Ninpo33

You posted multiple photos of kiosks displaying photographic stills which was not relevant to the conversation at hand. Had you shown an example of 4k video being displayed vertically on topic with the current conversation I would have been interested in further discussion. In no way did i ever say or claim to be an expert in anything so please do not put words in my mouth. I was simply sharing my experience of delivering content professionally for numerous production companies in Los Angelas and Tokyo. if you don’t find that relevant, feel free to disregard. Funny, i was asking honestly if anyone has been delivering in vertical 4k delivery and you proceeded to interject for some reason despite having no relevant addition to the conversation. I also wonder why so many people need to respond and feel the need to play the “expert” and contribute nothing meaningful?

For 10 years I have been traveling globally shooting docs and magazine content. Years ago I streamlined everything down to 3 cameras plus mobile phone. Similar to your categories above but trying to reach a modular “swiss army knife” style of kit. I got pretty streamlined at one point with crop sensor cameras and speedboosters all sharing the same mount. 1. The do it all 6k/8k flagship but focused on video. Maybe rigged up with Raw recorder as needed and bigger IO unit for better audio. 2. The high res stills camera that still shoots solid 4k or better video. 2nd angle in interviews and used for product photos or studio portraits. Photographing media and printed materials for later use in documentaries. 3. High end compact street cam. Third angle for interviews when needed and BTS. Nice to have as a backup in the camera bag in case something goes wrong with the other gear. Pocketable and fast for intimate and candid shots. Stealing low light B-Roll and mounting up in the rafters for high angle shots or in car interiors. 4. iphone 15 pro camera for BTS and quick stuff in the moment. Rigged up next to the A cam for vertical social media stuff. it’s nice being able to have 3 lenses and crop modes for S35 to give you a multitude of focal length options. Pair that with speedboosters and you can really cover a lot of ground with a small bit of kit. I would now add the Vlog cam as necessary these days so either the iphone does that job or maybe a Osmo pocket 3/4 in addition to the above. These are combos I’ve been playing with. Lumix S1H Lumix S1R Lumix S9 Fuji GFX 100ii Fuji X-H2s Fuji X-M5 Sony A1 Sony A9iii Sony ZVE1 Leica SL2 Sigma FP-L Leica Q2 Sony A7CR Sony ZVe1

Almost all of these simply display photographs mixed with animations done in Adobe After FX. It is very rare to see 4K video being displayed on these vertically. If there is video being displayed it is generally 1080p max. Everything I said before about resolution, crops, shooting, horizontal and extracting vertical still applies. I’ve worked on several campaigns that display things similarly for hotel lobbies and they all ask for final 1080p files for ease of playback.

Yes and that’s why you favor the horizontal and either rig up a second camera/phone or shoot in a higher 6k resolution. Honestly, extracting a 1080p vertical crop from 4k is fine for 90% of my clients still in late 2025. Anything that needs more resolution or attention will be extra cost and have special equipment devoted to it. Turning the camera sideways, open gate mode with vertical frame markers only, etc… Still a lot of the time I shoot open gate and just crop square 1:1 for social media. No extreme vertical crop and no 16:9. That leaves lots of room at the top for logos and banners and then the bottom most of the time has subtitles so it’s already wasted space. Also keep in mind with the photo #1 below, That aspect ratio will not ever be used to that orientation with the stuff I shoot. Anything 16:9 or 2:39 gets turned sideways and fills the screen so it’s just for illustrative purposes below only. New AI plugins will actually take your 16:9 horizontal video and then actively and dynamically keep the subject in the vertical frame in the center. You shoot horizontal and don’t bother paying attention to vertical crops. Later in post it solves it. (in theory)

Well said and I agree completely. I know every generation feels like the younger one’s “don’t get it” or are doing strange things, speaking weird and have terrible music LOL. But I do feel like this time it’s different. The golden era of the internet is over and we now have Search engines that only try to sell you things, apps that spy on us, prices fluctuating depending on when you view them or what credit card you’re paying with. Advertisers and Influencers creating content just to engage or rage bait us into clicks… It makes sense that Gen Z and Alpha would celebrate the early 00’s. Vertical content became a thing because people scroll so fast they’re not going to bother to turn their phone sideways. A producer friend of mine just started working on a new Vertical Tiktok series, (yes that’s right) That plays out over 25 episodes at a whopping 7 minutes each. The pacing and editing have changed to be all about the opening hook and then some quick story beats before a mini cliffhanger. The youth are not drinking or watching TV or movies so we’re seeing some very interesting new ways to have to sell things to them. I hate it.

One step back or just a tad wider it would end up the same. I have dual frame guides running to always remind myself to allow for a just a little more room if I need to pull some vertical content and no ability to shoot a second take specific for socials. How often do you deliver 4k or 6k vertical video? So far to date 1080p is always what I’m delivering for meta and tiktok. Optimal file sizes and load times. They’re just going to compress it all to shit anyway. It’s always changing anyway. For the longest time it was square on instagram and only in the last few years did vertical reels take over in popularity with tiktok. The younger generation is actually against high res video now and say it looks “too slick” and like they’re “being sold to”. Now i’m being asked to rough things up and i’m not even kidding… “shoot it with a 90’s camcorder” we’ve lost the plot.

