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After 4+ yrs of shooting on my trusty Nikon Z6 I decided it was finally time for an upgrade. I wanted internal 10 bit and better IBIS. I felt I had pushed my Z6 really hard and taken my due diligence to use it on tons of shoots and really make the most out of it, so upgrading felt fine to me haha. Originally got a Canon R7 and Sigma 18-35; I filmed a lot on a Canon R5 and loved it. I equally love the r7, decent lowlight for a crop sensor, great ergonomics and image, really fun camera to shoot with. But then I found the deal of a lifetime…a Panasonic S9 AND the 20-60mm for only $700?!?!? How?!?!? I’m fortunate to have a good reputable liquidation auction in my area and they happened to have the Panasonic S9 open box with this lens up for bid. I bid on it and won and am picking up today; if I love this camera, I return or sell the Canon R7. If I prefer the R7, I can literally sell the Panasonic for a profit. But seems like such an insane camera for the price even what it normally goes for on eBay. But $700 for this pair is insanity; I could sell the kit lens if I wanted to and be paying under $600 for an S9 body haha…now we are almost in what used to be Panasonic G7 pricing territory (my first camera). So pumped for this camera; I can overlook its flaws for how cheap it is for me. I never been use an EVF and I don’t take photos enough to really miss the electronic shutter or lack of a hotshoe. For me the excellent IBIS, full frame, lowlight, 6k open gate etc etc make this camera appealing. I ordered the smallrig cage with a grip; this will be my a-cam and I might keep my OG Nikon Z6 as a b-cam, since with the ninja v its full frame 10 bit image will match well with really any camera I get. But yeah, can’t get over how good of a deal this thing is. Picking it up from the auction today, will make a more detailed comparison post against my R7 and document what I decide to keep.

Context matters in film production. You have more context. What you possess through experience is an asset. --Might be a minor asset that doesn't really matter much, but it's certainly not a liability.

There’s a whole language baked into those Hollywood classics frames: actors, wardrobe, blocking, lighting, set design… every element supports the tone. Even a single still says so much because it’s built around subject, not just color and grain. Also checked the Mexico & Tokyo Gawx videos. What’s cool there is how different the tools are (one shot on Fuji, one literally on an iPhone), yet both look super filmic. That’s not just the grade in DaVinci, it’s how he shoots. The variety of angles, the rhythm of edits, the way shots alternate between wide/symmetrical and close/intimate. There’s a real visual language there, and the music choices help carry the mood. Kinda Wes Anderson meets lo-fi travel doc. All of which kind of reinforces the point that gear and grading matters, but what you point it at and how you frame/cut it matters a whole lot more. Vintage lenses and power grades are dope, but the film look really comes alive when there’s composition, movement, and some intention behind the shots. As someone else mentioned above, it’s hard to judge when youre shooting plants or the kitchen. Nothing wrong with testing gear but cinema’s called motion pictures for a reason. If nothing’s moving, not the subject or the camera, it starts to feel more like still photography with a film LUT on top. You don’t need actors either, just find something with a bit of energy or make the camera do the work. For further inspiration, there’s a young travel filmmaker on YouTube whose shorts are very cinematic (albeit clean digital, not in any retro lofi aesthetic). I found him as I was looking for Canon R5ii 4K SRAW footage. This probably won't help you in the chased 35mm film anamorphic look aesthetic but in the end what really stood out is how mature his visual language and storytelling is, and his last video breaks down his inspirations and techniques:

I've sold them probably 15k+ over the years and just sold them 2 bodies and 4 lenses and they upped the quote on the 2 bodies even though I selected 'Excellent' for my OG quote, raising what they were going to pay me by nearly €150. I was 'happy' with the OG quote and wasn't expecting another cent...but I'll take it with thanks! No going back now, I'm now officially 100% L Mount. Didn't think that was going to happen and just 3-4 months ago, I would have said I would probably be 0% L Mount in 2026. And before some wit says, "you still might", even if you're paying, I don't think so, - never had a better set up and can't fault it other than one more tweak too the exact combo of bodies and lenses to make. There is nothing else comparable for me that exists at this time and if it did, it would only be a sideways move at a lot of expense, ie, pointless.

It works perfectly and if I decide to sell it, I will let you know and with pictures! I got a filter adapter ring stuck and had to use a pair of pliers to remove it causing some damage to the thread which then meant in order to use a filter again, I had to use some of that black weld stuff to adapt a new filter adapter.. I don't even really notice it as it's all black on black on black, but it meant I kept the thing rather than sell it. I still might keep it as a 'walkabout lens' though as currently the S9 with it is my best answer to having a compact EDC...