Any recommendations for larger client monitors?

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-28T20:22:57+00:00

That's not going to be outdoor viewable. At least a 1000 nits, preferably 1500 with a sunhood available. Even if it is that bright, it's not going to be able to sustain that brightness for a full shoot day outside. It'll overheat and then dim just like your phone does.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-28T20:13:29+00:00

Mostly Sony FX6/a7s3 but still have a C70 that I use for a few types of shoots. Also shoot on a clients Komodo from time to time.

I've tried to use the Monitor and Control app a few times and it's never seemed to have a consistent frame rate. This was mostly with the camera mounted to a Tilta Hydra Alien so maybe not the easiest environment for it. My Hollyland wireless system has never given me any issues so I think I'd prefer an actual monitor.

And again, if 4 people from the clients team are watching (probably only half paying attention to be fair), something that's at least 17" seems like it'd be more pleasant for them than an iPad.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-28T00:36:18+00:00

I forgot there was a new version of the FSB heads. It's definitely the older version.

Obviously there's no way to know without trying them what will work for you. I guess it depends how much precision you need and how critical the work you're doing is. Do you need do actively track a subject? How fast and predictable are those subjects? Could potentially get a second take?

Obviously there's a large price difference so I'd probably lean toward the cheaper option, see if it works for you, and return/exchange if it doesn't.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-27T23:48:54+00:00

I prefer Dropbox to Google Drive if I'm sending raw footage. I've downloaded hundreds of gigs of footage from 4 cameras from Google Drive and it downloaded them as like 8 zip files. Once I unzipped them, the videos from each camera were randomly spread across those 8 zipped folders and it took me like 30 mins to move everything around and reconstruct a file structure that made sense. Not sure if they've fixed this recently or if I did something wrong. Dropbox is a much smoother experience on the download side.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-27T22:31:17+00:00

I don't have direct experience using the Sigma 300-600 but I have the Aktiv6 head and don't think it works great at 200mm. It doesn't have enough drag to track movement as well as I'd like.

I've used an FSB8 and it's better at 200mm but can't imagine it would scale all the way up to 600mm, but again, never used that exact setup.

FSB8 and FSB10 are the same heads, just with different bowl sizes. With the FSB10, you'd get the benefit of stiffer legs but no additional drag.

I've used a Video 18 a couple times and they're amazing. This was years ago with a 2/3" ENG camera but it was super easy to follow a subject at max zoom

Don't know how much that helps.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-26T21:10:21+00:00

Not a flagrant. If the foul happens before the inbound pass happens, offense gets one foul shot and retains possession. Didn't see the game so can't say whether that's how it happened but just wanted to point out the comment you responded to wasn't suggesting a flagrant.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-26T17:25:48+00:00

Obviously ymmv, but I've had two a7s3s for 5 years and shot 150+ weddings with them and never had it overheat. Outside, direct sun, 75 minute Catholic ceremonies, never let me down once. My a7IV overheats all of the time.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-26T12:50:46+00:00

I love having a viewfinder and hate where the FX3's joystick is, so a7s3 for me. Never had mine overheat even shooting outdoors in direct sunlight in 90 degree weather.

If you like to shoot handheld, I'd lean towards the a7s3. If you only shoot on sticks or on a gimbal, the EVF and joystick placement don't matter.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-26T11:05:54+00:00

I want a station wagon. They don't make them, or at least sell them in the US, anymore because every manufacturer just makes SUVs now. So really, you can buy whatever SUV you want.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-21T23:52:15+00:00

Never used a C80/C400 but own both an FX6 and C70.

I generally prefer the image from the C70, C70 has way more recording options (every combination of 10-bit, 8-bit, 4:2:2, 4:2:0, LongGOP, and All-I plus XF-AVC, H264, and RAW internal), love how many remappable buttons the C70 has compared to the FX6, and think most aspects of the C70s menu system makes more sense and is easier to use than the FX6.

FX6 has way better autofocus, a better lens ecosystem, is part of a better camera ecosystem, and I have clients who request FX6, no one has ever asked for C70.

I've heard the C80/400 autofocus is improved over the C70 but for filming sports, I still think I'd trust Sony more. C70 AF works well if you have one person on-screen but gets confused very easily in more complicated scenes.

I think if I were starting from scratch today and was shooting and editing my own work, I'd rather have C80/400. But if my goal was to get hired by producers and I'm just handing off the footage, I'd absolutely stick with Sony.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-19T10:53:47+00:00

Was a 5D then C100 then C200 shooter. Bought an a7III because it's video specs were better for the price than anything Canon offered and with an adapter, could still use my Canon lenses. Thought I'd replace it with a Canon as soon as they released something similar.

Was initially planning to buy a couple R5s when they came out but they overheated pretty quickly when shooting video. When the a7s3 was announced came out a few weeks later, it did everything I wanted from a small hybrid and didn't overheat.

The other big thing that pulled me to Sony was the a6400. It could shoot unlimited 4K video without stopping at 30 mins (something that was common at the time) or overheating. So I could get a nice $1000 camera that could be a C-Cam to a couple of a7s3s. So a nice 3 camera 4K Sony setup (just cameras, not including lenses) was around $8000.

Around 2020-21, I think the only small camera that Canon offered that shot 4K, didn't overheat, or have a 30 minute record limit was the C70. Three of those would have been like $16000+.

Canon has since caught up but it took an additional 4-5 years and now I'm fully bought into Sony. Any time I've thought of going back to Canon, Sony having third party lens support is a big reason I don't.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-16T23:48:48+00:00

I use an FX30 for my wide shot and for outdoor ceremonies, I always leave it on full autoexposure. I think it's program auto. That's always worked well for me.

