Django

DR100 uses straight sensor processing whereas DR200/400 use off-sensor processor trickery to get that extra DR. My guess is Fuji hasn't compensated for the extra DR settings in video mode (which weren't available on XT2) hence AF struggles at DR200/400 because of this. Surely a firmware update will fix this, in the meantime DR100 seems the only option for AF-C.. annoying but at least looks like we got an explanation for the inconsistent AF reports. someone should shoot this up to Fuji HQ..

1 hour ago, Mokara said:

That would be because in order to use the big fast native glass, you are pretty much limited to those giant bodies as well. It is not an endorsement of the body, it is a case of working with what you have to in order to use the glass you need no matter who impractical the body is. I am pretty sure that most of those photographers would prefer a smaller body more suited to their hand size, if Canikon actually made something like that, but they don't. All of their FF offerings are enormous, without exception. 

But, when Canikon eventually get into the FF MILC game, expect to see camera bodies designed around ergonomics more broadly suitable than what the convention is with their DSLR offerings. They will probably have bodies similar in general dimensions to the a7/a9 cameras.

In any case, to be taken seriously as a photographer you still have to fit the conventions of what a photographer looks like (and that includes the equipment you are holding), no matter how inconvenient and unsuitable it might be. I am sure that people doing video experience the same sort of professional bias as well, as most of you have probably experienced at some point. Coming to a shoot with equipment that does not "look the part" tends to not always go down well with your clients.

Of course if you own a vast Canon L glass collection or Nikkors, then there is a good chance you are going to stick with Canikon but that argument isn't definitive.

Sony offer "fast native glass" for their FF bodies.. and smart adapters exist, yet a lot of pros remain on DSLR's or even switch back to them after being disappointed with mirrorless experience.

Poor ergonomics, battery life, weather sealing, blackout times,  weak EVFs (vs OVFs), weak AF, lack of native speedlights etc.. so many reasons why pros still cling on to DSLRs.

Sony have been tackling some of these issues through their third generation FF MILCs... but how many years will it take Canikon to get there when they finally do decide to step into the game?

As for your final point of "looking the part" for clients, yes there is some truth to that although i personally don't worry about it any more, i let the results do the speaking and i feel most creative on MILCs wether for stills or video.. that being said DSLRs aren't going anywhere just yet and still provide strong advantages for certain requirements.

So in the end i'd say it is MILC bodies that still have some work to do if they are to seriously compete with DSLRs/Cine cams. I wanna see more rugged bodies with hybrid EVF/OVFs, and better flash support for stills and 10-bit, Raw, Dual-pixel level AF, electronic ND's for video. It'll take a couple more years/body generations for that though i suspect..

i think I'll be repurchasing one sooner later. Nicest 1080p of all non-raw cams imo. Great ergonomics. DPAF. Fantastic assist  tools & tiny files..

6 hours ago, Aussie Ash said:

Dunkirk is the only

one with 4K or more acquisition.

 

Dunkirk

Camera: IMAX MKIV, IMAX MSM 9802, Panavision 65 HR, Panavision Panaflex System 65 Studio

Recording Format: 65mm (Kodak Vision3 50D 5203, Vision3 250D 5207, Vision3 200T 5213, Vision3 500T 5219)

?

I had a quick go at the camera yesterday during a preview event. The menus are convoluted as ever with a zillion tabs to side scroll through (hadn't touched a sony in a minute) and i couldn't even figure out how to activate touch screen functionality for some stupid reason. That said image quality was perhaps best i've seen from a sony (once you've set WB, color settings etc). Love that you can switch from FF to S35 with no visible IQ loss. Still will probably go with XH1 for DCI 4K @ 200mbps, ergonomics & color science.

3 hours ago, Robert Collins said:

Are you really saying that the typical pro photographer is a glamorous female earning big bucks?

My comments were based on the BLS data on photographers... (the fat bit was for effect ;))

https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes274021.htm

The figures show that the 'annual mean wage' of a professional photographer is US$42k and that only 10% of professional photographers in the US earn over US$76k a year.

This might not seem too bad to you - it is 10% above the national mean wage. However, professional photographers are generally well educated with a high percentage holding a university degree. 

 

These stats don't mean much to me, I'm based in Europe and am only talking about the scene I'm familiar with which happens to be (high) fashion: a $2.4 trillion industry ranked world's seventh largest economy.

So what if 'glamorous females earning big bucks' only represent perhaps a tiny percent of pro photographers. it's a tier that matters and appeals to camera brands, similarly to what  @BTM_Pix was saying about the importance of (camera) brand exposure at major sporting events. There is a reason why there is always a promo with fashion photographers during releases of pro cameras. And then there is the trickle-down effect, the amateur/enthusiast who wants to be associated with the camera brand/model used by pros. it's a vertical top-bottom business model where upper-class influences the lower.

