Al Dolega

I think the Tamron 28-70 coming out on the heels of the A7III in 2018 was a big multiplier for a lot of people. You finally had an affordable fast zoom with very few compromises, and it was compact and sharp. And then the 17-28 and 70-180 afterwards just reinforced that. All the other lenses helped of course, but it seemed to me like that was when the E-mount lens ecosystem really became viable, and even desirable for those without G-Master-deep wallets. If only I had been as happy with the A7III as I was with the Tamron! I wonder if we'll see Tamron make L-mount versions of those lenses if the S5II does well. I know Sony owns a portion of Tamron so maybe they will nix that.

I'm happy with my 24-105 as well. Very versatile and the OIS makes the stabilization even better. Focuses really close too.

I wish we had some idea of sales numbers. Even accounting for the hype, it seems like this will be a very successful camera for Pannyboy. It'd be interesting to see what the sales numbers are like vs. their other cameras, and between the II and the IIX.

They should simplify the lineup and just do an S1H replacement with full-width 4K60/120, internal raw, timecode etc and internal ND's, locking IBIS, basically what the R5C should have been, a full-tilt "video DSLR". No need for an EVA2. Then meld the S1 and S1R together into a single replacement model that's like the S5II but with full-width 4K60, combo screen mechanism, and the bigger battery and better EVF.

I think the "s35 is just as good once you adjust for DOF equivalence" argument is a bit weak against the Panny S's or Sony A74, because those all have APS-C modes which also work great. Actually they have faster readouts than the FX30- my S1 is about 11ms in APS-C, which is actually how I shoot 90% of the time these days. Add the XLR box to these cameras and the audio is equivalent. More flexible actually, as you can get an extender cable and have more options for mounting the box, whereas the FX3/30 unit is married to its handle, which is married to the hotshoe. Timecode, yes the FX's do do that better. I have doubts as to how many people need/use that though. Sony's rear screens are awful. One of the most frustrating parts of my A7III. I would have to have an external monitor, and then there goes the compact form factor. And maybe it's the latent photographer in me, but I shoot a lot with the EVF. A camera without one would not be nearly as useful for me.

Adorama had their video up briefly, must be private now. Mentioned improved IBIS with an "active" mode, presumably just an additional crop like other brands' active modes. I wonder if the IBIS itself has been upgraded, the S5's was supposed to be a small step down from the S1's and S1H's. As much as I want to believe 6K60, it seems unlikely, assuming these cameras are using the older IMX410 sensor, which apparently can't do full-width 60p even at 4K. I'd be happy if they gave us a 60p 3:2 s35 anamorphic mode.

I can't weigh in on comparing different gimbals but I have been happy with my RSC2. I wasn't sure if would handle my S1, cage, 16-35 f4, and the focus motor and HDMI transmitter, but it works great. Can't remember what that total payload is but it has a bit of room left to spare. Folds down somewhat compact, battery has never been an issue. The biggest issue has actually been finding reasons to use it 😄. I tend to go for handheld as well.

It's my understanding that the S1H/R5C/FX3 fans aren't blowing into the interior of the camera bodies, directly onto the PCB: basically they blow across the outside of the rear wall of the camera body, which is mostly a heatsink, with its interior face connected to the PCB. So I don't see how they could introduce dust problems to those cameras, as the interior is still sealed (outside of the lens mount of course).

The R6II has breathing compensation as well.

R6II looks like a good candidate to replace my S1 next year, if an S2/S1ii isn't released or at least announced (with good autofocus). Rolling shutter and DR performance seems only adequate, I would definitely miss the DR of the S1. Ideally I would like an intraframe codec, but I've been doing just fine with the S1's IPB so I guess I would be fine. Not sure how the 4:2:2 codec would handle, I'm upgrading my system now but aren't most people still proxying/transcoding for their R5/R6 files? Not sure if optimized media in Resolve would be enough. What's the AF performance like with the EF 70-200 adapted? I don't think I'd have the scratch for the RF 70-200, although its tiny retracted size is super sexy. I wish the S1H/A7R5 combo screen was the new standard, I like the tilt screen on the S1 but the flip option would be nice to have too.

Yes, same here, I wish the camera companies would be brave enough to do some intermediate resolutions/frame rates between HD and UHD. A 2.5-2.8K option would be a really great choice for finishing to HD while having some room for cropping and having a bit of oversampling for that nice sharp-but-not-sharpened look. It could also help fill gaps in the spec sheet for marketing, for instance the A7IV (and my S1) can't do 4K60 at less than an s35/APS-C crop, but if it could do 2.5-2.8K at ~1.3x, or even full-frame, that would be a lot more attractive, while still keeping some distance to the A7sIII, A1 etc.

Equally important to me is the manual focus performance- is it compatible with linear mode and can you set the focus throw? I love my 16-35 f4's focus clutch and it handles so nicely in manual mode.

IIRC the V-Log L on the GH5 doesn't use the whole curve because it's just the "full" V-Log curve with the ends cut off. Meaning it throws away some info at the top and bottom because it's not optimized for the lower DR of the m4/3 sensor. So a bit of the higher DR of the B-GH1 and GH6 is probably simply due to them using the "full" V-Log curve.

But they are factory ready for shooting video. Just not with a 180-degree shutter. Cell phones, action cameras, dashcams etc all lack NDs, do they not shoot video? Ugly video is still video. I'm not sure we'll ever see hybrid cameras come with built-in NDs outside of a few models that are very video-biased, in the vein of an S1H, GH6, etc. It just adds too much bulk to keep the traditional photo-camera form-factor. You have to have room for an assembly a bit wider and taller than the sensor to completely slide/rotate/flip out of the way. Ideally you'd have a clear replacement to keep the backfocus to the sensor consistent. And this is competing for space with IBIS and mechanical shutter mechanisms. If global shutters ever happen without DR or sensitivity compromises, that would clear up some room I guess. You could use a fixed E-ND that doesn't need to move, but then you're always losing whatever its minimum setting is... a stop, two stops? Low-light sensor performance hasn't improved enough lately to absorb that difference and stay competitive. IBIS is too valuable to photographers (and many videographers including myself) to trade it for ND. Adding an ND to my lens or lens adapter is massively easier than adding and using a gimbal.