Wow. I hadn’t even looked at the Short video, I had no idea it was up to 2500 views! It’s funny because I recorded the long video a week ago and spent too much time color correcting then UN-color correcting, editing, chopping, and shooting b-roll. But I recorded the short video in about 5 minutes and edited it quickly. I hate trying to play to the short attention spans of people, but I also know that sometimes I ramble and can be redundant with some of my information so I’m trying to find a happy medium. Anyway, I hope either video helped :-)

@@MarcusHutsell I actually enjoyed the long form video, it was educational and you had examples, and you explained the why. You may do extremely well with short form.

Thank you so much, I'm glad the video helped :)

Awesome! Thank you!

You’re welcome :)

Thank you so much, I appreciate it. And you’re very welcome. Happy recording :-)

Thank you Jose!! Much appreciated :)

Glad it was helpful!

Hi there. Absolutely. Remember you can use either full-frame E-mount lenses, of which I already own a few, and I have, and DO use them in this video (specifically the Sigma 16-28 f2.8). However, in the darker/low light environment, I wanted something with a larger aperture so I could lower the ISO on the FX30, so I decided to get the Viltrox 13mm f1.4.....and I have been loving that lens-FX30 combination!! It's my side-camera at the beginning of this video, and it gives me the field-of view I want, and allows me to keep my ISO at 400 for my standard office/studio shots.....and that's what *I wanted, as I felt the ISO performance of the FX30 isn't quite as good at the same ISO numbers as my full frame Sony A7iv. And, all of my full frame lenses are a maximum of f2.8....so, getting that Viltrox 13mm F1.4 was great. I have had autofocus issues with the FX30 as the side camera. After changing some settings AND updating the firmware on the lens, the autofocus issues seem to have gotten better. For self-filming......I always stay within a 16 to 24mm "full frame equivalent" field of view.......which comes out to 90 degrees (16mm full-frame) to about 73 degrees (24mm full frame.). The eqivalent field of view on the FX30 would be using a lens from about 11mm (which equals about the same field of view on the FX30 as a 16mm on full-frame, or about 90 degrees).......and up to about a 16mm on the FX30 (which comes out to about the same field of view as a 24mm on full frame, or about 73 degrees. So....for me, in my studio, for self filming, the Viltrox 13mm has been a really good lens for the field of view......not too wide, not too narrow, so I can keep the camera close. I tried the Sony 11mm, it was just too wide for my needs.....but, of course, it's a prime-lens, so no zooming. For filming OTHER people.....and if you need a longer zoom range, I'd try the Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 specifically for APS-C, I've been testing that lens and it has a long zoom range (about a 24-105 equvalent) and that lens, and all my other Tamron lenses have been great.....17mm on APS-C (FX30) is wide enough to still self-film while being close-enough to the camera, but long-enough zoom-wise to get really tight shots on people further away from you, and it's the aperture is constant at f2.8 throughout the zoom-range.....which is really important for video. The Tamron 17-70 is still $700, not terribly cheap, so if you didn't need the extended zoom range, but it's actually cheaper than the full-frame Tamron 17-28, which is also a great lens and works on both full frame and APS-C. (granted, any Sony E-Mount lens will work on full-frame or APS-C, different fields of view, and you may have to use crop-mode on the full-frame, like an A7iv). The Sigma 16mm is also a great lens. it's a prime, no zooming, equivalent to 24mm, *maybe too wide for filming others, but it's a great lens. Sigma also makes a 30mm, which is the same as a 45mm on full frame. That lens would be good for filming other people since you may need to be further away from your interviewee, and it's under $300. Lastly, in the middle is the Sigma 18-50mm, $549, I haven't tried it, but I trust anything from Sigma. That's a decent zoom range, you could do some filming if you still want to be close to the camera (you'd get about the same field of view as a 27mm full frame lens.....), but you get a long-zoom of about a 75mm equivalent. And, as long as you're light is good and you can keep the ISO lower, you'd be good-to-go with any of these f2.8 zoom lenses as well. I've had great video-quality with all of my Tamron lenses......I actually do NOT even own a Sony-lens at this point. I hope that helps!

