MrSMW

I don’t mind…and in fact, welcome AI, if it is for specific tasks rather than replacing creativity. When it replaces the; pen, paintbrush, camera, then yes, strong dislike, but if it can reduce my non-creative edit time, then great.

And that is just Section 13b in building 21 on site 17. There’s also an entire empty facility just in case ‘missing’ deliveries from MPB via DHL, turn up.

I like perfection because you can muddy it up but as the saying goes, you can’t polish a turd. Anything I can do that makes my workflow better, enhances creativity because it allows a greater effort to be focused in that regard. I feel and have felt for a long time that the tools have been getting in the way hence the streamlining. Arguably the tools have been good enough for quite some time, but there have always been real world niggles. No excuses now, anything I don’t manage or get wrong is on me. Again, has been arguably for a long time, but being realistic, as a one man band hybrid shooter and with no manual, it’s been a learning curve and though that curve has flattened significantly long since the 15 years I started (shooting hybrid), it’s still a ‘work in progress’. And always will be.

All the footage on this one (between approx 1 minute and 2 minutes 15 seconds) was shot on the Zeiss 40-80 f3.5 handheld. I programmed 2x custom settings for the IBIS on the S5ii, one at 40mm and the other for 80mm and then only shot at these focal lengths. I bottled it for the wedding day and went back to Sigma and Lumix AF lenses, but I am considering bringing this lens back as part of my workflow for these day prior and day after parts of a wedding where I am not under any real time constraints and can afford to be more 'creative'... https://firehorsephotographyfrance.com/weddings/jenniedan

Nope, only have the 40-80. The only things I don't like about it are the highlights are a bit too glowy and it's a heavy little fucker!

Try it. It’s basically your any 5 personal settings at the turn of a dial. OK, in C3, also requires a menu selection of 1,2,3 but still, far FAR quicker then fannying about with actual settings etc. The only real issue in shooting hybrid as in flipping between stills and video, is ND’s. The options are: A. Shoot either higher shutter speeds, or with a greater depth of field, or, B. Flip up VND, or, C. Shoot stills with a VND, but on it’s lowest setting so if it’s a 2-5 stop, pretty OK actually, but if it’s a 6-9… I have tried all 3 and could make a case for and against all of these and use C. It’s OK usually with short clips, but longer stuff or matching multiple camera angles which always have a different WB… Each to their own, but you might as well pick an outdoor WB and am indoor WB and get consistency. It’s never exactly the same just as it isn’t with stills unless it’s just one single light source, but it rarely is and instead a balance of artificial and ambient and proximity and angles and all that physics stuff. Vlog and a baked in LUT has been a game changer for me. I still haven’t quite dialed it in and it will probably always be a work in progress but getting there and more than happy with it. It’s not Hollywood or even Indie movie colour grading, but I don’t have the time and am not being paid enough! Nope. Never shot in anything sub 4k even though I deliver the longer form stuff such as ceremony & speeches in 1080. The 7.2k out of the S1Rii looks fantastic to me and it’s my next area of exploration… 1. Nail down the tools. Check (finally) 2. Work on the next level of creativity from a purely storytelling perspective. 3. Work on the capture quality and grade ie, bringing that beautiful 7.2k into the process and that grade I’m still working on. I think we get to a point where we are at about 90% with every and anything and that last 10% is always a work in progress…

