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April the 14th 2012…NAB holds a few well kept secrets from at least 2 major camera manufacturers…Sony and Panasonic.

The world of video filming has gone large sensor within the last year and with four camcorders in the space of twelve months we have been spoiled.

The biggest upset to the friendly pack has been the Canon EOS C300, here we have the first camera to tick almost all the boxes…dedicated Canon EF lens mount, 4:2:2, 50Mbps and 3 ND filters….the first large sensor camera to be approved by the BBC without needing an external recorder.

Sony were bold but nieve to bring out the PMW- F3 at 35Mbps when it had been reported that Canon would bring out a 50Mbps camera within the year and sadly that prediction has come home to haunt Sony.

We are now getting the $4000 SLOG upgrade free with all new F3s in a major fight back to claim sales from the C300 but limping along with 35Mbps does not help the F3 in any shape or form whatsoever.

The Sony FS100 has had a lot of help recently with Sony comissioning films by Philip Bloom and articles from Den Lennie making references like “is it the new Bolex” and having used the camera for six months myself you get used to working around the lack of ND filters…almost.

My first camera at the beginning of last year was the Panasonic AF101 and of all the cameras less the C300 it has a lot going for it, especially the large range of micro four third lenses and adapters the 25mm f0.95 Nokton being my favourite at the time.

So what made me change three times within 12 months…?

1. Panasonic AF101…I got an F3 to road test and beside the AF101 the resolution was far greater on the F3 and far better low light capability so it was a no brainor when the Sony FS100 came along and out performed the AF101 in resolution alone.

2. The Sony was a work around camera compared to the AF101, the lack of ND was a shocking lack of thought by Sony engineers who forgot how much light the Super 35mm sensor actually soaked in. The build quality of the so called carry handle left a lot to be desired and no second card slot was another engineering let down. The FS100 was the lesser of Sonys Super 35mm cameras and it showed.

Why did I not go for a PMW-F3…?

Simple, 35Mbps is not that appealing when you have already had an EX1, EX3 and a PMW-350, knowing that you are stuck with that quality at that price point was not appealing to me. The PL mount was also a draw back as my budget would never allow me to buy such lenses. Lastly the other option at that time was Nikon and I was growing tired of Nikons anti clockwise focusing.

Beyond the Canon EOS 300 EF…

Just over a month before NAB and the pressure is on both Panasonic and Sony to make a dent in Canons superior marketing decision to make three cameras 50Mbps broadcast spec the EX100, 300 range and the latest C300 camera.

Canon are giving the broadcast HD market a run for its money and in these days of tight purses its not surprising that there has been such a take up of XF305s, not everyones cup of tea but at just over £6000, meets more bean counters budgets than one Sony PMW-500 at £20,000 plus lens.

Both Panasonic and Sony need to plug the £6-10K gap, Panasonic has rallied with the HPX-250 P2 camcorder at £4K but the cost of the P2 media is still a major drawback in the broadcast market.

Sony have one chance this year to re-capture some sales from Canon but they need to desperately change their ethos by stop producing cameras that almost make the mark, Canon have proved this with the last 3 cameras so Sony need to cut into the sub prime £6-10K market with a large sensor or a hand held fit for HD broadcast without the need for an add-on recorder.

Canon do not have Sony or Panasonic’s baggage by affecting “what came before” in other words Sony’s perception is not to affect sales of the F3 or 500 but that thinking has to stop if they want to encourage sales back from Canon.

How many times have we as cameramen and women stood looking at a camera at a video show and thinking “wow…but if only it had…!” thats the thinking when you look over the AF101, FS100 and PMW-F3, they are all great cameras spoiled by future development and improvements, this “next years model” thinking, has been around for over 20 years now and Canon hopefully will put a stop to this by producing cameras fit for todays HD broadcast filming and constrained budgets.

I know cameramen who hate the XF305 with a passion but those same cameramen have grown up with shoulder mounts and ENG lenses and as time moves on will become a minority, I was converted over to hand held cameras during the mid 90s when miniDV was born and have been a fan ever since.

Even the shoulder mount stalwart Alister Chapman has gone public saying that he thinks shoulder mounts have had their day, so whatever Sony or Panasonic have up their sleeve at NAB lets hope we are not saying “If only”.

