Sony FS7 and PMW200/300

Lensmith

Member
Had my first chance to physically touch an FS7 yesterday.

Loved the balance of it on my shoulder when you had the additional XDCA-FS7 Extension Unit with V-mount battery attached.

But you will never do a "snap zoom" or extreme close up with the 28mm to 135mm zoom lens. Have to say it was the strangest lens I've ever touched.

The guy I was with had brief hopes of using it to shoot sports...and that will never happen.

Still a great deal for a camera to achieve a 4K product and record a Pro Res file internally. That Pro Res option with the Extension Unit is what really brought me in to satisfy my curiosity.

The last little "niggle" I had about the camera was you were never going to briefly set it flat on the ground without it resting on the viewfinder. Yes, if one takes the time to undo the rosette and swing that arm out of the way all the time but...who really wants to do that?

Went in thinking this camera was a definite possibility for a lot of things...and came away with my expectation "wish list" severely shortened.
 

Robin

Well-known member
I think a lot of people are hoping the the new Fs5 handle will fit on the Fs7 to get around the "putting the camera down" ..
I wish they had kept it EZ like the F5/55.. or at least made that an option .. otherwise its really limited to DSLR lenses.. (although to be fair thats obviously the target market ) or these sort of prosumer kit lens..
On the other hand its great we have such a number of choices these days.. !!
 

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
The guy I was with had brief hopes of using it to shoot sports...and that will never happen.
Why? I know a lot of people shooting sports with F55, F5 and FS7. I'm one of them. If it's the lens that is the issue, then a different lens solves that problem. But the F5/55/FS7 are easily able to shoot sports.
 

dhart

Well-known member
No doubt about it an FS7 would require a whopping lens to shoot sports. Just the physics of a large sensor camera. I know I'm in the minority, but I find the 28-135mm lens useful on my FS7 rig. Obviously have to change lens for wider angle shots. But I use it all the time for interviews.
 

Lensmith

Member
Yes, I'm aware a different lens on the camera would solve the sports shooting desire for this guy...but he was trying to figure out a budget and a lens obviously increases the budget.

My own concern with the lens is how it is so completely electronic...it still zooms in and out too slowly to shoot sports. Yes, we played with the menu speed adjustment for it but it still was painfully slow.

This guy does not want a DSLR situation where you buy a camera then buy a bunch of extras to make it work to fit his needs.

I think the FS7 is a nice 4K camera for the price and I see some applications where it will work well. Just not as many as I had hoped.
 

Starman

Well-known member
Hmmm....still leaning towards a PMW300 for now. A large sensor camera later on. I already have a C300 and 5D and HDX900 2/3, so I'm covered there. I really like the PMW300 because it's easy to shoot car-to-car, and in cars, also super easy and fast to move around quickly and hammer out b-roll. I also like the 1/2 inch chip of this smaller cam because it's better than a 1/3 inch chip of cameras of the same size. Also, the 50 megabit and SxS cards is great. There are also a lot of 1/2 inch HD lenses on the used market. The EX3 is still the most rented camera according to a lot of the statistics provided by the crewing agencies. Of course that camera is aging. Plus, I am not really spending a whole lot on a camera package on the 300, and it will allow me to wait and see how the large sensor market pans out and what's hot, until i'm ready to invest in one.
 

Run&Gun

Well-known member
Most rented camera WHERE? I don't believe that. I thought the C300 was still the most rented.

My only experience with an EX3 was this summer when I got called for a corporate project and the production company already had someone with one as B-cam to me with my F55. I don't know what they were thinking(besides -$), because the 3 looked silly compared to the 55. There was no way in hell they were able to match them in post, because I know how far apart they were while we were shooting.
 

Douglas

Well-known member
You are confusing "rentals" with "use". The EX3 is the most popular camera that get's used on Crews Control shoots, but that does not mean any of those cameras were rentals. In fact, I'll bet only a very very slim margin of Crews Control shoots are done with a rented EX3. All Crews Control crews are well-established, successful shooters and I can't see too many of them needing/wanting to rent an EX3.

I believe that Rune&Gun is correct that the most "rented" camera is the C300 or one of it's brothers.
 
You are confusing "rentals" with "use". The EX3 is the most popular camera that get's used on Crews Control shoots, but that does not mean any of those cameras were rentals. In fact, I'll bet only a very very slim margin of Crews Control shoots are done with a rented EX3. All Crews Control crews are well-established, successful shooters and I can't see too many of them needing/wanting to rent an EX3.

I believe that Rune&Gun is correct that the most "rented" camera is the C300 or one of it's brothers.
Which begs the question of rented from a rental house or owner. While people who own the C-300 are defiantly using them. Many of the times I see them are as a rented camera, or being used by the types of clients who prefer to go straight to a rental house.
 

