MrSMW

It isn’t, but to be expected as it’s a previous gen system. And that of the current S5ii/x just received a firmware upgrade making it better still. Zero issues for me with that of the S5ii and IBIS is VERY important to me, especially now that I have ditched the hated gimbal forever 😉

Too many compromises… Single card slot, rear screen which I use 100% of the time, not even close, some other stuff I forget. On balance, for not that much more money, it’s a hell of a lot more camera. For pro work. Which is exactly why I have stuck with Lumix for video and 3 of my 4 cameras are Panasonic. I looked really hard at much cheaper FX30’s and they would have been perfect for my needs and if starting from scratch, would probably go that route, but no reasons I can think of to exchange S5ii’s for them. I’m still on the fence whether to replace my S1H with a third S5ii or the S9…but it will be one or the other within the next few weeks. Which is also what I almost did having used a pair of them for a season 2 years ago. Fantastic image quality for stills and actually extremely good for video, but with some compromises. The only thing that put me off and sent me to the Sony A7RV was lenses. The combos available for my needs are just too big and heavy and I tried them all! My A7RV with baseplate and 28-75 for instance weighs 1.35kg in the hand and even with the 70-180, only about 1.5kg. Previously, my equivalent, slower, less capable, L Mount Mount set up, weighed in at 2.8kg, so almost double! I’ve only been using the new set up for a couple of days but it’s been a HUGE step up in all kinds of ways; weight, ergos, speed etc, ie, everything I wanted it to be. Pure video needs though? Lumix. Easily. Pure stills, Sony. Hybrid, Lumix. Lumix for me is now one camera (S2H or S2R) plus one lens (a fast compact 50-100 zoom) away from being the absolute for me, but it’s just the ‘anything over 70mm’ that makes it not work for me. So for now at least, happy to have a 75% split in terms of cameras for video from within L Mount and 25% from Sony for stills. At some point in the future, I do hope L Mount can offer me everything I would like so everything is within one system, but my current one just works so I can wait. And if it does not happen, makes no difference to me!

Well I was also ‘waiting’ on it and had already dismissed the Leica SL3, simply on cost. The ‘S2R’ is likely to be the same, or even better and half the price, but that is just speculation on my part. Also considered the GFX100s but the lens options do not exist for me. So Sony A7RV it was. And is. Early days and I didn’t really want to go Sony because…well, the photo snob in me says they have near zero heritage in making photography cameras and whilst that is true, it kept coming back to one single factor and that is who makes the smallest and best 60mp+ camera? The answer is smallest, Sigma FP-L, but so much missing for me, as much as I wanted to, I just could not. But best? The A7RV is just a chunky little compact, class leading, highly capable stills camera with stellar AF. Superb range of compact and affordable lenses that cover all the focal lengths that no other lens manufacturer does (at this size and weight) and relatively OK prices, it just became that ‘no-brainer’ they talk about. With a trio of primes from Tamron; 20-40, 28-75 and 70-180, so far, I have zero criticisms. But yeah Panny, where is that S1R’2’?!

Sigma FP-L has a ‘zoom’ function. It just crops on as they all do though? Leica Q3 has ‘crop modes’ as do quite a few other FF sensor cameras. I have my new (used) A7RV set up to shoot 3 different options: C1 for compressed full 61mp raw C2 for 26mp medium raw C3 APSC crop which is also 26mp, but tighter framing than the full frame 26mp medium raw of C2. All working with the Tamron 28-75 gives me actual working ranges of 28-75 and approx 40-110. I have think there is a clear zoom option but not looked at it.

An argument can be made either way but personally, if I only shot stills and was only ever going to shoot stills, I’d get one of the latest Hassleblads.

Because the D850 is a tank and just does the business 🦾 Surely used DSLR lenses are much cheaper? I don’t really know and personally I would not go back to DSLR now.

All the more reasons why anybody starting out in photography today should skip over the current gen mirrorless, and just get a solid DSLR such as a Canon 6D or Nikon D750 for a few hundred dollars plus a few bargain priced DSLR lenses. For photo, 100% The Nikon D850 is arguably the finest wedding photographers camera, ever made. Mirrorless is of course, just ‘sexier’ to the kids…

That was what I loved about the Sigma Contemporary primes. I think there is a bit of magic shooting them wide open, especially the 65mm f2. Maybe I should AI my Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 by one stop... I reckon though that it would easily achieve the shallower DOF, but the 'magic' part you can't quite define will be missing? A bit like film vs digital. I'd rather shoot with digital for all kinds of reasons, costs being the chief one, but film still has a certain look that digital cannot replicate. With digital and AI, it's almost too clinical and perfect and that's what it's good at, but being 'perfect' is not necessarily art/appealing...which is why I guess some folks like using $5 lenses on $5k cameras.

