hyalinejim

I'd say that's because vloggers don't want to vlog while wearing headphones, but.....

That's interesting! It looks amazingly compact.
Should be fairly easy to get vertical video with as well.

In the same vein as the XC10, have a look at the Panasonic FZ2000/2500.
Its a stills camera style form factor but it can be considered a full on 4K/HD camcorder, complete with integral 4 step ND filter, V-LOG, 5 axis stabilisation, servo zoom (with LANC input to support external control), audio monitoring etc etc.
The 24-480mm zoom lens makes it ideal in the tourist camcorder role to get that broad range of coverage and shot sizes and here are some frame exports from footage that I shot with mine in that role, shot in v-Log using the 200mbps all-i HD codec.
\
Panasonic made a camcorder style version of it (with additional high frame rate capability) but it obviously was significantly more expensive (at least double if I recall correctly) as these things tend to always be.
You can pick up a used FZ2000/2500 for around €700 or under which makes it a very decent option for a camcorder role.
As long as you ignore the fact that it doesn't actually look one 🙂 

I used to be in love, and still am, with the mini dv cameras of the 90's. The practicality of it made me looking for that breeze of use in many newer cameras but have yet to find it.
I don't speak about mirrorless cameras or dslrs, but camcorders with great usability and image quality. One that probably come to mind is the hated Canon XC10/15.
Of course, I understand that a Sony Fx3 with a zoom lens could potentially be something similar, and better, but again, I'm talking about a camcorder with great image quality, small form factor, great usability.

It's a pity to see it go. I used it from time to time for reviews and to check out RAW files from various cams.
Here are some other sites from the old days of the internet that I still use for researching contemporary and vintage lenses.
https://www.opticallimits.com/
https://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/
And for RAW files to mess around with:
https://www.signatureedits.com/free-raw-photos/
 
Any other interesting sites to add to this list? (before they all disappear and we're stuck watching gear reviews about what gear to buy to make a gear review... for eternity)
 
 
 

It's a pity to see it go. I used it from time to time for reviews and to check out RAW files from various cams.
Here are some other sites from the old days of the internet that I still use for researching contemporary and vintage lenses.
https://www.opticallimits.com/
https://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/
And for RAW files to mess around with:
https://www.signatureedits.com/free-raw-photos/
 
Any other interesting sites to add to this list? (before they all disappear and we're stuck watching gear reviews about what gear to buy to make a gear review... for eternity)
 
 
 

Battery life is ok but not amazing. Probably similar to the GH6 which I tested here:
If shooting on sticks for interviews or whatever I hang a USB powerbank from the tripod and then it lasts all day.

Imaging Resource is gone (really), without announcement.

https://petapixel.com/2023/05/08/imaging-resource-is-now-offline-as-the-camera-website-shuts-its-doors/

Was my preferred, above DPReview.

I would say the AF is "good" with the adapter.

It’s OK. Just that, ie, not terrible and not superb.
Other than my gimbal unit for video use, I am switching to battery grips for hybrid use and my pair of inbound S5iix’s.
One in the body, one in the grip and another on charge. I think the grip one goes first so if that is the case (it usually is) then maybe one swap later in a typical 12 hour day should be good.
I don’t shoot non-stop for 12 hours obviously… 🤪😉
Batteries are cheap, can go in pockets and take seconds to swap so IMO, batteries have always been a non-issue for me.
Any situation where it has any chance of running out, powerbank clamped on the tripod.
 

I would say the AF is "good" with the adapter.

No EVF is a key feature according to Sony
Wonder how long the the camera last with 4K120P in july/aug temperature..
The processor on those new camera felt much more refined vs 2-3 year old release, the R8 makes my R5 felt a bit old for sure lol.
 

