Hey all!
I'll cut to the chase. I currently own a Sony FX6 along with a set of vintage Contax Zeiss lenses. I mainly work as a focus puller or camera operator in South Florida, where our work largely consists of branded content, commercials, documentary, reality and music videos.
My goals are to shoot more, specifically to create a portfolio of work that represents the kind of work that I want to be doing. While I grow my reel, I'm often a solo shooter, or shooting run and gun. I have no interest in ENG and reality. And although I think the new Sony cameras put out a beautiful image, with more dynamic range than the Komodo, and improved color science, I think it still gets pushed aside as an ENG camera and doesn't get chosen for work in that realm.
Options I'm looking at include the Red Komodo, Sony FX9, and also the Canon C-Series (C300 mkIII or C500mkII)
I mean, as a focus puller, I've been on a couple commercial sets where the Komodo has been the main camera. Although I could care less, I know that brand name carries weight in our industry unfortunately, as does legacy.
I have no necessity for autofocus. I love the idea of shooting Raw straight out of camera so the Red seems like a great option, but I'm put off by the lack of internal ND's, Super 35 sensor (I love having a wider native field of view), and the top mounted touch screen. I also like the fact that I can mount it on an RS2.
I looked at the C70 but the lack of SDI out is a deal breaker to me. The C300mkIII's RAW out is great though, and they can be found used for pretty inexpensive. The C500, albeit more expensive, is a full frame powerhouse, however it's not a camera I see rented often in my market, and although I'd mainly be using this camera for personal use, I would still like to be able to make some passive income off of rentals with it.
The FX9 is a great camera. I like the 6k sensor, even if it does downsample to 4k, most of my exports will be done in 4k anyways. I like that the camera comes ready to shoot straight out of the box, the internal ND's are so so so nice to have. However it's internal codecs, to me, leave something to be desired, and I worry about it's reputation as broadcast, documentary camera.
Would appreciate any advice, given my goals, to help me get over my gear anxiety and that might help me pick what will suit me best. I know most of these cameras can all achieve great images, but because they all have valid pros and cons, it's hard for me to find which one is best suited for me and would appreciate any advice, opinions or experiences that might help.
Thanks all!