MrSMW

I think if by the end of the year, there is no kind of solid rumour, never mind any official announcement, I'd start to get concerned personally. Then if by Spring, the same, then I would be extremely worried...but I don't think it will happen. Concerned/worried, why? Because 3/4 of my kit is L Mount and whilst it would still work for X amount of time, it would not forever and value would plummet. But at the same time, not really concerned because even if I got say just 3 years pro use out of it and sold it all for buttons, it would have been an OK cost vs turnover proposition. But I don't think that will happen. I think Lumix just have a bit of an image/marketing problem more than anything rather than a product-line one. If they get the next gen S1R and S1H right, (I don't think they will do a vanilla 'S2' as the S5ii fills that role) then it carries on. If any S2R/S2H flops for whatever reason...which if that was the case would either be because they got the product spectacularly wrong, but more likely too late to market and/or marketing, then yes, I think their longevity would be doomed. They would do themselves a big favour IMO by at least having some kind of strong official hint re. what is coming!

You may laugh, but it happens... Especially with multiple cameras, transmitters, receivers, lav mics...

I get that and see that but would like it without a horizontal flare cutting through someone’s face 😜

Don’t forget to turn on the recording device and/or press the record button.

😉

Is this your work? If so, congrats on being there! Despite living just over 2 hours away by train, I wished I could have been there for at least some. I know a couple of photographers who could probably have got me in, but despite the lifetime opportunity, the reality is just too much paying work to contemplate May-Oct. Sadly.

I actually got over €150 more from MPB when I sent them my S1H. Also, for another item, they increased the value/quote and they did not need to do this so to me that is the sign of a fair company. I bought my S1H for something around 2.5k and sold it for 900 so the total cost was 1600 for its life with me. It was used on 60+ paying jobs so worked out at a cost of around €27 per job turning over an average of ballpark €3.5k per job. OK, there was other kit used as in other cameras and lenses, but compared with say renting, €26 per job for a piece of kit like an S1H is bonkers cheap! Not per day as each ion my jobs are an average 2 days, but per job, so more like €13 for aq day's 'hire'. A major difference I guess vs the 'casual user' of photo gear and working pros is that we don't actually pay for anything we use. Ever. Some of us do however throw away a but more than we might otherwise but as long as you don't swap brands every other week...

And they aren’t exactly cheap still retailing around 3.5k new and 2.5k used whereas S1H’s can now be had for under 1.5k. I guess due to volume and whilst you can arguably rig up the box better, it has less real world features than the S1H.

That's exactly it and pretty understandable, but I get your point!

And that is exactly where it ended up. I liked the S9 but did not love it. I didn't need to 'love' it but I asked myself the question, was it better than a S5ii and the answer was no. I asked myself if it was as good as a S5ii and the answer was still no. I asked myself if there was any single thing I preferred about it over a S5ii and came up with nothing. There was just a constant nagging at the back of my mind that it's a single card slot plus it does not have a fan and why would I use that when there was a better alternative? And to a lesser extent, the weight and build. I found it a little too light and just felt like a toy in my hands. OK, had the cage arrived in time, they would have helped with the handling and build feel, but this would have made no difference to the lack of a second card slot or a fan. And yes, I knew all of this prior, but thought I'd at least give it a go, especially if it was not going to cost me anything just in case the real world experience threw something up. It didn't but only highlighted the flaws. So I sent it back for a full refund. I would have kept the S1H for the rest of the year at least, but instead took the opportunity to add a third used S5ii as that made the most sense and though that cost more than trading the S1H, less than the S9. As far as a full kit, I am officially done. It just works. I could not find a better viable alternative based on what is available in 2024. I am sure it exists but I'm not interested because what I have now, for the first time ever, really does just work. The future though as in 2025... That one is down to Lumix or L Mount as a whole... At some point, I would rather just use one brand/mount and I have built a kit that could really go either way as in currently it is L Mount for video and Sony for stills, but could be purely L Mount or Sony for everything. There are really only 2 future scenarios now that will trigger any change to one single brand and those are, in the blue corner, the next gen body from Lumix combined with a longer version of the Sigma 28-45mm f1.8, or in the red corner, the rumoured 28-105mm f2.8 from Sony. I have a self-imposed max 1kg rule on lenses this last year...UNLESS it's a genuine 'one and done' scenario and then I could make an exception. 28-105mm f2.8 on a 24mp sensor? Nope. 28-105mm f2.8 on a 61mp sensor which can crop to 42-157.5 @ 26mp? Yes please. As long as it does not exceed 1.5kg. If Sony do indeed pop that one out, all in on Sony next year is a viable option. If Lumix pop out a 60mp S2H for next season it's an option... If Lumix pop out a 60mp S2H for next season and Sigma something like a 50-100 f1.8, then it's goodbye Sony. I don't really care either way and none of it is a necessity because in the absence of either of the above scenarios, I would quite happily just stick with what I have right now, ie, any further change now, has to bring something quantifiable to the game.