It's like Fender make their money off non-domestic guitar sales because average Joe musician wants to copy his favorite rock idol, even though he can't afford a $4K custom made in USA. But Fender would be dead if they didn't make pro models for pro musicians.. as pros would jump to another guitar maker and so would Joe.

Same thing in Fashion.. ateliers spend months on a runway show displaying dresses only a happy few in the world can afford. in reality, dresses end up being rented by Hollywood actor stylists to be worn during red carpet events. All of this so your mother, sister, wife/gf can go buy $50 Dior/Prada/YSL perfume at the local beauty store. Cosmetics being the main department making revenue for these big fashion houses (sunglasses & accessories then follow)..

So if we were to follow your logic, why should Fender make $4K guitars? pro guitarists are only 5% of musicians, and most pro guitarists are struggling to make a buck at a dive bar?

Why should fashion houses focus so much time & energy on runway shows only 0.1% of the population can afford? 90% actors are underpaid/unemployed..?

But see you have to understand trickle-down economics/theory & brand exposure impact before scratching your head at what so & so brand do and pulling arbitrary/irrelevant stats from the consumer end.

lovely but what a workflow.. hopefully FS5 mk2 will do all that internally!

i know quite a few female fotogs and fwiw they're all on Canikon DSLRs.

 In the fashion street photography scene (big industry here in Paris) it's almost all Canon 5Ds / 1DXs. requirements are battery life, weather sealing & SOOC skin tones.

Weather sealing because sometimes you're out on the street for hours shooting during downpour, SOOC skin tones because it's a race to get pics online and subjects must look good.

Sony have improved battery life & ergonomics but weather sealing, color science & menus are still poor. IMO they mostly cater to enthusiasts, semi-pros & general fields. 

few examples:

..and no these aren't posers but actual pros who earn up to $5K-$10K during each fashion week (which if they travel is 12 events per year).

so much for the poor old fat second-class citizen comment..

They're not getting away with it. Several videos and discussions about it. Fuji definitely F'ed up. H1 is sold as having superior AF. A firmware fix is bound to come quickly (or sales are going to hurt). I know I'm not be buying one until this is fixed.

5 hours ago, Castorp said:

He doesn’t know anything about making photographs either. He knows gear and buying gear. I’d argue that you should be a good picture maker if you’re claiming authority on picture making tools. Otherwise you’re a technician. You understand mechanics but you don’t understand how design and making process should mesh together.

edit: Mattias beat me to it 

well familiar with his antics.. i don't think anybody listens to him for photography tips/advice. or any advice period. same thing for ken rockwell's site. more like a colorful view on gear. although both do have in common a vast knowledge and appreciation of vintage glass.. which i respect despite the over-zealous attitude & borderline fanboy talk. i'm in the Fuji/Nikon camp though so i guess i don't mind it too much, lotta stuff he says makes me giggle too (in small doses, dude posts like 5 videos a day!?)

i like angry photographer but he knows zilt about video.. hell he's using a 80mm macro lens to do weird pans on buildings..?! 

anyways in my very brief testing of H1 yesterday, IBIS seemed really on point.

smartphone users take snapshots.. as do point & shoot camera users. chances are people investing in a FF A7 series are serious about photography (wether enthusiasts or pro) hence indeed buttons & overall ergonomics being of importance. touch screens are cool and a welcome addition, but when you're eye is on the EVF/OVF, nothing beats dials, wheels & buttons imo. especially when shooting manual.

6 hours ago, Robert Collins said:

It seems 'pro photogs' want mirrorless companies to build cameras that closely resemble 'DSLRs'. Does this make sense? Since 2012 DSLR sales have halved in value. Since 2012 mirrorless ILC sales have increased 77% in value. So it literally makes no sense at all for 'pros' to keep telling mirrorless camera companies to go copy a failing business strategy. It should be 'pretty obvious' that mirrorless cameras are succeeding because they are 'different' from DSLRs not because they are striving to be the 'same'.

 

wrong again pal. Pros want best of both worlds, they want the performance & ergonomics of DSLRs along with the advantages of mirrorless (EVF, IBIS, no mirror slap, no AA, more AF points/spread, adapting lenses, better video etc) with the added benefit of weight/size usually still being inferior to flagship DSLRs. And with every body generation going in this direction, more pro photogs (or simply DSLR advocates) are switching over. That being said the majority of pros are still clinging on to DSLRs for performance, durability & ergonomic reasons.

In any case I welcome this direction from Sony/Fuji and predict A7iii will sell like hot cakes, in fact it is currently already the number one best selling mirrorless camera a week only after it's announcement: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Electronics-Mirrorless-Cameras/zgbs/electronics/3109924011

Seems like they're not off to a bad strategy..

Had a very quick go at one today during lunch break.. i'm in love with Eterna.. however RS seemed kinda bad (not A6500 bad but noticeable) any solid numbers yet?

