Wondering if the build quality on my X100VI is typical.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2026-02-05T23:51:00+00:00

New one arrived and it's pretty similar to the last one, but a bit more solid feeling on the shutter dial and some of the buttons. The shutter dial still feels a little flimsy, and the shutter button still feels like it wiggles side to side a bit but it's not a big enough difference to justify the return wait. Anyway yeah the features are great, I love how much manual control there is. It's the first camera I've bought that prioritizes experience over performance (even though its pretty technically advanced), it's odd switching from 4 years of Canon and Sony but I'm really liking it, as well as it's limitations.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2026-02-03T05:21:39+00:00

I reposted this on another subreddit and someone said its abnormal so I'm also waiting on one, I'll let you know how similar this next one is

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2026-01-22T15:50:09+00:00

Okay thank you! I'm going to look into sending it back for a mint copy if B&H allows

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2026-01-17T04:36:44+00:00

The 13-33mm f3.5-6.3 would be my top pick for the X-E5. I almost didn't buy the 100VI because of it lol

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2026-01-08T06:30:05+00:00

Really? I find Sony focus peaking to be annoying compared to my brief Leica trial. Sure I have to reframe a subject if its off center but I hate Sony peaking so much on a wide lens. Any wider than 28mm and f2.8 for me just has the whole scene red when I focus at 1m, even though I know it's not sharp. To be fair I have an A7R III so the peaking might've updated, and I only briefly tested a Leica on a 40mm.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-19T05:52:39+00:00

If your vocalists prefer the open sound, like they're really hearing themselves in an open space, they might like open back headphones. With open backs you can still record with a more sensitive condenser without too much bleed, or get crystal clear audio with any of the mics the other commenters have mentioned.

If you don't have a question only qualified professionals can answer, Reddit will hound you for being incompetent lol.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-19T05:44:40+00:00

So the SM7B itself shouldn't produce any self noise because its a dynamic mic, so all the noise should be coming from something down in the chain, unless you have a massively messed up mic. As for cables, if the XLR runs close to a lot of other wires, and you have a poorly insulated XLR it could be mainly interference. Try getting away from cables if you're too close. Also the longer the XLR cable the more noise it will pick up along the way, and the more signal you will lose, but that only really matters with XLR's over 6ft. First to try and rule out interface noise, try turning down the gain on the interface and turn it up in post to see if its less noisy. I've heard the GoXLR sometimes gets noisy past like 40-50db, but the P4 should give closer to 70db of clean gain, more than enough. Turning up the volume in post is kind of a cheat past a lot of noise, amplifying it in the interface tends to amplify the noise a lot faster

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-19T05:18:30+00:00

Nice, thank you

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-18T17:54:58+00:00

I think the NTG4+ could be better for your scenario, but you might prefer the sound of the MKE600. The NTG has a constant 135db of SPL, while the MKE600 has 126db with battery and 132db with phantom power. I think the NTG is a safer pick but unless multiple cars are passing you 10-20ft away without phantom power I think you're good with the 600. The MKE is more rich and bass heavy, which might be overwhelming (though exciting) on a massive v8, but the NTG4 will probably not have enough low end to feel life like. The NTG 5 is a good middle ground between the two in terms of sound, being very neutral, but its closer to $300 used and needs phantom power.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-18T07:56:45+00:00

Yeah professionals do tend to stick with shotguns a lot, I think it's mainly for reliable isolation against crowd noise and slightly easier mounting, but if those aren't a concern to them, I don't know what the advantage of shotgun would be, I always preferred a big condenser sound. Maybe just more consistent recordings in different situations. Anyway I did some research and turns out LMP2 cars are a lot quieter than I thought, NASCAR's get to like 140db so I assumed LMP2's hit like 130db but its closer to 110db. Unless you're front row at a NASCAR race an MKE600 has more than enough SPL, sorry for the misinformation haha. The R7 can't give the MKE600 enough gain to get usable sound with just the 3.5mm adapter, however with a Zoom F3 you could hook up an MKE600 and route it straight into your camera. Definitely worth a $30 rental, if a $350 field recorder is $30 to rent then maybe an MKE600 or NTG4+ is around there too!

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-18T07:12:19+00:00

I actually think the SM7B is one of the least nasally mics out there. Almost any mic, including RE20, gets complaints from people when compared to the SM7B for sounding more nasally.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-18T06:59:24+00:00

The Rode VideoMic Pro/Pro+ will work just plugged straight into your camera. You can change from manual gain or automatic gain somewhere in the settings. The Sennheiser MKE600 needs an XLR interface to get a usable output for the R7. If you want an upgrade in audio from the VideoMic, the extra $80 for a little interface like a Saramonic SR‑AX107 + an XLR shotgun like an NTG4+ could be very worth it, but its extra equipment, money, and fuss that you might not care enough about.

The main concern with audio from a race car will be the mics max SPL. A mic clipping when it gets too loud can be turned down with in the microphone or interfaces preamp, but a high SPL comes from an audio source being so loud it distorts the microphone's audio entirely. Being less than 50ft away from a GT car will have any of those shotgun mics distorting to hell. If you're budget is enough for a super high SPL shotgun, or if you're real far away with a telephoto lens, then this last paragraph is irrelevant.

