MrSMW

It's finally arrived. First impressions, - I really like it, - the size and weight. On my S5 with Smallrig baseplate, it's a moderate weight (a good thing as in not too light) but compact set up and when I think back to my old DSLR Nikon D3S with 24-70mm f2.8... it's a huge amount smaller and lighter and far more capable for stills, never mind video. 1/8th mist going on and then I'll be putting it's through it's paces soon enough. I can't at this stage see the 24-105mm f4 being here for much longer...

My Panasonic 24-105mm f4 is a bit 'clinical'. It's not uber-sharp, but pretty sharp and a bit too 'videoy' in my opinion. I'm not a fan of zooms anyway. Says the chap who recently bought this lens and ordered a Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 I have some more testing to do, but I believe the 1/8th mist will be my friend in this regard. Also, the Sigma 65mm f2 I am looking at as a prime workhorse is supposed to be sharp, yet have characterful rendering, especially in the OOF areas. I've seen some fantastic results with it using a 1/8th mist so it bodes well... Ultimately I'd rather have something more sharp than less sharp as it can always be reduced in post whereas if the lens is soft as baby poo in the first place...

1 minute of searching: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fujifilm-X-E1-Fuji-Mirrorless-Camera-Body-Only-1080p-Fuji-Charger-Battery/303917242724?hash=item46c2e11964:g:RT8AAOSweFlgSn8e

Then Fuji GFX100S would be my pick without question.

So DP Review finally got around to reviewing the S5... I was beginning to think they were shunning it or something. 88% and a pretty fair/accurate review. Not that DP is the be all and end all of anything and most of their photography results galleries are a bit shite, but... New firmware coming next week apparently. I wonder if it will have anything significant in it or just be one of those, ‘bug fixes in the incidence of X’ updates... I can’t see it being anything major but who knows.

Focus breathing is a lens issue not a sensor one.

Oh yes, it's rubbish for that! But how high res do you need to go for that kind of thing? Maybe higher than 24mp for your needs, I don't know but you can print a billboard poster with a 12mp camera.

This is where the hi res mode in Lumix cameras is your friend and one of the reasons I went S5. 4k 50p. Check. It’s APSC crop though? Great...for me, my preferred focal range is between 50-100mm FF so ideal. 24mp stills which are more than enough for social/event work. Check, I don’t need or want 50mp+. What about a hike into the mountains or a commercial shoot where I want/need a hi res shot for ultimate detail? Flick of a switch (and a tripod) and there is a 96mp raw file pretty much on par with the medium format Fuji. But the MF Fuji can’t do 24mp stills or 4K 50p so as a pony, does less tricks. I’m in the compact, do as much as possible, in one single as cost-effective package as possible camp. I know I risk sounding like a Panny fanboy, but I’m commending the tool not the brand. I’ve said it before and will say it again and that is IMO, pound for pound, other than the less than stellar AF for video tracking, this little beast is hard to beat at anything.

Yes I am aware it’s a theme issue and it is a bought and paid for theme...and it’s no el cheapo one either, PLUS I paid extra for support which was a cost option. It’s flippant/dismissive 1 line responses to very succinct, clear and polite questions that irritate me.

And this is my concern. For all of us. Obviously that you personally remain well Marcio, but whilst the UK may be getting on top of it due to the vaccine and the EU when it gets it's arse into gear should follow suit, plus the US, Canada, Australia, Japan etc, there is a concern that unless the entire world is vaccinated and ASAP, as in this year, then this thing could mutate and return in a new form that the vaccine is useless against. And then off we all go again. And I don't think we could do it again any time soon... It's just one big fucking nightmare, but the scale of it in the UK, EU, US etc is nothing like somewhere like Brazil. Your government need taking out and shooting. Can I say that on a forum or does it trigger some kind of alert in Langley? Eek.

There is a little bit of that in me also. I will reward someone for a job well done just as much as I will walk away from someone/something that is taking the piss. I used Fuji for nearly a decade despite it falling short in many areas, because there was 'enough' for my needs and I also felt a certain brand loyalty because as camera companies go, they are one of the best. I haven't felt that with Panasonic. The tool does the job I want it to do, but their customer service in both the UK and EU has been, "we don't give a fuck". That has not endeared them to me. The deliberate and artificial over-heating shenanigans of Canon meant that despite their tool possibly being a very high contender for my needs, as a company they can go and do one. Just this morning, I had an issue with the particular theme of my Wordpress site. I'm not an especially (OK, not very at all) techy person and I needed some help from the theme developer. All I got back all morning was abrupt single line, condescending and somewhat cryptic, " we don't give a fuck" responses and they haven't even bothered to answer my last question. All of which just confirms that they can fuck off and my next site later this year will be Squarespace because it is actually ideal for technical fuckwits like me who just want to add content and that's all. For every one of us that votes with our feet and wallets, there are 9 others who will not however, either because they can't be bothered, or have not yet experienced the negatives. All I know is it comes back to one thing and that is if I ran my small business like 90%+ how many others do, I'd be out of business. Or hate the process so much I'd have to shoot myself.

But seriously, should the 150 include a lens or not? I'd say should as it will prevent anyone sticking a 5k Leica lens on a 150 body!

I've just reduced the sale price of my S5 from 1500 down to 149.99 for 1 minute...and bought it off myself! Off out to shoot my project now. I'm not even going to use a lens as the deal didn't come with one.

