MrSMW

I think that goes for any camera really because if you want/need to add extra bits & bobs for it to work properly for you, maybe you need to consider something more suitable in the first place. But then again, if you don’t mind, enjoy even, building stuff up and breaking it back down as required, that’s cool. I’m in the former camp. A Smallrig base plate on my stills camera as it’s about 1 cm too short for my hand plus a Peak Design wrist thingy so the whole thing is snug in my hand. A Smallrig cage, side handle and Rode Micro on my run & gun video unit, but no top handle, external monitor, extra battery power or anything like that. A battery grip for each of my statics because I don’t want to be running out of power on a shoot and the alternative would be cages plus adding battery power that way, but that is way pricier so battery grips it is. I have think the beauty of something like the X-M5 is its size, ie, lack of. Of course it can be rigged out, but little point really when it has bigger siblings more suited to that in the first place. Unless your name is MacGyver.

Ah OK. Pretty happy with my burned in LUT SOOC anyway so cool beans. I need to have more of a play with this LUT feature on these cameras over the Winter… Looks interesting for stills also from what I have seen but not really applicable to me at this time UNLESS LUMIX MAKE ME AN S2R 🥱

Is this GH7 only then or part of the recent firmware update to the S9 and if so, coming to the S5ii Problem Child? Not been paying much attention recently to such things and don't even know if I am that interested as I'm mostly happy with my Phantom LUT burned in Vlog, but then also slightly interested in whether there is any benefit to me. Must take a look at the RED thingy with Nikon also...but then I don't want to get too interested because I'm not with Nikon and don't wish to really be aware of their grass if it's greener...

A camera with appeal to approximately 5 people on the planet. Should have made an S1H-S and used the sensor from the S5ii but with the OLPF which is possibly at least partly why the image from it is the best of all the S line cameras. It was the lack of PDAF and somewhat hit & miss reliability of AF at critical times that forced me to go S5ii. People generally love the S1H but for whatever reason, LUMIX do not appear to have milked it but instead, allowed it to slowly die. Ditto the S1R. Criminally overlooked, mainly for stills but...

It makes perfect sense (in my opinion) because: A. I think they overpriced it to start with. Should have been 1250 max. That would have increased the buzz but the price was and is a major criticism by most. B. They fluffed it’s launch within The Community at least. It was controversial to say the least on various levels, but specifically that utterly shit launch lens. C. Outside The Community, people shop on brand and price. Fuji vs Panasonic Lumix, not much in that but the Fuji is something like 40% cheaper. D. Panasonic’s market share is lower than Fujis with Fujis image increasing (TikTok X100 just one example) whereas LUMIX has flatlined at best. Without a halo product in an S2R or S2H very soon, they risk cardiac arrest as even within The Community, folks WILL increasingly jump ship. It’s a dog eat dog world and folks generally do not back losers and LUMIX is in very real danger of being seen as a basket case. And I am a LUMIX fan. They are my brand of choice for video. I tried the S9. It was good but not great. I returned it for another (used at the SAME price) S5ii which is a far better camera at around the same price point. Would I ever consider buying and using another S9? Yes absolutely and have kept my Smallrig cage for it just in case that opportunity comes up, but only as a sidekick to an S2R because it does not tick enough boxes for me to be my A cam for pro work (single card slot and no fan being the principle deal-breakers there for me). The X-M5 is IMO a slightly less capable camera than the S9, mainly due to the lack of IBIS but if I was Average Joe browsing my local camera shop, the sales person would probably steer me towards the sub 1k camera and price-wise, I would convince myself that 899 is better than 1499 or whatever the S9 is currently priced at. But this is all just my personal opinion and maybe the S9 is flying off the shelves, loved by the masses and The Community, but the latter are just to busy to talk about it…

