How A £900 Camera Made Me Over £100K
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- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2023
- All footage graded with Phantom LUT's:
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THE GEAR I USE:
*Some of the following links are affiliate links, so if you decide to purchase something, I get a very small commission at NO extra cost to you - Thanks in advance for supporting the channel!
CAMERAS:
My Main Cam (Lumix S5IIX)
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My B-Cam (Lumix S5II)
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PRIME LENSES:
Panasonic LUMIX 24mm F1.8
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Panasonic LUMIX 35mm F1.8
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Panasonic LUMIX 85mm F1.8
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ZOOM LENSES:
Sigma 28-70 F2.8
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Panasonic LUMIX 16-35 F4
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Panasonic LUMIX 70-200 F4
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AUDIO SETUP:
RODE Wireless Pro
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Rode NTG4+
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Tascam DR60 MKii
geni.us/fXkZU5S
The Panasonic Lumix S5 was my first every full frame camera, and it's definitely the camera that changed my business the most.
In the two years that I used the Lumix S5 as my A-Cam, my business made around £115,000.
Before I got the S5, the business wasn't making anywhere near that much, and I genuinely believe that this camera was a huge reason for the businesses' current success.
Investing in equipment can sometimes feel a bit naughty, however I think that as long as you're buying the right tools that you know will move your business forward then there's really no harm in it whatsoever.
I really hope you guys get something from this video! 
Кино
Hey guys! Just wanted to clarify something since there’s been a few questions regarding editing and whether the day rate includes all editing.
Let me give you a bit of context to the “bread and butter” shoots I do mostly.
A lot of my work is for large corporate clients that need content for online marketing campaigns. Usually, the video concepts are very straightforward and rarely take longer than 3 days to film.
When it comes to the editing, a lot of my clients and I have worked together now for many years and I know what they’re after, so the editing portion never really becomes that much of a task.
I include the first draft delivery and the second draft delivery in the day rate price for these sort of projects since it will rarely take me over a day to produce one draft and then a few simple amends.
I also don’t do any VFX/Animation, and if a client wants that then we work with creative agencies or another party to carry out that work.
BUT, on the projects where the post-production is a little more complicated, I will charge extra for any additional day of editing that is required.
My editing day rate £550, and the reason why I didn’t talk about this in the video is simply because the editing workload varies the most with my work depending on the client and how much budget they have for each project.
I’d say that an average invoice for my business would be around £1500-£2300 when all extra costs and expenses are added, and you should see the day rate as something to build up from… it’s almost like your base cost before everything else!
Hope this makes sense :)
The camera didn't make you the money. Your SKILL made you the money.
Man you nailed it 👌
And maybe Josh is just a very nice guy clients want to work with👍
“Your pictures are amazing! You must have a great camera!” 😂
@rorifree that would come under skills. Probably the most important skill of all actually. People skills.
I think we should appreciate both the painter and the 🖌️. He couldn't get those gigs with an old point and shoot.
I think it's critical creatives openly discuss how much we charge for work so people (especially rookies) don't accidentally undercharge and bring the value of creative work down and also making it harder for us all.
I struggled finding rates for Graphic Design and felt like nobody would discuss what they charge for some reason.
Awesome video, Josh!
People get their backs up as soon as money is discussed, it's weird... I totally agree with you though; I'd much rather be open with pricing strategy in the hopes that it will bring value to someone, and trust me when I say that does more good than finding out about someone charging way less than they should be and undercutting everyone else!
25 years old and you are killing it! I am very happy to see people succeeding in their journey!
Thank you Valerio, means a lot buddy! Everyone's on their own path and there's still a long way to go, but I just love being open with things in the hopes that there's someone who is at the start of their journey who watches this video and finds some useful info within :)
I'm still faking it till I make it, whatever making it means😂
I'll keep buying used Lumix S5/S1 until the end of my videographer career 😂These cameras are pure gold!
Great video as always buddy!
They're still solid in 2023 and beyond! Lumix really did something magical with this generation of cameras :) Hope you're doing well mate, great to hear from you !
If you mainly shoot using manual focus, I can't see any camera anywhere that even comes close to the S5 for filmmaking. I shoot a lot of anamorphic, and the fact that you can deal with that in-camera is so key. Also, the highlight rolloff on the S5 is special. It really is different than other cameras, certainly compared to any camera under $5k. The fact that you can get one now for around $800 or $900 is amazing. I just finished shooting a full length feature with it, and the image quality is definitely worthy of any professional service, like HBO, Netflix, etc. C'mon... for the money, you can't beat it. It's such a dope creative tool.
