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I will say that even though the Beastgrip adapters are made for phone use, they actually have very good build quality and the newest versions have pretty decent optics, with 1.33x being better corrected than the 1.55x. They also have good front filter threads - the 1.33 uses 58mm and the 1.55 is 62mm. Once you get them properly attached to your lens, they aren't going anywhere. The first versions are not as well corrected, but that may be what you are looking for. The build quality seems consistently good across all models and versions. I'm guessing you could find some on the used market for reasonable prices, as they aren't super expensive to begin with.

And owners of many cinema cameras. And, to a large extent, owners of cameras with sensor shift IS. I've found that, in general, lens IS is a lot better than sensor shift IS when at longer focal lengths. There are already a bunch of used Sigma/Tamron 70-200/2.8 available in that price range. Plus even some first party options aren't much more used - the EF 70-200/2.8L IS series tend to be right around $1,000-1,200 at MPB here. If you really want the extra 10mm at the wide end, though, it looks fine.

Well, here's another interesting one from Samyang for L-mount. Previously Sony FE only... ...now also available in L-mount ; ) The new LK Samyang AF 60-180mm F2.8 weighs only 728g, which is remarkably light for a constant f/2.8 full-frame telephoto zoom (and at about a grand it is also considerably cheaper than the usual 70-200mm f/2.8 options). It has no optical stabilization (OIS), in either L-mount or Sony FE, unfortunately : ( A deal breaker for Sigma FP owners/lovers, as for instance. 60mm at the wide end is actually quite useful for video, and losing 20mm at the long end seems a very reasonable trade-off for that size and weight.

Greetings Creatives, It's been a very busy week, but I managed to create a couple of new music tracks to share with the community. They are: "NEON METROPOLIS" (This one loops.) You can listen to it here: https://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Neon-Metropolis.ogg "CYBERPUNK STREETS IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT" (This one doesn't loop.) You can listen to it here: https://soundimage.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Cyberpunk-Streets-in-the-Dead-of-Night.ogg Both can be downloaded here: https://soundimage.org/sci-fi-15/ As with all of my music and images, they're 100% free to use in your projects with attribution. 🙂 OTHER HELPFUL LINKS: Attribution Information: https://soundimage.org/attribution-info/ My Game Music Mega Pack (1400+ tracks and growing) https://soundimage.org/ogg-game-music-mega-pack/ My Genre Music Packs https://soundimage.org/ogg-music-packs-2/ Custom Music https://soundimage.org/custom-work/ As always, enjoy, stay safe and keep being creative! 🙂

Yeah - sounds almost as good as Fuji already. 😅

The ZR does allow the main card and battery to be replaced without taking the camera off the tripod provided that the plate or rig is designed right for the camera and a suitable head is used. Yes, the micro slot is unfortunate. But for video, no Nikon camera has dual card recording anyway, so the main card is where it's at. The orientation of the battery and main card along the width of the body makes the body a bit wider than it could have been if there had been a larger grip, but if optimizing for the fraction the LCD takes up of the camera's back side surface, this design is understandable. The MKE 600 shotgun microphone is 25 cm long and with the supplied cold shoe foot, its rear end extends quite a bit behind the camera, like with many longer shotgun mics it blocks comfortable access to the viewfinder. Longer shotguns give better side rejection and can sound less distorted but because they are long and mirrorless cameras tend to be short, there is a bit of a compatibility issue which does not exist with professional camcorders that are long enough to accommodate these mics without interfering with the picture or the shooter's forehead. However, camcorders typically give lower image quality at wide angle focal lengths which are a priority for me for many situations where I want the camera to be close to the subjects. My desire for a larger screen is not without limitations, the camera must be small and light enough to comfortably use on a gimbal (for potentially long shoots), for those situations where I do want to use one. Of course, one can use a camera without a gimbal, but I have situations where it is useful and a priority. A BMCC would make the gimbal setup too heavy. I have Nikon lenses so it makes economic sense for me to use Nikon camera bodies as well, and get lens corrections automatically applied to the video footage. Yes, 3.2" is usable but 4" would be better. I find particularly for manual focusing a larger screen would be better. I already have the Z8 which has a full-sized HDMI, though it has no XLR connections. I imagine Nikon would within the next few years make a higher-end video-first model that would sit between the ZR and the Komodo, and be more head-to-head competitor with the FX5. The ZR is just one camera in presumably a lineup that Nikon have yet to make. Why do I want to use a gimbal with a mirrorless camera? Let's say I am shooting a parade with music and performances moving across the streets. I need wide angle (because subjects can be tall) with keystoning controlled, and since there is no guarantee that a fixed spot along the way will give me the best moments, a tripod is not ideal. The gimbal keeps keystoning from appearing (with a suitable lens and appropriate mode), and keeps the camera level while I'm moving. The drawback is that I need a separate sound person - which is a big drawback.

