Trek of Joy

1 hour ago, herein2020 said:

I called it.....no way they would get away with $6K. No IBIS really sucks, it will remain to be seen how good the digital IS + Lens IS is. I am also trying to figure out of the power port is USB-C or if it actually needs the full wall power supply which would be another major bummer since I already have a V-Mount USB-C setup for my other cameras.

If the digital stabilization is anything like Sony's, it can be much better than IBIS in many cases - with the crop caveat.

Disappointed no internal ND's. But looking at the spec, heat management is really holding the R5 back LOL! If this was available when the R5 launched, I would own one and a regular R5. I was ready to switch until the overheating reared its ugly head. Oh well...

Chris

BM just dropped a bunch of Resolve 17 tutorials on their YT page. Their in house stuff is much better than pretty much any other how to video IMO.

Chris

45 minutes ago, Andrew Reid said:

So what's the overall gist of it so far then - experiences are all so differently. One guy had it go 2 hours in 4K/60p and the other had it go 15 minutes in the menus!

Is it far worse in USB power mode?

Seems to be a few duds, there will be sample variance, even if everything is within spec. The only way I've been able to get mine to overheat is with the LCD against the body, but that was after recording all day without issue. But we know that's where the camera gets the hottest, its always been that way with Sony. Someone of FM said theirs overheated after just 2 min shooting 4k60p sitting on a desk in a cool Canadian basement shooting XAVC S 10-bit 422. I'm testing in 77 or 78f-ish temps, not exactly hot, but I'm easily surpassing Sony's claimed room temp record times. I used the same 422 bitrate option to fill card after card with no issues - even when recording to both cards simultaneously. *shrug*

Chris

a7IV overheating test pt. 2
Did another run test without airplane mode since someone asked the question on FB - had the LCD out and today I plugged a mic in just to try and create more heat. I ran the battery dead and shot 1hr and 50min of 10-bit 422 XAVC S 4k60p. The battery crapped out about 30 seconds after I took the pic. No temp warning and the camera was warm, but wasn't that hot, same for the battery. Below is what I've managed without an overheating shutdown - AF-c and the camera pointed at the TV to get faces/eyes, Steadyshot on, auto ISO that was changing with the different light on the TV, airplane mode, LCD out, temp set to high, prograde 128gb v90's:
-- Over 7 hours of XAVC S 4k60p 10-bit 422 only stopping to swap batteries and delete the file after filling my 128gb card at 1hr 20min
-- Multiple dual recording of XAVC SI at 60p and 24p until cards were full or the battery died
-- Simultaneous dual recording of 10-bit 422 4k60p XAVC S until both cards were full
-- 27min of dual recording with the LCD against the body and it shut down, then another 14 min after immediately restarting - these two runs were after doing all of the above all day yesterday, that's about 9 hours of non-stop recording with no issues, then the shut down
Today's test was the same as above, just airplane off. I can't get mine to overheat unless the LCD is against the body, but I don't shoot that way and knowing it won't overheat with it out - I will not hesitate using this in a professional environment alongside my a7sIII. The a7IV is a winner for me.

Chris

Been trying to find a deal on one of these for awhile. Just missed one with a speed booster and cage for less than $600. Prices seem to be on the rise, grrr..

Chris

1 hour ago, Mark Romero 2 said:

Good to hear it is working well.

Wonder if the majority of issues are caused by problematic batteries???

I actually haven’t unwrapped the battery that came with the camera in case I wanted to return it. I have a few OEM’s so I just cycled through them. 

Ran some more tests. Took a lot but I finally got mine to overheat. I filled a 128gb card shooting SI at 4k60p which was 27 minutes, no issues. Then I switched to 24p which filled another card in 1hr 8 min, no issues. Then I did a simultaneous recording, 4k60p XAVC S - so it recorded 1hr 20 min to both cards, no issues. So my conclusion is after 7 straight hours of recording - only stopping to swap batteries and delete those long ass takes - my camera has zero issues with the screen out. 

