MrSMW

I follow Florian (Of Two Lands) and his stuff is always good but this latest one looks, to use the modern parlance, 🔥

Same here and as someone who has had a lot of cameras over the years, that is a rare experience. No DSLR did it for me. My various Nikons were just bulky blobby tools other than perhaps the D700, but at the time I was transitioning to mirrorless Fuji. The first and most impactful camera that I really felt a connection with, I felt was ‘just right’ for me, was the original X100. I bought and sold 3 or 4 of those things, mostly because the reality was it couldn’t actually do what I needed it to do as a working tool. The original X Pro1’s were equally frustrating as enjoyable playing off speed (crap) with image output (if you didn’t miss anything too fast paced). The X Pro2’s had ‘it’, ‘it’ being not what I’d call soul, but character. The XH1 had it for me and so did the XT3 but both were flawed for my needs, the former not having the video spec I wanted and the latter lacking IBIS. Might any later and more recent Fuji have had ‘it’ for me? Maybe… Came close with either XH2 or XH2s and maybe the XT5 as with any of these we have the spec I need to do my job, but too late on my case as I’d taken a punt on switching to L Mount starting with the S5. And it’s been mixed… I’ve gained in outright video quality output and marginally also in stills, both of which enhanced due to year on year experience both at the capture stage and in the edit, but something has been missing and that has been outright enjoyment. The tools have equally aided me and at the same time, got in the way. I can’t really fault the output, as in got there in the end, but the process to do so has been somewhat strained. The original S5 was pretty much a step sideways from the XT3. Other than the lack of IBIS, I preferred the XT3. I never had an S1 so cannot comment but nothing about it inspired me to ever try one. The sensor in the S1R did inspire me. There was and is magic in that thing for both stills and video, but not quite the video spec I wanted at the time and I just could not get on with the ergos of the thing because… …because S1H. After the X100, the next in line for the crown of ‘character’. It’s impossible to point at any one single thing and say, “it’s because of that” 👉 because as is usually the case with these things, it’s the sum of it’s parts. It’s only flaw for me…though it is not really a flaw as such, is I wish it was 10% smaller and 20% lighter which is about what the Leica pairing of SL2/SL-S are, albeit without any kind of tilting screen or I would have gone there 100%. And the S5ii…? As already mentioned, a lot of hope, but less reality. A solid workhorse, but falling short in various areas, principally how it is to use in reality and the simple fact is, I just don’t enjoy it. It’s close, but no where near the cigar. So I am going to try something now that on paper is in most regards, pretty much equal. Slightly better in some specs, equal in most, behind in others, but will almost certainly have that X Factor that is missing from the S5ii. But I am not going to rush headlong into it burning all my Lumix bridges without confirming my beliefs, but do it in stages. Mostly because I am sick to death of chasing something that is now attainable from any of the brands re. specs, re. my needs, so it’s a case of ensuring I now make choices that will tick the box of enjoyment at the same time and ‘enjoyment’ for me is the spirit of that original X100. A small(ish), compact little box, most of the time with a single fixed focal length, albeit this time as fast as I need and with all the specs/ability I want. I’m going back to my future.

I had the ZV1 also but the only problem with it was overheating. But then it was not intended to have the longer run times in hot temps I was using it.

Sony AX100 camcorder? Had one for 2 seasons but only used it as a static long record unit. Didn’t really care for it because ultimately it was what it is, a small sensor digital camcorder and the image just fell apart if you tried to push it. OK in good light but otherwise…

I hear you… I have flip flopped back and forth over it all year long… I have come to the conclusion it’s a tool, but other than that, I have limited connection with it. Is that important? To me, yes it is. Part of my enjoyment of my work is the tools doing what I need them to do whilst getting out of the way (or at least not in the way) and enjoying them. For me the S5ii just doesn’t have any soul. The size and weight is good as are the ergos and I like the video picture quality enough, but as I may have mentioned once or twice before, it doesn’t inspire me in any way and I prefer the S1H. So I have put my order back in for the second time on the Nikon Zf. Beyond that, we’ll see but my current thinking is running a 2 system set up in 2024 of Lumix for video and Nikon for stills. If I do go with that which seems the most likely option for me, I’ll see if I remain with 2 systems, something I would rather avoid, or whether I go fully back to Nikon… The current plan (Plan 348) is: Retain 1x S5ii and put it in the static video role. Keep the S1H and move it from sole stills unit back into roaming filming camera. Sell the other S5ii plus the Leica 24-90 and replace that with the Zf plus 28, 40 and 105 primes as my candid, personal and ‘less serious’ work camera. In the new year, add a used Z9 with Tamron 35-150 as my heavy duty work unit. My overall summary of the S5ii is I have tried to love it, but I just don’t. I don’t hate it, - it’s just not working for me as I had hoped. Sadly.

