Mark Romero 2

Have fun and enjoy.
Gary Friedman might have some free videos up on youtube about the a6300 / a6500. He often explains the "hidden" features of cameras.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gary+friedman+a6300
Maartech has good videos on "video settings" so you might want to check those out as well.
Learn how to set up the Fn menu and the M1 and M2 settings. Without those, you will go crazy.
For 4K video, you need a 64GB card.Don't get a 32GB card (or smaller). It won't work. Forgot to mention that. One of the quirks. Welcome to Sony land...
I use a Sony SDXC U3 10 95MB/s card (that's what it says on it... heck if I know what it means).
If you are ok with manual focus and want to pick up a cheapo minolta lens, look for an LA-EA1 (about $50 used), and then you could put a Minolta AF lens on it and it will read the EXIF data for IBIS on it. Don't confuse Minolta AF lenses with minolta MC or MD lenses, which are older manual focus lenses (nice, but they required different adapters).
The placement of the video record button will drive you crazy. There are little clear rubber buttons that you can buy that will stick on to any of your camera buttons. I don't have a link to them. I keep meaning to buy them and put them on the Fn button and the record button.
If you are going to be using your Nikon manual lenses, then you want to set 1 of your custom buttons to punching it to confirm focus.
As good as the focus peaking is on the a6300 / a6500, I find that punching in is still more accurate for critical focus.
The 35mm f/1.8 OSS is supposed to be a good lens. You will probably get a lot of mileage out of it.
You might be able to rig up a very lightweight dummy battery to use handheld / on a monopod. It should allow you to shoot longer and (theoretically) help reduce the likelihood of overheating since many people claim that the heat from the internal battery accelerates overheating. Pulling the LCD screen away from the body reportedly helps with overheating. I saw one person who had a rig with a small fan on it. He says it works well.
a6500 doesn't have a headphone jack...
Here is something to just tease you a bit:
A lot of people like the AndyCine monitors. I would avoid the IKAN monitor. It is supposed to be nice but it isn't all that much bigger than the LCD on the a6500.
Hope this helps. Despite the quirks, and the naysayers, lots of people use the a6300 / a6500 for videos and they create some really nice stuff.  Check out Brandon Li's stuff. Or just search youtube for "a6500 cinematic" and you will come up with lots of nice stuff.

Yeah... well, when you register your Sony camera online, there is some small text in the End User Agreement that says:
"Camera user accepts that the word 'simple' is no longer in their vocabulary."
You will never see the word "Sony" and the word "Simple" in the same sentence unless it includes the phrase "Why isn't... ?" in it as well.
Yeah, I will probably pick up an LA-EA4 (to go along with an LA-EA3) if I move up from the a6500 to the a7 III.
I can certainly AFFORD to buy two a7 III (got to have a backup camera) and the Sony lenses for them, but I can't really JUSTIFY it. I am too much like my father was... and I guess I am ok with that.

Yes, you can enter focal length by hand in the menus of the a6500, but like most things, it's a pain to so so, even more if you are on a gimbal.
Haven't tried doing it on a panasonic, but I would ASSUME that it is easier, just because it seems easier to do everything on a panasonic.
I only have ONE adapted AF lens (a Sony A Mount 85mm f/2.8 SAM on an LA-EA1) and I can confirm your suggestion. And this IS a Sony lens on a sony made adapter mounted on to an a6500.
Agreed, his stuff is nice.
Isn't he using a canon now??? Like a 6D II (aka, The Camera Canon Released So That Everyone Would Buy Sony Cameras)
?
FWIW: I asked Brandon Li about using the 1080p on the a6500 and he said as long as you are using a fast lens and a shallow DOF the IQ of the 1080p out of the a6500 is fine. I think the fact that he is on a gimbal 99% of the time and using a lot of movement helps (as long as you don't buy a one-way ticket to Rolling Shutter Town).

@Mark Romero 2 Regarding Christian Matte, I believe he is back on Sony, mentioned in a live stream it was too heavy for his style. Back on the a7iii as seemingly every other YouTuber is at the moment.
 
Man have you guys given me stuff to think about. The a6500 / G85 have my attention. I will need to make a chart and figure out which one makes more sense. 

Yeah... well, when you register your Sony camera online, there is some small text in the End User Agreement that says:
"Camera user accepts that the word 'simple' is no longer in their vocabulary."
You will never see the word "Sony" and the word "Simple" in the same sentence unless it includes the phrase "Why isn't... ?" in it as well.
Yeah, I will probably pick up an LA-EA4 (to go along with an LA-EA3) if I move up from the a6500 to the a7 III.
I can certainly AFFORD to buy two a7 III (got to have a backup camera) and the Sony lenses for them, but I can't really JUSTIFY it. I am too much like my father was... and I guess I am ok with that.

