MrSMW

I am hoping the deal went something like this… Leica: “Can we please use the internals from your S5IIX for our SL3-S?” LUMIX: “Sure can, but immediately after you announce that, can we have the internal stuff from your SL3 for our S2R?” And both parties agreed.

I think this one any one of us could have written the script for this release any time within the last year. And so it came to pass... Now where is my S1R mk II??!!

Is about the real world sum of it. I would MUCH rather have one of these over the S5II, but financially, back in my real world... Agreed, highly unlikely or LUMIX will be up a creek because it's just S5II spec internally which you can get for around €1k.

Ah gotcha. They have had a few collabs and I really thought they were moving closer with the ‘LS3’, but if that isn’t still a thing, then it appears to have at least fizzled, another example of LUMIX’s shite marketing. But yes, maybe this imminent announcement will reveal some hints as to what possibly could be, but until LUMIX start blowing their own trumpet…

I think it will need to be a hell of a camera simply to exist…which may explain why we have heard next to nothing about it. If one will ever exist… I’m still not sure about the latter but think it more likely than not and if one ever does appear, probably last chance saloon for them at that level? The ‘S2R’ seems far more likely doesn’t it and ‘should’ be a re-bodied SL3. I have my fingers crossed for that for mid-Spring latest or it won’t work for me this year. Or possibly ever. (Pure business perspective). For video I have needs and they are covered. For photo I have both needs and wants and those are technically also already covered, but I want to have everything within one system ideally.

I'm guessing it's a combo of size + lack of hype. Plus a little of 'maybe the price was a bit too high in the first place?' I'd have one for sure. If only I had slightly different needs... And that is probably the 4th element. Same as stuff like the Sigma FP, it's a little too quirky and doesn't quite fit into the low-end pro market for wedding vid hacks like me, but also isn't something the bigger boys can work with, so these things find homes with the slightly left-field enthusiasts. I've tried the 'wilfully different' approach many times over the last couple of decades and have come to the conclusion that whilst it might be fun, it's also frustrating and frustrating in business costs time and money. So whilst I refuse to conform 100%, I have to lean evermore into the 'sensible corner' 😏

Is it even available to them? (Leica & Lumix) Does that even exist? But it is much smaller and I think that is the main appeal? Always have been and always will be 😉 Well maybe 'idiot' is too strong and I can see the appeal of say an X100VI over an OG GFX100 as in one has a fixed lens and can just about be squeezed into a pocket and the other you'd have to have pockets like Matt Granger to even attempt that feat. But if comparing outright imaging capability, it's a no-brainer isn't it. But apples and pears. The rule applies though that generally you can get MUCH better value on a used product and have to pay a premium for the so called latest and greatest.

Exactly and whilst Leica have stuck their brand on LUMIX cameras before (point & shoots mainly), I can't see any scenario where Leica would allow LUMIX to rebrand one of their own bodies such as the SL3.

Do you mean a potential S1HII vs a S5II or SL3-S vs SL2-S? Both are pretty niche aren't they as in 'we' may love the S1H but in terms of global sales next to the likes of the equivalent Sony & Canon options, it's not exactly been a massive seller. Leica is just niche full stop and that is part of their thing, ie, being small (as a company), desirable and expensive whereas LUMIX can't play in that arena. Same as Hassie. They can both play that heritage card even if one of them is owned by DJI. Leica could get away with simply having the SL3 body and the tilt screen over the old SL2 body in order to create an SL3-S. If LUMIX were simply to stick the internals of the S5II in the S1H body, they would be slaughtered. Personally I think that would be a great camera and I'd have one over the S5II but the Armchair YouTube Authorities would destroy it. Other than a handful of LUMIX diehards. Any S1H mk II HAS to be more. What the 'more' is, is the big question...

