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Could just be a simple capacity thing, maybe Towerjazz or other non-Sony suppliers just can't pump out as many finished sensors? Maybe their yield rate from each wafer is lower than Sony's, so it makes more sense to do smaller formats as you lose less from each wafer when there's defects? Who knows. Maybe BlackMagic using FPGA processors instead of ASICs, which I believe is cheaper, is part of their low pricing? Also why their cameras are so power-hungry compared to a mirrorless or Sony Canon etc cinema cams processing similar amounts of info (actually, way less processing since they're not compressing down to h264/265 etc). Anyway, my prediction with pricing is that we're going to see prices rise across the board from here forward due to the tariff issues. Pannyboi just had the bad luck to be the first to launch a post-tariff camera so right now they look bad/dumb/greedy, I bet in a year everyone else will have caught right up.

I have a question about this. If you use it on a GH6 and later upgrade to a GH7, does it still work or do you have to purchase it again? I guess the value of the GH6 would be slightly more in this case, but it would be better to be able to uninstall and reinstall on a different body if you upgrade, rather than paying 200 euros every time you upgrade.

I dunno - the V-Raptor [X] sensor seems to be a marvel of modern engineering - and while it's designed by RED's engineers, the semiconductor manufacturing is done by TowerJazz. And quite good, if not marvelous, the Komodo and Komodo-X sensors are also made by them and they are fantastic. Plus the GH7 sensor is, from everything I've heard, really really good. My guess is that it's largely a cost-based decision. The off-the-shelf part from Sony has much better economy of scale and it's "good enough" for most things. It's sort of the basis for the Z Cam business model - integrate high-end (though inexpensive) off-the-shelf components and write good software to glue them together. The entire E2 series is basically a wedding of Sony sensors with... I think it's Hisense? Anyway, with another off-the-shelf circuit board. They shove those things into a box and put a lens mount and teeny tiny screen on it. The majority of their R&D is in software. It's not hard to imagine somebody in Panasonic management looking at a price sheet and saying "We could integrate this TowerJazz sensor for $1,200 and get 10% better performance than the Sony sensor which costs $600. Either way, we're going to sell the camera for $3,800. Will we get enough extra sales based on 10% better performance to make up for a $600/unit shortfall?" That's even more the case when you are also supporting budget cameras like the S9 which basically demands a commodity sensor which will come from Sony. So you already have a team of engineers who are familiar with the ins and outs of Sony's sensors and having them also support (or having a different team to support) TowerJazz is also going to be expensive. I have no insight into the actual costs of either vendor, but if you're Red and were selling the Komodo for like $6,000 or $7,000 when it was first released, spending an extra few hundred bucks per sensor ain't so bad because you have enormous margin. BlackMagic are the real outlier here. They seem genuinely less interested in turning a huge profit per unit with their cameras. It's not to say the high end where they use Fairchild isn't expensive, but I'm still a little bit boggled by the UC 12K which, at $7,000 is a lot, but less than 2x an R5 Mark II. Other than the fact that my car's suspension groans when I set the camera on the passenger seat, that is. Well, that and offloading footage from the media module. They really need to release a single module reader with USB-C. Having to offload directly from the camera over 10gE is really silly. It means I'll have the CF Express module in my bag most of the time, just in case we need to offload on-site.

So it's not like they were reliant on Sony, but maybe Tower Jazz can't produce something beyond a certain level that is no longer competitive with more modern stacked or BSI stuff? 🤷‍♂️

And for the GH6/G9ii/GH7 sensor too, I believe.

There are dozens of us!

Easily doable even with the Z mount, but I doubt Nikon goes so big. So far, nobody among Japanese camera makers have implemeted 5 inch display into their morrorless bodies. Its like a taboo over there. Maybe because they think it ruins the ergonomics of the body.

Can you say all of that again in one of Camera Conspiracies 'flashback' skits please. Whilst wearing a blonde wig. Money waiting if you put it on YouTube.

