F55: Any signs of a f55 price drop
- Thread starter ryaninoz
- Start date
HD Gear Guru
Well-known member
No word and don't expect it to happen anytime soon. The cameras are still on a 2 year zero % interest program here in the US. That program is currently available until the end of Sony fiscal year in March 2015. The demand and utilization is increasing and Sony continues to deliver Free firmware updates that are enhancing the cameras capabilities. With the coming codec options for pro res and DnxHD as well as the ENG adaption dock coming interest will only increase. Maybe there will be a pack of accessories at some point but that is pure dreams at this point.
Andrew Stone
Veteran
Agreed. Further to that, Canon and Panasonic have not come out with any to rival the F55 in terms of price/performance. Until they do Sony has little reason to lower the price except maybe if sales fell off a cliff.
starcentral
Veteran
These cameras first started shipping in March 2014, so not really 2 years old. Regardless, to be honest if anything I see Sony increasing the prices compared to their original introductory price. The camera does a ton more now than it did from day one, not to mention inflation, etc.. and possibly other factors that could provide good reason to increase the price.
But that would be silly talk.
But that would be silly talk.
I wonder how long the f55 will remain a current model then, is this a camera sony might stick with for a decade and just update software and peripherals ?
The f5 is getting popular in Australia with freelancers for broadcast but I think the f55 is a future ( or next ten years ) proof camera. Until we all go to 6-8 k by which time my eyes will no longer resolve that kind of detail
The f5 is getting popular in Australia with freelancers for broadcast but I think the f55 is a future ( or next ten years ) proof camera. Until we all go to 6-8 k by which time my eyes will no longer resolve that kind of detail
starcentral
Veteran
I'll be retired by the time the F7 / F77 comes out, and frankly, if I can't shoot anything decent with the F55 now and for the next 5-10 years then maybe I'm the problem.
:violent5:
:violent5:
MPB
Well-known member
that's not really how it works anymore.
starcentral
Veteran
The F55 seems to be holding its own because of its very broad capabilities in TV, sports, ENG, doc, & film, etc.. I think the deal to be had right now is the F65 where if you keep an eye out you can get one for the same or less than even the price of a fully equipped F55.
JMtheDP
Veteran
As I have just done. The F65 is being forgotten a little bit, which is a shame. It really is a much more serious camera than the F55. I cannot understand a big Hollywood movie using the F55 rather than the F65... but what do I know?
I just keep scratching my head at people choosing the F55 because it's "light and compact", then they stick a Panavision 11:1 Primo on it, cinetape, matte box, 3-axis LCS and put it all on a geared head on a peewee...
Nate Weaver
Veteran
I don't think it's the same people. Worst part of the 55, Sony wants it to be all things to everybody, it falls short in many ways. It has a huge user base, you get to hear a wide range of comments on it. BTW, I don't know any AC or DP that loves the heft of the Alexa, just an observation.
Some people swear by standard gamma and MPEG50, while trying to figure out why Sony didn't make it easy to put a standard def B4 lens on it or put audio controls where they always were. Others, like me, thought it was going to be at least at Alexa level out of the gate, where reality was it's taken over a year to get 90% of the way there. No over cranking in SR codec was a bad blow. No LUTs in S&Q is a pain in my ass. Slow & badly arranged menus is a pain in my ass.
All those pains in my butt stacked up, but yet the 55 is still the best camera for me. This is objective. I *wish* I had an AC or even warm body on every job to help with a 65. I really do.
I kinda wish I could see how you get on with the 65 in person. I've been tempted to swap multiple times!
Viddovation
Veteran
When you're in an environment where there's only one or two manufacturing companies in the market and it is prohibitive for new venture capital to enter the market and undercut the current manufacturers, innovation tends to stagnate. The reason being that research and development is costly and expensive - but selling and servicing existing equipment models is profitable. Back during the SD days Sony and Panasonic only needed to innovate enough to keep each other in check, and neither wanted to deeply undercut the other - it would not have been in their own financial interest to do so.
But the game has changed. Partly because everything is solid state now, which greatly simplifies the manufacture process, partly because so much is now driven by firmware instead of hardware, and partly because there are so many commericially available microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGA's and other integrated circuits that can be utilized in new disruptive products.
What this sums up to is this - there are enough players in the market now that they have to keep out innovating one another, Sony included.
Where do you go from 4k global shutter? Maybe 8k. But definitely to higher frame rates - if we can do 240 right now, I'm sure the next generation or the one after will do 1000fps. And light sensitivity - you'll need more light sensitivity so you can shoot those high frame rates in the dark. And bit depth - higher bit depth will continue to be developed.
The F55 won't be a bad camera in 10 years. But I doubt it'll still be a flagship product. Something will have succeeded it - possibly twice over. And it'll be the newer products, with the higher FPS rates, and the 8k modes that you'll have producers asking for, and that you'll have to work hard to convince them the F55 is good enough.
Almost all of my Sony's have died of massive pixel failure long before then.
Duke M.
Veteran
Were you aiming it at the sun? My EX1 was older than 5 years when I sold it without one failed pixel.
I've owned many cameras, back in the beta sp days my average was 5 years before I sold and upgraded. I only ever had a dead pixel on one camera which sony fixed. Having massive pixel failure seems quite odd. I've worked in networks with fleets of cameras and we haven'd had that kind of failure rate.
getting back to the original topic though cameras rarely hold steady at the same retail price as lower end models encroach on their specs. I am surprised the f55's price has remained basically the same since release - the c300 has dropped as has the f5. I assume from this that the f55 must be selling well ?
getting back to the original topic though cameras rarely hold steady at the same retail price as lower end models encroach on their specs. I am surprised the f55's price has remained basically the same since release - the c300 has dropped as has the f5. I assume from this that the f55 must be selling well ?
Nate Weaver
Veteran
I don't know if it's selling well (I imagine it's picking up), but I know rentals are picking up. I see it a lot more now in rental prep bays around town.
A story I heard from a rental manager at Sim Video is that one or two networks are starting to dictate 4K deliverables (Netflix and ..., can't remember), which basically means Alexa, the usual favorite is out. Leaves Red and F55 for most part.