My video kit is a little odd when I look at it, but somehow it seems to work for me.
It’s a matter of balance, something that settles me in many ways.
If I look at it theoretically I have this capacity, in order of best to worst;
Best AF (if used and with select lenses)
G9II (phase detect, MFT depth of field advantage)
S5II (phase detect)
S5/GH5s (late gen contrast detect, not trustworthy enough for some things)
The 2’s are pretty close but the more forgiving MFT depth of field and one or two lenses give it a slight edge, the 12-40 Oly interestingly seems to have a perfect balance of fast but smooth AF.
Best stabiliser
G9II (latest gen, MFT smaller sensor advantage)
S5II (latest gen)
S5 (previous gen, excellent for static hand held)
GH5s (rig weight and lens supplied)
Best processing range (colour depth, dynamic range, flexibility)
S5 (BRAW)
GH5s (BRAW)
G9II (LOG in ProRes/HQ)/S5II (LOG)
The full frame cams have higher dynamic range naturally (14 stops), but the BRAW cams are more pleasant to grade. ProRes on the G9.2 bridges the gap somewhat to the S5II in basic LOG. I know that the S5II in BRAW is probably the very best image quality I could achieve and the G9II may also be a wasted resource, but if I upgrade either of them to BRAW, I loose their portability and in the case of the G9II, it’s excellent internal codecs.
Best low light performance.
S5/S5II (full frame dual ISO)
GH5s (dual ISO)
G9II (expanded ISO)
The full frames again, but the lens options available to MFT do make a difference also. Some glass is only available to me or only as fast as it is relative to the focal length in MFT, but assuming F1.8 for both, then the Full Frames win (in some more compressed formats it is quite impressive).
The reality is, if I upgraded the S5II to BRAW capable, it would be my most powerful camera, but at the moment I have four options that all balance out in comparison.
The G9II is weakest in low light and grading range, as well as creating some monster files in Log/ProRes or LOG/PreResHQ, but has the best on paper specs (frame rates, and internal codecs) and it is the handiest, most reactive, steadiest and fastest. This is the cam I put in a sandwich bag to shoot on a small boat or in a stills bag just in case. Potentially it has the best in camera recording options, an advantage lost if I run it out to a RAW recorder, so I don’t, I just use the SSD out option. This is also possibly the most under appreciated stills cam I have, but that is another story.
My smallest rig, this one has the option of going onto a shoulder rig using AF and a wide angle (9mm), a tripod or a mechanical gimbal.
The SSD upgrades it to ProRes, so a small price to pay. If I had a GH7 with internal ProRes, I wuld likely still use an SSD as they are larger and cheaper than XF cards. The SSD holder is a Neewer, which I like more than most.
The GH5s is the camera that bridges MFT to full frame capabilities with good low light/dual ISO, the MFT lens advantage and excellent BRAW interface. Lacking stabilising, it is the “big rig” for static or careful hand held work, relying mostly on weight for hand held stability and that classic semi-steady look (although the 12-60 does add some real stabe). With the 7” BMVA, it is sound central and always the A-cam on sticks. Without BRAW, it only has V-LogL, but does have All-i codecs with a fast sensor and can even function as a decent low light MFT stills cam (something its closest competitor the BMPCC4k cannot).
The endurance rig, so the A-cam in interviews. Everything runs off the V-mount for a couple of hours at least.
The RigidPro rig (the S5II/G9II model), neatly holds the SSD on top of the camera, all cables are connected at multiple points or go through the rig. Very clean and simple. The screen mount and handle are a new configuration, replacing a nato rail handle and flexi arm, which were messier and made the rig hard to pack. Balance is a little forward depending on lens, but not too bad.
The S5 is the second endurance and BRAW camera (5” BMVA and V-Mount), giving me a decent stabilised and AF option, but I treat it more like the GH5s, using a heavy duty shoulder strap to aid stability and take some weight (works like a cine-sac without the bulk). The colours out of the GH5s and S5 are close, so I have my full range of lenses to pick from in an A-B pairing.
This one looks a little ungainly, but it is extremely well balanced, meant to be used from chest to hip height. The strap is my small and elegant solution to the cine-bag quandary.
The cabling is a little less controlled, something I will work on, but it is a simple rig. The BMVA 12G 5” is run by a large NP on the rails, with two smaller ones on the unit itself. The camera uses a standard battery as it is rarely employed for long shoots and if it is, I either use a V-Mount mounted under the rails or use it as a B-cam, so battery changes can be handled during the shoot.
The S5II is potentially the strongest cam, but without the paid upgrade it is actually the weakest. G9II level AF and stabe are counter balanced by the needs of full frame (shallower depth of field, larger sensor to stabilise), the low light is equal to the S5II, in LOG it has the equal best dynamic range and all things considered, it mixes it well just as is, no RAW, no ProRes, just native LOG. The extra bulk of lenses is a consideration, but unlike the G9II, it does not need an SSD bolted on, so same-same really.
Balance.
All cams are capable of excellent results, they just get there differently. All are rigged to do their role as well as I need with static/endurance, semi mobile/endurance, mobile/static and purely mobile rigs. Any can do another role, but as is, they are each best suited.
I can hand hold the GH5s, I can use the G9II as a static B-cam or in low light with fast glass, the S5 as a run-n-gun or the S5II as any of these roles, but no one camera is the perfect answer to all roles.
For a light weight interview setup, the two S5’s in LOG work fine. For run and gun the G9II is king, the S5II the ideal hybrid and for maximum impression made, the GH5s in the RigidPro rig and cine lens looks the biz. I can run three anamorphic lenses at once and if needed trust two cams to their own devices in AF.
Could I make a single super camera or cameras? Sure. The S5II with 7” BMVA and RigidPro rig would be the “A” game, but then other cameras as well suited would be sidelined and their strengths, poorly applied, would not enough to balance things out.
The only option missing as I see it is the BMPCC4k, which would add a third BRAW camera, with no off board recorder needed and some more recording options, but do I need five cams?