Trek of Joy

The rs3 mini is definitely my next gimbal. Loved thy goofy white crane that came out recently, but Zhiyun is just not as well sorted as DJI. chris

Panasonic - like Nikon with the 1.8 S lenses, are doing great things with the few lenses its released. The faster lenses are stupid huge and not doing them any favors at all. But Sony also has the 50GM, which is vastly superior to pretty much any L-mount lens in every way. Panasonic should be dissecting every recent GM lens and try to top them, the size of many L-mount bodies and lenses are a detractor for many. The 50 1.4z is still great and can be found used for crazy cheap prices compared to its performance. Sony's latest GM mk2 zooms make the gargantuan L-mount 2.8 zooms look silly in comparison - they're better optically, better AF with the linear motors and are much, much smaller. Sony also has the recent 24/35/135 GM's that are class leading, and cheaper alternatives in many cases like the 20/35/80 1.8's. And then there are the vast 3rd party options including everything Sigma has in the L-mount. Everyone has a long way to catch Sony on the lens side - the only thing anyone outside of Canon can hope for is to try and stack the spec sheet enough to keep people from choosing Sony or Canon. But as we've seen over the last few years, Sony is the only one gaining market share at the expense of everyone else. Lenses are a major factor in their rise. Chris

Just an FYI, if you can get the EDU discount at B&H, there are deals to be had. Kinda want to get one to tinker... Chris

Awesome! So what's your lens of choice?

You missed the point completely. But thanks! 😂😂😂

Nah I’m good, skin tones just do not look good above 1600 or so. That infamous Sony blotchy-ness rears its ugly head. Noise is terrible too compared to the a7IV. So yes weird color shifts on someone’s face to me is vomit. YMMV. But this is a silly circle jerk since the OP wants something for photos. An ES only camera, without a stacked sensor or an EVF, that can only do a single shot like it’s 1953 instead of 2023, is just a poor recommendation. As a one camera/lens solution they’re looking for - the superior DR and photo capabilities makes a FF hybrid like the a7IV an infinitely better choice. And I actually like the FX30, even thought about getting one as a b/c cam, but it won’t cost much more to get better FF options like a minty used a7IV or a7sIII. cheers chris

The sharpness difference compared to the a7IV is minimal. DR difference is noticeable. Def splitting hairs, but the a7IV has a lower second ISO and still maintains more than a stop advantage at any ISO. No need to equalize anything, there is a clear advantage with the FF (noise pun intended) and you can still go s35 if you want. The FX3 has the same recording options as the a7sIII, identical frame rates and bitrates. Plus the op is looking for a hybrid to shoot photos, the FX30 is a mediocre stills camera at best. IMO its an odd recommendation that really doesn't fit the bill. Cheers Chris

Guess we have different view on "better IQ", I'll take more DR, better highlight rolloff, less noise and less RS - the a7sIII. But I'll still take more RS with the a7IV over the FX30 because the rest of the image is better. Once you get above the second base ISO on the FX30, the image goes to shit. Even at the base ISO's skin tones look blotchy in many of the videos I've seen. Vomit. Cheers Chris

Disagree with this, the PASM dial with 3 custom settings and the vast amount of customization with all the buttons and extra command dials the FX lacks, make the hybrids like the a7sIII and a7IV much easier to shoot with. I bounce between 24/60/120p on C1/2/3 and adjust everything without using the menus. The a7IV is even better since you can bounce between photo/video/S&Q with the switch under the PASM dial. My menu and the Fn menu put all your settings anywhere you want them. Plus they have EVF's which are far better than the crappy LCD's Sony puts on its cameras. The XLR adapters give you identical audio options and many don't use/need timecode. Plus the a7's are far better photo cameras if you want that versatility. But most importantly, the a7sIII/a7IV have a better image. I like the concept of the FX30, but its execution is underwhelming IMO. And as a hybrid it really falls short. Lots of great options these days. Cheers Chris

Amazing! Having spent a lot of time in Africa and other wildlife areas I’m super jealous. Haven’t been able to get any really great leopard or jaguar content. Yet. 👍 cheers chris

I have a Ninja V that sees almost no use. The BMMCC would at least give it some life. 😂 Given the need to rig the camera a bit because of the battery, it really doesn’t matter much beyond that to me since the Ninja on a top handle isn’t cumbersome with other rig bits. Still kicking myself for a missed auction back in fall 2021 that closed under $500 with a couple m43 lenses, full cage setup and a ton of accessories. A perfect starter kit. Grrr. cheers chris

Stills are single shot and obviously electronic shutter only. No bursts, no bracketing, nothing. RS will also be an issue for moving subjects, same for banding at some shutter speeds with artificial light. Its baffling why Sony didn't add the same still features its hybrid cameras have, even without a physical shutter. The whole "its a cinema camera" argument is silly because its not more of a cinema camera than FX3 or even the a7IV or a7sIII. The FX30 is a mediocre photo camera at best. Which is a shame since its the first APS-c camera with a new, faster readout sensor, instead of the tired jello vision 24mp sensor they've been rolling out the last decade. Cheers Chris

Then linear focus motors on the recent Sony's still outperform Sigma (less stepping/hunting, smoother focus pulls) and they work better with active stabilization. The S5II looks really good, but lenses are still lacking in the L-mount. Its a major advantage with Sony, pretty much everything is a native lens from Sony or 3rd parties. But I'd still go a7sIII over all of the other video centric options right now. Its just so good. Cheers Chris

