MrSMW

No issues with my S5 and I don’t use XLR so can’t help sorry! My limited 5 wedding season is now at an end and it took all 5 weddings for me to knock this L Mount system into shape. I ended up and have been most happy with the following combo: Static Video = S1H + 24-105mm f4 on tripod. Chosen because the output is superb and I don’t need or want a faster aperture than f4 for ceremonies or speeches anyway. Plus no record limit and no overheating and as the heaviest of my units, great that it’s on the tripod! Unit 2 is my dedicated stills combo of S1R (1500 euros barely used off a mate) with the 20-60mm as a wide landscape and architecture lens when again, the lack of a fast aperture is not a need. The main lenses for it though are the Sigma 35mm f2 indoors and the 65mm f2 outdoors and the combo of S1R plus the 65mm f2 is just mental. I’m pretty blown away with this sensor and these lenses. Set up 3 is my ‘filming’ clips combo of S5 + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 mostly handheld but sometimes out of necessity, monopod. I still can’t get a better output using log than I can with the Natural profile tweaked…but I may look at that over the Winter. Potential changes for 2022…? It’s a heavy old lump but I may just swap the Sigma 35/65 f2 combo for just the native 50mm f1.4 and move those lenses over to filming. Other than that, this is my system for 2022 as things stand. In my ideal world, an S5H and an S5R would both exist and either with further improved DFD AF for video, or phase/hybrid AF. But in the absence of all that, pretty happy with this set up now. Pity the very short season ended just as I was getting to grips with it so hopefully 2022 delivers the 30+ jobs I have booked in…

Isn't the 4 being announced next week? I'd wait and see what that brings to the party...

As an S1H owner, nah. Still interested to see what a GH6 might bring to the table but the facts of the matter are quite simple to me; needs + wants. Needs = well, nothing really… Wants = genuinely smaller & lighter without making sacrifices (such as skipping IBIS or a tilt screen) and quantifiably better AF. So looking…always looking, but doing nothing until it’s actually worthwhile doing. Not really sure who this BS camera is for… Probably not going to tempt existing S1H users and not really going to tempt users of other kit looking for a modular box camera…so who exactly? But then again, I’m only speaking from my perspective and could be well wide of the mark re. the market for this thing.

The same for me...but at the same time, also the opposite. Year 01 was pretty dreadful, ie, last year, because there was no precedent, it was all new and we mostly thought it would be over before it was. It still isn't (over) but I think we're making progress? Year 02, ie, this year has been better though because I was prepared for it. I hoped it would not be utterly shite (for business), but it has been. But because I was better prepared and been proactive rather than waiting for it to end, it has not been as bad. I think the answer to anything like this is to take back control. Within the realms of what is possible anyway. Don't follow the herd. Don't try and conform. Be like Seth Godin's 'Purple Cow', but do it for the right reasons and without selling your soul. One of the main benefits of any community is that whilst yes, you do get complete tossers within most groups, the majority belong for the right reasons.

I had the first model but along with every action cam, sold it as none of them have ever really done what I wanted them to do. This might be different however and make a good little unit to pop on the hot shoe of one of my stills cameras and capture some video…

I prefer high-resolution (4K+) cameras paired with a softer downsampled final look (eg, diffusion, low sharpening in post, vintage glass, etc) This is the sweet spot for me.

I think I'd prefer 2 S1H both with R5 AF 😜 I may watch a review or two later out of pure professional curiosity, but the R3 isn't of any interest to me as a purchase.

E shutter in good daylight only otherwise to be avoided like the plague! I used it at my first 2 weddings of the year as a custom setting as a ‘silent mode’ indoors and some outdoors when shooting video to minimise shutter sound being on the audio. Big mistake. Banding in both sets of pics from each wedding. I have used auto e/mech for a long time and will be reverting to that because that does work really well shooting wide open in bright sunlight. Also, holy moire Batman. Back to the S1H for stills this weekend and will almost certainly be sticking with that as it has an OLPF plus I use a 1/8th mist anyway. The S5’s now dedicated to video are only used with 1/8th mists also which I believe helps reduce/eliminate moire? The second wedding I shot purely stills with the S5’s, a lot of moire. Maybe it was the choice of the groom’s clothing/material, but I’ve never had anything like it before shooting Fuji. We are not talking ‘ruined shoot’ in either case, the use of the E shutter or the moire issue, but lessons learned as there are to be discovered with any new system!

