Sold my FS7 today

P

Publimix

Well-known member
Sold my FS7 todyay. When I bought it I hoped it would last 10 years. And maybe it could. But... The FS7 was good, not stunning. Did the job. My B cam was a panasonic Lumix G camera. That is the one I didn't sell. Why? I had lower expectations on the panasonic camera. But the camera performed better than expected.
My expectations were high for the FS7, but it was never better than expected.
In the meantime I gathered more and more gear. Sold that too.

Conclusion, for me the FS7 was a 'middle end' camera, overkill for the jobs I do today. What I need now is a 'good-enough' camera that is light and small. One bright light two light and small tripods and a set of 'good enough' wireless lavaliers. That is what I need today. No car needed, just one bag with gear.

I also sold the Sachtler 15 carbon tripod, for the same amount I bought it. I'll miss the Sachtler, the joy of working with good gear. (And that isn't the thing I will miss from the FS7).
 
I did a similar thing 3 years back. Started using a GH5 and GH5S and realised how much better they were for me than the FS7.

The only thing I missed was the internal ND.

I'm awaiting the GH6 with interest.

Oh, and I've barley used a tripod since shooting the GH5/S - the dual IBIS on the 12-35, 35-100 and 42.5 is so good, it's too much faff pulling out the tripod. I can get rock solid, spookily static, shots hand held.

Ben.
 
Hahaha agreed I won't miss my fs7 either once it outlives its usefulness but that day has not come quite yet
 
A lot of us here started video production in a great transitional time that will never exist again. A block of 20, 30, 40 years consisting of the most dramatic camera/technological changes in history.

The FS7 was a really great camera considering its specifications and who it was coming from at the time for the price, but the "good enough" conclusion is one I personally had years ago and I think many others eventually do as well (although it doesn't work for everyone and their own work and career aspirations).
 
Currently selling my FS7 (DVX marketplace) because I'm not using it enough. I find myself using my A7SIII much more now. Unlike most of you guys I bought it recently (last year) and I probably should have waited to see what was coming i.e. the FX6, as to better match my A7SIII... It's still a capable camera and a good show for clients. I won't let myself be lowballed -- I'd rather keep it and use it on occasion.
 
NorBro said:
A lot of us here started video production in a great transitional time that will never exist again. A block of 20, 30, 40 years consisting of the most dramatic camera/technological changes in history.

The FS7 was a really great camera considering its specifications and who it was coming from at the time for the price, but the "good enough" conclusion is one I personally had years ago and I think many others eventually do as well (although it doesn't work for everyone and their own work and career aspirations).
Click to expand...

I don't think that's entirely the correct conclusion because they're not replacing the fs7 with an f x 6. Either you need the xlr inputs and the ND filters and the video camera body or you don't. There's a reason why I use my a7s three more than my fs7. But when I need my fs7, it can't be replaced by an A7 S3. So I think it really depends on if you're solely concerned with image quality and usability or if you have specific gig and client requests and needs
 
There's no specific conclusion there so not really sure what you're saying.

It's a thought that many people realize something is "good enough" for them and it can do the job just as well.

Your FS7 can be replaced by your a7SIII but you personally choose not to replace it.

Once you enter personal semantics, there are no conclusions for anything.
 
Aren't you implying that the FS7 is better than a lumix g camera, but the lumix g is good enough? Whereas I would say that the lumix g is probably better in terms of IQ. But just good enough in terms of body design and I/O. And no, my A7SIII can't replace my FS7 because they're different tools. It's not a personal choice
 
Nah, wasn't implying that because he never mentioned which model he has.

If anything, I was more defending that the FS7 was a decent camera for the time since the OP sounded a little down on it.

And, yes, if I had a FS7 it could be replaced by an a7SIII, but it can't for you because you view them as different tools and you personally choose not to. It's a personal choice.

I also said in parentheses (although it doesn't work for everyone and their own work and career aspirations) if you missed it.
 
NorBro said:
A lot of us here started video production in a great transitional time that will never exist again. A block of 20, 30, 40 years consisting of the most dramatic camera/technological changes in history...
Click to expand...
Digital cameras got into the "high end consumer/low end pro" range sometime in the late 00's. Prior to that, they were very pricey and reserved for the established pros and the big money cinematographers. That lasted about a decade. Now, it's entering the "iPhone" era.
 