So then I put the screen into the body and did the simultaneous 4k60p recording again. It shut down after 27 minutes recording to both cards. I flipped the camera off and then right back on and hit record and got over 14 minutes more recording before it shut down - again recording to both cards. This was after all the previous recording and the camera was already pretty warm.

I never shoot with the screen flat against the body. I'm 6'2" and never have the camera at eye level, so the screen is always flipped out so I can see it. Over 7 hours works for me, the a7IV is a keeper. A few more shots of the camera in action.

Cheers

Chris

So I decided to take a look at my copy after seeing this and the thread on Fred Miranda. If anyone is getting fast overheating times, I'd return it - you have a dud. I'm at over 4 hours of 4k60p and counting, only stopping for battery swaps and to reformat the card. Batteries have been at about 35% when pulled. With the settings below my 128gb card can only record for 1hr 20min so I've been stopping it just before its full. Batteries are warm to the touch, but not anything to worry about. Same for the back of the body where the LCD screen sits, I don't even have a temp warning yet.

My settings with a 128gb Prograde V90 card:

XAVC S - 4k60p - 10 bit 422 - 200mbps
AF-c - wide area - Face/eye detection and touch tracking on
Screen out like I always shoot
Airplane mode to prolong battery life (always unless I'm transferring files)
Temp warning set to high 

I started with the FE 85 just pointing at a static scene in my 77 degree apartment with the camera in front of the heater so it was blowing warm air on it. I hit tap to track on the flower as you can see in the image, so tracking was constantly engaged the whole time. I stopped it just before the card was full after almost 1hr 20min of recording. Then I moved to pointing it at the TV and swapped to the FE 35 to bootleg The Grand Tour (haven't seen the latest one, no spoilers LOL!). This should generate more heat since the camera would be busy detecting faces/eyes and tracking them - which it did beautifully. No heat warnings at all. This is far better than my a7III and absolutely crushes the a6300. I've never done a test with my a7sIII because it doesn't need it, but these results are far beyond what I should ever use.

I'll try bumping to XAVC SI and the 600mbps bitrate, but I never shoot that because my 128gb cards only hold about 27 min of footage and after a year and a half with the a7sIII I don't see a difference with XAVC S. That said I have zero reservations about using the a7IV for my work as I've never recorded a 1hr 20min take - the longest for me is sunrises/sunsets at about 45 minutes from start to finish. I edit in 24p, a full 128gb card of 60p footage would be 3 hours slowed down. The photo shows the end of the three consecutive takes filling my cards and the switch to SI and its massive bitrate on the bottom right. Note the sweet eye AF LOL!

Cheers

Chris

Nice! I used to shoot for Visit Florida, been to Sanibel many times. 

Chris

2 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

    Thanks for the explanation Chris. Yeah I am sure I am out of the times keeping up with the newer high end stuff. So glad it's working out for you. I would think you could control some of the AF problems or at least monitor it using the Sony app on your smartphone? Even my little RX0 II has WIFI and Bluetooth.

 Yeah if it works @ 500mm than you must have a winner on your hand. I have a 80-400mm Tokina that I sure as hell wish it worked that good lol. I either have to have my Zucuto EVF or my 7" Monitor to check focus with it and even then pretty slow to go birding with. But it's old just like me so both beyond help I guess. 

The phone app lags a bit. The Monitor+ app isn't as bad - its much better than Sony's and well worth the cash - it has great functionality. But a phone isn't bright enough outside and it overheats in direct sunlight pretty quick. I don't want to fry my overpriced iPhone LOL! I have a really bright monitor, its just more time consuming to setup and a lot more to carry with batteries, cables and such. I'm a one-man-band and for most shoots I lug all my gear in a carry-on size backpack, that's 2-3 bodies, 4 or 5 lenses, my drone, a monopod and all accessories including a gimbal at times. If its a slower paced project, I rig the camera out a little bit with cage, handle, Ninja and so on and just throw it in an old porta brace camcorder bag from my old FS100 days.

