MrSMW

For me, an easy choice. Phone. Not necessarily an iPhone (though I do have the 13), but any photo/video-orientated one. Single bit of kit and most of my end result ends up on or being posted from my phone so May as well start there!

Ditto. In fact for the way I work, it is better. I really hope so… I have the Fotodiox EF-L adapter with built in VND and it’s a great bit of kit…except MF lenses only and I prefer Sigma DG DN lenses. It is. I sold mine though for 2 reasons: The variable aperture and the fact that it was a bit too slow for very low light and because sometimes (very rarely, but still sometimes!) I need to go wider. Hello Sigma 16-24mm f2.8 but because I am a crop mode 4k 50p shooter, it’s more like a 24-42mm which for my needs is great. That was my single biggest issue with the S5. My S5ii turns up this week and is actually going to be paired with permanently, the Sigma crop only, 18-50mm f2.8 Tiny but very capable crop 27-75mm. My S1H has had a stay of execution and is not being replaced by a second S5ii as all it needs to do is perform 30+ minute static duty on a tripod without AF, so a second S5ii in that role would be wasted (and the old S5 could not do it in the first place. Not in 10 bit 4K 50p anyway). And in a final about face, I am going to mostly be shooting zooms for my stills. I was going all primes (from f2’s to 1.4’s) with my S1R’s, but having tried out those f1.4’s, decided that ergonomically, I really needed battery grips to be comfortable on a typical 12-15 hour shoot…but the ergos of the S1R sans grip, are very well suited to that Sigma pairing of 16-24 and 28-70 so sticking with that as I have the lenses. And love them. The only prime I am keeping is the Sigma 85mm f1.4 because it’s not too big and an absolute gem for stills at 85mm, or for video cropped at ‘127mm’.

Does anyone know where Sarah Connor is right now? Hopefully pregnant and well protected…

Still waiting for my S5ii to turn up replacing my original S5… Otherwise, nope.

Yes, I was wondering the same thing yesterday… Not so much whether it was fake as such, but just what the connection was…

Double Post ^ !

For video, other than (reliable) tracking, I always found it quite decent. For stills, as long as it isn’t anything like motor sports or anything fast paced, it’s arguably better than phase because contrast is generally more reliable than phase. Where it pissed me off though was the occasional pulsing. You can dial in certain settings that dial out most of it, but not completely in all situations. Mainly outdoors. With trees in the background. Which is a scenario I shoot a lot. It was this that sent me down the route of using AF to get an initial lock, because despite being slower than PDAF, it is accurate, then immediately flipping to manual. And that is where/why I love my Sigma lenses because they all have an AF/MF switch in them so the process is fluid. Maybe it’s just me, but I prefer to switch the focus type on the lens rather than the body.

For my needs, that is the perfect example of the tools getting in the way of the job. It’s another reason why I like things such as auto ISO and auto WB. Not because I am lazy and do not appreciate the craft, but because I am not Hollywood, but a one man band with no second take option. Ultimately, it is compromise. There are a couple of alternatives that could work equally as well, but as per my previous statement above, a big part of the equation is the tools not getting in the way. At least as much as possible. If Panasonic had not brought in PDAF with the S5ii, I would have moved to Sony which was my personal needs next best set up. Still humming and hawwing over whether to get battery grips for my S1R’s because whilst they were OK with my previous f2 Sigmas, ergonomically not so great with my new f1.4 lineup…

Ditto. 2022 and 2021 also. I have a need for good AF in only a couple of scenarios, - entrances, exits and tracking a couple walking, but otherwise, in all other circumstances, I only use AF to get the initial focus lock, then switch to manual. When my S5ii does arrive...but this being France, it will be after the rest of the world and several other planets, it's going on the gimbal and living there with the gimbal itself being on or off a tripod. Entrances, exits, tracking and some general static duty will be it's only role. S1H, tripod only, dedicated to anything requiring 30 min+ static video. Pair of S1R's for principally stills, but also some B roll video. Job done for me! I don't 'need' anything else and won't be doing anything else in 2023. Beyond that, any changes might be to those S1R's, but more because I fancy it than need it, ie, all actual needs, already fulfilled.

I've reduced my preorder from 2 to 1 body now, but only because I'm sitting on the fence re. possible future replacement of my pair of S1R's, ie, I can easily 'get by' all of this year with that pair of S1R's and a single S5. Could be a future of 3x S5ii's...or could be switching out the S1R's for any new S'2'...or something Sigma...or even something Leica, but whatever and whenever it is, it needs to tick enough boxes for me and be actually more than rumour or speculation. What intrigues me most is whether I can get away with zero gimbal because I've never been much of a fan and certainly not for all day use, just very sparingly for certain specific things. When my S5ii does turn up (this is France so behind the curve) I'll see.

Reserved for the S1 line successor I guess ie, S5 is the ‘prosumer’ line but S1+ will remain the ‘pro’ option. Between this and using Film Convert’s option but the Gamut option is supposed to be a better conversion/starting point than any of Panny’s own options.

