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Additionally: There is something really great about a simple camera that makes it a really 'shot getter'. Once you hit record, the GoPro gives you nothing else to think about other than content and composition, and I find that very freeing, and somehow that, combined with it's tiny size, makes it incredibly easy to just get this shot and get that shot. Once you're holding it the time between seeing a camera angle and shooting it is almost zero, and the lack of control kind of inspires experimentation and creativity. I have a half-developed thought that the action-camera is the machine for travel legs, establishing shots, selfies when at locations, and a variety of creative shots at a location. The GH5 might be in a bag somewhere during a travel leg, and getting establishing shots is also a challenge because you typically are stressed finding a location, finding parking or where to go, then when you actually arrive somewhere you have to get the kids organised and out of the car, then have to work out where to go to buy tickets and how to get in and during all that pressure and confusion really isn't the best time to setup a camera rig. After getting into a venue is actually a good time as everyone is visiting bathrooms etc and working out where to go and what time the talks/tours/feeding times/ etc are. Having a clear distinction in your film-making between different styles of shots and the associated equipment can make for a very effective and efficient process. I particularly like Kraig Adams' idea about how he shoots his travel vlogs. He alternates between 'vlog' which is camera in 24p on gorillapod with location sound and edited in 16:9, and 'cinematic' which is camera in either 24p or 60p on gimbal without location sound and edited in 2.35. I feel that this juxtaposition in his final films is a great contrast and makes each style seem more-so than it would be if it was in isolation. In this sense having discrete jobs for each setup and having those jobs align with the technical aspects of the equipment is where you want to be, and that's what I'm aiming for.

Thanks all, some interesting ideas here. lol about the Moneymaker and I already have a camera strap that I've experimented with. Ultimately it was just too cumbersome when getting in and out of cars combined with backpacks etc, which is why I prefer hand-held with a wrist strap, although the problem with that is that you can't be walking around and then stop to tie your shoe or eat a snack or whatever because there's no-where to put the camera. Of course that's where the Peak Design Capture comes in and it might be the best idea I've seen so far, so thanks for mentioning it. I have seen them before, but had no idea they were so cheap / accessible. I'd have to think about where I'd put it, but even if I just hung the X3000 from it and operated it one-handedly while still also holding the GH5. I'm not too sure about the GH5 though, considering I have the Rode Video Mic Pro+ on top of it, but anyway. Shooting two cameras at once isn't likely to have a high yield I'll definitely conclude that, although if one of them is fixed focus and super-wide-angle then your chances improve somewhat. The problem with just panning to myself is that 'just panning' is actually 'just turning off the camera, opening bag, getting wide angle, changing lenses, turn on camera, flip screen to face forwards, pre-focus, hit record, ......' then the opposite to go back. Having a separate camera makes this a lot simpler and means I can leave the GH5 on and ready to shoot at a moments notice should something happen suddenly, which it frequently does with my kids. This is the other avenue, to have one rig with two cameras. I've played around a lot with this in the past using flash-brackets or cold-shoe mounts, such as these setups: Ultimately though I discovered that these setups are very conspicuous and are also really heavy when filming yourself. The position to get a reasonable selfie-frame is a relaxed bent-arms length away and almost straight-on, otherwise the effect of the wide-angle lens makes the person next to you seem like they're starring in Honey I Shrank The Person Next To Me, and I also find that when you hold it out there it's psychologically distracting for quite a bit, maybe 5-10-20 or 30s before you just kind of ignore it, so unless you're ok with the 'oh shit I'm on camera does my hair look alright I hope I don't have food on my face is this lighting flattering' inspired internal motivation then you have to hold the camera for a long time. The technique for the kids is more to surprise them as they mostly act stupid when they realise they're on camera so a huge rig doesn't help that either. Thanks Chris, interesting you're moving from the X3000 to the gopro - how have you found it in post? To me digital stabilisation has real limitations, especially in low-light when shutter times allow movement during the exposure, although the X3000 is several generations of tech behind. I really would have liked to hold off until they updated it, but my next trip is before their previous release cycle occurs, so oh well. The tests I've done with my existing GoPro were with a floaty handle (the bright yellow one) which is comfortable to hold and easy to put in a pocket even if the camera is sticking out, but of course isn't the most stealthy option. If I go with a handle I'm contemplating designing one that perhaps folds up and doesn't add any real bulk to the setup, or alternatively if it's on a clip then maybe it doesn't fold but it might be super-light-weight. If I was rich, maybe, but if you look at professional vloggers who have a camera-person with them they basically become a member of the family, and that's not quite the dynamic I'm looking for. Plus, making films is what I enjoy, especially filming, and anyone that films me will mostly just be filming me filming other people, so not really a recipe for success My GoPro is fixed focus 30cm (12in) to infinity, and best composition is actually with arm bent and relaxed. The X3000 might benefit from a handle though, as minimum focus distance is 50cm (20in). I'll have to work that out, although having a small handle isn't a big deal, and I have longish arms so that helps. The Osmo Pocket is an interesting device, but not wide enough for my needs. The "wide 80degree" lens is likely 22mm which isn't nearly wide enough for a proper selfie unless you like the 'I'm filming myself' look, and the waterproof case appears to still be unavailable? Maybe v2 I have noticed that I was good at filming other people and at filming interesting things like buildings, but rubbish at everything else. For my first videos I had to scrape together establishing shots because I never knew to concentrate on them, but I'm pretty good at that now. The standard format of a trip is travel -> location -> travel -> location with an action/wet location occasionally, so I now know to film some travel montage, an establishing shot or three, and people doing things / interesting inanimate objects. What I'm missing is shots of myself, and a variety of shots, as I still kind of shoot how I see. The shot-list I then thought of adding to my normal style is selfie shots, time lapses of things like eating meals, sunrises / sunsets, and a much greater variety of shots in general. I bought a Manfrotto tiny tabletop tripod for the GH5 in anticipation of doing more time lapses and it's great but I haven't yet trained myself to use it for that yet. In a sense the action camera would be the best fit for this as it would attract basically no attention if I brought it to dinner (a GoPro Session would be an ideal size for this!) but a GH5 is very disruptive, both to the fact it's extremely obvious to my family, and also finding room on a tiny table where there's barely room for the salt and pepper when everyones plates are there makes a DSLR form-factor almost impossible. The GoPro Session is enticing simply because it is so small and pocketable, but its discontinued and would have been a PITA to change between video and time-lapse with no buttons or screen. Compromises everywhere!