As far as 500mm, I was shooting osprey's last spring with the a7sIII and the 200-600. I just tapped the LCD to lock onto one as it was sitting in its nest. When it took off I just followed it around as it swooped down to grab a fish. When it was eating back at the nest, nearly every time it looked my way I got the eye AF box on its eye. It just blows me away how good Real Time Tracking works. A guy next to me was shooting with the a1, which was even better. The capabilities are just amazing.

Cheers

Chris

2 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

All this autofocus talk makes me laugh. Other than maybe the latest Canon DPAF 4th gen I would not trust AF if it is an important shoot for nothing. There is no such thing as set it walk away and it will be great. If it can go to shit it will.  Even if it drifts out of focus once it is ruined in my mind, just like crappy audio is a total turnoff.

Times have changed, I shoot almost exclusively with AF thanks to being farsighted and shooting in the sun a lot - which makes anything outside of the EVF difficult to judge focus. As a solo shooter I can't monitor through the EVF and conduct interviews at the same time. Sony's Real Time Tracking is easily as good and in many cases superior to Canon's DPAF. Its been a game changer for me and has actually sped up my workflow. I can get the shot faster. It can track a subject far better than you can with MF, even with super shallow DOF like with the 50/1.2 or the long end of a zoom lens. I was shooting someone walking down a path with the 200-600 at about 500mm LOL, and it stuck to her like glue. Just awesome.

If you haven't used it, you really don't have a leg to stand on with that argument. It reliably sticks to whatever you lock on to, and if there's a face or eye it'll track that with amazing precision, even with things like dogs or birds moving at speeds faster than most can follow manually. If it drifts a bit you can always cover it with Broll or use the drift as an edit point just like you would with any other shot that's out of focus since anybody manually focusing large aperture lenses can't nail focus 100% of the time. And with Sony's new breathing compensation you can easily eliminate any of the background movement as the AF tracks people moving. Its really a thing of beauty. Do I get missed shots because the AF misses, sure, but I get far less than focusing manually. That's saves me time, and time is money for me. I get it, some just don't want to embrace change or new tech, but these are just tools to get the job done and they do a damn fine job of getting the shot. As always YMMV.

Cheers

Chris

1 hour ago, webrunner5 said:

If you are talented, you can make Anything work. Hell he is not doing Netflix stuff. The DoF on a 24mm f4 lens on a 1" sensor is a mile wide. Just what he needs. 

The real question he was looking for was a cheap 10bit 4k camera. I told him, a RX0 Mk II. Your suggestion seems even more silly, Cinetone, yeah right. And then on a used $1500 camera that doesn't even do 10 bit. That ought to work out well.

Again man, just read what the OP wants and stop focusing on me. The RX0 clearly isn't it because he wants shallower DOF. I just mentioned 10-bit it since he's looking to cut footage with the s1h, 10-bit will give more flexibility in post. And in his words, the GH5 didn't cut it, so your RX certainly wouldn't either. This is the criteria, ignore me and focus on this:

 "I want another camera to cut to occasionally that is:

A - always in focus regardless of how animated the interviewer is. On some focal lengths even at F4 it's possible for an interviewee to lean in and out of focus very easily.

B - reasonably shallow DOF so it looks nice and not like a camcorder.

C- unmanned. I want to press go and when i come to edit, know it will be in focus.

Those three factors mean I need autofocus for that other camera. TBH I think the current fashionable dogma of "REAL film-makers don't use autofocus" comes from a sort of aspirational attitude, wanting to have a big crew etc. It's fine if you have enough people and time, but both cost far more money than gear. In reality I shoot lots of interviews a year often entirely alone. Autofocus would mean I don't have to hire someone else, something that would be prohibitively expensive budget-wise to get someone good. If you are on your own only holding focus on a face while moving, that isn't an "artistic" task. It's a technical one. We are at the point where computers do such tasks very well and will only get better.