Well I tried log and nah… Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t get as nice a picture out of it as I can with the Natural profile. I made custom settings for; log, Natural, Cine D and Flat and shot the same scenarios; in open shade, into the sun, against the sun and the Natural profile was a fairly easy win except into the sun (where it was about equal between them all) and in highlight roll off where log won. For me, there’s just not going to be any/enough advantage to shooting log so going forward, I’m going to stick with my tweaked profile but bring the highlight setting down one more notch. For this weekends 3 day wedding, I’m back to shooting hybrid so trying the following: S5 with Sigma 35mm f2 as my ‘indoor video’ combo. S5 with Sigma 65mm f2 as my ‘outdoor video’ combo. S1H with Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 as my stills camera but ability to flick to video during the ceremony for guest reactions and alternative angles for clips, (as the 2x S5’s will be on sticks and locked on the B&G from two different angles). I’m hoping to hear much less (preferably none) shutter sound from using the S1 because last (hybrid) job, I could hear the S5 shutter in the lav mic audio from ceremony & speeches despite being an average 10-20 feet away! Re. size & weight, something between the S5 and the S1H would be my ideal. I would pick the S1H out of the two if I had to choose as it’s the more stable platform. One thing I am interested in learning is how the ‘less good’ IBIS is going to perform or whether I will need to also switch on the e:stabilisation… I don’t do any panning shots and specifically want the ‘near tripod’ look where the movement is 95% the subject and not the camera, so it will be interesting to see how the S5’s perform compared with the S1H in the real world test that only a full wedding day can provide.

Exactly what ^he^ said, except I do use AF. Not all the time but probably about 50:50 on a typical wedding day. It’s the viability of Panasonic’s camera division that concerns me. Especially as I came from Fuji who have some very interesting stuff available in the next few weeks and ‘probably’ coming next year… Ie, I think their future does stand or fall very much based on what they do in regard to AF simply because the sheer volume of negativity surrounding the AF is overwhelming the rest which is arguably the best kit going at these price points.

Unless they are incredibly stoopid, I can’t see Panny releasing any new camera (I don’t consider the GH5ii as ‘new’) without AF that is at least competitive with Fuji & Nikon. Fuji, who were for a long time, way behind the rest for video, pulled out the stops and jumped right up there with…was it the XT2? Panny might just be able to do something similar with their AF. They MUST know it’s killing their rep. and really pulling down their sales so surely MUST be addressing the situation?

Any look my video has will be a combination of: Tweaked Natural profile; highlights down, shadows up, contrast down, sharpening down. Use of a 1/8th mist. No luts, just a basic tweak as required to each clip. This is why I may switch to log as my clips can be a little bit all over the place. One single creative finishing lut on an adjustment layer that adds a ‘filmic’ look, dialed back to around 30%. Still playing with that one. Plus in the case of the S1H, the OLPF that the S5’s don’t have. So no single element but the combo of the whole. Still playing with it and log might be the answer to take it to the next level and vision I am seeking to achieve. Audio is easy. Or rather, I just use the KISS principal and primarily do not trust or use anything that is not mine, so no mixing decks etc. Why? Consistency. Every wedding I go to is different and uses different systems and some have nothing to plug into anyway. 2 rules: 1: mic as close to the person’s mouth as possible, as in jacket lapel. Most of my work is outdoors and I can rarely get a shotgun etc close enough, especially if the person speaking regularly turns away. 2: always find out from the clients in advance what is happening and when and brief them re. audio, setting a focal point such as a lectern if there is going to be more than 3 people talking (though I sometimes hot swap mics discretely if needed). I am far (FAR) from being an audio expert. I simply use 3x old (7-8 years?) Rode lav mics which I am going to replace at some point with some less Michael Jackson circa Jackson 5 fro mics with some more modern more discrete versions and 3x Sony pocket recorders that cost about £75 each off Amazon. There is a bit of clothing rustle from time to time as I can’t keep those fro head lav mics off the clothing. In principal, video and audio and stills, I just aim to keep things as simple as possible and as minimalist as I can with the least compromise which as a one man band, is key. ’My’ S5H is just the S1H version of the S1 so I’d go with; fan, OLPF, damped shutter for stills and higher screen resolution, otherwise not a single thing more I would want. Other than improved AF, but that’s a given 😉