I get why they did not include IBIS and maybe there is a space/manufacturing reason and I am aware many filmmaking purists would turn their noses up at such modern frippery…but then there is the factor that for every ‘purist’ you might please (who could simply not use the option or it would make zero difference to their use case regardless) is the nine other sales they didn’t make due to the omission. I was very interested in the box format also but the lack of stability killed it for me. Some folks will say simply use an OIS lens but the reality is less than 5% of lenses have any. Or use a gimbal or tripod. We don’t always want to! I’m not saying that every piece of kit ever made should be a ‘jack of all trades’ and it’s not just Lumix, but sometimes some brands really do limit their sales and potentially entire brand with some of their decisions. But what do I know… Pretty sure though that neither of Lumix’s boxes sold well because you never hear about them. I’m sure they sold a handful but no way could they have been any kind of success. Hopefully they have learned from that and will either produce something with greater appeal, or at least make the box as or more appealing than the more trad design. I do wonder sometimes who makes these decisions in these multi-million (billion) dollar companies when the man in the street says, “well that’s a bit shit”. And does not buy it.

And that is why I expect the next gen ‘S1’ cameras to be quite conventional in design, as in if the S2H is coming, it won’t be a box like the BS1H or whatever it’s called. I wonder how many of those things they sold? Can’t be many surely? I would just like a pro version of the S5ii and I’m done.

Jee Zus. Is that how big it was before?! I'm happy with my 200Mbps 6k with Lumix. Couldn't imagine nearly 10x that!

You would be mad to buy a Fuji X100V at that price when you can get (if you can find one), a VI at retail for less, but those things are now stupidly overpriced for what they are… I am in that camp that think the S9 is over-priced also. It has some great spec…but has some ‘missing’ spec and for me it felt too toy-like in hand. I had to buy and use one to discover this. The dials etc and sheer build felt inferior to the S5 line which itself feels (and probably is) inferior to the S1 line…as to be expected really because you cannot realistically expect all the bells and whistles for less money. And that is the point. Next to it’s not that much bigger but better almost everywhere sibling, the S5ii, the S9 is arguably over-priced and so unless size & weight and possibly aesthetics, is the ONLY factor, an S5ii makes far more sense. That does not stop me liking the S9. It needs either a cage or at least a grip to make it handle, though of course, even with a pancake, it doesn’t really fit into a pocket. Jacket maybe, but not say jeans. It is highly capable, but for me to justify it, it would need to be below $€£1000 and would have to be designated as a B camera for my needs. I’d choose it over a Fuji X100VI easily in 2024.

S5II from 1469 GBP on MPB?

I want the green one and I wants it now! But reality... I sent mine back for a full refund and then bought a used S5ii which also put €200 back into my pocket and aesthetics aside, it's a better camera. I wish they had launched the S9 at €999 and then I could have swung one as an 'additional camera' and maybe one day I will (I have an unopened box Smallrig cage for one thing) but that simple reality is, as my primary video unit, it's too high risk. But autofocusing M Mount lenses!

And that is exactly it. I would prefer to get the cleanest/nicest image as in, 'like a raw file' and edit it to taste after the fact. Also, shooting for that in the first place as already knowing what the intended grade etc might be, but if there is some great fooking flare across the thing...and you don't want that, then you're fooked! Bladerunner in 1982 was fantastic and one of my all time favourite movies, but then Michael Bay came along...

