MrSMW

Ah, the YouTube thumbnail changed as they often do. With the read play button over the title, it looked like it read ‘overeats’ 😉

Overeats?

Yes indeed. I think he's reached that point now where he doesn't know where to stop and each new film has to be that bit more convoluted than the last. Many will nod their heads and say, "yeah yeah yeah, I understood it all", but can never quite explain it, whilst a growing number of us more honest (with ourselves folks) will state we kinda got it, but not all of it. Same with Oppenheimer, - just maybe one layer too many which did make it a harder watch than it might have been. Still enjoyed it and would have enjoyed it more but for one even more important factor and that is we had been to BK prior and I should have taken a bottle of water in with me as dying of thirst by the halfway point. But that was on me, not Nolan.

I should add, if Lumix pop out something like a 60mp S2R this Winter, that would seal 🦭 the deal for me and I’d stick with L Mount. Zero issues with the S5ii’s as for video, they kind of tick all the boxes. I would prefer 6k 50p open gate, but as it does not exist, will soldier on cropping social versions of my work from the 4k. Having something like an S2R over a GFX also keeps it within the eco system so useful for back up, switching stuff around in a pinch. But we will see. I am back to primes for my stills work this weekend and then it’s just a case of seeing whether Lumix delivers in the coming months…

Ha! Spot on! It’s the exact option I’d go for if switching today; a pair of either plus a 100s, all available used. And may even do so over the Winter after my season has ended… But waiting to see what L Mount does re. S1 line replacement first, mainly re. a replacement for the S1R. In my eternal quest for the perfect hybrid set up, I have established several non-negotiables… Has to be 3 bodies; 2 dedicated to video and 1 to stills and if the stills body has a video capability, bonus, but not a deal breaker. The stills unit needs to be 50-100mp because I am heading back to cropping (in post plus AI software such as DXO) over bigger/longer lenses and steering away from anything that really needs a battery grip for handling. The stills unit must have a damped shutter. I am also moving away from something I wished to explore which was pulling stills from video. I think it would take the joy of photography away from me and make the process, well more ‘a process’. So a pair of used XH2’s, each with something like the Tamron 17-70 would be direct replacements for my pair of S5ii’s but zero real world gain. More a sideways move… GFX100s over S1H with battery grip with pair of zooms (weighing over 2kg for the pair) replaced with 2 primes of around 28mm and 85mm and job done. Just one of several options waiting in the wings but probably the leading contender today.

That guy… He only regurgitates rumors he gets from other rumor places which get theirs from…?? Zero actual sources as far as I am aware. I’d take anything he says with a pinch of salt. Some rumors just by chance or even logic will be right, so odds are, sometimes these folks are right. But still just speculation normally…

Probably. Which is also why I use Panasonic. It’s a very real concern. Or rather it hasn’t been since I went over to L Mount in 2021. Not even a hint of a warning, never mind anything like a shut down and I’ve had cameras on tripods, in 40+ Celsius in the shade, direct sunlight, shooting 4k 50p for up to an hour without a single break. And that was with the original S5 which didn’t have a fan! The S1H does of course as does the S5ii which are my primary video workhorses. No fan or active cooling in some form, no dice for me these days…

No real world gain for me. Adds weight/reduces portability, eats smaller NPF batteries or go for bigger one and add even more weight. So it's going back. I tried it, but Plan B, back to using the rear screen. S5ii, Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 shooting S35 4k 50p (42-105 FF equiv) log with baked in Phantom LUT, VND, cage, side handle, Rode Micro, job done as my run & gun, total weight including Spider Holster attachment = 1.76kg which I find is about bang on for comfortable hand holding. Which got me thinking... Well not thinking as such because it's been swirling about in my head for a loooooooong time, but for stills, zoom vs higher megapixel sensor with primes, possibly with Topaz or DXO PureRaw to pull out every last bit of detail... I'm running about currently with the S1H, battery grip, Leica 24-90 and the quality of output is superb...but it's 2.8kg or in old money, 6lbs 3 & 1/4 oz. More than 1kg/2lbs heavier than my primary video rig and well, it's just a bit OTT weight wise. Seriously toying with something like a Sony A7RV or Nikon Z8, without additional battery grip, and going back to primes. Or even Fuji or Hassy medium format and 100mp. Under 1kg, ergonomically great and can crop da fcuk out of those things. Hasselblad X2D with the 38mm f2.5 and 90mm f2.5 hands down for me...but the cost... 🤔🤑 So my interest is back perked in not just an S1H replacement, but an 'S2R'. Love me a 'rangefinderesque' body, but nothing of any real interest... And laser.

BIG difference though between air temperature indoors and direct sunlight at the same air temp outdoors. But otherwise might be something in their small sensor size? I don't have a dog in the race or whatever they say, but my old Sony RX100v used to cook pretty quickly!

Small black cameras with no heat sink and no fan, without testing my prediction would be: In cooler environments and/or short clips, it will overheat less quickly, but overheat at some point it will. In warmer environments, especially direct sun and with longer clips, it will overheat quickly. Do I win a prize? I’m going to award myself one anyway… It’s kinda pretty obvious if one thinks about it for even a nanosecond and anything else is just wishful thinking.

Silver cameras also reflect more than matte black cameras that just soak up direct sunlight. Wraps are actually available for various cameras these days though I suspect a bit fiddly to get right. I’m surprised actually there isn’t more of a modding market than there is…

Popcorn Cameras. You can use them to actually make popcorn and then eat said popcorn whilst reading the non-Sony fanboys reviews. 🍿

You should always do what you love doing more than doing something just because it pays. As much as anyone can that is, sometimes we just have to pay the bills. I consider myself fortunate that I genuinely love shooting weddings, but that’s probably more because I built a business on doing it ‘my way’ and that’s what my clients book me for, - their lack of input. You still get one every now and again that thinks it’s their day and all about them though 😉

I’m going to ask ChatGPT how to achieve this status.

