Skip77

Oh for sure, there are many many many many people like that!

But also there are many people who do make money from owning one. 

So one can't just say "you don't need a RED" as a blanket statement. 

 

But it isn't like that, you can't always just take money from the camera dept and give it over to the script instead. (additionally, throwing more money at a script doesn't necessarily make it better either!)

In fact often the camera department has utterly no control over the script. 

Hypothetically speaking if a director comes to me with a crappy script, I can't just say to him "hey instead of shooting this with my RED I'll shoot it with a GH5 if you come back with a script that is awesome!"

 

I usually always choose any RED camera (except the R1) over a GH5 as an A Cam to film a feature with, if I had that option. 

And for many indie films, even ones with really teeny budgets such as say a hundred grand, then the camera body rental is going to make up an extremely small portion of the overall budget. So why pick a GH5?
 

I think a RED becomes a no brainer at some point. But if buying one seems like a risky investment to you than it probably is a bad idea. I am not saying buying a RED won't help you land jobs, but on the other hand if you aren't a great DP its not going to change that. 

I was looking at a RED ONE, still would consider it. Power hungry SOB though. Much rather have an URSA mini G2 at this point.

It is a weird full frame mirrorless market. 
Up until the fall of 2018 Sony was the only one in this group.
You're right on Nikon bringing the goods on the next Z camera. I think with the Z8 or Z9 along with the D6, Nikon will above the rest for part of 2020. At least from quality of product released in the market. 
Nikon and Panasonic seem to be the only companies willing to give value and quality without holding back on specs.
I think the Nikon Z line has gained sales since January and not lost them.  That's not usually how it works but Nikon improved the AF and people started looking past the wickedly dishonest You Tube reviews. 

Definitely,
Lectrosonics/Zaxcom for wireless with the DPA 6060 lavalier microphones. Cheaper mics can be a Sanken or a DPA 4060.
Sound Devices/Zaxcom for a recorder/mixer.
Schoeps/DPA have the most natural sounding microphones. 
Sennheiser 50/60/70 series are somehow indestructible and top choice (50 is a hyper for indoors, 60 for outdoors and the 70 is used by some for extreme outdoor conditions, it is VERY directional, only a very experienced boom op can seriously use it).
Sanken has some very interesting and modern designs also.
Cinela offers the best protection from the elements (this is something you have to seriously budget in advance, like a very good boom pole and mic baskets e.t.c this is a significant cost).
Are you U.S based? Gotham sound are very friendly and can point you to the right direction.
In Europe there is pinknoise in UK, Audiosense in BE and NoyzBoyz (or BoyzNoyz) in the Netherlands. I have done business with all of them and I was/am super happy. All very friendly and helpful. There is a Czech shop also but do not remember the name now. Super friendly also! I wish I had millions to spend to all of them!
 

Well Kisaha and IronFilm, and others know a ton more than I do about that Audio stuff. So you are in good hands with them. But it is just about as important as the footage to be honest.

I wish you the best in the future. Sucks about the gear.
Nikon with 10 bit 4K out looks good for now and 12 bit RAW will be nice to play around with. (If I get the Ninja recorder).
I've learned a lot about the Z6 and it's CS. Mainly don't trust what it gives you and calibrate or adjust manually.  I used 8500K in the outside guitar guy video for the first time. The Z6 doesn't have color shift were one area is off balanced that throw off the other color. 
I shot footage last week that looked just like the C200 CS. Not just skin tone but that nice shadow color that the C200 gives you.
I want the P4K for it's reference camera value and it's a good step into cinematography.  I love to push gear and get the most out of it. 
Audio is my blind spot.
 
 

Well this might give you some idea what it is and how it is done by certain sites. Most all of the sites have had to update their equipment, because the older tests seems way off compared to an Arri Alexa which is probably the king of the hill DR wise. Realistically between 14 to 15 real stops of DR. They are really one of the few that states the truth.
https://***URL not allowed***/the-cinema5d-camera-lab-is-back-dynamic-range-tests/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2013/11/whats-the-difference-between-latitude-and-dynamic-range/
 

OK, sorry, I couldn't resist anymore ...
 
300€ immediately off, 1 free battery (90€ worth), and the 200€ worth offered VLOG upgrade finished my efforts to resist...
OK, now I have to sell a lot of stuff ahah !

XQD's are future proof and upgrades can push the card beyond SD cards.

No if they are saying $4,000 for the S1H that's the price they are trying to hit but if they don't hit that price it's not coming down in price. 
The Z6 does compare to the S1 in every way. If I'm wrong then show how it doesn't.
- Z6 has 10 bit 4:22 external, most pros have an external monitor
- The Z6 will have 12 bit RAW Pro Res, so it get's even better
- The Z6 has EYE AF and video AF tracking that works and doesn't pulse 
I don't care about 4K 60p for the Z6 right now so why do you keep bringing that up? You have many more things about a camera that need to be right before you jump on the 4k 60p train. Give me great color and image quality for my video any day of the week over 4K 60p.
 