I have already tried this sort of shoot with a GH5 b-cam and it didn't work. We aren't even talking about razor thing DOF, just not camcorder/mobile-phone deep. And still it always ended up hunting or pulsing at some point, in the end I sold it. Contrast based AF is just not up to the task. That leaves me with Sony or Canon.

My only real worry with Sony was cutting their 8-bit 4:2:0 against the S1H 6K 12-bit raw."

21 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

If you think a RX0 II is an action cam well.....

Instead of arguing silly semantics, just take a minute to actually read the OP's criteria. Call it whatever you want, a vlogging camera, a cinema camera, a video camera or whatever, I don't care. That still makes no difference. Its clearly not what he's looking for. 

cheers

chris

13 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Well a Sony camera I have does do 4K 10 bit on the cheap. The Sony RX0 II outputs 4K 422 10bit video from its HDM port (according to Atomos), Has Slog 2 even.  Lot of DoF @ f4.0, trouble is only 24mm so have to get closer than you might want with the rig..

That doesn't meet the OP's stated criteria. Same for any other 10-bit camera without sticky AF and shallow DOF with an interview focal length. 24mm with an action cam isn't close to ideal. So including them is unnecessary.

Cheers.

Chris

On 12/29/2021 at 8:42 AM, jgharding said:

I want another camera to cut to occasionally that is:

A - always in focus regardless of how animated the interviewer is. On some focal lengths even at F4 it's possible for an interviewee to lean in and out of focus very easily.

B - reasonably shallow DOF so it looks nice and not like a camcorder.

C- unmanned. I want to press go and when i come to edit, know it will be in focus.

Any of the Sony's with Real Time Tracking will fit the bill. That includes the ZV you originally asked about, the a61/4/600's, and all of the latest FF bodies - a7c, a9/a9II, a7rIV a1, a7sIII/fx3 and a7IV. Unfortunately the only 10-bit bodies are the a1, a7sIII/fx3 and the a7IV. I've had the a7IV for a week and I really like it next to the a7sIII, but that's a much larger investment compared to the ZV. I wish Sony would do 10-bit and such with its aps-c bodies, but they've made it clear if you want that level of features in the E-mount, you will have to go FF or the Cine line.

Anyway, I just use the touch to track feature you'll get really great face/eye AF for interviews, and if it can't get the eye it'll still stay locked onto the subject. I stumbled across this video shot with AF and the 50GM. Awesome. There are obviously tons of you tubers showing AF by bouncing in and out of the frame, but as a solo-shooter its just so cool to be able to tap the subject and then do an interview while monitoring audio and exposure without worrying about focus. Sony's AF has made my workflow a lot better.

Cheers

Chris

On 12/20/2021 at 7:50 AM, jgharding said:

P.S. I've also seen a psuedo-Cinetone setting for such Sony cameras, I'm not sure if anyone has tried this and can tell me if they like it?

Black Level: 0
Gamma: Movie Black
Gamma: Range Wide, Level +7
Knee: Mode Manual, 77.5%,Slope 0
Colour Mode: Pro Saturation -2
Color Phase: -2
Colour Depth: R: +5 G: -2 B: -3 C -4 M: +2 Y: +3
Detail: Level -7

I used the fake cinetone to match the a7III with the a7sIII's cinetone and its pretty legit. Its a standard profile so you do take a DR hit, but for talking head stuff it should be fine. Just note, the look is pretty baked in, so make sure you like cinetone LOL!

Chris

On 12/10/2021 at 8:27 PM, kye said:

I'd suggest that you investigate controller options for FCPX.  I say this because:

• You tried Resolve before and it didn't take
• The Speed Editor is designed for the Cut page, and while certain things work in the Edit page a lot (most?) functions don't work there, or don't work in the way you'd predict / want
• The Cut page seems to do rather odd things sometimes (maybe this will be fixed in future versions, but I'll believe it when I see it)

I have a love/annoyance relationship with Resolve and with BM.  On the one hand, the power of the colour page is unquestionable and the sheer quantity of features in the other pages is undeniable.  On the other hand, BM are a very take-it-or-leave-it company:

