Juank

Carnage on Shoot 01
Second Rode WG2 was DOA
At least I knew about this in advance…
Within the space of 10 mins, damaged my video workhorse Sigma 28-70 and totally destroyed my stills Tamron 28-75, plus A7 baseplate.
Managed to soldier on with the Sigma for video but could have switched to a 20-60 but it’s going to need to go into repair ASAP.
Just had to order a new Tamron though and then see if this one can be fixed as the lens came clean off the mount.
Had to switch early to the 10-40 which is a bit wider than I’d have liked but hey ho, nothing like a baptism of fire.
The damage was all caused by the Cotton Carrier system and first thing when I get back will be switching back to my previous twin set up of harness plus Spider Holster.
The harness system means you cannot drop a camera. The Spider Holster takes the weight off your shoulders/back and on to your hips and stops the cameras swinging around as they tend to with a harness.
Lessons learned 🤑
Otherwise GREAT set up.

That’s actually one of my best investments. Along with the motorhome/RV.
The moho/RV saves me around €7k per annum that I am not spending on bed & board and will claw back around 35-40% of its purchase price after 10 years use.
The cart will be worth fuck all after 10 years, if it even lasts that long…which I doubt, but every wedding I use it at (which is almost all of them) it’s been invaluable. Single trip from van to somewhere convenient within the venue with all my kit loaded up which otherwise would be 3-4 walking trips each end of the day. 
Last job of the year it’s going to be especially useful as it’s nearly 1km from the closest parking to the church with no drop off opportunity as the roads are too tiny and I can’t get close. But I can trundle my trolley 2km. Kind of…

Something tells me the R1 is not the last 1 series EOS R camera to come...
https://www.eoshd.com/news/hint-wait-for-the-canon-eos-r1x/
After all, back in the day they did split the 1D and 1DS didn't they?

I am way past the pixel peeping days, any camera produced in the last 5+ years from any vendor can produce fantastic image quality. Just get what works best for your workflow and if it doesn't live up to your expectations then find something that does because I guarantee you something out there will.

8K via YouTube won't look true. It will have been manipulated by your display for a start, downscaled to fit. Compressed to hell. Any sharpness in the original image will look worse.
I miss the days when people were a bit more savvy about pixel peeping.
Downloading the original files from Vimeo...
Looking for signs of aliasing.
And in-camera colour science was more important prior to the everything being shot in LOG format.

8K with that firmware update for 500Mbit 10bit 422 is what the a1 is all about
The super 35mm mode is your usual 5.8k downsampled to UHD... That has been around since the a7r II. No complaints with it but the full frame 8K is stunning.
When the R1 hits $2000 on eBay as pro cameras tend to do... and Sony a1 comes down under $3k used, things will start to get very interesting again for enthusiasts.

Actually, the Sigma EF APS-C 18-35 F1.8 lives on my R7.  I only use EF lenses on my R7 for one important reason......because I can use the Meike vND RF to EF adapter with them. It turns the R7 into the perfect video camera. I would lose that with RF lenses. Using EF lenses is great as well because they are so cheap but optically excellent, so if you need something "new" you will save a lot of money vs RF. Yes the RF lenses are sharper but with video that's not necessarily a good thing.
Really the only two lenses I use on my R7 for everything is the EF 24-105 F4 for daylight projects and the Sigma EF 18-35 F1.8 for low light projects.
If I get the R5 II I will probably keep the same setup...EF lenses only with vND for video.  Canon never seems to confirm that the R5 has dual native ISO (800 and 3200) but if the R5II does have dual native ISO then 3200 will mean I can use slower lenses like the 24-70 F2.8 at night which would replace the Sigma 18-35. I also need to research the crop modes some more; I will be interested to see what kind of quality the crop modes provide. If they are equivalent or better than the R7 then I can still use my Sigma 18-35 on the R5II.
I am still not a fan of the R5C, no IBIS is the main deal breaker because I shoot almost exclusively handheld, also the R5C has lower DR than the R5II as evidenced by the omission of CLOG2, and the whole switching entire OS to go from photo to video was never appealing to me either. 

But great news if you want a big built-in screen and minimal physical buttons...   the camera already exists and is fairly affordable, especially when on sale.
 
https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera

There is a chance to go past 3" screens on the larger mirrorless cameras.
All they need to do is reposition the joystick and get rid of the large jog wheel.
Then the buttons below the screen can be screen icons as touch screens work better 5" rather than 3.
When the screen is flipped out, it won't be any heavier as we'd use an OLED panel and titanium frame.
At any rate it would definitely still be much lighter than a smartphone as it is just the panel, no internals like battery.
So it shouldn't unbalance the camera when in use, and I'd prefer it to flip out rather than twizzle out anyway.
Why haven't we gone past 3" do you think? Lack of demand, cost, or something else?

