This is the lens that ships with the Sony NEX VG10 the 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 manual zoom lens. I find this lens very useful indeed it is definitely the right lens for the job, a very sharp lens I may add. The 200mm end gives you some stunning shallow depth of field shots. I can’t quite get away with the dynamic range of colours this camcorder produces from deep blacks to pillar box red to very true skin tones.

The camcorder records at full 1920 x 1080 25p this has been confusing me of late as Sony are very cagey about telling us what this camera records on, they even print 1080 50i on the box but the first pictures on the LCD tell you we are filming in progressive.

This is the “Pancake” 16mm f2.8 lens to be quite honest you are only loosing 1 stop between the 18-200 at f3.5 and 16mm at f2.8mm so we don’t get to see what it can achieve in true low light conditions. The optical qualities of the 16mm lens are as good as the 18-200. There is an “A” mount converter LA-EA1 which converts from the “E” mount to the “A” mount. You have a vast range of lenses for the Sony “A” mount system and some mega sexy f1.4 ZEISS T* lenses.

The 16mm E lens has the ability to be converted from 16mm to 10mm fisheye, now as you can see this is mega wide. My only observation is that it’s optical properties are not as good as leaving the 16mm without the converter but as a throw away shot in a wedding it would be fantastic.

During my mammoth corporate edit this week I had the occasion to need further footage of people walking in a town centre so I used the VG10 and the shots were converted from 1080 25p down to 720 50p and no one will be any the wiser plus the shots are very punchy indeed. I must thank Ian one of Preston Media customers who was very kind in bringing his NEX-5 lenses with him…16mm and WA converter.

I am warming to this camcorder the more I use it and I hope to film a video review at the beginning of the week for posting ASAP.

Like the local bus route when you are not looking for a bus along comes two, this happened with the recent delivery from H Preston Media I not only got the long awaited Sony NEX-VG10 but also the Panasonic domestic 3D camcorder. My priority has been to review the VG10 then the 3D camcorder.

Yesterday I had a play with the 3D camera and I did not realise that you have to align the 3D part at the front, fortunately I only shot about 30s worth of footage to see it back to realise there was something seriously wrong with the 3D picture. It’s quite easy as it’s almost like registering a video tube camera…that’s something that was done regularly about 20 years ago.

Once you have aligned the 3D head the rest is child’s play…now you have to understand 2 important rules about filming 3D.

1. Everything is shot at the same focal length in other words you cant use the zoom as it is disabled so you are restricted to one wide shot.

2. 3D depends on the subject matter if you are going to achieve a good 3D image you have to think foreground…3D looks far more impressive if you show something in the foreground…that gives it depth.

The camcorder is childsplay beyond the initial 3D head setup. I filmed my dog walking friends this morning and we noticed a large amount of spiders webs due to the type of morning. It was a tad misty therefore causing all the invisible spiders webs to become visible. Watching the footage back I was stunned by the depth of the spiders web and when I filmed two together you could perceive one in front of the other, fantastic.

This one £1,300 domestic 3D camcorder from Panasonic will in my opinion make the 3D plasma a worth while investment. I have not had much time to look at the instruction book so far so I don’t know if you can copy the footage as non 3D footage or if you can burn a Blu-Ray that will playback 3D from a 3D Blu-Ray player.

I think this camcorder will spark the imagination of young families who want to impress their friends with the latest in technology, 3D like it or loth it is here to stay and that’s mainly thanks to the introduction of the affordable Panasonic HDC-SDT750 3D camcorder.

As I am working on a large corporate project at the moment I had little time to play with the Sony NEX-VG10…so I took it with me at lunchtime while walking the dog. My mother was a willing subject and as you can see from the screen grab above this little gem of a camcorder produces the business. Sony have made a slight error bringing this camcorder into the domestic marketplace as in my opinion it would be better suited as a semi Pro product.

The camcorder needs you to work at it, this is not a camcorder for filming happy snaps of the kids…remember we have no electronic zoom, the lens is completely manual.

