MrSMW

For me, it beats any/all other options hands down, means total self autonomy and is fun. It wouldn’t work if I shot city centre weddings as parking would be an absolute nightmare/impossible, so only works for me because I work at chateaux and places like golf clubs or private resorts, which all have wide open parking. Having said that, I have a Bordeaux city centre wedding in a couple of weeks and still need to work that one out… 🤪

The camper as an all round business proposition, costs me approx 3500 euros less per annum over car + hotels etc with the added bonuses of always on site plus for family/personal use for ‘free’. That’s my 90 euro cart fully loaded except back pack and 3 cameras on my person, but otherwise every bit of kit I use or might use on a job including 40m extension and 500wh power bank (both of which were in the bottom of the cart). All lighting is mains, power bank or battery. The gimbal is indeed mounted on a tripod for ceremony, speeches, entrances, exits etc, but on a quick release plate so can go into floaty mode within 2-3 seconds or go onto it’s mini tripod base also with QR plate. It’s all about having the most minimal kit I can get away with, but without too much compromise and being able to use anything as quickly as possible and as fuss free as poss. That is why my next ‘job’ is getting the number of bodies down from 4 to 3 or ideally 2 and currently only adapted Tamron/Nikon can do 2…

The cart:

Not many and still not come across anyone who does it to the extent that I do which is no different to having a photographer and a videographer, but others must exist…? It took 6 years of trial and error as in kit and execution and since that time, it’s been more about refining the process (which will be an ever ongoing thing) than having to work out how to do it. It’s not that complicated but like juggling, takes a lot of practice to get 7 or 8 balls up in the air and keeping them up in the air, but like anything; juggling, flying a helicopter or simply just being able to do something well, it’s about will, determination and practice. A lot of practice!

How so? I shoot hybrid all day long as a one man band with VND’s. You just need a flip out hinged filter adapter and separate in camera settings for stills and video. There’s more to it and that, but using it not using a VND can be a 1 second process.

Yup. Anything like this is too easy to replicate!

I have a 24-105 f4 and it’s too slow. f2.8 is my minimum on any lens otherwise I am getting into another layer of editing with noise reduction etc…

Yes. Always. Mostly flipping between the two constantly but at times, need to do both at the same time which means video unit on sticks plus shooting stills with a second unit, or shooting 8k video with just one unit and pulling stills. I do not have an 8k camera so have to do the at minimum, 2 camera approach. The latter especially is something I am hoping for…

Alter or something they were called?

Well there used to be a company who I think set up on Kickstarter whose name I do not remember, but I don’t think they are still around as cheap Chinese knock offs probably put them out of business. So I bought a cheap Chinese knock off from China! I just Googled ‘side hinge filter adapter’ or something…

I’m keeping an eye myself on both used prices and availability because I still have a slightly crazy idea of sticking with L Mount for video, but flipping my pair of S1R’s one of which has a battery grip, plus 3 Sigma lenses, for one single Z9 with the Tamron 20-40 for indoors and that 35-150 for outdoors. Stills mainly. But the weight… Put an S1R plus battery grip plus Sigma 28-70 in the scales yesterday and 1889 grams. According to the official specs, Z9 + Megadapter + Tammy 35-150 = 2600+ Gulp. That is a bit of a beast…but having said that, single body at any one time and not juggling 2 bodies has massive appeal…

Yes, I have also gone back to mainly dedicated stills (the S1R’s) and video (S5ii roaming, S1H static). Having said that, I have them all set up to do either because every now and again, I need to. Last year on one job, my main video camera ran out of card space end of bride prep and my spare cards were not on me so had to flip to using the S1R’s…which was fine as they are very capable. I’m also running now side flipping filters so say I’m shooting video with a VND but then suddenly need to shoot stills, I can just flip the filter sideways…which is good if you are using a 6-9 stop filter! And my cart arrived! I’ll get a pic with it fully loaded at one of this weekends two weddings…

In fact every camera that has been launched recently it’s video video video and maybe that’s what people want or maybe it’s what the marketing dept thinks people want… It seems like that at least to me.

I’m not really sure why all this emphasis on the video side as their fan base doesn’t give two hoots and they are hardly going to persuade anyone who uses other brands? Seems a bit weird to me… Still absolutely want one for stills though and if I had the spondoolicks, I’d have one!

The AF is plenty fast enough for my needs with the S1R but yes, size & weight are one of the 3-3.5k trade offs at this time! I’d rather not stick with the S1R’s after this year though as although they are extremely capable, I don’t like them like I do my S5ii and I don’t love them like my S1H. As I said above, I’m back on that fence waiting to see if there will be a ‘S2R’ and a ‘S2H’ and if so, what are they, and then decide. I know that if I’d gone all S5 at this time, old Pannyboy would bring out some new gems and I’d wish I’d waited and because I don’t ‘need’ to do anything at this time, I bought myself a Smallrig cage, matte box lite and side handle for the S5ii as it will be my principle video unit for 2023, so giving it some love 😉

I had that little lens and it’s not bad for the money. I think it came as a kit or a freebie or something. I could never get the power zoom to stop exactly where I wanted it though!

