So what do we know about Sony’s Mystery FilmLike camcorder, firstly it’s due in all it’s full glory about February 2011 that’s when we shall get specifications and the all illusive pricing. In fact that’s a good place to start during IBC we were getting pricing from $50,000 to £6,000 and various flavours in between. If we just take a minute to look round the camera I think we can see some telling give aways as to the cameras price…

So lets look at what we know…we have a PL mount for prime lenses but strangely Sony seem to have given this camera a TWO position ND switch…not very useful or what you would expect from a HI-end full frame camcorder. The domestic viewfinder stuck on the handle does not inspire confidence that we are getting a top end camera.

A lot of what we are seeing is from the £4K end of Sony’s range of camcorders, shutter, gain, WB and 2 channels of audio this leads me to suggest we are getting a camcorder that is far from Hi-end, there was a video playing beside the camcorder that produced nice clean noiseless pictures so what do I conclude from what we know and what we can see ourselves.

I am aware that we are looking at a 35mm motion sensor rather than the 4/3″ sensor as seen in the Panasonic AF101, which is good news for those of you craving the 35mm motion sensor but everything else smacks of £4K pro features as seen on an NX5 for example the rest of the camera does not match the feature set of a $50K FilmLike camera.

Talking of 35mm sensors I had a humbling experience on DVX USER during the week as I was banging on about 35mm sensors, full frame and APS-C lenses getting completely mixed up till I saw the light…35mm Full Frame photographic sensors are the reason most footage is produced on the Canon 5DMk11 as this is by far the biggest sensor and produces amazing footage but with all the nasties that come with it. The new Panasonic AG AF101 uses a Four Thirds sensor which is a lot smaller than the 35mm Full Frame sensor but does not suffer any of the problems inherent with the DSLR. Sony’s new FilmLike camera by all accounts uses the 35mm motion sensor now as you can see it is a lot bigger than the Panasonic sensor which is why we are seeing very noiseless, punchy footage.

There is nothing to indicate the format being used with this camcorder but at a guess I think it will be SDHC nor what bit rate but if they are going to catch the eye of the broadcaster then 50Mbs would be helpful. Like the Panasonic I am sure it will have multi frame rates with everything from 1080 50i to 720 50p once again I doubt we are going to get the holy grail of 1080 50p.

I have already predicted the price of this FilmLike camcorder at £6,000 and re visiting the press picture I don’t think I am that far away. Don’t get me wrong if Sony bring out a Cinematography camera at £6K or less Panasonic will have a race on their hands but lets not kid ourselves the starting block is during December when Panasonic ship the first of their AF101 cameras and Sony even at a February announcement won’t start shipping till at least May 2011 giving Panasonic a clear five months head start, but if the Sony has indeed got a 35mm motion sensor maybe that extra five months might just be worth the wait.

Interesting that Sony use the same SINGLE picture of their FilmLike Pro camcorder as seen at NAB 2010 earlier on this year to indicate some further updates to this work in progress. Sony are having a massive following for their NEX-VG10 domestic camcorder and I know a few DPs keeping a watchful eye on the new Sony Pro model.

IBC kicks off in 13 days and Panasonic will not only have a working model of their AG-AF100 FilmLike camcorder but pricing as well. This is Panasonic’s year for being ahead of the game with their AF100 camcorder.

I am really exited by this new technology as finally we get a shallow depth of field camcorder that does not look cumbersome using 35mm adaptors or amateurish using an HDSLR. As usual HD Warrior will get to try out these new camcorders as soon as they become available.

EBAY are preparing for a large volume of HDSLRs during September with the introduction of the first Shallow Depth of Field (SDoF) camcorder from both Sony Domestic (NEX-VG10) and Panasonic Professional (AF100).

Both camcorders are poles apart when it comes to features but they both hold the same coveted feature the SDoF. Sony surprised everyone by bringing out their SDoF camcorder in a domestic form first, running in at about £1,600. There is no tentative pricing for the AF100 but rumours have the camcorder with no lens in the region of about £5,300.

It seems that Panasonic will finally reveal all during the IBC show this September including pricing but strangely no word yet on Sony’s professional SDoF camcorder, due early February 2011. I am not sure if Sony are coming in with two hats on…the VG10 for the student and enthusiast market and moping up the rest with the professional camcorder.

In the professional video world Sony out sells other manufacturers by ten to one so you can see Sony’s logic by entering both the domestic and pro market with a SDoF camcorder.

Just in case you have not noticed…the side of the new Sony VG10 has very similar controls to the Sony MC50 with some exceptions, the VG10 has more manual control switches on the outside making it a far better featured camcorder from day one. We have a gain switch which is sadly missing off the MC50 but will be a great benefit for film makers using the VG10.

So what of the HDSLR world…my advice is sell, sell, sell…long before September as this little beauty will be like gold dust from September till Japan catches up with the sheer volume of expected sales.

