IronFilm

The replacement for the NX1 will no doubt be out in the near future. I'm thinking Sammy is on a roll right now, so who knows what they will have to offer. Between Samsung, Sony and Panasonic, good options are within sight.

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Sony Pmw-F3L has a nicer image compared to A7s having used both camera, advantage of A7s though is of course low light, external resolution and full frame, but imo I think the Sony F3 is one of the best cameras that definitely flew under the radar.
 
 

because I use them a lot on jobs where we need 3 cameras or more.
Has 10 bit codec output umcompressed and better highlight handling - about 13 stops to my eyes vs 12 stops on c300
and well motion feels better to me.
C300 has nicer skintones out of the gate and also has more resoliving detail - but still F3 is a steal right now.  And it's better for doc when you need the extra dynamic range in the highlights for doc-like conditions.
 

​The new firmware allows it to do automatic restarting I believe. Which for many people can at least overcome most of the annoyance with the 30 minute limit for B cam usage. 

I reckon competition vs other low (or even no!) budget video guys is rife in such areas (Facebook groups / Craigslist).
My plan is a mix of old fashioned door knocking plus modern online advertising (YT/FB/Google/etc).

​I'd love a m4/3 mount on every s35 and smaller camera. It's by far the most flexible lens mount out there.

m4/3 on s35 is a genius idea. Its been requested by Blackmagic users for years and now when JVC has released it I think a lot of people see the potential.
Having s35, m4/3, s16 all in one camera.

I don't know about that. My experience is limited to the GH4, but I can see a huge improvement in detail and noise by shooting 4K scaled to 1080p in post, rather than shooting 1080p in-camera. And in my 8bit vs 10bit comparison tests, it's nearly impossible to tell one from the other on a 10bit monitor until you start to aggressively grade it.

Good luck! Sounds similar to my plan I've got here in Auckland (NZ) to team up with a friend 

Im a total vintage lens hoarder and therefore see the appeal of Sony in front of Canikon.
I've had the A7 and really enjoyed it with cheap glass. 
But honestly, in that respect Panasonic kills the A7x.
Anybody want to prove me wrong, show me the FF equivalent of thousands of nice small, compact, well built ,fast, and cheap primes streching all the way from 8mm Kowa to Fujinon 5mp 25mm.
For me even m4/3 is to big. S16 is where it's at :)

Should you switch from 4/3 to Sony? Hard to say. It's certainly tempting looking at the specs. 
I was was once a full frame user but switched to gh2 years ago. It's video features and small size really appealed but I did struggle for a while. I missed my full frame look and low light. But I stuck with the format. I've invested in all the fastest native lenses like the 42.5 f1.2, 50mm f1.4, 75mm f1.8 etc and it's really opened my eyes to the potential of m43 sensors. Now im using these lenses on gh4 which sensor-wise is a huge improvement over the gh2. I now don't see the need for full frame at all. I have all the shallow Dof I need and low light preformance is great, all without a speed booster which must be amazing (not being able to use a speedboosters is my only regret by choosing native lenses).
Anyway, my point is I think with technology advances, m43 sensors in time will be able to produce very clean images at high iso which really leaves no reason to go back to full frame for me. I'd say stick with m43 and the lenses you have invested in. 

​I've noticed a huge improvement in skin tones with V-Log L, I've been bitching about Cine-D 'wax face' for some time. I've only shot preliminary tests with 10 bit, but it does look to make a difference in skies. I'll test it more thoroughly this week.

The killer mod for an A72 would be internal ND's. If it can't be done for multiples why not a slot to slide in behind the lens ND's like old Panavision cameras. That would be the feature that would makes this a completely film and photo friendly cam. Not sure stills makers never ponder behind the lens ND's if they want to edge the competition.

First of all, my country's customs not always tax my buyings, as many times the parcel just pass ... While with this GSP you always pay B)
It is supposed that they have to give you a receipt of payment for those taxes, but till now and for a total amount of more than €1000 that I have paid to GSP, they never gave me this invoice/receipt of the taxes payment, and they refused to give me everytime I asked for it, and this thing really "smell" ... I have sent emails to GSP for that reason and asked from them a copy of the receipt for the taxes that I paid, but they never replied, while when I needed any other info from them, I always got a reply within 24 hours. That's why I will contact the officials, as this is something like: "You pay for import taxes, but we import your item as non taxable one and we keep that money" ;)
Just my thoughts.

