In looking at new cameras, I have been reminded that there are often more paths to where you want to go, than just the most obvious.
First up, what do I have now?
The EM1x has class leading stabilisation, All-i compression, very good C4k, solid touch screen AF, but it has poor 1080p, Limited LOG options, only 8-bit colour depth, is time limited and has mediocre video interface.
The G9 can shoot 10 bit, 4k, 422, fast and slow frame rate effects, customises very well, and has excellent 10bit 1080p, but it is time limited, especially in 4k 60 (10 mins), and has limited LOG options without a firmware update.
The OSMO has excellent quality 1080 and 4k 60, is a true gimbal and can go on a stick or underwater (with a housing), but only has one focal length, needs a lot of accessories to be fully realised and is battery, but not time limited.
My other EM’s are like the EM1x but less so in most areas.
A little colour for the first day of winter.
Basically, between the above cameras, if I am prepared and careful, I have the right camera for most tasks, but it takes a village as no one camera is the answer all the time.
For hand held movement or unusual angles, the OSMO is the one. For hand held with that steady-cam look, lens choices and All-i compression for busy subjects, the EM1x or an EM1 mk2 is the best and for tripod or hand held work, with lower subject movement based video, the G9 can provide top tier performance with a ton of tricks.
If I want better video, do I actually need to buy another video camera with the above options?
What options are there to upgrade what I have rather than replace anything?
A new camera would improve some performance parameters, but not by a decent amount for the cost and cannot replace any one of the above entirely.
The Atomos Ninja V is the one stop shop upgrade option for all my cameras at once and cheaper than any of them. The other option is the Black Magic Video assist, but the Ninja is cheaper and a very good fit for the EM1x in particular.
What would a Ninja add?
For the EM1x, my favourite video camera to be honest, the Ninja would give me Pro-Res RAW and no recording limit. Looking at samples, this is as good as I would ever need, seriously good stuff, right up there with a Black Magic, but on a more practical camera. Superior AF and stabilising combined with better formatting and screen performance and higher and longer recording capacity.
The G9 and EM1 Mk2’s and even my humble EM10 mk2’s would all benefit, as would most future cameras, making my choices more flexible!
$3500au for a GH6 or similar now seems possibly short sighted and bad value. The Ninja would give me much of what they offer with what I have now.
Basically, I would go from three good enough, but limited video camera options, two with semi gimbal stabilising and good AF, to a half dozen very capable cameras and the ability to decide which is the one I want to use and how. It will also supply a storage solution that off-sets the cost of buying more high speed cards.
My ideal would be a cheap EM1x later, something that seemed short sighted video wise, but not so much now.
So, my three camera options have now become effectively 5.
The BM Compact Cinema or Studio 4k ($1800) would give me a perfect tripod camera. This is a specialist video option, with price as its best motivation. I feel it would more often than not be left behind, making my other cameras more useful but question why I bought it in the first place.
The GH6 ($3200au) would up my overall video performance and add some stills benefits. Again, this is a good replavcment for cmaeras I have, but then what do they do? The G9 becomes a useful “B” roll camera, but would likely be used in preference as a stills camera.
The OM-1 ($3100au) adds stills performance and fixes some annoyances in Oly video. My camera favourite as it takes out the Oly wrinkles and ups overall performance nicely.
The Ninja ($700au + SSD $150+) adds Pro-res RAW, superior screen and storage options and upgrades all my cameras. This also adds high speed storage.
The BM assist 3G 5-7” ($650-900au) adds much the same as the Ninja, but takes SD cards and has B-RAW. I have plenty of decent cards, so this one actually looks better on reflection and B-RAW is a better fit for DaVinci.
All add unlimited, high speed recording.