Yep! That's the core reason why indy film-making is possible. Not too many other businesses can create a broadly similar product for 1% or 0.1% or 0.01% of the typical budget!

I don't need help choosing a camera, I'm looking for feedback on having two rigs. Some googling resulted in some interesting ideas. Mount it to something: Darius gets a lot of use from his wrist rig because it's always with him: Lots of people have the GoPro + handle + mic setup: This guy ditched the handle and made it pocketable: I'll end up with an X3000 setup, so here's some interesting ideas: This guy uses X3000 + handle + lav mic which is interesting: and prompts the idea that you could have a wrist strap and then run the lav mic up the sleeve of your shirt and just be permanently setup like that. X3000 + friction arm + mic on the bottom: But I'm actually wondering if the in-built audio will be sufficient, in which case, maybe I just have the camera in a pocket, without anything?

I don't have a 360 rig, and I was talking about it with my wife and I worked out that even a 6K setup is only a 1.5K shot if you crop to a 90degree horizontal angle, so the quality is terrible. I think that an action camera will miss less shots because it's pointing the wrong way than a 360 camera will miss because cropping in is too low-quality. Besides, that still doesn't answer the question about what is the best way to have a second hand-held camera.. I'm thinking I need to google micro-vlogging setups or similar. Something that can be used completely one-handed would be ideal, as it would allow removal from pocket, unfold / setup, turning on, hit record, shoot, hit stop, turn off, fold, put back in pocket, all while still holding the GH5 in the other hand.

I just noticed that now DR16 has the Cut page, there are no more gaps in the shortcut keys. Shift-1 is Projects Shift-2 is Media Shift-3 is Cut Shift-4 is Edit Shift-5 is Fusion Shift-6 is Colour Shift-7 is Fairlight Shift-8 is Deliver I'd always noticed that there used to be gaps in those keys, for example Shift-4 was always Edit but Shift-3 didn't have anything, and now those gaps are gone so they've obviously had this architecture in mind for a few versions.

I shoot home videos of family outings and holidays and am looking for advice on how to get the most compact two-camera setups. My main setup is a GH5, a 17.5mm (35mm equivalent) lens and Rode VMP+ hand-held rig. I also have other lenses, but >80% of the time the 17.5mm is on the camera. This is great for shooting locations and other people, but not for shooting myself, and I'd like to include myself in the finished videos too. I have a 8mm lens (16mm equivalent) but attempts to film-myself weren't that successful and it was cumbersome to change lenses and stuff around. My solution will be to have a second setup with a fixed focus action camera. I did a proof of concept with my old GoPro, a handle, and Rode Video Micro and that worked really well. I take an action camera travelling anyway due to dust and water sealing, so it doesn't add to my luggage or anything. My issue is that I'm used to having one rig and just holding it all day, but now I'm talking about juggling two rigs and I'm not sure how to best do that. I want it to be easy, and I'm looking for tips from people that use two cameras hand-held. I want to grab shots with basically no switching time, and potentially filming with both cameras at the same time. Thanks.

lol, Walmart.... Nice! People who are a bit organised and have confidence and conviction can really bend the rules and get away with things. I'm not a rule-breaker in general, but in todays world so many rules are BS and if you're not hurting anyone then it's all good.