That's a pity you didn't put in a little extra effort to look further. There is one listed right now for only US$12K: https://www.ebay.com/itm/175568291816 
You missed out on a bargain! 

And PS, I'm not laughing at you, but laughing at the imaginary scenario where as a one man band hybrid shooter, I attempt to juggle 3x zero IBIS or AF cameras that weigh about 5x as much and cost about that also. If not more.
I also 'dismissed' anything from BM, the Sony Burano and the Alexa LF.

I didn’t dismiss it because it wasn’t even in the conversation.
It would be like, “OK, you were shopping around for a hot hatchback circa €15k on the used market, why didn’t you consider a lightly used €75k Porsche Cayenne?”
Pair of bare bones S5ii and a single under 1kg with lens S9 vs 3x rigged out Red Komodo?
No offense, but it would be an utter fucking nightmare! 😂

Will do for sure.
It wasn’t even on my radar and I didn’t even know it was coming until a few days prior to the big Japan launch and even then, initially dismissed it as I was not looking for a ‘content creators’ tool and there was so much negativity…but enough positivity from some of the actual filmmakers who attended.
For stills, nah.
For ‘proper’ filmmaking, nah. 
But for what I am interested in which is basically a smaller and lighter S5ii, bingo!
So it very rapidly became of interest to me.
Having extensive use of the S5ii, I can’t see it as being anything but that smaller & lighter unit that suits my needs.

Well I can’t do that for at least another month as I think the release date is 23rd July?
At least in Europe and then with delivery, might even be early Aug…
I don’t shoot in any of those modes but can certainly try them for you at some point.
I think there’s an equation for the ‘gimbal-like’ crop IBIS mode and I think that info is on the S9 topic?
Fortunately, for my needs, I don’t think I will have any heat related issues,
A. because I will never be shooting more than 10 second clips with it and
B. never had an overheating issue with a Lumix camera before but including the OG S5 which if I remember correctly, lacked the vents of the S5ii?
Never even had a warning or heard anything from any unit, ever, even in 40+ in the shade, full sun, 30+ minute conditions.
Goes back to consistency and trusting your kit. I trust Lumix for anything like this because it has proved itself time and time again to be as good as it gets.
Unlike those flakes over at *cough* Canon 😜

And as I was saying before I rudely interrupted myself, the A7RV was always lurking in the wings.
Fantastic stills camera with option of 60mp full frame super-detailed files but ability to shoot 26mp crop at a slightly higher res than 24mp FF cameras. That's flexibility!
AF is just best in class.
Rear screen is superb in both resolution and how it rotates and tilts etc.
All 3 Tamron lenses are native so all niggles re. performance, reliability and corrections etc removed.
It's tiny for what it is and so fits with my mantra of 'smaller, lighter, faster'.
My only criticism is it takes a stoopid cfexpress type A card, but hey ho, I got a 500GB for €270 so can't really complain...
So in summary, happy days.
The proof of the pudding as they say is in the eating and that will be the rest of this season, but as far as I am concerned, I have now removed every issue I previously had to juggle or deal with, whether it be cameras, or lenses, or audio, or lighting or tripod heads sagging or gimbals having an electronic jerking fit mid shoot, all whilst sweating profusely on a 35+ degree Celcius French Summers day. Not that we have head any of those this year. Yet...
To conclude, anyone that is interested, feel free too ask anything.