Yeah... well, when you register your Sony camera online, there is some small text in the End User Agreement that says:
"Camera user accepts that the word 'simple' is no longer in their vocabulary."
You will never see the word "Sony" and the word "Simple" in the same sentence unless it includes the phrase "Why isn't... ?" in it as well.
Yeah, I will probably pick up an LA-EA4 (to go along with an LA-EA3) if I move up from the a6500 to the a7 III.
I can certainly AFFORD to buy two a7 III (got to have a backup camera) and the Sony lenses for them, but I can't really JUSTIFY it. I am too much like my father was... and I guess I am ok with that.

Yeah there is plus and minus to doing Anything above normal for sure. But yeah there is some real bargains even in A Mount lenses, and they just about give away excellent Minolta glass. The Beer Can is a good example.

Yes, you can enter focal length by hand in the menus of the a6500, but like most things, it's a pain to so so, even more if you are on a gimbal.
Haven't tried doing it on a panasonic, but I would ASSUME that it is easier, just because it seems easier to do everything on a panasonic.
I only have ONE adapted AF lens (a Sony A Mount 85mm f/2.8 SAM on an LA-EA1) and I can confirm your suggestion. And this IS a Sony lens on a sony made adapter mounted on to an a6500.
Agreed, his stuff is nice.
Isn't he using a canon now??? Like a 6D II (aka, The Camera Canon Released So That Everyone Would Buy Sony Cameras)
?
FWIW: I asked Brandon Li about using the 1080p on the a6500 and he said as long as you are using a fast lens and a shallow DOF the IQ of the 1080p out of the a6500 is fine. I think the fact that he is on a gimbal 99% of the time and using a lot of movement helps (as long as you don't buy a one-way ticket to Rolling Shutter Town).

Unless you are going to use the GH4 with an external recorder (but why? Would be cheaper to skip the external recorder and buy a GH5) then I'd go for the G85 (wellllll.. the GH4's 96fps is another reason, but you get a heavy hit in quality when going from 60fps to 96fps)
Can't you by hand enter in the focal length into the Sony camera? Like you can with Panasonics
 
A problem with cheaper cameras is often they don't get as much talent applied to them (as the top notch guys buy more expensive cameras), thus very often in demos of cheap cameras you don't see their full capabilities displayed. 
 

I've done countless weddings without either of those. 
 
 
I also find it very hard to use the EVF on the a5100 ?
 
I reckon my 18-105 is a great run and gun lens. Only probably is if you're using it on a much older camera such as the FS700 raw will lack the in camera optical correction that say a FS5 has. 
 
There is also the 18-110 which is a better lens but much much more expensive!

Some People swear by the Gary Friedman books,
http://www.friedmanarchives.com/ebooks/index.htm#Sony_Books
I haven't read them though, but have checked out a couple of his free videos on youtube. I have no relation to him. However, I am notoriously cheap, so I would start with downloading the user guide as well.

Yeah, I'm probably going to have do something radical and download the user guide.
And actually read it.
Oh the humanity !

While it's true that it can be a hassle, I have found that I can cut down on my cursing significantly by utilizing the M1 and M2 functions, optimizing the Fn menu, and customizing the buttons.
Heck, in theory you could have five custom memory functions (three of them are recorded on to the SD card), but since I tend to format my memory cards, I am not sure whether the three that are saved to the SD card would remain (kind of doubt they would, but the sony cameras allows you to deleted multiple images by date without formatting the whole card so maybe there is a work around).
Takes a lot of work to get it right, but it does help cut out a lot (although not all) of the frustration.

My view as a recent reluctant joiner to the Sony party via the A6500 is that as you are going to be spending a significant amount of timing cursing it and ploughing through endless menus shouting "Where the f** are you, you little f***" to hunt down and change a setting then you might as well spring for the A6500 over the A6300 as at least you'll be getting a bit better reward for your quests

One other thing: The kit lens is no bueno. You will have to stop down a couple of stops if you want it to be sharp.
People like the new 18-135 a lot, but I think it is about $600, which is pretty pricey for a kit lens (especially since it is not a fixed aperture lens).
The 18-105 might be good for you, since it is a fixed f/4, but it too is $600 and some people say the IQ is only slightly better than the kit lens
I would try and contact the people who run the youtube channel gear, gadgets and glasses since they shoot weddings with sony https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6-NdwwgCY-DFaFDeEGr6BA
I think they are currently using a7 III, but I know they have shot weddings in the past with a6300 / a6500
@IronFilm makes a good point about monopods. Wonder if you could make some sort of monopod / shoulder rig / quick release contraption that would make sense???
One other thing:
Are you left eye or right eye dominant???
I am left eye dominant so I almost never use the EVF of my a5100 / a6000 / a6300 / a6500 cameras