@herein2020 thanks for the feedback. I'm not one of those needy types that needs validation from others, - I'm quite confident and only need to please 2 people: 1: Myself. 2: My client. In that order. Always worked for me 'shooting for myself' rather than any client brief and this is why my clients book me, - because they do not want to be involved. Probably wouldn't work so well for commercial clients and why I have so few 😉 But sincerely thanks for the feedback and pretty much most, if not all, absolutely valid. This version is not quite the finished one. Rather I just happened to pop it up on to Vimeo yesterday afternoon to see how it looked on various devices, but already intended to make a few tweaks to the grade here and there. Re. log. I've been pretty opposed to it and other than the low-light, I do think I need to give it another chance and I was already 50:50 about giving it a go for my next job in a few weeks. I already have the Gamut in camera LUT loaded and in Premiere, so will probably do that. Re. the stills, yup, already intended to 'Burns' them or similar. Re. any talky bits not matching the audio, I agree and the missus flagged that one up yesterday, so it's on my 'to do' list. I didn't notice the wobble, but I'll fix with some warp stab. Generally, at this stage, I usually just leave it now for a week and go do another job and then return to it with a fresh eye after 7 or so days. That tends to flag up niggles. That drone by the way is from an original Mavic Air purchased early 2018. It's been crashed at least 7 or 8 times, has chipped props, doesn't fly straight, drifts...and badly needs replacing for the 2022 season!! Oh and that jittery light, - I think it was due to the 1/8th mist filter on the lens...and I really do need to remember to shoot at the native ISO's (note to self). But again, overall, in regards to the tools, the cameras, the merging of the S5 with the S1H...so an S5H would be my perfect tool. I shall go tweak next week!

Oh and there is a glitch near the start I need to sort and if you notice anything else, let me know.

OK. I think... Great clients, a good wedding (though a little 'thin' on a few things such as zero bridesmaids, best man, groomsmen etc) and it has been both 13 months since my last proper wedding which itself was 9 months since the last proper season...plus, it was the first proper wedding with the new system. The AF held up to everything except extensive forward or backward tracking. As expected. I didn't like the full ceremony static footage I did and was toying with changing how I do that anyway. This last job convinced me to do it differently from now on. I still don't like the shutter sound of the S5's. Compared with the damped shutter on the S1H, it's no contest and it can be heard from time to time in the 'live' footage for the ceremony and speeches. I think I'm done with the Wireless Go and just sticking with pocket recorders, lav mics and auto-syncing in post which is pretty much a one click job. The sound guy moved the speaking mic from where I'd reset it from where he'd originally set it and I didn't notice until after the ceremony started... Anyway, it's too reliant on proximity that can't always achieved and no way am I sticking that on anyone's lapel with a dead kitten on it. The Sigma pairing of the 35mm f2 and 65mm f2 went pretty well. I used the 35mm for everything indoors and the 65mm for everything out but as I shot everything 4k 50p, they worked more like a 50 and a 100. Liked the 35 well enough but loved the 65mm. No ND's, just cranked the shutter speed. The principal result can be seen here: Password = Lower Drive It's 4k if you have the ability to watch in 4k. A few niggles with my grading, but mostly due to A: shooting in the Natural profile, ie, not log, but mostly because B: I'm slightly rusty, not in my normal 'in season groove' and made a few questionable choices shooting certain scenes into the sun. I was also shooting full stills (results not available yet though I have processed them and am happy with them) because that's what I do, - stills only, or video only or full hybrid and this was full hybrid. Just me. Always. Summary: I reckon I need 5-10 weddings to really get up to speed with...well everything really. Kind of in the ball park with where I want to be based on intent and reality, but some rough edges I need to work on to get to where I want it to be compared to no one but myself and my own standards/targets. Unfortunately, I only have 2 more to shoot this year, 1 in Sep and 1 in Oct and hope the weather plays nice for those as neither venue is very 'indoor' and these weddings are planned to be mainly outdoor affairs. Next time, I'm switching it around a bit and going for a 2x S5 dedicated to purely video, mostly on sticks and using the S1H as a hybrid, but mostly for stills. I think it will work better for me as a system. Oh and moire... Nothing in this vid (that I saw), but holy moly, my second job directly after this one, stills only, I went 2x S5 plus the Sigma pairing and it was great...except for the lack of a damped shutter and the bloody moire! The groom decided a tight hounds tooth waistcoat (vest to the Americans amongst us) was a good idea. The cameras thought otherwise. Wouldn't have been a problem with the S1H... Oh and summary vs the XT3, my previous weapon of choice for both video and stills and that summary is the S5 is the 'better' camera in every department except colour. The files are 'better' from the S5, both photo and video but not in any way I can describe and it's not by much. The XT3 wins for colour though. Maybe it's just familiarity of working with the evolving Fuji files from 2011 through 2019, but they are somehow just 'nicer'. Again, not by much and can't really describe it....and maybe it's just in my head ;)