I had recently 2 awful experiences as a buyer, with this quite new "shipping+taxes" option (or "Global Shipping Program") that eBay uses:
 
I bought the first item and eBay's shipping company had it for days in their storage place, without never contacting me for delivery. I tried to contact them, and I had to pay for the call €5 (~$6.5), as they charge €1.34 the call, then 0.36/min and they have you waiting for at least 10-12min, without finally accepting your call, with the excuse that the lines are too busy and that you'll have to call later again...
Finally, one day, they came to deliver, but without even ringing my bell, they put it (a signed-for shipment) inside my box...
 
The second one, they never delivered any parcel, but their tracking status indicates that they did delivered to my hands and that they've put my name as the person who received the parcel... When I opened a dispute on PayPal for this, Paypal in dt time, closed the case, with the excuse that they can't help on this and that I have to find a solution with the seller!... In any other similar case, if the seller had shipped via any other carrier, they could ask him to show them (to PayPal) the proof of delivery, asking this from the shipping carrier... If the shipping company couldn't prove that they had my real signature, then the money had to be returned to me. But as this new company is eBay's (so & PayPal's) business, they of course closed their eyes, as they can't blame their own company. SO, I lost $273.76...
 
I will NEVER-EVER buy any item from sellers that they are using this "Global Shipping Program" again! NEVER! I've found though that there are hundreds of others with similar, like mine, problems...
 
If you are selling on eBay and you want to avoid any negative feedback caused by similar cases, never use this option again please.
To be able to do so, please follow this next steps, to block this shipping option from your sales:
Your ebay>>account>>site preferences>>posting and packaging preferences>Offer the Global Shipping Programme, then on the right hand side of the screen change yes to NO and save changes.
 
By the way I have to say that, with this "Global Shipping Program", buyers are paying more on import taxes, than if they had to pay straight to their customs...
 
That's all from me.

There's no free lunch in optics. Light, fast, cheap. Pick two.
Personally, even though the range is quite short, I think it's useful to have a zoom that can double as a variable prime. Many of the big cinema lens manufacturers (Zeiss, Cooke, Panavision, etc) bend over backwards to provide as many focal lengths as possible in this 24mm-35mm range. There's a reason why Cooke S4s come in 25mm, 27mm, 32mm and 35mm focal lengths. If you're very particular about your frame, a couple of millimeters makes a big difference.

Thanks for the awesome information as always, Andrew.
I do wholeheartedly disagree that the GH5 needs to be Super 35, though. Panasonic should stick to their guns and their strengths of a small hybrid with incredible video controls, features (like anamorphic mode that nobody else currently offers) and reliability. The smaller sensor and its better heat dissipation allows best-in-class battery life and limitless recording time which are paramount features for someone who uses the GH4 for their business like me.
The GH line has matured beautifully over the years and I don't think "bigger is better" on the sensor front. I would say a Super 35 sensor (or m43 sensor with 8 or 12mp) would make sense in an AF100 successor though.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love better lowlight capability and more DOF options in my GH camera, but not at the sacrifice of the aforementioned positives. This new Sony is a beast, no doubt, but it's probably still going to be quirky in places. However, I'm really watching Sony's progress with interest because on this trajectory the A7s II will probably be impossible to resist adding to the arsenal.
 

For professional photography, which requires AF most of the time, I can understand. However, if they were to invest in Nikon-F mount lenses, there would be no probably with system jumping. It's actually why I invested in a bunch of Nikon AIS lenses years ago. They've survived the jump from my 7D, to NEX-5, to D7100, to GH3 to BMCC and BMPCC, to GH4, to A6000 and A7s. In fact, I'd say the Nikon 28mm AIS F2.8 is the best lens I've ever owned. Not only in build-quality, but in optics. Masterpiece of a lens.