https://www.eisa-awards.org/awards/nikon-zr/ Interesting to see the Nikon ZR taking EISA’s Photo/Video Camera 2026–2027 award. On paper, I can understand it. The overall package is unusually strong, particularly for the money, and Nikon has clearly managed to turn the RED acquisition into something rather more tangible than a logo on the box. Still, awards like this always make me wonder what is actually being judged. A camera can be outstanding as a specification sheet, and even as an overall product, while still having one or two behaviours that matter disproportionately once you start using it seriously (codec implementation, processing, noise reduction, workflow, etc.). That does not necessarily make the award wrong. It just shows how different “best camera” can look depending on whether you are judging features, image quality, value, or the less glamorous realities of actually shooting and finishing a project with it. The ZR may well deserve the trophy. I'm rather more interested in whether Nikon keeps refining the bits that do not fit quite so neatly on the award plaque ; ) That said, kudos to ZR! EAG :- )

Quick review after the shoot this morning. I used the Pyxis as a roaming camera for a lecture hall presentation, so it was basically a 4th angle... which is a good thing. Face detect is a no-go for this situation; too many faces. I normally use the wide area AFC window on my Panasonics with great success panning across people in their rows, shots of hands writing and typing, group discussions, etc. I tried to replicate shooting this way with the 12K... no good. Pretty unpredictable. Sometimes it would perform exactly as I'd expect, other times it would refuse to change focus, other times it would hesitate, other times it would stutter back and forth between points. I used the Sigma 28-105mm f/2.8 today. I tested across a range of focal lengths and focus sensitivity settings. I stuck with a reasonable aperture of f/4.5 as well. It actually did better when zoomed in >85mm. Maybe the compression or blur helps it. I don't know. Overall, I'm not discouraged by this, though. This is a great first effort and I fully believe it will only get better.

It took a minute to find a link to what you're talking about. Doesn't seem to have made it to many of the usual suspect forums yet. Hopefully AF on Pyxis 12K means that the same is coming to Ursa LF sooner rather than later! https://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=239482

Looks a lot like clickbait.🤪 Getting back to lenses i have been looking at the new 4.5mm - 10mm from laowa its a very unique lens going from a circular look to 180 fish eye diagonal. I'm not sure why but i seem to be going through a quirky phase at the moment... i realize its a one trick pony but i find myself intrigued by it. I think kye brought it up some time ago when it was in preproduction. Now that its out, i'm tempted to get it although here in aus i cant find it below $1000. B # H have it at a more reasonable $530. Its still a bit pricey i think but then it is bending light around and trying to keep it all together, i guess that does cost some r&d $$. The mission 1 is sitting in the front seat of the Mitsubishi with a little crane gimbal, sadly my dad passed away 3 weeks ago and the 3 weeks before that were a bit crappy as well. I think i just have to bite the bullet and start somewhere.

