MrSMW

From 2023, I enjoyed The Holdovers and Poor Things. In 2024, Dune Part 2. So far from 2025, nada. From the 80’s, how long have you got? Far FAR more good series on Netflix and Apple etc than movie releases these days. Not that every series or even most series are good, but for me, series took over from movies a good few years back.

Or I could just stick with my Zf

Should have known!

I think that is quite a true statement. Of course it depends on your needs, how invested you are in a system, how many lenses etc and despite my intention (as things stand) to switch to Sony or hopefully Nikon next year, I would be doing this despite Lumix having what I think are the best current cameras for my needs. But it’s that term ‘needs’/wants that would allow me to sacrifice some outright video spec for the bigger picture which for me, having done my maths, is a body less than I currently using and whopping 4 less lenses. Less lens swapping…in fact virtually zero lens swapping, cross body alignment with batteries etc and just a lot less faff than the 3 systems I am currently using! But as to just getting the job done, for my needs, based on purely video spec and real world results, nothing else I would rather be using in 2025. 2026 though… Well that one is up to you Nikon. You know what you have to do which is not drop the ball on the ZR and deliver where your rivals in 2025 have so far fallen short… Sony with the FX2 and it’s 💩LCD and Lumix with the continuation, albeit updated S5 body style because I’d prefer something ‘FX30ish’ and I say FX30ish because that actually does have a good LCD. I’ll add to that list Nikon Z6iii for the also boring body style. Canon 🥱

Now I know! So there was the Lunar one that everyone laughed at and they sold maybe 3 and all to ex-astronauts. Or the blind. This one, the Lusso looked quite cool but just 100 units sold in Hong Kong. The best looking of these skin jobs was the Solar, but that turned out to be a hoax. It would be quite cool to see some more custom houses such as this, a bit like Zagatto in the car world, re-skinning more mainstream models to make them a little more interesting… Or just get them involved in the design stage and sack off your former cardboard box ‘design’ team. I’ve always thought there would be a market for putting the more modern gubbins into older ‘retro’ bodies also. I’d like a digital Contax G2.

The Euro deal is significantly better! €1299 is 'only' about £1100.

What is this camera?! Never seen it before…

And a high quality LCD and not the piece of shite they decided to attach to this thing 😏 I get why they added the tilt EVF, even though I have zero personal interest in it, but the LCD quality just makes no sense to me.

Really great focal range for me, but I don’t have any APSC cameras. Interesting though…especially if I do move over to Sony next year because on an FX30 body, that would be a very neat pairing for my needs…

Depends on your preferences but all of the Sigma f2/2.8 primes, all the Lumix f1.8/2.8 primes, various small zooms including the new 24-60, all very good combos. I prefer the Sigma f2’s for stills and for their build and looks, but I went with the Lumix f1.8 primes for mine with the 18, 50 and 85. I’m now questioning the 18 and might trade it for the 24 as it’s just a bit too wide for my needs and taste. The 35 is not quite wide enough and a bit close to the 50. The 50 has been my workhorse the last few jobs and the one I am currently on, but whether I stay with L Mount for video or flip to Sony (or Nikon) 99% sure I will pick up a Sigma 28-45mm f1.8 because that would suit my needs best.

Proof right there. That is the new ad for the FX2 with the tagline, “Would have been the camera of choice had David lived a bit longer than he did”. It will sell 10’s more as a result. (Buy 2, get a free ironing board)

I’m pretty sure his last words were, “I’m gonna buy a Sony FX2”. And if they weren’t, Sony need to put that rumor out there to help boost sales.

So basically they are all cats? The cat with the Leatherman The copy cat The Cat in the Hat The OG Catman The cat with Barbie’s mother Frocat Snapcat And other cats.

And then there was one. 🤞

I think if I was in the camera reviewing game, I wouldn't either, but therein lies the problem with that scenario, - just how do you retain any kind of personal or perceived integrity if you only ever praise every single piece of kit launched without becoming an utter shill? Fortunately I don't have to and will never have to because I don't have and never will have an 'influencer' channel! But back on the FX2, I have watched a couple of reviews now and regardless of their personal opinion, I have made my own mind up and it's "not quite". I have become used to using 6k 30p open gate as my standard for over a year now. I like both the quality of the output and the relatively low size of the log file with Lumix. The OG gives me a decent option for post production 9:16 crop without having to make an entirely new social media short from scratch. The S5ii was good for this last year and the S9 is better (despite various shortcomings) for this year. Is a move to Sony or Nikon still on the cards for next year? Ideally yes, but purely because it's the only valid option for me and my specific needs and requirements and yes, I have looked at every conceivable option and continue to do so without it becoming an obsession. FX2 though? No. It's failure for me is the LCD & EVF. I haven't used an EVF for years, stills or video, - it's just too slow and clunky a way of working for me. Add on monitors etc also do not work for me so rear LCD is a critical part of my process. So I would personally not use or want the EVF of the FX2 and at the same time, that LCD res is just really quite poor, even compared with my S9. In fact other than build/body (but not glass options), the S9 is just a preferable option for me right now. ZV-E1 is on my radar but again, suffers from the same LCD woes. It bypassed me completely but the best Sony option for me right now would probably be the FX30 which has an excellent LCD which utterly shames that of this new FX2. The FX2 could have been a contender for me if they had simply skipped the EVF protrusion and had a decent LCD instead. And that right there, was and is the dealbreaker for me. Next move is over to Nikon. Please don't fuck this up. Make an FX3/30 style body with quality rear LCD, internal Z6iii spec with ability to bake in RED luts and we're probably golden. I can then use all my e Mount glass adapted with full AF and happy days will ensue. And I can then end my career back where it started, - with Neekon.