Hi there. Thank you so much, I'm glad you found the video helpful. So, I ended up getting the Viltrox 13mm. It's about the equivalent field of of view as a 20mm on a full frame camera. And where I have my FX30 (over to my side) is the perfect field of view that I want in my office/desk setup. 13mm on the FX30 is also great for hand-holding VLOGGING, as it's wide enough so you don't have to hold the camera too far out. I tried the 11mm, which is about like a 16mm on full-frame, and, for me, the 11mm was just too wide for my needs. I have not tried the 10-20mm F4, however, I opted for the Viltrox 13mm f1.4 (prime, no zoom).....BECAUSE I wanted/needed that larger aperture. I found that the ISO is more noisy on the FX30 as opposed to my Sony A7iv, when at the same ISO number, and I just noticed a difference, so I got the Viltrox 13mm F1.4 and I can now keep my ISO pretty low, and the image is just that much cleaner. Personally, I think the viltrox 13mm would be great for what you need, as you can still VLOG with it, and get a pretty wide field of view for city-walking, and you won't look as distorted or small in frame as you would with the 11mm. So the Viltrox is my vote! Happy filming, cheers!

Hi there. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. Even though I do, occasionally, like the low-contrast foggy look, I just find that if I ever try to edit that way, I don't seem to like it on myself, and I really try to use my videos as a way to practice color grading, reading scopes, USING those scopes to determine if anything's wrong in my color or contrast, etc. And I usually end up coming back to a "standard" contrast image most of the time. And of course, with most of my videos since I'm using 2 different brand cameras and lenses, it gives me more practice to try to match cameras. Granted, in this video, I didn't HAVE to match cameras as closely, but I also wanted to show that the GH5, a camera released in 2017, is still a great camera and it produces just as good of an image as it always does and absolutely competes with the newest cameras. And I actually really tried to match the colors between my GH5 and the FX30 on my front shot as much as possible so that it's hard to tell which-is-which. It took a bit of color tweking and exposure in-post, but not a lot. Aaaaanyway, so glad you found this video helpful, cheers, and happy recording!

I honestly don’t know. Nobody ever seems to talk about variable shutter, but it’s one of my favorite features about the A7iv and the FX30. It just seems that nobody else really cares about it as much, but it’s so useful in so many situations when you’re filming under various and unpredictable lights, or when you have to film video screens. I’ve watched a few other videos on the supposed firmware update coming later in 2024, but nobody I’ve watched mentioned anything about variable shutter, only shutter angle. Adding variable shutter, seems like such a simple thing that they could put on the FX3, so I guess we shall see

I think it would be a great idea for future updates to have that, however I can see if no one asks for this it won’t happen. Fan of all of your videos!! @@MarcusHutsell

@@MarcusHutsell I care!!! Was one of the main reasons I bought the FX30 instead of the FX3. How great is that Viltrox 13mm btw? I love it :)