One important point while I am here is that you will need to buy a mini HDMI to HDMI cable if you want to view your footage on an LCD/Plasma. The other major tip is to buy a Sony NP-FV100 battery as the extra weight helps balance the camera better.

I find the manual focusing great as long as your subject does not walk towards the camera but for great tracking shots you can’t beat the autofocus, word of warning, the autofocus is very good…once it locks on to a moving subject but it’s far from the fastest autofocus I have come across, it makes up for it’s tracking abilities but don’t rely on it for some quick zoom and focus shots.

The lens that comes with the VG10 is an 18-200mm f3.5-6.3 Sony lens, it seems on first outing a very sharp lens indeed and I have no qualms in using it for further projects. Because Sony have decided that this system is to rely on photographic lenses you do not have an electronic zoom so you are back to filming the old fashioned way…picking your shots, framing and filming…some of us may say it’s the only way to film !

The camcorder is a bit quirky as yet I do not see anyway to lock the exposure when you are in anything but manual exposure mode which I find strange.

The menu system relies on a thumbwheel built into the control side of the camcorder and I must say it’s a bit hit or miss…I do wish Sony would stop using this kind of navigation. Unlike the Sony MC50 camcorder this camera has an “ON” position at the record button and has a gain control, by pressing the GAIN button you have 0dB all the way through to 27dB plus AUTO GAIN. I am a big fan of 0dB and outdoors this setting keeps me happy knowing that I am keeping gain right out the picture.

There is one very stupidly placed button and thats the PHOTO button on the top of the handgrip inevitably when you go to change a setting and nothing happens it’s because your hand is resting on the PHOTO button which is badly placed right under the camcorders carry handle.

The camera takes very sharp 14MP photographs which just might be a bonus depending what you are filming, I would suggest that if you take this camera on holiday you would not have to take your digital camera as well.

This in my opinion is as far from a point and shoot camcorder as you can get and as I have said earlier I don’t know why Sony have placed this camcorder in the domestic camp. This is a specialised product and needs a fair bit of previous knowledge to make it happen especially as Sony are pitching it as a Shallow Depth of Field product. SDoF as you can see from my pictures above is what this camcorder majors on and as long as you get your head around the manual zoom and quirky menu system I am sure this will start to make in roads into the DSLR marketplace.

UPDATE :

Help ma boab as they say in the Broon’s would you credit it Sony have splashed out and given us a FREE windjammer which I did not notice till I started to read the instructions, let’s hope Sony professional are looking at this and start giving us free windjammers across all the range of new camcorders.

If Sony are working on the VG11 then please re-position the PHOTO button, take out the PUSH part of the thumbwheel, it seems that we have no control of sound so manual pots should be added plus indication of levels in the LCD and an exposure lock as seen on the MC50.

This camcorder has been built for filming as it’s priority therefore lacks all the nasties seen with current DSLRs also it takes a great number of Sony E and A lenses though you need an adapter to use the A lenses.

I am hoping to film a full video review during the weekend and I will edit some footage to let you see how amazing this camera is also some of the boys on various forums want to know how good or bad the VG10s rolling shutter is, well I will be testing it against it’s arch enemy the Canon 5DMk11 !

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.

Barry…I’m posting this from the show floor at IBC, where the first working prototypes of the AF100 are being shown to the public. I’ve had the luxury of working with the pre-production AF101, which is the European model of the AF100. Same basic camera, because all of them are NTSC/PAL switchable.

This prototype isn’t finished yet, so I can’t say some things definitively, but I can say this – I’m done with shooting on DSLRs. This thing is the bomb.

It is basically everything that I was expecting/hoping it to be, and more. I mean, I was expecting an HPX170 with DSLR-style shallow DOF, and yeah, that’s it. What I wasn’t expecting was variable frame rates up to 1080/60p. I was hoping for things like 2.35:1 frame markings in the viewfinder, and yeah, it’s got it. I was expecting things like zebras, waveform monitor, vectorscope, uncompressed audio, XLRs, line/mic/phantom power controls, manual audio, pre-record, interval recording, and everything else that the HPX170 does, and it has pretty much all of that (I didn’t see time-stamp for legal video, but … seriously, this isn’t a legal videography camcorder! Although, it could be, I guess).

