MrSMW

Hello 🤗 That’s my tribe. I shoot specifically for SOOC results for a couple of reasons: A: If it looks right, it is right and even though I only shoot for paying clients, my first and only priority is myself in regard to the aesthetic. Arrogant? Far from it… In 10+ years no one has ever questioned my grade and those that choose to book me do so because they like what I produce. B: Time in post. The grading side of one of my typical 10 minute productions is about an hour or less. C. The simple fact that I have never been able to get a better looking end result using log. At least not consistently. Every year I think that maybe I should try log again and run back to back tests and every time I do, it’s the same result and the SOOC wins. SOOC of course is not any cameras default setting but the deliberate choice of: profile tweaks + lens choice + filter choice + as much as I am able to, lighting and direction of light. In regard to the latter, maybe I’m just shit at grading…🤪

Indeed. For anyone that doesn’t need AF, purchasing ‘vintage’ lenses can be a near zero cost…or even make a profit over time approach. I need AF at least some of the time and being something of a minimalist, don’t wish to carry more lenses than I need so anything non-AF doesn’t work for me, but that’s just my use case scenario. Plenty if used AF lenses at decent prices, native or adapted. Just don’t try adapting to Panasonic and expect anything more than 1/10 AF 🤪

What both of the above said. Otherwise, if what you currently have is not working for you and cannot work for you, bite the bullet, take the hit and offload it to someone like MBP if UK/EU or KEH if US. But nothing is ‘future proof’ when buying current tech. Leica or Hasselblad probably hold their value best for no other reason than their heritage, but as for the rest… The single best way to minimise the cost though is buy used. I try and buy as much as I can used these days… A colleague of mine bought a brand new Panny S1R a couple of years back at full retail price of around 3500 euros, plus 2 genuine batteries. Barely used it in those 2 years and sold the lot to me for 1500 euros. The S1R is still I believe one of very few cameras that has a score of 100 on DXO. Used ‘like new’ S1H for 2250 euros last year. Find me a combo like that for under 3750 euros! Now I am not saying that the S1R or S1H is the camera for you, but simply highlighting that there are many stupidly good options out there if you don’t buy used. But as above, what do you need it to do and any preferences over 4/3, APSC, FF etc?

I use social media (IG) for business only otherwise the greater portion of it is toxic in my opinion. So much misinformation and soapbox ranting… I keep it to an absolute minimum as I do YouTube comments. The single biggest problem as I see it is the complete anonymity of the most toxic. It empowers them in their cancerous commentary.

Playing devils advocate for a moment, punching in? But not if the subject has less than perfect skin!

It has IBIS, so I imagine very few would even try, hence why using a Google search, you probably wouldn't turn up much, if anything.

Possibly the 'not every shot' is in regard to the final part where the camera is static on a tripod? Otherwise, quite impressive actually if that's OIS only. Based on that, it would certainly be good enough for my needs. I wouldn't walk with it, but hand held 'static' footage and maybe some very gentle push in/pull out... Maybe it could be an S1H with a larger sensor...

6k and even 4k are also pretty valid. The only real negative though is shutter speed. I've tried it with pretty decent results, - extracting 4k stills from 4k footage, but if you are shooting say 25p and 50fps and there's a lot of movement in the subject, well you don't notice it in video because...well because it's video, - it's supposed to be moving. But with stills, unless we deliberately want to convey movement with some motion blur, 1/50th of a second capture equivalent isn't always enough. Boundaries are continually blurring however and I reckon I could get away with producing an entire set of results from a wedding today using 4k grabs and not a single client would notice. I would know however (obviously doh!) because first, all 'pics' would be in the landscape format unless heavily cropped into portrait from the landscape orientated footage (square capture could be the answer!), but 'know' because an equivalent sensor camera capturing raw stills is always going to produce a better end result than a screen grab. There is an answer to this however and that is instead of using an ND, just shoot higher speed video in the first place, ie, compromise the video very very slightly in order to facilitate better screen grabs. It works, - I've tried it, but just don't have the balls to go over to it fully. Maybe if I was shooting 8k or even 6k, I might...

I don't think it was ever a test, other than for walking around vlogging! The only really valid tests are the one's that are at least close to your own intended use. It's pure entertainment. If you like his particular form of entertainment... His 'process' (because there is a semi-serious side to it), is in finding the perfect vlogging camera for his needs...which is in order to create content for his channels, so by it's nature, will be never ending. It's become a self-perpetuating thing now. But as a serious educator? He's about as far from being one as most YouTubers are, but having 10's of thousands of followers does make you some kind of guru these days, even if that info is often conflicted. Or just wrong! It's amusing in small doses, sometimes, but as you say, gets a bit tedious after a while. As with most things, you can always take away a positive and in these types of cases, it's often NOT how to do something. And that in itself is a positive takeaway! Who is imparting the information is as important as the information itself.