I've shot on the S5 for the past 2 years. I loved it, the perfect camera... Except for the autofocus - especially when shooting on a gimbal, the autofocus just wasn't keeping up. I upgraded a few days go to the S5ii, and it's a game changer. I can have a lot more freedom with my shots, knowing the focus would be solid. Definately reccomend. The S5 is a solid B cam to the S5ii A cam
right on. def gonna buy a s5 as a B-cam in the future. crazy how you can now grab one of them used under $1k.
@@daveforz They're great bodies - especially if your A-Cam is also L-mount. Sure, you might have to rig it a bit to get the most out of it, but it's still great on its own. Plus... They are the coolest looking camera bodies on the market. They got a dope space ship aesthetic that Sony, Nikon, and Cannon simply can not match
Thank for you sharing your rates, it was very generous of you. Creativity + entrepreneurship isn't the easiest and such info gives others a benchmark to see what is possible out there with the right strategy.
Transparency is what we need more of in the creative industry. We all start out in the same place, so why not share the knowledge!
Great to see you back Josh & doing so well! 😍😍
Tell me more about your work! I'd love to hear more about your journey with content creation!
I also made my first real money with my S5 👍🙂 now it is super busy and almost no time for RUclips. My rate is now 950€ for an 8h day of filming. Editing is extra usually 400 per day
Great video. It really helps beginners when pros like yourself share all the finer details especially regarding money
Thanks Aaron! I'd never consider myself pro, and I'm sure the imposter syndrome sets in for everyone no matter how big or small the job is that they're doing!
Another useful video, great work Josh 👍 Freelance Drone & FPV videographer & photographer here who got an S5IIx a few weeks ago and now seems to have the video bug all round instead of purely airborne things.
Oh nice! S5IIX is a great camera to give you the video bug on ground 😂 Would love to try FPV one day, just super scared that I'll crash in a matter of seconds ....
@@JoshCameron It’s brilliant 😂 just need a whole bunch of camera stuff to go with it ASAP, but have already done a couple of test videos mixed with drone stuff. FPV is awesome… the possibility is there to fly certain drones stabilised like a Mavic would fly (such as the Avata), however I can’t recommend enough just putting the time in to learn how to fly FPV in full manual/acro mode without GPS, cos it’s waaay better and way more shot possibilities when you have control over every bit of positioning for it.
What an extraordinary perfect way of outlining things. Thanks for the brief history of how things went from then till now.
You are such an inspiration and that's why I'm glad to have stumbled upon your channel a few months ago.
Currently, I own a Sony a6300 and in fact that is my main cam for filming (I'm a photographer for years now exploring the world of videomaking).
I'm working with the LUMIX S5 as my main tool at the government (ministry of Natural Resources) and man...do I learn a lot from you!
Thanks a million and much love from somewhere in the Caribbean.
Suriname to be exact.
Your words mean a lot to me, thank you Mario!
It's so strange because I feel like a lot of S5 users moved from the Sony APS-C lineup in one way or another! How do you find using the S5 compared to your A6300?
@@JoshCameron Although I'm still finding my way into the Lumix system, I can tell you that it is a huge difference.
The first thing which impressed me was the superb image stabilization. The color, the overall image quality (especially in low light) and the ease of use are additional things which are letting me jump ship soon.
I've heard people talk about the Lumix system, but to experience it by yourself is something else.
Thanks again, man.
Thumbs up for honesty
Thans for this mate. I would love to hear more about your journey with setting up your video business. Like from the beginning- did you study video production, wht was it like getting the first clients, how did you learn the workflows. I think there's many of us on the cusp but need a bit of help to get everything in place and get going as one-man-band video creators. Cheers!
I'd love to make a video going over all of the above! My journey was rather uninspiring though to be honest - I didn't study, I learned it all from just doing it and I really did fake it until I 'made it'
Mistakes are the best lessons for moving forward, and I'd love to tell you those mistakes to hopefully eradicate that step of the learning process for others that are just starting out!
Noticed Lamborghini Tunbridge Wells there! Awesome client i bet!
Amazing success journey you have shown us.
Thank you!
Hey, great video! I've spoken to you before about client work, but a video on the process you go through from start to finish with a client would be great!
Thanks for the transparency with your prices - not many people give those kinds of details. You've guy a great business sense to be doing all this by 25. Guessing you have a business owner in the family? When i was 25, i was making good money but zero business or financial sense and was stuck trying to stay a partying college kid as long as i could
Pricing is always a weird thing to talk about because people don't want to be told that they're doing something wrong. But, when I was starting out, I really wished that someone had shared that info with me as it would have made things easier! I appreciate the kind words as well, thank you. No business owners in the family; I was the first of my immediate family to every try the 'self employed' thing!
