MrSMW

A bit small and lacking in res for 2025, but otherwise looks a decent spec overall but nothing especially exciting.
 
That sounds pretty decent though...
With a clean sheet, I'd still go Nikon personally, - I just prefer their history and direction they are going in.

The polite version is “no thank you”.

The polite version is “no thank you”.

Remembered it now, they are called Nikken Techno and are the official repair centre for France for Lumix cameras…or so I was told and guided to by Panasonic France.
Used them twice to date. Very efficient.

I just want an S1H in exactly the same body but a bit lighter, with the updated real-time LUT and AF.
Done deal.

I had no idea it existed and send my stuff to a place in Paris and a company whose name I forget…
And Panasonic Lumix told me to do this with no mention of these so called pro service so 🤷‍♂️

I had no idea it existed and send my stuff to a place in Paris and a company whose name I forget…
And Panasonic Lumix told me to do this with no mention of these so called pro service so 🤷‍♂️

The C50 is a $3,900 camera.  It's quite good and I'd love to have one, but there's a LOT of competition in the $4,000 space.  It shouldn't surprise cined that not everybody's talking about it.  Ultimately, it will probably be a good seller for Canon.
On the other hand, adding something with "Redcode" in the name as a feature for the ZR was a fantastic marketing decision on Nikon's part.  With a decent colorist, the differences in a final image between the Redcode NE and Nikon raw are likely to be negligible - but it doesn't matter because people can now say that they have a camera that records Redcode RAW.
These days, used Komodos are not that much off the ZR in price - and lensrentals.com has their early BF special on off-rental gear where you can get 15% off one of their Komodos which are still in decent condition - putting them almost equal to the ZR in price.
But getting an OG Komodo means a bigger camera with a smaller sensor, much worse autofocus, worse/less flexible built-in screen, much ergonomics, worse media (Cfast vs CF Express), and probably buying a v-lock battery plate so you don't need to source older/expensive Canon camcorder batteries (I did exactly that), and a less flexible lens mount with fewer third-party lenses available.  But you do gain global shutter and 16-bit raw with better test chart performance.
So yeah, of course everybody's talking about the ZR.  Not sure why anybody, cined included, should be mad about it.  People are welcome to use whatever hammer they like - and more competition in the cinema camera space, especially affordable (in comparison) competition is great for us as consumers of those cameras.

The reality.
I am sure you can get more out of R3D than Lumix log, but at 5x the data rate.
But then again, I have seen the size of the Lumix raw files and they are over 10x log, so err, no thanks.
The actual reality is that no one will notice, especially as all they are interested in these days is the 60 second short on social media that can easily be shot on a phone or action cam...which coincidently, is exactly what I will be doing next year...
Should we care? Yes we should...but always within the realms of reality and that reality for me is I'm not going to be shooting data rates 5-10x what I already have that are already more than good enough, because where does it stop?
I still love the ZR, - I think it is THE camera of the year, all factors considered, but mainly for it's form factor and rear LCD, although I do wish that was tilt not flip out, but hey ho, not buying one so what does my opinion matter!

The reality.
I am sure you can get more out of R3D than Lumix log, but at 5x the data rate.
But then again, I have seen the size of the Lumix raw files and they are over 10x log, so err, no thanks.
The actual reality is that no one will notice, especially as all they are interested in these days is the 60 second short on social media that can easily be shot on a phone or action cam...which coincidently, is exactly what I will be doing next year...
Should we care? Yes we should...but always within the realms of reality and that reality for me is I'm not going to be shooting data rates 5-10x what I already have that are already more than good enough, because where does it stop?
I still love the ZR, - I think it is THE camera of the year, all factors considered, but mainly for it's form factor and rear LCD, although I do wish that was tilt not flip out, but hey ho, not buying one so what does my opinion matter!

Yup, but to be fair, Lumix has had a lot of ‘love’ recently from the shill brigade but a lot of them will now (and have already started) flipping over to the ZR.
Soon though, Sony will be releasing the A7V and they will then flop back in that direction and will have gone full circle.
Beyond that, perhaps DJI will have popped out their rumored MILC and that will become The Next Big Thing?
It’s all inevitable.

