Justify an F35 vs an FS7

[trafficn]

I've spent a significant amount of time pondering whether to pick up a 2nd body for that reason. I've kept my eye on ebay prices and it seems F35s may have appreciated slightly from a few months ago based on demand? Might just be my wishful thinking. *runs down to basement where all my gear is stored to meticulously clean and put my F35 away in its flightcase*

.... **but not before caressing it, putting my finger over the PL mount to hush it and whisper "everything is going to be OK"**

[starcentral]

Is this you then?

[Viddovation]

I've spent a significant amount of time pondering whether to pick up a 2nd body for that reason. I've kept my eye on ebay prices and it seems F35s may have appreciated slightly from a few months ago based on demand? Might just be my wishful thinking. *runs down to basement where all my gear is stored to meticulously clean and put my F35 away in its flightcase*

The economic model is somewhat difficult to predict. One one hand, the F35 has suffered massive depreciation from it's original price. From what I understand it was somewhere in the range of $150k sans SRW-1 recorder (those who know better, please correct me). Today, an F35 with color viewfinder seems to command somewhere in the range of $7,500, with occasional deals that are significantly better (potentially as low as $5k). That's about 1/20th of the original value.

But unlike most camera models, the F35 has severely limited quantities worldwide. So while the demand may not be terribly high for either Sony F35s or for Red One cameras, the supply of F35s is more limited, and therefore the value has a better chance of holding.

[trafficn]

We can all joke about sleeping next to our F35s but if I watched mine get run over by a bus you'd find me a very broken man with little resolve for holding back serious emotion and gutwrenching screams. My c300 on the other hand can die a miserable death with its frail 8bit codec and rickety top handle (jeez man get a grip)

While I'm not a particularly charitable person there's something to be said for snagging up the remaining good condition F35s up for backup but a part of me wants to run the course with the one I got and spread the love so others can vouch for its attributes. This community seems to uniquely back each other up with support anyway so I'll help where I can too.

[MikalZ]

But I'm writing now, because I think we're on the precipice of a titanic shift in cinematography. Not available to you and me yet - but on it's way. If you haven't already looked up the Lytro Cinema camera - do..

The Lytro is no doubt tech that will be with us going forward, but for the foreseeable future it's a VFX camera aimed at solving VFX problems. It asks the question: "what if you never had to extract 3d data from a 2d plate?". My response to that is that extracting 3d from plates has been easy for years, and this is why it's primarily moved to India. As large VFX shows start to transition to acquiring plates with the Lytro, the first effect will be an army of Indian roto and matchmove guys being put out of work. The camera will also slowly kill greenscreens, and good riddance. This is a big win on the VFX front, not having to pull chroma keys and do painful roto cleanup.

Bottom line, this is a camera that will make adding or removing things from the plate a lot easier. If you don't regularly add or remove things from the frames you film, there is not much reason to be jonesing for this puppy. Remember Lytro had to pivot into the VFX space when the traditional photography market rejected their camera. I tried one and couldn't find much use for it.

The F35 on the other hand asked the simple question: "what if digital acquisition could match film?". It arguably still matches it better than anything else out there, because it was focused on that now seemingly quaint objective.

[Viddovation]

The Lytro is no doubt tech that will be with us going forward, but for the foreseeable future it's a VFX camera aimed at solving VFX problems. It asks the question: "what if you never had to extract 3d data from a 2d plate?". My response to that is that extracting 3d from plates has been easy for years, and this is why it's primarily moved to India. As large VFX shows start to transition to acquiring plates with the Lytro, the first effect will be an army of Indian roto and matchmove guys being put out of work. The camera will also slowly kill greenscreens, and good riddance. This is a big win on the VFX front, not having to pull chroma keys and do painful roto cleanup.

Bottom line, this is a camera that will make adding or removing things from the plate a lot easier. If you don't regularly add or remove things from the frames you film, there is not much reason to be jonesing for this puppy. Remember Lytro had to pivot into the VFX space when the traditional photography market rejected their camera. I tried one and couldn't find much use for it.

The F35 on the other hand asked the simple question: "what if digital acquisition could match film?". It arguably still matches it better than anything else out there, because it was focused on that now seemingly quaint objective.

I'm an F35 lover (and owner), not a hater. But the reason I can afford to be an F35 owner is becauses the masses have rejected it and move on to other things.

Absolutely, the Lytro is a VFX camera. But don't ignore my vision of what linking multiple Lytro Cinema cameras (or a successor model) together could accomplish in creating a 3d composite that allows for complete virtual camera and lighting placement in post. And dont ignore that the future of media will go beyond 2d screens. I expect that the Lytro is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of technology that will allow us to scan real world people and moving objects into 3d composite virtual representations, that will have applications in video gaming, virtual reality, cinema, holograms, concerts, advertising, and so much more. I'm not saying 2d image sensors will disappear entirely. But I think the professional creative world will move to 3d imaging in studio environments where it's possible.

[MikalZ]

I'm an F35 lover (and owner), not a hater. But the reason I can afford to be an F35 owner is becauses the masses have rejected it and move on to other things.

Absolutely, the Lytro is a VFX camera. But don't ignore my vision of what linking multiple Lytro Cinema cameras (or a successor model) together could accomplish in creating a 3d composite that allows for complete virtual camera and lighting placement in post. And dont ignore that the future of media will go beyond 2d screens. I expect that the Lytro is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of technology that will allow us to scan real world people and moving objects into 3d composite virtual representations, that will have applications in video gaming, virtual reality, cinema, holograms, concerts, advertising, and so much more. I'm not saying 2d image sensors will disappear entirely. But I think the professional creative world will move to 3d imaging in studio environments where it's possible.

For the most part I think you're right; we are heading into a fancy pants immersive VR world of sensory entertainment. But with that will come an equal and opposite reaction against it, and an embracing of the traditional medium by some segment of the market. We've seen this with stereo projection for one, not to mention the Hobbit's failed attempts at HFR cinema. Anyway, I think there will be room for old and new going forward!

[Viddovation]

For the most part I think you're right; we are heading into a fancy pants immersive VR world of sensory entertainment. But with that will come an equal and opposite reaction against it, and an embracing of the traditional medium by some segment of the market. We've seen this with stereo projection for one, not to mention the Hobbit's failed attempts at HFR cinema. Anyway, I think there will be room for old and new going forward!

Agreed. My key point was don't overpay for the old.

[starcentral]

Plus the 2 year Sony warranty is apparently excellent.

Are you sure about the 120fps for the F5? The things I've read have said very specifically that the 120fps is for the F55 only.
Steve

Peter C from Sony has confirmed that the new R7 with F5 will have all the features of compressed RAW variations, however NOT have 120fps in 4K.

http://community.sony.com/t5/F5-F55/.../567186#M32168

[DIRECTORDEVIN]

Okay so now that’s it been years since the OP wanted to know if the fs7 is better then the f35 I am wondering after all this time, which one do you think is better?

The comparison simply amazed me because the leagues these cameras are in couldn’t be more obvious. So what you think now?