In a nutshell. I'd like say I respect that because I am someone who shoots what I want in the way I want with little to no client input in regard to that or the end result, but... I do so from a certain 'safety/insurance' POV in that I will ensure as much as possible, there is at least 1 other angle for elements such as ceremonies plus back up audio etc in order that yes the artistry is important, but not at the expense of maintaining a certain level of what should be as standard, due diligence. No back up angle for something such as a ceremony is not just the opposite of being a necessity, it does as you say limit the edit massively. People move, sometimes randomly, or don't stand where they were supposed to, or sit when they should be standing, or stand when they should be sitting. People hold up phones or wave parasols on hot days. The sun moves, the light changes... It's anything from 10-45 minutes of non-rehearsed random stuff from non-professionals with zero second chances. Yes you could bring even more bodies and add even more kit, but at what point do you draw the line? Simple for me, - cover 2 bases: 1: The basics/essentials. 2: Then the creative stuff. Use both, one or the other as needed in the edit. He did tell me early on that the RED was principally for his commercial stuff and weddings were a secondary thing for him and he was beginning to recognise that he perhaps didn't have the best tool for the job. And no lighting. Luckily, I did and lit the speeches for us both 😉

He basically doesn't direct anything at all other than some couple stuff and that after the photographer (in this instance, me) has finished after jumping in on my directed stuff as I did with his. Otherwise, longer (much longer than I would) semi-static stuff. Really leaves big holes only using one camera for the ceremony because all the times you are moving = zero footage so it (movement) can only happen before or after any reading or vows or anything. Absolutely impossible to produce anything full length as a result but maybe his clients want that? I split my own video work into an extensive highlights production of typically 7-12 minutes and the (cost) option of additional full length ceremony and speeches. He's leaving money on the table not having a second static rolling all the time camera doing this but told me the reason was, he could not operate 2 cameras without having a second person on the job. Well maybe he can't but I can whilst also photographing the wedding. It's not that easy, but it's not rocket science either... But yes and we're beginning to see more dedicated 'cinema cameras' that can offer the potential of a higher starting point with such features as IBIS and AF. Doesn't the new Sony Burrito offer this? At 20k+ or whatever it costs... Maybe some folks can justify that or milk the cache at certain levels but it comes down to that salient point of how many people will actually notice and can you justify the cost? I looked recently at medium format. The Hassie X2D to be precise and whilst I could build a business case, it's not the strongest financial case that ever existed and my accountant would disagree and be correct to do so. Sometimes, it's more than just about the bald figures though...which is why I just canceled the canceled Nikon Zf order...but now instead of waiting until the 12th...ie, what would have been today, I have to wait until 17-19th.

Yep. Just the other day I did a rare photo only event because they already had a video guy booked. He shot the entire day on a RED with I think Canon EF 24-70 but had a play with one of my S5ii’s and was very envious of the size, weight and AF. Interestingly (to me anyway), I could see how limiting it was, forcing him to work to the camera’s tune rather than how he otherwise might if he could work 100% faster and in a more flexible and reactive manner. Which does make me think that the right or best tool for the job is not necessarily the most expensive one… FX3 over his RED every single day! Making a movie or a doc or anything that is not an event, OK, that might allow/justify something more ‘pro’, but like the guy I know who shoots weddings purely at 28mm, I personally think there is something being lost in that choice. Using that RED highlighted that to me. If he likes it and his clients like the result and don’t know any different, fair enough, but nah, wouldn’t be for me.