A little bit of trial & error plus fine-tuning in the final (all LUMIX) line up and I really did think the 28-45 would be perfect and Job 01 I was kind of OK with it but Job 02, it was niggling me and I flipped to the 50mm f1.8 just to see the difference and the penny dropped. I think even if they popped out a 45-90mm f1.8 with internal zoom, I wouldn't bother now as with a 35 and 85 (which is how I used to work pre L Mount, 90% of my work), I can real world do anything a 28-45 + 45-90 pairing can, but at 1/3rd the weight, 1/2 the size and 1/2 the cost. It doesn't but you can do exactly the same thing with C1/C2/C3 etc. For the brief period I used the S5ii for hybrid, I had: C1 outdoor stills (5600K) C2 indoor stills (4500K) C3-1 6k 30p 5600k Low auto ISO outdoor video mode C3-2 6k 30p 5000k High auto ISO indoor video mode C3-3 4k 60p e stab on 5600k auto ISO, gimbal-like / slow mo mode (obviously goes into crop mode for this) The photo/video switch on the new bodies simply gives you 5 options for each instead of 5 total as with the S5ii. Those were the 2 lenses and for the same reasons, I was using the year before last. I wouldn't trust the S1Rii statically, on a tripod, in direct sunlight, on a 30+ degree Celsius day, say filming a ceremony. Not tested it, but no need because I have no need and the S5ii does it just as well if not better, so right tools for the right jobs and all that. Unless you need above 6k video or stills above 24mp, absolutely no requirement for either the S1Rii or S1ii and even the S5ii can shoot raw for anyone that needs it to with a paid software download. I think if I had 10+ years left in the industry, I'd be at least looking very hard at raw video, but I haven't got 10 years and don't want to get into a whole new learning curve and massive hardware/storage updates for something my type of clients would never notice, so nah. Your plan for a pair of S5ii's with an S9 makes sense. I could live with 3, but having 4 in the end I decided now makes most sense with 1 permanent static (the S5ii) and 1 semi-static (the S9) with the pair of S1Rii's hybrid in the hand.

Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar f/3.5 40-80 ‘push-pull’ zoom. I have that as my ‘oddball’ lens and used it a few times with an EF-L adapter with built in VND. Quite a few focal lengths covered there in a single lens!

For the S5ii, unless they slipped something in, no. And if they slipped anything in of slightest interest, they generally say, but I suspect they do sneak in little corrective things they don't wish to tell us about, but then again, probably only with the free firmware stuff?

More back-pedaling, it’s going back. Tried it for 2 jobs and actually, real world, I don’t actually like the size & weight. With the ability to take either 2 steps back or 3 steps forward, the less than 1/3rd the weight and 1/2 the size plus 1/2 the cost, 35mm f1.8 makes more sense. I ‘liked’ the 28-45 and really did think it would be perfect for me, but nah, going back to my roots and 100% primes for stills and hybrid but sticking with zooms for video. And sorry @Thpriest but that means keeping the S9! Shooting these last 2 jobs just reconfirmed what a joy it is to shoot free hand or on the freestanding monopod for all my run & gun clip work. Ridiculously light, quick and easy and probably the only thing I’d replace it with now is either a next gen S9, or possibly (but not this year!) third S1Rii. You can probably tell I am a bit of an S1Rii fanboy, but it just works for me…and I have barely touched the video side yet. Yes I would still rather it was an FX3/30 style body, but I’ll take what it can do what those cannot, every single day. If I change anything else this year, Mrs SMW will walk, so it’s; S1Rii x2 paired with any combo of; 18, 35, 50, 85mm f1.8’s (could do with something longer but not a ‘need’ as such) plus S9 with the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 glued on plus, S5ii with battery grip and 70-200 f4 for all static longer capture duty. 4 bodies, 6 lenses, 1 system vs what was at the start of the year, 5 bodies, 9 lenses, 3 systems, so a BIG improvement in logistics. I do have a single mint S5ii for sale, EU only, €1000 inc postage for anyone that is interested or quick enough as Monday it’s off to MPB…

I think this is the first time the S5ii can do raw and it was X model only previously? Considering the prices of used S5ii’s now, that makes it some piece of kit! I have a minty S5ii for sale if anyone (EU only) wants one, for €1000 inc postage, or it’s off to MPB within 48 hours…

Might/probably is a different result with Sony? But yes, I need to try Andrew’s LUT as soon as I can but mid season very difficult as it will take some work as I bake in my LUT so will need to bake in a second conversion LUT also and well, not got the time to play with that and thoroughly test at this time. But I will!