Bought the s5 in January and have started freelancing and creating my portfolio since then
I have now just managed to land a full time job doing video for a marketing agency and I attribute a lot of that to it being such a good investment
That's great mate! Love that, I really hope you enjoy your new job dude!
Inspiring 💪🏽
Awesome video Josh!!! I'd love to see some BTS start to finish for one of your jobs!
I'd love to film a BTS start to finish! It's just remembering to do that when I have to focus on the shoot itself!
But you're so right, I should do that!
Hi Josh, I also went from the a6300 to the S5 and yes, the difference is definitely noticeable especially in terms of flexibility in post. The a6300 is a great camera, it is super sharp, good AF and the 8 bit codec can be not that bad if you know hoy to grade it without braking it but man, the colors from the S5, the possibility to record 5.9K Prores RAW, the IBIS, the flexibility of 10 bit footage, the low noise... everything is fantastic except for the AF but you can deal with it most of the time.
One thing that people tend to forget about is the editing machine and here the point is for the a6300. I had to upgrade my computer because of the 10 bit Longgop codec of the S5. Now my M1 Pro computer plays it smooth as butter when I edit it, but my last 2015 Macbook Pro just couldn't deal with it, while the Sony's footage was edited without problems.
The editing setup is definitely something important to consider and I actually upgraded my Mac at the same time I bought my S5 as well. But with everything in life, you have to keep moving forward and unfortunately computers weren't built to last forever!
Thanks for watching dude - cool to hear you also moved from the A6XXX to the S5 :)
@@JoshCameron Of course!! We need to move forward and keep at the state of the art in both cameras and computers but these last ones are unfortunately easy to forget about and sometimes we get too excited about upgrading and we don't think about everything involved.
Thank you Josh! I learnt tons of Lumix S5 tips from you, the master of the S5 haha
It's just a quality camera, perfect for what I use it for right now and it's already paid itself off so very well worth it! (Especially when I got mine new with the 20-60mm kit lens for £1200 😜)
I just bought it 🤗 and I need help to edit 10 bit footage. Thank you for your excellent content 🙏
Love your videos Josh! I picked up the S5IIX a few months back after watching some of your videos. Love that camera. I’m in the US, went full time with video work back in March after 4-5 years of doing it part-time and it’s been great. Had a big network here in the city I live in and it’s been critical for helping me find clients.
Two questions for you:
1. With your day rate, how does editing work? I imagine some projects take multiple days to edit-so are you just being paid 850 for the entire project? Or 850 per day you work on the project?
2. How do you find clients?
Keep up the content Josh! Thanks for the value you provide to the RUclips community!
That's great to to hear Ben, awesome that you decided to take that leap into full-time self employment. Always a scary step of the process but a necessary one if you want to live your life on your terms!
It's great that your previous connections have helped to make the jump easier too.
1. The day rate includes 2 rounds of editing as long as the editing portion isn't huge. Editing rates can vary depending on how much post-production the client requires, so it makes that part a lot harder to talk about on the channel really. If I spend any longer than one day overall on an edit, then I charge £550 per extra day it takes.
2. Clients have all come word of mouth which is actually crazy. I've never paid for AdWords or done any form of sponsored ads etc; it's all been organic. People want to work with people they like, so my biggest goal has always been to break down the "professionalism" with a new client as quickly as possible so that I can quickly move onto the "getting to know you" part of the process.
If people feel like you know them and you care about what they have to say, then they're way more likely to use you again over someone else because they feel comfortable with you. Of course, doing a good job is also very important, but if my first interaction with a new client can be positive, fun and uplifting for them, then chances are we'll work together again :)
@@JoshCameron Josh man THANK YOU for such a thoughtful reply! That means a ton. So much value here. The word-of-mouth referral especially, I think there’s so much to be said on that. As others have said, your transparency with pricing is truly so helpful. Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to write out your reply. We appreciate it so much!
Hi Josh, what gimbal and monitor do you use for your client work? Cheers!
nice video man i enjoyed it. Question, do you have a degree or something in videography? I asked because I want to get into it myself but the schools are so expensive it is very demotivating.
Dude I feel that! It is such a rad lifestyle being able to make serious income with such small tools!