Hello 🤗
For those that are interested, finally, I reached 'peak camera' for my needs.
When I say 'peak camera' I really mean 'peak set up' which includes; camera bodies, lenses, audio gear, tripods, etc, ie, 'everything' I need to do my job.
My job is a multi-day coverage, destination wedding, hybrid shooter and has been for the last 24 years, the most recent 22 full-time and the hybrid part for the last 14.
It's been a real battle these last 14 years as a one man band to get that balance of kit that allows for 3 factors:
A. Creativity, not stifled by...
B. operating issues which could be anything from too many units, to too big & heavy, through ergonomics to...well anything that is more operational and logistical.
C. Repeatable consistency at or above a certain level.
I haven't tried every combo known to man because that would be impossible, but far too many to mention, but as above, 100% confident I have now reached 'peak set up'.
As the title suggest, that is a combo of principally Lumix and Sony for bodies, Lumix, Sigma and Tamron for lenses, Rode for audio, Smallrig for cages/grips and tripods.
Specifically:
My previous set up to date was:
1 static video + 1 roaming/semi-static video + 2 photo
It's now
2 static video + 1 roaming video + 1 photo
So it's still a 4 unit set up, but with two considerable exceptions:
A. Instead of 1 static and 3 cameras on my person, I now only ever have 2 on me, which is a big deal.
B. Both of those units on me are smaller and lighter than they previously were, which adds even further in significance because smaller & lighter = faster, more creative and less fatigue.
I did want to go to a 3 unit set up and it's possible, but it's just that one step too complicated and financially starts getting very silly, so just a no.
I'm sticking with L Mount for video. For my needs, whether static or roaming handheld with IBIS and no gimbal, it just works for me. The output is very high quality and the log footage is very easy to work with and the file sizes not stupidly large.
A used pair of S5ii's are doing the business here. One I already had and has been my workhorse since it came out last year and the other just arrived with a pair of used (most of my gear I buy used if and when I can) battery grips as during longer ceremonies and speeches, a single battery gets me concerned whereas two I have no concerns over.
A brand spanking new S9 is inbound next month. Until then, the S1H will solider on until it arrives but then sadly, has to go as it will be surplus to requirement. Sadly, because it's the best camera I have ever owned (to date) for video and stills. OK, it does not have the AF of the S5ii, but otherwise kicks its arse everywhere. But gathering dust serves no purpose and it cannot do what the S9 can do at a fraction of the size and weight so...
And for stills? Well that's the Sony, obviously. A7RV. It was always an option lurking in the wings which is why even though I went back to Nikon with the Zf and Z6ii earlier this year purely for stills, I did so with adapted E Mount Tamron glass so that I could go either direction, remain with Nikon or go Sony, any time I felt.
That time is now and Sony won.
Z9? Too big and heavy and not 100% convinced by the e only shutter. Probably would have been fine, but it's a MASSIVE LUMP.
Z8? Nah. I'd rather have a Z9 as there are too many compromises with the Z8 IMO, but see above.
The Zf I have? Nope. Ergonomic pig to use.
Z6ii? Nope, too slow. It's like wading through mud operating that thing, unlike the Zf which is fast, but ergonomically shite.
Z6iii? I thought it was going to be but I am having a few niggling issues with the adapted E Mount Tamron lenses. They work well enough most of the time, but not ALL the time. They do require more processing work as they are not native.
Posted in error so with only a brief opportunity to edit, will have to continue in another post below!

I decided on the S9 with Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 as my compact ‘compromise’, but the GH7 with the pairing of 10-25 (indoors) and 25-50 (outdoors) would actually be a preference other than for 2 factors.
Size & weight of each combo, the M4/3 option being approx 1.5x the size & weight, plus having to carry that option lens and
Cost. The S9 I think is €1600 and I already have the lens but 3 M4/3 items, even used for the lenses, would run me pushing €6k.
Somewhat reluctantly, I had to say no to that option, but hey ho.
Now slightly on the fence whether I should even change my S1H for the S9…
The S9 is the smaller & lighter option paired with the Sigma 28-70, but the single card slot is a slight concern.
Only ever had one SD card have a problem and that was at least 12+ years, but it’s something every pro needs to consider.
The S1H package compared with the GH7 + 10-25 or 25-50 is around the same weight, but not as wide or as long, but flipping to S35 mode takes it up to an equivalent 105mm.
The other factor to consider is the S1H is bullet proof, I have 4 batteries for it. And I own it, so costs exactly €0 🤑
But all that said and done, if it wasn’t for the financial part of the equation, O think I’d go for the GH7 and that pair of fast zooms.

From the GH6 manual:

I see what you mean about 5.7K versus 5.8K. I wonder if the extra image/video processing needed for 5.7K (about twice as many pixels per frame as C4K) is reducing the processing power available for IBIS control, so it can't react as quickly?
As an illustration of what I said in words in an earlier post, below is an image circle with 4:3 (yellow), 16:9 (grey) and 17:9 (red) rectangles inside it. Note how the corners of the 16:9 and 17:9 rectangles are further inside the circle than the 4:3 rectangle (the full 5.8K 'open gate' aspect ratio). In reality, the usable image circle is larger than needed to contain a 4:3 rectangle - if it wasn't, sensor-shift stabilisation of 4:3 'open gate' video or stills would be impossible without vignetting.

Joking aside, it will get really interesting if (and when) Pana introduces an ARRI-certified LUT in the next S1II or S2.

Another GH7 + LogC and ARRI discussion..
TLDR; Brady used the combo on two narrative projects, they matched up nicely in post (but not perfectly), and he sees it as a great option for a B-cam to an Alexa if you didn't have the budget for two Alexas.
There's some side-by-sides in the video, including graded to match and also not.
 