If you mean the Phantom LUT, I’d suggest Neutral. Utopia is next ‘best’ but I prefer the Neutral so I can then do my own mild creative grade over the top whereas the others are more a look. I tried the official Arri Log C3 my S1Rii came with but can’t get it to look as good as the Phantom SOOC even before any twiddling, but maybe that is just me…

If APSC is in the mix, FX30 would be my pick also. Lenses would need some consideration but the Sigma 18-50mm (27-75 FF equivalent) optically very good and is tiny. There is also a bigger and heavier newer lens offering 17-40 (so approx 25-60 FF) but it is f1.8 so better for low light.

It will be fine but needs either a baseplate & grip for even basic handling but better a cage from someone like Smallrig. I have the Smallrig baseplate/grip myself for my needs but if I was going anywhere rough and for more than a couple of days, the cage for sure as it’s not the most robust camera ever built. S9 + grip + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 (42-105mm in APSC mode), Sennheiser MKE 200, mount for monopod. If I had the cage instead of the baseplate/grip, I could mount 2 accessories instead of one such as a mini LED. As it is, I just have to swap out the mic for the LED if I need it. Extremely compact and lightweight package for it’s capability but neither the body nor the lens have any proper weather sealing so IMO, this is not something to take around the world when you are inevitably going to have some inclement conditions!

I never have and was going to cycle from UK to India once, but in the end flew and backpacked it. I do have a few trips planned, but skipping the bike for all of them. Probably…

I don't know if I dare click on that because based on just the thumbnail, I want to go and do it. Tomorrow.

Yep and is still currently my A cam. It’s going to become C cam after the next job, but only because a pair of S1Rii’s will be in the house by then and my future approach of shooting hybrid 2x identical units albeit with a different focal length on each and in 7.2k open gate allowing me to additionally pull the highest res stills I can whilst retaining open gate for 16:9 and 9:16 edits. If they ever do make a mkII version with nothing more than the S1Rii sensor, I’d be all over that. But they won’t as the S9 body has no fan. I would like to see a cinema style body a la FX line though…

Yes 👋 My name is Simon. I was a full-time Fuji user from 2011-2020, but I then managed to kick that habit and have been 1537 days Fuji sober. But seriously, whilst there is not that much difference in body sizes, depending on the body such as a full-frame 6k open gate shooting Lumix S9 is much smaller than some more recent M4/3 options, it’s the lenses where the biggest difference tends to be. APSC obviously sits between M4/3 and full-frame and I personally think it’s now a bit of a meh option, being somewhat ‘less’ than full-frame and not having the ‘smallest, lightest, fastest’ ability of M4/3. And when I say fastest, I am referring more to AF speed if that is important to you because from experience, the Olympus/OM options trump Fuji in that department. I still can’t see past a mint OG (digital) Olympus OM-1 with perhaps a single one & done lens, the 12-40mm f2.8 giving you FF equivalent of 24-80mm. Plus the action cam. I would happily set off tomorrow to travel around the world for a year with that Oly option.

Not yet. Last job (this weekend) and next (Tues & Wed), in a 2 job transition phase until the second S1Rii arrives and then I will be properly. Well, next job after the second S1Rii should have arrived, I'll be making a final final decision, but I think I'll hold on to it purely, as above, spare/gimbal/slow mo as the 2x S1Rii's take over the principal clip capture role. But if I decided to sell, outside of MPB, I'll sell it to my favourite purchaser of my used gear 😉 Yep. Very high quality build. There are 2 charger types and they look almost identical, except the built in power bank version is slightly bigger. They have options for various brands but the Lumix power bank version is not available yet. Battery life also seemed better this last job because over 2 days shooting >1500 Jpeg + Raw's, I only went through approx 1.5 batteries, so getting close to 1k stills per battery?

