MrSMW

Eh?

Well I have only watched Gordon Laing’s two reviews and my verdict is it’s good...but probably not the camera for me. I need an equally great hybrid, ie, have an equal requirement for stills and video. Price is good. New lenses coming are good. Size etc, all good. AF though still seems not quite there for video and just OK/reasonably decent for stills. Small EVF is not great for me. Not a full swivel screen fan either but that is not a dealbreaker. Conclusion for me is that a 2021 pairing of Sony A7S3 for video and A74 for stills is probably my best bet, especially as I am looking for a minimum 3 year investment. If not longer. So waiting to see what Nikon’s Z6S will be and Fuji’s XH2 and both I expect will be closer to my needs over the new Panasonic. Like it, but think I’d get frustrated with it’s limitations quite quickly considering the imminent opposition. Canon can go do one on sheer point of principle now.

Yep. In fact they would probably be mad to. It’s not just a new body but an entire range of new lenses to meet everyone’s needs and it’s difficult to do that already even with a couple of half dozen in the APSC line up. So nope, at least in my humble opinion, Fuji should stick to dominating either side of the FF market. Oh and apparently there is some new camera announcement soon but it’s not the XH2 or any ‘next’ model but something new. We shall see...

I did not know that. I know it works with Fringer and Sigma 18-35 which is my current combo and my option lens is the Tamron 45mm f1.8. I also have the Viltrox (X mount) 85mm f1.8 which I ‘assume’ would work with the XT4 IBIS and the Tamron has OIS anyway. Most likely for me though is see how the XH2 turns out and make any decisions from that point onwards. Oh and how do I know that combo of; XT4/Fringer/Sigma works? Plenty of YouTube videos out there!

As an XT3/Fringer user with XT4 on the radar, I was not aware of this and thought IBIS worked with all adapted glass & adapters. Potential spanner in the works then if this is the case as I was interested exploring the latest Metabones with focal reducer and a 24-70 from Tamron or Sigma. Hmm...

It’s not crappy by any means but does have certain limitations in regard to: sensor size + codecs + lens aperture + probably more... But otherwise in the right hands, can produce something not half bad and better than most might expect. I will probably switch to XT3 in this role next year though with something like the Ninja V for longer than 30 mins recording time. Anker power bank of course and always static on a tripod. It’s not that it’s not good for this purpose, just that it can be bettered. Plus I probably will have a spare XT3 in 2021. Unless Covid has anything to say in the matter...

Maybe, but if they do kill their 4/3 ‘flagship’ line, what message does it send? But don’t get me wrong, I like and have used 4/3 previously just that for the stills side of my work, it’s not quite enough whereas APSC is. Just.

No offense, but I never understand these ‘feel a bit cheated’ comments every time a new camera comes out. New camera should = new & improved spec even with ‘cheaper’ models as tech is both passed down and improved upon. The S1 has been out over a year I think which though is not that long, you can’t really be peeved at Panasonic for bringing out a new camera for the end of 2020?

Not a deal-breaker for me though I would have preferred it and it is my default with XT3. It’s just the AF that might be... And that remains to be seen...

I’m not in the market for a GH6 or any 4/3 camera but surely with what is going to be the demise of Olympus as we know it, if there is no GH6, then 4/3 is dead? Not dead as in cannot be used, but dead as in it only leaves a few cinema type bodies which I imagine hardly sell in any kind of quantity.

The self-regulation goes for everything in life I suppose that we consume and YouTube is just another ‘channel’.

Yes, looks like the Sony AX100 to me, flipped of course and is and has been my workhorse for ceremony & speeches at weddings for quite a few years (since whenever it came out). I actually shot an entire wedding video on it once, but then immediately went back to mirrorless. It’s good for static stuff but the result is not exactly what you might call ‘cinematic’. At least not in my hands 🤪

My rule of thumb for YouTube is if it has any of the following in the title/thumbnail, I will not click: A stupid faked shocked face. A clickbait title. Anything that calls a; campervan, motorhome, caravan, van, car or shed, a ‘Tiny House’. Any of these can be homes, but none of them are houses. The ‘problem’ with YouTube is that whilst the quality levels and content of some channels is exceptional, the sea of utter dross gets ever bigger.