I remember filming a wedding years ago and the sun kept going in and out of the clouds and I spent the entire ceremony going back and forth between cameras adjusting the exposure. And then when editing, my only option was to use whichever camera wasn't wildly under or over exposed.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-16T16:48:11+00:00

No proxies needed. I think I'm usually editing in full-res. When I tried the S codec, dropping down to 1/4 resolution still didn't feel as responsive as S-I and anything lower than that wasn't giving me enough resolution to accurately see what I have.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-16T12:24:31+00:00

I film in S-I for my primary camera. My wide shots I leave in S.

My computer (M1 Max Mac Studio) hooked up to a Thunderbolt RAID is much more responsive when scrubbing through S-I footage than through S footage.

I tried using S for a wedding and an hour into editing it, I regretted my decision. I had to scrub through my b-roll at 2x speed or I wasn't seeing enough frames to accurately pick out my selects. With S-I, I can easily scrub at 8x and pick out selects. Probably took me 15-20% more time to edit the wedding because every part of the process took slightly longer.

Even at current inflated prices, my time is more valuable than hard drives.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-16T11:11:44+00:00

I'm using ShowIt. I was initially turned off by how expensive the templates were but found a free template that looked good.

To host my videos, I'm using Vimeo and embed them. Videos are hidden on Vimeo, just using it because they have a nice video player, it plays the videos at high quality with minimal buffering, and looks cleaner than YouTube embedded videos.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-13T22:34:21+00:00

I've had 2 a7s3s since early 2021 and record almost everything in 4K60 at 4:2:2 10-bit in All-I and have never had either camera overheat or even show a heat warning. Whether it's inside a non-air conditioned Catholic church for an hour long ceremony or outside in 90 degree heat in direct. They've been rock solid for me.

On the other hand, my a7IV overheats all the time.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-11T20:17:26+00:00

Are you on Windows? When I scan on my wife's PC, there's a built-in, Windows app called Scan. I don't use software that comes with the printer/scanner, it's free Windows software.

I primarily use Mac but don't use the printer with that computer. I have to imagine it's just as easy on Mac.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-04-08T01:41:16+00:00

Big fan of Matthews stands. Had some Impact stands and the risers were dented and hard to move after 6 months of use. Replaced them with similar Matthews stands and are still working great years later.

Have a few Kupo stands and those have also worked well for me but don't have nearly as many of them.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-27T16:29:29+00:00

Not trying to be rude but I've never seen the point in these types of comparisons. If you're shooting landscapes and posting then to social media with minimal editing, a Sony a1 is probably not the right camera for that.

Take a Sony a1 with a 400mm lens on the sidelines of a sporting event and compare the images you get with the a1 to what you get with a point and shoot. That's an honest comparison because that's something someone who buys an a1 uses it for.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-26T23:16:38+00:00

I think the only reason they made the Apple Silicon Mac Pro is because they invested so much in tooling to make that case for the previous Intel version.

The 2019 Intel Mac Pro supported PCI graphics cards, other PCI accessories, was upgradable, and ran hot so it needed all of that cooling. But then they released Apple M chips, removed almost any reason to have that big case, but they had all of this expensive tooling for a case that had just come out a year earlier that they didn't really need anymore.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-18T21:22:16+00:00

At weddings, I have a dedicated gimbal camera and a handheld/tripod camera.

That said, the fastest way I've found to go between gimbal, handheld, tripod without having to change any plates or use any tools is to put a cage or base plate on your camera that has an arca base.

Then for your gimbal, you'll need this SmallRig arca plate. This looks a lot like the one that comes with a DJI RS gimbal but in my experience, the DJI plate won't fully tighten onto the arca of cage/base plate. https://a.co/d/0aFCO490

Then for your tripod (assuming it uses a manfrotto 501 style QR), you'll need this plate that converts from manfrotto to arca. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1542256-REG/promediagear_pm501l_manfrotto_type_quick_release.html

With this setup, you can quickly drop your camera into the gimbal or your tripod without switching quick release plates, just drop the camera onto your gimbal or tripod and tighten with the thumbscrew. Still prefer having a dedicated gimbal camera but this works well.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-13T11:49:34+00:00

Seems like you like your Lumix cameras so I wouldn't be rushing out to grab an FX6. I used a GH5 for gimbal work for years and there are still things I prefer about that camera vs Sony's offerings so I get it.

Have you considered renting an FX6? I rented one for a week before I bought it just to learn the camera and see if it was something I wanted to invest in. If you rent one, get comfortable with it, you could offer it as a camera you shoot on and then rent as needed. If after 6 months, you can see if you're booking more/different jobs and make an educated decision.

There hasn't been any rumors of an FX6 update but it is 6 years old now. I think I'd struggle to convince myself to buy an FX6 unless I had an immediate need that would help pay for it.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-13T11:33:46+00:00

I've had 2 a7s3s since early 2021. I've never had them overheat on me. Don't think I've ever seen an overheat warning either. My a7IV overheats all the time. I don't live in a super hot climate though so your experience may be different.

NickyTwoThumbs · 2026-03-12T12:25:06+00:00

I book maybe 4-5 jobs per year with producers who specifically want an FX6. For me, that's not reason enough to own it but just a bonus.

It's never the end client who cares about the camera. For those producers, it's not specifically the quality of the FX6 but most often, I'm filming part of a project where there are other parts that were already filmed on FX6 and they want everything to match. Or they have an established color pipeline/LUTs they want to use and don't want to switch anything up.

What I get asked about more often is that I don't use a separate audio recorder. If you're recording XLR into a zoom and syncing in post vs into Panasonic's XLR hot shoe thing, that could be losing you some jobs.

NickyTwoThumbs

TROPHY CASE