54 minutes ago, Robert Collins said:

I seriously doubt the large body is a result of IBIS. A7 cameras have bigger sensors and smaller bodies with IBIS. 'Class leading' ibis is much more a function of sensor size - the smaller the better'....

2

Believe it or not but Fuji has stated the larger body is in part to accommodate the new IBIS system specifically developed for H1. There are videos showing said mechanism, it isn't the most compact.

Quote

Yes. I get this point. Pros think bigger is more 'Pro' and less amateur etc... 

Still I am not sure why the camera manufacturers are so keen to cater to the 'pro' when say BLS stats show they are a small and declining (halved since 2011) demographic as well as relatively impoverished...

1

Sorry but it seems you actually totally missed the point. It's not about bigger is less amateur. It's about tougher build quality, and better weight balance for bigger lenses as well as enhanced handling with a deeper grip and to serve multiple uses including gloves etc..

As for your stats, pros may be declining but amateurs tend to aim more & more towards high-end.. also last time i checked Fuji/Sony/etc still sell a vast array of prosumer/consumer bodies..

100fps (4x slow mo) seems a bit cleaner than 120fps (5x):

5 hours ago, Robert Collins said:

I feel that most photographers like what they are used to. So naturally a 1DX owner who picks up an A7 series camera think it feels and handles like a toy. I have only used smaller mirrorless cameras and whenever I hold a dslr it feels like holding some klunky vestige of the past. For most people who switch I suspect they get used to the new form factor fairly quickly.

The A7 smaller body is one of the main attractions of the range to still shooters and I know people who switched away when Sony made them a bit bigger and especially dont get the small battery, small sensor - large body - approach of the XH-1. Didnt Olympus already try this strategy with the original 43 format and fail?

5

the small sensor - large body of the XH1 is what allows the class-leading IBIS system Fuji has developed. 

some people do prefer bigger dslr form factor. especially when using larger/heavier glass as it balances better.

it's also to note X-H1's uses a thicker full alloy magnesium construction with increased weather sealing.

basically, they're aiming it at pros.

4K downscaled from 5k. 120fps average (some aliasing/moire).

9 hours ago, Matthew Hartman said:

Oh dear. Hopefully that is firmware. That's simply unacceptable. Nice image though. 

looks more like user error, as @pszilard test above shows much better AF using correct settings.

btw, still confused about if H1 has dual axis level indicator as above test shows single axis (as on XT2)? 

17 hours ago, mkabi said:

@pszilard Can you compare the FHD of the X-H1 to the D750 (Because I've heard great things about the D750), better/worse/on-par? 

 

Assuming X-H1's FHD is identical to XT2's then it's not as good as D750's since there is pixel binning and aliasing on jagged lines.

Don't know if this is user error or early firmware but in this test the H1's AF is miles behind the XT2's and basically fails which of course doesn't make sense.:

sounds like you guys are talking more about post-production wow factor tricks than actual camera inherent mojo..

it seems shooting super-slomo at super shallow DOF + a LUT gets instant mojo approval yet i believe there's also mojo on the hardware side.

not that many cams have it imo.. it's a mix of color science, motion cadence, dynamic range, sensor type etc..

obvious mojo cams to me are Alexas, BMPCC 2.5K, 5D3 ML Raw, 1DC, Digital Bolex, D750, Fujis..  

of course one shouldn't underestimate the lens pairing either..

Chris & Jordan just commented about skintones in their live A73 Q&A:  "green-magenta cast on everything" "WB was correct, strange tint issues on skintones " "Sony still far behind in color science":

glad to hear i'm not the only one seeing this..

Specs are killer but I can't get over that yellow cast in mixed light shots (including all over Max in his review). Looks like AWB is still crappy. Or is it just the color science? both?

I know Andrew talked about the new HLG profile giving more Canon like skin tones in a A7R3 article? wish there was a bit more talk about this and footage examples of how this improves the Sony color science issues.

Again this is my main gripe with Sony's as I simply can't afford to lose time in post correcting each shot nor do I often have time to use color checkers, custom WB & adjust profile color settings when shooting R&G..

To round it off, I assume these issues Max listed last month are still present:

@j-oc How is the 2K (FHD 17:9)? I assume no crop but is there any less binning artifacts than regular 1080p?

20 hours ago, j-oc said:

Natural Live View is a bit confusing. It seems to make the image viewed (but not recorded) lower contrast for ease of viewing. According to the manual it removes the Film Simulation preview, but B+W simulations remain B+W. It has no effect at all when you enable F-Log.

It's a dual level indicator.

1

shame Natural Live View on Flog doesn't act as a "view assist". I'm pretty sure Johnny from C5D had said so in his initial H1 review..?

as for the dual level indicator, so you can confirm it has pitch & roll? cuz all the H1 videos i've seen seem to only show the green horizontal roll indicator?

@jonpais Yes, you can see it briefly in operation in the last video on the previous page (H1 launch event) at around 5:45. touch focus even seems to work when using the EVF.