This does seem to be the case and I am not sure exactly why… It could be they do have a really good spec and are one of the best tools (at least on the camera side of things) for the job, but then your average YouTube reviewer doesn’t need that beyond a point as very few of them seem to be full-time industry, but instead full-time YouTubers and as such, do not need half of what these cameras have. Sony have been somewhat slack recently by comparison and their cameras have been lacking in a few areas spec-wise, possibly artificially crippled to preserve the more pricey stuff. I have always thought Lumix’s marketing to be more than a bit shite, but maybe they are craftier than we thought and have been playing a longer game of getting influencers slowly but steadily to their cause over the last few releases… Until fairly recently, you had to already be in the Lumix club before being invited to a launch but now it seems that is not the case. Fair play to them, I’d like to see them do well. Every camera launch these days plus other pieces of kit such as lenses, seem to have as many detractors as they do fans and this is to be expected for various reasons. Not every piece of kit is for everybody and this FX2 is clearly a competent hybrid rather than a dedicated video or stills camera so unless ‘hybrid creation’ is your thing, this camera will be of limited interest. Same as if a 1.5kg f2 medium to long zoom is not something you need or want, it does not make it shit. I still haven’t watched a single FX2 review yet so maybe should but just based on a few spec details I think I understand who it’s for. Is it groundbreaking? Nope. Very little is these days. Could it have been better? Possibly rather than probably plus yes definitely, but then it would have cost more. Should it have internal ND? Probably not because there would be so much criticism of this ‘old’ sensor etc. I am not 100% convinced at this time but to me and for my needs, it seems a pretty decent thing…

Dr Seuss is alive an kicking!

I believe that is its primary purpose? For the solo hybrid ‘creator’. Pretty sure it would be a better ‘cinema’ camera. The guts of the S1ii in the FX3 body…but then I thought that was what the recent Lumix launch was going to be…but wasn’t. Personally, I’m going to pick around fewer bodies based on available and suitable lenses over video spec. I’d rather have both and as above, maybe that rumored Nikon might just have it all. Or be the closest so far…

Nope. About as relevant to me as rolling shutter! I’m a locked off kind of guy and I do not pan, tilt, or practice the wobbling jelly approach AKA ‘The Handheld Look’. My super lightweight freestanding monopod is one of the best and essential pieces of kit I own. If only I had not left it at a chateau 750km away a couple of weeks back 🙈 Fortunately I am back there in a few weeks and it’s slightly older, bigger and heavier sibling is pulling mono duty until then!

Oh and another Sony con and that is fit a higher res rear LCD would ya, ya cheapskates!

That is about where I am at with this one… I am looking to almost certainly go fully Sony or Nikon for bodies next year for one single overriding factor and that is lenses. Less bodies and less lenses than I currently have without sacrificing any of my needs and actually making my (working) life easier/better. My thought process so far was: A7RV stills plus ZV-E1 roaming video plus 2x FX30 static video. I can see a potential option here to run with a pair of FX2’s as hybrid units using one with a wider zoom and one with a longer zoom, plus the FX30’s, but will need to look at this further. It would reduce my lens needs down even further than anticipated… Currently 5 bodies + 9 lenses. First option with A7RV 4 bodies + 5 lenses. Second option 4 bodies + 4 lenses. Pros = less kit and zero lens swaps = 👍 I like the form factor. Cons = doesn’t have the 6k 30p open gate I currently use 😏 Not watched a single review yet but will get around to that and still waiting to see what Nikon do with this ‘ZR’ that might be more interesting…

It’s just ‘advanced juggling’… 3 balls to 4, to 5, to 6, to 7, to 8, to 9, to tea cups and saucers, to live chainsaws. Which are on fire. Welcome to Cirque du Soleil Weddings!

Depending on price, I might have been interested when I was shopping for my S9 the second time round (first time black, current red) but I wouldn't trade now purely for looks as I bet the financials would work out close to €1000 not in my favour. I do wish however that more companies would launch cameras with more options than just black! For one thing, it soaks up sunlight and therefore heat in the sun/Summer, whereas something metallic like silver or titanium reflect it. The Zf has some nice colour options, particularly the stone grey and their red is much better than Lumix's S9 options which are a bit too bright.

I think Fuji missed a trick here anyway and should only have half announced this camera.

Even then, I very much doubt I will as I work with 3 (video) cameras and only 1 of them would need to full frame 6k 50p OG and that would be the one in my hand/monopod and the S5 body is a wee bit too heavy for my liking. I mean it's not like it's a beast or anything, but now I am using the S9 in that role, it's actually a surprising difference. Or could also be the fact that I have a very slim baseplate on the S9 whereas it was a Smallrig cage on the S5ii and using the f1.8 primes rather than the f2.8 Sigma 28-70, so all in, maybe around .5kg difference. Otherwise I am just one camera away from a switch to Sony or Nikon because then I can drop 1 body and 4 lenses from my current 5 body 9 lens combo for stills and video...which is pretty considerable! I can't do it with L Mount in any combo of Lumix/Leica/Sigma.