Honest question, Do you really think people would notice if you center cropped your 4k or higher 16x9 videos to vertical for social media? Like the loss of resolution is that bad when viewed on instagram or facebook after compression? It can help a bit for framing in my experience but it feels like companies are marketing the social media angle as an easy feature that’s already built in and people are drinking the kool aid. My argument for open gate is really the benefits for anamorphic shooting. Cropping for instagram from a 4k 16x9 file has always been fine for me.

Back then, (and for me still currently) open gate was all about anamorphic friendly aspect ratios and max image quality out of a small m43 sensor. Panasonic was competing with full frame options coming from the other companies and opening up the sensor and 5k resolution was a way to give people some pretty advanced features for 2017. but as usual with Lumix, people slept on all of these advanced features at the time. Back then if I needed a vertical content, I just turned my camera sideways. Honestly, all the stuff I shoot for social media doesn’t need 5K, 6K let alone even 4K resolution. Everything is compressed anyway so 1080 P has been fine.

“Panasonic GH5 ($500) – still a great image and feature-set, however lacks open gate / phase-detect AF and RealTime LUTs” Oh, also the gh5 got an amazing update late in the game 2017 that brought 5k opengate. I shot a lot of doc footage in that mode for a project in 2022 and it was very, very sharp. 200mbps data rate as well. So sharp I was able pull some really high quality stills from the video shots. https://www.eoshd.com/news/shooting-5k-h-265-panasonic-gh5-new-open-gate-mode/

I agree with all but would add the S1R for $900 as the cheapest high mp image out there with 5k bonus s35 mode. Also, Fuji Xh2s on the used market. BUT certainly not new with the recent price increases. X-m5 is a baby X-h2s for $800 and does 6.2k ProRes raw external, 6k open gate internal. I second the LUMIX s5 original with last raw/anamorphic update still an amazing bargain at $750 used. Instead of fx3 I would submit ZV-e1 instead at 80% of the way there but with newly added features for less than half the price. As well, the fx30 over the fx2. My list is dated for sure but that’s because the value for 2020 cameras in 2026 is astounding. The Sony A1 is the pinnacle of this and that’s my next buy in 2026. We reached peak resolution for stills in 2019 and are close to video in 2020. Good news for us is that prices should keep dropping on older cameras like the A1 and the GFX line. In the meantime I’ve been buying vintage lenses LOL. Also, the yen is at an all time low so the used market in Japan is a solid discount for all of us looking for deals. Kowa anamorphic adapters for $200 all day long while newbies have them listed for $1,200 in the US on eBay… Harsh depreciation going on right now and a bad time to sell gear in Trump’s amerkkka. Great time to buy for the informed enthusiast who’s not out there following shilltubers.

Yes you’re right about the 2x. I was doing quick math and then it was too late to edit once i realized my mistake. If you watch the video link above Ed shows the results of the Saturn + adapter combo. It kind of accentuates the pin cushion distortion a bit unfortunately and creates some funky edges but it’s all very personal about what is character and what is a flaw. I think for the size, weight, close focus and ease of use the Blazar Nero is still my choice of low budget semi DIY. Still will pick up a Sirui 1.25x whenever i find one cheap enough though. The rear 82mm threads work better for larger lenses while the Nero 52mm threads are the perfect fit for older vintage taking lenses like my Kowa R’s and Topcon glass. The Sirui Nightwalker lenses are going for $180 each on ebay right now and they fit really well with the 1.25x adapter. I think that’s a super good deal for a tight little S35 kit for a mild anamorphic look. Sony shooters still have no open gate so a great kit for the fx30 etc… I’ll probably pick up a set now that the shilltubers have moved on to the newest releases and these are old news.

An option some people have been doing is to double down on these and put the 1.25x adapter from Sirui on the front to give you a 1.7x stretch. They are pretty cheap now at $275 and give you a bit more anamorphic mojo. I’m looking for one myself right now because they also make for a really cheap front VD if you remove some of the optics. There are some 3D printed mods floating around the interwebs.

Right now I’m out of town, but before I left, I was waiting on a couple step up rings from Amazon so I can fit some of these older taking lenses. I think the Miranda‘s are gonna work out really well and they have a 46 mm front filter thread, which works out perfect for the 52 mm rear on the Nero adapter. I’m going to do a shoot out with the Kowa R’s and some of the other 60’s glass on both Lumix S1 R, and the Fuji sensor in super 35 modes. I’ve seen good results with Super 35 on the FX30. Here are a couple links in the meantime. First one is pretty clean without showing much character but i like to see how it could look for corporate work. The other two show the versatility of choosing various vintage glass.

Speaking of the Kowa R’s… If anyone is looking for a great taking lens option for anamorphic adapters the 50mm f1/1.8 can be had for cheap. $35 on average attached to a camera. There are adapters on ebay but i chose to go for a custom Leica M mount to keep it versatile. The 28mm, 35mm and 100mm have gotten crazy expensive due to cinema rehousing but the 50mm options are available still for cheap. There are also some rangefinder options but those require a bit more tinkering and i’ll save that for another post.