Indeed. These kind of productions seem to be as much about the presenter as they do the subject/location with every scene being, “here’s me on my epic adventure and here’s me talking to an impoverished local and here’s me deeply respectful at the local temple”. Ie, if it isn’t about you, you can skip all that shit. Some folks are famous because they are in front of the camera and others from being behind.

I wouldn’t and I think it’s a great bit of kit. But no weather sealing to speak of and it’s build I’d say is OK, but it’s not built like an OM-1. Or even close, that thing is built like a tank. Despite being a full-frame guy for photo and video, bike packing around the world, M4/3 for sure. I can’t see past Olympus/OM Systems for this kind of thing.

Stay of execution for the S9… A. Trade value is trash and I refuse to take that kind of hit, providing… B. I can get some use out of it and soI am going to repurpose it as; spare/backup body/lens (with the Sigma 28-70 which I was keeping as a back up lens anyway) dedicated slow mo unit for such times I need such a thing which is every job, but less than 5% of any job. Ditto ‘gimbal-like’ duty. Potential 3rd angle that I recently decided was overkill to have a camera full-time dedicated to. So occasional roles I could have covered mostly, but may as well use the S9 for. So not quite down to 3 cameras from what was 5 just a few weeks back, but I’ll call it 3.5!

I can, especially as a one man band photographer filmmaker/videographer who always works solo. I currently use 2x photo dedicated cameras, 2x video, 1x monopod, 2x tripods, 2x lightstands, 2x lights, up to 6 pieces of audio gear, 1x drone, multiple camera angles at the same time, photo and video at the same time... There are parts of every job where I use every single one of the above at the same time except 2x photo cameras. I can have 3 video units rolling, with an audio feed to each, shooting stills with the drone up shooting video straight down statically. OK, with the drone, it's a frikkin nightmare doing that and last time out I crashed it into a tree landing it 200 metres away...but it can be done. And that's with single attempt no second chance scenarios. Now carry all that on a bike plus all the other gear? Obviously not, but a single robust dedicated camera and either 1 or 2 max lenses, carbon travel tripod, super-lightweight collapsible lightstand and small LED plus audio gear takes up near zero space and battery life is excellent. Tiny compliant drone. Yes, I can see one person handling this just fine, especially if you are taking your time. I think all of us to a degree can overthink these things and volume of kit creeps up. I'm on a reduction mission myself right now in this regard having allowed my own volume of gear to creep up. I had a kit rationale recently and asked myself, "do you really need 6 lights and when have you ever used 6?" Err, never. Do I really need that 3rd camera angle for video or is it just overkill and one more thing that actually risks screwing the entire scenario up because you are now juggling too many pieces of kit that all need to be focused, or not focused and rely on AF and is the transmitter for the audio switched on and is the receiver also and... Sometimes, often even, less can end up being more.

OK, decision made, flipping the S9 and an S5ii plus a lens, for a second S1RII, - it's worth it to me. 4 bodies down to 3 from what was 5 at the start of the year. 9 lenses down to 6, down to 5. I'm hoping to get that down to 3 at some point in the near future... 3 camera brands down to 1 (already happened)...but need more batteries because this S1RII is a power hog. I'm one of those that normally scoffs at folks reporting crap battery life and can normally exceed the official numbers by a factor of around 3, but with the S1RII, only by about 1.5. I now have 12 batteries and have 2 on charge at all times and as soon as Llano have the Lumix battery charger with built in power bank available, will have one of those in my bag. But the power issue aside, I think it's a bit of a no-brainer to me and really it comes down to one single factor more than anything, - e:shutter, - I hate it (for stills) and am going back to mech shutter only. The Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 is great by the way. Not quite as big or heavy as I expected, or at least no larger or heavier than expected, fast, very well built and no frikkin' extending zoom!! I'm just hoping they make a longer focal length version and then I really would be set for the remainder of my career.