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    Sony ENG cam advice

    I am looking to pick up a Sony ENG camera for shooting news / sports news and my budget is around $15k.

    The following choices are a bit all over the map, but given a choice between a pre-owned F700, a pre-owned PMW 400, a PMW 300 , and a PXW 320, which would you choose?


    It isn't a concern to me that none of these cameras are 4K. I already own an Fs7. I am finding that the Fs7 just doesn't work all that well for news. For numerous reasons. I need a camera to do news in the here and now. If it only has a couple more years of viability, that's okay. News / live standups are not going to 4K anytime soon.

    The F700's CCD's are appealing, but it's a pig of a camera compared to the PMW 400 and I am not wild about shooting on discs. I already own SxS cards. Solid state is appealing when buying pre-owned. "spindle hours" and other mechanical component concerns scare me. Both the 300 & 320 put me in 1/2" sensor and "kit" type lenses unless I upgrade. Not wild about that. And neither one of them seems to me like a "real" ENG camera. There is very little online in the way of feedback from x320 owners. It seems a camera that no one owns despite it ticking so many boxes as far as features- 10-bit video, 4:2:2, 50mbps, XAVC, flash band reduction

    Thoughts?


    p.s. - What does "CBR" stand for in camera specs? As in "CBR, 112Mbps max".
    Sachtler tripod user for 40+ years.

    #2
    Constant Bit Rate.

    Don't know anything about those cams though.

    Comment


      #3
      constant bit rate - as opposed to vbr - which is variable
      I've used the pmw 400 a couple of times - and it's great - for your purpose. Surely a used one would even allow for perhaps a fuji or canon lens for Eng work close to your budget.
      That x320 does tick a lot of the boxes as well - not sure why there isn't more gushing reviews...

      Comment


        #4
        The PXW-X320 looks great, feels great, and is a fantastic bargain. $9K for a body, viewfinder, and a pretty decent ENG lens is a deal that can't be beat. Plus you get 10-bit XAVC codecs, a slot for a microphone receiver, etc. The X320 (along with the X400, Z450, and others) is one of the ENG cameras that I've been in charge of at Sony's NAB booth for the last couple of years and I personally prefer the image from the X320 over the X400. For news or documentary shooting that does not require shallow DoF, 4K, high frame rates, it's a great choice.
        Last edited by Doug Jensen; 05-31-2017, 12:09 PM.
        Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
        HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
        http://www.dougjensen.com/

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
          The PXW-X320 looks great, feels great, and is a fantastic bargain. $9K for a body, viewfinder, and a pretty decent ENG lens is a deal that can't be beat. Plus you get 10-bit XAVC codecs, a slot for a microphone receiver, etc. The X320 (along with the X400, Z450, and others) is one of the ENG cameras that I've been in charge of at Sony's NAB booth for the last couple of years and I personally prefer the image from the X320 over the X400. For news or documentary shooting that does not require shallow DoF, 4K, high frame rates, it's a great choice.
          How much of a compromise would a Z150 be??? I know some field shooters are using it.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Braindead@70 View Post
            How much of a compromise would a Z150 be??? I know some field shooters are using it.
            One is a "handicam" and the other is a shoulder mount ENG cam. ; )

            Huge compromise in my book, useabilty wise.

            Comment


              #7
              Absolutely. There's no comparison between a Z150 and X320 when it comes to ergonmics for shoulder-mount, viewfinder, slot-in microphone receiver; range of zoom lens, low-light capability, in/out connectors, menu options, external controls, etc. The cameras have virtually nothing in common at all.

              And don't ever overlook how a shoulder-mount camera gives you instant credibilty when shooting news and other events. Nobody questions who I am or what I am doing when I've got camera on my shoulder. The bigger the better. They just assume you're shooting for a TV station. In my book, when I'm shooting for stock, that counts for a lot.
              Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
              HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
              http://www.dougjensen.com/

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                Absolutely. There's no comparison between a Z150 and X320 when it comes to ergonmics for shoulder-mount, viewfinder, slot-in microphone receiver; range of zoom lens, low-light capability, in/out connectors, menu options, external controls, etc. The cameras have virtually nothing in common at all.

                And don't ever overlook how a shoulder-mount camera gives you instant credibilty when shooting news and other events. Nobody questions who I am or what I am doing when I've got camera on my shoulder. The bigger the better. They just assume you're shooting for a TV station. In my book, when I'm shooting for stock, that counts for a lot.
                Picky, picky, picky.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I forgot to mention that the X320 has four channels of audio too.
                  Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                  HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                  http://www.dougjensen.com/

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I have the original pmw 320, 4:1:1, 25mbps. I have a canon c100 for the other stuff. The 320 is extremely versitle and I'm still using it a lot for events. I thought I'd be disappointed with the kit lens but even though it doesn't have the feel of a separate lens I am very satisfied with its performance. I can't imagine a better ENG camera for the price than the newer model. It just comes down to what form factor you want and the versatility of inputs, outputs, etc. that you need. It's nice also to be able to hook up external zoom, focus controls when on the tripod. I'm a guy with a lot of love for the 320.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I should also mention I'm a bit old school and really like all the manual, dedicated buttons and switches on the bigger form factor cameras (even though this cam does have a ton of menu options). I came from an Ikegami DV7 SD cam so that's my reference point.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                        I forgot to mention that the X320 has four channels of audio too.
                        Yeah but most people only have two ears.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by mwpariscam View Post
                          I came from an Ikegami DV7 SD cam so that's my reference point.
                          I owned one of those too and remember it fondly. It didn't look as nice as the two Ikegami betacams I owed at the same time, but the DV7 was a joy to shoot with.
                          Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                          HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                          http://www.dougjensen.com/

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