Thpriest

If you use the view finder to nail focus then the S1 makes life so much easier. I always preferred it over the S5 when using it (apart from the weight). I had a GH5 and GH5S and they were great cameras but the FF Lumix cameras have a nicer image and handle lowlight better. With the Sigma you’ll have to use apsc mode so maybe the image difference won’t be so noticeable.

The other option is probably the Sony A7c mk2. Expensive but you have a lot of lens choice and it’s small.

If size is really important then the GX85 is great. It's the only camera I regret selling. It has the Cine D hack as well. Mine had no recording limit as well (bought from Hong Kong). Stick a small fast lens on and you are good to go.

5 minutes ago, MrSMW said:

Being serious, it's mostly 'simply' a case of starting out as a 100% stills photographer who through a process of trial & error technique-wise plus balance of tools used, added X% of video per annum at the approx following rate:

Year 1 = + 10% (just static single camcorder on tripod ceremony & speeches)

Year 2 = + 20% (as above plus a tiny amount of handheld or other bits and bobs on a tripod)

Year 3 = + 35% (adding more elements and volume)

Year 4 = + 50%

Year 5 = + 75%

Year 6 = + 100%

Since that time, more refinement/evolution than revolution.

The principle skills are probably determination combined with the ability to multitask whilst being prepared for quite a few setbacks, especially financial ones as there is no official guide or handbook, just self-education/experimentation.

If anyone really wants to know the specifics, they can book and pay for a workshop. But it ain't cheap. Various competitors have been trying to weasel info for years, but I protect my niche like a cornered weasel myself 🤑😈

I'm starting from the other end! Video first and adding photos. I've 20 year experience on the video side but started experimenting with photos as well last year. Starting with low budget weddings (compared to my normal weddings) whilst I get to grip with how to do hybrid weddings as I explain to the couple that I'm developing this style of wedding and they are happy to get what they get! The video comes naturally but I need to work the photos!

The AF and punch in to focus on the S5mk2 has definitely made it easier.

I have the 1tb model with about 4-500gb free and work on external SSDs. I’m going to clean up the internal SSD and try and get about 2/3rds free. I’ll see if that helps and so avoid spending more money on gear! (Although if work in 2024 is like 2023 then the S5x will be coming my way! 🤞🏼)

17 hours ago, John Matthews said:

I'm confused. I've got a M1 iMac with only 8, seems fine (granted, my timelines are that complicated); quite happy I save some cash. What software do you edit with and how are you concluding that it's RAM?

Fcpx. I know it’s ram as the computer tells me I’m out of ram! It’s true that I mainly edit 4K and 6K 10bit Movs. I can’t run Chrome or anything else if I want to edit with no hiccups. I’m finding this to be very tedious. If you are doing serious editing I’d go for 32gb minimum 

I’d like to call a halt to buying gear but I’m seriously thinking about selling my Lumix S5 and getting an S5X to go with my S5Mk2. The user experience with the Mk2 is so much better than the Mk1. It would only mean spending 1000€. That and a Sigma 16-28 f2.8 and the Rode Wireless Pro. 
Oh, and sell my Macbook Pro 16” M1 Pro with 16gb ram as I made a big mistake there. 16gb ram is totally inadequate. I need 32gb at least. Expensive mistake.

So…fuck. That’s a lot of money😵‍💫

16 hours ago, FS670ES said:

 

1. I've read that S5 II has problems with human detection / tracking when there is more than one person in the frame and it starts to jump even if we try to force it to track one particular person. Is there a way to somehow lock focusing on the selected person ? Or the only way is to disable human detection and revert to zone / single focus point ?

2. If I would record in 10 bit in flat profile then how much I can be affected by banding in this situation ? Generally how easy is to get into banding issue or is it overblown and only affects users who push footage too hard ?

3. Bonus question is how eye AF works in stills ? I don't have huge requirements. Lately I tested Fuji X-S20 with my old XF 35 f1.4 and mostly I was happy with eye AF apart from situation when my kids moved faster. 

I would be grateful for some insights.

 

1. This is a problem. I imagine they’ll fix it as it wasn’t a problem on the S5 (the S5 would stick to one individual but it’d be sheer luck if they were in focus).

2. Never seen banding but I don’t pixel peep.

3. It works quite well. Not quite as good as Sony or Canon from what I’ve seen

If Lumix wants to blow everyone out of the water ( now they have decent AF) they should release a S1H2 and a GH7 with some kind of ND. The S2 would be fine being a high res photo centric version without ND.

Also 6K open gate 50p no crop.

If they can do that for around 4000€ along with all their other strong points then I’m in.

I have a Macbook Pro M1 Pro 16” with 16gb ram. The screen is great and in general it’s a good computer but I’d definitely get at least 32gb of ram if I were ti buy it again. Running out of ram is the computer’s biggest weakness.

You can push the S5mk2 to 6400-12800. I had m4/3 before and you just can’t do that.

i agree that the Sigma 28-70 f2.8 is a great option even if i miss 24mm. That being said, I recently had to shoot with the 24-105 f4 for some hand held almost macro shots of a wedding ring being made. The duaL ibis is great and i was shooting at f4 6400 in 6k (downscaled to 4k) with no problem. 

5 hours ago, hyalinejim said:

With the caveat, discussed here in some detail but mostly missed/ignored by YouTubers, that the human detect and face detect AF is problematic (randomly jumps from person to person and can't lock on to one person) when there are two or more people in frame.

