John Matthews

Not to bring religion into it, but Jesus wept.
The column highlighted is in the classic Ionic style.
They need to stop teaching the classics at places such as Oxford, Cambridge or in architecture.
And knock down what remains of Ancient Greece.

PS — Just to answer someone else out there to whom I’ve sent this link:
Nothing against it looking like video, if so.
Video is cinema : P 
If this means looking like it was made for the big screen in terms of narrative — well, docs are usually made in a different form.
But docs are also cinema ; )
That narrative form, usually made for the big screen, can also be reached through distinct ingredients such as cadence, dynamic range, lighting, framing and their respective language each element carries. Not to mention editing, pacing, sound design, and how it all aligns with intention.
That is, further to that — narrative intent doesn’t depend solely on medium or format.
Whether fiction or documentary, cinema arises from how all elements are orchestrated: rhythm, texture, spatial composition, sonic atmosphere. The so-called 'cinematic look' is less about resolution or gear and more about coherence — how lighting interacts with story, how movement informs meaning, how editing shapes perception. A documentary can be just as evocative, immersive, and crafted for the big screen as any scripted film — sometimes more so, precisely because it plays with reality through an authored lens.
Think of the slow-burn, meditative tempo of Chantal Akerman’s News from Home, or the hyper-composed observational poetics of Gianfranco Rosi’s Notturno and Fire at Sea — all undeniably cinematic. Or the emotional montage and reflexive voiceover of Agnès Varda in Les glaneurs et la glaneuse, merging essay film and personal documentary with formal invention. Even in cinéma vérité — like Frederick Wiseman’s institutional portraits — the framing, duration, and soundscape create a cinematic rhythm far beyond "capturing reality."
Lars von Trier’s The Idiots (Idioterne) and one of my favourite ever (as you well know ; ) offers another perspective on cinematic form, blending the boundaries between staged drama and spontaneous behavior. Shot with a raw immediacy and handheld style that can resemble documentary, it challenges traditional narrative structures and pushes cinema toward an exploration of social taboos and collective behavior. The film’s use of naturalistic lighting and unpolished texture contributes to its unsettling, immersive atmosphere, underscoring how cinematic expression can emerge from both form and content in provocative ways.
Closer to us ; ) Portuguese cinema brings its own deep contributions to this idea of documentary as cinema. Pedro Costa’s Vitalina Varela or No Quarto de Vanda / In Vanda’s Room unfold in shadow and stillness, shaped more by presence than plot — fiction and documentary blending until the line dissolves. And Manoel de Oliveira — whose films stand almost outside time — gave us a cinema where documentary, poetry, theatre and metaphysics cohabit the frame, inviting reflection instead of reaction.
Also worth noting in the video I’m commenting on here (shot on the Panasonic G7 with cheap C mount glass such as Kern Pizar 26mm f/1.9 and Cosmicar 12.5mm f/1.9 lenses) is the distinctive grain structure — a tactile, organic texture that enhances its cinematic feel. This film grain, far from being a flaw, enriches the image’s atmosphere and adds depth to the visual narrative, demonstrating how video can carry a rich, sensory cinematic language all its own.
All this just to say: the tools of cinema aren’t bound to fiction, nor to any one format. If it resonates, constructs space, breathes rhythm, and asks something of the viewer — it’s cinema, regardless of whether it was shot on film, video, or through a window.

Kern Pizar 26mm 1.9, Cosmicar 12.5mm 1.9 (some shots are punched in to crop out the vignetting).

Love this camera! : ) Right now, I have a crew to start working with my arsenal based on 4x units... What C mount lenses used there?

Means I can also leave my diffusion filters at home 😄
I don't think its that bad actually.

Good point 🙂(it did go lower than £1299 recently from a some sellers - see the red line below).
From https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Panasonic/Panasonic-Lumix-S-Cameras/Panasonic-Lumix-S5D-Camera-with-28-200mm-Macro-Lens

...and for the S9 + 18-40 kit over the same period - https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/Panasonic/Panasonic-Lumix-S-Cameras/Panasonic-Lumix-S9-Camera-with-18-40mm-Lens:

The best one out of all those is the 28-200mm.
Absolutely the best travel lens I have ever used.
Really light too.

I am using a loupe on the FP. It works well and is very light. I also thought about modifying one of those foldable coffee cups to have one thats not as bulky. 😄
I tried the EVF on the FP again but put it through a HDMI splitter with a separate power supply. Works without a problem... Guess if I'll want to use this reliably on the FP I need to get a HDMI cables with USB power.