Which is similar in stills photography when folks ‘state’ that film is better than digital.
Hmmm, I come back from a typical wedding weekend with around 3500-5000 shots to cull and I am far from the spray & pray approach.
Let’s call it 3600 on the low end which is 100 rolls of film.
100 rolls is at least €25 each for purchase and processing, so €2.5k compared with €0 for digital.
Ah, but the tools are cheaper!
Ah, but you can charge more for film photography!
Grow up and enter the real world of business 🤪
So stills or video, I am someone who does not need the latest and greatest just because it is the latest and greatest and that is the purchase decision and I might choose a vintage lens for a certain aesthetic, but a simple reality is that the more modern the tool, the more likely it is to make our (business) lives easier.
Whether that be autofocus, stabilisation, DR, or even just things like start up speed.
Not every new tool is the best tool, but for business users especially, better tools do make for better work. All other factors being equal.
So yes, I’ll take 12 stops of DR over 10 which I’d have taken over 8, every day of the week thanks, just as I appreciate the latest firmware on the S5ii that finally allowed me to ditch the gimbal forever.
Some progress actually is good!

And this is why one shouldn't get hung up on imatest
The whole point of RAW for me is that the RAW sensor data is exposed in the final image, including grain texture and shadow noise.
Also this seemingly standard method in tests of exposing CMOS sensors for highlights, then ramping up the blacks - think about the impact that has on colour in the mids and tonality in the shadows. Yes you are showing what kind of dynamic range is possible but in creative terms it is a step back.
And when you start applying NR to the shadows in some misguided uncreative attempt to squeeze out that last 0.5 stops of dynamic range, you may as well shoot H.265
It would be interesting to take the uncompressed Cinema DNG cameras... Blackmagic Pocket 4K original firmware, Sigma Fp-L, 5D Mark III Magic Lantern, Digital Bolex and compare the image aesthetically to N-RAW and ProRes RAW, in terms of how close one or the other looks to film.
And film remains the gold standard for atmosphere, warts and all.
I always look at images and not so much the numbers especially when we are talking less than 1 stop differences between cameras.
Unless it is a case of Alexa 35 which is far ahead of everything else.

Bitrate is 100mbps fixed which is near as dammit the upper limit of the variable bitrate that my iPhone 12 uses (a typical comparator for what people would use a Pocket for) and I don't find it lacking for the purpose.
More important for me is that the Osmo Pockets have Cinelike D which is a good compromise and very easy to grade.
I had to do a little project at the weekend using the LX10/15 (with my Cinelike D hack activated) and the Pocket and they matched easily both in terms of colour and acceptably enough in image quality.
On the Pocket 2, it is derived from a 4.6K sensor which is giving about 1.2x lossless zoom when shooting in 4K and roughly 2x and 1.6x in 1080p and 2.7K respectively.
In the edit, I punched in to around 2x on a 4K file from my weekend project and was comfortable with the result so I wouldn't be bothered going up to say 1.5x as a safety and then adding the rest in the edit.
A big advantage of the Pocket is adding the control stick which will give you full pan/tilt/zoom controls right from the handle.
That usability trumps a small loss of image quality for the purposes I use it for.
 
The 24mm in that spec is coming from it being a drone camera though.
The actual lens on a Pocket 2 is 20mm f1.8.
On of the beauties of this camera though are the magnetic clip on wide angle adapters (which gives you 15mm) and of course the anamorphic versions too.
As well as also simultaneously being able to us magnetic ND filters too.
If DJI do bring a new version 3 out with an optical zoom and/or with 10 bit capture then that would be great but I have to say that even as it stands now the Pocket 2 is a very compelling camera for travel and, for me, it is a vastly superior proposition to my iPhone for that role.
Its not only because of the creative possibilities it has with having an integrated gimbal so you are not only stabilised but can do tracking etc or the anamorphic and NDs or the ability to have real hardware controls with the control stick.
Its that you can take it out of your pocket, hold the power button on and be ready to shoot 2 seconds later rather than titting about unlocking the phone, opening an app and making sure you are in the correct mode.
Another bonus is that if do have a need for remote shooting or self shooting with tracking then you can operate it from your phone which you can't do with your phone as you are already using it to film with 😉 

Was this color graded? Yes, heavily (and no LUTs) like all of my videos, to create the "illusion of reality."
Think National Geographic video of meerkats - no film-like color tints or distortions; rather see the habitat and watch the activities of its inhabitants as if you were there. But with humans, unlike with animals and birds, one cannot hide or wear a disguise or shoot with an enormous lens.
Some good stills too:

Peter Doyle (colourist on Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc) speaks about how closely we can reproduce the colours in the real world.  Spoiler: no.  (linked to the relevant timestamp)