Well I own precisely zero fast lenses as in primes such as 1.4 or 1.8’s and moved exclusively to zooms recently. I prefer primes, but the reality for my work, is I tried juggling them for far too long but the simple reality was a typical zoom covers at least 3 prime focal lengths with simple rotations. OK, other than a few exotics such as Canon’s RF 28-70 f2 monster, faster than f2.8 zooms do not exist and I am over using any lens above 1kg and most of my zooms are ball park 500g or under. AI could certainly adjust DOF to be even shallower, but you know what? I am also over ultra shallow DOF and f2.8 is just fine thanks!

Had one, sold it in favour of something faster. Sold the something faster and bought a pair of used 20-60’s to be my video workhorses. The reality is I either work in good light and don’t use these things any faster than f5.6, or I light the scene, so in either scenario, plenty fast enough for me. Also, 20mm is more than wide enough as is 60mm long enough because in my bag, is a 70-200 f4 for those scenarios when 60 really is not enough reach. They are really good ‘kit’ lenses. I wish they were constant aperture but then they’d be bigger, heavier and much more expensive.

Also, certain lenses with the native zooms having the best Af performance. Sigma etc lenses less so… Best practice for me with that system was to use Af to acquire focus and then flip to manual on the lens. These cameras are utter trash for tracking forward motion a lot of the time. Closing down the aperture (such as shooting f8 instead of f2.8 for instance) helps as doing being in S35 mode which offers better Af than full frame modes. Jeez, it’s coming back to me now how much pissing about there was with the OG S5 😂

S5 Af was nowhere near the best at the time, even less so now and was never reliable. Ditto S1/S1R/S1H. Good enough in most scenarios yes, but never reliable. I cannot remember my settings now but they were based on a lot of research, trial and error and combos of the type of Af area selected, such as oval, wide etc and then +/- the stickiness etc. S5ii much better being PDAF and I know you mentioned cost, but if you can at any time move to a user one, it’s well worth it.

5ii owner more than up for it 🫡

Still gets me every time… I’m always thinking, “can you not see there’s a shotgun mic on the top of my camera?” (although I swapped my dead cat for a live foam), but apparently not! Maybe I need to rig it out over my shoulder and employ someone to walk around with a boom mic overhead? I’d look properly pro then.

I should add, not all at the same time! For instance, I don’t fly the drone whilst doing anything else, though I will have 3x video cameras running while shooting stills. Lighting is always 2 big or 2 small or just 1 of either and very occasionally 3, but never 4 to the best of my memory…

Yes. Like learning to juggle going from 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 to 7 to 8 to 9 to teacups & saucers to full Cirque du Soleil chainsaws, ie, you have to both work up to it and work at it. 4 cameras 1 drone 3 tripods 2 large light stands with lights 2 small light stands with lights 6+ audio devices Full photo and video, every event https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=it's+a+kind+of+magic+line+from+highlander&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:76d8ff54,vid:inHv2y8QCbM,st:0

I have 2x identical, tripod based set ups with S5ii's. I say 'identical', but temporarily they are not as the second RODE WG2 I ordered, the receiving unit turned up DOA, but as soon as that is replaced, I will have 2x identical set ups. Identical except I can swap out one of the 20-60mm zooms for the 70-200 f4 if I feel the need, but exceptional circumstance only such as a church wedding with no side aisle so stuck at the back. That covers off ceremonies and speeches, visual and audio so my third run & gun unit during those chapters is just that, - roaming about and the 28-70 is just fine for that. And size & weight, even with the minimalist cage and side handle...I forgot about...because I forgot about it...but have now remembered...makes me sway even more back towards a third S5ii which in it's new incarnation will NOT have the cage it previously had, nor the side handle and nor probably the RODE micro. If I am being honest, whilst the wooden side handle DID add to the ergos, it was more because it looked cool and the cage was a necessity for this vanity. The Rode Micro? Having a mic on the camera 'told' people this was a video unit. You'd think anyway. In over 90% of cases, folks think I'm taking pics not video and in most cases when they have been standing there staring at the camera and grinning like buffoons, do I tell them it's a video and then they starting 'acting'. So back to a bare bones S5ii with just lens, it's actually less size & weight and more low-key than the S9 in it's semi-rigged status. I think I just talked myself into cancelling my preorder...