More than that even... It’s the combo of: the camera, how it’s set up, the lens choices, the material you have to work with and the decisions made in that regard (which are not always within your control) and of course the skill level of the operator etc. I’m sure there are folks out there who think that all they need is a ‘Netflix’ approved camera and the path to fame & riches awaits.

Indeed it is not and especially as someone who ‘hates’ change... But there are times when you need to make changes and that time for me has come. My ‘ideal’ at the end of 2019 was the tech of the XT3 in the XH1 body, but we got the XT4. That is not to say the XT4 is not a great camera but for me, needs the battery grip plus I need 2 units at all times...and that makes for some fairly big units which begins to work against me again... So right now, my ideal kit does not exist. We’re closest today with the new Sony. I was giving serious consideration to the Canon’s but they have pretty much blown it for themselves. This new Panny S5 is potentially in the running but based on history, surely the AF (essential to me) is going to let it down. Then there is Nikon. The Z6 and lenses ticked pretty much every box except twin card slots (dual write) and 4K 60p otherwise I would have already gone there. XH2... it’s just a big unknown at this point in time with nothing except supposedly official confirmation that something will be coming at some point. The bottom line for me is a number of factors and in no particular order: I’m not going to switch for the sake of it. Funds are tight for obvious reasons and there is so much uncertainty for the near future, it’s not an ideal time to be ‘investing’. I have 8 months to my next job so plenty of time and if the right replacement kit is not available by that time, I will wait until it is because... ...what I have is ‘good enough’ and when I do whatever comes next, I don’t want to be changing or ‘upgrading’ it any time soon after that. Which is back where I started, - I ‘hate’ change. But will make any changes if on balance it’s worth it to me. A7S3 is ticking a lot of boxes right now though...

This is what I understood to be the case, ie, there are pre-production examples out there in the wild right now and come 2nd Sep, not only will there be the official Panny announcement, but the usual suspects plus some others, will be populating YouTube with ‘pre-prod reviews’.

The more I see, the more I like. Only 2 questions really remain for me and those are; what is the AF going to be like and also I assume it’s a true hybrid and it is easy to flip between (and remember) different stills & video settings. All will be revealed next week I guess...

None, but I do wish they had joined the the RebeL Alliance. Otherwise wish them well and enjoyed their camera’s with my fave lens being the 75mm f1.8

@Trek of Joy I was not aware of Brandon before so thanks for the heads up. Very impressed. I have never been much of Sony fan before but this unit and the lens options available are ticking just about every box except... Price I’d prefer 20 megapixies I’d prefer a tilt screen None of the above are deal-breakers however. Otherwise that XH2 had better be damn good and available by end of March 2021 otherwise for only the 3rd time in my 20 year professional career, I will be switching. Unlike those folks that switch 3 times in a year. And then actually admit it in a specially made YouTube video...

1080 to Vimeo and they download from there at whatever options are available/they choose.

@Cliff Totten serious question and I have no idea in regard to the answer but if Panasonic are painfully aware they are lacking in the AF department, why? These sensors they are ‘given’, who is ‘giving’ them? They are either making their own or buying them in but in either case they are 100% responsible. No one is making them not use a PDAF system as far as I am aware? But I know nothing, especially anything techy. I just like stuff that works and I ‘give’ my money to companies that make things work.

This is becoming increasingly interesting to me... My only two criticisms of the S1 (for stills) and S1H (for video) pairing that I was previously considering was: A: The size...which whilst not a deal-breaker, was/is larger than I’d ideally like to work with and B: The AF which was/is a deal-breaker. There is actually a third and that is the big white LUMIX lettering, but that can be reduced with some black paint. So yes, with a size reduction over the existing models and AF of at least an acceptable standard, could this be a hybrid finally that ticks all my boxes? I guess we will find out in a couple of weeks...

Ah, I see what you did there... never buy a Canon ‘DSLR’ again, leaving the mirrorless door ajar 😘

Well as a cheese fanboy, the next test I’d like to see is Canon R5 vs a block of cheddar. But seriously, this is a pretty ridiculous situation when a camera doesn’t even work properly due to overheating in a fridge!

Is he like the top dude for sensor technology?