Hi there. I'd probably go for the Sigma 16-28 f 2.8 lens which is a full-frame lens and will give you the same field of view as roughly a 24-42mm if you were to use that lens on a full-frame camera. But, on the FX30, you'll get that "equivalent" of about that 24~42mm. For me, if I'm filming myself at my desk (like most of my videos), I'm on roughly a 24mm for my front-view, so 24 to 26mm is a good focal length for ME for self-filming, it means I can be close enough to the camera to still reach it if I lean forward, which means I can still grab the SD card without standing up and moving from my chair, etc, while still having "me" in the frame as I want......about a waist-to-head shot. If you're going to film yourself, I'd recommend something in the 20mm to 26mm equivalent field of view, range and the Sigma 16-28 will give you that once the FX30 crops in on that lens. You could also go for the Tamron 17-28, which is about the same price, but it's going to be a bit narrower field of view, roughly 25.5mm equivalent....so, just weigh your options, but having that extra bit of width with the sigma can be very important with crop-sensor cameras. The Sigma 16-28 and the Tamron 17-28 are both f 2.8 constant aperture lenses, both full-frame lenses (but again, can be used just fine on the FX30), and are about the same price. My only issue with the Sigma lens is that it has a longer close-focusing distance which means you can't hold up small objects to the lens as close. I have a video about that here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fsyjqNGAnN2cep8.html Both the Sigma and Tamron will obviously zoom in to get a tigher field of view, roughly that 42mm equivalent which is a great focal length when filming OTHER people. For example, a lot of people will use a "35mm" lens when doing interviews.....and etiher of these lenses will give you the same "35mm equivalent" when they're at about 23mm on their respective zoom rings. As far as blurred background......stick to as wide of an aperture as you can afford!! These f2.8 lenses are best for that......i opted to go for the Viltrox 13mm which gives me about a 20mm equivalent field of view, but the Viltrox is a prime lens (no zoom) but it's f1.4!!!! So, long story short.......stick with something in the 16-28mm range to be able to self-film, have decently wide-ish b-roll, and be able to film other people without having to be RIGHT in their face. Let me know how it goes, cheers!

Hi Jose, I almost forgot! I recently tried the Tamron 17-70mm f2.8 lens that was designed for Sony APS-C cameras. It will also give you the same field of view on the wide end as the Tamron 17-28, but the 17-70mm will obviously give you a LOT more zoom on the long end. I found the 17-70mm had basically the same color, sharpness, etc, as the 17-28, and it's about the same price. So, you'd only be gaining zoom range on the long end with that lens, while only giving up a bit on the wide-end. Cheers!

Hi there. Great question! Personally, I wouldn't go smaller sensor than an APS-C (which the Sony FX30 has)....because I am just used to the clean images you get with larger sensors and the lenses/glass that go with them.....but dropping down to APS-C from full frame can still get you a great image with the same light........but It also depends on your distance from camera to stage. For an example, about a year ago I used my Sony A7iv and my Tamron 28-75 to capture a wide-shot of the main stage, which was 24' wide. That image looked GREAT, and I was 60 feet from camera-to-stage. I may have even been using "crop mode" on the A7i4 which would be the exact equivalent field of view as using the FX30 with the same lens. I'm spoiled by full frame sensors/glass and the very very clean and sharp images they offer over smaller sensor sizes and lenses like the Panasonic GH5. The problem with most cheaper or less expensive cameras/systems is that you'll either be sacrificing quality, or you might sacrifice potential failures like the camera overhearing, shutting down, and not capturing the entire event. This CAN be a problem with more photo-centric cameras like Sony's A7c line or even the Sony A7iv. Whereas the FX30 is a video-first camera and will just keep going. You can, of course, try the camcorder route, but the only camcorder I really have a lot experience with is the Panasonic CX-350, and that camera is $3500, so, more expensive than the FX30 + lens. So.....if you can swing it at all.......depending on your distance-to-stage, I'd try to go with: FX30 + Tamron 17-70f.28 lens.....that gives you roughly a "25-105mm" on a full frame system. Not super tight, but still a decent long zoom range. FX30: $1800 Tamron 17-70 f2.8: $700 Total: $2500 Or you could go with the Tamron 18-300 for the "low" price of only $700.......but you get a REALLY LONG zoom range.....but you do sacrifice that lens being a variable aperture thought, so you'd have to make that up with more light or higher ISOs Lastly, if you needed to save some $$, you could get the full-frame lens Tamron 70-300mm.....which means you'd get a "105mm to 450mm" and for only $500, but again, variable aperture. But if your camera shot is locked-off and you're not zooming DURING the performance, then variable aperture is not a problem. I have found that all my Tamron lenses produce a great image without completely breaking the bank. However, I know that $1800+$500 is still $2300 and that's no small chunk of change, but that would get you a really great image and you wouldn't be sacrificing much in terms of functionality. Otherwise, you might want to look at camcorder style video cameras. I hope some of that helps!! Good luck, and happy recording!

