MrSMW

If the Sigma only had IBIS, I’d have gone that route and added the aftermarket tilt screen option. But it doesn’t so every time I have looked at it, I ended back at the same point. Ditto the XT3 which I did use for video for 2 years. If only it had IBIS, I would have stuck with it. If Covid had not interfered, I would have gone and had XT4’s on order, flippy screen aside, it would have been near perfect for me. Was going OM-1 but somewhat relieved it did not work out. After tasting full frame 47mp S1R stills, I suspect I would not have been 100% happy with 4/3rds 20mp files. GH6 so close and nothing against it really except for me to give up my S1H and S5 video combo, it really would have needed to have a significant advantage in AF. But it doesn’t so I just splashed on a second S1R and THAT’S IT, I AM DONE until such a time as something comes along that would truly make it worthwhile making any further changes to what is a fantastic set of tools that I have. I no longer care when that might be and if it’s not next year, fine by me. (Secretiy hoping for a next gen, great AF, mash up of the S1R, S1H and S5. A man can but dream…)

Is it possible to saw off the LCD from the GH6 and then gaffer tape it or something to the GH5ii? Or onto the OM-1. Or XH2s which it also sounds like they are going to ruin with a flippy flip flop screen…

Come on fellas, at least try and keep it on topic…

I’m in agreement with anybody who agrees that you shouldn’t do anything or use anything just because it’s the latest thing to do. In fact, quite recently I had a word with myself to ignore even more what others are doing or what I am ‘supposed’ to be doing. I’ve tried the gimbal 3 times now and it’s just not for me. I’ve tried the action cam 4 times and again, no. I am done with that completely now. Even shooting log. Nope, it’s not for me. I won’t say never on that one and still may shoot my season finale on it, but to date, I have not found a single valid reason why I would need to do so. Certain cameras, particular lenses and current conventional ‘wisdom’ how to do (or not do) things… I’ll look or listen and then make my own mind up. And increasingly so. Most of it is just noise and distraction. Camcorders probably are unsexy these days, but if it does the job and perhaps even a better job, then why wouldn’t you? The bottom line is these are just tools and the artist is the person behind them.

Used to be very high up on my list but for those cameras that can use it…which is Canon with it’s EF-RF option and L Mount with it’s (via Fotodiox) VND adapter options, I am less bothered than I used to be. A Canon R5/R6 combo got pretty high on my list because of their drop in adapter (I presume it takes a VND?) at one point but since picking up the Fotodiox option for L Mount, happy days. For anyone using either Panny FF or Sigma (but not Leica apparently), if you have not considered it, you should!

Especially if you 'push' rather than hold. With so many handheld set ups, I see them being free held. Straps are your friend here. Twin crossed over harness such as the Holdfast etc, strap connected to each side of the camera/rig and then obviously you do hold it with your hands, but push the camera away from you with tension in the straps and it massively reduces the load. Plus adds further stability. OK, my set up is just over 5lbs and there would be a difference between 5 and 8lbs, but it sure would help. Anything 'heavy' previously I used to use a monopod but I've moved away from that now as it just slows me down and adds to the weight when/if constantly moving about. Unlike @webrunner5 😁 I am all about as small and light as possible...but balanced with output and in my case, I have had to sacrifice some of that side of things. I'm still intrigued by an OM-1 system in this regard but too heavily invested (financially and mentally) in L Mount to even look at that any further other than as a musing...

That's the set I was looking at, but then the tests and reviews I saw suggested the Meike had a bit of an edge when it came to outright image quality and are near 1/2 the price (the S35's anyway) and both of those factors swung it for me, so went for just the single Meike 50mm. I might still get the 75 because there are times when I need longer, but wider I have covered with the rest of my lenses, so for those rare occasions when I do need wider than '75', I'll just use one of those. In fact I did the other day for the last hour of the wedding and dancing when I used the Sigma 20mm f2 as a '30'. And got back AF and the AF actually works quite well for dancing stuff as there is a lot of contrast!