Smug S1H owners titter in the background 😬 Canon R5 owners counter and bring up the subject of tracking AF 🤣 I like pretty much everything about the R5 and wouldn’t mind adding the fan…but then the power bank also…?

A possible issue with Panny developing any kind of sensor tech is that although they are a massive tech company like Sony, their camera division is much much smaller? Or at least Sony’s sales are what, 7x that of Panny, if not more? Must dent the development budget but therein lies the Catch 22 of ‘speculate to accumulate’…

XT4 would be my pick. Not that I had an NX1 but I reckon the Fuji would be the ‘closest’. It’s what I would be shooting if I hadn’t gone over to the ghoulish Panny S5. I moved from the XT3. I suspect it will probably be better in most regards as 6 years is a long time in Cameraland.

Since switching from Fuji to Panny towards the end of last year, I have been building the system and despite shooting; 4 local craftspeople, 6 styled ‘wedding’ shoots, an event and a micro-wedding (stills only), it was not until a few days ago I had all the kit. I have tested various combos and learned as much as I can about the set up with as much practice as I can, but nothing…nothing will reveal more than a real wedding filled with unrepeatable situations and moments. I have my first 2 weddings; a 3 day hybrid coverage job and a 2 day stills only job, starting today. It’s only during these next 3 days that I will find out with any certainty whether the AF is really up to the job I need it to do as I think it is. I’m sure it is but there are still niggling doubts in my mind, partly due to the system, but also because I have only attended and shot 1 real full wedding in nearly 2 years. I should have attended and shot around 50 by now since the end of my 2019 season, but nearly 2 enforced years out of the game due to Covid…

Well, this basically. I'm not much of a techy person and I just want AF that works. How it works, I don't much care and if it's a different system to the norm, ie, phase, fine by me, as long as it works. I don't know about M4/3 and how it works there, good or bad, but with the full frame cameras, it's not as bad as some suggest. For my needs anyway, it's OK. Not great/outstanding/totally amazeballs, but decent enough. If the next gen of the GH series and S series still have DFD, I'm not going to cry about it as long as it's improved again. Why? For the sake of Panasonic the camera company more than anything, ie, how they are perceived rather than my own needs which are pretty much covered. He says, with 5 back to back days of hybrid coverage starting tomorrow... 😉

I forgot the Sony… There was an A7iii at FNAC. Awful thing 😬

Since some early Fuji models, my one handling session was; Z6, EOS R, EM1ii, S1 and XT3. I was an XT3 user at the time and it felt like a toy compared with the others, but better built than the Nikon or Canon which we both very plasticky, the former in a cheap shiny way and the latter in a cheap more matte finish. The Olympus I remember was comfortably the best. The S1 I dismissed at the time as on first acquaintance, it felt too big after so much familiarity with the XT3. That is my recollection of that one off experience of actually handling cameras in a store with an intention to buy. Based on that visit, I decided on the not available at the time XT4…which is where I would still be today if it had not been for Covid…but then along came the S5 that picqued my interest and the rest as they say is history.