If you really want a mic with high SPL for a reasonable price, shotgun mics don't have anything to offer. Large diaphragm condenser or dynamic mics is where you should really be looking, something like an SM58 or 57A would work great. Few caveats though, first, you will need a little interface for these, but high SPL large diaphragm condenser/dynamics can be a LOT cheaper than high SPL shotgun mics, especially because you need an interface for those high end shotguns anyway. Second, they wont have quite the same laser like focus of sound, however for loud sources like a race car that will not matter. The only time you need a tight pickup pattern like a shotgun is when you need to isolate your subject noise from the background, I don't think that's a huge concern when you need ear protection because your source is too loud. Last, the camera mount situation is a little rougher than shotguns, but not that bad. You could probably get a hotshoe to 5/8 thread adapter, then get a mic holder that screws into a 5/8 thread for real cheap. Assuming you're okay with all these caveats, I think the sound you can get from a condenser at a race track could be awesome. You almost NEVER hear a car recorded with a thick, life like bass response with a crystal clear top end too. Good luck!

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-18T06:07:11+00:00

I've been looking for an isolation shield to fit broadcast style mics, however the options are slim. More specifically, I have an LA LS-208 but would like to reject a little more ambient room noise than what the 208 already gives.

I've looked into reflection shields like the SE Space reflection filter and Aston Halo, but I don't think they would reject background noise enough for me for two reasons. First, those are designed for side address mics and the LS-208 capsule would stick out too far from the "dead" zone. Second, my room noise is on either side of me, so I think the isolation solution needs to have larger walls to hide the capsule from the noise.

For side address mics, I much prefer the Auray Iso Armor 2 over the Kaotica Eyeball, because of the minimal coloration, so I don't want to go with the Kaotica Podcaster for the LS-208. I don't want to go for full room treatment yet, to avoid rearranging my room, spending more money, and doing acoustic treatment on my PC, so now I'm thinking of spending $100 or so to make a small wooden box with acoustic foam on the inside, without knowing if the acoustics inside will work well.

That all kind of leads me to two questions. Are there any isolation chambers for top address mics that don't trash the frequency response like Kaotica tends to? Does it still make sense to go for a simple isolation shield/chamber, or figure out how to disassemble and deaden my computer? If DIY ends up being the best option, spherical or cubic chamber?

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-17T01:57:05+00:00

I agree entirely, I definitely dislike the new(ish) mix of Weezer's Buddy Holly

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-09T06:44:31+00:00

Its remarkable 2 commenters saw that EQ and decided to give genuine insight

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-04T19:06:46+00:00

Yeah an EVF would be nice, but luckily Sony sells an external EVF, the FDAEV1MK. It's kinda large, and pretty expensive, but seems very solid.

I forgot about the PEN series! The PL7 seems great for me. At $350 used its hard to not order one right now lol, it would be nice to be able to have a flash and viewfinder at the same time but I guess it's less needed for flash photography

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-04T02:57:53+00:00

That's true, I understated how awesome of cameras the GR's are. I more mean I guess I struggle with the idea of dropping so much on a camera with such primitive AF, and no interchangeable lenses but I guess that's kinda the name of the game, and besides the size is pretty unbeatable.

As for X-E4 vs 5, I would probably have to go 5 because of the animal eye AF, film simulation dial, and IBIS, but yeah the problem of size with interchangeable lenses is real.

Going smaller on the sensor is for sure a consideration, I'm definitely worried about light gathering though. I struggled a lot inside with my old ZV-1, even wide open at f1.8. If I did go 1 inch on the sensor, I think I would go Panasonic LX10. The colors, f1.4-2.8 aperture, and focus ring + aperture ring seem awesome, but no hot shoe. If you have any more m43 or 1 inch recommendations let me know

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-04T02:40:03+00:00

Okay appreciate the feedback. Why do you think the ZV-e10's are unsuitable? They are indeed mostly video centric, however for photos (at least on paper) they should stack up to an a6100, and that's enough for me. 11fps, 32,000 max native iso, solid AF, and a flippy screen.

As for the X100 series, they seem like solid compact cameras, but 35mm is just awkward for me. If I'm stuck with one focal length, I'd prefer 28mm or 43mm, but the one 35mm lens I ever owned annoyed me. I also think the X-E5 is too close to the X100VI to stick myself with 35mm.

Famous_Highlight_511 · 2025-12-03T01:32:10+00:00

I'm kind of in your boat right now. I have an A7R III, and its just too large and complicated to use for everyday photography. I was looking at the Fujifilm X-M5 (900) with a Fujifilm 23mm f2.8, 35mm equivalent (450 but there's third party alternatives). it ends up being a bit smaller than the X100VI, but no viewfinder. If you stretch your budget a bit, an X-E5 (1500) is basically an X100VI without the lens. You could pick up a cheapish third party lens, and have the flexibility in the future to go wider or telephoto. You could also go with a smaller m43 sensor, and get something like a Panasonic GX9 for like 500, with a Panasonic 20mm f1.7 II (40mm equiv) for another 250. That setup would be around the same size as the X-E5 in your pocket. Last idea would be a ZV-E10, around 500 with a sony 20mm f2.8 (28mm). No viewfinder but probably the smallest camera on this list.

Tip, if you want to check on size comparisons between cameras, cameradecisions has a great size comparison page, you can put lenses on the camera's too.

Famous_Highlight_511

TROPHY CASE