I wasn’t expecting simultaneous HDMI and HD-SDI output, that’s really pretty awesome. You can use a cheap HDMI monitor, and use the HD-SDI to record to a NanoFlash or KiPro or whatever, simultaneously. Cool.

I was expecting timecode. I wasn’t expecting the ability to sync timecode through LTC (like the HMC150 has) so you can easily sync to timecode slates, to external sound recorders, or to other camcorders in a multi-camera shoot.

I was hoping for (well, demanding really, but it amounts to “hoping for”) a high-def LCD, and yes, that’s what it has. High-def LCD and high-def viewfinder. But what I wasn’t expecting is that they said that in the final model, the LCD will actually be better than the one on the HPX370. That’s really good news!

I was hoping to be able to remove the top handle, and you can. I wasn’t expecting to be able to remove the side handgrip, but you can – which lets you strip the unit down to a fairly small box, and also reveals three 1/4-20 mounting holes on the side, which I can just imagine people will be using to attach all sorts of accessories, Red-style. Now that I’ve seen those two items come off, I really wanted them to make the viewfinder/XLR pod removable, so you could strip it down to a totally svelte box, but that’s not possible. I have asked them to consider this for a future version, as that’d be really cool.

I was pretty happy to be setting the sensitivity by ISO instead of by gain levels. But you can do both, at least in this prototype.

As for images – well, imagine a fully-hacked, fully-improved GH13 with better sensitivity and without the aliasing or low-light banding, and that’s a good start. It crushes the 7D/5D for clarity and detail, and I shot brick buildings at every possible zoom setting, and there just isn’t any rainbow moire. Finally! You can do a wide-angle, deep-focus shot without any fear of the camcorder ruining the shot! And your talent can wear corduroy, or fine-striped shirts, without turning into a huge purple/orange smear! But I can’t really comment too much on the imagery, because it’s not done yet – by their estimates, it’s only at about 70% of completion, and they expect to be able to improve it and make it even better by release time. Which is really promising, because while it’s not perfect, already it’s better than what people are going to be comparing it to.

I put on my Zeiss ZF 85mm and 50mm, also used a hyper-sharp Olympus 14-35, and at the booth they have a Zeiss Compact Prime 35mm. And, I used the GH1′s 14-140 and I even mounted on the GH1′s compact pancake 20mm lens, which looked preposterously tiny on such a big body, but really it was pretty darn cool. The 14-140 makes the AF100 into basically a complete video camera, the autofocus is smooth and nice, the zoom is manual but not too shabby, and the range is great (even if the minimum f-stop isn’t). With my 85mm and 50mm (both f/1.4) super-extremely-shallow DOF was extremely easy to achieve.

Now, keep in mind that everything is subject to change. They might add more features, or they might take some away. It’s a pre-production prototype so it’s very early, and (to borrow a line from Red) “everything is subject to change.”

Skew? Hugely improved. Didn’t get to do a comparison test, but the 24p skew of the AF101 felt like it was at least as good as the HPX370/EX1.

I am sooo not disappointed. They have built pretty much exactly what I was hoping for. There are things I’d like to see added before it’s released, obviously, and no we didn’t get some of the wild things we were hoping for (like a new 50-megabit 4:2:2 AVC codec) but what we did get is pretty much exactly what we needed – better-than-DSLR imagery in a professional, proper video body, with all the conveniences and features that pro video shooters are used to.

Price will be £4000.

HDW…Barry has been the first “outsider” to my knowledge to actually film with the AG-AF101 and by all accounts this camcorder will indeed be a winner with DPs who have for technical reasons not joined the growing band of DSLR users.

This is a great step forward for professional cinematography and if you want one of the first AG AF101s then get your orders in NOW…This will fly off the shelves in December.

Barry also told me that in about 6 weeks that takes us to end of October, there will be an adapter for Canon lenses that don’t have the older manual iris ring. This will allow auto/manual iris via the camera and auto/manual focus.