A consistent look that is the look I am looking for… It’s that combo of simple workflow plus law of diminishing returns, ie, with 50% effort, I get 90% of the result I am looking for so can I be bothered to spend another 50% of my time and effort on something nobody would notice but me? Nope. Life is too short. YouTube is full of side by side comparisons of camera looks and audio mics and they all look and sound basically the same to me or close enough it makes no difference. It’s the same with my seemingly never-ending camera/kit quest… The image quality has been there for years, stills and video. It’s more a case of how the stuff works in reality re. minimising or eliminating lens swaps, do the logistics of set up etc take too long to the detriment of coverage etc… After another full on season I will still be editing for some time, I made a checklist of what worked, what didn’t, what has to change, what I’d like to change if possible, and I will be working my way through that over my off season.

That’s who I am ‘guessing’ is the market for the FX3. I came very close myself, but went S5ii for various reasons. It can’t hurt the X1000’s who have bought one or will be buying one just because of the caché that it was used on this movie. Just as the S1H had the ‘honour’ of being the first full-frame mirrorless camera to be Netflix certified. I did not buy one for that fact, but kind of low-key proud of it all the same. Now if only I could get my hands on some 20k+ cine lenses, a crew and 90% of 80 mil and… Or has that moment passed? I suspect the next movie shot on a non-pro cam will be shot on the SjCAM twin lens zero marketing Go Pro rival from that thread the other day…

I am now less interested than I was… I operate very much on the KISS principle as A. You can operate much more simply the less complicated anything is. B. If it ain’t broke and Premiere is not broke for me. C. I know someone who can do me 90% off the entire Adobe suite. D. I is a bit thick when it comes to techy stuff and to be honest, it bores me to tears. I suspect I’ll manage half a day with Davinci and then chuck it out the window… I don’t get out much at all to be honest… And that is why my road car is a 12 year old 200,000 mile Skoda 😉

In my case, Porsche 911. I could probably just about stretch to a 10 year old (or however old it is now) base spec 997 Carrera, but… …but I bought a motorhome instead that is: transport, a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, an office, for work, for family and actually in this instance, saves money over a 10 year lifespan compared with just board & lodging on the work side alone. But then, not all purchases have to be rational or cost-effective. I may very well still switch to Nikon over the coming Winter even though in pure financial terms, it does not make sense 🤔😉

Came close to pushing the button on that one myself but then I reasoned that whilst it ultimately might have a marginal image quality edge over my Sigma 28-70mm f2.8… Would anyone, most importantly my paying clients notice and be prepared to pay more for that? Almost certainly not. Size & weight. One of them is fucking enormous. Cost. Stabilisation. The Sigma at least talks to my Lumix cameras. Does the DZO have that same conversation? I don’t know… AF. One does. One doesn’t. If you never need AF, then one of them is fine, but one of the principal reasons I use Sigma Contemporary lenses is not only for all of the above reasons, but because they have an aperture ring (yay) but most importantly a well positioned AF-manual switch which allows quick and accurate focus acquisition and then immediate lock. I am very much in the camp these days that cine lenses DO have a place, but that place is probably not wedding or event capture and vintage glass can be fun, but I think it’s a bit of a fad (and a faff) just like film photography is in our digital world. Re. the latter, if I come back from a job with 3600 shots to cull, that would have been 100x rolls of film to have purchased, changed, waited to see the results and whether I’d fluffed key unrepeatable moments and then either have printed or at the very least scanned. Call it 25 euros a pop for the latter, ie, shoot & scan. That’s 2500 euros cost vs 0 euros cost for the digital equivalent. Financial suicide unless the client was happy to have +2500 added to their bill for the gamble. But I digress with my film rant… 🤪

Phantom LUT burned into V-log pretty much SOOC and using Premiere. Davinci is on my Winter ‘to do’ list. Paid about 140 euros for that lens shipped from Italy to France where I live.

Update. About the same size as a goose egg but weights approx 2x at 290g with an average goose egg being around 150g.

If it's anything like the L Mount version, superb for the money. It works like you'd expect any native lens to. I use one as my gimbal lens. Not that my gimbal has been getting much of a run out this year but determined to next year for certain specific things such as walking stuff. But the lens, great bit if kit, optically very good and weighs less than a robin's egg. Well maybe a goose egg...