As I write my Sony FS100 is tucked away in her Kata bag ready for the next job, its been a funny old year and I will share my experiences with you using various large sensor video cameras.

January : My Panasonic AF101 arrived after first seeing it at IBC 2010 in Amsterdam, it was a camera generously loaned to me by H Preston Media who I work part time for as a technical consultant.

I was pleasantly surprised with the AF101, well built, great easy to understand menu system and that all important micro Four Thirds chip set, never before had I seen virtually  noiseless gain at 18dBs.

lenses…I had far to many lenses for the AF101 from Panasonics own to Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Voigtlander. The latter was the lens of the century the 25mm f0.95 Nokton lens from Voigtlander probably the best shallow depth of field lens second only to the Canon 50mm f1.2.

It was the first time in history I sold a lens for virtually what I had payed for it as the Nokton was not only scarcer than gold dust but almost as precious due to the volcanic eruption hitting Japan at the time.

My prime lens for interviews was the 25mm Nokton mFT followed by Canons 50mm f1.2 L lens with Kippon EF adapter and Panasonics 7-14mm F4 wide angle zoom for opening shots these were my main contenders.

Two things set the large sensor cameras head and shoulders above conventional camcorders and that is noiseless gain and shallow depth of field (SDoF), they are not particularly good run and gun cameras or off tripod in general due to lack of stabilisation and manual focusing.

After about 3 months I got a Sony F3 for review and used aside the AF101, the Panasonic showed itself to be a lot softer than the F3 which is not difficult as the AF101 is only 800 lines compared to Sonys 1000+ lines. The F3 was also a lot less noisy in low light and the extra resolution was also a bonus in low light.

June : I gave back my AF101 to Prestons to take delivery of the Sony FS100 now I have got to put my hand up and say I was more than a bit scathing of this camera before I actually began to use one myself. The lack of ND filters is just laziness on Sonys part and not having SDI out was also a poor decision by Sony but having lived with the camera for six months now it soon grows on you in fact I have actually bought my loan camera.

It comes with a body only or a Sony E 18-200 f3.5-6.3 manual zoom lens, personally forget the lens version and buy yourself an MTF Nikon to E mount adapter, sadly no one has yet appeared with a Canon adapter for the Sony E mount though MTF should be shipping during January 2012 but at just under £1000 its a dear alternative.

As you use Large Sensor cameras you become more savvy when choosing lenses for it so my three stock lenses for the FS100 are the Nikon 50mm f1.4 for interviews the Nikon DX 17-55 f2.8 lens for general filming and the Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 wide zoom for establishing shots.

You learn through experience that you don’t need a bag full of lenses to produce a competent job nor the extra expense that extra lenses cost, my regret is selling off some cracking Canon L glass to move over to Nikon, not because the Canon is better glass because it isn’t but merely the extra expense of buying it all over again.

At the moment I am using a new Sony A77 DSLR and what a performance choosing decent glass for it, Sony present you with three sets of glass the Sony G lens, the Carl Zeiss lens and Sonys own zooms and prime glass, in other words three levels of quality which I do not care for. The Zeiss is good but expensive, the G glass is also good depending what you buy into and the standard glass is also surprisingly good with a cheaper look and price tag.

I mention the A77 because it has a similar look and chip to the FS100 but as yet I have done no side by side comparisons, one things for sure its not as good as the FS100 in low light noise.

Fortunately I did buy a Sony Alpha to E mount adapter and tried my three Sony lenses with the FS100, a Sony 30mm F2.8 macro lens, a Sony 16-50mm f2.8 wide zoom lens as an aside I did purchase the 50% cheaper Tamaron 17-50mm f2.8 but was disappointed by its chromatic aberrations so I sent it back. I wanted a telephoto so my budget stretched for the Sony 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 “G” lens the lenses are all very sharp though the electronic f stop thumb wheel on the FS100 makes a very steppy, clanky manual iris, definitely not recommended for use during filming. Nothing else gets transferred via the electronic pins i.e. auto focus nor auto iris which is a surprise.

Conclusion : I love the large sensor cameras they give me that look and feel that no other camcorder can touch, the extra noiseless gain is a fantastic bonus especially when you are forced to use lenses smaller than f2.8.

