newfoundmass

Sony always cracks me up with their stabilization claims. 7 stops!

Yeah, it's probably a better idea to have two bodies with dedicated lenses instead of switching them. I think 35mm is a very good choice because you can also switch into APS-C mode and turn it into a 50mm, effectively giving you two focal lengths with one lens.

It's funny, because I see so many people who won't even consider cameras for one reason or another, when I could do virtually everything I do with my S5 bodies with a couple GH3 bodies and still be very pleased with the results. I'd obviously have to overcome the limitations when it came to autofocus and stabilization, but from a pure image stand point they'd still be more than enough. Upscaled to 4K for streaming it'd be nearly indistinguishable from real 4K (see: Nigel Barros going back to the GH3 for the millionth time.) I have the luxury of having "better" cameras but I don't NEED better cameras. Most of us don't.

Honestly almost any camera released these days will have good video, especially for the kind of work you mentioned. In the grand scheme of things, when someone says they prefer the video quality of one camera over another the difference isn't THAT huge. Not trying to speak for @MrSMW, obviously, he might disagree, but just as a general rule any camera you get today will be more than enough when it comes to image. I mean a hacked GH2 or a GH3 both can give you lovely 1080p images and those cameras are well over 10 years old.

Nothing will ever beat the ergonomics of a camcorder when it comes to video. If there was a competitively priced M43 or APS-C camcorder I'd use them in a heartbeat over mirrorless cameras. Panasonic tried with the DVX200, but I couldn't justify spending over twice as much for the same specs as a GH5. If you're looking for a camcorder I suggest going with one that has a 1" sensor. There aren't a ton of budget friendly options though. Most companies have kinda given up on camcorders.

It's the sensor size and the ability to change lenses. They also don't tend to retain their value, whereas lenses do and can be used on multiple bodies.

The original S5 is probably the best value out there today, especially if you buy it used. The X-T3 has better autofocus but people that say the S5's autofocus is "horrible" only say that because they won't accept anything that isn't Canon or Sony level or they didn't take the time to learn its quirks. It is pretty reliable if you are doing talking head type work and if there's decent contrast between the subject and the background. Good lighting also is a big plus. Pulsing is pretty minimal. It also has excellent focus assist tools for focusing manually. A great option!

Honestly I hate them, they are repetitive and accomplish nothing.

It might not be as good as Sony's but it's very good and will get better in firmware (it already has, according to The Hybrid Shooter.) No camera's auto focus is perfect, not even Sony. In Gerald's NAB video released yesterday there were multiple times when the video was out of focus and they were using an FX30.

It really is a decent little mic. I think it'll serve you well, and you can tweak it to make it sound better.

The Panasonic will be better in low light than either of these. And I still find Sony colors to be meh. But you really can't go wrong with any of these.

Smallrig 450d light is on sale for $699 today at B&H. That's a great deal https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1729862-REG/smallrig_3970_rc350b_cob_bi_color_led.html

The X-H2S would be a good option if you don't want to have to sell and buy all new lenses. If you don't mind changing systems then the S5ii is, in my opinion, the most compelling camera in that price range for what you're looking to do. It has good autofocus and the best stabilization of the bunch. You can't beat Sony's lens selection though. L-mount is catching up but still is a bit behind.

Posts like this are why I love this forum. Between all of us we have such a wide range of gear that there's a good chance someone has/has experience with something! I do think, money (and quality!) wise, it was probably better to just buy a bigger bag haha but the Tascam is decent for something you can get for well under $100 used (often times in barely used condition.) I think I paid maybe $120 total for both of mine? I don't tweak them a ton, because honestly I'm just using them to get a decentish stereo sound of the crowd from multiple directions and they're going into an audio mix that has three other audio sources in addition to the two stereo ones. The built in mics just don't cut it, and shotgun mics don't provide any immersiveness (though are good to hear blows connecting.) I could most definitely set up a better system overall with all the gear I have, but I'm just one man, so I just do the best I can without driving myself too crazy!

Free To Use Sounds is such a great channel. Really nice guy too that offers a lot of his sounds for free! Buying a slightly bigger bag was probably the right choice, haha

I hope to find someone that loves me as much as markr041 loves Sony cameras.

I didn't film the above examples, but I assume they're better than what I can provide! All my online examples feature heavily mixed audio from multiple cameras (one of which is a shotgun mic) with commentary/voice overs and music. I will go through my raw footage and see if I can get some good examples though! The Sennheiser I'm sure produces a better sound overall sound but for under $100 these blew away the internal microphones, and accomplished what I needed them to!

I've found it's pretty decent personally! I was scared because all the reviews for it were OLD and on DSLRs with crappy preamps, or featured people trying to use it as a vlogging mic, but I used it on my GH5 and now one of my S5s and I think it does a pretty good job. I've found it translates the arena sound pretty well, which is what I wanted.

Add a bracket to move the hotshoe towards the side maybe?

You should be able to find one for cheap! I stole that idea from @Mattias Burling when I was filming with the OG Pocket!

The Sennheiser is probably better overall, but I use two Tascam TM-2X Stereo XY Condenser Microphones for my pro-wrestling work and I'm happy with them! Aside from the price, I like them because they're compact, which is a real plus when around a wrestling ring and filming through the ring ropes! I've also used a Zoom H1 as a mic hotshoed to my camera before with good results!

I'm still rocking the Rode Micro and am quite happy with it!

I'm not trying to lecture you, so forgive me if it comes off that way, but I don't know that you're getting the point that I was trying to make. How do you think we used to film in a low light situation when running and gunning with cameras that were infinitely worse at it than even a modern M43 camera? As @IronFilm said, the FX30 is miles ahead of what we had available to us back then, but people were still able to run and gun with those cameras in low light situations because we knew how to get around that limitation. Back then though we didn't have the luxury of owning LED pocket lights that cost under $100 and could easily be added to the camera's hot shoe. Is the hassle of carrying a small Aperture light when you need it really worth spending more on a FX3/A7Siii for those low light situations? For some I guess it is? Just seems silly to me.

Advancements in technology are great, but people are becoming slaves to it. Lets say for arguments sake the FX30 has very poor low light performance (it doesn't) but it fits your needs perfectly otherwise. What do you do? Decide to keep looking/wait until the "right" camera comes along, or do you buy it because it's the best overall option and work around it's low light performance by carrying a small light or two? I've been doing video for 25 years, since I was 13 years old. One of the first things I learned was how to adapt and get around limitations. To me that's a big part of what we as videographers and filmmakers do. We are problem solvers! So yeah, when seeing people complain about a camera's lowlight performance because it can't see in the dark or gets grainy at ISO 3200 it makes some of us start asking "what are we doing here?!" There are 100s of affordable little lights that can easily fit into any bag. Grab a few of them and just start shooting!