• they have a way they expect you to work and even though they could alter features to let you work a different way they keep the features so they work their way and make zero sense any other way
• they are a hardware company first and "cripple" Resolve to push you down the path of buying their hardware
• they are focused on the big studios and the "little guys" are the poor cousin who isn't well catered for

I'm starting to really get acquainted with the controller and my work workflows and editing style now and I'm actually contemplating starting to hack together a controller setup of my own to "bypass" some of the Resolve restrictions.  Specifically, Resolve has a number of UI features that can't be assigned to Keyboard Shortcuts, or are usable in one page but not the other (eg, Cut page vs Edit page).  I'm pondering if it's worth my time to look into developing custom macros or whatever to get around these.

All good points. I've never warmed up to the magnetic timeline - usually I put music on that track and just edit like any other NLE (hence my liking the Cut page and wanting to use the Speed Editor) and FCP is a little weak on the audio side - which is why I've been split. But I've never had the time to really do a deep dive into Resolve. My wife is about to deliver our first, so I'm going to be off for most of the next two months with no deadline driven work projects. I can spend the time to properly learn Resolve and work on my grading skills with a mountain of baby girl videos. Resolve's recent updates made it really fast on the M1 Mac, so there's little to no speed advantage using FCP anymore and ACES is really slick with a7sIII Slog3 footage.

Thanks for all the advice. Its always nice to get other perspectives.

Cheers

Chris

Scored a great deal on a Pocket 2 creator combo, going to use it to do some city walk videos. That 4th axis looks interesting. I've had 3 phone gimbals die on me after regular use over the last three years, hope the P2 lasts longer than those. Its a PITA carrying another device, but the image is better than a phone and it really is pocketable. Used it to shoot a quick promo video at a friend's church so its already paid for itself LOL! I'm going to add a Rode stereo mic for ambient sound on the city walk videos.

I'm also on board with the 1" Pocket 3. I hope DJI does it.

Cheers

Chris

On 12/5/2021 at 6:55 PM, kye said:

Since my last post in this thread, I now own the Speed Editor for Resolve and am loving it.

My earlier statement proved to be correct - the critical feature is the scroll wheel.  However, I think there are three main reasons to consider a control surface, depending on what you're doing and what NLE you have.

Navigating using the scroll wheel
The scroll wheel is super intuitive to use when editing, and for this purpose I think the ergonomics are important.  The Speed Editor (BMSE) wheel is heavy and has momentum, so I find that I use it a lot by flicking it and having it spin on its own accord.  This means that you can have almost frame-level accuracy and yet be able to quickly navigate the timeline at the same time.  A wheel that was just a clicky-control would be far less useful in this sense I think.

Editing using the scroll wheel
Probably the killer feature of the SE is the ability to hold down a button (eg, to control the out point of a clip) and move the wheel to adjust it.  The SE allows you to control in points, out points, allows you to slip clips, to roll edit points, etc, all by holing down a button and scrolling using the wheel.  

It also has other things like being able to control the size of the viewing window, once again, by holding it down and using the wheel to adjust it.

This method of working is super intuitive and a really slick feature.

Editing using the buttons
The SE has buttons that access functions that you can't map to keyboard keys.  This is a bit of a cheat from BM, but its there, so isn't to be discounted.

I would evaluate your options above based on those criteria, as they're the ones that really provide the value of a control surface, in my experience.

I'm *this* close to getting one of those Speed Editors, still sitting on the fence between FCPx and Free Resolve but splitting my efforts between them just means I'm a half assed editor on both. This would mean an all in on Resolve, something I've tried before but it just didn't take LOL! I like the Cut page, but grading is slower for me in Resolve since its not my strongest skill. Still, the jog wheel and quick keys jive with how I work.

Cheers

Chris

8 hours ago, Matt James Smith ? said:

Just grabbed a used SVMX on eBay. It’s in pretty rough shape cosmetically but I got a decent price (£290) and doubt I’ll ever be looking to sell it on so as long as it works perfectly I’m happy. 
 

