Petapixel chat on the SL3s and L mount’s future

[Pete_W]

Gordon Laing does the same reviews, same photos of seagulls and Brighton pier just rinse repeat with different gear doing the usual vanilla tests, and a mention of bokeh etc.

Most YouTubers have a repeat formula so no wonder you're sick of it The Ansel Adams documentaries are good to watch. He would love today's gear but his gear got the most skill out of him. He's no whinger either

Thanks Oíche.

I've subscribed to a small number of YouTubers and am working through their content. One that I quite like is James Popsys who is based in Wales.

 

[Markuswelder]

I think if Panasonic release a Halo product, it will be more video oriented. Much like the GH7 in m4/3 land. This is not a bad thing, as a lot of video wants and needs translate very nicely to stills. High dynamic range, low rolling shutter, and so on. Pretty sure Panasonic knows that taking on Canon, Nikon and Sony in sports/wildlife/high speed action type photography is a fool's errand at this stage of the game. I suspect they're using the lower tier product to fund future higher end gear, as well as use it as a bit of a rolling test bed.

 

[pdk42]

I’m going to say a few words of defence for the gear reviewers. I think most are decent people, genuinely trying to analyse and compare the products available. They take different approaches, some technical, some more “experiential”; and some bring more of their own personality and biases to their work than others. But in my view, it takes all types. We need to decide what we listen to and what we don’t.

For me, I think Gordon Laing, Chris Nichols/Jordan Drake, Richard Wong, and Richard Butler are amongst the best. I used to also like Steve Huff, but he’s gone into the HiFi waffle-sphere now. I’ve often found the Northrops just annoying, and Chris Gampat so unpredictable that his views would change seemingly by the minute. But I think they all bring a perspective that’s worth listening to.

 

[Pete_W]

I’m going to say a few words of defence for the gear reviewers. I think most are decent people, genuinely trying to analyse and compare the products available. They take different approaches, some technical, some more “experiential”; and some bring more of their own personality and biases to their work than others. But in my view, it takes all types. We need to decide what we listen to and what we don’t.

For me, I think Gordon Laing, Chris Nichols/Jordan Drake, Richard Wong, and Richard Butler are amongst the best. I used to also like Steve Huff, but he’s gone into the HiFi waffle-sphere now. I’ve often found the Northrops just annoying, and Chris Gampat so unpredictable that his views would change seemingly by the minute. But I think they all bring a perspective that’s worth listening to.

Richard Wong's reviews are the gold standard for me. Detailed and precise, honest and objective. I very much appreciate his work.

 

[xaviergut]

I agree that the videos of Richard are very good and informative.

I think also that we need more videos like this one about how to use the Lumix AF much better:

 

[xaviergut]

Yes, and this spells trouble for sites like PetaPixel and DPR because they will run out of meaningful content. Everything they do is about gear/specifications and not really about photography itself.

I guess that's what we're already seeing. Amazon got rid of DPR and DPR is a shell of its former self. And there is a concentration on diminishing enhancements in products, and the reviewers are trying to make these things seem more important than they are to have something to talk about.

I've all but given up watching and reading gear reviews for this reason. Reading and watching content about photography is way more meaningful.

I think that in addition to analysis on gear and comparisons on specs, etc. Maybe we could create a directory of known or lesser known photographers/videographers who use L-Mount cameras and lenses to create stuff and serve as inspiration for other L-Mount users.

I just want to share 1 that is not that famous in YT:

Lisa Frost, Australian landscape photographer: https://www.youtube.com/@LisaFrostPhoto

 

[Pete_W]

I just want to share 1 that is not that famous in YT:

Lisa Frost, Australian landscape photographer: https://www.youtube.com/@LisaFrostPhoto

Thanks Xavier! I will check out her channel.

 

[Pete_W]

I agree that the videos of Richard are very good and informative.

I think also that we need more videos like this one about how to use the Lumix AF much better:

I watched this video today while having lunch at work. It is a great concise explainer on video!

 

[AlanC]

Maybe we could create a directory of known or lesser known photographers/videographers who use L-Mount cameras and lenses to create stuff and serve as inspiration for other L-Mount users.

I'm not sure about the "lesser known" bit, but one photographer I came across while looking for sample images from the Sigma fp L was Sigma's Italian ambassador, Marco Dadone:

https://www.marcodadofoto.com

He has a series of posts on his blog with photos taken using the fp L and the i-series lenses:

Little Venice
The sleeping boats
Valensole (with the 65/2)

These played a considerable role in convincing me to buy the fp L and i-series lenses.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

The problems with this podcast once I found the time to listen to it:

1. The much-repeated nonsense that Panasonic Lumix S cameras are only really good for video. I shoot almost no video and when I looked into all available FFM systems the S5 was the stand-out for providing the best quality and range of features for photography for anything close to it's price. I believe that's still the case now with the mark II.

2. The, again, much-repeated nonsense suggestion that the older DFD AF system in the original S cameras is very poor and not valid for a lot of types of photography. It works just fine for everything except fast-moving subjects, which means it works just fine for around 90% of photography. I'm sure the newer phase detect AF is better and faster but the AF of the original S5 is just fine for me and would be for most people.

3. I own a grand total of eight native L-mount lenses, three Panasonic and five Sigma, and had no problem at all in finding them in stock here in Spain when I bought them. For the 90mm my usual supplier (at the time) didn't have any and said they wouldn't get any for a couple of months so I bought one from somewhere else, but that's it. Do people really need a lens in their hand that same day when they decide to buy?

 

[pdk42]

The problems with this podcast once I found the time to listen to it:

1. The much-repeated nonsense that Panasonic Lumix S cameras are only really good for video. I shoot almost no video and when I looked into all available FFM systems the S5 was the stand-out for providing the best quality and range of features for photography for anything close to it's price. I believe that's still the case now with the mark II.

Agreed. All the Panasonic G and S cameras are absolutely great for photography. In truth, as Jordan Drake explicitly said in the YT video mentioned in the OP, features that are good for video are generally also good for photography, so there's no need to create a false dichotomy here.

2. The, again, much-repeated nonsense suggestion that the older DFD AF system in the original S cameras is very poor and not valid for a lot of types of photography. It works just fine for everything except fast-moving subjects, which means it works just fine for around 90% of photography. I'm sure the newer phase detect AF is better and faster but the AF of the original S5 is just fine for me and would be for most people.

Also agreed. But I don't take photos of weddings, sports, birds in flight etc. People who do these things say that the Panasonic DfD is significantly worse than competing systems.

3. I own a grand total of eight native L-mount lenses, three Panasonic and five Sigma, and had no problem at all in finding them in stock here in Spain when I bought them. For the 90mm my usual supplier (at the time) didn't have any and said they wouldn't get any for a couple of months so I bought one from somewhere else, but that's it. Do people really need a lens in their hand that same day when they decide to buy?

I think their point was that the physical stores didn't have certain L-mount lenses in stock at that location, whereas similar/same lenses in Sony E were in stock. That's absolutely no surprise since 4% market share vs 40% means you'll seel 10x the number of Sony E lenses to L. If you were in charge of stock at one of these stores you'd come to the same conclusion.

 

[xaviergut]

I'm not sure about the "lesser known" bit, but one photographer I came across while looking for sample images from the Sigma fp L was Sigma's Italian ambassador, Marco Dadone:

https://www.marcodadofoto.com

He has a series of posts on his blog with photos taken using the fp L and the i-series lenses:

Little Venice
The sleeping boats
Valensole (with the 65/2)

These played a considerable role in convincing me to buy the fp L and i-series lenses.

Excellent!! Thank you! I did not know him.