They did not ‘force’ me as such, but without any sign of the next/current gen body that I would like for the stills side of my work, ie, a replacement for ideally the S1R or at least the S1H (an underrated stills machine) and at the time, a decent mid zoom that is not a tank, I did go briefly Nikon and then Sony for the lens options, native or adapted. The adapted route did not quite work out for me as I hoped with Nikon as in AF etc worked just fine, but some quirks I could not ultimately tolerate in post for pro work. Hence Sony which was always waiting in the wings with the A7RV. But yes, not a fan of operating 2 systems really as it’s all non-compatible with the lenses and batteries etc. By the end of April, if an S1R or H replacement appears, as would be my preferred choice, I will be back all in with L Mount and regardless of any future moves they make, pretty sure I’d be set until I take early retirement on an already fixed date. If they don’t pop something out in that flavour then it’s a choice of either going all in on Sony or carrying on with 2 systems. Pros and cons for each with the main con being going all in on Sony will cost me approx 3k, but I would have a more compact and single brand system. The bottom line though is I don’t want to change anything unless I either have to or it’s quantifiably worth it in whatever terms I choose to measure such things. There is merit to each of my 3 options. There are other options but the cost would be something I could not justify so as much as I hanker after a Hassie X2D and some tasty XCD primes, without a Lotto win, won’t be happening!

S9 needs to be priced at 999 or LUMIX might need to call 999. (UK emergency number for non-Brits)

By 'pro work', I mean more full-time content creator or wedding vid etc, ie gigs where the camera/kit is either unseen or no one cares. But yes, turn up to shoot an ad or something when the norm is an Arri or a Venice etc, yup, might be a tough sell! You also have hit on one of the beauties of small cheap cameras and that is you can have a set of them, each with a prime or different function rather than lens swapping. I did it myself for a few months after shooting an entire season of weddings on the OG X100 with the following year having a pair and shooting one with the wide convertor and the other with the tele so approx 28 and 50 in FF terms as opposed to just 35 the year prior. Actually, it was a year or so later as I did that thinking about it with the S or T model which were quite a bit snappier. For stills work, I would comfortably do the same today with this new Fuji. I choose not to, but I could and that tiny camera approach does have a lot of appeal...just not more than my current Goldilocks approach of 61mp 28-75 and 26mp 42-112 at a turn of a dial. The Sigma 16mm and 56mm f1.4 spring to mind... These lenses are available under 300 used and a pairing such as this at 24 and 85mm f2.1 DOF equivalent, would be excellent and paired with something like the XE4 or X-S20, would easily be my pick over the X100VI. The only thing they don't really have is the leaf shutter and ND, but IMO, swap that for range. There's so many options these days, we're spoiled really!

Indeed, ultimately ending up in my case with the Hassie X2D for stills plus something like the Burano for video 😱 Like so many, I am always looking for that ‘Goldilocks’ camera (and system) that ticks the highest number of my boxes within the range of the 2 most important factors; requirement and cost. So I think you can make direct comparisons between different cameras to a point such as XM5 vs X100 or S9, but my X2D example is probably a bit of a stretch! That’s how I settled in the A7RV. For me it is the ultimate Goldy in that it’s relatively compact and can be used like an X100 on steroids with any number of native or adapted tiny primes, or with some high end glass, against the likes of the 100mp medium format monsters. With something like this new Fuji, it’s highly capable in it’s own right, and can be upgraded with a gimbal, cage and external recorder etc…but then it gets equaled or beaten by others. Unless you want that ability to rig it out for say jobs and then return it to its basic state for personal use. I like kit you can do that with and at this price point, it’s ridiculously good. IBIS would have made it bonkers great!

Nope, never. Just me myself and I 😱 Renting kit in France is not as easy as it is in say the UK or US. Bigger cities have some rental places, but I am nowhere near any of them (closest is Paris at 3 hours) and the courier system isn’t great… The only playtime I get is if I can get into an actual bricks & mortar shop which again means big city which for me as a country boy, is about 1-2 times a year max. So I need to really nail down my needs, do my research as best I can, buy & try. And even then, sometimes you know straight away with a bit of kit and with other stuff, it takes time and more prolonged usage. But as above, all of my needs are now covered and all of the major brands could now tick all my boxes so it’s mostly a case of want plus cost now that determines any future kit. Arguably, I do not need anything beyond the S5ii from LUMIX and I don’t, but I would like certain things and if those things come in the future, I will consider them. Just give me an S1H and an S1R in an S5ii body and holy crap, that would be a dream set up!

