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Inexpensive B Cam for a Panasonic S1?


Esteban
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2 hours ago, Esteban said:

Yeah, that's certainly true (not to take anything away from the GH5 though).

The other thing is I don't want to have to buy (and carry around) two sets of lenses: one for FF and one for M43. I understand that using two different sensor sizes allows a single full frame lens to effectively become two different focal lengths depending on to which camera it is mounted, but I am not sure how much of a benefit that is.

And if I add the cost of a decent speedbooster, it isn't all that much cheaper than a used S1 (going about $1700 with VLOG upgrade).

Get a focal reducer and you are now sharing the same mount

 

And a focal reducer can be got for only a hundred bucks, nothing at all really 

 

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3 hours ago, Esteban said:

Yeah, that's certainly true (not to take anything away from the GH5 though).

The other thing is I don't want to have to buy (and carry around) two sets of lenses: one for FF and one for M43. I understand that using two different sensor sizes allows a single full frame lens to effectively become two different focal lengths depending on to which camera it is mounted, but I am not sure how much of a benefit that is.

And if I add the cost of a decent speedbooster, it isn't all that much cheaper than a used S1 (going about $1700 with VLOG upgrade).

I understand what you are saying, but I think I would probably WANT a speedbooster on a GH5... but then again, not sure.

On the other hand...

The original plan was that I would just put the B Cam on sticks and let it roll during interviews / corporate work / events. But I have an unruly teenage son and so now the misses wants me to start taking him along on gigs too so that he doesn't end up working in a gas station. I think he would be much more comfortable with a GH5 / G9 than with an S1 with heavy metal lenses on it.

I mean you can get fast lenses for the GH5 without needing a speedbooster. Depends on what you are shooting of course. If you do lowlight stuff having a speedbooster can be nice. Keep in mind 1600 iso is iffy on a GH4 where as with a GH5 3200 iso looks really nice. Starts to take away from M43 though when you throw a speedbooster with heavy glass on. Might as well just have a full frame camera. 

In terms of color matching HLG on both cameras is probably the closest thing or CineD. It will be different though and at that point it doesn't really matter what camera you get. 

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15 hours ago, MurtlandPhoto said:

Personally I love using m43 cams with native lenses for interviews. You can easily light for f/2.8, but with the benefit of f/5.6 DoF.  It means I can use smaller, less powerful lights which helps keep the setup small. 

The 35-100 is a dream for this I've found! I'm so glad bought it! 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/5/2020 at 10:50 PM, Esteban said:

Let's suppose I spent nearly all of my budget on a Panasonic S1 Camera and the 24-105 f/4 lens, but I still need a B cam for interviews / talking head stuff. It would mostly be on sticks or a slider.

Since money IS an object - an object that I don't have a lot of right now - I would probably use some manual lenses on it or something inexpensive.

Would a GH4 be good? Someone locally is selling one for $250.

I understand that the VLOG update is $99 for a GH4, but then it is only 8-bit, right? 

Will it be tough to match 8-bit VLOG with the 10-bit VLOG of an S1?

Would I have to shoot both cameras in something like Cine D or Cine V or a different profile in order to match them?

Is there an inexpensive speedbooster that would work with manual lenses like Canon FD, Minolta MD, or Pentax / Takumar lenses?

Or maybe go for something like a Tamron or Sigma ASP-C 17-50 f/2.8 lens? 

 

Hi Esteban,

I've been deliberating the same B-Cam question since nabbing an S1/24-105 kit last year. Shooting side-by-side with my sweetie's G9 had me convinced that perhaps that camera was the way to go and I might have gone that route had the $995USD Black Friday/Holiday sale prices had stuck beyond the holidays, but, alas, that camera is back at $1198 here in the U.S. (still a good deal, IMHO). My main problem would be sacrificing that gorgeous high-ISO performance of the S1 going with the G9 (I shoot outdoor/nature sans any auxiliary lighting and it's not hard to find myself needing to shoot at ISO 6400 in the middle of the day deep in the woods!).

To complicate matters more, I noticed this weekend that there is now a $500 price reduction on the S1 (w/ $199 VLog Upgrade included making it more like a $700-off sale) via Authorized Panasonic Retailers (think: NYC) bringing it in at $1998 (and about another $300–400 less for a decent-condition used S1, but with no VLog).

Hrmm, $1598 for a used S1 vs. $1198/949 for a brandie-new/used G9? Decisions, decisions.

Maybe way out of your intended budget, but I thought I'd pass that price reduction info along.

:)

Jimmy G

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