I'm truly blessed to have this job, it's the best. I don't think these numbers are far-fetched though or particularly impressive to be honest, it's just the reality that anyone can have if they're mindful with their time and expertise :)
@@JoshCameron for sure. I just went solo this year and those numbers easily make sense. You are going to the Lumix event soon right? Stoked to see you there if you are👍🏻
Sup Joss! Greetings from Brazil! I've been following your work since I got an S5 for myself and it is great to see your content, and your love for this camera, but also to know about your journey. I wish I could know more about your strategies and plans for getting new clients and how you manage your time with editing, shooting, booking clients, and producing content. Tbh I tried to start a YT channel myself but never got out the first introduction video because I don't have time to sit down to write and produce my personal content. Maybe I'm doing something off with my time, I guess(?). Maybe I'm not that fast with editing? I really don't know. So I have many questions. How do you manage your time with all these things? How much time do you usually spend on editing? What is/was your strategy for getting new clients?
Maybe we should schedule a consultation call? It sounds like you have a lot of questions regarding the finer details of being self-employed in this industry, and I would love to help but it's hard to answer so many questions in one comment!
@JoshCameron I really appreciate your answer. I would love that but unfortunately I got no money to offer. Filmmakers reality here is a bit though. So if you plan to keep sharing your journey and tips as entrepeneur I could say I would watch it all.
Should make videos/sell course on how you started and run your business
Amazing! I use and like lumix s5 as well :) Can you make a video about marketing and how to get the clients and how to set the prices to not lose the clients and at the same time not working for too low money.
Of course! I'd love to make a video like this! One thing to note is to never discount your services. It makes you look desperate and they're devaluing your skill from the get go, so I'd steer away from that as quickly as you can. I learnt this the hard way!
@@JoshCameron That's right point! cheap videos chapter to create portfolio is gone already 😃 Now got a higher prices and keep with it, but not many clients at the same time to have constant jobs. Would be cool to hear your advices how to get good jobs and live just from filmmaking/photography.
We missed you bud
That's a great amount to be making honestly, I'm in Jamaica and I shoot with the S5. I've been doing photography and videography for about 5 years as well. On a good year I make around $14,000USD which is pretty terrible compared to international rates, I'm trying my best to move to somewhere else where the market is better. Here in Jamaica they demand hollywood quality for mediocre prices, and getting paid takes forvever so this issue forces a lot of creatives out of the industry, leaving the big agencies to cover everything and not leaving much work for us.
How do i get customers? :)
I would like to do that beside my main job.
I got the S5IIx and S5 but there are no opportunities
for me to use them.
Hi bro, where can we find your works to watch :)
Maybe a silly question, but how do you approach getting clients?
Brooooo its crazy man we're the same age and I'm no where as organzied as you are, with getting clients and keeping them and etc. You have any advice or breakdown on that. Would greatly appreciate it brotha.
stay creative
how good is autofocus ? and what lenses are you using ?
I've got many vids on that sorta thing on the channel, so take a look through my uploads and find the info that you're most interested in there! I've done comprehensive AF setting rundowns etc etc, so that should give you a better idea !
Invaluable stuff as someone who has just moved to the uk and wondering what people charge for a daily rate
Daily rates should really depend on experience and what equipment you have (it sounds bad, but it's true). Guys that shoot with RED's or other cine cams can normally get a little more per day based on the fact they can provide equipment that would otherwise need to be rented, and therefore they get a small levy for that.
My rates reflect the style of work I do, and the clients I work with. So £850 for 6 hours really isn't a high day rate in the grand scheme of things.
The goal really is to find clients that are nice to work for, and that respect your time and knowledge :)
i really want the s5iix but everyone is saying for real-estate which is my main area to go with Sony A7siii for the 4k60 uncrop and better image quality. Keep in mind the s5ii has a worse image performance then the s5. what do you think i should get between the 2?
I wouldn't say the sony has better image quality, but uncropped 4k60/120 is big. Up to you ofc
@@aylenstudios doesnt the uncrop 4k 60 look nicer then cropped footage? I have seen allot of amazing footage of realestate of the a7siii on youtube and it looks better then the s5ii footage. again just real estate tho
@@edi18912 i thought you meant best image quality, not cropped, but personally i dont think the the cropped video looks worse, its still got the pixels for 4k, just not oversampled. its more just that its annoying, especially for real estate where u want a wide shot. a7s3 is probably the right choice, but if u went lumix s5ii u could get yourself a couple of extra lenses instead
One of the original creators using the S5 and still flying the flag 👊🏽
Tough question, but do you know if being visible on RUclips as an 'expert' in the field had helped win clients? Do you ever refer them to your RUclips page for context?