Doesn't really work the same as an actual EVF, a loupe on a flip-out screen isn't solid enough to press the camera into your face for stability. Kinda works on a tilt screen. On a fixed screen or a flipscreen left flat against the body it's fine, and this is ok for cameras without a traditional EVF, but you don't get the tilt benefit.

Re. S9 lens options (and being a 'zoom' rather than 'prime' person), now the 24-60 F2.8 is out, the obvious hole in Panasonic's full-frame small/light zoom range is a longer focal length companion to the 18-40 collapsible zoom e.g. a compact 35-90. (Like the 12-32 plus 35-100 pair they introduced to go with the smaller M43 cameras years ago).
The current 'reasonably compact' FF zoom range mounted on the S9 (from the left, 18-40, 20-60, 28-200 and 24-60):

Recently saw a second hand Sony ZV-E1 on a local online market place. Price was good and I bought it. Great video camera but lacks EVF. Same is true for it's pro oriented brother FX3.
Typically those type of cameras are used with external monitor on professional shoots or with camera LCD display only when vlogging. If you like EVFs and want to add one,  choice is not great. No external add-on EVF from Sony like the one Sigma FP has. Portkeys LEYE III modified with better loupe is the cheapest one at 450-500 E/$ but I wouldn't call it small. Then Kinefinity EVF for 1250 E/$. Great one but definitely not affordable. There is an obvious gap and need for a relatively small, high quality, affordable external EVFs for cinema / hybrid cameras.
I was looking for quite some time on AliExpress for Mini OLED displays (0.39'' to 0.7'') as a building blocks for DIY External EVF. Usually they come with controller board with HDMI input too. Almost bought some components preparing to do some 3D design and printing around them. Surprisingly found an EVF ready to be used. This type of EVFs were designed to be used with industrial instruments and were on AliExpress for quite some time. They all had lower resolution and AV video inputs in the past. For the first time saw one with 1920x1080 resolution on a 0.7'' mini OLED display and HDMI input. Also for the first time this type of EVFs is targeted toward cameras. Price was good too at 230E/$ so I decided to give it a try.
Received the EVF few days ago and am happy to report that it is better than expected. Here is the list of things that I like and few that I don't like:
What I Like:
High resolution 1920x1080 ( equivalent to 6 220 800 dot camera EVF).  Cameras EVFs have 4:3 ratio to cover 3:2 frame + some black strips on top and bottom to display information like exposure and other camera settings. The sensor on this one has 16:9 aspect ratio. To get 3:2 ratio the EVF crops the image to 1620x1080. Still great resolution at the level of ~5 mln dots EVFs like the one in Panasonic S1 series. I see in the EVF exactly what I see on the LCD screen of Sony ZV-E1 minus peaking. This is a rather good thing. Solid, all metal outer shell, good, even great quality of craftsmanship. Eye cup is big, made from rubber and fits around the eye much better than traditional camera EVFs. Big and bright screen - has at least 10 levels of brightness that can be changed and controlled manually. Picture inside looks big and bright, quite easy to see. Smooth focusing / diopter correction ring. HDMI cable is integrated, ready to be plugged into a camera. HDMI cable looks to have good quality. No need of additional power or battery. It gets small amount of power (500mA) from HDMI. This is a huge plus for me. Has mounting thread, can easily be mounted on rigs or cages or even on camera hot shoe. Can be tilted  and placed in any position you want. Another huge plus. I've simply put it on monitor holder for hot shoe, which is mounted on the camera cage. EVF sits higher and is slightly tilted. It also provides 3rd point of contact and add stability. I am able to hold the camera lower and closer to the chest, which makes it more stable when shooting.  Optimal size for me ! Not too small and not too big. Relatively light. Another huge plus. Optics made of glass, look high quality. Great price for what it offers - 200 Euro ($) including shipping and taxes after some Aliexpress discount. Because EVF receives its power from HDMI you don't have to switch it on separately. It has its own ON/OFF switch but if you stop the camera, EVF stops too as it doesn't receive power from HDMI. This is very convenient because it semi integrates with the camera, you don't have to switch it on/off separately.
What could be better:
While loupe (optics) craftsmanship is high quality, optical schema is probably not the best. Seeing tower end of the frame and in the corners is kind of difficult. In photo mode EVF has to show picture with 3:2 ratio. It crops the display at 1620x1080 to achieve this ratio. Same is true for video. This is great because this way corners of the OLED display are always cropped and dark while picture in the EVF is still high quality and resolution is still great too. So you always look at a picture which is in focus from end to end and you can see the whole of it. Brightness control  has many steps but goes only in one direction. Adjusting it when you want to make picture darker or go at the opposite direction is difficult. You have to cycle trough all settings value until arriving before the setting you were a moment ago. Brightness control button is too small and uncomfortable to use. Both are not huge issues because eye cup completely isolates your eye and cuts external light at almost 100%. Once you set the brightness level you rarely need to adjust it. It doesn't have the additional tools a pro external viewfinder usually has - like peaking, False color, zebras, etc. Because it takes power from camera and becomes additional consumer, battery is drained a little faster. Hard to say how much faster. I still prefer this compared to EVF that have their own battery. Picture is not as clear as in a high quality camera viewfinder. Native camera EVF receives video stream that already has noise reduced. Image on HDMI out from the camera is more like RAW video, lots of noise in the shadows at high ISO, some noise even at lower ISO. I guess the same would be with any external EVF, even expensive PRO ones. It's not EVF's fault. I also see sometimes some texture like noise, not sure because of this particular OLED display or because of the HDMI out stream. Overall picture quality is not up to what you see in a camera integrated EVF but it is close. Surprisingly noise in the shadows helps me better judge exposure and use successfully ETTR. I live in a PAL region but camera was set to NTSC to have 24fps. There was a lot of flicker in EVF image even when only natural (sun) light was available. Maybe this can be avoided with some additional camera settings. No such problem when camera is set to PAL and 25fps. Sometimes when adjusting brightness, EVF looses sync and doesn't display any image. Have to switch camera on/off one time and problem is resolved. Not a big deal but it happened once or twice. HDMI cable is integrated. A PRO EVF has just HDMI out socket and you can choose your own HDMI cable. This one can be easily modified IMHO.   Size: L=~50mm; Diameter ~43mm; weight 188g with the integrated HDMI cable