I pretty much agree with the sentiments of this article.
1st off...I have owned the GH4 for about a year now, and actually I love the Camera, I have become a lot more skilled in how to set it up and use it over the last few months.
I love what I am now getting out of the camera, and yes there was a learning curve with the GH4 to get the best out of it...I found that despite the fact that I used the GH2 for a long time as well.
BUT (And I am not pissing in Andrews pocket here) there were 2 sources that really helped get the GH2 a lot of recognition...and that was EOSHD and Personal View, plus the Vitaliy / Driftwood hacks.
Now Panasonic appear to have given Nick Driftwood a copy of V-Log2,(thats good)  yet not Andrew?
I know Andrew and Vitaliy appear to not get on...but that aside, to not give Andrew or Vitaliy a copy is nuts.
Now both parties dont speak of Panasonic that favorably...can you really blame them? they gave Panasonic free advertising for several years, by virtue of genuine enthusiasm and some honest criticism as well.
Now Panasonic more or less snub them and give copies to others, ...Seriously!!  they get a D or lower for marketing!!
PLUS...The current users of the GH4 have recieved no information why it has taken sooo long to get the V-Log L right...apart from Ilya Freedman saying once or twice...its coming sometime, cant say more than that tho...once again Panansonic gets lower than a D for marketing...possibly a Z for ZZZZZZ.
Yes I know...They cant give away secrets and all that (I have been a 3d beta tester and builder for years...I know about this stuff) and I know crap when I see it, and Pannys marketing is crap!! with a capital C.
They could easily say "We value our users, and we are developing V-Log L. we want to get it right and this V-Log  that will increase this or that in the Camera...they could easily do this and not give away a thing...but nope.... [...] corporate silence and seat warming....and the occasional Youtube vid showing a flat vs some LUT applied along with Youtube compression...so GH4 owners can guess away...seriousy this is BS!!
Meanwhile Sony has been chomping at the bit and moving into overdrive with mirrorless cams , BMD has created some really exciting new cameras coming up (yes they are generally more expensive...and they are only on paper right now, but they are still competition)...and of course Samsung has entered the market and made aggressive firmware updates to the NX1.
Meanwhile Panny has done a little, but probably Too little...and Too late, they really need to get off the collective corporate arses and do something ..or say something thats solid.
And give the firmware to some of the bloggers like Andrew!!
[...] As I said I am a fan of the GH4, but if they dont get a clue soon..I for one will be looking at Sony, BMD or Samsung for my next cam for certain.
 

A couple of reasons why the market needs to be pro-active about this.  First users are tired of paying good money for camera bodies that are obsolete in 12-18 months.  Second, imagine your a rental house and your faced with having to keep your inventories current, its getting to where its not going to be sustainable.  Keeping your current camera body for 36 months and leveraging firmware (even paid) to keep it updated for that period of time makes much more sense. 

The A7RII isnt even out yet, and for some reason this makes the GH4 (which is now over a year old and a third of the price) insignificant? Do brand new camera releases suddenly mean the previous awesome camera (GH4) isn't awesome enough to film with? 
I haven't bought a GH4, A7S, NX1, FZ100, LX100, G7.. (or any other 4k mirrorless). Still using my GH3 as the small camera. It does fine, still makes money. Doesnt have V Log or 4k and is just as good as when I bought it 2 and a half years ago. All on cheapo FD lenses. 
Firmware is a simple equation. Either crippled for product segmentation or promising the world (whilst delivering poorly in other key areas such as battery life!). Let's just buy ALL the cameras and we can have all the firmware we want! 
I do agree firmware is very important though. Poor firmware affects my creativity. The slow, sluggy speed of the FS7 menus means I have less time to work on the shot. The Monitor LUT dissapears. WHY!? The 1DC (official cinema DSLR champion) doesn't have peaking. And this camera launched for $634,000,345 as a Cinema EOS whatever thingy. 
"Modern" firmware is the way forward. Samsung has ideas and Blackmagic really seem to be onto a really simple, inutitive, elegant system. Sexy. 