My recommendation is to get a prime lens that is f1.4-f1.2 for producing interviews and don’t be scared to give the subject breathing space by shutting down the iris to f2.8 there is nothing worse than a person moving in and out of focus during an interview, 9 times out of 10 you won’t know that till you have started the interview wether they sway back and forth.

The large sensor is not for everyone or every situation hence my purchase of two Sony NX70s but as long as you follow the basic rules when filming you can get some fantastic footage that only the Super 35mm sensor can produce.

Good old Canon certainly threw down the gauntlet with their C300 offering during the last embers of 2011, Philip Bloom has had his first look over the camera and was more than impressed with it’s overall build quality though he agrees with me about not having 10bit out of the SDI socket, a major mistake in my books. If you are out to not only impress your competition e.g. the Sony F3 you are in my opinion letting your guard down by not producing similar specs to the F3  (10bit out of the SDI socket with 4:4:4 as a firmware upgrade).

If Japan perceives this £10K+ large sensor market as their sweet spot for sales they must cut the ties with the past and start producing cameras fit for purpose 10bit, 4:2:2, 50Mbs is the MINIMUM starting point from here on in and anything less will be a joke.

Once again the compactness of the Canon making it look more akin to a medium format photographic camera is in my opinion the wrong way to go the Sony F3 is about the right size though when you look at the ARRI Alexa it’s a bruit compared to both the Sony and the Canon.

Film units are used to coping with lots of metal when it comes to cameras especially 35mm film units, I am not condemning the Canon but when you start to add prime lenses the weight of the glass certainly upsets the balance between the camera and the lens.

What about 2012 what do I predict Sony and Panasonic will come up with…

SONY : I think we may see a new F5 around NAB time certainly with 50Mbs capability if not better, 10 bit 4:2:2 and dare I say it 4K recording with a  better hi res viewfinder rather than the pull out version seen on the F3 today.

I don’t see Sony upgrading the FS100 anytime soon as that would fight against any new camera like the F5.

PANASONIC : Due to having the first large sensor camcorder out in the market Panasonic hit an all time high with huge sales for their very popular AF101, two things that let it down slightly are the lack of resolution (800 lines) compared to the competition and the 8 bit processing (same as the competition…FS100), many cameramen have spent an extraordinary amount of time developing scene files to blend a less noisy picture versus banding thats exacerbated when you tweak for a less noisy picture.

The AF301 a direct poke at Canon will have 10bit, 4:2:2 processing as seen on the HPX250 and will swap over to P2 giving us AVC Intra, unless P2 becomes a lot cheaper the P2 route if chosen would be an achilles heal for an updated AF101. I don’t see Panasonic going away from micro Four Thirds as they have invested far too much development on lenses. I hope we see a far better viewfinder and far higher resolution on version two (1000 lines +).

JVC : We saw a concept 4K camcorder from JVC at IBC 2011 but with the crazy 4 card recording system and as yet no NLE supporting it I think it will stay a concept let alone the size of the camcorder and no interchangeable lens system.

The rumours are flying in thick and fast as to what Canon are going to announce tomorrow it seems that we are going to be treated to 2 camcorders a semi Pro version and a Pro version.

Rumours have it that both cameras share the ability to accept the full range of EOS lenses while the Pro version will also accept prime lenses.

We are talking 2-4K in line with a poke at RED and pricing from $15K down to $10K or lower for the semi Pro version all total speculation.

If Canon finally enter the large sensor marketplace I think they will put less effort into making the “prefect” DSLR because it will have a knock on effect on video sales which is why it was interesting that they down graded the recent 1DX DSLR with a non clean HDMI output.

If proof were needed Chris Hurd from DV Info Net is attending the special event, if you take on board that Chris lives in Texas and Hollywood is 1245 miles away it takes one special announcement to get someone to travel a 22 hour journey so you can take it from me this is a big time large sensor camcorder or two from Canon.

Please remember there is also a 7 hour time delay so if the news is not broadcast till 3pm as Chris seems to think it will be 10-11pm in the UK before news filters through.

Amazingly it’s been 10 months since the first large sensor camcorder the Panasonic AF101 appeared on the market followed by Sony with their F3 and the FS100.