Overall I like it a lot. There is nothing like it on the market and especially at this price point. I am surprised it took Chinese manufactures so long to figure out that a good market for external EVFs exists. I prefer it over modified Portkey LEYE III because of the smaller size and no need to plug and charge another battery. I may buy another one. 🙂 Now my Sony ZV-E1 has an EVF and a great one too. 🙂 
Here is the link:
On Aliexpress
You can find it on ebay too. Search for V780H EVF
Here how it sits on top of Sony ZV-E1

Thats a really nice find.
The lack of power requirement and small form factor makes it ideal for cameras like the S9 etc and the BM cameras like the Micro but also for the Pocket4K.
It doesn't really have to be the absolute pinnacle with all the bells and whistles as a lot of the time with something EVF less like the S9 etc as you just need it as an add on for when shooting outdoors.
I'm surprised someone hasn't been buying these, slapping their own logo on and selling them on for twice the price.
CineFran would've done exactly that if he hadn't moved on to barefaced retro console emulation scamming.

Depends on your preferences but all of the Sigma f2/2.8 primes, all the Lumix f1.8/2.8 primes, various small zooms including the new 24-60, all very good combos.
I prefer the Sigma f2’s for stills and for their build and looks, but I went with the Lumix f1.8 primes for mine with the 18, 50 and 85.
I’m now questioning the 18 and might trade it for the 24 as it’s just a bit too wide for my needs and taste.
The 35 is not quite wide enough and a bit close to the 50.
The 50 has been my workhorse the last few jobs and the one I am currently on, but whether I stay with L Mount for video or flip to Sony (or Nikon) 99% sure I will pick up a Sigma 28-45mm f1.8  because that would suit my needs best.

The S9 is now getting interesting at recent prices I've seen it for in France- under 1000 euros. I'm contemplating now. I figure the launch price should have been this. All they had to do is not give out so many of them for free to influencers. It only really has 3 or 4 modern lens options and a slew of vintage options, but it might be enough.

I bought mine at whatever was the launch price, used it once, liked it, but decided I was better off with a 3rd S5ii, so returned for a refund.
I then decided over the Winter, I’d actually prefer one over that 3rd S5ii, so bought one back.
Happy with that decision plus a trio of f1.8 primes which make for a really capable compact kit.
Yes the S5ii is a ‘better’ bit of kit, but it’s not better for my needs.
Probably overpriced at launch.