Leica will not announce a single thing relating to Lumix on any SL3s launch. Not even a sliver of a sausage. They may make these cryptic LS3 announcements from time to time (not had one for a while I think?) but product or roadmap info? Ha, absolutely no chance! Possibly a missed opportunity, each (not) leveraging each other for marketing purposes but otherwise all members of the L Mount Alliance are independent of each other and seem determined to remain that way.

My money would be on the SL3 body with a 24mp sensor. Leica would be mad to use the S5II body as it’s not in the same league build-wise. They might have got away with it on some rebadged Sigma lenses but with the body, can’t see it.

I preferred the body/build of the S1H over my S5II. Easily. All an S2H would need to be for me is FF 6k 60p version of the S5II internals and it’s a done deal for me. If it wasn’t for the less than stellar AF, I’d still have my S1H. Decent, but not Sony level stickiness, ie, could be better.

Well with zero anything officially from Panasonic, there's only going to be the usual rumour mills spouting the same old stuff. Either it will have this year or not. My opinion based on nothing more than pure speculation is I think it's more likely than not they will pop out at least one successor in the S1 line. Whether that will be an S2, S2R or S2H, the most likely I would think is the S2R because of the existence of the Leica SL3. Least likely IMO, an S2. No idea really, just speculating but probably about as valid as if I'd made a 10 minute YouTube video on the same subject... LUMIX has until the end of March to have it in existence and for sale otherwise won't be happening for me.

Well if comparing the S1R to the SL2, the SL2 had the arguably slightly better build by all accounts, (not that the S1R was shabby by any means), plus the badge and a nicer looking body, but otherwise, pretty much the same thing. Just half the price. And with a multi-angle rear screen vs the flat back of the camera which for my work is terrible. I can't see any future S2R simply being a rebadged SL3 though, but I would be pretty stoked if it was as I'd love an SL3 other than on price. It's probably the perfect camera for my needs as in: Want, but can't afford a Hassie X2D, never mind the cost of the system with lenses. Like the idea of a Fuji X100 but don't care for the lenses. Like my A7RV and the lenses, but would rather have all 3 of my cameras within the same system for cross compatibility and my video needs are served with 2 LUMIX cameras and various lenses...so an S2R makes a whole load of sense to me!

Voice trumpets. These productions will be live and rely entirely on voice projection and acoustics.

I heard the Amish community were thinking of doing the same...except it will have to be a series of live action events rather than a recorded production or stream. The acting will probably also be a bit wooden... Boom, I'm here most days 😘

It’s a hypothetical(fictitious neighbourhood. I actually live at the end of a country lane with 2 other small cottages and no Porsches to be seen! 😉

I’ve never really compared what I earn with anyone else or anything I do with what anyone else does, or charges for. In fact I don’t really know. Or care. I don’t mean to sound in any way flippant or pretentious, but I genuinely have little to no idea what anyone else is doing in my industry or who my ‘competitors’ are, but simply/instead ask am I hitting my own set numbers? If so…and I have more or less for 25 years now, then that is where my interest and time spent on that ends. If I broke it down, pro rata, per hour, I’d probably be on an ‘above average’ rate, but then factor in everything else from number of hours worked per annum to full-time employment perks and benefits, then pretty sure I would be ‘below average’. It’s all relative and yet irrelevant if the overall big picture of life vs income etc works for each of us as individuals. My neighbour have a Porsche parked on his drive, a 5 bed mansion and earn 250k a year…but he also works 80 hours a week and has no life other than working relentlessly to support that lifestyle. If that’s his choice, fair enough, but would not be and isn’t my choice!