I disagree. I think it's meant to be exactly what it is. The issue is the internet is full of folks with opinions... No EVF? It's not intended for EVF shooters. Personally, I NEVER use the EVF on any camera and have not for years, whether that be stills or video. Even in super-bright sunlight, I can at least see the waveform monitor and otherwise trust the AF. Simply a non-issue. To me. Lack of mechanical shutter. We can debate that one and personally, I WOULD have preferred it if it had one, but hey ho. Cold not hot shoe. Meh, don't care. I don't shoot flash either and have not done so for even longer than I have not used an EVF so again, for my use, non-issue. Single card slot. Supposedly that is the compromise in keeping the same size as the S5ii battery and the camera the size it is. IMO, I would have preferred a slight grip with the extra size used to house a second card slot. This is my only real criticism of this camera, but not a deal breaker. 10 or 15 minute record limit. Sorry, but that one is a complete 1000% non-issue. For anyone requiring longer, just get a more suitable camera such as the S5ii which used 'like new', is basically the same price. And ticks all of the above boxes. And having said all that, I am actually debating myself now why I don't trade my S1H for a third S5ii... The options are: GH7, S9, S5ii and S1H. The pros and cons are: (for me/my needs) GH7 = whole new eco system for a single camera plus 2 lenses, costs ball park €6k. Not happening. S9 Pros = smallest, lightest, full frame 6k 30p open gate. Cons = single card slot. Costs €1700 with cage S5ii Pros = 3rd identical camera in my line up, non of the cons of the S9 and compared with S9 with cage, little difference in size and weight (though the S9 does just still, ooh err missus, edge it). Cons = slightly bigger and heavier than the S9 with cage. Costs €1600 S1H = Own it, best image quality of the bunch (poss due to the OLPF). Cons = biggest, heaviest, oldest, slowest, AF worst, IBIS worst and trade in money is a bit shite. Costs €fuck all Heart says S9. Head says cancel preorder and just get another S5ii.

Now if you'd asked "how many bananas encased in pastry?" I could have answered because it's 3.14

Nah 😜

One where the viewer does not consider either. If I am viewing and immediately think, “that looks sharp”, or “this looks soft”, it has already been overcooked. Something that REALLY bothers me in any movie or TV show, is if I can see the production. Bad acting and poor dialogue are one thing, but I notice more and more these days, anything where I can see what’s going on behind the scenes. I watched Nomadland for the first time yesterday evening and my overall thoughts were: I enjoyed it and thought it a good movie. The filmmaking process did not jar. There was probably a little too much overuse of sunsets in too many scenes. The use of non-actors in most of the roles was a bit too obvious and some of the characters as a result were less ‘real’ because of that…but this and it’s ’worthiness’ is probably why it won 3 Oscars. But whether it was soft or sharp or both or neither, at times or not, I could not tell you. If I had noticed either it would have been a distraction. Fortunately, it had zero slow motion, or anamorphic bending of the edges, or blue flares. Thankfuckfully.

I think the simple truth in my case is I started using it from the start when it was less of a thing, in order to separate myself from the herd. It became a default through laziness and a lack of creativity that then became a habit. Like any habit, it was not easy to break but once I had…which was fairly recently, I now find it jarring and one of those ‘how could I not see this before?’ moments. And that was just 50p slowed to 50%. The thought of super slo mo from shooting 100fps or more, even back when the above was a default for me, I find too extreme to the point of being ridiculous. I blame Michael Bay.

Some event shooters might want it, but waaaaaay too slow mo for my tastes and I have been increasingly moving away from any form of slow mo at all. It can have it’s place but I’m personally tired of it.

Probably… Plenty of cameras only have one card slot. There was no back up at all when we shot film (other than it was maybe 10 rolls of film over a day). I just stuck my current S1H rig including VND and Spider Holster plate and it came in at 1.75kg so slightly higher than I thought. S9 with cage and same lens will be just under 1kg so quite a big difference and the size/weight combo above a certain output quality (that the S1H and S9 are both well above) is a priority for me. Plus the better AF. Convinced myself, I’ll at least give the S9 a chance.

Nope and can’t envisage any scenario why I ever would.