I've wrestled with it for over 2 years but finally believe I have come up with the best option for me. Just to recap and for anyone that doesn't know, I sold off all my Fuji based kit at the end of the 2019 wedding season and intended to start afresh because what I had did not completely gel and there were too many compromises and workarounds. The new kit in the Spring of 2020 could have been anything but when we got close, an XT4 based system was the winner. But then Covid hit and my order was cancelled. The entire season passed with just 1 event attended and I bought and then promptly sold some familiar XT3 kit to do the job. Then the S5 came out and it looked like the best available option for me. Tested over the Winter and liked it enough. Some niggles, primarily the flip out screen (hate the things and would have been the major compromise on the XT4) and the non-dampened shutter. Had to go with something for the start of the 2021 season...but that then also never happened other than a short 5 week, 5 job window at the very end of the season and by then, had picked up a used S1H and right at the very end, a used S1R at a stupidly cheap price of 1600 euros mint. Since then, it's been a case of trying to find the right glass and combos of making the kit work for my specific needs and the first few weddings of this season, I have been juggling but never been totally happy. The last job I did, the 6th of 33 booked in for this year, I came closest with the Leica TL2 on it's second outing and I really liked it but for the niggles of; not having a tilt screen, shutter is a little louder than I'd like and the colour doesn't match my S1R. When the LCD began to fail on the second outing, the answer was very easy, - just find another stupidly cheap S1R. The thing is with the S1R, yes people say they are big and heavy but actually it feels ridiculously light when switching to it after shooting my 'cine rig'. Ridiculously light. And I can shoot it in crop mode and still get results around 24mp so it's like every prime lens is two prime lenses. And that's it now for the remaining 27 jobs I have for this year. I wish it had not taken the last 6 jobs to work it out but that is weddings and the near unique nature of what I do and that is there is no handbook or any amount of testing that can be done that is not actual real weddings. I'd still rather have super-reliable AF and ideally, smaller and lighter, but the reality is that for me, right now, ALL factors considered, there isn't a better combo out there other than what I now have. I am super-confident and happy with it. Everything now has it's specific purpose and works in harmony with the other pieces of the puzzle.

I just can’t get on with it Tom. If I ONLY shot video, then maybe, but the reality is it’s one step too far forward me so after my third attempt, I am abandoning it. Same as action cams. I think I’m just going to pick up the latest Iphone mini with a zoom lens as this will suit my needs far better.

Life is about compromise. At least mine is. As a solo hybrid shooter, ideally I’d have super-reliable AF. My compromise has been not having that for other benefits. The principal reason I went for a cine lens was partly so I would be forced to use only manual focus, but mainly because it is mechanical. I do prefer the longer throw for sure over the photo-orientated Sigma f2 Contemporary lenses, but mostly I prefer the fact that cine lenses don’t change focus if you switch the camera off whereas my experience with focus by wire is they always need more fiddling with. One of the most important factors to me is consistency and I have found that in the Meike cine lens very quickly. I should add I have had a cine lens previously. A Rokinon/Samyang with my Fuji XT3 a few years back but I suspect that was more of a rehoused lens than a proper cine lens. I dismissed Sigma’s own cine lenses as being too big, too heavy, too expensive and from the tests and reviews I have seen, possibly not as good as the Meike. Ditto the DZO Vespid’s that were initially my first choice being somewhere between the two (Meike and Sigma) on price but the smallest and lightest, but tests seem to suggest the Meike produced the better image. I’ll have a production out within the next few weeks shot with the Meike.

I think that Q ^ is for Tom but I went with EF myself, but for the reasons of the Fotodiox VND adapter. Either mount option will make anyone look pro. For sure.

Considering the 75 actually but going to get a few more jobs in with the 50 first and see how it goes as whilst lens choices can be a good thing (though lugging them around is not), there is something to be said for sticking to a single focal length and just making it work. I’ve picked ‘75’ as mine and I like it.

Your WB might be slightly off there Tom? 😜

I only shoot 4K 50p so this slightly smaller and lighter model (there is a FF version) works for me.