Is there even an underwear changer?  What would that look like.  There are already cameras on the market that shoot in resolutions that surpass human perception at a reasonable viewing distance/screen size combination (anything 8K+).  There are already cameras that shoot those resolutions at silly frame rates (UC12K does 8K at like 160fps).  Dynamic range on current mirrorless cameras is already within spitting image of Arri and arguably better than most film stocks that were ever produced (give or take pleasant highlight rolloff).  Sensitivity?  For years, the A7 III has been able to shoot with a pretty fast lens by moonlight.  How much darker do we need?
So really, with that in mind, it's a bit hard for me to think of the specs on a camera that would  make me go out and buy some underwear, put them on, and then crap them...  especially since at least some of them come with compromises - like the UC12K has photosites so small that, while I haven't done the math, I suspect would suffer from diffraction before f/8.  So does the camera need to have even more resolution that I don't need?  Or even higher framerates that I will use on about 1 out of every 5 shoots?
Computational photography more similar to what a phone could do?  That could be interesting, but I'm still not sure that's "holy crap" level.
 

Comparison is the thief of joy when it comes to creative tools.
Most cameras these days are a victim of comparison.
If we all stop comparing the choices, life becomes much more simple.
Buy what you can afford and be happy 🙂
 

https://www.wexphotovideo.com/panasonic-lumix-s9-digital-camera-body-with-20-60mm-f3-5-5-6-lens-black-3170471/
£800 off.
Which makes it £999 with the 20-60mm kit lens.
The body only is down to as little as £750 open box mint used.
Down from the RRP of a few months ago £1600.
One can only assume they are having massive problems shifting them.
Which is a pity because the S9 is a fun little beast.

The new Black Mirror episode is a real banger...
...in which Philip Bloom goes all the way to the White House and starts making up the laws of the land, a new Constitution.
Law number 1... ALL media is given a platform based on promotional effectiveness and loyalty to the CAT KINGDOM. Those media not interested in cats, are de-platformed and uninvited from Sony camera launches.
Law number 2... Universities watch out... Cat Zionism is about. Or should that be Meowism. Any pro-pussians and anyone who doesn't worship white fur is deported to a columbian jail.
Law number 3... Lawyers and judges are to be superseded by weekly episodes of the Supreme Apprentice, where 6 cats around a table ultimately get to settle all arguments big or small with the flick of a tail.
Law number 4... Japanese cameras are banned, all cameras must have pet detection and be made in Texas.
Law Number 5... All China cats and European cats get out. The CAT KINGDOM is only for AMERICAN AND BRITISH PUSSY.

Fro Knows Photo - NEW SONY FX1 MADE ME SHIT MYSELF
Gerald Undone - SONY FX1 is a bedwetting moment
Philip Bloom - FX1 CURED MY LOVE OF CATS
Jordan Drake - I JIZZED MY PANTS BECAUSE OF SONY
Camera Conspiracies - SONY FX1 ABSOLUTELY CRAP VLOGGING CAMERA
Camera Labs - SONY FX1 has been released and it shoots video
Tony and Chelsea Northrup -

It's interesting to me that there are a growing number of YouTubers switching to Lumix. 
Armando has been a long time Sony shooter, he even references people calling him a Sony fan boy, but here he bashes the camera (which he hasn't used), has generally unflattering things to say about Sony, and mentions that he has switched to Lumix. He also teases that they've got some exciting things down the pipeline. 
Now, all of this should be taken with a grain of salt. But it's an interesting development.

One of the reasons I don't blog as frequently or review stuff any more is that I have literally zero interest in spending $3k on a new camera every few months, and there's this strange urge by camera companies to inflate prices at the same time as going backwards in specs from the Sony a1 which is now nearly 4 years old.
I fear it will be the same with the FX2, where I pick one up to try it once and then feel absolutely zero creative need for it. Same with the new Panasonics too.
And at the same time, my interest in plain old photography is probably stronger than in video now, and what the Xiaomi 14 Ultra was able to do on that side had me thinking that even enthusiast level cameras for photography are on the way out.
When are we going to see some real innovation from Japan?

Nope. About as relevant to me as rolling shutter!
I’m a locked off kind of guy and I do not pan, tilt, or practice the wobbling jelly approach AKA ‘The Handheld Look’.
My super lightweight freestanding monopod is one of the best and essential pieces of kit I own.
If only I had not left it at a chateau 750km away a couple of weeks back 🙈
Fortunately I am back there in a few weeks and it’s slightly older, bigger and heavier sibling is pulling mono duty until then!
 

Somehow all this camera does is make my A74 feel more valuable…

The GH2 is pixel binning to produce the 1080p, so the digital-edge comes more from that than the built-in sharpening algorithm.
When you view the image at a longer viewing distance on a larger screen, it looks a lot better than up-close on a laptop.