BTM_Pix

There are other options in terms of the field recorder aspect at that price (like the Marantz PMD-706) and above (Tascam DR701D) that will give you the 6 tracks but the USB audio interface is the unique part of the Zoom. One criticism I've seen come up about it a few times as an interface though versus a normal USB one is that as the XLRs aren't all on one side it can be a bit of a spiders legs job so that might be something to consider. With regard to the file structure, its like this, so each project has a folder and within it the separate files for the recording are denoted LR for stereo recording of the L/R input, Tr1 would be a mono track of Input 1, Tr34 would be a stereo recording of Input 3 and 4 etc..: For what your needs are as both a USB interface and a field recorder as a single unit, I can't think of a better solution and if there is one it is certainly not that price. Having a real monitor mixer on board would be something I could see you benefiting from as you could use it to provide a separate monitor mix to the musicians when you're using it like that or for providing a mixed version out to a camera when filming for fast turnaround whilst still having the benefit of the individually recorded tracks as a safety. As for the actually quality of the mic-pres, there are a ton of videos on YouTube of it being used in various levels of competency with a ton of different mics of different quality so I guess you can take them as a spectrum of what it can do but you'll really need to plug your own mics in and compare it with what you know they can do with your current setup to make that call.

Maybe not for narrative film making but I see a lot of smartphones being used professionally by journalists in my work. I remember being quite shocked when I first started seeing them being used a few years ago for reporter pieces to camera outside stadiums by "real" broadcast companies but its so commonplace now it doesn't even register. I'm not talking just self shot pieces here either - though that happens as well - but a regular setup of a cameraman and a reporter, its just that the camera on the tripod is a smartphone instead of an ENG camera. Typically, they'll be on a rig like this one What has really pushed it forward over recent years is the availability of good audio options and its even becoming more commonplace at press conferences I've been doing to see smartphones being connected directly to the audio split box to take the feed from the console. So standards don't have to drop just because the form factor and price of the gear you're using have. Everything about them is becoming more sophisticated in terms of hardware and software (apps like LumaFusion are serious editing tools now and the Teradek Live:AIR products let you do multi cam broadcasts) and of course where they really win out is not just in the form factor but also in how fast they can get to air from anywhere. So I can definitely say they have reached a point where you can do professional video work with them but the transition to "proper" film making (whatever that even means today) is always going to be hampered by the lens on the front of it. If RED actually get it together in terms of a viable bolt on camera for the HYDROGEN then we might over time see it gain the same traction. I'm of a generation that sees a smartphone as a device whereas the people who will be making the films I watch in my retirement home see it as an extension of themselves. It is that ubiquity that will drive the change because to them, they do everything else on it so why wouldn't you make "real" films on it? And to be honest, I have to say that dealing with a fixed device that limits your choices also limits the rabbit holes you can fall down so it can actually improve creativity and productivity.

Oh. I think this clip of it might actually be a metaphor.

I have the mark V and I use it primarily as a travel camera. For me, I use a lot of it indoor or in lower light so it's the reverse for me. Even when it's in good light I prefer the option of the wider aperture if I need it hence why I have a variable ND permanently on it totally defeating the object of it being a compact camera But, as I said, I do see that other people would prefer the longer reach and I have to get out of the mindset of thinking a mark VI would be an "upgrade" over a mark V because that's not how it works with the RX100 and it's just a different set of compromises in the same body. I'll stick with the current set of compromises the mark V gives me but I'm sure the mark VI ticks the boxes of other people. As I say, in the camcorder format (where it has some additional features and where I would use it for a completely different purpose) I think it's a pretty compelling package.

Its certainly got a ton going for it over the Panasonic but its well over twice the price so by putting that lens on it they've put themselves in that sort of comparison area with consumers. Funnily enough, I quite fancy this in the camcorder format of the AX700 where you are getting the variable ND and the mic input and the better ergonomics but it just seems like a bad compromise in the RX100 format for me. I have the RX100 V and I bemoan the lack of a mic input and more than one ND setting far more than not having enough reach on the lens but I need to stop thinking about the different RX100 versions as "upgrades" as their naming and pricing suggests because they all co-exist together for different uses I suppose and the RX100 VI is for people who do need that.