Great, I love old movies and indeed, at first I thought it was some ‘lost’ film from the 1940’s!

I know, I am kind of in shock myself 🤪 As I said though, only for very specific times of the day otherwise it will remain locked as part of the tripod. And only because the weight and size (vs the output) is at an all time low for a full frame 6k camera. Not that I shoot 6k. We’ll see how it goes, but even if I only use it once at every wedding this year, the cost without any resale of the tool at the end of the year, will be 10 euros per wedding. I reckon it will produce maybe an average 20 sequences/clips I might use on any job that I could not have otherwise have achieved, so…. There’s still a large part of my senses that says it’s still an extra faff though… 😜

Education by ‘content creators’ and ‘bedroom based businesses’ is the new norm. To be fair, some are quite good. Most, as we know are just copycats and doing it badly. It’s the world we live in and as I always say, you either have to tread through the trash to reach the treasure, or just block the entire thing.

Well I am 100% in the L Mount system now with; 3 bodies (S1R, S1H, S5) and 6 lenses (2 Panny, 4 Sigma) and ideally, I'd like to stay with them for as long as the system works for me. Which it currently does ticking more boxes for me than anything else currently out there. For the duration of 2022 at least, I won't make a single change to the line up. I've built it up from the S5 in Oct 2020, through the other 2 bodies and most of the lenses last year and added the final lens this year. It's only weakness (for my needs) is the less than reliable tracking AF. As to 'wants', - I'd ideally like identical bodies and if I could get those somewhere realistically bigger/heavier than the S5, but slightly smaller/lighter than the S1H, that would be great, ie, take all 3 camera that I have and make them have a menage et trois lovechild. That may happen with a Panny S2H, but at this point in time, that is just a wish/fantasy. Anything FP flavoured, whether used for filming or stills could potentially fit in somewhere to my line up as all the glass works. If Sigma do make a 3rd generation FP however, that could be another alternative option but they would need to: 1: Have a level of non-mechanical shutter equivalent to the new Nikon Z9, arguably the first camera that has made e:shutter work properly. 2: Have IBIS because for my needs, only 1 of my 6 lenses has OIS and I need good handheld stability. Is the FP body too small however? The Olympus EPL10 has it and so does the Sony A6600. In regard to the former, it's actually slightly smaller and lighter...but maybe doesn't have the heat management of the FP... 3: Ideally, I'd like a tilt screen but it's not a dealbreaker as an aftermarket option does exist. 4: It would have to be compelling enough to beat out any S2H for my needs. When I tested the L model, I loved it's form factor and with a small grip, it would be fabulous. Loved the files. Maybe a little larger than I'd ideally like (around 40-50mp would be my ideal) but didn't test the video capability because it had already failed on the stills side of things due to banding under artificial light and with weddings where I have little to no control over that kind of thing. Bought a used S1R instead. So I really really hope Sigma do not abandon the FP line now, but expect they are more likely to than continue because sales must be pretty low (?) and they instead simply concentrate on their increasingly popular lenses.

I think if you are a dedicated videographer, it shouldn't be a problem... I shoot hybrid so I am not a dedicated videographer. All day long I am flicking between shooting stills, lowering that camera and popping up the second one to capture the same scene with video handheld. Sometimes, I need to do both at the same time such as: entrances, exits, confetti, vows/ring exchange/first kiss and in that case, the freestanding monopod directly in front of me comes into play so I can shoot stills while the video is doing it's own thing. Except vows/rings where I can lock focus. It's then that reliable AF is required and with the system, it mostly is OK providing the subjects are not moving too fast. And then there is full ceremony and full speeches coverage but that one is easy. Tripod, slightly wider angle than is needed (can always punch in with 4k) and focus locked off. It's really (for me anyway) those entrances/exits/confetti times when I need the reliable AF and the total of these parts of the day are around 2 minutes without vows/rings and not much more because focus can be locked for vows/rings. I can...and do, pop the ZV1 onto the S5 hotshoe as backup at these times as the tracking is excellent and though I don't really want to mix that footage in with the Panasonic S1H/S5 principal footage, for the sake of backup + a 10 second fiddle to pop on the ZV1, why not? For 2022, I've picked up a gimbal, so that might be 'interesting'... I don't intend to use it too much and will be getting some practice in over the next 8 weeks until my season starts, but as my S5 was relegated to the static video role only, I decided maybe I could use it a bit more so got myself a stormtrooper white Zhiyun Crane M3. I put a QR plate on the bottom instead of the standard tiny tripod thing so if it's not in the hand, it's sitting on a proper full size (but still lightweight) tripod. The whole lot; tripod, gimbal, camera & lens, weighs under 3kg so it's really light weight to shift about. It will be interesting to see how the AF stacks up though... I can't see myself using it outside of the drinks reception and the couple session and it's primarily for the latter I decided to get and try one. A few minor gentle push in or pull outs I'll just rely on my ninja moves with the S1H and IBIS, but it's any bigger movements where that doesn't work so well. Might try it (the gimbal) on the dancefloor also. Just need to get a bit more dynamism into some of my shooting some of the day... I have bought a gimbal twice before. And twice sent it back after setting it up. Too big, too heavy, too unwieldy/awkward. This new set up though I feel...at least ergonomically and from a size & weight POV, is OK. We shall see however because as is ALWAYS the case with weddings, it's only at weddings that any bit of kit is properly tested!