The AF101 and the FS100 are both £5K and under, with the Sony F3 popping it’s head just above £11K making it the “most” professional as far as pricing and level of features of the three camcorders.

Even more surprising is the lack of so called broadcast features on all three camcorders especially the F3 which is no better than an EX-3 with it’s 35Mbs SxS card slots. You do have the ability to output 4:4:4 from the F3 but Sony have misunderstood the animal who uses such cameras, in my opinion.

Cameramen do not like extra connections if they can avoid it, every extra connection coming out of a camera is one extra failure point in technical terms so bringing out a camcorder with a hi-end potential and not starting at the magical 50Mbs is ludicrous.

While all 3 camcorders produce fantastic pictures especially in low light they are limited to certain types of filming with one exception the F3, Sony decided the F3 was to take on several roles and is the only large sensor camera to date with a zoom rocker and a dedicated 14x servo zoom (Optional).

I said at the time this was a stroke of genius from Sony to include such a feature giving the F3 a far wider appeal but once again adding to the cost of the camera itself.

The BBC have gone down the road of Sony PMW-350 s and 500s with a few freelancers jumping onto the 500 bandwaggon giving them far more flexabilty and the  so called BBC HD starting point of 50Mbs for HD production.

The PMW-350 is an excellent camcorder but 35Mbs HD means Nano flashes and all the complications and extra cost that come with external recorders.

For years cameramen and women have been used to filming with a single camcorder like Betacam, especially for news, you don’t have time to faff about with Nano Flashes if you are sent out on a news job.

So 10 months down the line we have many new camcorders but very few making the grade of true HD broadcast spec out of the box…

Sony… PMW-500 (50Mbs),  PMW-F3 (35Mbs), NEX-FS100 (28Mbs), HXR-NX70 (28Mbs)

Panasonic…AG-AF101 (21Mbs), AG-AC130 (21Mbs), AG-AC160 (21Mbs), AG-HPX250 P2 (50Mbs)

JVC…GY-HM790 (35Mbs), GY HM150 (35Mbs)

Canon…XF305/300 (50Mbs), XF300, XF105/100 (50Mbs), XA10 (24Mbs)

So what have we got, not one large sensor camcorder hits the 50Mbs mark which is poor in my opinion though I do realise this will be a feature in version two of at least the F3 if it is to have any chance of selling second time round.

My productions do not suffer for not having 50Mbs but it leaves a large number of fellow professionals out in the cold as they would love to offer 50Mbs but not at the cost of a set of expensive “Christmas tree light wiring” to add to their complications.

As I said at the start of this blog cameramen/women do not care for extra bits of wiring, extra bits that add to something going wrong…Canon may change all this in 8 days time !

Different jobs require different looks therefore different camcorders, I have plumbed for 2 NX70s and 1 FS100 this year as all three camcorders record in 1080 50p, the NX70s are used for most jobs while the FS100 is used for interview work. I was sorely tempted by the Panasonic AC160 but the lack of 1080 50p with sound and differance in looks due to the colour matrix changed my mind, sad as it is a great camcorder brimming with lots of useful pro features like syncro scan.

For once I hope Canon come up with the goods on November the 3rd as for years Sony and Panasonic have been playing cat and mouse with us over features that magically appear on the next updated model but are always shy of being the “perfect spec camcorder”.

The Redrock Micro LiveLens MFT™ is the first active lens adapter that enables Canon EF lenses to be used with any micro four-thirds (mft) camera, such as the Panasonic AG-AF100, Panasonic GH1/2, and Olympus Pen cameras.

Canon EF lenses require power and electronic controls in order to adjust the lens’ aperture. Without power and control electronics, The aperture of the EF lenses are stuck wide open, severely limiting the usefulness of the lens. The Redrock LiveLens mft active lens adapter solves this problem by providing power to the EF lens and a control pad to adjust the lens aperture. With LiveLens mft you can set the EF lens’ aperture to any stop in increments as small as 1/3 stop. It works with just about every lens available today, including variable aperture zoom lenses, prime lenses, consumer-level lenses, and professional L-series lenses. It also works with most third party EF-compatible lenses. There are some limitations to please make sure to read Technical Details.

