ntblowz

I would get their 28mm f4.5 body cap lens for sure, perfect match to S9!

The AI was trained about overrigging a camera with Caleb Pike.

Stunning.

I would get their 28mm f4.5 body cap lens for sure, perfect match to S9!

I would get their 28mm f4.5 body cap lens for sure, perfect match to S9!

Well having mulled it around in my noggin for a few months, plus based on actually owning one and shooting a wedding with it...and then selling it for another S5II for a couple of reasons, I have decided I will get an S9 again.
Why?
I'm pretty sure I am welded to LUMIX/L Mount (for video at least) for what remains of my career and I have gone backwards and forwards over whether I am best served by having 2 units or 3 and come to the conclusion, 3 is the magic number.
If I had not recently sold my third S5II, I'd have been running with 3 of the things in 2025, but as I did sell it last month, I'm going to take the opportunity to pick up an S9 again.
Why an S9 over another S5II?
I have an S5II with battery grip on a heavyweight tripod with 70-200 pulling static duty.
I have an S5II in a cage on a lightweight tripod with 28-70 pulling static and quick to move about duty.
I need/want a roaming in hand/lightweight monopod unit I can keep on me that is super lightweight.
Lack of a second card slot and no built in fan were and still are slight negatives, but the rest of the what are for me, features over the S5II make sense.
Ideally I'd like those multiple frame markers and the video zoom function will make shooting prime lenses more practical and along with some other very minor stuff, makes up a compelling package for me.
I've gone around the houses also regarding what lens to pair it with and initially it was going to be a used S Pro 50mm f1.4 but then for the same money, I could get a smaller and lighter Sigma 50mm f1.2, but then for less than one third of the cost, an even smaller and lighter Lumix 50mm f1.8. So that's what I am going to pair it with.
Already have the Smallrig cage I saved from last time.
And it's available in my corporate logo red colour so it would be rude not to also have a camera with a red body 😋

Yep. So many good things are now just useless. It's almost like it was planned all along.  Or it might have started with good intentions but then shareholders or agent provocateurs from competitors get on the board and make it less useful.
I remember this video art piece that was aired on broadcast TV. They bought air time to show it. We (the viewers) are the product and sold to the advertisers. The content is just a way to bring in the products.
 

The great David Lynch passed away. Here's a trailer of one of my favorite films he made:
More recently, he made his weather reports... I'm thinking of a long, long joke, but I'm sure it gave him a good reason to make something (wish I could do that sometimes).
He will be missed.

Well, my little black X-M5 finally arrived from Japan and wow, it’s tiny. Had some fun rigging it up as a tiny little micro cinema cam today LOL. USB C dummy battery arrives tomorrow and a couple little accessories to mount the Ninja V+ in a way that doesn’t look too ridiculous. Only complaint so far is the smallrig cage for it is a little overpriced and doesn’t come in all black. Just the strange steampunk looking retro vibes. 
 

This guy should be banned from doing business

Well it looks like you can’t keep a good man (and his Lamborghini) down.

It is currently going about as well as expected.
 

VR is fun! I've worked on a number of VR projects over the years. 
I've got my own 360VR cameras and an ambisonic microphone, so if you ever wish to get together to collaborate on anything then I'll be keen to join in and help. 

Thanks! Might explore gaming and VR related stuff, one of the non-profit religion group I m working with have teaching in VR, that was quite a cool experience.

I'm in the same boat. I work for a non profit, so it's a steady 9-5. But I love the work, most of the projects are my own creations, so videos I can get somewhat excited about. My salary is modest, but steady. We drive a 14 year old vehicle and live in a 900 square foot house in the country. No debt other than the mortgage. Most of my work is from home in a small mini barn I converted into an office/studio. It's amazing the peace you can find from living a simple lifestyle. Our income is pretty small compared to many these days, but we live really comfortably. Owning things in cash, buying used, and not trying to keep up with the Jone's can go a long way in building a comfortable life. 