I had the pleasure of meeting an old pal Nigel Cliff from Holdan who distribute the new Panasonic AG-HMC81 camcorder. I had a play with the new camcorder, it was surprisingly good and looks a lot better in real life than the photographs I had seen of it. You get a lot of camera for your money, XLR plus phantom powering, HDMI output, full manual control of both channels of sound, the one thing that’s lacking is a gain switch. The gain is tied in with the exposure but we looked at some footage back and I kid you not 10dB of gain on a 50″ full HD television was as clean as a whistle.

This camcorder will be perfect for weddings, conferences and education.

PANASONIC…

A Tapeless Camera Recorder That Meets the Needs of Professional HD/SD Multi Format Recording. The  multi format AG-HMC81 records in both AVCHD (HD) and DV (SD) formats onto SD/SDHC memory card.

This tapeless camcorder features a 12x optical zoom lens, Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), and a 1/4.1 inch, 3.05 mega pixel (approx. 2 mega pixel/effective image pixels), progressive 3MOS.

In HD mode, the AVCHD format has twice the compression efficiency of MPEG-2 for superb image quality.  Its exclusive PH mode allows exceptional quality recordings at a higher bit rate (max. 24 Mbps).  SD mode records AVI files using the popular DV compression method.  This file based system enables effective use of existing DV compatible nonlinear editing systems.

The AG-HMC81 also features a shoulder mount design that enables stable shooting, XLR audio input (with phantom microphone supprt), and a BNC component/composite image output terminal as standard equipment, for smooth compatibility with professional systems.

Features:

• Stunning quality AVCHD recording to SDHC card at up to 1920 X 1080 50i or 25p
• Standard Definition DV recording to SDHC card at 576 50i and 576 25p
• User-assignable manual focus ring functions, for Focus/Iris/Zoom
• XLR inputs with switches for mic/line, and +48V Phantom Power
• Time code/UB recording
• IEEE 1394 output in DV Mode
• Pre-record – 3 seconds
• Interval recording for time lapse
• Shot marker and metadata capture
• Wired remote control terminals for zoom, focus, iris, REC start/stop controls
• 10 Megapixel Stills function
• Three-year warranty program (One year + two year extension upon registration)

Once again Canon have pulled a further rabbit out of the hat with the BBC approved 50Mbs 4:2:2 handheld camcorder but lets be honest these camcorders may be to the BBCs specifications but most self respecting DPs are not going to buy one of these, this is to satisfy the BBC for internal use. This is not to say the pictures wont be good if the 300 range is anything to go by.

Canon…

Canon announces the XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders for mobile HD video capture in a compact form factor. Canon’s smallest professional camcorders, the new XF105 and XF100 utilize the same Canon XF Codec featured in the Canon XF305 and XF300, introduced earlier this year. The Canon XF Codec is an MPEG-2 4:2:2 50Mbps codec used for exceptional high-definition image quality, full non-linear editing (NLE) systems compatibility and efficient, robust workflow.

These camcorders include in-camera features enabling the easy set-up and capture of high-definition 3-D video when two XF105 or XF100 camcorders are paired, as well as Canon’s built-in infrared low-light feature enabling the capture of HD video in complete darkness. Both models record to Compact Flash (CF) cards and feature hot-swappable card slots for maximum performance. Differentiating the two models are industry-standard HD-SDI output and genlock in/SMPTE time code (in/out) terminals available on the Canon XF105. The XF105 and XF100 camcorders are ideal for Electronic News Gathering, documentary and independent filmmaking and event videography.

“Whether used as a companion to the XF305 or XF300, or as a stand-alone camcorder, the XF105 and XF100 are geared for a wide range of applications where high image quality, extreme portability and efficient workflow are of the utmost importance. And with true stereoscopic 3-D production and infrared recording capabilities, they allow users to expand into new markets,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., “This week we will be exhibiting both the Canon XF105 and XF100 at Canon EXPO 2010 in New York and demonstrate the versatile low-cost capabilities.”