Well you now can...for the S1H at least, - just added a post and pic to the 'Looking Pro' thread. The S5 I have switched the lens out from being the Panny 24-105mm f4 for the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 F4 is just a bit slooooooooooooow for my tastes, especially when the light levels get low. It's been relegated to pure landscape/wet weather/backup lens now. Good lens, just a bit too big and heavy for my tastes, plus I am not a fan of zooms anyway, especially externally extending ones. I shoot S35 crop mode so that Sigma is long enough for my needs and is like a 42-105 which is ideal for my requirements. My Leica TL2 adventure didn't last too long... The LCD began to fail on only it's second shoot so it's gone back and I've done what I should have done in the first place and gone for a second S1R. I think I have enough cameras and lenses now 🤪 In fact, there isn't anything that doesn't get used on any job... S1H + 50mm cine lens or 20mm f2 Sigma for dancing. S1R + 20mm f2 (daytime) or 35mm f2 Sigmas. S1R + 65mm f2 S5 + 28-70mm f2.8 Sigma Panny 24-105 is my spare/backup lens. Sony ZV1 backup video camera. ... Panny 20-60mm going on ebay as is my gimbal and DJI Action 2. The lens is of zero use to me now, even as a backup. I hate the gimbal with a passion and I have decided the Action 2 like all previous such type cameras, just isn't for me and instead, I simply need to update my iPhone 8.

Well below is my main ride: S1H + Fotodiox EF-L Mount adapter with built in VND + Meike S35 50mm T2.1 cine lens + NISI 1/8th mist filter + supplied lens hood. I use this either on my person (90% of the time) on 2 central straps off a Holdfast twin shoulder harness, or tripod off the lens mounted tripod plate. Total weight = 2389 grams including cards, battery and even that little bit of Velcro I have on top of the lens that locks the aperture in place at T2.1, T2.8 or T4. (5.27 lbs for anyone that can’t do metric). I also have an S1R left hip and another (in it’s way) S1R right hip, plus S5 on a tripod. The latter sometimes has a hotshoe mounted ZV1 but that usually gets it’s own tripod for another angle and is my backup for wedding ceremonies and speeches. But the main event of interest here is the S1H/cine lens combo and it’s a beaut. A bit heavy but actually not too bad and now I am properly back into regular work, just did a 15 hour day with it a couple of days back near 100% handheld or hanging off the harness and no issues. Looks ‘pro’ enough I reckon, but then as I said above, I’m not trying to ‘look pro’ but just using the kit that works for me.

Depends on your clients I guess, but it is of near zero consideration what kit I choose to work with as long as I can do a 'professional' job with it and achieve a 'professional' result. But taking any measures to seem more professional? No, never. Never had a client give my kit even a second glance. The only people who ever look and talk are camera nerds. But then I really only shoot weddings so maybe they have lower standards 😜 I once shot an entire wedding season on a single original Fuji X100 and no one batted an eye. These days, an S1R slung over one shoulder and an S1H with a cine lens is possibly pretty 'pro' for a wedding shooter. And I have several tripods set up. One of them even has an S5 mounted on it 😬

Stick on Velcro pads are great. I have a sheet of the things in my camera bag. Latest use is controlling the aperture ring on my cine lens because for handheld stuff, I identified it within the first 2 minutes of use as going to be a PITA. It’s not the last word in strength but ideal for stuff that is not going to be knocked but you might wish to assemble/disassemble quickly. Worth a try anyway.

3x pocket recorders with lav mics 2x even smaller ones but don’t use with lav mics Rode Wireless Go for the full recording. I just sync the clips, cut anything not important and then merge them. I’ll post a pic when I’m not in transit some time soon…

Smallrig make all kind of clamps and accessories. I have a cheese plate gaffer taped to a power bank and that is then screwed into a clamp which is attached to a tripod leg et voilà! I use powerbanks from Anker and have done for years with zero issues. Re. the zooms, I’m not really a fan of zooms but still use a couple. I also chose the Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 over the bigger and bulkier 24-70 because it was so much smaller and lighter. I have used it for video and it’s pretty good but obviously can’t rely on the AF for tracking. It can…but not reliably. I use it as my principal stills lens now but as a ‘twin prime’ lens ie as a 28mm or a 70mm but nothing in between. I have 20, 50 and 100 f2 primes for anything else. If I could only take one lens to a job, photo and video, it would be the 24-105, but I don’t actually use it for that purpose because I have other more suited options, but if you could only have one lens… Maybe if it had internal zooming because that is the part I don’t much care for with zooms. With the 28-70, the extension is really small like maybe an inch max. I use it on my S5 these days for long tripod stuff so ceremonies and speeches where I need a bit of reach but some flexibility for certain wide stuff such as entrances and exits. Still toying with swapping it out for a 70-200mm f4 but not right now. But for photography, it doesn’t get used on actual wedding days but instead does get used as my landscape lens on say a hike in the mountains where again, like I do any zoom lenses, used at only the extreme ends of 24 and 105 as nothing in between exists for me.