The Redrock Micro LiveLens mft is the solution for using sharp EF-mount lenses on Micro Four Third bodies without sacrifice. Where standard “dummy adapters” just physically mount EF lenses to the Micro Four Third body, the Redrock micro LiveLens MFT talks to the lens, giving you the ability to adjust your aperture without the need to use time consuming workarounds on set. Don’t work around the ability of your lenses; make your lenses work for you, starting today.

How does LiveLens mft work? 

The LiveLens mft is a lens adapter that fits onto any micro four-thirds camera body, and provides a Canon EF lens mount on the other side for attaching any EF-compatible lens. an on board computer and electronics power a small control panel that allow you to adjust the aperture of the lens, open or closed, in 1/3 stop increments.

Does LiveLens do what I need it to do? 

Absolutely. LiveLens technology has been used by many professional productions for over three years, demonstrating the reliability and capability of LiveLens. With a few exceptions it works with most EF-compatible lenses.LiveLens mft uses true active EF lens control technology, not fake extra iris, mechanical-only lens mount, or other non-performing poor quality “solutions” found on the Internet today.

How is it powered?

The LiveLens mft is powered by an external 9v battery, which can be switched on and off.

How long does the 9v battery last?

The 9V battery can power the unit for about 20 hours depending on how frequently aperture is adjusted .

Will this adapter work on all of my lenses?

The Redrock Micro LiveLens MFT will work on most Canon EF Lenses. However, there are a few exceptions. LiveLens mft does not power focus by wire lenses like the 85mm f/1.2 and 300mm f/2.8. It also does not work with Canon or third party teleconverters, extenders, or macro tubes.

How would I support long or heavy lenses?

If you plan on using long or heavy glass, we’d suggest a microLensSupport to ensure the lens is secure and properly supported.

Can I use the camera to control aperture?

Currently the lens aperture is controlled only through the LiveLens control pad, not the camera.

Will this power the image stabilizer of my IS enabled lenses?

Currently the LiveLens MFT powers only the aperture control of the lens, and does not provide power for image stabilization.

How does this differ from the LiveLens for the M3?

The underlying control technology of the LiveLens MFT and LiveLens for M3 is identical. Where the LiveLens MFT differs is it’s custom-built flange that attaches the unit to the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. LiveLens for the M3 has been proven to work for over three years in production environments and gives LiveLens mft this proven reliability.

The Sony NEX-VG20, a consumer HD interchangeable lens camcorder that follows the world’s first consumer-oriented HD camcorder with an interchangeable lens system, the NEX-VG10.

The NEX-VG20 features the same E-mount system that offers users the choice of seven different E-mount lenses. Sony claims the VG20 offers a number of improvements over the previous model, including comprehensive manual controls, improved imaging quality, upgraded sound and ergonomic refinements such as enhanced grips and a second record button.

SONY “The Handycam® NEX-VG20 offers creative videographers and moviemakers professional performance, whatever their subject. With an improved 16.1 megapixel resolution, you can shoot Full HD video in 25p mode to give your images that timeless cinematic look. Or switch to 50p recording to capture fast and furious sporting action”

The VG-10 suffered rather bad moire patterning and only filmed in 25p mode, I do hope Sony have addressed the moire patterning with the VG-20.

I don’t like the fact that Sony have kept the same look as the VG-10, all they seem to have done is internal tweaking but you now have a choice of 25p and 50p which is good and even if you are using Final Cut Express you can buy a great wee programme called CLIP WRAP that will allow your 50p footage to be used in FCP-7 or Express.

This according to Dan Chung is China’s alternative to the RED camera, personally I don’t think Jim and the boys at RED are going to loose any sleep over this “alternative”.

BreadCam might be a better name for it as it looks like my grannies old bread bin with a lens stuck on the front, cameras need to aesthetically pleasing not something that looks cobbled together in grampas workshop.

It actually looks more like an old 60s cine camera made specifically for Desperate Dan, I do realise this is a prototype but I also think companies like this one in China should keep their early designs under wrap till they are happy with the “look”.

I think this is an attempt at ARRI rather than RED but who cares unless we see a radical re-design I think this may never see the light of day again.

If you would like to read more exiting details on this camera then click here :

http://www.dslrnewsshooter.com/2011/08/27/birtv-2011-chinas-answer-to-red-the-kinefinity-kineraw-s35-digital-cinema-camera-for-us8000/