Maybe, I dunno... How many users there are for Sony or how popular/unpopular is also irrelevant to me. In fact, I tend to prefer stuff that the cool kidz are not using on TikTok which was partly why I was a big fan of Fuji 2011-2019, ie, they were a bit more of a niche underdog than they are today. I buy stuff that is the best for my needs within my budget. End of. S5ii for my kind of video work. I prefer the form factor and styling of the FX3/30 by FUCKING MILES, but ultimately, can they do 6k open gate with class leading IBIS? Nope. I love my A7RV for stills. I think it would be great for hybrid but I have not shot a single clip of video on it ever. Or even looked a the video settings. For me it's simply my stills workhorse and benchmark for every other camera out there. I keep coming back to this hypothetical question of what would I use instead and the short answer is always, well actually nothing. Too big, too expensive, doesn't have the lenses...nothing comes close as a system. And that is the thing with Sony and maybe it is because of it's popularity with the masses, - it is such a massive system. For me now, it all hinges on a single body or a single lens, what I do next, if anything. And who gets there first. Or at all. If Sigma bring out a longer focal length sibling to their recent 28-45mm f1.8, such as a 50-100 or thereabouts f1.8, it's game over LUMIX for me, as in I WILL buy that pair of lenses for my A7RV and possibly trade all my L Mount gear for Sony as there are certain pros that outweigh the 6k OG and better IBIS. If LUMIX do bring out an S2R that is basically a half price version of the Leica SL-3, it's goodbye Sony because that WILL be the camera to beat my A7RV and the Sigma 28-105mm f2.8 would complete the L Mount system for me. But then if LUMIX make the S2R AND Sigma make the 50-100 f1.8, double bonus!! The one thing I know is this though and that is what I have is already good enough. I have spent years trying to find a combo of tools to suit my needs and this year has been the first time I have achieved that with zero complaints or even niggles. It. Just. Works. Could it be improved upon? Sure. Smaller & lighter but that's about it. If 'they' can come out with something more interesting than the typical DSLR box, even better! 'They' have 5-6 months max collectively or other than 1 lens swap, next year I'm re-running this years set up.

The price difference is indeed a bit nuts. The S9 IMO, should be €£$999 body only. With the little Fuji, I'd go straight for the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 Not much bigger but 2 stops faster at the long end which is also slightly longer. The lack of IBIS is the only niggle for me which is why I'd go for the XS-20 if I was in this market. But at just over 300g body costing under 900 that can shoot 6k open gate and Braw externally? That's a bits nuts innit?! Pro tool, I'd still go S9 though. But then I'd go S5ii (as I did) over S9...but that is just my use/needs case.

Well I was a bit of a Fuji fanboy for almost a decade starting with the OG X100 right up to and ending with the XT3. Was going to then be XT4 and had a pair on preorder but Covid got in the way and the LUMIX S5 came along and I had little kit at the time so a switch to a 'full frame XT3' made sense to me. I could easily build a system around the XH2 and XH2S today but it would be a sideways move so not going to happen, even though the new 16-55mm f2.8 looks very promising. If I was looking for a personal camera, this new baby boy could have been a contender, though I think I'd go Ricoh GRiiiX for a bit of fixed lens purity over a slowish zoom. Tougher call vs the S9 because depending on your needs, the S9 is a more capable camera as long as you can live without the mech shutter and are happy to pay a lot more. I think where it gets most interesting is Fuji's film sims vs LUMIX's custom baked in luts and both have a pano mode I believe? For me, it would come down to the system I was in so as primarily a LUMIX user for video and Sony for stills, as a personal camera, I'd go S9 or ZV-E1, but if I was with Fuji, I'd actually spend a little more and go for the XS-20. Or even XE4.

Yes, a case of they would have been damned either way and I agree it's a better way of doing it, ie, have a limit...but allow it to be switched off at the users risk. It probably would have been better though if they had launched it with this. And with the 18-40 lens... But hey ho.

I would actually be happy and buy an S5ii with nothing more than an updated soft release shutter mech as in terms of feel and sound. I’d prefer to also have a higher res screen as a bonus, but they could stop there and call it a S5ii.001 and I’d be a happy boy. Stick a larger sensor in without sacrificing low light capability or DR, happier still. Beyond that, zero actual needs.

