Answers to your questions on the new Sony F3

HDWarrior

HDWarrior

Active member
Hi it's 1am GMT and I am just back from the London press launch of the new Sony F3 and as promised I asked Bill Drummond of Sony as many of your questions as possible.
I will get a nights sleep and report back in the morning with some of your answers. I also got some F3 footage of myself filmed by none other than Philip Bloom I will post a frame grab ASAP.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS on the Sony F3

What is the true size of the F3 sensor...A. 3.43K

Is the F3 camera weather sealed ...A. Basically no its not to any international standard, it's as good as the EX1R/EX3 which take a battering.

Why is the F3 not 50Mbs 4:2:2...A. You can get 4:2:2 through the HD SDI and there is a recorder from Focus Enhancements which will be SxS 4:2:2 and a Sony SR pack which will record 4:2:2 availability mid 2011.

Zoom lens....A. We will have a demo model at NAB 2011 launching mid 2011 no price yet.

Is the viewfinder good enough or is there an alternative...A. Same viewfinder on the EX1R and EX3. (PS I had a look and I don't think its good enough)

Does the F3 perform better in low light than a PMW-350...A. Has a much larger chip with a increase in sensitivity (iso800) 63dB

Whats the glass in the package set Minolta or Zeiss...A. Its a Sony design lens we are not disclosing the manufacturer of the actual glass.

What is the SDI dual link process...Available 2011 cant tell you yet if its software, hardware or both yet. With the upgrade you get 1080 50p 4:4:4 out of the dual SDI connectors. Without upgrade its 4:2:2 1080 50p.

Who are Sony expecting to buy the F3...A. Rental companies are the 1st adopt as people want to try the camera, but the F3 is positioned at owner operators, broadcast and rental.

Will there be a cheaper version like a F3 lite or a NEX Vg10...A. Yes today we announced the NEXCAM Super 35mm which outputs 1080 50p at 25p (UK and 24p (USA) using Sony's "E" mount lenses.

Is the F3 standardised to take PL mount lenses...A. Yes when you buy an F3 it comes with the PL mount attached. It can be removed and behind it is a special F3 mount, 3rd party's should may be bringing out adaptors for Canon/Nikon but thats to be confirmed.

Is there a need or a back focus on the mount...A. Back focus should only be needed for zoom lenses and the lens will have that on it already.



So there you have it I asked as many of your questions as I could, some of your questions were similar.

Yours Philip Johnston
 
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I'm not sleeping (in my country now are the 02:20Hr) !

Are you alive ?

Whats below the red cloth ? (maybe the new external recorder for the F3¿?)
 
GOODYES said:
I'm not sleeping (in my country now are the 02:20Hr) !

Are you alive ?

Whats below the red cloth ? (maybe the new external recorder for the F3¿?)
Click to expand...

Below the RED cloth was the new NXCAM Super 35mm Camcorder priced at £4000, picture on my blog. PS It's now 2am... Goodnight... remember I am in the UK. Sorry you are 100% correct €6000 is just over £5084 but to compete with the Panasonic AF101 it needs to be nearer the £4000 mark.
 
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HDWarrior said:
What is the true size of the F3 sensor...A. 3.43K
Click to expand...


This sensor really is a dead ringer for the Arri Alexa, which is 3.5k and also 800ASA. Arri's rational for the 3.5k is that it provides optimal oversampling for HD video and 2k, and its something that Sony seems to be in agreement with.

What I find interesting is Arri/Sony are specifically designing their sensors for a 2k target. Obviously they could have easily made the sensor 4k+, but that would have meant smaller photosites, which impact image quality and dynamic range. Both Arri and Sony logically have 4k cameras in the pipeline, but instead of making one size fits all solution for their sensors, they are designing their 2k and 4k sensors separately.
 
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