Or maybe you will not 😂
I still stand by the ‘fact’ that it’s an excellent choice for my needs and the only alternative combo I would switch to right now at the end of 2025, would be Nikon Z8 + ZR + Z6iii (or perhaps 2x ZR’s) vs 2x S1Rii + S5ii and if a fairy waved her magic wand in my direction and said it could happen overnight with zero faff or cost, I’d accept her offer.
But as fairies don’t exist, I’ll just have to stick with what I have!

What follows is not my opinion.
Just a bunch of facts.
Sony a1 is £2800 used now.
Let's suppose Sony a1 is same price at point of acquisition as a new S1R II - ok you may have to get a used Sony with a few marks and 10k shots on it, but such is the nature of the used market these days you'll easily find an offer with 1-2 year warranty like a new cam.
For 8K it is 422 10bit 500Mbit H265. The equivalent to H.264 at 1000Mbit.
300Mbit is a bit low for 8K and the much slower sensor in the S1R II means rolling shutter is problematic in the 8K and open gate modes.
But that's an ok trade-off if the price is lower.
But it is £2999 at WEX. So for sure the a1 is a direct competitor.
E-mount is more adaptable. I can even autofocus my manual focus lenses on it.
There's fewer native lenses for L, and fewer adapters.
E-mount is all-round superior because it's been around longer and has a larger installed user-base.
I like L-mount, but it just doesn't give you as wide a choice in glass.
And we must take into account the size, design and build quality of the body, where subjective opinion matters a lot - but there's no denying the S5 II body which houses the more powerful panasonic tech is a mid-range £1300 consumer-grade construction and feels like one, whereas the a1 is firmly in the professional bracket, along with the a9 series.
And AF on the Sony still way ahead.
Open gate is definitely a plus for the Panasonic.
As people who own multiple cameras though, my choice would be to bring out the trusty S1H for a grand when open gate or anamorphic is needed.
When it comes to other more common scenarios like autofocus shooting, higher frame rates, 4K/120p, low rolling shutter and a wider choice of lenses, most people would be served better by the a1 than the s1r II or s1H.
The a7rv sensor is fantastic.
Same sensor in the Sigma Fp-L... which is why I kept hold of it, despite it being an odd duck.
I don't think I will 🙂
It's a great camera but just doesn't light my fire enough.
The Sony a1 is nearly 5 years old and has a better spec, a better lens mount, is smaller and better built.
The GFX 100 is king for manual focus vintage glass... the large sensor is just glorious, and the design - although it's a bit of a chonk - is just such a pleasure to work with.
I'd rather have the Sony a1 and GFX 100 at the core of my camera world, and everything else I add to that is either a bargain or a niche use.
For example I love my X-Pro3 for a small street photography camera, and the Ricoh GR OG.
Definitely considering adding an S1H to the bag again though, as it's entered bargain territory and is one of the very few modern mirrorless cameras still to have that oh-so-rare AA filter.
The S1H's image is better than the S5 II and the differences to the S1 II or S1R II are probably pretty tiny. 6K is enough for me.
Z8 is the best spec on paper for the price in today's world.
You mean in a worse body 😉

That would almost have certainly have got me a sale in 2025, but as things stand, I still prefer the Q3 43 and if it did not cost so damn much, I’d have one.
I’d get a Sony A7CR with the same sensor and a 16-28mm for the less than 10% of the time I need anything wider than approx 35mm and be done for my stills needs.
But as much as I love the rangefinderesque format, I have not yet been able to build a system that suits my needs around it since…well since Fuji’s X Pro2 actually.
Q3 43 still sits at the pinnacle for me at the end of 2025, but at about double what I am prepared to pay 😏

Yup, but to be fair, Lumix has had a lot of ‘love’ recently from the shill brigade but a lot of them will now (and have already started) flipping over to the ZR.
Soon though, Sony will be releasing the A7V and they will then flop back in that direction and will have gone full circle.
Beyond that, perhaps DJI will have popped out their rumored MILC and that will become The Next Big Thing?
It’s all inevitable.

