r/Photoassistants

Hello.

I just wanted to get an idea of which mirrorless cameras have been reliable on shoots, based on your experiences.

I used to be an assistant for 7+ years, so I know that Murphy's Law is a thing on set, so there's no one-above-all answer to this question. (I remember from 2010-2018, I used to hate Phase One IQ backs because of their proprietary FireWire-esque cables and how they would act up from the slightest nudge when tethered.)

The reason I ask is that I've come to a point in my career where a camera upgrade to full frame or medium format is inevitable.

So here are the cameras I'm looking at, but not limited to:
Canon R5 Mark II
Nikon Z7 II or Z8
Fujifilm GFX 100S II

For context:
I'm trying to avoid purchasing a camera with too many quirks and annoyances that would be difficult to deal with day to day, whether I'm tethered or not. My current camera system doesn't matter. (It's an old Fujifilm APS-C.) I can sell everything locally to change systems if it comes to that. Autofocus speed also doesn't matter to me as I shoot architecture and interiors. I'm just really looking for a reliable mirrorless camera.

Appreciate all your responses.

Hey, just putting together a digi plate setup having had enough of my Seaport. I am wondering if anybody has a good suggestion to transport a digi plate safely in some sort of soft case (not a peli), such as a backpack or shoulder bag? All it would need to hold is the plate itself, hood and maybe a couple of pouches with accessories. Maybe the actual laptop in a protective case next to it. Any recommendations or thoughts are much appreciated. Thank you.

I’ve worked a handful of gigs but looking to find more consistent work. Any insight is helpful. Thanks!

I’ve got some family portraits coming up and I’d love to avoid stands and umbrellas outside. Is anyone familiar w the Profoto 2’ Octa? Do these only attach w the magnetic ring? Is there anything more secure or similar available? I’ll be shooting corded, handheld. Thx!

Hey gang, new-ish to the digi world. Curious as to the pros & cons of tethering whilst saving media on to an external ssd, or laptop's internal storage. Have heard arguments for both options. Lmk!

Hey,

I would like to make some diffusion screens of custom lengths and shapes. I can not find an easy way to purchase diffusion material in big sizes that's not already manufactured as a diffusion screen made for a frame. Those are obviously a bit expensive.
I would like to find cheaper material than just buying a brand new 12x12 to cut my shapes.

I live in Europe and would love not to have to order overseas for this project.

I’m looking for a magic arm to hold an iPad Pro mounted in an Accsoon Power Cage on my MULE DigiPlate, in situations where I don’t want to mount the iPad on a separate tripod. ¿Any suggestions?

I'm making the transition to digi tech after working as an assist for a while, and I planned out a kit that I've written out in a spreadsheet. Before pulling the trigger on it, I've been recommended to start either an LLC, and/or a S-corp, mainly for writing off the purchases if/when I open a business account for the gear. What experience do you guys have with this approach? Is one better than the other? Is neither one a good option?

Any advice is welcomed. Thank you!

Hey Guys,

Looking for general opinions when it comes to monitors for Digi Cart.

I've always used EIZO monitors, currently using the Eizo cg2700x's and have 3 of them, But I have to admit I see some advantages to switching to apple display for the cart.

Of course I see potential problems of clients asking why the cart monitor looks different than the satellite monitors.

But curious of your opinions on this.

Going down the “I need a new monitor” rabbit hole again. I had BENQs — fine, reliable, everyone still says “why does your laptop look better?” Looked at EIZO too but it just feels like an even more expensive BENQ and I don’t print or need it to be THAT accurate.

What else is actually good in 2026?

I don’t need reference monitor accuracy. I want something that looks great. Bright, punchy, contrasty, nice blacks, pleasing to look at all day. Something clients won’t notice.

LG UltraFine? ASUS ProArt? Something OLED? Mini LED?

Curious what people here actually love using that aren’t the above.

I want to switch from a DSLR (Nikon D610) to a mirrorless camera and the Nikon Z8/9 seems to make sense because I can use the FTZ adapter to use all of my F lenses. Do you guys have any experience with the Z8/9 in general compared to other mirrorless cameras like the Canon R5 and also specifically using F lenses? How are the colors and AF? Do you work with any photographers who use that system? My work (mostly fashion) is quite energetic and in movement so I need the camera to be quick.

Thanks!

Are there any assistants here who work on global automotive campaigns for specific continents or on global campaigns (Europe, the U.S.)? Do you know what the workload is like for top photographers? Have there been any changes in recent years, and what are the market forecasts?

I wonder if anyone has a solution for this.. Capture One's once-brilliant Select by Filename List feature seems to have gone kaput (for me at least) I have a client who sends through large lists of images (like 80) selects. Capture One randomly gets this wrong - for no logical reason it appears. Sometimes it selects 120 instead of the 80, sometimes it'll select none. Ive tried all the workarounds - pasting the list as plain text into a .txt file, removing all wording and just using a list of numbers. There was even one thread which suggested putting a dot after each number. none of these work. Wondered if anyone has a hack which makes it work. The only common theme seems to be if it goes from 3 to 4 digit numbers... Help me from hours of manually tagging hundreds of images!!! thank you :)

Been getting shitty worn out proheads from rentals recently that can’t hold anything more than a reflector while boomed without just spinning straight down, mostly the knuckle on the actual head not being able to get good grip when tightened. Anybody have any work arounds for this besides the obvious of getting better eq or gaffing the shit out of it and hoping for the best?