Same here except we moved from a 4/5 bed farmhouse with a couple of acres, to a 2 bed cottage, because although I could live in a converted garden shed (or RV), MrsSMW would be less keen! Then we swapped the caravan/travel trailer for the motorhome/RV. The only thing that stops us using the RV more is 2 biggish dogs and a cat, but I can’t downsize those. Our car is also 15 years old this year. it does all we need, it’s quick, comfortable, capacious and relatively economical and has never stranded us and being 4WD on all season tires, got us to a few places in snow when with a normal car you’d be stuck. Such as a few weeks back when we arrived back from Paris on the train to the tiny village station 12 miles from our house and at least 8 inches of uncleared snow on the roads. Without 4WD and the all season tires, we’d have been f*cked! Otherwise oops, we have veered off topic slightly 😉 But back on topic…sort of…we choose to live how we do, which is not exactly as minimalist freaks in a cave, but have a balance of not having status: home, car, clothes, stuff etc partly because my chosen career doesn’t allow for it anyway, but mostly because we are not interested in it in the first place. I often get pissed off with parts of my job and then I remind myself I have no mortgage, no rent, no borrowing of any kind, everything is bought and paid for, low living costs, no early morning commutes, no arse of a boss to have to put up with 5 days a week etc… Folks have been complaining that the sky is falling in since forever and in some sectors, it is, because stuff evolves and it’s usually about being ahead of the curve to avoid the worst of it, if not all of it.

The second picture I assume is the Three Wise Men. Clearly confused as to where to find the stable block.

Real world no-brainer for my needs: FP/L vs S5II? Duh! Would I rather have the FP/L sensor? Of course, but not at the expense/compromise of ‘everything else’. There still isn’t any ‘perfect’ option IMO, just where/what your compromises are.

Ditto. If anything, it has more appeal than ever, especially to the younger generations. I live the ‘Tiny Home’ ethos but can’t quite subscribe to the ‘I live in my car’ brigade because yup, perhaps you do, and maybe it’s your ‘home’, but let’s not pretend it’s your real choice! If I was single, I’d live in my motorhome/RV full-time, zero question. I live/work out of it 3 months a year out of 6, Apr-Sep, ie, 50% of the time as it is. Typically 3 nights per week on site wherever I am working in a corner of the carpark and then 4 nights either in free aires (official overnight van parking areas in France) or cheap camping grounds in order to fill/empty my tanks and use their electric etc. It’s my transport, office and tiny home on wheels with near zero set up ie, full-time bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living/office space. Less ‘trailer parks’ in Europe or the UK though and very much looked down upon unless it’s one of the more upmarket over 55 one’s where prices tend to start at 250k£GB. I would have zero issue living in one unless it had a bad rep. I just might not tell so many people because the old and in some cases, rightful prejudices are exist. Over-priced city centre apartment or semi-rural trailer park? I know which I’d choose!

I considered it and am still considering it, or rather a pair of them, but for stills only as in 1x A7RV with zoom vs 2x A7CR with primes... Based on my preferences and use case, the A7RV smashes (better ergos, EVF, LCD, card slots) the A7CR except in one single regard and that is that the A7CR has the pano crops in camera that it's slightly bigger bro does not have and probably because Sony are notoriously terrible with firmware, will never have. The Q is, can I compromise in various other areas to have that in camera crop option... When it comes to the FP/L and that CDNG option, would my clients care or even notice? Nope, but I would and that is my consideration. Plus/but, at what point do I need to say, "STOP! Enough is enough, - use what you have and stop tinkering!" Goes back to making custom crop mode stick on screen protector for A7RV...

So my question is, having an A7RV, how close can that camera get to the FP-L other than not having CDNG, because it kicks it’s arse everywhere else except perhaps modularity, design and possibly build? I am not that techy but to me it always seems the most ‘cinematic’ capable cameras are the least useable for my use case. And it’s usually just by a whisker. Or in the FP-L’s case, by a few whiskers. Which is a shame as I love the idea of the FP-L but every time I have considered it, I came back to the same conclusion and that is the compromises are too many. Unless I kept it on a monopod full-time and the AF is good enough to track a subject…?? Or could I get around the latter by simply mounting a DJI OSMO Pocket 3 on top of one for those latter occasions… Thinking…

And that is about the sum of it… A. How many competitors for your specific services are there? + B. How good/unique are you within your marketplace? = Being employed or not. Actually there is a C. which is how good are your business and marketing skills as they are as, if not more important?