What I would like is: A. The frame markers and 6k 30p open gate (preferably 50/60p) from Lumix, plus, B. Ability to burn in RED luts, plus, C. Zf or e Mount, I don't mind which as all my e Mount lenses mount near natively to Zf mount, plus, D. FX3/30 style body. Ability to shoot stills not required, but if it can, fair enough. Mechanical shutter optional, - I don't care either way. No EVF, don't care. Must have good IBIS. Must be relatively compact and not require any rigging out, ie, primarily, a really decent flip and rotate screen a la A7RV/S1H/S1Rii. Could be a Nikon Zr... Could be a Sony FX2... Unlikely to be anything Lumix because the lens options are still just a bit lacking for me.

Counterpoint: Did Gerald ever make one? And didn't Panasonic quite literally just invite Andrew to review a camera, but he turned them down? It's a weird time to make that accusation. 😃

I don't have VR goggles, but I do have a 77" TV that's in my dark basement and I usually sit about 8-10 feet from it. I scooch up a bit closer when I want to preview how something will look on a big theatrical screen from 30-40 feet away. If I really want the full experience, though, I'll ask a friend to come chew popcorn and talk while I'm trying to watch it. 😉

Is this finally the FX3 killer?

If anyone wants to have some retro CCD fun then I have found a fun little bargain for you... https://www.wexphotovideo.com/olympus-e-500-digital-slr-camera-body-used-3242908/ This is using the same Kodak CCD sensor tech as the M8, just a slightly smaller chip at 2x crop vs 1.5x. The colours and grain are a thing of filmic beauty and it has the rather lovely Olympus colour science in JPEGs too.

If I were the modern day Chris and Jordan in a camera store somewhere I would try and explain it like this... Buy the S5 II as it's cheapest, unless you need a few extra video features, which I'll explain in a moment. But if you're a photographer it's an easy choice, definitely S5 II best and cheapest. Unless you compare it to the Canon R8, Nikon Z6 II, Sony a7c, or wait actually I forgot the S9... That is the cheapest for photographers, except not if you are a photographer that needs to look through an EVF or wants a mechanical shutter. I'll explain what that does in a moment. But first, you say you're actually quite interested in video, so I'd recommend the S1 IIE instead, as the S5 II is already made obsolete by it, so pay the extra for the E version and you will get... erm... An E on the badge. Also are you sure you don't want to go all the way out to $3500 for the S1 II, yes that is $1000 more than a Z6 III for the same sensor and no N-RAW, worse body design, but it is the best Panasonic... for video... I think... At least for a month or 2 before the S1H II might come out, or it might not... Oh shit, we're forgetting the S1R II. That does 8K open gate now, they just gave it a firmware update. Hey, Johnny where're you're going... Come back Johnny! HEY! STAY AWAY FROM THAT CANON EOS R5 II FFS!

They must have needed to buy that 24 megapixel sensor in such large quantities, the 7 different models were a necessity. And by the time the year is out, it might turn into 10!

https://www.eoshd.com/news/what-to-expect-from-nikons-first-red-mirrorless-camera-the-nikon-zr/ Finally a larger than 3.5" screen on a mirrorless camera? Sign me up If they bring the RED Motion Mount technology to it, then sign me up for 2!

An EVF less Z30 with a big screen sounds very much like one of these to me.

You might want to have a look at the Xreal range https://www.xreal.com

Hi Andrew exciting to see you have the x14u as well! I've started writing a Xiaomi 14 Ultra mod guide to maximize its MotionCam Raw Video potential. It's far from complete yet (still many questions unanswered xD) so all input is welcome 🙂. P.S. I've been reading your blog posts since forever and read new articles the same day they're posted. But I don't look in the forums that much, found this thread by coincidence. Would love to one day read a full blog post, featured on the front page, about your experience and experiments with the x14u! 😁

About at 16:50

I'll have to take a look at that!

I don't know anything but in the last Media division S1 II review they showed a goggles linked to the camera used as a monitor or something like that.

Last night I (solipsistically) spent a while watching my own videos via our Quest 3 VR goggles in 'cinema mode' and I must admit, seeing things on a virtual 20 foot screen certainly makes them look better! Any other forum users been doing this? But it got me to thinking - a great use of this technology would be if you could link it in to a Teradeck or whatever so that Directors and DPs could see, in real time, how a given scene or shot will look on the big screen. Is anyone doing this, or am I being silly?

Make that seven if you live in Europe with the S5D.

when’s the last time you’ve shot or made one? this comes off as jealousy that you couldn’t maintain your position as a reviewer-influencer.