What cameras are you currently shooting with?

[kye]

5 hours ago, Video Hummus said:

If Olympus had 10-bit and a decent codec it would fit better into the MFT gear I already have. 

Yeah, I was contemplating the better IBIS of Olympus but the 10-bit internal of the GH5 won out.  I was emailing with one of the Olympus ambassadors about options and when I said that I had gone GH5 for the 10-bit even they conceded that 10-bit internal was a hard thing to pass up.

[noone]

Right now though the Sony A7iii is the most popular single model FF camera. (If the Canon 5Diii was listed it might give it a close run still).

I think it would be very telling if it was also broken down into what class of video (and stills) user  we consider ourselves.

I think Sony would tend to be more stills first users so around 10% on a video forum seems fair..     I consider myself to be an enthusiast photographer who dabbles in video (mainly just recording a few songs at pub/club gigs i photograph)..

I shoot a lot in low light and I still do not think there is any other camera I would want over my A7s as I am often at ISO 25600 or even 51200 and at those ISOs its DR is a little better than even the three cameras rated by DXO as better for low light now because they drop away a little quicker.    At light levels low enough to use that, the DR I am seeing with my eyes is not huge anyway.      I do not need a huge pixel count or tracking AF

 

 

[newfoundmass]

Sony I think is strongest with YouTubers that can't live without AF and think they need shallow depth of field while standing in front of their "sets" that all look the same. 

I don't think this site attracts those types. The Sony shooters here I've found to be pretty competent videographers/filmmakers. Sony's offerings provide the YouTube crowd good bang for their buck and quick results right out of the box. They're not too concerned with a lot of the things we care about. They do minimal, if any color grading, etc. 

[Jimmy G]

Sony Other = a6300

Panasonic Other = FZ1000, my gal's G9

Something Weird (which I interpreted to mean "other") = iPhone 8 Plus, GoPro 3

Notes: S1 solved my needs and desires for the no-IBIS, low-light-capable GH5S, curse Panasonic for no flippy screen though...WTF, over?!

[IronFilm]

11 hours ago, austinchimp said:

Can't see GoPros on this list? Would be a valid inclusion I think. Drones too.

Was surprised when a friend rang me up last night and told me he purchased a GoPro 8 Black

People are still buying those???? Gee....

Personally I think for his purpose a DJI Pocket Osmo + secondhand Panasonic FZ1000 would've been a better pick, and cost around the same amount. 

[IronFilm]

9 hours ago, KnightsFan said:

Regarding lack of Panasonic FF and Z Cam, I bet a lot of us are just constantly a few years behind on new gear. The S1 has looked perfect to me since day 1, but I'm waiting for a really good deal and/or a big project to use it on.

Same, I'm always lagging behind, even if I get excited by new tech and think "this is perfect".

Because the best deals are to be found secondhand, especially once the tech is a couple of years old (or even 5+ yrs old).

I almost never buy anything brand new. The only items I have "recently" purchased exactly at the moment of launch are:

Sound Devices 833 (as I'd been waiting for a "633 mk2" for years)
Zoom F8n
Timecode Systems Ultrasync
Zoom F4 (because the Zoom F series was massively groundbreaking, worthwhile getting in early on! My only regret is I hadn't started even earlier than the F4, and got a F8 back when it launched. Understandable though, as back at the F8 launch then Zoom had a reputation down deep in the gutters). 

 

The only other recent products which have at least slightly tempted me to buy them at launch are: Rode NT-SF1, Zaxcom Nova, OR-444 ORCA 3S harness, and Sanken CS-M1. 

[Emanuel]

Oh yeah, I just bought two gimbals like new for almost peanuts... : ) They lose value as soon as they end open box. A 16GB RAM tablet (100% same specs and model of the one I'm typing now also purchased from a fraction of the price) last week for a seventh of the price in my native market! This is producing, production value just on another level! : D

[IronFilm]

4 hours ago, kye said:

Yeah, I was contemplating the better IBIS of Olympus but the 10-bit internal of the GH5 won out.  I was emailing with one of the Olympus ambassadors about options and when I said that I had gone GH5 for the 10-bit even they conceded that 10-bit internal was a hard thing to pass up.

10bit is like 4K vs 1080, even if you're going to be filming in 8bit (or 1080) most of the time, it is really nice to have the option of 10bit for when you want it. 

