herein2020

The "true video" people do have smaller options with good audio, the C70 is a testament to that as is Blackmagic's offerings, but I think at least for now, the hotshoe/coldshoe mics have gotten good enough that the gains achieved by going to XLR isn't significant enough for the typical hybrid shooter to notice or care. Video resolution is easy, its very visible, you can immediately do a lot with it (zoom, crop, etc.) so its obviously something many people can relate to; audio while very important is a lot more nuanced and to even take advantage of something like XLR can get very expensive very fast with only a marginal increase in quality to the typical viewer/listener. The hardest thing for me to get used to when I decided to improve my audio was the sheer expense of quality mics, transmitters, windscreens, etc. Yes 32bit float is fantastic, but with things like ALC and ALG that have gotten so good as to almost sound natural even on most hybrid cameras its not a necessity for most scenarios a hybrid shooter will encounter and is another area where your typical hybrid shooter probably wouldn't really take advantage of it but would definitely notice the cost of it being added to their camera invoice. Honestly at the end of the day neither of our opinions matter, camera makers will do whatever they need to do to stay in business even if that means trickling out features like better audio one feature at a time. I know for me personally, it is great to see more XLR hotshoe options coming to the market but I do still think most run and gun hybrid shooters are a long way from being willing to invest in the mics and supporting equipment necessary to truly take advantage of better audio options and I believe the main missing link was the XLR hotshoe adapters which are just starting to make an appearance. The adapters are the perfect solution for those rare times when as a hybrid shooter you can rig proper audio. Here is another area where Panasonic was yet again ahead of the game but somehow still managed to fail to own the market.

I definitely agree with you on the one hand....for example, the Panasonic XLR module has always been a huge selling point for me. Even now I am willing to sacrifice continuous AF because that XLR module is so important to me. But I disagree that adding better audio to the existing hybrid cameras would be worth it at this point in time for the manufacturers. A hybrid camera is just that...its a camera that does photos as well as video and in most cases especially historically most hybrid cameras are better suited for photos than for video especially in the audio department. I think for the typical hybrid camera user, audio simply is not that important; almost every if not every hybrid shooter that I have met has been perfectly happy with slapping an external amplified mic to the hotshoe or camera cage and using the mic port on the camera to record the audio. Almost every run and gun shooter I know does this and for most run and gun shooters, they don't keep the audio anyway and they replace it with a commercial audio track. Even I do this for most events and get perfectly acceptable audio for that type of situation. I only use the XLR module for more controlled environments where I have time to properly place the client, camera, mics, etc. or for weddings where I need to record the wedding vows. But when the ambient noise floor is a bigger concern than the circuit noise in uncontrolled environments, that mic port and amplified mic work perfectly for what I need. So IMO, and this is just my opinion; the target audience for hybrid cameras is shooters that mainly run and gun, shoot more photos than video, and are perfectly happy with a slightly better audio solution than the built in mic. I've probably shot literally hundreds of large events by now and met hundreds more hybrid shooters. Not a single one of them had an XLR setup and I highly doubt any of them would be willing to pay for one or the mics needed to take advantage of XLR. The true video shooters that I met at those same events typically all had some camcorder or cinema camera setup (Sony FSx, Canon C300x, Panasonic EVA1, etc.) and a real audio solution (wireless mics, XLR inputs, etc.) but they were not hybrid shooters...you wouldn't find a single photography camera in their gear.

Fortunately for my wallet the S1H is only available online and my previous Panasonic was a GH5 so for me the S5 is a step up from the GH5 in every way except the focus peaking and the LCD screen resolution. If I had had a chance to actually handle the S1H I might have ended up with that based on your description of how much better it feels during real world use. This is another area where I feel Panasonic is always on the losing end; none of their real cameras ever make it to the local big box retailers where you would get to handle them in person; instead you have to order online with blind faith and specs alone and hope whoever you ordered from has a very forgiving return policy if it doesn't meet your expectations. Canon, Sony, and even Nikon are better represented in this area.