OK @Andrew Reid or anyone else who may be interested, I have sussed it! Spanner Cog Custom Mode Settings How to reload custom mode Change recording mode OFF Et voila, any/all custom modes that you have set, will always retain your most recent setting tweak. I have all my Lumix cameras set up as: C1 = outdoor stills with WB set at 5500 C2 = indoor stills (only difference is WB 4500 default over my outdoor settings) C3-1 = 6k 30p outdoor C3-2 = 4k 60p outdoor C3-3 = 4k 60p indoor So if I say twiddle the WB in a certain scenario on one of my video settings and then flip to one of my stills modes and then flip back to video, it’s always whatever I was using last. I’ve just tested to make sure and it works. All my settings are not ‘final’ but more starting points or at least ‘safety nets’ so if I shot an entire sequence of video clips or stills at the wrong WB, at least there will be consistency for correction purposes. The bottom line, is that familiarity of your kit in order that you can spend less time thinking about how to do something technically and focus more on the creative side.

If on the basis I could not afford to switch to a Nikon Z9 + Z8 pairing…which I cannot really justify, my ‘budget’ option would be an XH2 paired with an XH2s. However, want an even smaller similar capability pairing, ie, one stills orientated and the other more video, but both hybrid, then the pairing of an XT5 with this new XS20 would be a great little set up, especially as the XS20 can take the add on cooling vent. Lenses? I’d have to go zoom for my needs and really only 2 contenders and I’d stick the Fuji 16-55 f2.8 on the XT5 and the Tamron 17-70 f2.8 on the XS20. The Tamron has a longer reach, is slightly lighter, but is not as sharp as the Fuji which is why I’d pair them in this manner. Real world 24-83mm FF equivalent stills and 27-105mm FF focal length video, both with no aperture changes. F2.8 light gathering with an equivalent f4.2 DOF. Would work for me. The other thing about Fuji is the SOOC results and I’d shoot Colour Neg for stills and Eterna for video. Personally though, I’d go for the XH2 and XH2s pairing and with battery grips just for the handling as I like the idea of dinky cameras, but for work purposes, nah, not very stable platforms or ergonomically good over long days.

There is a setting that fixes this…but for the life of me, I cannot find it. I know it exists as I discovered it a few weeks back and it worked. Since changed settings and aaaaaargh, can’t find it again. I think it’s ‘mode’ something. Otherwise back on with my S1R’s for the year.

Sorry, it was not 70 euros, but 90 euros https://www.amazon.fr/gp/aw/d/B0B4KN8ZR2?ref=ppx_pt2_mob_b_prod_image 2x Aperture Amaran 60x on 2x sturdy ‘up to 3 metre’ light stands, one with square diffuser soft box and with with a more focused ‘spot’ set up. Both/either can run off the mains electric (50m 4 socket cable reel) or off my portable Poweroak 500wh power bank, or battery powered (22 minutes at max output). Then I have the Rotolight Neo 3 which can be used either on camera (stuff like the dance floor) or lightweight light stand (stuff like bride and groom prep). I also have a Falconeyes (stoopid name!) F7 if I want to go even smaller or maybe set up a hair light or something for portraits, or slap it on the counter top for some nice side light during food service. Smaller still, 2x tiny Godox units that cost about 25 euros each. As with all these things, it’s about not having too much kit so everything has its place. Most of my weddings are outdoors with meal/speeches maybe 25-30% of the time indoors and that’s what the 2 biggest units are for, ie, mainly ‘outdoor’. The Rotolight gets carried around inside and if not needed, just sits in a corner. The other 3 are camera bag so can be used rapidly in any given situation. Almost 100% of my work is at private country estates (ie, not urban or city centres) hence why I can just park, live and work out of my motorhome on site and hence why the new trolly makes sense (I don’t know why I did not think of it sooner!) because it’s a single load and trip at the start of any job, and then reversed at the end. And for video this coming weekend, I’m trying out the 6k mode on the S1R. Yup, the 6k mode! They removed the 6k/4k mode on the newer S5ii but it exists on all the previous S cameras. It’s limited to 10 minutes but I don’t care about that because not including the longer form tripod static stuff, it’s only 10 second clips. And you can extract stills as it’s shooting 6k 30p 18mb stills but with the option to select any 1 of 30 stills in any second, or just keep the thing as a video file. I just need to go fiddle with the set up now as the S1R is easy (harness) and the S1H is easy (tripod) but the S5ii I have to MacGyver it so it can seamless transition from the other side of the harness to gimbal to tripod without changing base plates or anything. I’ll work it out… 🤪 I’d rather not be as by nature, I like consistency, but such is the nature of this particular beast, I have not been able to find it. But very close now… A Nikon + adapter + Tamron set up would nail it, but cost a bomb and I don’t have that kind of cash to invest this year. Going with a pair of S5iix’s and a single S5ii was going to be it…and still maybe, but as I mentioned above, what am I really gaining over using my current set up for the cost to change of 3000-3500 euros? Uniformity across the bodies yes and is a big thing for me, plus full frame 6k rather than a mix of APSC and pixel:pixel not quite 6k (more like 5.4k) and less than stellar AF on all bodies, but I only need it in one and have it with the S5ii. I’ll shut up now. I have gear to MacGyver… 😉