I just clamp a powerbank onto the tripod and it runs forever. Well a 256gb card will run out before the powerbank! 2 hours? Easy.

Knowing what I know now, ie, user experience of the S5 and S1H, I would definitely pick up an S1 over an S5. But then also having this info, I’d also happily trade my S5 and S1R for a pair of S1H’s so I had 3 of the things! Yes it’s a bit of a lump but it’s the best lump I ever shot with for video or hybrid. The S1R beats it as a pure stills machine, but otherwise… The final components for my S1H video beast arrived today and I have to say that after a minor modification, it is indeed a beast. Having a VND between the lens and the camera is a MUCH better solution than screw on options as it gets out of the way and allows the use of a lens hood…and the Meike cine lens comes with a very integrated looking screw in hood that looks like part of the lens rather than a ‘lens hood’. And then there is the lens itself… Only had time to shoot a little bit of footage but the result SOOC is already nicer looking than my f2 Sigmas…which were pretty great, but not ideal for video work in that they breathe like dragons and the focus is by wire, so finicky to say the least. The only thing that bugged me…for about 5 minutes…was the de-clicked aperture. I get why it is, but FFS, put an aperture lock on the things because it gets constantly nudged out of place. Like ALL THE TIME when handholding. A cunning less than 1” square sticky back Velcro option sorted this and now it ‘locks’ at T2.1, T2.8 or T4, depending on my needs. The S5 will get a little more use than the last few jobs because other than static full ceremony and full speeches, it’s staying on the sticks and doing any and all things AF, so it’s designated as my ‘tracking unit’. Full run out of the updated kit next week… On another note, tried Vlog again. It was just as awful an experience as it’s ever been… Viva Natural. I’m 100% done even trying with log now. And zero need.

That's the thing, testing stuff in the real world and see how they work for you. I am 4 events in to my season and have made a couple of changes based on the experience of those 4 events. Not that I am unfamiliar with the kind of work I do, rather that the L Mount system I use combined with a very limited and sporadic number of events last year meant that I could not test anything as thoroughly as I would have preferred. It's been full on now for the last 3 or so weeks with 10 actual days attended, so getting a good flow and feel now. The S5 I have had in the 'B cam' role for a while. Since last year actually. That is, always on the tripod, longer duration stuff and also switched to 8 bit for that so I am not limited to 30 mins as I have been caught out a couple of times there and had to hit record again! It's also my 'AF tracking camera' with native lens, but back in 10 bit 50p mode for the best chance. With my S1H, my main filming camera that is always on me, I have treated it to a proper cine lens and Fotodiox ND adapter and have gone fully manual focus. I have mostly been shooting mf anyway, but my photo lenses not being ideal for video, found that it wasn't as great an experience as I'd like so might as well do it properly! The S1H/cine lens/ND adapter will get it's first run out early next week with a 2 day job. And last but not least, my S1R got an upgrade. Well, not so much an 'upgrade' as a lens upgrade plus a new sidekick companion. I do quite like the kit 20-60mm, but it's just a bit meh for me so bought the Sigma 20mm f2 which is perfect for how I start any day/event which is with some local scenery, the venue exterior and interiors, some establishing room shots, plus it's great for late on after dark dancing and getting in amongst them. The 'sidekick' is a used Leica TL2 armed with the now redundant (due to the cine lens) 35mm f2 and 65mm f2 Sigmas with the 35mm (50 ff equiv) doing candid duty and then using the 65mm (100 approx) doing the longer stuff my S1R with 28-70mm can't do. That also gets it's first taste of action this weekend and I expect it to do well as it's an 'extra' not an 'instead of' so anything it brings is a bonus. My DJI Action 2 however is getting far less well...action, than I hoped for but it's just too wide for my tastes really and just isn't adding much. I'll still use it for some BTS but otherwise, nah, not my thing really. Good to hear the S5 is working out for you. It's a decent piece of kit for sure.

I'm waiting on the OM-1 vs GH6 smack down. For ultimate video spec, I am sure the GH6 has the OM-1 licked and it certainly (for me) has the better rear LCD type. AF we know will be OM-1. IBIS probably quite close? It's the picture side of things I am most interested in...

Looking forward to hearing more as it's still on 'My List'. My only real 'questions' are in regard to ultimate image quality and whether I could live with that side hinge screen... The rest of it appeals greatly.