That was/is my plan! Thanks Tom

This is my next project. I used to shoot the Natural profile before switching to Flat last year. Now we are getting decent AF, I don’t need to make the same workaround choices (shooting more contrasty than log profiles, APSC crop, smaller apertures) so am intending shooting log this year mainly for the increased DR. I will probably just stick with using FilmConvert Nitrate…

So new, I had already pre-ordered its bigger brother. When it arrives, I’ll take a look and maybe reconsider for the new smaller one, but… Yep and my use case is strictly limited to really only one certain time and that is on my couple shoot during a wedding. Otherwise yes, handheld rest of the day for me also. The additional bonus to me as a one man band is I can also leave the dedicated gimbal camera on the gimbal which itself is on a lightweight tripod for ceremonies and speeches or anything else where I just want a longer static shot, plus it’s keeping the camera battery topped up. But roaming around all day long doing ‘everything’ on a gimbal? Nah, me neither both for the logistics but also the look, ie, I don’t want very much of it anyway.

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Should be and I am due delivery of the DJI RS3 any day now. I’ve never really got on with using a gimbal and the first one I bought, I sent back before ever using it in anger. Ditto the second. Nearly also with the third but I got it working last year and for my limited use, it did have a place in my kit…except it’s payload was borderline so I just traded it for the RS3 and it’s one click lock/unlock function which massively transforms how/where/when I will use it in 2023. Also looking forward to shooting some shallower DOF material with it with the S5ii because with the S5, dared not shoot anything faster than f4 or it risked losing it and in fast paced run & gun, haven’t got the time for that shit 🤪 Dream on on the compact though. They announced last year no more compacts 😧

Good stuff and thanks for sharing

Nah, the range is huge ranging from cheap 3rd party primes and cine lenses through all manner of primes and zooms from Panny, Sigma and Leica and pricier cine stuff. It’s really only longer photography lenses such as for sports and wildlife where the system might be a bit ‘light’. Sure some (all!) of the Leica stuff is expensive as is the older (and bigger) Panasonic so I’d be looking at Sigma for AF stuff or as suggested, the adapter and EF. An argument can be made for any of the main systems right now and it depends on your needs but probably the best video-centric and all-rounder (talking small mirrorless hybrid) right now is L Mount with an S5ii body. Just my opinion and off course I am invested so somewhat biased but was ready and was chucking it all in to go Sony if they had not sorted the AF. Enough for me to stay at least. If I was already invested elsewhere it would be harder to call…

A black Sharpie was exactly what I did with the big white LUMIX logo on the front. Had to return it to standard for the items I’m selling however….

Well that's it, deal done; S5 and S1H being 'traded' for a pair of S5ii's. MPB collecting tomorrow, new boys on pre-order... I would have preferred a pair of S5iix's, purely for their look (don't need their spec, - anything over 200mbs not required) but as they are not available until end of May/early June and my next season starts end of March... I'm going to miss my S1H for sure, but this is going to be a better pairing for my video needs being: A. Identical bodies. B. Both having a built in fan rather than just the S1H (though the S5 never overheated a single time). C. The AF of course for which I have a need, especially with regard to shooting log because shooting that only made the AF worse with previous Lumix cameras. D. No 30 minute time limit as with the S5 which was a pain. Body A will be paired with the Sigma 16-28mm f2.8 and Body B with the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 and that's happy days for the forseeable future. My only wish would have been the tilt screen of the S1H (or even the S1/S1R) but that is the ONLY compromise with this camera for me. For my video needs anyway... For stills, sticking with my trusty S1R's for the time being. I had already sold off my f2 Sigma primes. Loved them, but going forward, really wanted something a bit faster for the low light stuff so bought 3x f1.4's, the; 20, 35 and 85. I'm in no rush to replace them and had considered a complete S5ii lineup, but I reckon either Panasonic or Leica will come out with something maybe for next year that will update the S1R significantly enough for me to replace them. The ideal now would be an S5iiR model, but an S2R or something Leica flavoured would do it. On the other hand, I might just trade the pair of them for a third S5ii body as a 3 body set up rather than a 4 works better...except during wedding ceremonies and speeches unless I switch to a 3x zoom set up for those times. We'll see but glad I stuck with Lumix after considering; OM-1, XH2/S and even a wholesale switch to Sony. Faith restored in Lumix/L Mount. Hadn't really lost it as such but I had a concern that they might just blow it and not go phase detect but realistically, that would have been suicide for them.

Maybe because prices are lower in the first places?

Something I need but with the 30 minute limit, that was an issue for me so bought/used/using an S1H. Issue now resolved with the S5ii.

This is what I already decided and that is indeed to keep my pair of S1R’s for primarily stills duty (plus a small amount of video at certain specific times) but trading my S5 and S1H for a pair of S5ii’s. The only thing I prefer over the standard model with the X is the stealth black, but I have a Sharpie and know how to use it so… 😎 And that’s it, I’m done for at least this coming season/year. Beyond that, I’ll take a look/interest in whatever they do next, whether that be an S5iiR or an S2R, but I don’t want or need anything more now. I’m done. Actually, I do ‘want’ something and that is ideally 3 identical bodies and identical in every way so the system is truly interchangeable, but I am happy to wait until such a situation occurs whenever that may be.