Well it’s happened! Blackmagic released a beta firmware adding PDAF to the Pyxis 12K. I’ve been playing around with it a bit tonight. It’s really impressive for a first effort. The face detection mode is superb for a standard solo interview. AFC is pretty great but takes a bit to get used to, because it operates a bit differently than my Panasonics. The object tracking mode is its weakest at the moment. That needs some real work. The other nice feature with this update enabling linear focus throws and the ability to set rotation degrees on focus by wire lenses. If this firmware will work with Tilta’s upcoming PL to L adapter, I’ll be veryyyyyyy happy. Going to try it out on an actual shoot tomorrow.

I also found this video below, which combines a cheap adapter from Aliexpress with 17mm rear-filter and the Viltrox 28mm F4.5 lens. He just sticks the mounting plate from the smartphone clamp for the anamorphic directly onto the Viltrox lens with tape, so hardly and ideal situation, but it is more proof of concept, and it covers FF too! Test image: Video:

Yes, the Beastgrip might well be a better candidate - not only due to having a filter thread I can convert to but also potentially with a larger rear aperture for better coverage! I found this comparison between the Moment M-series (left) and Beastgrip (right) which shows the rear openings: Some rough measurements of the Beastgrip suggest that the rectangular opening is almost exactly 17mm across, which would make the image circle significantly larger than my Neewer, which uses a 17mm threaded mount. The rectangular opening looks to be on a separate plate - I wonder if that could be removed somehow to really open up the rear element? Wow - full frame coverage! I really didn't expect that, and it's very encouraging to hear! I also realised the 1.55x makes everything pretty wide, and have been contemplating what FOVs I'd want to get and what focal length taking lenses I'd need to use to get them. You reminded me of my ultra-cheap Risepray 35mm F1.6 C-mount lens, which has a 37mm filter thread. Assuming it doesn't vignette (and therefore doesn't need any cropping) that would give me a 45mm F2.1 equivalent lens, which would be pretty good for shooting street and run-n-gun like I do.

But speaking of ‘peak camera’, what would be a future, ‘next gen’ option for me, not because I needed it, but because I wanted it? A better built, chunkier, fully articulated rear 4 inch LCD, spec of the S1Rii, ‘S9ii’ body. Essentially take the whole internal spec and articulation of the S1Rii and pop it in and on a ZR/FX style body. Now that truly would be a Thanos with all the stones camera for me!

It’s never sorted! Well it both is and it isn’t… For circa 15 years, without any manual or handbook, I have been exploring hybrid capture as a one man band and there have been; limits (earlier on), many (many!) dead ends and of course compromises. 2026 has been the first year I can truly say, yep, I can no longer find fault. Further tweaks, for sure, one of those being possibly…and even though I have just got it, swapping the gimbal and L10 for the Pocket 4 P. But for the main stuff, as things stand, there are no ‘better’ options, only sideways moves. The S1Rii is quite simply, in my opinion, the best hybrid camera, or put another way, the least compromised, but I’d stick with the former and say best. The combo of; size, weight, picture quality for both stills and video, at a flick of a switch, is superb and more than enough for my needs. The fact that it’s in essentially a modified S5ii body has proved for me to have been a good choice. Yes, I still prefer the S1H body, but the reality is the difference in size & weight is an entire prime lens so… The S5ii just gets in with job, - a workhorse static unit, but in other uses, really is not real world far off the S1ii. The S9 could be better built IMO, but the quality of the output offsets some of that for me and as mine is in an XLCR full cage jobbie, it’s actually bigger and heavier than the S1Rii, even with a Smallrig half cage…which is why it lives on a lightweight tripod. Nope, the tweaking & twiddling will never be over, but 100% there is nothing further I ‘need’ to do and scrapped previous plans to try 3 slightly different set ups for the rest of the season as they were primarily based on using the Sigma 28-105 for stills, but I’m done with lenses much over 500g for all day handheld work and a lens like that, for all day use, really does need a battery grip, especially if continually rotating into a portrait orientation and back and it’s that combo really that makes it undesirable to me, ie, it’s 2kg+ combo compared with something a little over 1/2 of that.

