meet in the middle, but I think I’ll stick with full frame.

GH7 or S1 replacement for sure. I hope it’s the latter because it’s far more interesting. To me anyway 😉

Maybe it’s a Lumix thing then… C = Custom Super easy to flip between any 5 custom settings with C1 & C2 I have set for indoor and outdoor stills and then 3 options with C3 for video.

I do think battery life is a little overrated on-line. In my experience, all the cameras I have owned have well exceeded the official numbers. In the case of my Fuji cameras, between 2-3x. The Lumix S5ii's have been about the same but the bigger battery cameras such as the S1R/S1H, waaaaaaay more life. I don't think I have ever had to change a battery on an S1R/S1H on a full day's shoot except either very rarely or as a precaution later on. Re. The Z8, does it have C1-3 dial? The Z9 I think does and this swings me in that direction as do the ergos and battery life. What may clinch it for me is twin CF Express because I happen to have 2x 256GB Prograde cards just kicking around since selling my S1R's. Plus the Z9 is just a bit more 'pro' than the Z8 so based on having a dinky (ish) faux vintage camera in the Zf, I'm back in the camp of Z9 as my 'big boy' unit and with no glass heavier than 900g, that makes for a sub 2.3kg unit max which itself though 300g over my 'ideal', is still 500g under what wha I have been using all year.

I ‘traded’ (off-loaded to the wife) my M1 14” at the beginning of this year for an M2 Max with 64GB ram 16” because the old one was barely faster than my 7 year old gaming desktop PC. A good test was batch editing a typical wedding of say 700 raw files through DXO PureRaw tidying up noise and detail. Overnight on my PC, around 8-10 hours? Same thing failed every time I tried it on the M1 chip MacBook. With this year’s M2, 40 minutes maybe? It has transformed my workflow and as someone who spends a lot of time working away from home Apr-Sep, it’s been brilliant. I use it with 3 external SSD. One for photo, one for video, one (armoured) backup for both. My only wishes were it was slightly less laggy for video editing because yup, there is some (but that may be me not having it set up right?) and I wish the screen was bigger than 16”, but as an all in one, photo and editing machine, at home at the dining room table, or in the office or in the motorhome, it’s a great/essential tool for sure.

Something I keep going back to… Z8 or Z9 either way, it’s just a question of trading smaller/lighter/cheaper, for better handling, albeit at the expense of size & weight, plus better battery life and cooling (not that I am much bothered with the latter for my needs) and costs more…

Tinky Winky asks Totoro to hold his/her/their beer.

Indeed. I know some like to be able to add or remove a battery grip, but if there is a model with a built in, I generally prefer it. The Z8 with the battery grip just looks big and clunky and is heavier and less streamlined than the Z9 for sure! I am currently debating myself whether to pull the trigger on a Z8 now or wait until Jan...

Which is not a mirrorless hybrid so not even in the conversation. The Z9 is a MUCH better platform for those lens selections and the OP’s list of requirements and needs. Personally speaking, if only considering my own needs and if I was looking at a 2 body set up and only a 2 body set up and Nikon, hands down the Z9. But as someone who has settled on a 3 body approach (if I do go fully Nikon), based on my needs and lens choices, just a single Z8 can be one of my workhorses as part of a triumvirate (had to look up the spelling of that) of: Z8 40% of my stills work + 10% of my video needs Z6iii (assuming one appears before end of March ‘24) 0% stills and 80% video Zf faux vintage camera, 60% stills plus 10% video If I did my sums correctly, the above accounts for 100% of my stills work and 100% of my video. Ballpark figures but more or less correct.

All those wideos gone, but at least Kai and Lok live on independently elsewhere...

Tell me about it. I absolutely hate Nov-March because it is nearly impossible to practice shoot anything that I do, especially if wanting to test anything new. It’s almost impossible to ‘practice shoot’ weddings anyway for a variety of reasons. Even the odd sunny Winter day isn’t the same because it’s a different quality and angle of light plus the background colours are all different plus people’s skin tones are not the same. Always been a problem… Unless I swap hemispheres every solstice…

If you are paying 💰 sure, but actually, nah, as a set up, too big, too heavy and I don’t need 4 Nikon cameras. All I need is my faux vintage camera, a single Z8 and if flipping entirely over to Nikon for everything, then a single Z6iii. And if a Z6iii is not available and in my hands by end of March 2024, then I will be sticking with my L Mount set up for all things video. And what if Lumix pop out an S2H or S2R in the meantime? It won’t make any difference. Maybe one day down the line, but at least not in 2024 because it’s lens choices that are primarily driving my decisions. L Mount has great glass, but not for the way I work. Not without big compromise and that’s what I am sick to death of, - trying to work around it and being continually frustrated all season long. Brand affiliation is way down my list of important factors. This is a case of which tools are best suited to my specific need within a specific budget. Right now, there are two options. I’d rather go all in with one single brand (in my case single camera brand Nikon and adapted lenses from Tamron) but 99% as happy to stick with a Lumix/Sigma plus Nikon/Tamron for 2024.