Not connected with anything above, I just cancelled my preorders for BOTH S5iiX's. Nothing to do with the camera per se, but I came to the conclusion that if I was going to be shooting 6k 30p 3:2 on the the things, then why not just stick with the S1R's which do 10 bit 5k 30p 3:2? OK, they crop pixel:pixel but that does not bother me and OK, they don't shoot log either, but they produce a really nice clean result in the Flat profile that I am used to working with. AF not needed as I have the S5ii for that. So why spend approx 3000-3500 euros to change? Well I decided it wasn't worth it and actually I gain/retain the 47mp S1R stills capability so that's something. I'm just going to carry on with what I have the rest of this year and wait until there is any sign of an S1R and an S1H replacement and then make any future decisions. So it's back to a pair of S1R's for hybrid on me at all times plus the S5ii purely video on gimbal/tripod for entrances, exits, couple and static stuff with the S1H purely video on tripod for just ceremonies and speeches, ie, most of the day I'll only be working with 2 units, occasionally 3 and at certain times, 4, but then 2 will be static at that point so other than the set up and switching them on, 2 really. I just bought (for 70 euros!!) however, a 4 wheel cart with a handle that I can load all my gear into straight out of the back of my camper/motorhome when at gigs and just trawl the whole lot in; tripods, light stands, light, power bank, extension cables, camera, - the lot...in one single trip. Saves 3-4 trips! Now that IS a worthwhile purchase. Especially as I have gone all in on my lighting now.

Actually I was just musing whether with firmware we could get the baked in LUT feature in the S1H because otherwise I’d use the old boy as my primary tool as other that that, it’s still The Daddy other than that and AF. If it’s possible, probably won’t happen…

Ah… I’m not so hot on the tech stuff and just could not get log to work for me for so long. Then something just clicked in recent months and now I’m getting something SOOC which is not the finished result, but a good clean starting point that is most of the way there, is consistent and doesn’t require too much further work other than my personal grade. Which is still a work in progress. I think it’s getting that right balance of using the dual native ISO settings, white balance and exposure with as much control and input on the lighting as I can. Probably why I’m not experiencing it then having shifted from the Flat profile I was using in 2022 (and Natural in 2021 and Fuji Eterna for several years before that) but definitely a log fan boy now. Next I’ll be doing Braw… Actually probably not…

He doesn’t disagree, but is no authority when it comes to cameras, brands or anything much really. Except maybe weddings. He knows far too much about weddings… 🤪😉 For me, it’s never been about the camera alone, but the entire package. The combination of all the factors balanced against the cost. My biggest compromise to date has probably been not spending enough and as a result, spending more in the long run because of that. There has not been a single year since I embarked on my hybrid path, which was back around 2010, I have not been wrestling with kit. I am now at a point where I am sick to death with constantly making ‘micro-adjustments’ within whatever system I am currently in (and really only been in 3; Nikon, Fuji, L Mount, with some sideline dabbling with Sony and Olympus) and have had enough. I said it somewhere on this forum recently that given a magic wand, I’d wave it today and magically have all my kit replaced with a single Z9, a single Z8 and 3 Tamron lenses and have reached ‘peak system’. But even though I know that ticks ALL boxes, it’s the wrong time of year and the cost (without the magic wand) is just a bit too high. So I am building a system around S5iix’s a single S5ii and my old workhorse S1H, plus Sigma lenses. Because it just works and is a zero compromise option other than… 1: It’s 4 cameras still and not 2, but the S1H has only one static job at 2 points and the S5ii is minimal use so for 90% of my work, it will be just a 2 body/3 lens approach. 2: Ticks every and all boxes other than I’d really like to try 8k raw video in order to pull hi res stills of it. I tried off 4k and it’s OK, but just that, OK. I have yet to try 6k and I will, but really 8k is where it’s at for that purpose. I don’t otherwise give a monkeys about 8k video for the sake of video purposes! But re. both video and stills quality, they can all do it and do it well and as it’s always been, it’s more about what you do with the tools than what the tools can theoretically do. It’s like the thing with phones and the question could you provide ‘professional’ results from say a wedding, video or stills and the answer is yes, easily, and no one would know…other than your clients and every guest at that wedding outraged at your temerity. I’m getting me some battery grips on my S5iix’s because that IS pro 😬

Interesting, but I’m not noticing any of this stuff… Either I’m not looking hard enough or it’s a non-issue. For me. Or I need my eyes testing… 6k 30p full frame 3:2 and 4k 60p 16:9 cropped, shooting LGOP, in camera, log with baked in Gamut V2 lut plus either 2-5 stop or 6-9 stop Freewell VND in 1/8th mist or after dark, just a 1/8th mist. Single S5ii while I wait for my X to arrive. And even then, by the time I have added my crappy grade and it’s been uploaded t’internet and the client watches it on their phone… But seriously, as above, maybe I am not being critical enough but I’m not seeing it…probably because I’m not looking for it.