My bad, it’s the R6 that is 20mp isn’t it? 24mp for the R3, but shit, it ain’t cheap is it?!

The Z9 and the R3 are probably the best of the hybrids right now. The only black mark against them is probably size and the Sony A1 has that covered. The only thing that bothers me about the R3 is 20mp stills. Once you have tasted 47mp, it would be hard to go back! Maybe a pairing of R3 for video and an R5 for stills…but then, I am not very disposed right now to give Canon any of my money. I never say never however. Except just now. Twice.

Of course not, that would be silly. Instead, I think they quietly slipped in by way of firmware, the switch to activate the IBIS system. And possibly the hidden tilt screen trigger. And the mechanical shutter. It’s now utterly brilliant. In all seriousness, I did want to love and even purchase several of these little buggers, but it didn’t ‘quite’ hit the mark for me and I fear any future one wouldn’t either. Love their lenses however and I know they read Sigma posts on EOSHD because it’s how they contacted me to ask if I’d like to try one (an FP-L) and any lenses. One of the better companies that seems to care about their customers. Unlike some I could mention beginning with C…

20+ years, 750+ weddings, you come across 'everything' ranging from 'normal' to bizarre. I could write a book. And maybe one day I will...

They didn’t take it out. They smashed it out with a single mighty blow of The Cripple Hammer.

Actually, though I have had a few (but not many) I have had more groomzillas…and they are a sight to witness in all their ‘glory’ 😉

I have long suspected the latter two don’t really care and are just cheerleaders…

OK, I'll give it a go, but my smallest ILC is my S5, which kind of feels like cheating, so I'll go ZV1 and explore the creative opportunities it has there in some form or other. I've got an idea...

I hear ya, but also, as has been the case for a lot of us, we have had an extremely unproductive last 2 years. I don't want to go on about it (too much), but speaking for myself, just 10% of my normal workload. On top of that, some jobs just don't allow for the same opportunities as some others and from the 6 (out of what should have been 60) jobs I have had in these last 2 years, pretty much all of them were compromised in one way or another. I have expanded my video portfolio by just one job in now what is 2.5 years (ie, only a single one I have felt was anything better than anything from 2019) and ditto my photography portfolio. I'd normally expect to finish any year with maybe 12 of each I could be proud of, so these last couple of years should have moved my personal game/portfolio on with 48 finished jobs, not just 2. The net result of that has been deep, almost indescribable creative frustration. Also speaking personally, I don't have any photo or video interests outside of my paid work, ie, my paid work IS my interest. Believe me, I have tried some 'creative projects' of my own over the last couple of years, but to be honest, each one is like pulling teeth and does not inspire. I'm a wedding hack and have been for 20 years. There are other things I could do with photo and video, but again (without making excuses), the last 2 years in one sense would have allowed the time, but the means and sheer ability to do so, were removed by the circumstances. On another note...and this goes for forums, YouTube channels, any social media and that is anything gear related, funny stuff, general mass appeal stuff, will always massively overshadow anything far more meaningful. There is something utterly wrong with that, but at the same time, it just is what it is. I rarely show my work other than from a marketing perspective to prospective future punters. Why? Two reasons I have established over the years and these are: 1: Outside of peddling my wares to my very specific niche market, no one gives a shit other than; me, my clients, my wife and my mother. 2: I've never sought the limelight or the stage. I'll participate in something I'm interested in participating in, but beyond, I don't give a shit whether anyone values my work or opinion. I really don't. I will go and at least look at the Lightweight thread 😜 or whatever it's called and see if it's something I could participate in...

forum /ˈfɔːrəm/ noun A meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged. "we hope these pages act as a forum for debate" Forums always have and always will be full of diverse people. We have a community of professionals and non-professionals and all have different requirements, opinions and tastes. The moment any forum (or other platform) gets super-controlled to the point where it is unnecessarily over-modded or the 'Topic Police' come along to give you a ticking off for even going slightly off topic, I lose interest. Most topics veer off at some point. (Guilty) Every gear topic gets compared with other gear. (Guilty) Folks are always speculating about what's coming next. (Guilty) That's just how it is.

Oh yes, much prefer the VA style screen than the ZV1 ‘selfie’.