This one truly caught me by surprise, the latest Canon R5 firmware adds dual slot video recording for everything except the RAW formats which makes sense. I had given up hope of ever seeing this on anything short of the C70 and if I'm not mistaken this is the first time Canon has ever provided this feature on anything that was not considered a Cinema camera. Maybe the 1DC did this but I'm not sure. Other than the whole overheating fiasco which will never go away, and the fact that it looks like the R5 will never support an XLR module, the R5's latest firmware just checked another box for me. If the R3 releases with dual slot video recording and the TASCAM XLR module is available when the R3 launches or if they release a video focused version of the R5....I might actually consider going back to Canon for video. Full Firmware Release Notes https://www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/products/cameras/digital_slr/eos-r5.html?type=firmware&firmwaredetailid=tcm:14-2132234&os=windows 10 (64-bit)&language=

But I already have the MixPre6 and for 2 channels I have the XLR S5 adapter which feeds the audio straight to the video track, so the MixPre3 wouldn't do anything for me. The only thing I am missing is 32bit float audio which I don't really need but its a nice to have. I think the answer is very simple; camera makers know full well how important audio is for video and their take on it is if you want integrated high quality audio then you need to pay a premium by buying one of their cinema cameras. For the makers that do not have a cinema line to protect such as Nikon and Fuji, they probably think they simply would not get their ROI back from the R&D necessary to bring something like that to market. Also, keep in mind, the legions of photographers out there who will never flip that switch over to the video section; not one of them would ever buy or want to pay for improved audio. I also think there's more to it than simply improving the camera pre-amps; for the higher quality mics there's also the problem with providing phantom power, adjustable gain, a mini XLR input jack, reducing heat, etc. All of this adds size, weight, and cost to a camera that would put it in a price range fewer customers would buy. IMO the XLR adapter via the hotshoe is pretty much the most elegant way something like this could be done; photographers aren't paying for the cost of higher quality audio, the camera body itself remains small, phantom power comes though the hotshoe, and the higher quality audio gets recorded straight to the video track so no synching needed in post. For the integrated solutions there's plenty of larger cameras for that.

I am surprised that you like the S1H so much, I've looked at the specs on paper many times and on paper the S1H just doesn't seem like that big of a leap. Same sensor, same LOG curve, mostly the same recording options with many more thrown in that I don't really need (i.e. All-I), and it does not do 4K120FPS. I am sure it has better ergonomics than the S5, but after adding the cage and a side and top handle the S5 fits like a glove for me. Without it, the S5 felt too small and light. I know VLOG is one additional step but it really is incredible in difficult lighting situations and it literally takes me seconds to grade in post. In DR I just create 3 nodes (primaries, curves, false color), add 100% saturation, 1.17 contrast, then I pull down the lows to just touch off the bottom of the WFM, pull up the highs to just touch off of the top of the WFM then enable false color to tweak for skin exposure if any people are in the clip...done. I then copy the results to all of the clips in the project and the only thing I tweak is the lows and highs as I go to each clip. I would estimate my grading process is about 5s per clip. On some rare occasions something looks off to me so I use the curves node to fine tune my grade or adjust the WB but that's it. I know any time spent color grading is wasting precious time without adding to the incoming revenue but I couldn't imagine using anything else after seeing the results from VLOG. I've shot directly into setting sun and managed to retain the highlights while still retaining acceptable exposure on the model's skin. Of course you are right, I think I have maximized the interoperability and usability of my current kit. As much as I'd like to further simplify, I will probably stick with this setup for quite sometime. Technically it is meeting all of my needs except for those times when I would like to have a second camera angle, but I really don't want to buy another S5 with so much uncertainty around Panasonic's future and the lack of CAF with EF lenses.

I think its great, I use the XLR module with the S5 all the time for quick sound bites such as a real estate agent doing the intro voice over, modelling interviews, product reviews from YouTube content creators, etc. I almost never need more than one channel, two at the most and all of my higher quality mics are XLR. I can also shoot long form such as speeches, conferences, etc and the whole setup is still more compact than my C200. I have the MixPre6 and its a PITA, it needs another power source, just remembering how to set it up properly is a PITA since I rarely use it, and now you've got cables everywhere, etc. I only use the MixPre when I need 32bit float, more than 2 channels, or multiple backup copies of the audio.

I read TEAC's announcement as well. So far it looks like only two Canon models will support this interface. This has been one of my long running Canon pet peeves; they provided no way to get XLR audio into their non cinema bodies and is one of my favorite features of the S5. https://www.teac.co.jp/int/support/news/6615 What would be great is if 32bit float audio was included in the TEAC accessory but I guess I can't have everything. This accessory though is an important first step to me ever considering getting a Canon mirrorless for video and was one of the main reasons I chose the S5 over the R5. The fact that only the as yet released R3 will even support this accessory further proves to me that I made the right decision in not getting or considering the R5. If the R3 offers dual slot video recording I may actually be truly interested in it.

I'm surprised you have not tried LOG yet, its fantastic. The WFM makes exposing it so easy and Davinci Resolve makes color grading it just as easy.

