MrSMW

Had it for a year. Sold it. It wasn’t for me. OK outdoors but too slow indoors/low light and I’m not a fan of lenses that extend when zoomed out unless it’s a very small movement such as with the Sigma 28-70 but would much prefer internal zoom and that is a very high priority for me. I have the 70-200 f4 (the lens I traded the above for and it’s a ‘better’ lens but obviously a completely different focal range) but it’s currently not working. Dropped my camera bag and it hasn’t worked since and suspect it’s the OIS… Back to the ‘affinity’ though, us working pros have a different criteria to the enthusiast in that we don’t shoot on a whim, but because we earn a living from doing so. We literally can’t afford to have less interest on any given day and a lack of enthusiasm for any tool probably means we should at least be considering another option! Then there is familiarity and boredom. Familiarity is of course a good thing and there is always a learning curve with any new tool that can be a bit of a PITA. I’m always tinkering with a tweak here and a tweak there such as yesterday, disabling the red video button when shooting stills because I’m sick of catching it when flipping to portrait orientation and thereby not only wasting time and a possible split second opportunity, but it’s even more annoying when it’s a bit of crappy upright video! I have also finally found a baked in LUT look that I trialled this weekend which gets me SOOC something very close to the final image with virtually zero grading required, - combo of many factors including; the stellar image the S1Rii puts out over any other LUMIX camera since the S1H, lens choices, blending 2 different LUTS in camera; one specific conversion and one other at a certain percentage, with exposure and WB choices all pre-saved on the custom mode dial. That’s massive for me for workflow and can only come from familiarity with the tools in real world working scenarios, ie, whenever I test this stuff at home, it pretty much never works due to all kinds of reasons but mainly it’s tricky to replicate my working scenarios as anything other than work scenarios! Familiarity means the tools get out of the way allowing you to focus on more important stuff that is purely down to YOU, ie, subject, composition, DOF yada yada yada. And then there is boredom which is a lot more subjective and can often be combined with GAS. GAS is probably the wrong term as my interpretation of it is more stuff generally so ‘desire’ might be more appropriate as in which do I desire the most, an S1Rii or an SL3-P? No contest but when we take desire out of the equation, it’s a bit like that, f*ck/marry/avoid scenario, the SL3-P is the first, the S1Rii is the second and the ZR is the third, for there simple reasoning for me, that the latter has too many flaws for my requirements and I know I’d resent her compromises quite quickly. Any Nikon; ZR, Z6/8/9, the Megadap E Mount lenses are for me biggest draw, but only ‘equal’ to me the L Mount equation I am already in ie, would only ever be a sideways move at this time and sideways is really only viable of you have cash to burn. For me, it’s never been about a search for some kind of holy grail setup because it doesn’t exist. It is however getting very close and I just need the love child of a ZR with Lumix internals and Sony glass…

In purely lens terms, ie, not considering any camera body or brand, 28-50 is perfect for me indoors so either Sigma’s 28-45 f1.8 or Sony/Canon’s 28-70 f2’s are ‘perfect’ other than size, weight & cost. There is the compromise but for the way I work, it is a case of: A. 2 bodies + 2 primes vs B. 1 body + 1 fast zoom Now of we redo the size, weight and financials, we are in the parity ballpark, so it becomes a case of which option do we prefer, - the single larger heavier unit, or bouncing between two smaller & lighter set ups? I am currently in scenario A but in other seasons have worked with scenario B. Pros & cons to each! Outdoors, my ‘perfect’ focal range is 50-100 with a smaller (but essential need) to go as wide as 28 and as long as 150. A 70-200 doesn’t work for me, even if an f1.0 landed, it would still be a hard nope. Too long, not wide enough. The 28-105 is the closest in L Mount right now if I remove the Samyang 35-150 from the equation. First of all, it’s bit really an f2 other than at the widest end where really it is just an f2 35mm, but a massive and heavy one. I’d rather have the Sigma 28-105 for outdoor work and crop a bit and for indoor, as things stand, the Sigma 28-45 f1.8. This is my most likely scenario continuing with L Mount next year which is also my most likely scenario as things stand for reasons already mentioned, namely, I am already invested in the system and happy with it other than some lens niggles. I am pretty sure if Nikon had got the ZR right for me in just 2 further areas; a fully articulated rear LCD (or even just a tilt) and had a 1/4 size Red codec, it would have been a done deal. I began my career with Nikon and was was with them for 9-10 years and still have a certain, perhaps nostalgic affinity with the brand. Fuji was almost another decade and I could easily jump that way for stills, but not video and I have niggles with their lenses for my stills needs as it would be GFX in that regard and there are no rangy fast zooms so it’s a no go for me. I have zero affinity with Canon though always loved the idea of an R3…but nah, that really would be an entirely new system for me. I’ve been in and out of Sony various times and could go that direction but there is something slightly lacking I cannot quite put my finger on and the best I can come up with is that word ‘affinity’ again. They have ALL of the lenses and I really like the FX style bodies but still… And so L Mount… Leica, for all its criticism and arguably elitism, probably does have a difficult to quantify ultimate quality edge in stills over Lumix, but worth the money? Probably not real world, but does have other merits… SL3-P over S1Rii purely for stills? Hell yes. Entire S1/S5/S9 range over anything else in the same price bracket for video? Hell yes. Leica, Lumix & Sigma for lenses generally, yup they have it. This is just an early morning coffee ramble really. Another 8 months will determine following 5 years for me…