As for a6300 vs a6500 vs other cameras...
The three reasons to buy an a6300 / a6500 over any other cameras are:
Really good low light
Really good AF with Sony lenses
Really detailed 4K at 24fps
So you have to ask yourself if you will be negating those benefits with your shooting scenario:
Motion blur (can) negate benefit of Really detailed 4K at 24fps
Using adapted lenses can negate the benefit of the really good AF
Using lights can negate the advantage of really good low light performance.
BTW: a6300 and a6500 are both great stills cameras... as long as there is a sony lens that meets your focal length and - more importantly - your budget. Eye AF is great. The dynamic range is great. There is a reason I take my a6500 out on my paying gigs while my D750 sits at home.
 
 

Can you:
1) Post a short clip on youtube, and / or
2) Post a short clip to dropbox and share it so we can download and take a look at it?
What program are you looking at it?
To me, it looks like whatever program you are using is sharpening it very much.
@webrunner5
The rolling shutter on the a6300 / a6500 that if it were a whip pan - even in slow motion - the trees would be horizontal instead of vertical. Hey, wait a minute, maybe that's the answer to the rolling shutter problem; shoot in portrait mode and pan...

Can you:
1) Post a short clip on youtube, and / or
2) Post a short clip to dropbox and share it so we can download and take a look at it?
What program are you looking at it?
To me, it looks like whatever program you are using is sharpening it very much.
@webrunner5
The rolling shutter on the a6300 / a6500 that if it were a whip pan - even in slow motion - the trees would be horizontal instead of vertical. Hey, wait a minute, maybe that's the answer to the rolling shutter problem; shoot in portrait mode and pan...

Yes, that was a good video. He makes many interesting / helpful videos.

It is not line level. It is mic level
 
No.
 
Yes

Well I think the main reason for ML Raw on the 5D mk III is how sharp it can be. Other than the 1DC most all Canon video footage to me is Way too soft. Now I am not against soft video footage at times at all. I just want to be able to Control how soft it is, not be stuck with it for Everything.
I guess the next be thing about Raw is that if you goof up WB you can change it at your will. And I don't know about you but that is one of my hardest areas to really pull of even close let alone perfect. To make it consistent.
And there is no noise reduction, no baked in stuff like every manufacturer has. So a clean slate as they say. But if wanted you have killer Canon Color Science, and the AF is not shabby at all. Not DPAF, but..
And there is the 12 bit date rate. Hell that alone is worth the price of admission. Sure it is kind of a data hog but wow what you have the ability to be able to push, and push hard.
And I think it is the satisfaction that with Raw the finial output is what you created, your signature, your fingerprints are on all over it if you want to take it that far. You are not trying to Undo what someone else likes, it is what You like if you desire. And with a LuT you can just click on it and grade fast if needed. But it can be totally Your LuT if you want. You can stand out, not just be part of the same crowd as everyone else.
And I know I can go on but you are able to buy a camera for not a lot that can look as good or better than a 1DC, Canon C500. No you are not going to get full 4K, even the 1DC is not, not yet, probably Never with the C Fast card data rate, but it can do a easy 2K and more. That is impressive for the money. What the heck FF Cine looking camera can we afford. Eh none. Well the 5D ML can make that happen.
 

1,100 clips is a LOT of clips.
Maybe first start with a piece of paper and a pencil. sit down with your favorite beverage and just write down what you remember from the vacation as being great moments.
Then maybe try to search for those particular clips that have those great moments.
Then of course you will want some B roll.
A wise man once said, if you don't have a destination, then all the roads are the right road. So I think working backwards like this might be a good start.
I know myself that I wouldn't be able to just start scrubbing through 1,100 clips and saying, "Is this a good clip or not?" I would just give up.

Looking back I owe everyone a big thank-you for using the forum and taking an interest in the blog, it is amazing what it has turned into with so little effort on my part  I think this place must be the only website on the entire internet without adverts. Long may it continue like that.
Got a GX9 arriving tomorrow... about time I did a review of something cheap with the big shift to high-end stuff. Let me know what you'd like to see in the review of it.

1,100 clips is a LOT of clips.
Maybe first start with a piece of paper and a pencil. sit down with your favorite beverage and just write down what you remember from the vacation as being great moments.
Then maybe try to search for those particular clips that have those great moments.
Then of course you will want some B roll.
A wise man once said, if you don't have a destination, then all the roads are the right road. So I think working backwards like this might be a good start.
I know myself that I wouldn't be able to just start scrubbing through 1,100 clips and saying, "Is this a good clip or not?" I would just give up.