Yeah, that's part of the great transition. Although cinematographers didn't use digital cameras until later.

But at least in the 80s/90s, you could buy something. Most people did not even have access to motion picture film equipment before the digital years.
 
NorBro said:
Nah, wasn't implying that because he never mentioned which model he has.

If anything, I was more defending that the FS7 was a decent camera for the time since the OP sounded a little down on it.

And, yes, if I had a FS7 it could be replaced by an a7SIII, but it can't for you because you view them as different tools and you personally choose not to. It's a personal choice.

I also said in parentheses (although it doesn't work for everyone and their own work and career aspirations) if you missed it.
Click to expand...

I have clients who request an fs7 specifically. I could pitch them an fx6 or an fx9 but not an a7siii, so it isn't a personal choice.

But sure, if it were just up to me, I could just use the a7siii instead (or 2 of them, since the a7siii is usually the b camera for an interview)
 
So then it's someone else's personal choice to use a FS7? Are you seeing the logic behind my assertions?

Yeah, if you get hired to bring a LF, you can't bring a Lumix.

And why does it always come back to you and weddings and what you need. lol

This is a thread about someone else's realization.
 
I've never used the FS7 on a wedding. But yeah personal usually means personal. And not...personal for someone else who isn't you. Its not a personal choice to get a driver's license before you drive just because your legislators personally chose it
 
All weddings will be 8K next year...hopefully you make a personal choice to upgrade, man...it's going to be a doozy of a season.
 
If that were true, my personal choice would be whether or not to keep shooting weddings. Buying an 8K camera would not be a choice.

I wholeheartedly agree that you can get better footage from mirrorless cameras that are newer than the FS7. It is my personal choice to avoid using it whenever possible. But some people have only clients that would never accept a mirrorless camera as an A camera. It's as simple as that
 
Yeah, but everyone knows that, man...the entire industry always had certain requirements and people buy cameras because of Netflix's list. And how many times do you see people in marketplace listings say, "We purchased this camera for a project that's now complete so we're looking to sell it." or something similar.

None of it has anything to do with my comment about people realizing that some equipment can do a "good enough" job for them.

Always happy to get into it with you, but you completely missed the mark on this one.

Read it again...

A lot of us here started video production in a great transitional time that will never exist again. A block of 20, 30, 40 years consisting of the most dramatic camera/technological changes in history.

The FS7 was a really great camera considering its specifications and who it was coming from at the time for the price, but the "good enough" conclusion is one I personally had years ago and I think many others eventually do as well (although it doesn't work for everyone and their own work and career aspirations).

How does that translate to some people not requiring certain equipment for their work?

It means that some people realized they can do their work with certain equipment.
 
What exactly does good enough mean in this context? This is what confused me. It seemed to imply that the FS7 was better than the Lumix, but that it was overkill for the work. And the lumix was good enough. Whereas I would reckon that the lumix probably looks better.

But if someone requires you to have built-in XLRs and internal ND, then the comparison is moot. And if the issue at hand is a cameraman personally realizing that he can do without those, then that makes sense, although you yourself found major benefits from eND. I so wish I had that on every camera, but I make do with vari-NDs because they're good enough :). And, more to the point, eND is not available on a camera with the form factor/other features/price I want.
 
Doesn't the opening post sound like a story of a guy realizing he doesn't need what's sometimes considered the best or has a certain status in the industry, and has come to the conclusion that he could get by with less?

We still don't know which Lumix - could be a G9, could be a S1H - but why would anyone describe the S1H as "good enough"? Clearly, to me, the camera in question would be considered inferior by the general population. Even if it's a G9 and it might look better to YOU, it would still be considered a lesser model.

If his clients asked for eND or XLR or something else, isn't it common sense that he wouldn't be making a post like this?

And that selling a bunch of gear and using some existing and new "good enough" gear will get the job done?
 
Yeah, his post made sense to me. It's just that his camera probably looks better than the FS7 anyway (which I'm used to people throwing shade at for a while now). I think my GH5 looks way better than the FS7. I dont know the other G cameras but if they look like the GH5 just with different codecs, then I'd probably prefer them as well. Anyway, I get what you meant now
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top