Whenever I'm doing interviews I check to see what direction the light is going in and therefor what directions the camera might point. Then I find a background I like and frame that up with the camera at the height of the interviewee's head and at around 70-135mm full frame equivalent. Then I place the person within the frame, moving them forward or back, left and right until I get the composition I want. If it's an off-centre framing then I'll get them to angle their hips and shoulders towards the other side of the frame slightly.
And I always try to shoot people standing as I think it looks better - they're less likely to slump or slouch than when sitting. This works well until I get someone who hops and jumps about and gradually crawls closer to the camera.
One thing I've learned is that there's no perfect interview location. But good enough is good enough!
Available light, S5II, EF 70-200 f4.

Ghosting! I had one and posted at length here about my frustration with its temporal ghosting, particularly noticeable in C-Log.
Other than that it was pretty cool. I loved the flippy handle and tilt screen. I took it on hols to Bali:
 
 

This is true for all makes of cameras. Adobe Color / Standard / Neutral levels the playing field. These profiles are supposed to be close to natural colour, from what I can tell.
The Camera Matching profiles are Adobe's emulations of the manufacturer's own profiles and are always worth checking out as they may be much nicer than the default.
And sometimes using the manufacturer's own raw converter will give slightly nicer colour (but without most of the convenience of Adobe workflow).

This is true for all makes of cameras. Adobe Color / Standard / Neutral levels the playing field. These profiles are supposed to be close to natural colour, from what I can tell.
The Camera Matching profiles are Adobe's emulations of the manufacturer's own profiles and are always worth checking out as they may be much nicer than the default.
And sometimes using the manufacturer's own raw converter will give slightly nicer colour (but without most of the convenience of Adobe workflow).

I've been running some tests over the past 6 months or so with different cameras and lenses trying to simplify my entire workflow and gear. Over the years, in search of the perfect camera/lens(es) combo(s) I've become a slave to the gear that collects dust in my closet.
Anyway, I feel like I know which direction best suits me, but I figured I'd share some of my results.
Here are a couple frames from the Sigma FP and Nikkor 24mm f/2 ai-s lens. I've never really been a huge fan of wide angle lenses but there is a good reason to have one in my kit. On other cameras, I have found the Nikon lens to be lacking and it's flaws show, but I could always recognize that there is something funky and great about the lens, especially wide open. It wasn't until I shot it with the FP that I saw its true potential...

My color work probably needs some tweaks, as they look a little too contrasty for my normal tastes.

The unique SOOC look comes from both the different sensor technology and those film simulations.
If you just import the raw files into lightroom and using adobe color science, the color is just kinda decent. Then, you change the color profile to those film simulations and the difference is night and day. It's almost a magical moment. That's why I buy a fuji camera for stills (mostly for causal use though).
For video, eterna is a decent starting point, if you don't plan on shooting Log. The XT5 and X2Hs are great cameras with a lot of features, but it really comes down to if you need those high end features.
Personally I choose my fuji camera based on look and erogomics, since the color sciene is terrific regardless of the model. That's why I sold my XT4 and got a XE4 instead. The only feature I ever miss is the IBIS.

I think there are three things going on.  
1) People can't colour grade and they're trying to buy their way out of learning.  
As Resolve has grown in popularity the number of people that got access to a colour-managed workflow or colour space transformations has grown, and the number of people that can get the look they want from whatever camera they are using has also increased.
2) People don't remember what film looks like.
The number of "filmic" images that look nothing like film has gradually turned from a trickle to a vast deluge, to the point now that many people trying to get the look of film may have never seen it, or wouldn't recognise it even if it showed up with the film-strip not yet cropped out.  Over the last year or so I've been rewatching older movies and TV shows shot on film, from back when this was how all TV and movies were shot, and at times I've watched several hours of film a day for weeks or months straight.  Most so-called "filmic" content online looks nothing like film, in practically any way.  It does, however, remind me a lot of 4K GoPro footage, but with 15 times the dynamic range of both a GoPro and most film processes.
3) People have changed what they like.
As time goes on, "cinematic" looks more and more like video every day.  The so-called "cinematic" videos that people like, speak fondly of, share, and aspire to, all look nothing like what cinema actually looks like.  I lost count of the number of times I argued online about sharpness and resolution and depth of field and colour science and colour grading and began to question myself in the face of almost universal online opposition.... then I'd go see a movie and I'd be reminded that I was right and everyone else was blind, has stopped going to the cinema, is full of shit, or all of the above.