If you only need 60p, I would go a7IV or a used a7sIII over the FX30. I have both, love them. Not impressed by the low light of the FX30. I shoot the a7IV alongside my a7sIII and its been great. I have a copy that has no overheating issues. I posted my tests in the thread linked above. Some have copies that are much worse. If I were buying new, I'd stress test it and exchange if it overheats quickly. You can mix and match FF and crop lenses too, the small f/1.4 Sigma primes sell for about $200 used for a ton of light gathering when shooting 60p. The one downside in comparison is audio, but the FX XLR handle can be mounted on the a7's cage with an adapter from Smallrig if you can't find the other XLR adapters. But for me, if you're more video focused, a7sIII used prices are not far above $2000. For the cash its an unbeatable value - better RS and DR than the others. Get a cheap a6000 if you want higher mp stills. I keep an a6300 for stills when shooting video. Cheers Chris

Forgot about the c100 mkII as well - DPAF, ND's, Clog, XLR audio, 60p and so on. When prices hit $500 or so, I'll give it a look. 1080p is plenty for social and most deliverables. But everything is just so easy with the a7sIII, I haven't given many video cameras a second look in a couple years. I'm always thinking the grass is greener with the BM Micro. So many cool options, I just don't like having a lot of gear sitting around that doesn't get used. Chris

The 5d3, EOS M - for ML, and the Blackmagic Micro (massive thread on this forum) are the only OG's on my radar. I just don't have any EF or m43 lenses. Being all Sony has its drawbacks LOL! Don't have CF cards for the 5d3 either. But those three are at the top of my list. With the obnoxious prices for the BM Micro, the EOS M is probably my tinker cam of choice. Cheers Chris

Honestly an a7sIV with a stacked 33mp sensor would be the perfect hybrid for me. I'd buy 3! Hell, even if they took the a9II's 24mp sensor and added the new processor so we have 4k120p and excellent DR would be fine. But nobody is going to build the perfect hybrid below the Z9/A1, because then I wouldn't be forced to buy the a7sIII and a7IV and even consider the a7rV as a primary photo and video backup cam. The r5 was close to unicorn status until the overheating issue reared its ugly head. If the rumored r5II can deliver, my Sony days may be numbered. Lenses are the one Canon RF bugaboo, not doing the EF adapter bullshit. But there's a massive gap in the $4000 range for a unicorn (completely ignoring Panasonic since they pretend PDAF doesn't exist LOL!). We've said this for a decade - Nikon has no video line to protect, just do it. Sadly nobody will. Chris

If you're in North America, I'd use Fred Miranda's buy/sell board. Check price history with recent listings, be very honest about the condition and post lots of photos. I've bought and sold dozens of cameras and lenses over the last 10 years there. Screw eBay. Too many reports of buyers claiming they weren't shipped the items and getting full refunds with ebay's buyer protection. And there's no way to dispute if its a fake claim. Hell no, I would never sell anything of value on eBay. Marketplace is a dumpster fire of scammers. Its tiresome with all the "kindly send me your info" scam BS. Chris

As much as I want to move to Fuji, this is what keeps me in Sony camp. The subject/face/eye AF is just remarkable - with both photos and video - on my a7IV and the 2.5 year old a7sIII. And you don't need the latest GM linear lenses for excellent results, I use the pedestrian 35/85 1.8's and they're brilliant performers. I'm farsighted with glasses for reading, when shooting outside its tough to see both my subject and the LCD without constantly shuffling my glasses around. So I mostly rely on either the EVF or Sony's touch tracking (something Fuji also lacks) and I rarely miss a shot. I really want to see Fuji reach Canon/Sony and even Z9 levels, but they just can't seem to crack the code. I was about to sell my a6300 and some other rarely used gear (looking at you Ninja V impulse purchase LOL!) to tinker with the XH2, but I'm pausing that plan until Fuji addresses this with an update. Cheers Chris

For what you do that's a solid lineup. I'm in the same boat, shoot tons of photos and video, and I'm actually considering shrinking my kit a bit with all the recent aps-c lens announcements and the FX30 - combined with either my a7IV as my photo workhorse or the a7rV. The 26mp crop mode for stills on the rV makes for a lot of versatility. Just an FYI, the Tamron RXD lenses are not quite as good as the VXD lenses from an AF standpoint. They still perform well, I ran the original 28-75 a lot on the a7sIII, never had any major issues. The newer version is better. The linear motors are smoother. The 35-150 is awesome. If I could find one, it would live on one of my bodies. Mixing aps-c and FF complicates things a bit lens wise for me, but with small/fast zooms like the Tamron's and the new Sigma 18-50/2.8, it really has me itching to downsize a bit and move from the a7sIII to the FX30. The complete lack of photo features gives me pause, as I actually do shoot a fair number of photos with the a7sIII. I get its cost cutting to hit that price point, but not having a shutter and single shot only with the FX30 is a numb nut decision to gimp the camera. Cheers Chris

Yeah that one is on my list. Everything they went through, along with managing Brando and Dennis Hopper - its amazing the movie was finished. Chris

Thank you, I'll check it out! Chris

Awesome, thanks so much! It doesn't have to be big features or anything, just want different perspectives on creating a film, the wide variety of crew members, scheduling, locations, crew management, and actually shooting. I appreciate the suggestions. Cheers Chris

Thank you! These do help as I'm trying to show a bit of every facet of production, and sound is obviously very important. Cheers! Chris

Peeps, I'm working with some students and searching for more films like Hearts of Darkness or Burden of Dreams that take a deep dive into the making of a film. It doesn't have to be feature length, but I'd prefer if it were about productions that involved a crew, a budget, a schedule and so on that show the challenges of a production and how those challenges were overcome. I have Netflix, Amazon and a smart TV with all the freebies. Thanks in advance. Chris