So the next ‘battle’ will be: Sony A1 vs Nikon D9 vs Canon R1? I’m not shopping for any of them but I think I’d be most interested in the Neek-ohn if I was. I do wonder if Panny will join the party with an S2H? If so, it better have PDAF or they may as well not bother.

I’ve seen quite a few reviews now with some fairly mixed results. It seems that for Sony users (who are in the majority of maybe 10:1?) it’s a mixed bag. Something it seems (on the negative side) to do with the coding? However, it’s a different story in L Mount land where it seems universally loved. I should have received mine yesterday but it appears that despite stating on their website it was in stock, this was in fact not true and it’s ‘special order’. Ah well, I’d prefer to have it ASAP so I can test and confirm 100% it is right for my needs as I expect it to be, but next shoot not until the 20th so some time yet for it to hopefully arrive.

Freewell 2-5 stop for non-log Freewell 6-9 stop for log

For whatever reason, when I used Fuji (which was for quite a few years) it was indeed the zooms that work best for video. It’s mostly why we parted company, - virtually no native glass that suited my needs and I was adapting relatively large/heavy lenses. My full frame Panasonic set up is smaller and lighter than even native Fuji: XT3/4 + 16-55mm f2.8 vs Pan S5 + Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 Plus the latter has more range because if used in APSC mode (which it has to be for the 4K 50p I mostly shoot) then that Sigma (arrives today!) is more like a 42-105mm compared with Fuji’s 24-83mm, so can shoot between 28-105mm. Actually closer to 110mm if in pixel to pixel mode! The Fuji focuses better and does have nice film sims however 👌

Can focus be 100% using AF? I'm assuming you are using AF or any kind of pulsing cannot exist? But otherwise yes, your Sony is simply trying to be the Panasonic that it isn't 🤣

I would have thought the new Rode Wireless Go II would be well suited to this kind of thing? It may not be the absolute ultimate in audio quality, but would otherwise be perfect with a lav mic each and hidden transmitters.

Same sensors maybe, but different bodies and company tech applied, different lenses, tweaked settings, filters, profiles/film sims/different logs, 10 bajillion LUTS (get my set for ONLY $17 from my on-line shop sorry sold out!!), differently calibrated screens, phones, tablets, laptops... I couldn't tell you what end result came from what sensor only if I like the end result or not.

I've never used a diffusion filter before, but based on the 2 lenses that are going to be my principle workhorses, the Sigma's 28-70mm f2.8 and 65mm f2, the latter being very sharp, I've ordered a Freewell 1/8th Glowmist. Some absolutely stunning footage shot with the 65mm f2 and the variable ND version (which is supposed to be somewhere between 1/8th and 1/4) by self-proclaimed douche-bag YouTuber Vu of nVu Films and the closest I have come across recently to my ideal 'look'. OK, it was shot on Sony (spits on the floor) but my humble S5 will need to do instead. I'm going to try it first on the 28-70 arriving this week and if it works like I expect it to, will get another for the 65 when I buy that at some point in the future.

I've just ordered one and it arrives this next week! Why? Taken a few bookings recently for '22 jobs so the coffers have had a little top up. Still at least 4+ months from my wedding season getting going, if it even does this year, but... I made a final decision to run with 2x S5's and not the pairing of an S1H with an S5. There were pros and cons to both set ups but in the end I decided the S5 has enough for my needs and I prefer it's compact form. If only it had the S1H screen though... I have my (used, courtesy of a member of this forum) 24-105mm f4 and it's a great lens, but... although it's not huge or heavy for what it is, it is larger and heavier than I'd like any lens to be and it's still f4 which at the longer end is not so bad, but at the wider, as someone who likes a shallow DOF, it's not quite right for me. I'm keeping it though and it's going in the bag that stays in the back of the car and only comes out for specific purposes which will be certain commercial jobs and church weddings (very rare here in France) where I need something longer than everything else I have got. So my main workhorses are going to be a pair of S5's (not buying the second body until I know my season is about to start, but I do have various marketing projects and styled shoots prior) with as principle lenses; this Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on one body and the Sigma 65mm f2 on the other. Also buying that lens later when I actually need it. Some crossover there surely with the 65 falling into the top end of the zoom? Well I shoot 4k 50p for 90% of my work so actually the zoom lens is going to be used more like a 42mm at the wide end and 105mm on the long, ie, will be used as a 'twin prime' only at these equivalent focal lengths which is perfect as my needs are pretty much 50, 100 and occasionally 150 (which the 24-105 provides in APSC crop mode). I do need something wider for just a couple of scenarios and that is covered with the 20mm of the kit lens. My complimentary Sigma 45mm f2.8 becomes redundant in this mix but keeping the only other lens I have which is the Panny 85mm f1.8 as it's a '130mm' for low light indoor rare church weddings where I need a bit more reach, but kept in the same bag as the 24-105. The bottom line in all this is when weddings actually do start back up, I will effectively be shooting 90% of all my work with a 40mm f2.8 on one hip (the zoom) and a 100mm f2 (the prime) on the other which is as close to my ideal as I can realistically get.

Another Ambassador, Matti Sulanto, also said the other day, something was coming. We shall see...

One of many bags I purchased that seemed like a good idea at the time. Currently it’s a small black one 😉

Which is exactly why most ‘reviews’ by folks unfamiliar with a brand, never mind the closest model within that brand, are often lacking. Or just complete BS.