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

Nice! I have a Sennheiser G3 wireless handheld/lav system I don't use very much, was thinking about listing on Fleabay. This may be the route I go as well and just flip the G3 into the SVMX. 

Cheers

Chris

12 hours ago, Matt James Smith ? said:

Yes this is what's making me consider the lower end (& cheaper) Rode Stereo vm Pro. Like you say once it's in the mix and just ambient with visuals, quality may not be a huge issue. I do however want to shoot some extended ambient-sound only scenes, with fairly static/ uneventful visuals, that will be shown in a cinema space. The footage will be 4K RAW derived so I'd like the audio quality to not be obviously incongruent. But ultimate quality is definitely not vital. I'm just trying to find the sweet spot and I'm not sure about the RSVm Pro - the X sounds significantly bettering online tests to me. I get what you're saying about EQ etc but there's no question the X is a big step uo n quality from what I've heard.

I'm leaning toward the Stereo VMP for now just for convenience and availability. I have the MKE 600 shotgun for more directional stuff and don't want to rig another large mic. I'm also shooting smaller cameras than you - mostly the a7sIII. The X does look next level for these smaller on cam mics though. The other options will need another shock mount and larger cables LOL! Damn supply chain issues....

Cheers

Chris

10 hours ago, Matt James Smith ? said:

I'm really surprised how little choice and info there is out there in terms of stereo mics suitable for video cameras.

I like the look & sound of the Rode Stereo Videomic X, but it's expensive and hard to get hold of (new and used) and I'm struggling to find alternatives.

What I need:

• 3.5mm option so I can record stereo to channels 3 & 4 on my C200 (while recording shotgun and lav to ch1 & ch2 via XLR).
• Single unit - a matched pair (e.g. 2 x NT5) would be too much setup and doesn't allow 3.5mm option.
• Decent windjammer/deadcat available
• Good shockmount/suspension available
• Good sound quality
• Ideally the option to use XLR cables as well as 3.5mm so I can use phantom power and long wires when I need to (e.g. gigs)

Rode's SVMX and NT4 are the only mics I've found that obviously fulfil all the above. I'm not mad about the form factor of the NT4 or its windshield and shockmount options. I'm sure Audio Technica and other brands make alternatives to the NT4 but I can't find much helpful info out there - most stereo mic info is geared towards either indoor music recording or sound-only field recording.. 

The simplest option would be to go with a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro and live with the average audio quality, but samples I've heard from it aren't very exciting (open to being convinced otherwise).

The other option is to look at which sound recorders (Zoom, Tascam, etc) have good quality XY mics and 3.5mm line-out (I need it to be able to record direct to the camera) so any advice there appreciated (I'm still rocking a Roland R26 but it doesn't have line-out and the built in XY is pretty average sounding IIRC).

Thanks for any help or advice!

 

Interesting topic. I've been looking for something to capture ambient sound as well. The Rode Stereo Videomic X is at the top of my list too. But yeah, not easy to come by these days. Everything else that mounts on cam is low budget stuff. I've also been considering using the zoom H3VR until I can find the X, but using it in the field while shooting looks like a bit of a challenge LOL!

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1434530-REG/zoom_zh3vr_h3_vr_360_vr_audio.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQiA15yNBhDTARIsAGnwe0Uv0Np2mQoQNyITewv0KPjHEsczvXVA9vdTPe30B27cIBfELOBKyQEaAg1yEALw_wcB

Hopefully some other options pop up here.

Cheers

Chris

On 11/23/2021 at 5:54 PM, kye said:

They call them the Trinity of zoom lenses for a reason!

One thing worth considering with the Sony cameras is the Clearimage zoom, which is very high quality.  From what I saw (watching through the 4K YouTube compression of course) was that it was invisible up to about 1.4x magnification.  I also recall from the A73 that you could punch in to a 1:1 (?) 4K mode, which also gave a 1.4x magnification.  Combined they give a 2X factor, which you may find high quality enough to use to extend the long end of your 24-70.