Hopefully soon manufacturers will realize 10bit is just as important at 4K to include in their cameras. 
 

[leslie]

58 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Was surprised when a friend rang me up last night and told me he purchased a GoPro 8 Black

People are still buying those???? Gee....

Personally I think for his purpose a DJI Pocket Osmo + secondhand Panasonic FZ1000 would've been a better pick, and cost around the same amount. 

gopro's can fulfill a niche,  they have even been used in some feature films,  i have 2 and i dont ride skateboards or surfboards. Like any equipment used within their limits and its all good. Youtube has certainly benefited from them, whether that's a good or bad thing, i'll leave that up to you to decide.  I'm just a little bit saddened that you can be so condescending  towards the little action camera.

[Emanuel]

1 hour ago, IronFilm said:

Personally I think for his purpose a DJI Pocket Osmo + secondhand Panasonic FZ1000 would've been a better pick, and cost around the same amount. 

Both in my arsenal list... ; -)

 

5 minutes ago, leslie said:

gopro's can fulfill a niche,  they have even been used in some feature films,  i have 2 and i dont ride skateboards or surfboards. Like any equipment used within their limits and its all good. Youtube has certainly benefited from them, whether that's a good or bad thing, i'll leave that up to you to decide.  I'm just a little bit saddened that you can be so condescending  towards the little action camera.

I understand David (and you too BTW) ... Just because there are much interesting other options and even more affordable right now out there! : -)

[IronFilm]

19 minutes ago, leslie said:

I'm just a little bit saddened that you can be so condescending  towards the little action camera.

oh I know they have their usages still, I was just surprised my friend had got a GoPro for more general filming 

[newfoundmass]

28 minutes ago, leslie said:

gopro's can fulfill a niche,  they have even been used in some feature films,  i have 2 and i dont ride skateboards or surfboards. Like any equipment used within their limits and its all good. Youtube has certainly benefited from them, whether that's a good or bad thing, i'll leave that up to you to decide.  I'm just a little bit saddened that you can be so condescending  towards the little action camera.

I don't think he meant to be condescending. Action cameras have their uses but outside of their incredible stabilization GoPro has done little to move forward. Honestly if I needed an action camera for anything I'd just get one of the cheaper knock offs before paying the GoPro premium. That's assuming I couldn't just use one of my Panasonic cameras to accomplish what I'd use an action camera for. 

They also lose their value faster than pretty much any other camera out there. I just can't see investing in one unless you really need it. 

[kye]

31 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

10bit is like 4K vs 1080, even if you're going to be filming in 8bit (or 1080) most of the time, it is really nice to have the option of 10bit for when you want it. 

Hopefully soon manufacturers will realize 10bit is just as important at 4K to include in their cameras. 

I agree.  

In fact, now I think about it, if I had to choose between 4K 8-bit and 1080p 10-bit I'd be torn, but might go 1080 with 10bit just because of the flexibility in terms of doing radical grades in post, which I do quite a bit when in less-than-ideal available lighting conditions.

28 minutes ago, leslie said:

gopro's can fulfill a niche,  they have even been used in some feature films,  i have 2 and i dont ride skateboards or surfboards. Like any equipment used within their limits and its all good. Youtube has certainly benefited from them, whether that's a good or bad thing, i'll leave that up to you to decide.  I'm just a little bit saddened that you can be so condescending  towards the little action camera.

I see GoPros (or at least, action cameras) quite a bit on Netflix shows.  They're always for shots mounted on the outside of a car, or other difficult placement situations, but what gives them away is the over-sharpened over-contrasty image, not the FOV or image quality more generally.  I don't know why people don't just apply a blur filter over the top to match them better, even if it's not about matching, just making them not look like the image has been embossed onto something would be a great step forwards!

8 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

oh I know they have their usages still, I was just surprised my friend had got a GoPro for more general filming 

If I vlogged I'd be pretty tempted by an action camera.  Wide FOV, portable, you can get decent stabilisation with more recent ones, some have 100Mbps files, etc.  Not bad for that particular use-case.  There aren't many other use-cases where they'd be a good fit, but for some I'd imagine they're a reasonable choice, but that wouldn't be that big a segment of the market..