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Yes, red box around the frame and you can set up a tally light also. Re. the on/off switch, - just goes to show we all have different preferences. I like where it is on the S1H and hated where it was on the S1R! I wish I could go to a 3 identical body set up for the muscle memory...but I doubt it will ever happen for me now as my next set up will either be 3 different or 4 different bodies...but hey ho 🤪

Well in that case, Options 3&4 combined… Z8 for 24-70 and primes paired with a Z9 for the bigger zoom lenses, or the 24-70 if using a prime on the Z8. It’s kind of where I have gone for stills which is having the relatively small & light Zf as my ‘candid’ workhorse paired with the 40mm f2 basically as a fixed lens point and shoot, plus having the Z8 as the platform for more serious work (landscapes, buildings, portraits etc) with a wide zoom and a long zoom. A kind of ‘lite’ version of what you might do with a Z8/9 combo. Could I use it for video also? Yes, easily, but needs a third body & lens for how I work and I’m not sure if I wish to commit to that at this time. My point being that in your case, if you make the Z9 your A unit and the Z8 your B, it should eliminate, or at least massively reduce any battery life or overheating concerns? Personally, I’m not worried about overheating on the Z8. I’ve seen the tests etc but I’ve used much smaller cameras with much shorter recording times (such as Sony RX100v and ZV1) so have a ballpark working knowledge of what to expect and as I would be shooting 5-15 second clips, maybe up to 2-3 minutes occasionally with the Z8…if I went all in on Nikon for everything, not a concern. Having said that, I do think the Z9 is the better platform. I just personally am on a smaller & lighter crusade right now.

Not used any of these cameras, but currently transitioning from L Mount to Nikon for stills and maybe the whole hog, depending on whether a Z6iii turns up, what it is and when…because I have a season and once it begins, I will not be making any changes. My current set up is: S1H + S5ii + 28-70 + 70-200 video Zf + 40 + adapted Tamron 20-40 + adapted Tamron 70-180 and waiting until the new year to purchase a Z8, for stills. ie, 2 sets of kit, one for video and one for stills. If the Z6iii comes out and is available before the end of March 2024, I will buy that, get another adapted Tamron, the 28-75 and sell the 4 pieces of L Mount I still have. Why? 3 cameras plus 4 lenses all with cross compatibility will work better for me, also a one man band, compared with 4 bodies and 5 lenses that are not all interchangeable. If I had the funds though, a pair of R3’s, one paired with the 28-70 f2 and the other with the new 24-105 f2.8. Far too much for my budget though at 18k before trade in and lacks a longer lens which I might get away with not having, but probably ought to have, so 20k+ It all comes down to our individual needs and preferences and these are mine. I think the Z9 is ‘better’ than the Z8, but I’m trading that ‘betterness’ (ergos, battery life, less likely to overheat) for being a more compact and lighter beast plus cheaper. But take cost out of it, as above, that exact Canon combo. And I used Nikon for 10 years professionally and have never owned a Canon camera. This set up is just the best currently available for my needs. At least theoretically… 😉

Had them both, RX100V and the ZV1 and both brilliant little, genuinely pocketable cameras which I have used as part of a set up or solely for wedding video. The only real issues I came across were low light performance and overheating, but otherwise great bits of kit.

I was just skimming the news this morning and the verdict was: Ukraine vs Russia South vs North Korea Israel vs Hamas...and maybe others China vs Taiwan/Japan/US A straw thatched buffoon vs an old man The United Kingdom. YouTube comments Other assorted fuckwits Random shit I think I'm going to go back to doing what I did during Covid and that is stop looking at the news completely. Because it's utterly depressing.

Plus I hate change...though it is inevitable for some things. The key to what I do though is making everything as simple as possible and as bulletproof as possible. The Rode stuff I use is 'prosumer', but in something like 200 (?) jobs, it's earned a place with me.

Batteries. Yuk. One more thing to charge and everything I own is internal battery. Thanks for the suggestions but the original Rode Micro and WG have served me well for however long it’s been, (6+ years?) and for my needs, just work. So better the devil you know kind of exercise with a large dollop of KISS.