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Yes, but how much is that really?

I’ve received my filter adapter for the iPhone today. I wanted it to be as flexible as possible and didn’t want one that’s integrated with a proprietary case nor one using proprietary magnetic filters. Setup is the iPhone 16 Pro with the JJC MFS-II MagSafe 67mm filter holder and the ACASIS 2239 MagSafe SSD case with a 1TB Corsair MP600 Mini in it. I’m using it with my normal Torras case, because when you take off the rubber it fits perfectly in (twss).

More low-light video with the BMMCC. Sigma 18-35 with speedbooster. I did some light denoising on this; there's certainly still noise in the footage of the dancers but that level of noise doesn't bother me.

So this could either be rumours of a new firmware version or him testing the version without the recording limits then. Removing the recording limit for the S9 does add to its utility because with a dummy battery it was likely not going to cause the same sort of heat issues that necessitated the limit in the first place so it would’ve been an artificial restriction for that use case. Fumbling the initial launch with the wrong lens and now fumbling the re-launch with the right lens and dodgy firmware is not a good look though. Though it will certainly benefit us S5ii users looking for a cheap companion version as the used S9 prices tumble due to these fuck ups !

There is still BoM to recover. And at least $100 goes to the retailer.

Yes, a case of they would have been damned either way and I agree it's a better way of doing it, ie, have a limit...but allow it to be switched off at the users risk. It probably would have been better though if they had launched it with this. And with the 18-40 lens... But hey ho.

I disagree. It's a much more honest approach, in my opinion, as you can reliably predict how long you can film with it. I am vehemently opposed to companies releasing cameras they know have overheating problems but still claim unlimited record times. Transparency and honesty should be encouraged. If I get the S9 I'll keep the recording limits on, both because I prefer predictability and because it makes me uncomfortable that by turning the recording limits off you agree that Lumix isn't responsible if you damage the camera's sensor. It's great, I guess, that Lumix begrudgingly gave users that option, but I personally don't care to risk it. I have three other cameras I can use in the event I need to film with no limits.

That stoopid glitch that posted my response 3x 😏

I would actually be happy and buy an S5ii with nothing more than an updated soft release shutter mech as in terms of feel and sound. I’d prefer to also have a higher res screen as a bonus, but they could stop there and call it a S5ii.001 and I’d be a happy boy. Stick a larger sensor in without sacrificing low light capability or DR, happier still. Beyond that, zero actual needs.

‘Anti-social media feeds’ 😂 but also 😢

It is almost comical to me the new total trash formula that plays out again and again on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and others. If you look closely at many of the movies on those platforms produced starting in 2019 you will start to see a very obvious pattern emerge; no more than 2-6 actors, 1-2 locations, weak if any special effects, and a flat storyline; rinse and repeat. The actors are all very much c rate, the one location is usually an island, building, phone booth, ship, house, plane, or spaceship that they mysteriously cannot leave for some reason, and the entire movie is spent in that one location as the c rate actors try to explain their predicament to the viewers and to each other. It is a very low budget template that they use to churn out a sea of mediocrity which their audiences probably just play as background noise while texting away and updating their anti-social media feeds. I think this pattern started out of necessity during COVID and then the studios realized people truly didn't notice the mediocrity and the bean counters realized they could keep making profits without any effort to return to a higher standard of quality.

Canon made a misstep with the EOS-M series. Had to get out the EOS R, otherwise Sony would have ran away with the FF mirrorless niche. Without those then Fujifilm would have an even smaller percentage? Would they even be #4? Or would Panasonic? Is it a loss? They've stripped away the DSLR to a bare bones no frills experience with the Canon Rebel T7, remember its RRP was US$550. So is $400 really that much less all this time later? Canon has long ago recovered the R&D costs for this, what's the marginal cost for each extra unit now? And Canon would 100x rather any new buyer of a Canon Rebel T7 is joining the Canon family, rather than buying say a refurbished Nikon D3500 or a secondhand Panasonic G7 or secondhand Sony a6000. Agreed, personally this is an approach I'm glad to see Panasonic doing.

Nothing wrong with this approach, it's what Sony has been doing very successfully for a number of years. Can't afford the latest a7Rmk3? That's fine, maybe we can tempt you with the latest and cheaper a7mk3? Oh, that's still not cheap enough for you? Well look, we have an older a7mk2 still available for sale! What, not even that is cheap enough for you? No problem, we've got you, here is an OG a7mk1! And Sony is still doing this strategy even today. Look at B&H, where both an a7mk2 and an a7mk3 and an a7mk4 is available for sale! I see nothing at all wrong with Panasonic keeping around the Panasonic S5mk1 at a cheaper price. (currently US$1.4K https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1581612-REG/panasonic_lumix_dc_s5_mirrorless_digital.html) Even better if they keep on bringing it down in price, brand new $1.2K S5mk1 by Christmas? Sub $1K S5mk1 in 2025?

If it means giving us stills cameras ("S5R") and a video targeted camera ("S5H") with high end features / performance but at a mid range enthusiast price point, then I'm all for this! If it means more S5D, then I'd be sad.

https://www.l-rumors.com/panasonic-suspends-the-new-lumi-xs9-firmware-download-because-of-potential-issues/ The firmware download just got suspended?

Based on focal length alone, I'd rather have 18-40. No idea about optical quality, but I've often found 28mm to be too long for landscapes, and it's pretty easy to crop if I need a 50mm FOV. However I'm also going to make a guess that the R8 is more comfortable to hold. I don't particularly like the grip shape on the S5 series. I miss handling the NX1.

El Zone is apparently included as well

It wouldn't normally interest me, but on the S9 that's a nice compact set up and the images I've seen with it are pretty decent. For shooting in public where you're not trying to draw attention, that's a really nice little set up. I'm take the slow lens with variable aperture if it means I can have a small setup like that I can take anywhere with me.

Word on the street (heard a bit cryptically this week from a Panasonic rep) is to wait for a February 2025 announcement, most likely a new S-series cam 🤞🏻🤞🏻 Hopefully we won't be disappointed!

Cool. Personally if they end up adding El Zone to this monitor, I will consider picking it up.

It would seem that I'm still here: Why did Panasonic move away from this? Interestingly, Ian Berry finally "settled" with the Olympus E-M1 iii, probably just before they sold to OMDS.

10 Bit is always going to be better than 8 Bit when correcting Log. That said it is dependent on codec and bit rate too. Ive always felt a Lumix 8 Bit file, regardless whether it's H.264 or H.265 is so much thicker and easier to work with than any Sony A7 whatever rubbish. Another factor is your software of choice. Premiere Pro is not a colour grading software, Lumetri sucks. Davinci on the other hand is so much kinder to weak codecs, much less banding and colour artefacts when you try to stretch things like correcting white balance and tint. Clearly better algorithms that are much more forgiving.

Came across this potentially useful video. A newer trick to try is to use the density and saturation tools in Resolve's new Color Slice tool. The saturation controls there are by far the best in Resolve, and density makes a huge difference as well. I don't know how well they work on 8-bit footage but if I ever shoot any (I do have a Sony A7s that I still haven't used for video beyond a few experiments) I'll try.

Yeah, not sure why there's the discrepancy. I also made a mistake with the S5ii. I accidentally gave the S5 weight. The S5ii is a little heavier: R8 + 24-50 is 671g S5ii + 18-40 is 895g S9 + 18-40 is 641g It should be noted that the S5ii combo is fully weather-sealed and it has an integrated fan. The other two have none of that. I have to hand it to Panasonic for give us a useful, weather-resistant kit lens at only 155g.