This conversation feels like it's about freedom, debt, and burnout. Debt traps us, stealing our freedom and leading to burnout. Sometimes, you don't even realize you're caught in this cycle until it's too late. Societal norms, the pressure to consume, and the desire to 'keep up with the Joneses' often play a bigger role than most will admit. The only way out, for some, is to simplify their lifestyle and buy back their freedom by escaping debt. I've done this myself—it was hard, but worth it.
I'm not in video creation beyond family videos, but I see parallels in education. Educators often start out wanting to make a difference, finding meaning in their work. Yet, burnout looms. Many students seem uninterested in learning or disrupt others, reflecting the challenges of our current society.
Ultimately, no job is meaningless, but life itself can feel trivial if we lose perspective. We take nothing to the grave. What endures is the relationships we build—primarily with family and friends. Occasionally, you might be remembered for something you've done or created, even if you never know it. So, enjoy your time. Treat others with respect. Honor those who came before you, and perhaps you’ll be honored in return. Reaching retirement is a gift—not everyone gets there.

Don't want to start 2025 with a negative post, but I saw this depressing new year resolution today:

Nothing wrong with being a train operator, but we're at a point that being a train operator is a better career option than shooting pro video with RED cameras. 

I’ve never really compared what I earn with anyone else or anything I do with what anyone else does, or charges for.
In fact I don’t really know. Or care.
I don’t mean to sound in any way flippant or pretentious, but I genuinely have little to no idea what anyone else is doing in my industry or who my ‘competitors’ are, but simply/instead ask am I hitting my own set numbers?
If so…and I have more or less for 25 years now, then that is where my interest and time spent on that ends.
If I broke it down, pro rata, per hour, I’d probably be on an ‘above average’ rate, but then factor in everything else from number of hours worked per annum to full-time employment perks and benefits, then pretty sure I would be ‘below average’.
It’s all relative and yet irrelevant if the overall big picture of life vs income etc works for each of us as individuals.
My neighbour have a Porsche parked on his drive, a 5 bed mansion and earn 250k a year…but he also works 80 hours a week and has no life other than working relentlessly to support that lifestyle.
If that’s his choice, fair enough, but would not be and isn’t my choice!

I wonder does shutter close when shut down contribute to this issue, I know on Sony people have been recommending not to close shutter when shut down to keep their life longer.
I myself mostly use the R7 for video so it's not like I take photos a lot, even if I do take photos it is mostly electronic shutter anyway. 

Start using the S9 yesterday, I really dig the LUT implantation on Panasonic, quite intuitive actually.
The 3.8k opengate 50mbps to keep file size small is a huge plus over 200mbps 6.2k opengate for quick social edits on ur phone
 

 

Hello everyone,
I've invested months in making this free tutorial on how to achieve the best possible quality from color negative scans made at home with a digital camera without using plugins.
https://github.com/alchemy-color/color-negative-inversion
Based on my previous work with digital camera calibration and emulation, I decided to dive into negative film with a mission in mind:
- What could be the most accurate way of capturing and inverting the color negative in the digital domain with simple means such as a DSLR and an iPad backlight?
After extensive measurements and intensive testing, I developed a method that allowed me to scan and invert a Kodak Gold 200 photograph of a ColorChecker SG with a resulting average color similarity DeltaE of around 2.70. This exceptional value serves as a testament not only to the accuracy of the method but also to the virtues of color negative film in terms of its color accuracy.
Thank you to Reddit users Aaron Buchler (u/Ab_film_92) for the inversion technique and Jack Whitaker (u/jrw01) for his informative article on scanner backlights. Both were fundamental in helping me understand where to go with my methods.
Full disclaimer: Close to the end of the video, I promote a product created alongside this research. https://alchemycolor.com/film-emulation/.
Color negative emulation is an innovative method if turning digital images into accurate facsimiles of film negatives and ingesting them into plugins such as Negative Lab Pro or FilmLab.
Looking forward to hearing opinions and seeing your results.
Cheers

It really is an excellent lens. I use it for pro-wrestling around ringside, because if it gets damaged it's not a big loss since they are so affordable but I also don't feel like I am sacrificing image quality by using it.

The real question is whether you'd rather be cool in summer (living in Italy) or a new camera? It can get pretty bad there. Also, if you don't make more money with a new camera, this air conditioner is likely to save you quite a bit- paying for a new camera, of course.

Bought a S9 and gonna use it to do a tribute video of my mum while she is still in good shape this holiday.

Just got the S9 from airport, that 15% discount on tax on top of promo discount is pretty good value, and given it is only NZ$100 more for the 20-60 kit so I got this combo instead of the 18-40 which cost $1000 more 😂 ( another ridiculous pricing from Pana)
I m thinking getting the Meike 35mm F2, should go well with 20-60mm.