That's pretty cool that you are using the S5 in so many different roles, when you have completed a wedding with the S5 I'd love to see the results. I tried the S5 for a few photos because I'd love to stop hauling around my 5DIV for shoots that are 90% video, but the S5 feels so awkward and foreign to me in photo mode that I am still hauling the 5DIV to every shoot that has a chance of needing images. I need to do an actual fashion or modeling or event shoot complete with different flashes, remote triggers, and lens setups to see if I can get used to the S5 for photos but my 5DIV literally feels like an extension of my own arm so its hard to even try anything else especially with the client standing there waiting for the next shot.

In the GH5 with V30 cards I could not shoot ALL-I, it would fail to record after about 30s or so; all other modes I didn't have that issue.

I find myself using those exact same two lenses the most as well. I use the Sigma EF 50mm 1.4 for lowlight, detail shots, and shallow DOF shots, I use the 24mm EF 2.8 Prime lens for all gimbal work, and I use the EF 24-105mm for everything else. All of that gets cropped by a factor of 1.5 when filming 60FPS which I frequently do. I'm with you on the media as well, it is so annoying to have mismatched cards or bitrates at 400mb/s requiring 2x+ more expensive media. The footage from the S5 more than meets the needs of my type of client. As far as shooting over 30min, the S5 still has the 8bit modes to shoot longer, and they really are good enough for most situations. I shot with the GH5 and only 8bit for years; as long as you nail the WB and exposure 8bit is plenty for most situations. I do also love the VLOG, if you haven't tried it yet you really are missing out; its incredible how much you can push and pull the LOG footage in post even though it is compressed. With my Davinci Resolve workflow, I can grade VLOG footage in seconds.

It's definitely a very minor issue, and the good thing is you can drop to an 8bit mode to get a rough estimate. That's another thing that is great about this camera as well; SD cards are so cheap and the video data rates are so low that it's almost a non issue, I have never filled up a 256GB card in one day with the S5. Personally I hate swapping cards during a shoot so although I have spares I try to get large enough cards so that I never have to actually use them. All of my cameras right now have 256GB cards in them except the C200 which has 1TB CFE cards and 256GB SD cards for the 8bit footage. The 512GB SD cards are now only $130 which is insanely cheap especially considering the prices of the types of cards required by cameras like the 1DX or the R5.

I found a new quirk that I don't like with the S5, it doesn't seem like it is possible to see how much time is remaining on your memory cards if you are in one of the time limited modes. This past weekend I had shot all morning and had a shoot that evening so I had no idea how much time I had remaining to record video on the SD cards. I couldn't find anywhere in the main menu, display screen, or the playback screen to show the time remaining. I finally figured out that if I dropped down to one of the 8 bit modes it would show the amount of time remaining on the video cards. When the 10bit modes are selected the time remaining will only show the time limiter which is 30min. Unfortunately the time remaining indicator in the 8 bit modes will only show the time remaining for that mode so if you are cutting it close you won't know your cards are getting low until the 30min limiter in the higher quality modes starts dropping for a reason other than the timer. At the end of the day I discovered I had nothing to worry about, with a 256GB cards in the slots I still had 4hrs of recording time remaining after the morning shoot.

Yes that is how I do it, I power the S5 with a USB A to C cable. Funny thing is, when I got the S5 I looked all over for a USB-C V Mount base plate that was as good as the Bebob Factory GmbH COCO-15V III V Mount Battery Plate and none of the ones that has USB C ports looked like they would work for my needs. So I almost gave up before I decided to just try a USB A to C cable and what do you know....it powers the S5 with no problems. I also tested powering an external monitor using a Hirose to Sony battery adapter plugged into an external monitor and it all worked fine. I estimate I could run for about 4hrs off of one V-Mount powering both the camera and an external monitor. Personally I don't like using external monitors and so I've never actually used that setup but its good to know it's a possibility if I need it. I think I can run about 6-8hrs off of the V-Mount if only the camera is connected.

I have a MixPre6 II that has this and its pretty incredible. I doubt it will make it to any cameras anytime soon especially hybrids. Audio is an afterthought for most of them and their approach is if you want something better use a separate recorder. Panasonic's XLR module is excellent though for what it is and I use it all the time with the S5.

NVIDIA still lists the RTX3070 for $499.00 so if that is the video card you want in your next build, then I would base everything else on obtaining that card for that price. Set up some watch lists and get notified the minute someone gets one in stock for that price. Once you have the GPU on hand the rest of the build should be easier (and less costly). That's just what I personally would do. Also, I have to believe that Intel will have an answer to the Apple M1 soon, so if you can wait, I would try to wait and see what their answer is. The M1 seems pretty future proof for now, nothing Intel is producing can compete with it but I am sure they are working on it.