I doubt they ever will, its how they roll. At least the fiddliness is understandable when they're cramming features into a small unit like the RX100s. I don't know what their excuse is for their bigger cameras which are equally clunky. The Mark V was pushed quite hard by the much cheaper Panasonic LX10/15 (which has a faster lens). I thought the Mark VI would put some daylight between them but this lens choice actually drags it the other way towards the even cheaper Panasonic TZ100. Both of those cheap Panasonic's can have Cinelike-D on them as well now of course If I was a normal punter in a shop looking at this Mark VI against the TZ100 I'd be wondering where the price difference was. There is more to this camera when you dig into it of course than the Panasonic's offer but on a straight side by side in a shop it would be a tough sell.

They have a stereo mic for cameras that use the Multi Interface Shoe and also a dual XLR interface that does too. So you can use these on lot of their cameras to add decent audio but they stopped including the Multi Interface Shoe from the Mark III version of the RX100 onwards. To be fair, it is about twice the size of the camera though, so I suppose they envisage it being more appropriate to the RX10. Would've been nice to have the option though.

From the spec it appears to be the compact camera version of their AX700 camcorder. That new hybrid AF system its got is no slouch

Yes, I think the trick is to incorporate a few little bits as well to make it a one stop utility box. So, the keyboard input could be included and the remote start in and out from different cameras etc

So, like this then ?

That is the $64000 question. Or more likely the $6400 question It was DSLR shaped but so are mirrorless so it wouldn't rule either out. It was definitely D850 looking size and yes the number may well have been taped over. Not sure why they'd be so shy sitting in Nikon's foyer area with a Nikon camera of course but who knows. After using Nikon cameras for 40 years though, I can definitely spot a model number at 40 paces and this did not have one Take it all with a pinch of salt, of course. It might well have just been a complete coincidence. I was jet lagged and euphoric after playing with a prototype of their 1200-1700mm lens as well!

An angry man called Ken is absolutely adamant on his YouTube channel that Nikon are using Towerjazz sensors rather than Sony. Curiously enough, I was at Nikon in Shinagawa a couple of weeks ago visiting their museum and to get to it you have to go through the lobby that has the waiting area for the company HQ. When I was leaving, there was a crew sat waiting in reception with gear for film making rather than photography and one of them was holding a D850-ish sized camera that I would swear blind had no model number in the usual place ......

Can you walk me through specifically how you would want that to work because I've a feeling that it could be incorporated into the same box.

Quick finger in the air think of a number guesstimate would be circa €50 so probably not a goer.

Where I was going ultimately really was to sniff the bluetooth packets between the app and the F8 which would then enable a small device to act as the go between (replacing the app and the iOS device basically) between the keyboard and the recorder. The cheekiest thing about it is it could actually be powered from the USB port of the F8 On a similar note would be sniffing the USB between FRC-8 and the F4/F8 as that would enable a similar thing to be created that goes in via USB but would enable keyboard entry on the F4 as well. Would that be something that would be of interest to enough F4 owners to be worthwhile someone (me) pursuing if Zoom don't implement it themselves in an F4 update?