[IronFilm]

8 minutes ago, kye said:

I see GoPros (or at least, action cameras) quite a bit on Netflix shows.  They're always for shots mounted on the outside of a car, or other difficult placement situations, but what gives them away is the over-sharpened over-contrasty image, not the FOV or image quality more generally.  I don't know why people don't just apply a blur filter over the top to match them better, even if it's not about matching, just making them not look like the image has been embossed onto something would be a great step forwards!

A better question is why don't people for car shots (or any other tight/tricky shots, like from inside a fridge, or in a toilet stall, or whatever) use a BMD Micro Cinema Camera, or a Z Cam E1, or E2, or RX0mk2, or GH5S, or etc...

People are too comfortable in taking the easy non-controversial choice "this is a GoPro shot"

("Nobody got Fired for Buying IBM")

Still will take some more time before the concept of "this is a GoPro shot" will die off from being inside people's minds. 

12 minutes ago, kye said:

If I vlogged I'd be pretty tempted by an action camera.  Wide FOV, portable, you can get decent stabilisation with more recent ones, some have 100Mbps files, etc.  Not bad for that particular use-case.  There aren't many other use-cases where they'd be a good fit, but for some I'd imagine they're a reasonable choice, but that wouldn't be that big a segment of the market..

For "GoPro vlogging" I'd suggest instead a DJI OSMO Pocket, in fact I was just yesterday talking with my Partner about that as she is wanting one. 

 

18 minutes ago, newfoundmass said:

I don't think he meant to be condescending. Action cameras have their uses but outside of their incredible stabilization GoPro has done little to move forward. Honestly if I needed an action camera for anything I'd just get one of the cheaper knock offs before paying the GoPro premium. That's assuming I couldn't just use one of my Panasonic cameras to accomplish what I'd use an action camera for. 

They also lose their value faster than pretty much any other camera out there. I just can't see investing in one unless you really need it. 

It's shameful how little my GoPro Hero 3 Black is worth now (NOTHING!), vs how much I used. 

14 minutes ago, kye said:

In fact, now I think about it, if I had to choose between 4K 8-bit and 1080p 10-bit I'd be torn, but might go 1080 with 10bit

That is why I'm keeping my Sony PMW-F3 ?
Except it isn't the most convenient camera to vlog with.... 

[kye]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

A better question is why don't people for car shots (or any other tight/tricky shots, like from inside a fridge, or in a toilet stall, or whatever) use a BMD Micro Cinema Camera, or a Z Cam E1, or E2, or RX0mk2, or GH5S, or etc...

People are too comfortable in taking the easy non-controversial choice "this is a GoPro shot"

("Nobody got Fired for Buying IBM")

Still will take some more time before the concept of "this is a GoPro shot" will die off from being inside people's minds. 

Absolutely.

There are some situations where the physical size of a GoPro is required, but the majority would be fine with any of those cameras.  It's not like GoPros are really that much cheaper these days either!

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

For "GoPro vlogging" I'd suggest instead a DJI OSMO Pocket, in fact I was just yesterday talking with my Partner about that as she is wanting one. 

I think that vlogging really benefits from a very wide angle lens, as it makes it look like the person is a sensible distance away from the camera, rather than them in that uncomfortable spot where they might be talking to you but might also be leaning in hoping for a quick kiss

In this sense I think that the Osmo Pocket (at 26mm equiv) and RX0 (similar FOV) missed the mark for this.  A GoPro is a more flexible tool IMHO being that you can crop in for a smaller FOV at a lower resolution, but it's pretty hard to crop-out and get wider than the lens!!  Especially considering that very few people with either of those cameras won't also have a phone with a 24-28mm lens.

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

It's shameful how little my GoPro Hero 3 Black is worth now (NOTHING!), vs how much I used. 

That is why I'm keeping my Sony PMW-F3 ?
Except it isn't the most convenient camera to vlog with.... 

yeah, the second-hand market is basically a graveyard for older models.

That's why I don't really feel bad about doing this to my Hero3 but it not surviving the process:

In terms of vlogging with an F3, sure you can....  Just hit the gym first!!

 

[Guest hdx]

I use older stuff for my personal projects:

• Panasonic GH4
• Panasonic G7
• Panasonic AF101

[Cinegain]

Regarding the Osmo Pocket. It has seen some useful accessories and FW updates since its launch you might want to look into...