A few questions: What was most surprising during the whole process? What did you learn? What did you do that worked brilliantly that might be useful for others to know? ???

A couple of monopod videos talking about how they suit shooting weddings:

No worries! This field is absolutely huge and is a never-ending challenge for everyone. It's got all the great ingredients: it's hugely technical with a fast pace of change so you're always learning to keep up, it's almost always a team activity and involves working with people both behind and in-front of the camera, and is an art-form not a science so there is no final answer and there is always something more to learn. Here's my advice - learn as much as you can, but learn by doing. Make films, learn from them, and then make more. Lots of people are all talk or all tech and don't actually create anything, don't fall into that trap.

There are many things that really define what a camera setup is capable of.. DR, 8/10/12bit, lenses, filters, etc, but sensor size isn't one of them.

Which adapter do you use? If that lens can be made parfocal then that would be great news for a lot of folks I think

Sounds like someone needs to make a 3 Hour 1 Minute film about getting kicked out by security... who wants to stuff around with artists who might not show up, the security guys sound pretty reliable

I'd suggest that you put it on the camera and: check the connection to the camera is mechanically sound turn on the camera and if the lens is electronic then check that the connection is working hit record focus to infinity and check that you can get the horizon in focus (it might not be exactly at the infinity mark on the lens) change the focus all the way to its nearest position and point the camera at something that distance away do a similar test with testing the full range of the aperture from wide-open to fully closed if it's a zoom lens, do a similar test with the full range of the zoom then point it at something plain (a blue sky is useful) and close the aperture completely and do a full pass on the focus from near to far if it has OIS or other buttons on it then test those functions also test whatever automatic focus modes it has That should test the lens mechanically and electronically, and to check it optically you need to then review the footage on a decent sized display. Pay particular attention to spots (that's what the sky test is for) which might indicate dust or fungus inside the lens (or on the sensor) and then look for vignetting, colour shifts, or anything else that stands out to you. Then just use it a bunch to get to know it, and how it handles flares, skin tones, how soft it is wide open and how much you have to stop it down before it sharpens up, etc.

Looks fine but I'll just say that the two focal lengths you're looking to buy are very similar to each other and I wonder if having a bit more variation might be more useful initially? I do understand that the 16 and 25 are probably the most common focal lengths that get used, so depending on how you shoot it might be fine. I'd suggest thinking about what camera angles / framing you're going to have (two-person, one-person-wide, one-person mid, tight, over the shoulder, and b-roll closeups, establishing shots, etc) and how close your camera will be from them (are you shooting on sets, temporary locations in larger rooms, in people's houses in open-plan areas, houses in smaller rooms, open plan offices, individual offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, etc ) as this combination of shot+distance will dictate the focal length you will need. For close-ups consider the minimum focus distances of your lenses too. Also consider that if you're shooting 4K you only have to crop into the 16 about 150% to get 25 (which will be a 2.5K image) and if this is acceptable for you to do so, if you're delivering in 1080 for example, then maybe you get a 35 or 40 instead of the 25. Or, you get a 12 and the 25, and you can crop in to emulate a 16, and also emulate a 35 or 40 with your 25. As I said, this is personal, so the only person who can answer it is you, but make sure you've considered that before spending your budget

Watchtower of Turkey is a classic, and IIRC was one of the? or the? video that started the fast-cut-fancy-transition genre of travel film. I don't have favourites really, but this is a great one, and somewhat contrasts Watchtower... I should add that it's not all 'cinematic' but alternates between vlog and cinematic, which to my eye makes the cinematic stuff even more so because of the contrast. We could argue that the vlog parts are cinematic too because of the storytelling, humour, and content rather than the aesthetic, but regardless.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8127095/Spam-boat-passengers-tell-of-cruise-from-hell.html

Interesting device, but wow is it expensive! But you're right about hardly any accepting CFast or CF cards.

