MrSMW

I think so. You put Joe Bloggs arty film next to YouTube Shillbro’s gear orientated piece of the same length and we know which will get all the attention and which will be largely ignored. UNLESS you bluff the audience and put a stoopid thumbnail on the arty film, and then you have a chance… Sadly, it is the world we now live in.

OK. Then lighting lighting lighting. With some stage management, so mostly likely, multiple lights. IMO the single biggest thing that will differentiate yourself from the rest.

Actually, a used ‘like new’ LUMIX S9 with all the bits & bobs will just sneak into this budget and would double very well as an EDC non-pro looking camera.

And a flip screen. And open gate 6k 30p. And the best LUT support in the game. The FP is cooler though and has cdng… Neither of them are a Z8 however.

Yes, absolutely, I took mine when swimming with dolphins. But sherioushly, it has a weather sealing rating as do some but not all of the lenses. I really did like my S5...at the time, but would easily choose an S1 over it now as a used option. Or an S5ii/S1H and especially the S1H now they are so cheap. And to answer the "is it bigger?" Q, of course, but not by that much. Nothing that would bother me anyway. Looking for something more discrete for travel and galleries and museums etc, maybe better off with something like one of the cropped mirrorless bodies from Canon or Fuji or something like the A6000 range from Sony? An XT3 would be an excellent choice and something like the XS-20 (under 1k used) would also make a good option.

Comfortably within budget: LUMIX S1 (used) 20-60mm (used) Rode Micro Tripod Light 🧨 Boom 🧨

Yep and this may have also been in the most recent S5ii firmware? Not sure…

^This^ sounds like trying to get even simple things done in France, but completely misses out having the local mayor having to sign off on it all.

There's a few under €4k now, but otherwise the pricing and the lack of even 6k is what stopped me from going Sony for video. If I did, it would more likely be the FX30's over the FX3. I kind of got the price when it came out, but now... Seems over-priced IMO.

He handed over to the other intern that works there this week, but is senior to him because he was also there last week.

Not yet, but if they make a longer range follow up, it’s a done deal for me and I will instantly get the pair for either L or Sony. As a standalone, it doesn’t quite fit in my lens line up but based simply on the specs and trusted reviews, it is a perfect lens for my use case. Would I prefer it to be 24 as some cry for? Nope, 28 at the wide end is perfect. Longer than 45? Nope, 40 is one of my favourite focal lengths so having a few extra mm is no issue. Size, weight, build etc. It’s a gem I have never even seen in real life but hope to one day own.

I personally loved it. I think that because it was inspired and based upon an artists work, that it really inspired them with visuals. It just struck me at the time that there was something about it. It will be interesting to see if I feel the same about it the second time round. I shall know this evening!

Fuji avoiding FF and sitting both sides seems like a good call to me also. I have often thought about going back to them for cropped video and GFX stills.

Which makes me think of another camera type, the one that does not exist but you wish it did. For me, that would very much be take something such as the G2, to my eye, one of the most gorgeous cameras of all time, but reuse the chassis with more modern similar camera sized digital spec. Retro-modded cameras! I'm surprised that no one is doing this. Or maybe I just have not looked... So I suppose this then...

It's a very good mix and like you, I am not keen on mixing footage unless I have to. Having said that, sometimes no choice such as when adding in stuff like action cams and drone, but I have not had anything especially jarring in any productions to date TO MY EYES, so it's fine. I have been considering the Pocket 3 myself because it will be better as a gimbal cam than my S9 in 'gimbal mode', but it's a question of whether I really 'need' it or it's just one thing I don't actually 'need'. But otherwise, I think there are another 2 camera types not in the mix above: Action/dedicated gimbal camera and flying camera, AKA a drone.

Possibly and Fuji does have their funky SOOC Jpegs which IMO do beat the equivalent Zf (which is a bit of faffing to achieve) but for someone like me who only shoots raw, those Zf files are a definite step up over those cropped Fooj files. Possibly not needed with a Z8 and a better companion to the Z8 for video or hybrid would probably be a Z6iii, but as a stills + hybrid, I do think the Zf would be better and more fun. But only if you needed/wanted a sidekick and you probably do not. It's a slightly quirky one for sure and I bought it, used it on 3-4 jobs, sold it, re-bought another, have debated selling it (for another A7RV and I still might) but for now at least, it stays. I can't see it not being around for at least the whole of this season actually because as I have mentioned multiple times, I AM more than happy with my current set up, but always considering alternative options and the most likely of those is a switch to wholly Nikon for 2026. I want my in camera crop overlays a la LUMIX though in both stills and video plus full LUT support and until that happens, it is not happening for me (a switch to Nikon). And even if they did bang those in with firmware next week, I think it's probably too close to my season kick off now to change so if there is going to be any change of system(s) it would not happen until this time next year. But who knows what will happen between now and then...

