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I opened the 10th door today and there was an arrogant Leica twat behind it. Hopefully 11th door has something chocolatey By the 24th might even have a Pentax. But it's looking most likely that it will be a Canon EOS R5, a camera I have never had a bad word about and love unconditionally. Turns out that Canon shitting themselves over bad PR has produced more firmware updates than Sony have done in 10 years! Halve the price and fast forward 4 years, oddly camera technology hasn't gone anywhere else since it came out. It's basically Z8 spec. I need to sell my EOS R7 so it'll make a nice upgrade to that. You also get a free one of these with every purchase...

I find they don’t tend to give a fuck these days as their attention spans are limited to TikTok memes only. Birds just aren’t what they used to be…

When the 5D Mark II and Panasonic GH1 were all the rage, I picked the GH1. I keep thinking back to why and it appears that the full frame look wasn't important enough compared to other factors, like price, codec, articulated screen, EVF, autofocus and so on. Now Panasonic is doing it again... The G9 II has 4K/120p for $1500, extremely good codec, packed feature set, cheaper than GH7 but same sensor, very clean in low light, the list goes on... If I wanted these features on a full frame camera I'd have to pay at least $3000. Also something else is nagging me... I have grown to dislike the cliche of a shallow DOF where you can't see the setting or background properly. Yet I still want the character of a lens wide open, the smoother bokeh, the light vignette, more 3D and the best flares. So I think back to my Kern Switar 26mm F1.1 or Voigtlander Nokton 25mm F0.95 on the GH2, and realise that I can shoot wide open at mega fast apertures yet still see the background. It will be lightly out of focus (unless the subject is REALLY close) and that I like. On a large sensor it would look very different. I think it's time to do a Micro Four Thirds vs full frame test, at fast apertures wide open on both, same FOV, same setting and framing. It will be really interesting to see what the rendering is like and how the G9 II stands up in terms of image quality, dynamic range, and high ISO. As they have come a LONG way since the GH2 and GH4. I also think some of the Super 16mm and 2x crop lenses out there are really characterful, whereas full frame lenses at least all the modern ones tend to be too perfect looking. I think it's more challenging to set up a shot on a large sensor... You often have to stop down, which negates the low light advantage, changes the rendering and bokeh, the flare, and nearly everything. By the way, I'm sure part of this is nostalgia... In 2009 when Vimeo and DSLR filmmaking community first got going, everyone was happy to be called a filmmaker. It's interesting that now "creator" is the preferred term, as it covers anyone who creates anything. But does that also mean we are specialising less in one area and relying on modern technology over human artistry and the human hand? With IBIS, shallow DOF, unmotivated camera movement, drones, walking around with IBIS handheld, autofocus, and such like... I feel all this usually fails 9 times out of 10 compared to a simple locked down shot on a tripod Spielberg style. Maybe it's time to get a G9 II, turn off IBIS, take my time, stick it on a tripod with a C-mount prime on the front and see how this style works compared to the convenience of luxury of no-tripod, a faster shoot, a full frame Nikon Z8 with IBIS and autofocus on a modern lens.

So the SL2, very nice now it's much more affordable but turns out in my tests so far it's still fucking broken as it doesn't shoot 4K with the original battery and certain lenses... That is, Panasonic 50mm F1.4 S, Sigma MC-21 adapter, erm pretty much everything that isn't from Leica's own L-mount range. So it's quite a serious problem. I thought this was fixed with the new Q3 battery and new firmware updates, and the SL2-S was supposed to work from the outset. Now it seems the problem is more complicated than it appears when you are sold the camera. So I took the SL2 back for a test today at the Berlin store, only to be met with a lot of eye-rolling and a blame game: - Panasonic is to blame, apparently their lenses are faulty! - The customer is to blame, apparently I am an idiot who is using the wrong type of L-mount lenses - The Sigma MC-21 is to blame, and Canon too... For their EF lenses on the official Sigma L-mount adapter are so badly made that the Leica SL2 refuses to even do a burst shoot - And of course as a customer, I am not just to blame but also WRONG! Wrong knowledge, wrong approach, wrong skillset, blah blah blah. So I sent the feckers this link: https://www.eoshd.com/interview/interview-with-stephan-schulz-leica-camera-on-the-sl2-and-filmmaking/ And said, here's my interview with your boss in Wetzlar. Have a read of that... It's the battery's fault. And he said there would be a firmware update to mitigate it, and the battery grip would also be the solution to the fact that the SL2 battery is so shit it can't even power the autofocus motors at the same time as shooting 4K. Needless to say the Leica SL2 is now back at the store, and refunded after much finger pointing. Doesn't make me want to go back there any time soon. When it was run by Meister Camera, this store was a gem https://www.meister-camera.com Now it's run by Leica, what happened? A total change in attitude and staff knowledge. It's a pity they didn't just admit the problem still existed, was Leica's fault and not the customers, and then sold me their spare SL2-S which has better compatibility with the full L-mount ecosystem. I would have left a Leica customer, nevertheless the experience was so shit, even the thought of buying the EOS R5 appeals more than another SL2 now 😉 And that's a bloody flame thrower!

