Adding a 3rd camera to my kit

[Todd Mizomi]

Up until now I've been shooting the majority of my weddings with 2 cameras - the Canon XF100 and XA10.

Since getting the Sony RX10 and now the X70, I'm seriously considering selling both the XF100 and XA10 to get a 3rd Sony camera, but not sure which one would be ideal?

1. a second X70 (2 X70s +1 RX10)
2. a second RX10 (1 X70 + 2 RX10s)
3. an A7S (1 X70 + 1 RX10 + 1 A7s)

[Noa Put]

I take it you shoot solo? If that is the case then 2 X70s +1 RX10 is the safest choice, you get 2 camera's that are very good in auto mode should you need it and they function as a real video camera meaning you get stepless iris changes, you have a build in nd-filter, a motorized zoom and good audio. The fact they will be 4k capable gives you cropping ability in a 1080p project to reframe your shots.if needed. These are camera you can rely on to get the job done. The rx10 is according to me the best hybrid camera at the moment with some of the same advantages as a x70 but without 4k and a 30 minute recording limit for the EU. But it's a great camera to get "dslr" like shots with shallower dof and you can take great photos.
The main disadvantage of this combo is low light, all 3 camera's perform well in low light but not in candlelight dinners, f2.8 on the rx10 is great to get you through the most weddings but you will have to add light on some others.

If you get 1 X70 + 2 RX10s that's good if you need that specific dslr look, if you ever will shoot 4K with the x70 (and I suspect that will look the same as with the ax100) you will notice the x70 is pinsharp and has a bit different look compared to the rx10, with this combo you have one safetycam (the x70) and 2 camera's that will be more difficult to operate in a run and gun situation but when combined can give a very nice distinct look that most refer to as a dslr look. You still will have the same disadvantage as in the first combo which is lowlight in some cases.

If you get 1 X70 + 1 RX10 + 1 A7s you gain lowlight ability a shallow dof so you can shoot in the dark and get some creamy bokeh and very shallow dof creative shots should you need that but also a difficult camera to work with, it's a camera that needs to be manned at all time, unlike a x70 which you could run unmanned in automode like during a ceremony. the a7s will be very unforgiving is you miss focus and it's no videocamera in functionality at all, this is a dslr which can provide you with some great shots but can ruin your shots as well if you don't pay attention. I do say this because I have had the same issue with the rx10 during a ceremony, I missed focus a bit and saw it only after 10 minutes and it sticks out like a sore thumb with no way to correct it. This combo will be the most difficult to shoot multicam with during a ceremony but when operated separately will give you the most versatile shooting options. One thing to consider though with the a7s is cost, you need a lens and while you can start with a 24-70 f2.8 zoom lens you soon want to add a 50mm prime or a telelens and cost quickly add up.

[Todd Mizomi]

Thanks for the quick response Noa. :-)

Yes, I am primarily a solo shooter. I do mainly destination weddings here in Maui, so the majority of the jobs are outdoors on the beach or on a lawn overlooking the ocean. I do also shoot in a few churches, most of which have lots of outdoor light streaming in.

There is just one church where I get a lot of Japanese wedding bookings at which is extremely dark and where I run into issues all the time. I think the A7s would come in handy there, but as you said, running it unmanned woudl be problematic.

I do really like using the RX10 for video, even with the slow zoom, (and I read a rumor that the RX-20 will have 4k). The fact that you can program the brides face into the facial recognition system and have the camera track her is awesome. I've actually been using it as my main camera when I get booked as a photographer (my 5dmkii has become my backup camera). It would be nice to get a second RX10 as my backup and then totally lose the weight of the 5d.

Right now I'm leaning toward option 1 with 2 X70s and 1 RX10, but still playing with the picture profiles to see how far I can push the gain on the X70 in that dark church.

[Jeff Harper]

2 X70s and 1 RX10 sounds like a winning combo.

[Kyle Root]

All I know is... if you ever need a second shooter... I'd travel to Hawaii to help film a wedding. LOL

2 X70s and a RX10 sounds good... then later pick up an a7s!

[Dave Blackhurst]

Noa's analysis is spot on, it really depends a bit on your "style". Last shoot I used AX100 and a pair of RX10's, my sons have taken interest in shooting, so I had extra "cameramen".

I too look at the A7s and think, ooooh the low light capability, then I contemplate the expense of lenses and such, look at the RX10, and promptly forget about the idea, even if it would be fun to play with.

Odds are good there will be an "RX20" or RX10M2 with 4K, and I still hold out a faint hope for 3.0 firmware that would add 4K to the RX10... it CAN do it based on the hardware and XAVCS in 2.0 - not sure why Sony is holding back on 4K in the "little" Cybershots, but I still think they can and should release firmware. The 2.0 firmware definitely extended the potential usefulness of the RX10, and I'd hate to have to "upgrade" just to get 4K - the rest of the camera is about perfect for me, and sometimes Sony goes BACKWARDS from "perfection" with new releases...

One possible wildcard, if you don't need zoom and just need another camera angle, how about an RX100M3? They are still new and expensive (you can pick up a good used RX10 for very little more), but sometimes a "tiny" camera is handy. My "kit" is AX100, the RX10's, and at the moment a couple RX100M2 - compact, light, and great images for pretty cheap!

[Todd Mizomi]

Thanks for the input Dave.

I did actually consider the RX100mkiii or ii as a "safety shot" - it would come in really handy on beach weddings where I wouldn't want to carry a lot of gear. Wish they didn't get rid of the hotshoe though. Thats the only thing that stops me from getting one - i like having the hotshoe available on the mkii, but i like the codec/nd/evf on the iii. Also wish there was a mic input. A lot of our outdoor weddings get breezy, which plays havoc with built in mics and makes it harder to sync in post.

I forgot to mention that i do also have an a6000 and two kit lenses that I'm testing out on the photography side (looking to totally replace all my heavy canon gear by next year), haven't thought about using it much for video since there aren't many examples of people using them for wedding video that I've seen - all the talk seems to be about the A7s. Plus like the rx100mkiii, no mic input on the a6000.