I’ve come close to pushing the ZR button a few times now and there are really only 3 things that have prevented me doing so… 1. The file sizes of that Red Raw codec. Apparently N raw is the next best option and there are of course some ‘workarounds’, but until there is a compressed version that maxes out at no more than 1000 mbps, it’s just too much and one of the principal draws of this camera is the Red codec. 2. I’m not unhappy with L Mount. In fact the opposite except for one factor and that is the absence IMO of equivalent lenses to Sony’s: 28-70 f2, 50-150 f2 and Tamron’s 35-100 f2.8. It’s ‘almost’ worth switching just for these lenses alone, but that last word, ‘alone’, but alone is not enough and lenses aside, everything else that L Mount, specifically Lumix offers, beats that of Nikon & Sony. 3. I still have hope that from within the L Mount Alliance, over the coming Winter and next Spring, either (or even both) a rangefinderesque camera will appear from either Lumix or Sigma and at least one rival for one of the lenses above, will appear. Unlikely to be a Leica, but next gen FP a possibility and even more likely, an S9ii? 4. Bonus reason, - switching not only costs money, but there is always a settling in period with any new system that frustrates. So my set up now just works, I have it and I like it and as above, my only real crit is with regard to certain lenses, but the ZR body style just appeals to me and I would like that rear LCD, but ideally as a fully articulated unit which is a bit of a missed opportunity IMO.

I’m actually seriously considering going over to Sony for stills at least, purely due to the lenses and the FX2 is a contender, but the A7RV more likely. It’s lenses. L Mount still does not have viable contender for: 28-70 f2 50-150 f2 70-180 f2.8 OK, there is the Sigma 28-45 f1.8 and the 28-105 f2.8 but the pairing of Sony’s 28-70 for mainly indoor work and their 50-150 for outdoor, would be a dream single body set up for me. Most likely Megadapted on a Z8 body… But then again, all L Mount need to do to retain me is produce at least a longer focal range sibling to the 28-45 f1.8 and I’ll be a happy boy.

The Forgotten camera! (I had myself!!)

The one thing I have not tried is the e stab, but straight out of the box with zero set up other than a quick balance, on the RS4 mini with the optional tracking module, it worked superbly. Not even close to anything like overheating, but then so far, I have only really been shooting stills with it. Start up time must be fine as I have not noticed anything other than it takes a second or so for the zoom to find it’s last setting, either; 28, 50 or 75mm as I have it set. Battery life excellent. I just came back from a week long trip to Scotland and shot well over 1000 frames and battery still showing 2 bars.

L10 update… Shot 5x wedding ceremonies plus their day prior & post events exclusively on the L10. Stills only so far… The experience and results have been great. Not S1Rii great or even S9 great (but in isolation more than good enough as a back up camera stepping up to do a job) the latter of which is supposed to be my back up camera but was in the shop being supposedly fixed…but as it turned out the fix was going to cost more than buying another mint used one, I bought another. Also one week long family adventure as my sole camera. Also perfect for that. However, now that I am back with 1.5x S9 camera bodies, I have decided to repurpose the L10 as; personal plus back up plus dedicated gimbal unit. Bought my 4th gimbal but this time determined to actually use and keep it…my previous issues being a combo of; reliability, weight, too much kit, user ineptitude…but as it’s an RS4 Mini with the tracking unit and L10, it should be a pretty sophisticated and lightweight unit. Only 3x more jobs that have video this year but at least it will be a good test ahead of 2027 where every job is hybrid. Should be GH7 level results, albeit with a fixed lens and the lack of IBIS the L10 has removed and improved…