Thanks For or your help. My local camera shop recommends the Tamron 18-300 lens. While recording I zoom in and pan across the Chorus. Should I consider a power zoom lens, but they are pricey. Our budget is around $2500. For years I have been using a Sony Camcorder. Was looking to move up to Cannon XA55 when the camera store recommended the FX30

@@greatlakeschorus6887 If you're doing live-zooming, then yes, I would try to get a pwoer-zoom lens. If you're REAL steady with your zooming, you CAN get a good real-time zoom with a regular, manual-zoom lens, but you have to practice. That's the tough part of using these small DSLR/Mirrorless, hand-held style cameras, is that they're not primarily meant to live-event type work. You might look at the Sony E, PZ 18-105 f4 lens. It's a power zoom the main lens used for live-event work for Sony Cameras is the Sony FE PZ 28-135mm f/4 G OSS Full-Frame Power Zoom Lens. I've used it a LOT on the FX6, FX7, FX9, and it does work on the FX3/FX30 as well. But, it's $2500 and is not that long of a zoom range, but it's a ENG/Live style lens. Otherwise you might try the Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens, it's only $650 and a constant F4 aperture. But yes, if you're doing real-time, live zooming, I'd get something that can utilize power-zoom so you don't have to try to manual zoom the lens with your whole hand.

haha!! Oh, man, I KNEW someone was going to see that! I didn't see it when I was filming, but I did see it when I was editing this video, and I just didn't want to re-shoot it.......but it bothered me knowing it was there! good eye ;)

@@MarcusHutsell How do you safely cleaned the sensor? can you make a video about that? (FX30 Owner with a dirty sensor)

Thank you!

ha! oddly enough, I actually prefer the way I look with the GH5 and the 12mm f1.4 Panasonic more than the FX30 with the Sigma 16-28 lens in this particular video. the fields of view, although very similar, each lens distorts my face differently, but I honestly prefer the GH5 in this case! But good to know that others (you) are seeing things I am not. :)

​@@MarcusHutsellhaha! I think I preferred the first one as well! That is so wild, though; such an interesting video.

Hi there. Are you talking about the "front" shot where I'm facing the camera? Or the side shot? obviously they're both in the same spot at my desk, I just want to ensure I know what you mean, as the video cuts to the side-shot camera right at 2:13. Let me know! And thank you :)

​@@MarcusHutsell front shot, it looks incredible and cinematic lighting. i currently got a a6000 and plan to upgrade to the fx30 since i can't achieve that look with it. no slog3

Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Keep in mind that at 2:12, you’re actually looking at my Panasonic GH5, But even when I do swap the FX30 to the front shot, it’s the same lighting, of course. I switch to the FX 30 on the front shot at 5:25 Also, I usually just shoot in a non-picture profile, so just using Sony’s “creative look” or S.Cinetone on my FX 30 in my A7iv. I have used Slog3 on my A7iv a bit, but the fx30 and A7iv “creative styles” just looks so good already that I often don’t want the extra step of converting the SLog… Not that it’s that hard with DaVinci resolve, but I have limited time when I record so I just need to get to it and get it done

@@MarcusHutsell Just to clarify... You're only using S-Cinetone in this video when showing the FX30 directly in front of you? If so, it looks great. Any tweaks in post?

;)

Yeah. That’s the general consensus. But it’s still a video-first camera and is meant for video….which for me means I can hit record and it will just keep recording….as long as it has power and Sd card space. That’s the main reason I got it because I had too many limitations with more hybrid, photo first cameras like the A7iii and A7iv.