 
 
 
 

That's a spec.  Smartphones do 4K @ 60p. 
Full frame 4K 30fps ful sensor @ 10 bit - what m4/3 can do this? None because they aren't full frame. 

Canon or Nikon shooters are not switching to the A7RIV - they will all wait and see what their brand is doing. 

Well as of now we don't know enough about the S1H to jump ship, and it sure won't be as cheap as a Z6. I am doubtful the S1 will ever get Raw. Probably reserved for the S1H which I am guessing is a 4000 Dollar camera. Probably going to be worth it if you have the money.

Fly by wire with no manual control, just like a lot of others. Only Olympus and Panasonic have the manual clutch thing. And now Nikon, and Canon have the ring on their Z and R lenses so that is a plus for video. You can't do shit with the older fly by wire lenses. No way to repeat anything, No precision. But all those EF lenses are from a different Era where video was a total afterthought.

Oh I think the body will have a vent, or a fan just like the Panny S1H, the PK4 or this new Sigma FP. There is just too much heat to have these little thin bodies anymore.

I agree with your post 100%.
Is the Sony Venice relevant and the future? If so how does the glass issue come into play? 
The A7SIII seems to be painted in the corner.

I'm waiting on the 12 bit RAW 4K update for the Z6 before I buy the Ninja V and this update will either keep my with Nikon or I will move to the P4K or S1. 
Word is that the S1 is not selling very well either. Is this true as of July - ?

Well the Venice is fine cause it has swappable components and sensors. F55 and F5 are a different story and both are honestly due for an update. 

Product segmentation is unavoidable. Sony really isn't that bad. Unlocked FS5 with a recorder can do up to 240fps RAW 4K which is pretty wild. 
A7III is what imo sent A7S3 back to the drawing boards. 
Codec wise yeah I wouldn't dream. XDCam managers won't let an A7 line get 10-bit XAVC-I. 
A7S3 will have a crazy sensor that'll choke everyone, 6K/8K support and a killer new body design with a flip out screen. 
That is my prediction.
Getting back to the FS7, thanks to those for suggesting that Venice LUT. It's an excellent starting point for SLog3:

I think this is genuinely a HUGE step.
Rarely, do we get such a big leap out of nowhere like this. I've never felt like any other camera was anything other than just good, or expected in 2019. This is different. It's like having a full frame Pocket 4K with nobs on... from the future.
This image sits in the cinema world, not the video one.
I've shot some S1 10bit V-LOG with it this weekend. Here's a frame:


Compared to the X-T3 10bit F-LOG, dynamic range seems wider and shadows cleaner. Image is creamier, and less noisy at high ISOs. Base ISO is 640 in V-LOG, but extended ISO can go a bit lower.
Compared to A7 III S-LOG 2/3, the codec is far more robust, less banding and compression, it looks like ProRes.
I'll upload the original MOV files soon.

More. This is like someone taking a plate away, after offering a tiny little bite. 

Great Z7 footage - 
 
Except Nikon resellers are not allowed to drop the price of Nikon gear below set retail prices. This includes the Z6 and Z7.  Nikon controls this just like Honda controls the price it's cars can be sold at independently owned Honda dealerships. 
Everyone looked around when you first said the sky was falling with the Z7 and Z6 and you either lied or got caught in a mistaken comment that wasn't true.  I looked at eBay use, eBay in the UK, resale Facebook groups and no one is sailing the Z7or Z6 for the prices you claim. 
And now another post with a dig at Nikon and it's falling prices.
I think you're what we call a "paid market influencer". You're paid to keep making these comments about the Nikon Z series to you erode consumer confidence. 

Some footage from Z6. 
Portrait Profile
Sharpening -3
Mid-range sharpening -1
Contrast -2.5
 
On the format topic, all I really wish for is 10-bit 4:2:2. Internal raw is overkill for my needs. If I'm shooting raw I'm going to be on a set and need monitor anyway, far cheaper to record to SSD in that situation than XQD
 

Yep some lovely AI-S lenses on the Leica M adapter with a £20 passive adapter, onto the T-E-Z-mount adapter, magically become nifty autofocus lenses. Although not in video mode.
Speaking of which, the Z6 with Techart is showing almost Sony A9 levels of lock on with tracking fast moving subjects so far in 4K... It's astonishingly good compared to my expectations, which were already pretty high. And reliable too. At least with the native FE lenses I am using... 35mm F1.4

It arrived and it works well!
https://www.eoshd.com/2019/07/first-look-techart-tze-01-sony-e-to-nikon-z-mount-adpater/