On the first day (not) of Christmas, my dealer sold to me, a Leica SL3. (OK, an SL2) On the second day (not) of Christmas, my dealer sold to me, a Canon R3. (OK, an R5) On the third day (not) of Christmas, my dealer sold to me, a Nikon Z6III. (OK, a Canon R5)

I can't keep up with the different camera every day but I'm proud of you for just leaning into the addiction 😉 Have you got some sort of camera advent calendar situation going on with Foto Meyer ?

Indeed. Any notion that the vagaries of Apple II based sampling/sequencing systems of yore is of any interest to the birds is, as they say, "for the birds". Hang on, I may have crossed the streams there. Live scenes as they react to my tales of 1984 technology

Sadly, I've reached the point where I have to choose between retaining a detailed knowledge of long forgotten music and recording technology or doing more than surface skimming a new camera spec sheet that I'm only vaguely interested in and thereby risk making erroneous assumptions. I can't do both so I'm off to sit on a park bench with my thermos flask of tea and a tartan rug where I will wax lyrical to passing birds about how to manipulate the tape sync and sequencer functions of the Greengate DS:3 to fool it into becoming a de-facto AMS 15-80S for live triggered drum replacement.

The CineD test simply shows the relationship between dynamics and the internal denoiser: The GH7 tested in raw clearly shows that the significant or total absence of denoiser, reduces the dynamics because there is noise. So if the G9Mkii, I also noticed, has a significantly better dynamics in testing, it is at the cost of smoothing.

I hadn't even noticed that there is a sticker, after using the camera for over a year. 😉 Having the battery door also access the cards means there has to be only one hatch instead of two. In a small camera, this makes some sense. Having more hatches splits the camera's surface and in this case it would probably affect how nice it is to hold with the right hand. The MicroSD card is a bit annoying; I would have preferred dual SD or SD/CFexpress type B but I solve the problem by simply having a 1 TB MicroSD card in the second slot permanently and never taking it out. I normally insert/remove the SD card and use a card reader with it, or stick it to the computer's internal SD card reader. The MicroSD card is the in-camera backup slot (for stills) and if I ever need to access those files on it, I do have a card reader for that as well, but I might use the USB-C cable to transfer those files as I don't want to handle the super-tiny MicroSD cards any more than necessary. The battery door seems similar to other Nikons with the EN-EL15c battery. I have never run into problems with it. In the Smallrig grip that came with the camera in my country (and also the Nikon GR-1 grip that is available in Japan) there is a gap in the base plate of the grip that allows batteries and cards to be accessed. The i button is an integral part of the menu system of the camera and allows accessing some important settings. I don't think Nikon should remove it from the camera as that would mean menu dives would have to be done for even some of the most common settings (since there are fewer physical controls belonging to the "modern" interface, to make space for the "traditional" dials). Another custom menu that is available is My Menu and that's a list of user-selectable menu items that is collected in a list that the user can order and access from a function button. I set the front Fn button to access My Menu. These menus are similar across Nikons of the past ten years or so, and leaving out the option to access one of them would be problematic and make camera operation slow. I don't need the joystick and the multi-controller works fine for my purposes. I use it in preference to the joystick even on cameras that have both because only the multi-controller is available on all Nikons and the joystick center button press can easily accidentally lead to slipping the jostick to the side. It's much easier to access the center button on the multi-controller reliably. I haven't noticed any quality of materials issue with the controls. I don't know what a PU grip is. There are multiple add-on grips and "skins" available for the Zf. I use the Smallrig grip when I need to use the Zf with a bit larger lens so it's a bit more comfortable to handle with a lens like 135/1.8. I don't think the camera is a good fit for really large lenses though, as it is too small and doesn't support an optional vertical grip. But in a pinch it can be used also with large lenses, just not ergonomically ideal but does the job as a backup camera. Auto ISO basically works the same as it does on all Nikon cameras that support Auto ISO. You specify the ISO you want to use and the camera overrides it when it has to do so to achieve the metered (+- EC) exposure. Since I have the front Fn button open My Menu and the Auto ISO setting is on the top of that list, I can toggle Auto ISO by pressing Fn + OK. It's no more difficult than pressing and holding ISO on other cameras and turning the sub-command dial to turn Auto ISO ON/OFF. I would argue that Fn + OK is even easier as it doesn't require any finger acrobatics. For video use, set the shutter speed dial to 1/3 STEP and use the main command dial to select shutter speed in 1/3 stop increments. Adding 1/50 and 1/120 on the shutter dial would throw off the classical settings and the idea that you can count stops by counting the clicks easily. They could of course shift the values by 1/3 stop - I believe this was available on the Df but not on the Zf or Zfc. But 1/125 s isn't 1/120 s, so specific video shutter speeds probably would make sense to offer for the main command dial when in video mode. Rumor is that Nikon will be adding shutter angle as option on the Z9 in a firmware update. I prefer the Z8's two-axis tilting screen over the one in the Zf which flips out. I find the flipping-out screen quite a nuisance as the camera strap can easily get entangled with it when opening it to the side. Another issue is that the flipped-out screen is (way) off axis whereas the two-axis tilting screen is close to being on the optical axis even when tilted. However, I think the two-axis screen would make the camera thicker and more expensive, and selfie shooters wouldn't be happy. Aperture rings are available on third-party lenses such as Viltrox, Voigtländer etc. Z6III has a faster sensor read time but more read noise than the Zf. There is in my opinion space for the higher quality Zf sensor for those who don't need the faster sensor read time and prefer the higher quality image. DISP is a different function from what is on the multi-controller up/down. DISP goes through different shooting information configurations (that one can configure if one wants to change them) during viewfinder or live view use while shooting, whereas up/down on the multi-controller moves the focus point when shooting and it shifts between different playback data displays in playback mode. Both need their own controls to scroll through. As for +/- zooming, it's been the same since at least 12 years on Nikons and I don't think they're changing it. 😉 It used to be that zooming in/out was a press-and-hold a button + turn main command dial, but I suspect most people find the separate +/- buttons easier on the fingers. What I don't like is that Nikon keeps shifting the buttons around from model to model, making it harder to instinctively use the camera without looking when using different models over time or even on the same day. I swapped the DISP and playback buttons in custom settings so that the playback button is closer to where it is on the Z8 (it's still not the same button but one above it). I don't normally press DISP all that often so it can be in more difficult-to-access location. Anyway my main complaints about the Zf (which I love to use) are that it doesn't have either of the standard Nikon connectors for firing radio flash (SB-5000) remotely and the same connectors also work for cable release which is also not available. Only via bluetooth can be the camera remote triggered and there is a slight delay associated with that, which is annoying. However, I bought the camera anyway for the reasons that (1) I love the dials-based interface and "feel", (2) it has a better high ISO image quality than the Z8 and so it's a good complement to the Z8 for low-light shooting; the mechanical shutter of the Zf also saved the day two weeks ago when I got banding on the electronic shutter of the Z8 in theatrical lights, (3) it has a slim profile so it takes very little space in the bag when I need it as a backup camera. If I changed something it would be adding a 10-pin connector so it would work with the same accessories and remote flash control as the Z8 and other recent Nikon cameras. But we have always something missing from the Nikon "fusion" models, and the Zf is the best of the line yet (Df/Zfc/Zf). Not having access to SB-5000 as radio remote is a significant problem for me as it means if I use the Zf as backup on a portrait shoot then I wouldn't be able to use those remotes if the main camera fails. So in the end I will need a third Z camera just for that purpose. It's sometimes hard to understand why Nikon takes away features that are useful. Perhaps they think SB-5000 radio remote control hasn't been that popular instead people choose cheaper options which sometimes work. The SB-5000 + WR-R10 has been very reliable for me, the best in that respect of any radio controlled flash. It just always works, and is less unwieldy on camera than Profoto. The Leica SL/SL2 are not similar cameras as they don't have mechanical dials with marked settings that one can use even with the camera off. Also the Leicas don't take Z lenses so for a Nikon lens user it's a no-go. As for the modern lenses, for me what is important is that the lineup produces a consistent look across focal lengths and the Z mount S-line does that for me. Yes, it's very modern and contrasty and that takes some getting used to be as long as there are no surprises I can work with it.

