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Author Topic: Sony NEX-FS700U  (Read 6612 times)

EgillBjarki

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Sony NEX-FS700U
« on: January 17, 2013, 10:27:38 pm »

Does anyone here have first hand experience with this body? On paper it looks really good and the price, compared to 1D-C and other cameras in that class is very good as well.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/853273-REG/Sony_NEX_FS700U_Super_35_Camcorder.html

Thanks!
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Michael Schoenfeld

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #1 on: January 18, 2013, 10:34:44 am »

Michael Schoenfeld here,

As long as you know how to light, and, importantly, have the time/ability to control contrast ratios in your lighting, it's the best $8,000 out there, (in my opinion) currently.  I love mine. The codec, for a jpeg-style file, is pretty damn nice, with the above caveat.

It is FAR from perfect though. I too want RAW (my lineage is stills), but I DO NOT want a van full of support/hard drives on set. RAW motion is where RAW stills were 8-10 years ago.

If you are invested in Canon EF glass, this adapter is going to be huge: mine has shipped, and should be here any day. I have two of the Metabones basic EF/NEX adapters, and they are very solid.

http://www.metabones.com/sony/ef-e-speed-booster

Michael Schoenfeld

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bcooter

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2013, 04:33:42 am »

Michael Schoenfeld here,

As long as you know how to light, and, importantly, have the time/ability to control contrast ratios in your lighting, it's the best $8,000 out there, (in my opinion) currently.  I love mine. The codec, for a jpeg-style file, is pretty damn nice, with the above caveat.
Michael Schoenfeld



I agree.  The Sony file in studio can match the RED as long as you can control every bit of the lighting and ratios.

For looser production it'll blow a highlight if you light a match three blocks away.  Always shoot nearly 1 stop down and the shadows hold up well and you can grade the file to work.

At 2k your also very ambient color sensitive.  Walk a subject through a green field and you've got a green subject.  By comparison the RED's react more like film and hold the color they see.

The Sony is to global in color, though I do like the Sony form factor.

The issue I have with Sony is #1, they're very slow in coming out with e-mount fixed f stop lenses and few of their primes have IS.  Image stabilization is perfect for this camera because you can hand hold, it focuses great, you can shoot fast, the camera i light weight and the lenses are good.  With the A mount autofocus adapted the Zeiss lenses make the file come alive.

Sony, needs to stop playing games.  If they'd married the F5 to the FS700 made a camera that worked with PL's and autofocus, make the file more robust and had the 4k module with conversion software ready to go ........and........kept the price at 10 to 11k, they'd sell a billion of them, but like most video divisions they seem to hobble the lower end equipment, price their more robust models out of range of most indie work and change their models what seems like every year.

IMO

BC
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Morgan_Moore

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #3 on: January 21, 2013, 12:39:10 am »

I think the FS700 is in a different class to the 1dc.

The 700 has XLR for sound and a SDi out to talk to a monitor

IMO the 1dc is nothing but a nice camera for Broll or crash cam, it does not have the connectors to make it a suitable a camera.

and thats before you mention the Fs700 onboard ND, 240FPS burst, or possible use with a recorder in the future.

S
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Sam Morgan Moore Bristol UK

Michael Schoenfeld

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #4 on: January 21, 2013, 06:32:16 pm »

Agree to all of that Sam.

I was at the Canon party at Sundance last night. I Still came back happy with my decision. I just received my Metabones Speed booster this morning. My 50 1.2 on the FS700 now has the same field of view as my 50 1.2 on a Full frame camera - no more conversions in my head, plus the image is at least 1 stop brighter on the FS700 due to the reduction of the image circle. That damn thing behaves like voodoo, but I kid you not, it works.

Cheers,
Michael Schoenfeld
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EgillBjarki

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2013, 10:06:43 am »

Thank you guys all very much for the information. The FS700 seems like a solid option with some really good features for the price.
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bcooter

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #6 on: January 24, 2013, 04:22:48 am »

Thank you guys all very much for the information. The FS700 seems like a solid option with some really good features for the price.

I think you'll love it.  I have the fS 100 2k and will test the 700 when they come out with the 4k module.

Personally I love most of the camera.  The buttons are goofy and I would like the view magnifier to be on the side like a film camera rather than the middle.

Also Morgan is right, you'll need some rods and some kind of support to balance the camera out, but Sony did a lot right with this design.

Real xlr's are a godsend, the sound quality is amazing, with the autofocus adapter and the Zeiss lenses the file comes alive.

It does shot a avhcd or whatever that format is called which means you'll have to transcode for most editorial suites.

I would give anything if it had the look of the RED 1 sensor but you can't get everything.

