F5: Anybody Using Anymore?

[Run&Gun]

RED's media is $2950 for 1TB. for my F55 it was $3600 for 2x 512GB cards (which is same price for newer AXSM cards that R7 will use). Per GB SXS cost double in price.. 4x 128GB cards (512GB) will set you back around $3600.

Wow. I don't think I realized the SXS were that high.

Well... SxS cards are expensive. But a LOT of people, myself included, run Sony XQD cards in Sony SxS adapters for a fraction of the price and Sony says they work at all frame rates, rez's and CODEC's(in the F5/55). My sales rep is actually the one that convinced me to go this route instead of buying SxS cards for my 55.

At current B&H US prices:
128GB SxS Pro+ $899.99, 256GB SxS Pro+ $1733.33
128GB XQD $229.95, 256GB XQD $ 463.50, SxS adapter $35.95(ea)

So, 4x 128GB SxS cards are $3600, but going with 4 128GB XQD cards it's only $1063.60 ($919.80 + $143.80[presuming you want an adapter per card]). Or $998.90 if you get the 256GB XQD's. The 256GB cards are slightly more per GB, but you save a few bucks on two less adapters.

 

[Grug]

Yes, that is absolutely my main interest outside of just "upping" my overall production value. I think where my real debate lies between the AMIRA and VENICE is ISO. ARRI obviously has the color but the VENICE appears to be cleaner in the darks (even at base exposure) and now that VENICE has dual base ISO it makes it even more so. How far can you push the ISO on the AMIRA before noise becomes too prominent? I do shoot a fair bit of docu-style / existing light so that is a concern.

Amira looks great up to 1600 ISO, but the upper limit for me is 2000 ISO. 3200 ISO is usable, but has a lot of noise - not a deal-breaker for documentary content, where simply having the image is the key thing. But I wouldn't be shooting a narrative or commercial at 3200 ISO, it would be distracting.

 

[digitalinnovations]

Thank you very much for the info. It’s difficult to get/find info like that. I know a lot of it is subjective as to how much noise is “too much” but there are also times when you just have to get the shot. Thanks again.

 

[starcentral]

I do shoot a fair bit of docu-style / existing light so that is a concern.

Why not just keep your well functioning and probably paid off already FS7 for good lighting scenarios and pickup an A7 with deck for much lower light work? Even the GH series really impresses me. Toss a mirrorless in your bag and you're off to the races.

 

[fboonzaier]

AFAIK it’s possible to use XQD cards in a F5/55 by using Sony’s QDA-EX1 adapter.

Do you know if it's possible to record to an external recorder with the F5 (in my case the Atomos Shogun) to SSD or do you then lose the benefit of the 16bit codec?

 

[starcentral]

if you have the 4K upgrade you can get 4K over SDI on the F5, you would need a recorder with several 3G-sdi input capability. It would be 10-bit 422 in standard signal, not 16-bit and not RAW.

 

[fboonzaier]

@starcentral....to the best of my knowledge, the Shogun only has one 12G SDI input and the F5 has three 3G SDI outputs. Do you know whether the F5 utilizes two or three of the outputs to manage the 4K....I could potentially find two or three SDI to one SDI converter box to use with theShogun then.

 

[starcentral]

@starcentral....to the best of my knowledge, the Shogun only has one 12G SDI input and the F5 has three 3G SDI outputs. Do you know whether the F5 utilizes two or three of the outputs to manage the 4K....I could potentially find two or three SDI to one SDI converter box to use with theShogun then.

Both F5/F55 have four SDI 3g outputs. With the 4K upgrade on the F5, or the F55 without any upgrade required, they can output 4K up to 60p over four SDI outputs.

Atmos flame only has 1 x 12G-SDI (BNC). you would need some box from BMD to take the quad and convert to 12G. Or sell the flame and get the inferno which has quad inputs.

OR - you can just take 4K from HDMI out of the F5 and it should work into the shogun flame. but you'd have to check around a bit more about that option to see if it would work..

 

[Run&Gun]

@starcentral....to the best of my knowledge, the Shogun only has one 12G SDI input and the F5 has three 3G SDI outputs. Do you know whether the F5 utilizes two or three of the outputs to manage the 4K....I could potentially find two or three SDI to one SDI converter box to use with theShogun then.

The F5 & F55 actually have four SDI outs. I believe there is a mode that can output the 4K signal over just two of the SDI's*, instead of using all four(that is an option, as well).

*only up to 29.97P. 4K/59.94P utilizes all four SDI's.