Maybe, - I couldn't say as there are a lot who say the opposite and say the market is over-saturated and everyone else is undercutting them.
I really don't know and pay almost zero attention to what anyone else is doing and never really have! Perhaps another reason why I keep ticking/plodding along?
And on that note, back to editing the 4th to last of the season and then 'just' 3 more to go for this year...
 

Ticking along but still here after 25 years comprising approx the first 10 as a photographer and the last 15 as a hybrid shooter in the wedding industry.
5 more years to go and then I will be packing it in out of choice.
In the meantime, just have to make sure I keep my head above water and not overly concerned in that regard as neither AI nor the wannabes can do what I do. Yet, as far as AI goes anyway...
Seen a lot of changes but no real challenges as such and for whatever reason, I just seem to have been in a place where I can just tick along and by 'tick along', I don't mean cruise, because I am always working at it and on it. Rather I just don't feel the need to follow every trend and possibly because of that, why I have remained pretty constant whilst I have seen so many come and go.

Ticking along but still here after 25 years comprising approx the first 10 as a photographer and the last 15 as a hybrid shooter in the wedding industry.
5 more years to go and then I will be packing it in out of choice.
In the meantime, just have to make sure I keep my head above water and not overly concerned in that regard as neither AI nor the wannabes can do what I do. Yet, as far as AI goes anyway...
Seen a lot of changes but no real challenges as such and for whatever reason, I just seem to have been in a place where I can just tick along and by 'tick along', I don't mean cruise, because I am always working at it and on it. Rather I just don't feel the need to follow every trend and possibly because of that, why I have remained pretty constant whilst I have seen so many come and go.

All hail the Nikon ZR 4 inch rear LCD

All hail the Nikon ZR 4 inch rear LCD

Sorry, my mistake, it’s the 18-40 lens of course and not the Titty Artisan lens 🙈
But still a really good looking little kit etc even though it doesn’t have any more capability than any other colour including good old black.
There are some other EU only release colours I think.
I have a red one. Thought about selling it since I got a pair of S1Rii’s but repurposing it instead as a static extra video unit for those occasions when I could do with such a thing. Rather than pocket £500, makes sense to me as business user.

Possibly and from my perspective, yes!
But that’s based on my own selfish desires.
And then again, since acquiring first one and then a second S1Rii, I ask myself what is missing from those that I need and the answer is absolutely nothing!
I loved the design of my S1H and its video capability. The S1Rii beats it.
I loved the photo capability of the OG S1R but hated the body. I now have that capability on the S1H ‘lite’ body.
I have literally zero complaints.
The S9 has limitations however and despite my liking the little fucker, a season’s pro use with it has shown up it’s shortcomings…

I intend on doing this, but Sean's response rubbed me the wrong way. It's too bad Panasonic doesn't have the same spirit as it had with the GM1 (the camera referenced in the release of the S9). I wanted a 28mm and 40mm pancake. The TTArtisan isn't quite pancake status, but it's the best we've got.
 
It seems like a decent price. 

Or just go buy the TT Artisan one at £159 and that's Lumix's loss in terms of lens sales at least.
IMO, unless you want to shoot cropped video, in which case the Sigma 17-50mm f2.8 is a great choice, for stills, the 40mm f2 is a perfect match.
I didn't realise it was a limited edition and even if they gave away 1/2 of them, apparently still at least one available as it's listed as in stock on Panny's UK website at £1199 inc. matching Titty lens.
Might just pick one up to sell on to the Leica Sunday polishers...

Ah well, if you had a proper understanding of time & space theory, you would understand that by meddling with time, you would create an alternative reality and someone like failed businessman Donald Trump could one day become president of the USA…and then we’d all be fucked.
Phew, luckily for us, that documentary turned out to be a fake and they made up the entire story!