GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Hi. I am a map maker / animator who works in tough remote conditions. Telling the story of my work is just as important as the work itself. I just ruined my Panasonic LX100 in the field Guyana, and am ready to jump over to Sony. My second Panasonic that I never really liked that much. I try to shoot compelling images in run-and-gun situations (95% video) as an important peripheral to my real work. Why is the lens so much faster on the smaller camera? ...will I notice it? Convince me the RX10ii is a better choice than the RX100v. PS, I also shoot a lot of 4k with my iPhone, for the fastest situations... so which one will compliment that the most? Also, I don't think I need the 600 lens on the RX10iii, but maybe there's something else I'm missing about that lens? A little better portraits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanriverprod Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 26 minutes ago, GroundtruthGeo said: Hi. I am a map maker / animator who works in tough remote conditions. Telling the story of my work is just as important as the work itself. I just ruined my Panasonic LX100 in the field Guyana, and am ready to jump over to Sony. My second Panasonic that I never really liked that much. I try to shoot compelling images in run-and-gun situations (95% video) as an important peripheral to my real work. Why is the lens so much faster on the smaller camera? ...will I notice it? Convince me the RX10ii is a better choice than the RX100v. PS, I also shoot a lot of 4k with my iPhone, for the fastest situations... so which one will compliment that the most? Also, I don't think I need the 600 lens on the RX10iii, but maybe there's something else I'm missing about that lens? A little better portraits? I have a rx100 iv and like using it, but I'm in a city. I can't really see it for rugged use like you're describing. I mean it's a well put together piece of tech, but it's still dainty as hell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longbow Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I have the rx100v and love it. But as Hanriverprod suggests on its own it doesn't feel very durable in tough conditions. If you're dealing with water / humidity / mud etc perhaps consider some sort of housing? The sony rx100 in a housing still won't be massive. Ikelite have launched some cut down cheaper housings (called action housings I think) which might be what you need? Link here. These sort of things do often have a limit on what controls you can use though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cantsin Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 You'll need a camera with proper weather sealing (engineered right into the body, not a housing which can create additional problems such as overheating). It will mean more weight, but there's no way around it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I have both the RX10 II and the R100 IV. The RX10 II is far more solid and the extra zoom range is useful. Also you can record for longer in 4K. I think the manual focus implementation on the RX10 II is better than the RX100 IV. You can add the Sony XLR adaptor to the hot shoe of the RX10 II. The RX10 II will be more robust than the RX100 IV but I don't think I would trust either of them for long in an extreme environment. Unless you need the extra zoom range, the constant aperture of the RX10 II vs the RX10 III is an advantage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Roger that. Follow-up question. f2.8 seems slow to me... coming from a Panasonic with a f1.7 at the wide end. Am I missing something? How are these cameras in low light, and shallow DOF? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangenz Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Have the RX100v and it's brilliant but really not matching the situation outlined. In hot conditions really not the story for narrative (ha) with the battery life and overheating (can only shoot 5min then has to cool for 20-30 minutes - and that's in cool weather) and extending lens to trap moisture and sand. Panasonic G85 is weather sealed. Still fairly small and light. IBIS! No problems with over heating. Get the 25mm 1.7 at least and you're good to go. GroundtruthGeo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Yeah, not buying any more Panasonics. I've had three that looked great on paper but always had issues with soft focus and laggy interface. I'm sure it's all my fault, but I'm ready for something new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 2 hours ago, GroundtruthGeo said: Roger that. Follow-up question. f2.8 seems slow to me... coming from a Panasonic with a f1.7 at the wide end. Am I missing something? How are these cameras in low light, and shallow DOF? These are one inch sensor cameras. DOF and low light performance are determined by this. My experience would rate Panasonic higher than Sony for reliability and value for money. If I were you, I would think hard about sticking to a kitted-out iPhone (gimbal, Filmic Pro / Mavis, additional lenses). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Yeah, that's what has happened the past three times I went with Panasonic, and got some good shots, but never really felt at home the way I did with an old Canon. Plus half my shots were out of focus no matter how hard I worked at it. Time to try something new... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hijodeibn Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 7 minutes ago, GroundtruthGeo said: Yeah, that's what has happened the past three times I went with Panasonic, and got some good shots, but never really felt at home the way I did with an old Canon. Plus half my shots were out of focus no matter how hard I worked at it. Time to try something new... If you didn`t feel ok with the image from panasonic cameras and missed canon, then I have bad news for you, sony is the worst of the three, and be ready to spend a lot of time in post to just get an ok skintone......why do you need 4K in your camera?, if it is really not needed and you miss canon colors then just get an used C100 mk I with DPAF, they are cheaper than ever now, the main issue with the C100 is it is a bulky camera, but you will have to forget about the focus, your shots will be in focus 99% of the time, also is one of the best cameras for run and gun and docs and is going to cover all your needs. Of course probably is not what you need, but just giving you another option that could have not been considered yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 OK thanks. Not a lot of Sony fans here I guess? I feel like everyone I see these days is using one of the Sony A7 series. I already have one or two M4/3 lenses, maybe I should just stick with the E85, sigh. The upgrade of an old G7 that never focused quite right. Yeah, it has to be compact, ideally 4k (re-cropping landscapes), and I won't have much time to fuss with settings in the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I can find problems with Sony cameras all day long but the fact is that I've been working exclusively with an A7R II, RX10 II and RX 100 IV for the last 18 months and still got the job(s) done. It's just that I wouldn't trust any of them (especially the RX 100 IV) to survive very long in Guyana (for example). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 OK, thanks for helping me talk the RX100 off my list. Now it's RX10ii versus G85 with my 20mm f1.7 Pancake... I guess IBIS would be a big deal for me if it really worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPC Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 Obviously the RX 10 II. Unless you think you can work with one focal length. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 OK... if there's something else I should be looking at in the 1k range, let me know. The c100 as mentioned above is big and requires lenses I don't have the time or patience to deal with... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitfabryk Posted April 10, 2017 Share Posted April 10, 2017 I use the RX10iii and love it for the lens reach (24-600) and quality (zeiss) , stabilizer and auto focus. And it makes a good combination with my A7Rii and A7s. The slow option in 100fps (or 120) in 1080 is supernice. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GroundtruthGeo Posted April 10, 2017 Author Share Posted April 10, 2017 Yeah... talk to me about the stabilizer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitfabryk Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 9 hours ago, GroundtruthGeo said: Yeah... talk to me about the stabilizer? I can use acceptable clips out of hand with 600mm.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orangenz Posted April 11, 2017 Share Posted April 11, 2017 13 hours ago, hijodeibn said: If you didn`t feel ok with the image from panasonic cameras and missed canon, then I have bad news for you, sony is the worst of the three, and be ready to spend a lot of time in post to just get an ok skintone......why do you need 4K in your camera?, if it is really not needed and you miss canon colors then just get an used C100 mk I with DPAF, they are cheaper than ever now, the main issue with the C100 is it is a bulky camera, but you will have to forget about the focus, your shots will be in focus 99% of the time, also is one of the best cameras for run and gun and docs and is going to cover all your needs. Of course probably is not what you need, but just giving you another option that could have not been considered yet. I think the sony version of the eoshd colour profile nails it. Love shooting video with it now. Just the shaky picture and overheating make longer stories hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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