Heya LRT crew! A long time lurker here, finally crawling out. Been doing few tens of timelapses with LRT Free and totally love it! Gunther has done simply amazing work with LRT and the community here is awesome. I've learned tremendously reading through the forums/tutorials and watching Gunther's videos. Huge kudos!

Now it's time for me to take things to the next level. I feel I've been stuck in a limbo where the limitations in my gear and its un-upgradability has prevented me from investing in LRT Pro and move onwards. Let's fix all that in one go, thus I'd appreciate your feedback on the best approach.

Now:
Panasonic GH4 with a bunch of primes. Small sensor with absolutely horrible low-light performance. No support for qDslrDashboard. This gear was originally bought for 24p video only and shall remain doing its job in that purpose.

Next, with ~3500€ as budget:
Full frame. I'd like to catch the new wave, so leaning towards mirrorless. The only real option with the previous that fits my budget seems to be Canon RP. I’m definitely going with FF so I need to budget new lenses as well. I have necessary mounting solutions already figured out and on-hand. Motion control will be budgeted separately later. I won't buy used camera bodies.

I constantly seem to wanting to go wider than the 14mm with the current MFT (28mm in FF) doing timelapses, thus what do you think about the below setup:
- Canon RP (with a kit lens, e.g. 24-105mm F4-7.1) = ~1000€
- Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM = ~1800€
- LRT Pro = 250€
- LRT Timer = 0€ (? They don’t seem to be available right now, but I can build my own)
- Misc filters, adapters, Android tablet for qDslrDashboard, maybe a used prime lens, etc. = ~450€
== ~3500€

The question is; am I picking the right option and system for my budget, with full priority on timelapses? Is Canon (and the RP) the best option for LRT/LRT Timer/qDslrDashboard functionality and workflow? Would I be missing something that other brands/systems would offer? Would poor battery life with the RP be an issue? Is there anything else I fail to take into account and should look elsewhere with my budget?

Why does it have to be mirror less? On a restricted budget, I'd think about a used Nikon D750 which comes with build in WiFi there is lots of lenses available and the Sensor ist still one of the best. It's a reliable workhorse, which I used for many years for all of my timelapses.
As lens for TL I love the Sigma Art 14 f/1.8, maybe additionally an Art 35 f/1.4. But there are many other good lenses also available.
Maybe sth to consider!

Sent mobile...

Hope you don’t mind if dare to question some of your ideas and statements...!

Nothing wrong with FF and mirrorless, but both systems are also just tools for photography, nothing else. Neither is FF in general the better format than for example APSC nor is mirrorless, as you call it the new wave, in general better than for example a DSLR. Each and every camera, lens and whatever equipment is just a tool to take images and there are many tools to get similar results and finally the job done. To keep this in mind is even more important considering topics like marketing hypes and, as in your case, if you are on a budget. On the other side, just go ahead with your ideas, as already stated nothing wrong with it, finally that’s what the industry is living from.

Nevertheless keep in mind that approx. one third of your budget should be reserved for so called essential accessories, especially when shooting more special things like time lapses and so on. The most important accessories, as of my opinion:
- a good tripod setup (legs, head, plate / l-bracket)... nothing what you will get for just EUR 200
- essential filters (ND, CPL) considering a quality that will match the quality of your lenses
- additional batteries, memory cards, maybe an external power bank, and so on

Enjoy shooting!

Herbert

Thanks for your valuable comments! You really made me reconsider some things...

Thinking mirrorless FF was driven by few things; I don't want to buy used bodies, replacing shutters is a fraction of the price compared to DLSR's, I generally rather get the most recent technology, and weight and size aiding mobility.

But as you rightly hilighted, it isn't really about the system. Going to the details, I think the battery life with Canon RP is really going to hinder the practical usability doing timelapses. I think this might be an issue with mirrorless systems in general for some time to come.

I'm going to take some more time with this. Maybe even rent some equipment for testing what suits me. While my budget isn't huge (do note it exlcludes mounting solutions, as mentioned), I'm going to be committing to a new system (or at least a brand) preferably for the rest of my life.

Please do give further inputs if any!

Hope you don't mind if I respond to some of your statements in your last post, maybe it will give you some more ideas.

Yes, the CIPA rating of the Canon RP with just 250 shots per charge is really low and that way most likely a limiting factor. Nevertheless it doesn't make sense to assume the topic of shots per charge is a general issue of mirrorless cameras. Yes, mirrorless cameras have in general a lower CIPA rating than DSLRs, but keep in mind that
- the CIPA rating normally states worst case conditions, real life mostly shows better values
- you can overcome such limitations with additional batteries (battery grip) or external power sources like a power bank (most cameras already offer such external power supply).
As an example, my Fuji X-T3 has a CIPA rating of 390 shots per charge. Doing "standard" time lapses I come easily to around 800 images without draining the battery completely. For the tasks where I would need even more power I got myself a good power bank that can charge as well my camera as other accessories like my cell phone, the LRT Pro Timer, headlamp and flashlight and so on. If necessary I could even go for the X-T3 battery grip, what means I would have 3 batteries available. You see, quite a lot of possibilities to overcome such limitations.

The cost for replacing shutters... honestly, I have never ever been thinking about such a topic at all. Maybe just make a simple math: Consider how many images you take in average per day (let's say 100?) and consider an average minimum shutter life of approx. 150,000. This would give you 1,500 days (>4 years!) taking every day (!) 100 images until you potentially (!) would have to think about a new shutter. So, at least from my point of view... don't you think that this is quite a "theoretical" aspect to take into consideration when looking for a camera / camera system?

"Committing to a new system (or at least a brand) preferably for the rest of my life"... really? Let's face some "facts":
- Technology evolves!
- Markets evolve!
- People evolve!
In easy terms, just a few examples:
- The technology you buy today may be obsolete tomorrow and then is no longer compatible with the then actual technology!
- The brand you buy today is no longer available tomorrow, it may simply have ceased to exist!
- Your preferences as a photographer change and the "best" / "necessary" gear is not / no longer available from the brand / technology you use at this moment!
You get the picture?
Yes, it makes sense to take such aspects also into consideration when making a purchase decision, but to expect it to be a "final" decision is just unrealistic. Thinking in a time frame of 2 to 5 years, maybe one decade may be fine, everything else is just the famous look into the foggy glass bowl. Don't forget, your gear is just a tool...!

Herbert