I'll never stop flying the flag! The Lumix S5 is like what the GH5 is for so many people. It'll always be a solid choice :)
It's hard to say really. I get a lot of my work based on word-of-mouth recommendations and through mutual connections inside the businesses I already work with.
RUclips definitely helps in other ways though. I do earn a small amount of money from affiliate links, sponsored videos and digital asset sales etc, so I see it almost as an olive branch to the main business.
It's definitely connected me with other creatives that require a second shooter or even a DOP on some projects, and they ask me based on the fact that they know I am capable of shooting what they need, and simply because there's an element of reputability that comes with having a small audience.
I'd recommend RUclips to every creative. It really does supplement the business in many ways that sometimes aren't directly obvious, but become very apparent as time goes on :)
Did i understand correct. Your dayrate includes editing? Dont you charge seperate dayrates for editing?
So a lot of my work doesn’t involve that much of a heavy post production workflow. I make corporate content mainly, and the shoots are normally very fast paced with a quick turn around.
So, the initial draft and then any small changes to that draft are included in that price, however if a project requires more than one day of editing then I charge for each extra editing day accordingly.
Hope this makes sense!
What portion of your clients are recurring vs just a 1 time shoot?
95% of my clients are recurring. I rarely do one-offs anymore and much prefer to cultivate long standing business relationships that allow me to truly understand the brand :)
I made last year around 94k € before Tax and expensise etc. 👍🙂 All with my S5.
Love that dude! That's awesome!
Hey Josh,
Any Idea why Panasonic makes insane Cashback lately in EU with S5II and S5iiX?
I’m guessing there’s more flexibility with margins or something in this region, but I’m taking a wild guess here!
@@JoshCameron Thx for your answer here in Switzerland could get after Cashback of 400 CHF a S5ii body for 1350 CHF so 1150 pounds …probably will got a ban for my post but ok…
“Before tax and business expenses” 😭😭😭 such a painful reality!
The business expenses include new gear, new computers and maybe a few cheeky flights to places that are totally "for business" , so it could be worse🤣 But tax is a killer. The tax man truly did me dirty this year... he won't be getting an Xmas card
@@JoshCameron I didn’t set any money aside for taxes my first year doing weddings and was absolutely crushed. It made me question if it was all worth it lol
my biggest complain is the hdmi delay. how do you handle this?
I've really never seen it as an issue - what monitor you using pal?
@@lawalfootage right now a feelworld but i lso worked with blackmagic video assist and ninja v and all of these have some delay problems. when focus pulling by yourself and working wiht manual lenses this can really be anproblem
Maybe try picking up a better quality HDMI cable and a used Atomos! That could help :)
One tip, the mic setup you're using has a bit too much room resonance. Maybe try a lav under the shirt or a shotgun a bit closer?
I think it was more you than the camera that made the money!
Hé Josh! What do you mean with 2 rounds of edit? 😊
So a client will have their project delivered to them as a first draft (that counts as one round of editing), and then if they would like to amend the video at all, I'll make those changes and deliver a second draft which then becomes round two of editing.
If anything else needs to be done after those two versions, the client has to pay an editing half day or full day rate depending on how much else needs changing :)
Hope this helps!
@@JoshCameron Thank you Josh!
I wil keep this in mind with my next client.
How did u grow your business
Word of Mouth and reliability are the two things that spring to mind. Do the job, do it well, and do it with minimal stress for the client :)
Also, I put so much weight on creating a relationship with people that makes them want to work with me simply because we get along, and that really does more than everything else in the long term :)
As good as the camera is your skill set is what made you the money. There is folk out there who spend thousands on cameras and never make the money back due to there lack of skill.
That's very true, however I don't think it's the creativity or skill that makes the money. I think a lot of creatives struggle with the business side of things, and that's the area I think I'm better at!
I really liked my S5ii until I saw the horrible moire in stills and movies.
Your next expense needs to be an editor. If you don't you are going to run yourself into the ground and hate life. Just something to consider.
Already on my radar, it's just so hard letting go of all control. But you're totally right!
@@JoshCameron Its SOOOO hard.. but a necessity to grow your business and not go insane at the same time! Managing is a skill just like video editing. It will take a lot of time and effort for you to improve at communicating your vision and expectations, but without it you will burnout and just go and get a "Normal Job" to get rid of the stress.
You can do it!
@@jessecumberledge4530 Appreciate this Jesse, thank you! The day will come eventually and it'll likely be sooner than I'd like, but as you say, it's totally necessary in order to move everything forward :)