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There isn’t really, unless it’s the Pixiiie camera.

Never subscribed but he was an early victim of my ‘do not recommend this channel’ button pressing on YouTube. Another Content for Content Sake ‘Creatior’ 🥱

Fair points for sure.

For anyone interested in understanding a bit more about the relationship between technical measurements and aesthetic experiences, this video is very interesting. Perhaps the challenge is that many people believe there's a golden zone of sharpness where it's softer than clinical glass, but sharper than poor performance vintage glass, but as there's very little qualitative data it's hard to know how a lens performs. The video gives a non-technical primer on MTF charts, and discusses what potential uses there are for different levels of performance, culminating in this chart. I particularly like this approach because the thinking is well beyond "good vs bad" lenses and takes the much more mature approach of "the right tool for the job". This is an example of this kind of thinking from the video: Recommended viewing if you want to go beyond "I like this lens" and "I don't like that lens"!

I find it incredible that people talk about switching bodies / systems all the time without really considering the wider ecosystem of lenses and accessories. Hell, I've stayed within the MFT system and whenever I get a new MFT body there are still all these extras that I end up being surprised about and inflate the price by 10-15%. If I was re-buying lenses then it would double/triple/quadruple the cost. I have no idea what the economics of lenses are, but I wouldn't be surprised if the camera body is now a loss-leader and the lenses where all the profit is.

Well, we've gotten drastically better pixels, but because everyone has been screaming incoherently about wanting sharper images the manufacturers took the higher performance and kept the same overall image performance but made the pixels smaller so there's more of them. Everyone said they wanted a camera that could match the 2.5K Alexa, but because there were more people screaming for resolution than screaming for quality the industry took it's improvements and gave us mediocre 4K cameras, then more improvements and we got good but not great 5K downsampling cameras, then more improvements and we got quite good 6K cameras, and since then the flagship bodies have given us 8K / 12K / 17K cameras with pixels that are close to rivalling the 2.5K Alexa. So ARRI released the Alexa 35, and now there's a 4K ARRI camera that absolutely smashes the 8K / 12K / 17K flagship cameras. It's a complete myth that cameras aren't getting better. They're getting better by leaps and bounds, but almost all those gains have been "spent" on smaller pixels / higher resolution. If that hadn't been the case, you'd probably have had every other feature you've ever wanted by now.

How about Matti Haapoja’s “epic fpv sea transition” video that was just an artlist AI ad disguised as a helpful video. The same bro who was gonna “take a break from YouTube and really get back to his creative roots for a year” now shilling Higgsfield AI whilst reviewing yet another lens in a sea of perfectly imperfect but still perfect lenses that are all the same and can be made to look however you want because there’s no bad gear anymore just the potential to either acquire or lack skill.

My path has been both of these lol. I’ve been a massive tech enthusiast since I was 8 years old…so I definitely have loved learning about and getting hype over gear, although it’s also very overblown and I don’t like the cycle we are in now. But I also fell in love with the creative process, the ability to improve my skills to be creative and get better at crafting cool images and edits to tell impactful stories. I’ve both drooled over camera’s and simultaneously gotten immense satisfaction when I figured out how to make my 7 yr old 8 bit Nikon footage look and grade just the way I wanted. I’m a gear head who also thinks spec wars are overblown anymore. A camera nerd who gets sick of the hype machine, but still enjoys to watch. A creative, who was horrible at any science or math class in high school, but who loves tech and can understand complex broadcast equipment and understand the technical aspects of this industry easily. An artist who hates painting and drawing but constantly has visual ideas. I’m a weird mix of both of those lol. But I also think many of us are this way.

I appreciate all the perspectives here. What I was really trying to get at wasn’t blame or entitlement, but just the feeling of saturation. The constant release cycle and hype can start to feel disconnected from where a lot of people are right now, even if the economics behind it make sense. A few of you said it well, this loop exists because we all participate in it, and stepping back is probably the healthiest move. Either way, it’s been interesting to see how differently people experience the same industry.

true! speaking of which: ..would you mind expanding on these quality of life issues, CFB extraction aside?

The good news is that, as you've already been finding, there's not a bad choice among the cameras you're looking at. The only way you can make a wrong choice is to choose one that isn't ergonomic for you. 😄

I walked out of testing yesterday completely sold on the Canon R6 Mark III as the reliable hybrid for pro stills and video jobs. Solid AF, dependable IBIS, a proper EVF for tough lighting and that familiar Canon workflow I already know inside out. Seemed like the safe, no surprises choice. Then I spent the afternoon shooting with the Nikon ZR and Canon EOS C50 side by side, and the shift happened faster than I expected. The ZR surprised me with how compact and genuinely portable it feels. Easy to carry all day without fatigue, and the build quality gives that premium, confidence inspiring solidity. The large bright 4" flip-out screen is a real advantage for quick solo framing and monitoring, especially on location shoots where you need to stay discreet and move fast. Handheld footage stays smooth thanks to strong IBIS, colors and dynamic range deliver right away, and the RED integration could bring noticeable client appeal for higher-end branded or narrative pieces. Adapting my existing Sony Batis lenses works seamlessly too, so no immediate lens spend to get productive. The C50 brings serious post-production flexibility with 7K open gate, which is hard to ignore if heavy cropping, vertical deliverables, or aggressive grading are regular parts of the job. It is a proper cinema camera with useful pro connections. Still, the smaller screen and lack of EVF makes composing on the move feel more constrained, and the lack of IBIS means EIS or gyroflow post time. So yesterday I was set on the R6 III. Today I find myself quietly checking ZR deals while weighing whether the everyday portability, big screen usability, and RED workflow edge tip the balance over the open gate capability of the C50 (and the balanced hybrid strengths of the R6 III). Not decided yet. Need a few more real client-style tests to see which one actually streamlines deliverables without adding friction.