It's a tough thing, moving from a 16-35 + 24-70 to a 16-35 + 35-150.  If it were me, I'd be thinking about:

1. How many of your shots are wider than 35mm
2. How many times those shots occurred after a shot longer than 35mm
3. How many times that transition had to be done in a hurry, or what the time cost would be if you had to change lenses constantly
4. How many times you could use the 1.4x crop / Clearimage zoom on the 16-35mm to get a longer shot (and therefore avoid changing from the 16-35 to the 35-150)
5. How many times you could use the 1.4x crop / Clearimage zoom on the 24-70mm to get a shot longer than 70mm
6. What the optical performance of your lenses is when wide open (as a 1.4x or 2x crop into their image circle will reveal softness or other issues)

My travel kit is 7.5/2 + 17.5/0.95 + 42.5/0.95 (FF equivalents of 15/4 + 35/1.9 + 85/1.9).  I originally had the 17.5 and was using a 58mm as the longer lens but I found the gap from 17.5 -> 58 to be too large (3.3x) so I bought the 42.5mm (2.4x).  The 17.5mm (35mm) stays on the camera most of the time so that's the default lens.  

However, I bought that kit while I was filming in the GH5 4K mode which I could get a 1.4x zoom by punching into the sensor.  I have since switched to 1080p to get ALL-I and therefore eliminating the need for proxies in my workflow, and in that mode I can engage the 2x digital zoom, which creates a 1080p image by downsampling a ~2.5K area of the sensor, and is higher quality than the 1:1 mode.

This means that instead of the 35mm cropping to a 49mm equivalent and having a large gap between that and the longer prime which was 116mm equivalent, it means that the 35mm crops to a 70mm which is a lot closer to that 116mm equivalent.  So I now have a 35mm(70mm) then an 85, which you could argue isn't so useful because they're so close together.  Had I known this before I bought the 85 equivalent, I might have gone in a different direction.

I guess I say all this to suggest that the crop/zoom functions can have a real impact on your lens requirements and should be factored in before you spend real money on glass.

Yeah, CIZ is good to 1.5x, I never go past it as IQ does noticeably degrade. I didn't take that into consideration, sometimes I forget its there LOL! I have that and s35 mode it on custom function buttons for quick punch ins. But you lose tracking and the ability to place your focus point with CIZ - so all you get is wide AF. But it can be handy since it doesn't impact IQ in any significant manner and it doesn't cut resolution like s35 mode with stills.

To answer your questions, I'm wider than 35mm a lot. I had the Tamron 28-75 and sold it for another 24-70 because I frequently needed it to be a tad wider. I change lenses less now. When I'm shooting I usually have the the UWA or a 24-70 on one and the 70-180/200 on the other body and then switch things up if needed. I even have a 24 and 35 primes because I like that range a lot. I really wish Sony would do a better 28 so I could consolidate both, its a happy medium for me.

But utilizing the CIZ with 150mm on the long end effectively negates the shorter range in many situations. I have glass beyond 200mm too, but that's a specialty lens that's not in my daily carry. I'm pretty sure a high IQ UWA zoom and the 35-150 would work well for the way I shoot, and for a small chunk of that range I'd get a bit more light gathering than the 24-70. I *think* I'd be more efficient being able to use the zoom and crop options to extend the reach. 

We'll see. I'm in no hurry to sell off a bunch of gear and buy two new zooms, despite the fact new stuff is fun. I'll probably rent the Tamron for a long weekend and tinker or wait for used copies to start popping up on Fred Miranda and get one at a bit of a discount.

I've also been looking at the Freewell magnetic VND's and such to further simplify my kit while staying versatile. Right now I have screw on filters and a 100mm filter holder with a bunch of filters I don't use very much because of the time it takes to setup. I always just wind up using my VND's, even for landscape photos and such - which I shouldn't do since I have the big/little stoppers, a CPL and a few ND grads with that NISI system. But its hard to be more run and gun fumbling with large glass plates.