I have focus peaking sensitivity set to +2 Display Color Blue and Display While AFS ON. For some reason the focus peaking works better when the shutter button is half pressed and when the lens switch is switched to MF or the back selector switch is set to MF. While the lens switch is set to AF or the back selector switch is set to C or S the focus peaking barely works or should I say it never works. Since I don't have CAF with EF lenses my favorite focus peaking setup is to keep the lens switch to AF, the back selector switch to MF and hybrid AF to ON. This lets me get the most out of the focus peaking while still being able to focus by tapping the back of the screen; the only thing I lose with this setup is I can't half press the shutter to achieve AF.

@Mark Romero 2 @MrSMW Ok, so I finally got around to turning focus peaking sensitivity to high and now the focus peaking is almost as good as the GH5 but IMO still not quite as good. At least it shows up now more often than it did before., I think part of the focus peaking issues are due to using EF lenses and the adapter.

I will admit that I am one of the ones that cross shopped the EVA1 with the C200. I ended up with the C200 mainly because of the lenses, AF, and build quality. On paper the EVA1 seemed to beat the C200 in nearly every way (10bit, higher resolution options, etc.) but the C200 build quality, CLOG3, and even the cost made me end up with the C200. At the time the EVA1 was $6500 and the C200 was $5500. I disagree that the EVA1 would have done better as a MFT mount. Sure they would tap into a huge selection of existing lenses, but they would also have limited their cinema camera to the same problems MFT always has...crop factor, low light capabilities, DOF, etc. MFT is great, I loved my GH5, but there would have been no reason to me to buy a cinema camera with the same size sensor as my GH5. Now what would have been really cool is if they could have made the EVA1 have an adaptable mount and an in camera crop that allowed it to accept APS-C, EF, and MFT lenses. That would have let them tap into both Canon EF lenses and MFT lenses; that one feature may have made me get the EVA1 instead. Just like the fact that the one feature that was the deciding factor when I got the S5 was the availability of an EF mount adapter.

You may have a conflict of settings; there's a setting that states do not show focus peaking during AF. If you have the AF switch turned on then try to set focus peaking but you also have the setting configured to not show focus peaking during AF then I think the focus peaking settings will be unavailable. The way to fix it is to either switch the lens or the focus selector to MF or turn off the setting that disables focus peaking when AF is enabled. It is definitely not the picture profile because I only shoot in VLOG and use focus peaking religiously.

Yes I'm just stuck in this odd middle ground where nothing is perfect or terrible. I would love CAF but having my entire collection of EF glass available to all of my cameras (5DIV, C200, S5) is worth more to me than CAF. The EF adapter is such a pain to remove due to my S5 cage setup that it has never come off after putting it on. Hybrid AF works pretty good most of the time with the adapter (half press to achieve focus then flip the MF button on the lens to lock focus). I will probably hang on like this until I see what disappointments the R5c manages to bring next year. If they somehow get it right, I'll finally move to a more native EF system (even though the R5c is RF mount). If Canon manages to colosally disappoint yet again then I'll just stick with what I have for a couple more years. If the R5c is even 80% what the S1H is, then Canon will have a winner but I don't see that happening since they already have the C70. In my perfect world I would have two identical bodies that can use all of my existing EF glass; both as good at photography as the R5 and as good at video as the S5 but with the R5's AF and the S5's XLR module, dual slot video recording, and dual ISO. One rigged for video (cage, XLR module), and one rigged for photography (no cage, dual battery grip, hotshoe free for flash triggers). Then on a shoot I can mix and match where the areas overlap when I need a quick video clip during a photo shoot, or a few images throughout a video shoot and where in a pinch I can use both bodies for the same purpose such as multi-angle interviews or both cameras rigged for photography for a wedding. So far its an unachievable dream but who knows what the future holds. My bank account thanks Canon every day for not making this dream possible.

I have problems with DFD even without CAF.....it simply will not focus in certain situations that I am certain would be effortless for other focusing systems. In those situations I have to manually focus or just keep trying until it locks on; sitting there watching it struggle and the whole scene pulsing is just painful. I am using a EF adapter and EF lenses so I still give Panny the benefit of the doubt.

There..fixed that for you 🙂 Am I selfish to wish they had just dropped MFT and released an S5II instead?

Great video, and yes I do try to pick ideal locations when I am able to, but with events you have no control over things like that. It also makes sense that they are able to get that level of audio with dedicated sound guys big budget, etc. I have resigned myself to always having to struggle with audio. In other news I did get the XLR adapter to be more reliable on the S5. I now set the XLR module to line or mic level first and turn on the camera with nothing attached. Once the XLR module turns on and is detected properly, I then turn off the camera and connect the XLR cables. I then turn on the camera one more time and switch the switch from line or mic to phantom power +48v after the cable and mic are connected. With this process in this order it has worked flawlessly so far.