This. Old zoom lenses on modern IBIS equipped cameras are a PITA to use if stability is a thing. And it is…was for me. Yup. Can’t stand variable aperture lenses so first thing l do is go to the first constant and use that. Another yup. There is something to be said for ‘getting it right in camera’, but this is one of those areas where it’s easy to get it so wrong and it can be difficult as a result to recover from. I’ll take a decent starting point and consistency every time.

I use a modern Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 as my principal workhorse for that very reason, to take off that digital edge (along with the OLPF my S1H has) and also for the subtle halation effect that a 1/8th causes (I’m a fan of subtle) but due to modern coatings, you get far less ‘vintage effect’ than an old lens, ie, contrast is reduced, but not massively and there is better sharpness towards the edges. I appreciate sharpness is not something all desire but personally I prefer a more modern rendering so am not a fan of the soft look. Each to their own and all that…

I went with the Carl Zeiss 40-80mm f3.5 for this very purpose. I made a wedding film with it you can see here: https://firehorsephotographyfrance.com/2023-weddings/jenniedan Day 01 and Day 02 anyway, ie, up to evening stuff on the wedding day. Not the drone obviously... Quite a nice 'vintage' rendering without being 'too vintage', average contrast which gets very low if shooting into the sun/direct light sources and it flares quite a bit then also due to the lack of modern coatings. Has a bit of a glow to the result also. I used it wide open at f3.5 exclusively and with the Fotodiox VND L-E Mount adapter plus a plate adapter that converted the lens to E Mount in the first place. Tricky to stabilise handheld, even with Lumix which is regarded as one of there best so unless you wanted the more handheld look, on a gimbal, mono or tripod might work better. I've decided the more vintage look is not for me so selling it if anyone EU is interested either at 100 euros with adapter, or 200 euros with adapter and L-E Mount VND.

Powerman, Powerwoman, Powerthey, it matters not, their marketing attempt is worse than Lumix’s.

Well confession time and that is I am doing a complete 180 on letting them go and instead cancelling my Zf pre-order… I would rather flip to Nikon but the finances don’t stack up and I did fluff up my own limited S5ii (photo) test by having a LUT burned in to my raw files. Forgot to reset that feature. Doh. I did wonder why they were so bad…🤨 Been having a play today with my wounded one. Another doh, - I sent off the fully functioning one to be fixed 🤪 But otherwise, initial start up time not brilliant but after that, not too bad or I am used to it so no big deal. Not a fan of the shutter button feel or sound, but that is coming from the ‘in another league S1H’. I would also rather have the rear screen from the S1H. And its build. And battery life. And OLPF. The S1H, which is the better stills camera IMO, is however going in to the static video role, ie, on a tripod with the biggest and heaviest lens. The pair of S5ii’s are going from video roles into hybrid with various max 750g lenses so no single big heavy unit (my S1H combo was 2.8kg) which was a bit much on a typical 12+ hour shoot, so no single in the hand unit will ever be above 1.5kg and most options well under that. Cost? Nothing. In fact I’m going to sell a couple of lenses so taking a hit on depreciation, but putting something back in the bank and lightening the load which is a primary aim. I still think the Nikon/Lumix combo I was considering (Z9 + Zf + S1H) would suit me better, but my man maths says it’s at least 5k to change and that aside, I can’t be arsed to go through the rigmarole, especially after ironing out a few kinks in the set up. I like my video output, though it could be improved. I like my stills output (just need to make a few tweaks from S1H to S5ii). I’m familiar with the system and actually hate change unless something needs to be changed or fixed or the new thing is quantifiable better. It’s more than decent kit. Niggles yes, but actually easily the best kit I have ever had or anyone in my position could ever need, so remaining Lumix for bodies and Sigma for lenses. For the time being at least…😉

Remove a single letter from sJcam and spell a new word. 🤔

At the very least… Perhaps even a slightly better promo pitch than the single line attempt above.

And really, there are better options for shooting steering wheels whilst driving. I think it’s overkill and a GoPro mounted on his hat would also have allowed him to keep two hands on the wheel. Or one hand on the wheel and the other on his coffee.

Eterna SOOC has to date been my favourite look also. I’ve tried to replicate it with Lumix and tried several ‘Eterna’ LUTS, but nothing has come close. I think I’ll have another go this Winter whilst waiting to see if an S2H/R turns up or whether I go back to Nikon. Not that Nikon will give me Eterna, that’s more a stills-orientated thing…