Canon had this marketplace sewn up… in fact, Canon sold four times more HDSLRs last year making it their best year ever but have come to a grinding halt with no new featured HDSLRs since the EOS 550D last February. It is rumoured that we might see a prototype SDoF camcorder from Canon during IBC next month but as usual they will be in the long shadow of both Panasonic and Sony by the time we see a working model.

Just a word of warning the new Sony NEX-VG10 does not have a zoom control so if you are used to having this feature you will have a sharp learning curve to cope with a manual lens. Most films especially the ones produced for television do not use zoom lenses instead they rely on prime lenses.

When I started out over 25 years ago we had a zoom control on our JVC camera but our boss Chris insisted that we learn to choose shots using the manual zoom rather than rely on the zoom. This was a good way to learn because you were by-passing the zoom and learning to frame shots.

This is a technique you will have to learn with the new VG10…to frame shots as there is no zoom control on the camcorder. The HDSLR boys have been using this technique for a while now and seasoned DPs use this technique all the time.

A zoom control can be very slow compared to a manual flip of the zoom arm. The reason for this is to point it out before you commit to buy one then discover the manual lens which you may not like.

Personally I think this will do nothing but enhance the use of this camcorder and to have to think about your shots in advance and framing is no bad thing.

Specifications

Stunning cinematic images and sound – Explore a new dimension in creative artistry. Capture beautifully detailed, cinematic video images plus high-quality audio

14.2 megapixels Exmor® APS HD CMOS Sensor – Large (APS-C size) image sensor captures Full HD video and still images with the quality and selective depth of field of a DSLR

Interchangeable lens – Pick the right E-mount lens for any subject. Shoot beautiful movies with your Carl Zeiss and Sony DSLR lenses (requires adaptor)

18-200mm lens with Optical SteadyShot Active Mode – High-quality lens includes stabilisation to correct for effects of camera shake during handheld video shooting even while walking.

24 Mbps recording – Full HD 1920 x 1080 video shooting (AVCHD format) at maximum bit rate for increased detail and clarity

14.2 megapixel still photos – Capture very high resolution, low noise still images, with DSLR-like picture quality and shallow depth of field

7.5cm/3″ Xtra Fine LCD – Photo-realistic 921k dot resolution wide LCD screen with TruBlack technology for clear, high contrast images

High-resolution Electronic viewfinder (EVF) – With adjustable angle for comfortable composition and viewing of shots from any position, even in bright sunlight

Quad Capsule Spatial Array Stereo Microphone – Advanced mic array with four omnidirectional capsules for crisp sound with improved directivity compared to ordinary camcorder.

External Microphone jack – Jack provided for adding optional external microphone

BIONZ processor – Powerful image processing ensures clear, detailed video and still images plus quick, responsive shooting

Easy-to-use interface – Select and adjust menu functions quickly and easily with clear, intuitive interface

Manual Control – Jog dial plus hotkeys offer intuitive manual control over Shutter Speed, Iris, Gain and White Balance for pro-quality results

Handheld Twilight mode – Automatically shoots and combines high-speed burst of frames to create single low-noise still image in low-light conditions

Advanced Dynamic Range Optimiser – Adjusts exposure and contrast for natural results in high-contrast scenes and backlit portraits

Accessory shoe – Compatible with α flash/lighting systems and other accessories

HDMI® output – Connect camcorder directly to HD TV or PC with compatible input: view your videos in breathtaking Full HD

Record on Memory Stick™ or SD card – Slip in a high-capacity media card and shoot Full HD video (up to 470min with 32GB card) with no tapes or discs to worry about

HDW : This camcorder comes on the heals of the MC50 and by all accounts will produce a cracking image. This will become to de facto camcorder for the wedding boys and girls. The shallow depth of field will be perfect for producing those wonderful romantic shots only afforded by a SDoF. I notice that it also runs on the new Sony “V” battery system now thats good news as I can supply quick charging double battery chargers and V batteries if needed. Call 07769 117 119 for availability from the Glasgow store.

This is a bit like waiting for the final Harry Potter book…in two months time a new sun will rise and the Sony NEX-VG10 will be available for around £1600, this new camcorder will have interchangeable lenses and the coveted shallow depth of field (SDoF).

Although the first SDoF camcorder will be in the domestic camp it will shortly be followed by the Panasonic AF100 allowing Canon, Nikon, Prime lenses via special adapters. This will bring about a water shed …finally converting many DSLR followers back to the camcorder.

A camcorder like no other as Sony would tell us… interchangeable lenses, shallow depth of field, proper 16bit sound controls with inputs, hi resolution swivel viewfinder, ergonomically correct and no time limits when recording.