I’ve never really understood the appeal of anamorphic myself and absolutely hate those flares. Whether it’s a big budget movie or a wedding ‘film’, it adds nothing and to me is the opposite and is like bad audio, - intrusive and avoidable. As has already been mentioned, if a wide screen ‘crop’ or end result is the intention, just shoot for that in the first place. I do wish more cameras had crop marks but Lumix is great in this regard as you can add them and reduce the rest by 25/50/75/100% which is fantastic. Just shoot with a wider lens. It doesn’t even need to be at a higher res, just a wider lens. IMO. Unless I am missing something? Oh yes, the difficult to work with in camera anamorphic squeeze, the out of focus corners, warpy and edges and odd bokeh. But apart from that, it’s fooking cool man 🤪

I hope not…but at the same time, the S5ii’s are perfectly fine in the role I have them in. I would rather start next year with just 2x S5ii’s having traded the third for something new and shiny just for the sake of having something new and shiny, but at the same time, will make for a cheap year if not! I do think my now dearly departed S1H needs replacing with something equally special at some point though…

And anyone remember this? I thought it would be the answer to the single unit body zoom lens…except 4mp. But 4” rear LCD! These things always bomb. Zeiss was another but ‘only’ a 35mm fixed lens killed that one for me, but internal SSD! If it had something like a 28-70 zoom…

Possibly a decision that has delayed any successor? In the eyes of the great unwashed, more is better and 8k beats 6k in that regard. Well actually it beats it in resolution so it really does beat 6k…but when we factor in everything else, is 6k more than enough? For most of us, most of the time, yes. For me it’s the sweet spot and if Lumix go 8k because they feel they have to more for marketing purposes, then fair enough, but I hope they can excel in other areas and retain 6k. I suspect the bean counters will have forced an 8k scenario… All assuming we get a successor and there are more signs we will than will not. What and when remains the biggest Q… My biggest fear though is they take too long on this. They have momentum from the S5ii and a fairly loyal fan base from the S1/H/R and even the S9 launch has caused some additional publicity, but they really do need to get their finger out when the loyalists start getting impatient. They already lost me for stills and though no danger for video at this time or even the foreseeable future, but if no successor to the S1 line appears at all, I would probably end up moving my video needs over to Sony somewhere down the line. And then they will have lost me forever. I could still come back to L Mount for stills but were one camera and one lens away from that for me. I do think they are the best all round option for my level/needs for video and so so close for stills and just need one more step and they will be there. I hope so because Sony for me is like the Borg. It can be beaten in certain areas but it’s just a relentless overwhelming option that can tick just about any box…but I find it just lacking a bit in soul. Like the Borg.

Personally, I’d say that a lot of ‘TV’ productions are simply just feature films on steroids ie far too long for anyone to watch in a single viewing (well for normal people anyway) so are broken down into 45 minute episodes. In fact I’d go as far and say some are more cinematic than many of their big screen siblings. And then there is this nostalgia for older movies. My teenage years were the 80’s so those are the most memorable and iconic movies for me, but other than a few exceptions (mostly Spielberg), they look like shit next to even your average Netflix series today. I guess it’s like anything and there is good and bad… There is old stuff that looks great that will never be and probably cannot be, ever replicated due to the use of the tools of the time and then there is stuff today that was not possible even just a few years back. Something I have never prescribed to is the rose-tinted spectacle that everything was just better in the good old days. However, give me back the 80’s 😜

Makes sense and I am sure that is where we are heading and could be heading there a lot quicker other than for the fact that most people and most companies are possibly too conservative? Anything like this would put a massive number of people (and businesses) out of work so there would be obvious resistance. However, those factors aside, I’d love to get rid of a bag of lenses from this perspective. It’s a direction I have sort of taken, especially in the stills side of my work with a bigger sensor in a smaller body and cropping, eliminating the need for at least what would have been my previous longest lens. Plus compact powerful lights. It’s not AI as such, but I have moved as much as I can on more of the physical side of ‘miniaturization’ as I realistically can. A single camera/lens combo would be very welcome! If I could also be one of those flown all expenses paid to try out the AR-2030X in a few years time, I’d be up for it.

Actually, I did have one on loan from Sigma France but only tested it for stills where it failed pretty badly. In that regard, I do have the Sigma FP-L in an ergonomic body with twin card slots, decent IBIS, fantastic rear screen and better battery life. It’s called a Sony A7RV 😂

For the IQ, I do I do I do! But, being pragmatic, I’d be causing myself a ton of issues. Similar scenarios with cine zooms and primes on something like the S5ii, - something else that would hamper me at times. I was very interested in the NiSi Athena Primes with drop in filters but kept circling back to the same conclusion and that is I would be limiting myself and therefore my clients, at certain times. So no, a ‘sensible’ camera body and system it has to be and that means at least decent if not great AF, and AF zooms, even if I mostly use them in MF mode. It’s a good thing actually because it allows the tools to get out of the way and the ‘art’ then has to come from the operator, though possibly at the ultimate expense of outright image quality because as the saying goes, something is better than nothing and without the right tools, the risk is nothing in certain scenarios in Wedding Land.