The reality is although I would desire 1x SL3-P over 1x S1Rii… …2x S1Rii + 4x primes kills to death, any (existing) single camera lens combo from any manufacturer. The closest today might be the Nikon Z8 or the Sony A7Rvi with f2 28-70, but even then, 28mm is nowhere near 18mm and 70mm is not 85mm. And that is the ‘one & done’ camera/lens scenario, ie, it does not exist without a substantial compromise. Real world, I shall soldier on with my pair of S1Rii’s with my 4 primes because they just work. I’ve been trying to find even a single criticism of the S1Rii and other than overheating shooting even ‘just’ 4k on longer takes on hot days (no longer an issue now I have my audio-less S9 and second S9 in the house), I can’t find one. Loved my S1H and my S1R’s, but this developed hybrid of the two is better real world tool and one of the best hybrid cameras in existence to date.

Never tried it but I suspect the FX30 stab would be good enough for my handheld needs which are basically ‘static’. I move more and more however towards the combo of absolutely locked off or floating moving with nothing in between. Lumix are great in this regard because if you have everything dialled up to the max, albeit at the expense of some cropping, these things stay incredibly still. It’s really only if there is any static foreground that you notice any movement so wider establishing shots, I always use a tripod or something.

Stabilisation is to mine but not necessarily IBIS… With my S1Rii’s paired with primes, I have the e stab dialed up to the max in addition to the already great IBIS and though this crops considerably, no issue because I’m always working with slightly wider than necessary lenses. These are my ‘great stability speed’ units as in not even faffing with a monopod. The S9 is paired with a gimbal either on or off a lightweight tripod which requires a bit more faffing but gives another, but different type of stability. S5ii on heavyweight (it’s quite light actually) for ultimate stability for the longer stuff.

That would not surprise me a bit and although I have not watched a single review other than the CVP one…and even that, not all the way through, I have noticed a while recent bunch of LUMIX converts posted they have one. I imagine a bunch of them at least will shortly be posting a piece regarding why they flopped back to Sony, soon enough… I’d have no problem flipping back to Sony myself, but it would be the FX3A and FX30’s plus A7RV, all used, because all of that kit is more than good enough for me. The A7RV is still the best stills camera I have owned, though my S1Rii’s are better hybrid and as that is my bread & butter… It’s an unlikely scenario though as my LUMIX gear just works and shiny new stuff for the sake of shiny new stuff, is not enough of a draw for me personally. Still, no harm in looking and pondering from time to time!

I have a form you can download! Hankering after either/both the X2D 100c and the new Leica SL3-P, but in regard to the latter, it’s really not more than an S1Rii in a fancier body…at 2.5x the price. And it has massive LEICA lettering on the front that needs a black sharpie pen taking to it. However, I am seriously considering it though as my sole photo camera to see out my career and what will swing it is if Sigma do pop out my desired 45-90mm f1.8 internal zoom lens because that paired with the existing 28-45mm f1.8 is endgame territory for me. The Hassie really just remains in pure fantasy territory because unless I had a pair of the things, the only lens that would really work for me is the 35-100 and it’s a bit big and just it a bit too far over budget.

Balls. Sent the S1IIE back without even opening the box and picked up another S9 instead. My first 8 jobs of the year were 7 hybrid and 1 pure video. Of the next 7, I knew 1 was photo only but ‘assumed’ the other 6 were all hybrid. Nope, only 3/7 are hybrid and not worth spending that money for just 3 jobs when 2027 is a bit of an unknown… Unknown as in almost fully booked and every booked job is hybrid, but I am still hopeful for either a genuine S1H successor or an S9II. Or even some kind of Nikon/Sony mashup but that is as unlikely as my Hasselblad dreams… But then also still ‘waiting’ for Sigma to build a sibling to the 28-45mm f1.8 such as a 45-90mm f1.8 with internal non-extending zoom, but probably dreaming there also… And then there is my Leica fantasy, but let’s not go there either.

I dip in from time to time what is happening in e Mount land because I am envious of the lens line up. L Mount is decent, but it’s got holes for me that I want filling and I am always doing a slight workaround, but with e Mount, it’s easy. Easy albeit, at a higher price point. The FX5 from what I can see is an ‘FX3.2’ isn’t it? At twice the price you can score a brand new, UK stock, FX3a, the one with the better rear LCD. What has the FX5 got that would tempt me over that? Nothing that I can see and I could pick up an FX3a AND a pair of FX30’s for the same price as a single shiny new FX5. Not that it’s all about the money, but also is. I need 3 video units and a single photo (assuming zoom for the latter) so chuck an A7RV (that I used to own) into the pot regarding the latter. Also used. But that has nothing to do with the FX5. Not really sure if it’s a 5k camera…

Let the chat commence…