Still, it's the most professional camera for the money out there and I think the 700 will have a upcoming motorized zoom.

IMO

BC
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Bern Caughey

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #7 on: January 26, 2013, 11:29:40 am »

Be aware the FS700 does not have shutter speeds/angles that allow 24p in 50 Hz countries without practical lights flickering.

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Michael Schoenfeld

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #8 on: January 27, 2013, 02:11:17 pm »

I know this is a little tangential, but I was testing the Canon 17 F4 TS with the speed booster last night (I do some quasi-architectural signage stuff nationally for one of my clients - it involves motion and the first job paid for the FS700 easily). Full range TS @ 17mm, slow mo if needed, ND done "good enough", at 1080p. "Bitchin" - sorry no other words describe how that looked. Some have complained of vignetting with Speedbooster - I didn't see any objectionable vignetting. No more than expected for FF. I have 24, 45, and 90 TS also. A 1080p View camera. For 8 grand.

I've been a musician since I was 14, and I only mention that since 24/96k audio spanks 16/48k for editing, but really James R is right on with the audio quality. It's like the picture outta this - "be careful, don't be sloppy". Buy a good mic ONCE (Schoeps CMIT5 here), or hire a great audio person. You pic. You'll never complain again, in either case. Let your budget be your compass.

Strange days (good strange).

I'm actually thinking the Sony RAW recorder makes some sense - I will upgrade to an F55 possibly, so that would be re-useable.It's the notion of a "dump truck" of data wrangling on the back end that remains daunting - budget driven. Especially since Canon won't put the "marketing crack-pipe" down. "just enough to piss me off", "not enough to make any sense". C'mon Canon - you could do it. "Marketing and politics" combined with technology are a dysfunctional relationship in full bloom.
Michael Schoenfeld
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bcooter

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #9 on: January 28, 2013, 11:20:38 am »

Be aware the FS700 does not have shutter speeds/angles that allow 24p in 50 Hz countries without practical lights flickering.



I bet I've read about two dozen papers on flicker and hz, understand the process of 60hz to 50hz, but in real life, it doesn't seem to always work out  like a white paper. 

In a modern U.S. city 180 degrees works for 60hz, but in an older city it can get wavy on streets.

What gives us fits is some place like Hong Kong where there are LED's and Plasma screens blasting everywhere, along with Neon.  It's just a flicker nightmare, though one shoot on Rue Hauseman in Paris, shooting with the RED 1,  it took forever to find a setting where the street lights didn't wave up and down the street.

Maybe it helps (or hurts) that I usually always shoot at 29.97 or 30p, rarely 24p.

I think 24p is just an old standard that was devised to save film stock and when editing at 24p graphics in most non linear systems tend to stutter or strobe if they go horizontal across a frame, where at 30 p they're smooth.

This is just conjecture, but New York seems difficult because it's an old city and the power grid seems stretched, especially in the summer.

I really think Sony, with it's history in Video and not film, have this thing where they'd really be happy if everyone shot at 30 or 60I, though I think there is a lot more going on under the hood than we know, with these electronic shutters and in camera processing. 

With the REDs even at 125th of a second it seems smooth, with the FS100 125th of a second seems even smoother, so somebody is processing different, I haven't shot an Arri with a mechanical shutter, though I bet they would look more frenetic at 125th.

IMO

BC
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jjj

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2013, 03:08:45 am »

If you are invested in Canon EF glass, this adapter is going to be huge: mine has shipped, and should be here any day. I have two of the Metabones basic EF/NEX adapters, and they are very solid.
We've had some flakiness when using the metabones adaptor. Occasionally you need to reseat it as connection get lost between lens and body. Useful tool though.

Speed booster is on its way though currently held up at customs with a demand from customs to pay a £1900 tax bill. They seem to think adaptor is worth £11,000 for some reason.  :o
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jjj

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2013, 03:14:49 am »

Personally I love most of the camera.  The buttons are goofy and I would like the view magnifier to be on the side like a film camera rather than the middle.
Yup, changing ISO is particularly funky. Screen at back makes comfortable shoulder mounting impossible unless using an additional external monitor.

Quote
It does shot a avhcd or whatever that format is called which means you'll have to transcode for most editorial suites.
It works straight out of the box if using Premiere. Though it's a bit of a clunky codec even so.
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jjj

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Re: Sony NEX-FS700U
« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2013, 03:17:39 am »

Be aware the FS700 does not have shutter speeds/angles that allow 24p in 50 Hz countries without practical lights flickering.
You also get pretty bad flickering with LEDs when shooting at high speeds and there's a tad of flickering when using 50p too with non LED lighting it would seem. That's here in UK with 50Hz mains and battery LEDs.
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