The Holy Grail is finally on it’s way and the end is in sight for the DSLR as we know it…I suspect we will see some “new video” features as Japan plays catch up but only the dedicated and to be fair those who have heavily invested in the DSLR will continue to sing it’s praises. They will become the minority as we see more SDoF camcorders roll out from Sony, Canon, JVC and Panasonic.

EBAY will be awash with DSLRs…selling to buy the latest FilmLike camcorder the equilibrium will finally be restored DSLR for the photographer and the FilmLike SDoF camcorder for the film maker.

Dont forget up till now when Mr Canon and Mr Nikon sit down to manufacturer your DSLR they place top priority getting the photographic side of the camera optimised to the detriment of the video side hence the ailasing problems shown quite clearly by Alister Chapman.

People go on about “how cheap” the DSLR is in respect to video but forget how much they have to spend getting extra lenses, external audio equipment, remote control, fancy magnified loupes the list goes on…so your initial £1200 purchase climbs up to nearer £3200…not so cheap !

A prediction for the future…

My money is on Mr Bloom the GURU of the DSLR, he will have a passing look at the Sony VG10 but it’s domestic feel will not entice him…the Panasonic VF100 will ring a lot of bells being a more pro calibre, prime lenses etc but I think he will plum for the Pro Sony FilmLike camera. Philip Bloom is a film maker at heart and is looking for a camera that suits his style of filming, the DSLR in my opinion is not an ENG cameraman’s natural choice ergonomically, Philip has adapted to suit his needs.

Philip has been an ENG cameraman for many years and used 35mm adapters to give him that SDoF but his cameraman’s sore back I suspect gave him jip lugging around such heavy gear which is why he took to the DSLR…great low light pictures, SDoF and 100 times lighter.

Philip is too much the gentleman to drop the DSLR so he will run in tandem for a while but my bet is that he will be persuaded by the FilmLike Pro camcorder for it is closer to what a cameraman is naturally used to using.

I on the other hand could not care less for 35mm adapters, using my Canon 5D2 for anything other than photography and look forward to reviewing as many camcorders that may come my way, the DSLR has given a lot of pleasure and opened up your choice when filming SDoF and thats to be commended but as a truly professional tool it is sadly lacking and a year from now the “talk of the steamie” on all our blogs will be FilmLike camcorders like it or not !

It’s hard to contemplate how film has lost favour over the last year or so to what is effectively…video. RED ONE is being used more and more in place of film, television has opted for the “35mm” adaptor look with many hi-end productions like Dr Who being filmed with Sony F35s and nightmare health and safety issues !  Is this to save money on hiring a jib or was this episode re-named the tripod from hell  !

At this moment in time there are many film makers making lo budget video films with HDSLRs once again digital and ironically from a stable of cameras that were once famous for 35mm photographic film. Digital has turned the stills camera on it’s head introducing HD video as the lesser side of it’s photographic features. Because Canon, Nikon etc will not compromise the cameras photographic nature which is it’s priority feature we get less than acceptable niggles when trying to use the camera for something that it was not seriously intended for…filming !

Kevin Shahinian’s “City of Lakes” knocks my theory on it’s head with a wonderful 28 minute film shot entirely on HDSLRs and some stunning camerawork.

Kevin…”There are so many ways to tell a story…

And so much a wedding symbolizes. So many questions it tends to raise: What is love? What is faith? It was our hope to explore these themes in a far more dramatically engaging way than we felt possible in a traditional documentary… Perhaps there is more within this story then meets the eye.

In the fall of 2009, Melissa & Samir embarked on an incredible journey to Udaipur, India, to fulfill a lifelong dream of having their wedding in the country of their ancestry. This transcendent place, affectionately called the “CITY OF LAKES,” located in the breathtaking region of Rajasthan, would be the setting for their extravagant, three-day marriage celebration, and the backdrop of our unprecedented film production – shot entirely on-location. We believe this to be the first ever live event/scripted concept production ‘hybrid’ film ever produced on this scale. It was shot entirely on DSLRs, the Canon 5D Mark2 and 7D.”

View on ExposureRoom

What does the future hold, sadly film has become very expensive to produce and in these hard times producers are not willing to run to these costs so we are going to see a lot more “FilmLike” films made with shallow depth of field digital video cameras. It took long enough for the penny to drop but the video manufacturers are fighting back with their own FilmLike video camcorders poised at the lower end of the marketplace though I have no doubt that we will see these camcorders being used all over the video and film industry before long.

Panasonic were the first company to announce such a camcorder and by all accounts looks feature rich bringing back all the professional features you would expect from a true FilmLike camcorder like XLRs, various lens mounts and a decent viewfinder. Don’t expect this camcorder to be a competitor to RED or ARRI but at it’s price point, below £10,000 they will sell in their thousands and the best news is that you can turn your 5DMk11 back into a photographic camera and use the lenses with the new AF100.