But for repeatedly running towards and away from the camera in your own back garden, it's unbelievably good 😂

Yeah, the jumping from person to person is weird seeing as you could lock on 1 with the S5 and S1. They need to fix that.

12 hours ago, Geoffrey said:

I noticed the fan and actually this put me off a little as they can be noisy and I have mics on top of the cam. What's your experience?

I've never heard the fan come on but we've been having weird weather here in Madrid. Last year it was 37-40 degrees at this time of year, this year it's 22-27 degrees and lots of much needed rain. I'll find out more over the summer but the fan has controls. You can turn it off or adjust it.

Agree with kye. 
In my case the EVF, AF, punch in to check focus while recording and 6K were compelling reasons. The fan a bonus piece of mind although I’ve never had problems with over heating even when filming in 35-40 degrees for long periods of time.

17 hours ago, MrSMW said:

In other news, after cancelling my pair of S5iix preorders, I made a final (honest guv) decision re. final 2023 line up…and just ordered another (used) vanilla S5ii.

So cracked my 3 camera, no lens change matrix:

S5ii + Sigma 16-28 f2.8

S5ii + Sigma 28-70 f2.8

S1H + Lumix 70-200 f4 

Happy with that. And getting my black Sharpie out tomorrow 😬

How’s the Sigma 16-28? I’ve thought about getting for my video lens on the S5mk2. I shoot mainly 4k 50p at weddings so it’d be a 24-42 more or less which is fine for me as I prefer wider lenses for video.

The Sigma 28-70 would be my photo lens on the S5

Just to add, I’m doing a small hybrid wedding today, S5 photos and S5mk2 for video. I think eventually I will buy a second hand GX80 with a 12mm for a general 4k lock off ceremony cam which is small  to carry.

I am going to invest in those flip up filter things. I have the Xuma magnetic things which work fine with one camera but now I have a harness with 2 cams the VND has been knocked off a couple of times as it hung by my side!

I used to have a Nissan Serena with a bed in the back 2 rows. The best thing was it was discreet, it didn’t look like a campervan. Campervans are often targeted by thieves here in Spain. I need to check if I can get a mattress in the back of my Toyota Verso! 
I have to admire Mr. SMW. That’s a mad set up for one person!

Which side flipping filters are you using?

I'll be doing my 3rd hybrid wedding on Sunday but it'll be my first with the S5mk2. I don't over complicate things! If I have both cameras on me then the S5 is photo and the S5mk2 video. For ceremony, speeches (if there are any) and first dance the S5 will be locked off on a tripod and the S5mk2 will be hybrid. 

After using the S5mk2 for a couple of events I think it's going to make life quite a bit easier in a wedding scenario, mainly because of the AF and punch in to check focus when in manual. I'm enjoying the EVF, way better than the S5's.

On 5/24/2023 at 6:49 AM, MrSMW said:

Going with a pair of S5iix’s and a single S5ii was going to be it…and still maybe, but as I mentioned above, what am I really gaining over using my current set up for the cost to change of 3000-3500 euros? 

Uniformity across the bodies yes and is a big thing for me, plus full frame 6k rather than a mix of APSC and pixel:pixel not quite 6k (more like 5.4k) and less than stellar AF on all bodies, but I only need it in one and have it with the S5ii.

I’ll shut up now. I have gear to MacGyver… 😉

 

I guess one thing you'd gain with the newer S5mk2s and 2Xs is a lighter set up. That can be a big difference at a wedding. I've also noticed the AF is more reliable in Photo mode as well, it seems quicker and more accurate. 

I just sold my S1 and have bought a S5mk2 with a Sigma 28-70 f2.8. They have them as a pack here in Spain for 2590€. Pretty happy with the deal. Only had time to set up the camera a check a few things. But there are 2 things that I think I'm really going to like, the ability to punch in and check focus whilst filming and the EVF, which isn't as good as the S1's but it's way better than the S5's. I'll have to learn how to use the AF but so far it look pretty good. The lens looks great, nice and compact. I can see it being my main lens. If also means my back pack will weigh less as I'll use the 24-105 less and the S5 is a lot lighter than the S1. All good so far!

On 4/21/2023 at 9:05 PM, MrSMW said:

Yep, it’s a great little lens with a fantastic 27-75mm FF equivalent constant f2.8 aperture in a tiny package, currently welded to my S5ii.

How's the S5ii holding up on your wedding shoots? Are you enjoying using the camera and what you are getting out of it? Thanks!

Still no shutter angle?

15 hours ago, herein2020 said:

I tried to take pictures with my S5 but the EVF qualty was so bad that I never used it on a professional shoot. The S5 really cuts corners in the EVF and backscreen.

This has been my main problem with the S5. It's really difficult to see what you are doing. 

8 hours ago, deezid said:

Keep in mind that the S5II has wildly different color than the S1 and S5, which both looked identical.
Also the S5II has some image-processing related flaws which still need to be fixed. I'll hear from a person who is close to engineers soon hopefully wether this issue will be solved or not.
The banding artefacts are quite obvious in darker areas on the S5II, so in case you intend to do some lowkey style shooting you will run into problems.

To be honest I'm not a pixel peeper but I value many posters' opinions here. For me Panasonics have other advantages like their ergonomics. It'll be interesting to see what you get told about the image-processing.

The S5mk2 is on sale in Spain for 2,590€ with the Sigma 28-70 f2.8. There's also a 300€ cashback for trading in an old camera. I'll have to check if any camera will do (I have an old Lumix point and shoot). That's really good value especially once I discount the VAT. Canon and Sony are just way more expensive.