Cheers

Chris

On 11/27/2021 at 2:11 PM, Mark Romero 2 said:

I don't own an a7 IV, but I do own an S5 and an S1, and at least the Panasonic 24-105 f/4 (the other lenses I own are adapted Canon EF and vintage Minolta MD lenses).

But I have been eyeing the a7 IV. I might be mistaken, but I think that @Trek of Joyhas one??? (Maybe he owns the a7S III instead of the a7 IV).

As an S5 / S1 owner, the things I envy about the a7 IV would be the lens selection and smaller size. And of course, the autofocus. If it had 4K 60fps in FULL FRAME I would be really tempted (although I already own several E Mount aps-c lenses that I could throw on the a7 IV when I want to shoot 4K 60fps in the crop sensor format).

There are some things that I would DEFINITELY miss that the S5 has though, namely:

waveforms
great IBIS
Ergonomics (even though the S5 is still a bit bigger / heavier than what I would prefer, and the S1 is DEFINITELY a beast).
Luminance spot meter

The other things I might POTENTIALLY miss would be like the ability to record in RAW externally, but I don't currently own any external recorders, so that might not be an issue for me personally.

Anyway, hope this helps you with your decision.

A7IV? I wish. I have one on order LOL, but I'm in the US and we won't see them for another month. Right now its the a7III/a7sIII combo for me. All of your S5 points are great and honestly features I would like to see on Sony, though I get monitoring and false color with the Ninja which I don't mind rigging.

The latest Sony AF has been a game changer for me, I need glasses for anything within a few feet and its just made me so much faster, I almost never focus manually because I can't see further away with my glasses on. So I'm looking forward to the a7IV to better compliment the a7sIII - Sony's real time tracking never ceases to impress, its really, really good. The other upgrades are welcome too, and I really don't mind the 60p crop, even if I didn't have the a7sIII.

Cheers

Chris

Sony shooter checking in - and I love zooms. I shoot the a7sIII, a7III (though that will the the IV soon, hopefully LOL!) and the a6300 for a small/light/cheap backup or tiny walkabout cam. Though I love fast, sharp primes and I'm a shallow DOF/creamy bokeh junkie, most of my work is with the zoom trinity for its versatility, and most of that is the 24-70. I can't imaging being an all prime shooter and all the lens changes LOL! But I've always tried to keep my kit mobile in one medium size backpack - so I can carry 2 or 3 bodies with lenses and a prime or two, plus my drone in something like a Lowepro 450 size bag.

I've always worked best with the holy trinity - that's been a UWA somewhere in the 16-35 range (most recently the 12-24/4) and the standard which is the Sigma 24-70/2.8 right now. For the last year the long end of that trifecta has been the Tamron 70-180, which replaced the Sony GM and has been brilliant thanks to its size and great IQ. I use it a lot more than the GM since it's pretty much always in my bag. 

But Tamron has thrown a major wrench in the works with the new 35-150/f2-2.8 that has me seriously thinking about running a mostly 2-lens kit of the 16-35 GM/35-150 with 2-3 fast primes sprinkled in for smaller/faster stuff indoors or just for bokeh fun. The Tammy is faster than my 2.8 zoom through 60mm, but I'd lose a lot on the wide end and would need to carry a UWA - but realistically this could replace my 35/85 f/1.8's and the 24-70/70-180 with another lens on the wide end. I think LOL! There's definitely a mental barrier consolidating four lenses into one and workflow changes since I use the 24-70 on the wide end a lot. And with my first baby on the way, I want a fast prime or two for indoor low light shooting and some super bokeh shots of her little hands and feet and such. I've always been a 24/35/85 shooter, but there are just too many options to fill in primes around that 35-150 that I can decide, plus change is hard since I've had the trinity for more than a decade.

One E-mount outlier is the tiny a7c 28-60 kit lens. Its ridiculously small, really sharp and makes for a great gimbal lens or just a fun, small walkabout lens. For a $250 lens used, its amazing.

Cheers

Chris