‘Anti-social media feeds’ 😂 but also 😢

Out of those though, I'd only need to pick up the new zoom having 3X S5ii bodies and it would be my pick regardless as it is actually better in almost every way over the S9. Pity there is no real dinky Sony lens if I do pick up that ZV-E1 next year as intended which for work purposes would have the Tamron 20-40mm f2.8 welded to it. For a walkabout/travel, Tamron 28-75 f2.8 I also have would cover my needs but then again, my A7RV is not much bigger or heavier but far more capable so I'd take that with it's 61mp cropping ability. But sorry, polluted this thread with more dirty Sony talk. I will go wash my mouth out after just mentioning once more, especially for stills, the A7RV is an INSANE quality vs compact size camera 😉

The cables I get. The lack of a dedicated battery charger annoys me. I can’t plug in my cameras whilst working. But I am probably a minority.

The lens does not interest me but exactly why plus the record limit, that I put it as a ‘lukewarm’ release. Not bothered myself with it not having a viewfinder or hotshoe or for that matter, a grip as I fixed 2 of those immediately with a slim fit SmallRig cage. Well grip and cold shoe and have not used an EVF in years. The cage adds barely any weight or size but transforms the handling and to some extent, the build. If LUMIX do pop out a sequel to the S1R, I would almost certainly pick one up again (an S9) to use as a sidekick with a smaller wide on it for both stills & video, just not as my main unit. But as an ‘S2R’ looks ever less likely now and because I am with Sony for stills since early this year, a ZV-E1 will fill that same role in 2025.

So basically, if we wait long enough, we will get an S2H plus the bonus of better air quality. I'm in.

This is the key to it for me also. ’Influencer’ is a bit of a dirty word to some and has some negative connotations of being nothing more than a shallow paid shill and that is the case with some if not many, but not all. The key to it would be collaborating with the right people. But they NEED to shout to survive. It’s just how shit works these days. And yes, they do not necessarily need to say what it when though a roadmap would be nice but at least have the courtesy to let your professional heavily invested users know that (if) a next gen model is coming. This recent launch has highlighted that because the community are talking about it left right and centre as a negative and LUMIX are not in a position to have much if any negativity. As above in this thread, they are so close… S5ii/x = good release GH7 = good release S9 = lukewarm release S5D = WTF release No pro lenses in a while (not too bothered as Sigma has picked up some of that slack) Actual most recent lenses = a manual f8 pancake and now a pretty slow compact short travel zoom? Firmware updates = pretty good I’d be happy if they just used the S1H body and stuck the guts of the S5iix in it and called it an S1Hx. I’d buy it in a heartbeat.

Not giving up, not personally anyway as in I don’t see a scenario where L Mount does not form 75% of my kit as it presently does and for probably the next couple of years… But disappointed. I thought the S9 was a pretty OK release and it’s an even better tool now, despite buying and returning one pretty quickly. (A third S5ii just made more sense). Mainly disappointed not so much there has been no replacement for the S1R/H, but that they are not giving any indication whatsoever re. the future. It’s not game over yet by any means, just not looking so positive longer term.

Not giving up, not personally anyway as in I don’t see a scenario where L Mount does not form 75% of my kit as it presently does and for probably the next couple of years… But disappointed. I thought the S9 was a pretty OK release and it’s an even better tool now, despite buying and returning one pretty quickly. (A third S5ii just made more sense). Mainly disappointed not so much there has been no replacement for the S1R/H, but that they are not giving any indication whatsoever re. the future. It’s not game over yet by any means, just not looking so positive longer term.

Half of the industry seems to have jumped the shark at the back end of this year…

Without question, if I had a blank slate, I’d buy either Sony or Canon now. Maybe Nikon, but mostly likely Sony. They may not be the most exciting and are lacking in various areas, but so many options and combos that can be put together. For stills, for my needs, I have already found the best combo (IMO) available ok the market based on a single body plus 3 lenses. For video, ditto but with L Mount. But would I invest in L Mount today? Absolutely not because it does appear very much now as Andrew says, they are soft-quitting the marketplace. Leica is too expensive and Sigma look like they are just focusing on glass now so it does look like: Leica = high end bodies LUMIX = low to mid bodies Sigma = lenses As a business user with a clean sheet start, absolutely no way I’d invest in a product line that I had no faith I could grow with over the years. But it is what it is. A bit sad really…