The host iOS device that you're running F8Control on should be able to handle a simultaneous bluetooth keyboard connection which would be active automatically on any text input field in the App so this should work already? I don't have an F8 (obviously ) but I've just downloaded the app on to my iPad and my bluetooth keyboard is active simultaneously while the app is running. I know this because I can use the Enter key to dismiss the "Where is your F8 then ?" pop-up when I load the app There may well be a keyboard shortcut to invoke the User Scene Name Edit screen that could make things even easier. If you know anyone who has an F8 on your other forums, if they hold down the Command key on their bluetooth keyboard while the app is on screen then it should after a few seconds open a pop-up that lists them. So, if F8 for example opens the User Scene Name Edit screen then that would make it even easier. The good thing about them not updating the app in ages is that it can run on iOS9 so a cheapie second hand iPod Touch (5th gen) or iPhone 5C with a noname mini bluetooth keyboard would make ideal candidates for a bag and wallet friendly £100 alternative to the FRC-8

Seriously though, I think you probably need to have fleshed out your original requirements a bit more. If you're working on your own, what existing gear do you still have or is this from scratch, will someone else be doing audio, do you need more than one camera to be using simultaneously for weddings and corporate, how fast do you have to turn projects round, etc etc All of it has an impact, so if you write a bit more of a detailed brief of how you envisage working then you'll be get far more targeted and useful suggestions. Hope that helps.

He's probably currently doing the same thing everyone does after the first wedding they agree to shoot.

Here you go, I've added it at the bottom of this new html file for you GX800 TESTER V2.html

I tell you what, the smart deal is to get used Leica Qs and take them over there and swap them for A7R II's One Leica Q will get you just on 4 A7RII's Based on what I can get a used Q for in London, it makes the A7RII's about £700 each when you do it that way!!

The PlayMemories hack only works on cameras with an Android subsystem so that unfortunately means the A9, A7Riii and A7iii aren't going to be able to benefit from it. One interesting thing I read about was regarding the A6000 which, unlike the A5000, could not do live view and video recording from Sony's own IOS/Android app but hacking the camera's name (to a non-existing A6001 no less!) allowed the app to work. So Sony's app was actively blocking the function on the A6000 but was happy to action it if it thought it was speaking to another camera type. https://github.com/ma1co/OpenMemories-Tweak/issues/134 Seems familiar, huh? So....if there was a backdoor into getting the A9 to allow profiles then my hunch would be that that would be the way in to make it think it was another camera. Its a big if though as the A9 firmware is encrypted differently and how much motivation there would be to put the effort in for what is quite a niche product is doubtful. For the older cameras though, the PlayMemories hack is brilliant for removing the recording time limit restriction and for unlocking the worldwide language selector. The last part is crucial if you are bargain hunting for used Sony cameras in Japan where the local (much cheaper) variants have the language locked but 10 mins at the hotel with a laptop can make that sub £900 mint condition A7Rii even more of a bargain

What a way to go though.

The fourth reason is if you are mad enough to be creating a hardware remote control for the infernal thing To be fair, the Sigma EF lenses do act as if they were native on this adapter, I was just trying to be cheap and not buy any real E mount lenses for what will be a short term relationship with it. Of course, this didn't stop me then buying a couple of E mount lenses !!

I know what you mean but the value aspect is in the £75 for a matched pair. At that price, even "ok" is a big result Mind you, that looks positively Leica-esque pricing compared to Thomann's own sourced EM700 stereo set complete with dual suspensions and T bar for £50.48. Surprisingly enough, they also manage to be "not not ok" I'm going for probably not.

I think this is a very shrewd suggestion. You'll struggle to get the 24mm equivalent f1.8 lens that the LX100 has for even twice the price of a used one. (The Samyang is a good value but is MF only). Plus you get the other focal lengths it offers at not too slow a speed, it will cut easily with your GH4, gives you not only a backup camera but a more stealthy one if you are stealing shots. Its a very, very good option. The other half of your budget you can use for a faster longer prime to cover the extra requirements. That Olympus 45mm f1.8 is a good performer and their 75mm f1.8 is very nice indeed but would blow your budget. I'd be tempted to look at getting the Sigma 30mm f1.4 and their 60mm f2.8 which you could probably just sneak in if you picked up used ones. I'd leave the 30mm on the GH4 as the standard lens and although the 60mm isn't particularly fast it is a capable performer and very good value for money. For what its worth, I might even be tempted to try and trade the GH4 for a G80 to free up some more space and budget and get the benefit of IBIS.