Run&Gun

Well-known member
Which begs the question of rented from a rental house or owner. While people who own the C-300 are defiantly using them. Many of the times I see them are as a rented camera, or being used by the types of clients who prefer to go straight to a rental house.
Owner/Ops probably rent them out a fair amount to other shooters and companies. I know I do. I probably rent mine out as much as I shoot with it. And I've actually rented my F55 out a few times in the last month or so, too.
 

Douglas

Well-known member
And I am just the opposite. I never rent out my gear, and I never rent anything from a rental house or a fellow shooter. If I don't have the right gear, and can't sell the client on the camera I have, I'm content to skip the shoot entirely. Friends can borrow my stuff if they need it, but that's as far as it goes. I won't even rent a battery to someone who is not a close colleague. I don't want people's grubby hands all over my stuff!
 

Starman

Well-known member
On a side note, with regards to the F5, was it designed more for PL mount owners/users? And the FS7 for DSLR lens owners/users? I see this as the main difference?
 

Douglas

Well-known member
I would not characterize the cameras that way. I bet most F5 owners are mostly using SLR lenses. And I personally only use PL lenses on my FS7. I think the choice of camera really has little to do with the camera.
 

Starman

Well-known member
Douglas, then why would someone chose an F5 over the FS7 and vice versa? Is it what clients ask for? Just curious as to what your thought process is about this. Thanks
 

Robin

Well-known member
Douglas, then why would someone chose an F5 over the FS7 and vice versa? Is it what clients ask for? Just curious as to what your thought process is about this. Thanks

I have an F5 and use PL zoom.. I guess one reason was the Fs7 was just a glint in a Sony engineers eye when I bought my F5.. or at least a well kept secret..

As someone who didnt have any SLR lens.. or want to go the adaptor road.. after reading all the horror stories.. and wanting par focal. .. at the time there was not much alternative than plonking down the money for a PL zoom.. maybe thats still true as far as I know..

But the F5 does seem to be in a bit of a strange place now.. esp if they are not selling them 4K internal ready..(I paid for the internal 4K upgrade key)..
But the good thing about them for me is the PL mount and the side LCD.. cant go without that now.. but I do wonder how long the F5 will be sold.. as part from those two things the Fs7 does the same really..
 

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
I have all PL mount lenses, since I didn't have any still glass to begin with. I have found that for the most part, the feel and mechanics of the zooms and primes I have are much better than off the shelf still glass. Most of the actual glass is taken from still lenses, i.e Tokina, Sigma, and Canon.

Rehoused still lenses, at least the ones I have, are par focal. Tokina is now making cinema lenses in PL, and there is a strong indication that a very popular lens/camera company is about to introduce a series of glass as cinema, in EF and PL.

I have G&L Optics 11-2o, 18-35, and 70-200. I also have the 50-135 Tokina. For primes I have a 35 and 85 Sony Cine Alta, and am looking for a 50 and 135 (if you have one to sell, let me know). These Sony lenses are phenomenal, and had I not acquired an 85 in the purchase of my F5, then found the 35 from someone that had 2, I'd buy the set. Sadly, Sony still does not make these available for individual purchase. But they are extremely sharp, and while a bit heavy, are very well built.

The FS7 and new FS5 are basically E mount versions of the F5, but there are a lot of years left in the F5/55. The fact I can shoot 4K XAVC, XDcam, Pro Res, Avid Dnx, and do slo mo to 180fps makes it very versatile and the looks are stunning.

Waiting on an FS5 to show up, as it's probably going to become my 2nd camera, for jib, slider, time-lapse, and gimbal work, as well as for 2 cam interviews. That will probably get it's own set of lenses, probably DSLR style.

Sony has a promotion from now till next March....buy an F5 WITH 4K, Davinchi Resolve 12, shoulder mount, card reader.....and an A7SII. Two cameras for $15,995.00.

Technology marches forward. Today, cheap cameras, tomorrow, Skynet.
 

Douglas

Well-known member
Douglas, then why would someone chose an F5 over the FS7 and vice versa?
They wouldn't! As I have said before, I would wager that sales of the F5 have died completely since the FS7 came out a year ago. I know there are many happy current F5 owners (such as our own TVshooter) who bought their camera before the FS7 came out -- but I wonder how many of them would still have chosen the F5 if the FS7 had been available. I would wager that number would be a very, very small fraction of F5 owners.

But just to be clear, I don't lump the F55 into that category. There are still several good reasons to buy an F55 over an FS7 or F5. What I am saying is that if the F5 meets your needs, then so probably does the FS7 at a fraction of the price. So why buy an F5 today? Hard to justify now.
 
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