We can dream... Sony should go all in with a Minolta film camera style mirrorless. Of the two companies that should have bought the Olympus camera division, Panasonic and Sony, they could have been riding high on a full frame PEN by now had they some imagination.

Updated RX1R?

I'm all about smaller sensors for passion projects in 2024. The EOS-M, GH1, and FZ47, specifically. I strive for a deeper depth of field, yet somehow a bit soft. After all of this trial and error over the past 15+ years, that's what looks best to me. And the shooting experience is a lot simpler and more straightforward than with modern cameras, which I feel is more fun and makes me more creative. Funny how it has come back around full circle to some of the first sensors I've ever used...

The Realtime LUTs on the M43/Lumix cameras are worth it for that feature alone. Some of the ones by Nick Driftwood are amazing but I'm also having a lot of fun tweaking the image to my taste. With the update to the Metabones to work with phase detection, it's brought new life to the Sigma 18-35 (which I had sold and now re-bought). This is for when I need to work in lowlight. Otherwise, I much prefer running around with my 15mm f1,7 , 25mm f1.4 and 42.5 f1.7 primes. So easy to carry around. I have the Sony A7iv as well but the G9ii is a much more fun camera to use.

Please don't. This is one of the main challenges for society - the people who care about truth enough to learn anything about the world self-censor when they realise they don't know everything or make mistakes. Meanwhile, the people who don't care about truth and don't know very much about the world continue broadcasting at full volume unabashedly.

My mistake. I didn’t see those links. They aren’t lenses that were ever widely available or made. I suspect they were maybe only for the Japan market. I’ve never seen those 16mm lenses. And they “probably” are really for the broadcast video market.

I'm doing this a lot recently. I need to take the hint and retire. Ignore everything @Andrew Reid