Me also. I have 3 problems with the cinema these days and they are: 1. In the UK, they seem to be full of people who talk, scroll on their phones (distracting flashing lights in the dark) and munch munch munch munch munch relentlessly and the sound of other people eating is not a pleasant ASMR. 2. In France (where I live), about 1 in every 20 screenings, they offer a VO option (version originale) for language and being a Brit, of course I don't want to watch a movie dubbed into French. These screenings are usually pretty low attended...which is good, but they insist on adding sub titles in French and that is extremely distracting because you can't help but read them. Or you are focusing so hard on trying not see them...which is impossible. 3. The majority of movies released these days are shit. I don't know if it's due to the Covid years, the strikes, tastes or whether the market simply demands dumb stupid shit, but most of the movie posters even look like those stupid juvenile YouTube thumbnails. I don't expect every movie to be made for me or be highbrow or a cinematic masterpiece, but for every movie released these days that I might be interested in, there's about 20 series I can find. And I don't have to go out to watch with French subtitles. Mrs SMW is ging to the UK for a weeks as of tomorrow morning so I am temporarily regaining full control of the remote and the first thing I am going to watch (rewatch) is Ripley on Netflix. Best thing I have seen on that channel. Then I am going to rewatch 'Tales From The Loop' on Prime as I especially enjoyed the cinematography of that one.

I think...as you are discovering...and I have also had experience of, this is the issue and that is the UK team seem to be on the ball and the EU team 'less so'. Hope you get it resolved and soon. My bigger issue is not so much with MPB, but DHL as their primary courier company. Maybe it's the same in all rural areas and I appreciate that most of the drivers are sub-contract being paid a pittance so anything that is even slightly off a convenient route, they inconveniently (for me) ignore. Repeatedly. And then pretend they called and I wasn't in...except my office window looks directly onto our 150m long lane, ie, you can't get within 150m of my house and me not see you.

None of the ^above^ just no harm/enjoyment in considering alternative options. Same as if I owned a Porsche, - wouldn't stop me looking at the latest Aston on-line, at a car show or simply parked up in the street and then wishing I had a bigger garage. And bank balance. I sometimes look at multi-million currency yachts and houses I will never own, plus more affordable ones I could if I wished. Call it an 'enthusiasm for the industry as a whole'.

I'll send you my bank details so you can transfer the funds. Let me know when they have done that and I will confirm receipt and then once I have purchased and had a play with the new cam, I'll let you know my thoughts 😉

I guess showing what the worse case scenario is if your set up and capture is badly considered?! I'm more interested in seeing real world footage than extreme studio set ups some seem to focus on, but each to their own I suppose, but walls and charts and even cats, have little relevance to anything I shoot. Also, when a camera or lens review is 100% at night. Unless that is all you ever do... It's also what makes out of season for practice sake, very difficult for me as the material, landscapes and lighting I have to work with May-Sep (in season) I cannot replicate out of season. So I don't bother anymore and just get up to speed very quickly in the Spring! Anyway, Nikons... Now that you have a Z8 Mr Reid, are you considering a Zf sidekick in the near future?

Only 2 principal categories for me; work + personal. Work can be broken down into 4 categories; static video, roaming video, hi res stills, lower res stills. I have/need 6 cameras in total; 5x work + 1x personal. The personal is either (day to day), phone. The personal for trips is whichever of my pro cameras I fancy, ie, I simply re-purpose rather than have anything dedicated as such. This year for work, 5 is the magic number; 3x video + 2x stills. It might seem a lot to someone else, for a one man band, but it isn't really. I have 2x S5ii on static longer duration video duty + 1x S9 on freestanding monopod run & gun roaming, 1x A7RV with 3x zooms for principal hi res stills with Zf + 40mm prime as my candid 'low' res stills unit. I don't have anything surplus to requirement and don't keep kit I don't use unless it's cheap stuff/bits & bobs, but not cameras. I have a few lenses I either can't shift or haven't bothered to, but probably will soon. Ultimately, I have tools not toys, but only because tools pay my bills and I find I don't get enough out of having dedicated toys as such when. I can repurpose a tool! The closest I have to a 'toy' or fun camera is probably the Zf and I am just deciding right now actually for a portrait shoot in Paris next week, whether to take the A7RV with 28-75 or the Zf with just the 40. I think I will probably just go with the Nikon...

Other than that one is green and one is magenta, but apart from that... 😉 The only thing about the above result is it's a pity it's not the same model because different skin tones in real life lead to different skin tones in the result. In the above ref. pics, Jonny's skin tones look better than the other fella's green, but this might have been a little different with the same model.

From all I have read, makes great pics but it's a painful experience and you can go get a coffee, allow it to cool and then drink it, between switching it on and it then being ready. The next one wasn't much better and even the most recent model gets a but of chatter about the user experience being less than it might be. Which really just goes to show just how much time and money you need in developing a camera. I still want one, but it would have to be the latest model and maybe in a few more years, maybe as my 'swan song' final camera before I collect my pension. For the more expensive stuff at least, for sure. OM-System vs OLYMPUS Might have been more to it than simply wishing to stamp their own brand...quite literally, on their kit, but utter madness to otherwise throw away brand heritage. But then there is hilarious levels of brand re-use such as MG on a Chinese electric car brand. The cars are 'OK' by all reports, but if they think for one second they are tapping into the swinging 60's string backed leather driving brigade, ha! It makes zero sense using this heritage badge. None!

I took a look, but the immediate migraine made me want to go and have a lie down. I'll get Emmanuel to translate and give a concise breakdown.