The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature a Genuine Canon 10x HD Zoom lens which provides the mobility and optical performance required by the most demanding professionals. Each model includes a Canon developed and designed native Full HD 1920 x 1080 CMOS image sensor and the new Canon XF Codec for extreme color detail required for accurate chroma-keying, color-grading and compositing for digital filmmaking. For finer transitions in tone and color, 4:2:2 color sampling offers twice the color resolution of HDV and other 4:2:0 formats.

And to maximize compatability with existing industry infrastructure, video, audio and metadata are combined in an MXF (Material eXchange Format) File Wrapper, a widely supported open-source format. The Canon XF Codec is currently compatible with leading software programs widely used within the video production and broadcast industries including those available from Adobe, Apple, Avid, and Grass Valley.

To maximize the camcorders’ adaptability across various production environments, Canon has equipped each model with the ability to record at multiple bit rates, resolutions and variable frame rates for slow and fast motion.

50Mbps (CBR) — 4:2:2 — 1920 x1080 at 50i/25p/24p — 1280 x 720 at 50p/25p/24p
35Mbps (VBR) — 4:2:0 — 1920 x1080 at 50i/25p/24p — 1280 x 720 at 50p/25p/24p
25Mbps (CBR) — 4:2:0 — 1440 x1080 at 50i/25p/24p

CBR = Continuous Bit Rate
VBR = Variable Bit Rate

Additional professional features include variable-interval (for time-lapse) and frame-record for stop-motion animation, and a photo feature for frame-grabs.

Genuine Canon 10x HD Zoom Lens
The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature a Genuine Canon 10x HD Zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 30.4mm – 304mm. For professional looking results, both models offer an eight-blade iris which yields natural, smooth background blur with reduced lens diffraction. The lens also features a SuperRange Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) system featuring Dynamic and Powered IS modes for optimal performance in the greatest variety of situations.

DIGIC DV III Image Processor
The proprietary Canon DIGIC DV III Image Processor and Canon Full HD CMOS Image Sensor render native 1920 x 1080 HD video, capturing natural, lifelike colors with remarkable tonal gradations and detail. The DIGIC DV III Image Processor also powers Canon’s innovative Face Detection Technology, an autofocus option that can significantly reduce the effort required when camera operators work alone, such as in news gathering applications.

Compact, Comfortable Ergonomics and Operation
Weighing less than 3lbs, these models are designed to maximize comfort while shooting and enable fast on-the-go recording with both a top and side grip option. Eachcamcorder also features a convenient, freely rotating 3.5-inch, 920,000 dot LCD monitor and .24-inch 260,000 electronic viewfinder with approximately 100 percent field of coverage. The LCD monitor provides a display of the camcorders’ built-in waveform monitor to aid in achieving accurate exposure while shooting. Additionally, the LCD can show peaking, edge-monitor-focus and magnify the image, enabling users to confirm critical focus, an essential objective in all HD production.

Affordable 3-D Shooting
Canon offers built-in features to assist with 3-D production, including OIS Lens Shift to aid in optically aligning two XF105 or XF100 camcorders and a Focal length Guide for displaying the zoom position of each camera in relation to each other and calibrating the zoom distance. This adjustment can be done through the menu system while the camcorder is mounted to a rig or tripod. Once aligned, the amount of the angle-of-view change is displayed after zoom adjustment, preventing camera misalignment and simplifying adjustment.

Infrared Shooting
The Canon XF105 and XF100 include an infrared feature enabling the capture of HD video shooting in conditions with little tozero ambient light, which is ideal for Military and Law Enforcement markets, as well as Nature and Wildlife videographers. The XF105 and XF100 also feature an infrared emitter with a diffuser as well as a Green or White color option to shoot pleasing infrared imagery even in complete darkness.

Audio Flexibility
The Canon XF105 and XF100 Professional Camcorders feature dual XLR inputs for external audio sources as well as a built-in stereo microphone. The new camcorders support 16-bit PCM audio at 48 kHz with automatic and manual audio level adjustment