@Djangoif you go c50 + gyroflow route then invest in the RSMB motion blur plugin. It’s the most realistic and dependable motion blur plugin I’ve owned and does a nice job adding back in convincing motion blur when you need to crank your shutter for gyroflow.

Literally the older canon r5 has ample dynamic range in the real world they all have ample DR.

NRaw is half the data rates of R3D NE and NRaw files can be saved after trimming, but R3D NE files save without trims, which makes R3D NE 20x more data heavy in worst case scenario. Started to convert R3D NE files to H.265 with RedLog10 and 500Mbps as a temporary solution. With NRaw there is no need for that. Z6iii has already good H.265, and IMHO is a better camera with more buttons and good EVF. ZR is just more fun to shoot, but getting WB, exposure and focus right takes a bit more time. The R3D NE footage does look more pleasing to the eye than NRaw when compared side by side. But without comparison NRaw looks good too. R3D NE is better in the shadows, but NRaw does not clip so easily in the highlights, so pick your poison based on the shooting scenario you are in. Neither is perfect at the moment, but both can give good results.

Makes me feel we haven’t gotten amazing IQ leaps in the last 5 yrs…I mean heck the fx3 sensor in the a7siii also came out 5 yrs ago and I don’t see any “superior” lowlight cams on the market. Only “comparable”. For example a c50 will hold its own against the a7siii. But it’s not better. Or worse. Just a 5 year newer camera.

Very true. My first camera was a Panasonic G7. The g9II still obliterates the g7 in lowlight lol. But yeah most of the full frame options from the last 7 years are all outstanding. Also it’s funny how 5-7 yr old full frame bodies are still excellent. My Canon R6 came out 5 yrs ago. The Nikon Z6 I used to shoot with came out 7 yrs ago. I filmed recently with an original Sony a7iii at 8,000 ISO (but a very very well exposed image) and the image was incredibly clean. We are so spoiled with choices anymore.

Yep. Also you can lowkey get full frame at a similar size with slower lenses and higher high ISO. The Canon R6 at 25,600 ISO is much cleaner that the G9II in 6400 ISO. 2 stops cleaner. But also r6 is applying a lot more internal NR which is up to users taste on if they like. I don’t mind saves me time in post but I get how some might want a more pure image they can Denoise later.

Ah seems like the datarates of prores lt are still A lot more then h265, so then its not a great solution. Maybe the zr2 will fix it.

How are the datarates of prores lt? Is it similar as h265?

The dynamic range is only crap in the world of luxury peepers. For whom pixel peeping got a bit out of control and if they loose 0.02 stops of dynamic range due to a fast sensor readout they will huff and puff and buy something different. Nuts!

My own tried and tested formula for determining if prices are getting out of hand is how much of an, erm, “rounding error” occurs when relaying the price I’ve paid for something to the wife. When it comes to cameras, it would be a base level of 10%. If I bought a new camera nowadays it would more likely be in the 20-25% area. The area where my perception of price escalation is most piqued though is in the price of first party lenses as much as it is cameras.

Nikon has indicated there will be a firmware update with Prores 422 LT which should give a better compromise in data rate between RAW and h.265. I love Prores 422 HQ on the Z8; the color and appearance of the image are so similar to still images, but the files are admittedly large. It is curious why the ZR h.265 is not as detailed (in reviews; I don't have the ZR) at high ISO as the Z6 III. Maybe Nikon felt it was a priority to avoid overheating and allow long recording times while keeping the camera body compact?

It seems to not be an easy fix as the formfactor of the ZR doesn't allow the chip inside to do heavy lifting due to cooling reasons...

Economics aside, GAS is real and it’s gotten out of hand. The constant hype from camera bros on YouTube and social drives it. Every few months there’s a new “GAME CHANGER” video, clickbait thumbnail, sponsored “first look”, and comment sections full of upgrade questions and system switches. It creates endless FOMO where current gear suddenly feels obsolete, while most “must-have” updates are marginal and don’t matter for real work. Manufacturers love this however this cycle has the opposite effect on me: I keep waiting. Something new is always around the corner, so I drag my feet and keep changing my mind .. That being said there are game changers from time to time, and for me open gate is that kind of benefit for my workflow I’ve been waiting for and it’s why I’m going back to Canon. I’ve seen a lot of Sony users claim it’s not important, and anamorphic shills overblow it’s relevance but truth is for me it makes sense when doing multi-platform content. Extracting high-res stills from video takes is another practical bonus that adds real value instead of just another spec bump. That’s what matters to me, not another 0.5-stop DR , marginal AF tweaks, extra IBIS stops, or RAW flavour of the month. Cameras have been more than good for a while now and all the feature creep and size reduction brings other issues like overheating when reliability should remain a priority..