Maybe late to the party.. Left-Handed Girl is maybe the latest film completely shot in the wild (and with a phone)

I'd be happy to help you test it, I'll join the group later today. Have about 25 android phones!!! I can imagine how difficult it is on Android to test on so many OS and hardware combos, the number is just insane. I am actually working on a stills camera app for Android and iPhone at the moment. So have been learning the ropes for just over a year now

at least it's sorted 😉

Well that was an easy decision… Put the battery grip on one of the S1Rii’s and then the 28-105 and… …immediately took both back off and put the prime back on. The battery grip is being returned and the 28-105 getting welded on to the S5ii with battery grip that lives on a chunky medium-weight tripod. NOT ever going back to any big zooms or anything that requires a battery grip. The best system (for me) at this current time is the one I’ve been running.

Honestly, publishing an app on the Play Store is a nightmare for me.

I have experimented with the Beastgrip 1.33x and 1.55x adapters using full frame cameras and wide/normal to short telephoto lenses (35/40/50/75). I have tried with my slow Leica M lenses, which are usually pretty forgiving on coverage. These Anamorphics will cover full frame and are easy enough to attach to the M mount lenses with a 39 to 37 step down ring. the 1.33x is definitely a better fit for the 35 & 40mm lenses, as the 1.55x has a pretty wide FOV. Results are similar to the above samples, with soft edges and major distortion. But definitely plenty of character. Next time I take a stab at it, I'll post some samples.

No, DIS is a separate feature also available with the R6V.

Is it just a digital in-camera stabilisation though? I'm not so keen on using those.

They cannot have NOT looked at it as the older 18-35 had a 50-100 sibling, but maybe it’s a case of the longer lens didn’t sell well or they think it’s covered somehow with the 28-105 and Samyang’s 35-150? Or it’s on the pipeline… Up until just a few weeks ago, the pairing of their 28-45 1.8 and an ‘imagined’ 45-90 f1.8, was end game for me, but since I went back to the pairing of 2 primes, mostly the 35 & 85 f1.8’s, I’m moving more towards the opinion that I already have my ‘end game’ set up because I ask myself, what would I really gain with a chunky twin zoom set up over what I have now? A bit of range; 28-45 vs 35 and 50-100 vs 85 and yes, that would be welcome, but do I really want that weight & bulk? Probably not. I’m still interested, but I think it would only be on the basis of instead of working primarily with 2x hybrid units, going back to having 1x stills dedicated and 1x video dedicated, in which case the use of zooms would be a necessity or I really would lack any kind of range. On a single body, the 28-45 would be perfect for indoor and low-light work and something like a 45-90, perfect for outdoor. I’m talking stills or video because that pairing would work dedicated to either on a single body paired with my second S1Rii paired with either the 17-40 dedicated to video or the 28-105 dedicated to stills. We’ll see. Consistency is a massive factor and on my journey of shooting gigs solo hybrid with equal parity between stills and video, I haven’t had much stability until this year, the first I have had the same system from start to finish. OK a couple of necessary workarounds as in mid season, I broke my S9 and had to use the L10 in it’s place and juggle a few other bits of kit around and then broke my 70-200, plus playing with the set up within the set up, but consistency of familiarity with the overall tool set. Ideally, I don’t want to be doing any fiddling in 2027 and run a full season with the exact set up I start it with. If Sigma pop out something akin to this 45-90 f1.8 with internal non-extending zoom over the Winter or Spring, then that game is almost certainly on. If they don’t, I think it will be the primes locked in for the season and the 28-105 f2.8 goes into the static role which is really what I intended for, replacing the slower, unnecessarily long (and broken) 70-200 f4.

Thank you for this, I'm also wondering why they haven't released a lens to complement the 28-45, it would just make sense!