Quandary over video.

[TCR4x4]

I’ve started a new project which has gained traction quicker than I anticipated.
Im going out into the Forest behind my house and recording the ambient sounds with a high quality recorder. I’m also filming a simple static scene to accompany It. It works and it’s ok, but I’m using my fuji xt1 and the video quality isn’t great, and the crap bitrate really is exaggerated in the forest with all the fine details. I wouldn’t mind experimenting with more dynamic shots too, although the focus (pardon the pun) is on the audio for mediation/sleep.
So now I’m looking at options to improve the video Without a huge financial outlay.

I started looking at the Sony A7, old, but full frame and still seems like it’s decent. But then I thought I’ve got over a grands worth of Fuji lenses here ( 10-24, 18-55, 23f/2 and samyang 12mm). So the xt3 seems like the obvious choice, but it’s still so bloody expensive and having just bought the Mavic air 2 for £949, I can’t afford another £700+ on the xt3
I could get an a7 body for around £400 and then find a nice wide prime Either Sony or 3rd party, even old stuff as manual focus is no problem. I’d have sell all the Fuji stuff to cover the cost of the switch, but I’d still have a decent stills camera and video too.

I love the xt1 for stills, but it just sucks so hard on video and at the moment, video is making money, photography isn’t. Back a few months ago when I was deciding what to buy, it was between the Fuji and a Sony a6000, video wasn’t important then, so the Fuji won.. typical.

So, ditch all the Fuji gear and go old school a7, or try raise a few hundred quid and keep my Fuji glass and get the xt3?

All the video will be in a dark forest that covered in old iron workings and mines, so low light must be decent. I know the a7 is good there, not sure on the xt3. Can a newer apsc really compete with Older full frame?

Help please!

 

[nandbytes]

I love the xt1 for stills, but it just sucks so hard on video and at the moment, video is making money, photography isn’t. Back a few months ago when I was deciding what to buy, it was between the Fuji and a Sony a6000, video wasn’t important then, so the Fuji won.. typical.

I am surprised the X-T1 won at anything

So, ditch all the Fuji gear and go old school a7, or try raise a few hundred quid and keep my Fuji glass and get the xt3?

All the video will be in a dark forest that covered in old iron workings and mines, so low light must be decent. I know the a7 is good there, not sure on the xt3. Can a newer apsc really compete with Older full frame?

Help please!

On a more serious note if you cannot afford X-T3 then I'd rather take X-T30 over A7 any day especially considering you have some very decent glass on Fuji already.

You should only be looking at sony if there are certain features/lenses on Sony that interest you that you cannot get on Fuji or if you want to go FF which is never going to be an option on fuji.

 

[TCR4x4]

Xt30 is a good call, didn’t even think of that. Only downside I can see is the paltry recording time. 10 mins at 4k, or 15 minutes at 1080. As my videos are an hour long at least, I’m trying to minimise the amount of looping. I do fade the video out after 30 minutes to black though for those using them to sleep, so I could just fade out earlier.
The xt3 is better at 30 mins for 1080. I guess if I decide to go dynamic for each video it’s not so much of an issue, but it’s a hell of a lot more work. As it stands now, I set the camera and press record and leave it there until it ends. All the while the external recorder Is recording the ambient sound. If I was to record clips, then the audio would have to be recorded separately as I couldn’t be crashing around the woods filming whilst it’s running.
The xt30 looks ideal apart from that, I just can’t see 15 minutes being quite long enough for the static shots which is such a shame.
Certainly worth keeping in mind though,

 

[nandbytes]

hmmm... that's a tough one in some ways. Newer cameras like Sony A6400 actually have no recording limits. I am sure there are others bodies and also from other brands but I don't know which one. Worth investigating if you really value no-limit recording.

Have you considered the likes of 1" bridge cameras like sony RX series or panasonic LX series for video?

 

[TCR4x4]

I haven’t no. I’ve had an rx100 before and a canon g7x and they were both ok. Not sure how the newer models stack up and what sort of control over colour profiles there is. Will have to investigate.

 

[nandbytes]

I haven’t no. I’ve had an rx100 before and a canon g7x and they were both ok. Not sure how the newer models stack up and what sort of control over colour profiles there is. Will have to investigate.

I know the later RX100s (mk4 onwards I think) give you s-log for example and other advanced video features. Not a great fan of RX100 bodies personally but I know of a few of vloggers who really like it. Something like RX100mk4 or mk5 can be had for really good bargains at the moment.

 

[TCR4x4]

I suppose the small form factor is good in a way, as I’m going deep into the forest off the paths and into old quarries and mines, so it’s easier to carry, but yes, I prefer a bigger form factor. I have to carry 2 tripods and the audio gear anyway so I doubt a little extra weight of a mirrorless body makes much difference.

 

[4wd]

I know this is complete gash - I was only playing with manual focus but decided to quickly upload to see how colours looked on YT - from RX100v to give you an idea.
Recorded at 1080p handheld and Cine2 + still

sLOG is disappointing on these as bitrate is insufficient you often get banding in the sky and dealing with lowest ISO1600 is problematic as you want shutter 1/50 or maybe 1/00 if at 50fps ideally.
The 100v has useful inbuilt ND though, for some reason they dropped that in later models and not sure when it started could just be the mk5.
It also goes down to F1.4 for blurry backgrounds

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbAChUS0sbA

 

[TCR4x4]

That’s useful, thanks. Similar sort of environment I’m in.
Not sure the image “pops” quite how like it too. Im probably expecting too much in what I want, but doesn’t hurt to Dream!