Other than a few public trade shows, the last I visited about 10 years ago, I’ve bought every single piece of kit on-line since my Nikon film camera days nearly 20 years ago. It hadn’t occurred to me until just now! I did go into my ‘local’ camera shop, a city centre department store (2 hours away) just after the Nikon Z6 came out and handled as many cameras as I could while the opportunity was there, but otherwise…

Indeed and arguably a lot of the ‘extra’ that it has both internally and externally won’t be ‘essential’ to some but… It’s all the little stuff that individually might not make much of a difference but when it’s considered as a whole… For me, the sum of the whole adds up to elevate something that is good (S5) to something that is great (S1H). Specifically, if the build is not actually better, the perception is due to it’s extra weight. It’s size and grip for me is ergonomically better. The on/off switch is in the right place compared with the S1 and S1R. The top LCD. The built in cooling. Try shooting extensive 4K in 30+ Celsius (in the shade) in direct sunlight with an R5! For me, the best/perfect articulating screen. The way each and every control works…They have done ‘something’ because it all feels better damped/higher quality. The shutter sound. This is a bug bear of mine as someone who shoots a lot of stills and very few cameras have a properly damped shutter click. My old XH1 did and ‘upgrading’ to the XT3 made me wince. I never quite got past the XT4 being on order but believe it’s better than the XT3? The shutter sound on the S1H is sublime. Twin SD over the S1/R option makes card management (and cost!) so much better. To sum it up, it’s a bit like owning a BMW sports coupe and then being loaned a Porsche 911 for a week. Going back to the BMW which in isolation was great, makes you realise on what next level the Porsche is. And from that point, only the Porsche is good enough. And you want one. Or maybe you are a Ferrari man (Canon) or Lexus (Sony) or Lotus (Fuji)… Porsches aren’t for everyone! Like so many photographers, I have an itch for a Leica. Being realistic, I can’t buy into the system as a whole as it just isn’t financially possible, but for me, other than the legendary badge and a few details, my S1H is the better version of the Leica SL2-S. This of course is just my experience and opinion. Less than 1 week and it all gets to be put through it’s paces properly for the first time as a fully fledged system. I have shot 4 crafts people for a day each, 6 styled wedding shoots, 1 small short wedding (stills only) and 1 big event, up to 2 cameras and various lens combos, ie, been trying to find out which combo works best. I think it’s nailed down now and can’t spot (and don’t expect) any flaws in my set up as it’s just ‘new’ kit, old experience but with weddings, you can never really practice properly due to their nature. Pity I only have 4 remaining and then another 1/2 a year off, but that’s my market and place we’re in where I live.

Yep, I know what you mean. I think one of the best things anyone can do is select the kit that best suits your individual needs and then just work with it as getting the most out of what you have often beats using something supposedly 'better' but less familiar. It's why I have never really liked mixing kit, never mind brands, but I've never really gelled with any camera/lens combos until now. I started my pro career with Nikon F3 film cameras, moved to F100's and then went digital, though at the time, that early digital stuff such as the D100 and D200 was awful, even for it's time. I moved on to D3's and then D3S's but didn't enjoy lugging round those beasts paired with 24-70 and 70-200 which was the staple set up for many a wedding photographer. So I moved to Fuji X Pro1's after enjoying the OG X100 when it first came out. It produced some nice results...in fact I preferred the result over the D3S's but it wasn't as 'pro' a system. From then on, I have kind of 'put up' with the Fuji X system and always hoped each new generation would be 'The One' for me and it probably would have been in early 2020 with the XT4 if Covid had not got in the way and wrecked my year. Then it was rumoured that Panasonic was going to bring out this S5 and whilst not The Holy Grail, I suspected it would be a good fit for me. And so it was and arguably a better platform for me (L Mount) over the XT4 based system I would otherwise have gone for and almost certainly using. The S5 led to the S1H though. Billed as this 'video camera', but I don't think it is. I think it is instead simply one of the best hybrid cameras that money can buy, especially if you don't need more than 24mp. My perfect combo right now would be a pair of S1H's and a single S5 but instead I have a pair of the latter and a single unit of the former so not so far off. With 30+ hybrid coverage weddings booked for next year, I just want consistency now so may swap out one of the S5's for another S1H before next year's season kicks off in early April, but whatever I do or don't do in that regard, just remain with the system and not be tempted by any possible future S2H's, S5H's etc until such time as they exist and are available on the used market. Kit is now just that good that familiarity I think is more important. Those X Pro1's felt like toys back in 2012 coming from D3S's so yes, your S5 will feel 'less' than that Canon, but I got around that by NOT taking my Nikon's to the first wedding of 2012, not even as back up in the car, because I knew I might be tempted to revert to them and then I'd never fully embrace the new system. I know without question, if I had taken those Nikon's, the Fuji system wouldn't have got past the bride prep stage before being booted out of the equation. Sometimes you just need to go for it, trust in your kit and trust in your skills.