While I agree that V-log on the GH4 should be released Asap, since it is already late I kind of disagree on releasing lots of firmware updates.
I feel that Samsung should have done more to make the H.265 format more editing software compatible. That is doing its bit for greater sync. The biggest complaint of users was inability to use the codec either completely, or fast enough, and that workflow was seriously hindered.
Right now the GH Series only lacks in-body stabilisation and higher ISO. The higher ISO is partially dealt with by faster lenses, that with the new metabones adaptor go all the way up to f.0.8. That's 2/3rd of a stop more light that an f2.8 lens. While I am sure the next in the GH series may consider in-body stabilization, new pistol gimbals have mostly dealth with that too. 
One can add these, considering the Enormous Price difference betwern Panasonic and its Sony competitors.
 
About the Varicam, well it records in 3 different formats, simultaneously, and has some very interesting in-camera grading options apart from a host of other great features.
The good thing about Panasonic from GH2 onwards, is that they seriously listen to user feedback. Only if they would hurry up with the V-log now. 

I can't totally agree on this and weight on the final part sounds a bit bitter.
I do agree that Panasonic took a bit too long and that this delay may cost them but I think it's a bit unfair to call out Panasonic like that almost like they were Canon itself.
There is a reason why Samsung is doing this. First because they can, Panasonic does not have the same firepower and resources as either Sony or Samsung, Panasonic is much more like Fuji. Secondly because Samsung is the one racing from behind, the one that had no credit in the market so if they were any serious about video, they HAD to show that to the world, so the firmware guerrilla is a big part of that and a way to sustain interest from people.
I don't think Panasonic would had been able to offer V-long off the bat, I doubt they had resources or engineers for that, at the time they were already proving the first of its kind, they were the one pushing bounderies. Sony wasn't even able to provide internal 4K in time with the A7s, that's why they pushed the S-log. Sure, after that Panasonic should had start thinking more serious about providing V-log since it was clear that it was a matter of time before 4K was coming to Sony cameras.
Panasonic still provided the FZ1000, the LX100 and now the G7, which seems to be an excellent budget choice, all great cameras for the price and feats and only now Sony is catching up on that front. So, from my POV, this is back and forth and Panasonic is a bit late but just that.
Panasonic won't come up with a new GH camear every year like Sony is doing with the A7 family. The A7s still doesn't offer internal 4K and it will never do that, and as I said, Panasonic doesn't have that same power to push new products like that.
But Panasonic better wake up though. With Sony being able to provice internal 4K, S-log2, IBIS, etc. Sony basically took away most of Panasonic's upside. Panasonic still has the better lens ecosystem but with adapted lens with electronic connectors working as they are with the A7RII, anyone that have Canon glass can easily jump into Sony, just selling their Canon body. So Panasonic better come up with a new sensor, better sensitivity, faster readouts - possibly better slowmo -, IBIS, 4K/slowmo, etc. Panasonic still have a swivel screen, no overheating issue, better battery and some other things but that's barely enough now. Maybe not just a GH camera but an AF as well.
I would like Sony to make the rumored A9. They could use their new tech for faster readouts and improved low light. There are 2 alternatives. One would be something like a bigger brother of the A7s with that insane low light capabilities and DR, another, which I think might be interesting as well, would be to make a sensor with more pixels, which would allow them to have lots of PDAF - to work well with electronic adapters - but one that could do 1:1 pixel crop in Super35/APS-C mode in 4K. I think they would need a 24MP sensor, this way you have the option for FF or Super35, in Super35, you would get less rolling shutter and differently from the A7s or A7RII, a true 4K image output. You could even use Metabones to get more light and FF look. Plus, 24MP would be enough for photographers as well. With a bigger body Sony will be able to put a better shutter for faster burst, without the miniaturization limitation that the A7 family faces, it would have better battery life, zero overheating issues and a swivel screen as well.
I'm not sure Sony is ready to make the A9, but I think a camera like that would be pretty nice and it would make sense as well, it wouldn't be cheap though but I doubt Canon would be able to respond to that with a possible 5D MKIV or even upcoming EOS-C cameras.
Anyway, this is all about competition and this is great for consumers. What more can we expect from the A7s II, the GH5 and what's the next step for Samsung?

Panasonic disrupted everyone last year and this year they got disrupted. I don't think they deserve the criticism yet.
I do think you have a great point that firmware is the way forward as hardware is really solid now.

This reminds me of when everybody was falling over themselves for the Sony A7r when it came out!
But then along came the A7s....   I'll just wait :-D
History will repeat itself.