Bit the bullet and ordered a 145 euro field monitor off Amazon, the Portkeys PT5ii. Comes with a decent screen shade and has pretty decent reviews and is one of the smallest & lightest 5” monitors available. Got to be better than a 3” rear LCD hasn’t it? All it has to do is give me a clear almost 2x size image with my preview LUT and we’re good. We’ll see how the screen shade works in super-bright sunlight but I don’t tend to shoot with the sun behind my back so should be OK right?

Indeed. I think I am personally relatively safe but otherwise there is always flux in most industries and as long as you spend sufficient time and effort on the medium and long term, you should be generally fine. What seems increasingly to be the case is the focus on short term gain. Plenty of folks I come across selling their granny for a small ‘one off’ pay day whilst rejecting anything longer term. I won’t bore you with the details, but just recently I had the situation where a colleague chose 500 euros over a career length full-time situation…just out of sheer short-sightedness. As has always been the case since man stopped fighting the dinosaurs, just because someone is in business does not mean they are good at business. Most people I find are utterly terrible at business and exist more because there is a market demand rather than any business skills.

I just went to Specsavers, had an eye test, chose some rims and have carried on that pattern for the last few years. Varifocals took some getting used to (as in days) but otherwise just seemed pretty normal after that. Varifocals for driving and watching TV, doing general stuff plus photo/video. Reading glasses for editing. Rest of the time, out and about etc, my eyesight is still good enough!

If it's any consolation folks, I suspect in the not too distant future, many of those YouTuber's are going to feel some heat themselves... I think it's a 'temporary madness', this, "I've been in the photography/video industry 5 minutes but I'm jacking it all in and burning all my bridges to follow my dream of becoming a YouTube influencer". They are already complaining about revenues drying up and as even more jump on the bandwagon... Same as so many of our colleagues who jacked in proper paying jobs to become 'part-time workshop trainers for full-time incomes'. How's that now working for you? So many have packed it in and left the industry as that market rapidly dried up due to free YouTube 'education' and they could not face going back cap in hand to venues or planners saying, "err, actually I am available for weddings again". YouTube for the majority I am pretty sure is heading in that direction. Maybe they can leap over to TikTok because surely having to only make 3 second productions, that's going to be an easy life and you will soon not only be rolling in it, but loved by 10 billion fellow shallow fuckwits. Or maybe I'm just also an old goat. Baaaa 😚

A little trick I use is my external SSD's (which I work off with my MacBook) sit on my glass desk when in use and as a result, don't get too hot.

Which is also why I think I am pretty safe being in the wedding industry for the next decade until I retire. It really would require something like a Nexus 6 to replicate what we do!

Met an ‘olde schoole’ DJ at a wedding the other day who mixed the various latest tech in lighting (reactive to the music?) but only spinning vinyl. AI can’t replace this guy. You’d need a Nexus 6. Or 5 a least… He’s set up in a tent on the afternoon taking requests (you go through his boxes of discs and pick stuff) and he then mixes it and twiddles knobs and dances along etc… In the evening, it’s a different location indoors and he’s spent several hours setting up his lighting not behind him as ‘all’ DJ’s do, but throughout the entire room. If you want to protect your career, then carve a niche that is hard to replicate and basically impossible to do!

Seriously? Well it seems so… No idea who this fella is but if I subscribed to this fella I would immediately unsubscribe because that kind of statement is beyond dumb.

Not great and getting worse every year. Glasses wearer; varifocals for every day/work and reading glasses for editing. Ideally I’d like laser at some point but not happening any time soon. Lower light especially it really begins to deteriorate… I am actually debating right now whether to go with the weight of a small monitoring screen for my principle video (S5ii) unit just because of this. Never been a fan of rigging stuff out too much as a hybrid shooter but right now, I am more back in the camp of using my 3 units as: Static/gimbal pure video Roaming video Stills plus occasional video So having the biggest, brightest and most detailed rear LCD is quite important to me, mainly for the MF video side of things.

Could be interesting with the Tilta fan jobbie for heavier video use…but then begs the question why not just FX3?…but 12mp. But these things are intended more for photo use with video capability rather than true hybrids. I’m still on the fence between having hybrid units and dedicated units. Some days I’m a fan of having it all on one, but others happier having one thing in one hand and then switching to another unit rather than flipping a switch.

Good man. It’s great to see charity still exists 😉 Otherwise, I have my fingers and toes crossed that Lumix pull one out. The photographer purist in me would ideally like a Leica, but let’s be honest, the equivalent Lumix does something like 99-120% for less than 50% the price, so realistically, my Leica will be a Lumix. So right now, I have a pair of S5ii’s. They are near perfect for my needs other than in 2 areas… Cropped 50p in 4k and no 50p 6k. Shutter sound. It’s not damped like my beloved S1H and as 50% of my work is photo, that of the S5ii makes me wince. S1H is ergonomically perfect IMO and for my needs, simply lacks uncropped open gate 6k 50p. Give me that and I’m done. There isn’t anything else I want or need other than if it was a bit lighter, I would not complain. Rival? I’d struggle to see past a Z8 but I’d like to see Sigma bring out a sequel to the FP/FP-L because potentially they have the most interesting camera of all time there if they got that right…