Ha ha! I've done a couple of photo shoots with my S5II and it works pretty well. But shooting with the 5D3 is like wearing a second skin.
And one thing I've noticed is that the Adobe RAW profiles (Color, Standard and Neutral) for the 5D3 give almost perfectly realistic colour reproduction, unlike the profiles for newer cameras. I think in the old days the Adobe guys who designed the profiles worked hard to get accurate colour, at the expense of sometimes getting colour warping or banding in extreme coloured lighting, like a stage show. Newer profiles seem to err on the side of caution in that regard, but are a little less accurate, and certainly slightly lower saturation. 

Ghosting! I had one and posted at length here about my frustration with its temporal ghosting, particularly noticeable in C-Log.
Other than that it was pretty cool. I loved the flippy handle and tilt screen. I took it on hols to Bali:
 
 

Ghosting! I had one and posted at length here about my frustration with its temporal ghosting, particularly noticeable in C-Log.
Other than that it was pretty cool. I loved the flippy handle and tilt screen. I took it on hols to Bali:
 
 

Ghosting! I had one and posted at length here about my frustration with its temporal ghosting, particularly noticeable in C-Log.
Other than that it was pretty cool. I loved the flippy handle and tilt screen. I took it on hols to Bali:
 
 

Would still love to test out the XC10/15 in its 8bit 422 50mbit HD mode. Or a Panasonic HPX 250 with its three sensor imager and 200mbit 10bit. Both cameras offer HD to its resolution maximum. Both are workhorse cameras. The HPX 250 would be my subsitute for the obscurity of a nerds dream that the DVX100 Andromeda would be. 🙂 Another nerd desire would be to fiddle with a full grown camcorder, the vintage Sony AX2000, slim codec, SD cards, true camcorder form factor and 3 sensor colours. You asked, we answered @SRV1981 🙂

I’ve been waiting it out for a Z9 to buy as my forever camera ever since it was launched.
Two things were holding me back, namely there being an actual supply of them and then me being able to go to Japan to buy a used one.
I’ve been in no rush and as I’m going to Tokyo at the beginning of June and there are plenty of used ones available at MapCamera now, the time has actually come to get one.
Which has coincided on me going cool on the idea.
Bear in mind that I haven’t been inside a real camera shop since COVID so I’ve never actually seen a Z9 in real life but yesterday I met someone in Berlin who has one and let me have a go with it.
And well…

If the Z8 does indeed turn out to be a form factor reduced Z9 with a 25-30% price reduction too then I’m probably in.
The Z9 form factor doesn’t bother me in the slightest coming from my heritage of D3/D4/D5 use but maybe it would be nicer to have the option of a Z8 with a battery grip to pick and choose sizes depending on what I’m doing with it.
Ironically, it was the lenses that were leading me to and then away from the Z9.
I have a large collection of high end F mount lenses from my pro days gathering dust so the Z9 with the FTZ was the logical way to bring them into the modern era.
But I then didn’t fancy buying into the native Z lenses for when I want to have something smaller and lighter as I found them a bit expensive and not much 3rd party stuff to write home about made it worse.
So in the end I decided it was time to cut the losses with the F mount and go in with L or even E mount cameras.
However…
The man who let me use his Z9 (you might know him, not an Uber League Swingball player or anything but knows about cameras) had something interesting on it.


You have to look closely but it’s that waffa theeen Megadap E mount to Z AF adapter and it changes a lot for me.
The adapter more or less gives native lens performance of E mount lenses on the Z cameras.
I have a couple of E mount lenses so that is good but more importantly it opens up affordable and interesting 3rd party lenses like the Sigma’s contemporary series or primes and zooms and Tamron’s 35-150 f2/f2.8 which are now effectively available in Z mount using this adapter.
This means that the Z8 can not only be viewed as baby Z9 but also as a baby Alpha 1, particularly for anyone with a decent collection of E mount lenses already.