I think it makes for a very capable filmmaking tool. Just too bad they didn't make it have build-in wireless connectivity from the start. That's where the knockoff FUNSNAP, Vmate and FIMI seen oppertunity to gain an advantage even. And e.g. the FIMI has a little integrated joystick on there as well. The DJI is a great tool, but they perhaps should've refined it a little bit more before going to market with it. But I'm sure one, a Hasselblad edition, will be just around the corner.

Regarding GoPros, actually, haven't they come down in price? Dunno, kind of comes across to me like they have become more affordable in recent years. And there's now the TradeUp promotion going on getting a 100 bucks off for sending in pretty much any old crap cam you can get your hands on. They have gotten better and more stable, although image quality hasn't really made leaps yet... been taking them long enough to release the Media Mods, that could make it a pretty interesting tool. According some CES coverage video like the LED light mod is out, but the rest isn't until next month, so I remember. We'll see.

[IronFilm]

1 hour ago, kye said:

I think that vlogging really benefits from a very wide angle lens, as it makes it look like the person is a sensible distance away from the camera, rather than them in that uncomfortable spot where they might be talking to you but might also be leaning in hoping for a quick kiss

In this sense I think that the Osmo Pocket (at 26mm equiv) and RX0 (similar FOV) missed the mark for this.  A GoPro is a more flexible tool IMHO being that you can crop in for a smaller FOV at a lower resolution, but it's pretty hard to crop-out and get wider than the lens!!  Especially considering that very few people with either of those cameras won't also have a phone with a 24-28mm lens.

Both of these cameras have wide angle adapters for them. (that's what I used to do with my Panasonic G6 / 14mm f2.5 combo, before I got the SLR Magic 8mm f4)

 

1 hour ago, kye said:

Absolutely.

There are some situations where the physical size of a GoPro is required, but the majority would be fine with any of those cameras.  It's not like GoPros are really that much cheaper these days either!

Especially in the context of a Netflix show (or anything with even a little money behind it) then the difference in cost between a GoPro and a "BMD Micro Cinema Camera, or a Z Cam E1, or E2, or RX0mk2, or GH5S, or etc..." is absolutely nothing at all in the grand scheme of things. A rounding error.  

I was working on a hunting tv show a year ago which was using a GoPro for lots and lots of shots, I suggested to the field producer he really should give the Sony RX0 a go! (bet it would be a better match for their 2x Sony FS7 cameras as well)

Am sure they're still using GoPros today...  most people just don't care about technology like we do. 

1 hour ago, hdx said:

• Panasonic AF101

How are you liking the Panasonic AF101 in 2020?

I almost almost almost got a Panasonic AF101, and I would have, if I hadn't stumbled across an insanely insanely crazy cheap deal on a Sony PMW-F3 (a bargain for back then years ago, if I was to try to sell it for that price today it would be too much though of course). 

[sanveer]

5 hours ago, Emanuel said:

Oh yeah, I just bought two gimbals like new for almost peanuts... : ) They lose value as soon as they end open box. A 16GB RAM tablet (100% same specs and model of the one I'm typing now also purchased from a fraction of the price) last week for a seventh of the price in my native market! This is producing, production value just on another level! : D

What brand and specs of tablet? What price is it at, after the discount? 

[IronFilm]

25 minutes ago, Cinegain said:

I think it makes for a very capable filmmaking tool. Just too bad they didn't make it have build-in wireless connectivity from the start. That's where the knockoff FUNSNAP, Vmate and FIMI seen oppertunity to gain an advantage even. And e.g. the FIMI has a little integrated joystick on there as well. The DJI is a great tool, but they perhaps should've refined it a little bit more before going to market with it. But I'm sure one, a Hasselblad edition, will be just around the corner.

DJI iterates quite fast, I bet a DJI Osmo Pocket mk2 can't be super far away. 

 

26 minutes ago, Cinegain said:

Regarding GoPros, actually, haven't they come down in price? Dunno, kind of comes across to me like they have become more affordable in recent years.

Yup, their top of the line latest Black Edition don't sell for quite as much as they used to. Still don't think they're great value however. 

There is a reason the stock price of GoPro shares have massively tanked in recent years.