Welcome to the forums! I know nothing about weddings, but the Wedding Film School YT channel has an absolute ton of great info if you're just starting out, so you might want to give it a look. It's lapsed with posts recently, but don't let that put you off. The channel has talked about equipment in the past (which is less relevant now since time has passed) but it has dozens of videos on technique, planning, BTS, how to talk to clients, the business side, lighting, camera angles, and everything else. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5QuUjtd80FkGRSLYP_052Q/videos

Morning! I see you've all been busy while I was sleeping There issue here is that there isn't such a thing as a 'better' camera, only "better for ...... situation" The S1 might have colours that please you better, the Z6 might have menus that someone likes more, sure, and these days there are no more bad cameras, I'm sure the S1 and the Z6 are just lovely. But it depends on what your situation is - for the person with m43 glass the GH5 is better than the S1 (or an Alexa for that matter), for the person who has very little HDD space and only needs 1080 the c100 might be hard to beat, and for the person who shoots underwater or in action sports a GoPro is a pretty good option. Hell, for the person that wants 240fps an iPhone kills basically everything else because not much else can do it. If we make some assumptions about what you're trying to say, and we assume that the person: 1) has no lens collection, 2) has $5K or whatever for a new setup, 3) values the colour straight-out of the camera or with very light grading, 4) has the time and hardware for RAW and high-bitrate codecs, 5) assuming that what is announced actually gets delivered on, and 6) a future camera with a different lens mount doesn't come along that will significantly beat their choice, THEN maybe the S1 or the Z6 might be the best options for that person. You may be right - those cameras are probably the best current option for many many people. The problem is that any of the things that I listed as assumptions may not apply to the person out there that you are trying to save from online treachery. If that person has a lens collection already then that skews it for mounts that are compatible or can be adapted (if that's ok for that person). If they don't have a setup but don't have the $5K+ for a new setup required then maybe a lesser camera with a cheaper / more available ecosystem might be better. If you don't mind about colour straight-out of the camera, or can grade, then practically any 10-bit camera will be good. If you're looking for Alexa colours then the GHAlex LUTs from Sage are a real plus for the GH5 right now. If they don't have the time or heavy footprint of RAW then they'll be wanting something that shoots the quality / bitrate compromise at their optimal point. Lots of people shoot in a regular profile and get things right in-camera so they don't have to grade at all, this is mainly for speed in post-production, which is a big deal for people on tight timeframes. If you're looking for the best camera and the S1 is better than the GH5 and you go all-in for that, then you're at risk of the GH6 making you regret your decision. No-one can predict the future, but if I was in the market right now, even if I didn't have any m43 glass, the system still looks like it might be more attractive because of its history, although FF third party lenses are starting to fill out like they did for the m43 system over the last years. Until we get a camera that's perfect for everyone, people will still have unique requirements that mean they prioritise factors differently to others, and therefore buy differently.

I think I understand now. You think that everyone sees film-making like you do. This is a false assumption that you will hopefully shed over time. Here's a question for you - what's the point of colour grading? If the point of any cinema camera is to get the best representation of reality we can then why not just colour balance and then be done with it? Why is the teal/orange look popular? Why was The Matrix all green? Why do they still make B&W films. These are all exceptions to your "best representation of reality" argument. I couldn't care less about what camera is better than a GH5. I have said so many times - feel free to review my past posts. It sounds like there's a lot of emotion for you in the people who are saying things about the S1 or the Z6. Even if I called them both potatoes - why would you care?

Absolutely. Remember that when you see footage from two different cameras you're also comparing the grading done on that footage, and unless they were both graded by the same world-class colourist then the grade of one is going to be better than the other one. People talk about the magic of colour science, but @Sage has proven that with enough dedication and skill the footage from the Alexa can be very effectively emulated with a much 'lesser' camera - the GH5.

One thing I have learned from this forum and others, both across film-maker as well as professional colourist discussions, is that different people have different taste and associations. There is evidence to suggest that we heavily identify with the aesthetic that was to our taste during our teenage years according to a range of biological factors, including things like the levels of hormones burn in the neural pathways more strongly, etc. In this sense, many prefer film, which is medium/high resolution but low sharpness, high DR but variable in tint and saturation, etc. Getting an 8K camera will not be a step forwards for these folks, despite the fact it is objectively 'better'. The other thing to remember is that we are creating art, not doing scientific record-keeping, so the aesthetic lining up with the artists vision is the fidelity that is required, not fidelity to reality (unless reality is the artists vision..). I'm not particularly interested in shooting RAW but here's my counter-offer - why don't you come along and hang out in the 3 Hour 1 Minute Film Challenge thread where we try and look at all the aspects of film-making instead of SNR and bitrate. To paraphrase one of the guidelines of the challenge.... Publish in 720p - equipment shouldn't matter and if your film looks dull in 720 then 4K RAW will not save you

If you didn't mind a little damage, drilling a small hole right next to it might allow you to tighten the nut inside, then some decent strength glue to hold it all in place and close the hole again?