Apparently, the VG20 sucks

Don't pay much attention to reviews from EOSHD. Not much real knowledge there. The site is mostly good at rehashing stuff from other sources. It shines when it comes to that, otherwise best to ignore. Just look at the VG-20 images in his "comparison" video and you can see low good or bad it compares to the other ones. It is a no brainer that at the end of the day all the new cameras from Sony are going to produce the same quality footage. It is for each individual to decide which version ergonomically is best for him or her. I as a pro would be very hesitant to show up with a 5N for a gig. Others might.
 
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I'm not sure I'd call the VG20 a "prosumer" camera, more top-end consumer, therefore expecting HD-SDI is wishful thinking.

From the article I'd say he's in love with the 5N, so trashing the competition.

Dave
 
i do hate his website as he posts so much s**t although sometimes he does post useful stuff, you just have to sift through all his bulls**t. (although my main angst, some people actually believe his BS)
anyway
I agree with his evaluation. for me the 5N IS good specially for its price point. reading through, VG20 does look handicapped with all controls delegated to the lcd.. so his main point of bashing is: its too expensive for the same quality of image while having no real advantage to the 5n. which is quite evident. if the price was lets say 700, this wouldnt be as bad
 
Wow... the FS100 kind of shines in his comparison. The leaf against the blue background is lovely on the FS100 at 0:17, but just full of electronic noise / moiré on the 5N at 0:23 (really visible while playing). The VG20's moiré on the branch at 0:45 looks pretty bad to me too.

So it seems at the FS100's price point, you do get some added value. The 5N really seems like great value at its price. But I have to agree that the VG20 comes out looking pretty poor.
 
John Caballero said:
Don't pay much attention to reviews from EOSHD. Not much real knowledge there.
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I've heard bad things regarding eoshd as well, but there were some salient points which haven't been addressed yet:

Is the HDMI clean or not? The is an important question, esp for FS100/F3 owners looking for a B cam. Simple yes or no would clear up a lot of confusion.

Do we get the same picture profiles as the 5n (as listed on the official spec sheet for the VG20) or not? Again, a yes or no should suffice on that one.

If that camera was a production camera, and the answers to the above questions are "No," then I tend to agree with the eoshd reviewer - the camera is simply too costly for it not to have at least the same picture profiles as a much cheaper camera in the same line. And clean HDMI isn't that much to ask for (neither is solidly constructed HDMI port for that matter) given the market place today. SDI? No, I don't expect that nor XLRs for a camera in this price range. But clean HDMI out? Yes, that's a requirement as it costs nothing extra to implement.

A lot of this could be cleared up by Sony with one post, or giving the camera out to a couple of respected reviewers.
 
The only news I'm interested in, is if the VG20 was really an FS100 priced at $1600... you know that day is coming (1 year? 2 years? 3 years?), when the capability of the FS100 could be had for $1500 :) Until then, I stay with the GH2, or pay up for the FS100... sorry, I don't see the point of the VG20, at all - a major marketing miss, IMHO.
 
Why all the bad blood towards Eoshd? I've read his stuff on occasion and imho, he is simply providing information to the community. In the end, you will have to check out the camera for yourself so stop hatin and go shoot something.
 
OldCorpse said:
orry, I don't see the point of the VG20, at all - a major marketing miss, IMHO.
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And there's really no reason for it. Full, more robust HDMI connectors, clean HDMI output, better controls, and maybe a lower price tag (e.g., less than $1,500). Or, for the money, 10-bit HDMI with timecode (a la the FS100) or even RAW video output. And I don't want to hear any excuses like "No one has 10-bit HDMI." So what? The camera costs three times what the NEX 5N costs, with very little additional video-specific functionality (and reportedly at least one omission -- the 5N's "Sunset" profile).
 
Am I the only one who wants a large sensor, interchangeable lenses, 24p, 60p a headphone jack and a non proprietary mic jack for less than $4000? I have the GH1/GH2 and love them both (and use them every day), but from what I've seen of the VG20's image quality (even in this negative review), it is pretty good in the video department, it shoots RAW stills and it has the audio department covered.

Yeah, I'd rather have knobs than menus, but I can live with that. Still want to know more about this camera -- even if Andrew doesn't like it :)
 
acoelho1 said:
Why all the bad blood towards Eoshd? I've read his stuff on occasion and imho, he is simply providing information to the community. In the end, you will have to check out the camera for yourself so stop hatin and go shoot something.
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according to what i keep reading on dvx and other forums, i hear usually the information isn't correct. that would be my problem. i barely read eoshd, i'm not a eos fan. and i've heard and seen bad things from there too.

first reply to post was a correction on the fs100 sdi out.
 
but from what I've seen of the VG20's image quality (even in this negative review), it is pretty good in the video department, it shoots RAW stills and it has the audio department covered.
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All these cameras are in the same category from the same manufacturer using the same technology. The difference is the 16 and 24 megapixels. What does it really mean? you will be able to make bigger enlargements from the stills. In the video department won't make a difference. They are all built in a different style to accommodate different target markets. And by doing so Sony is targeting all photo enthusiasts and pros at the same time. Pretty cool move on Sony's part. By the time they are all out and tweaked properly to get the best image out of each camera you won't see a difference. The only difference you will notice is how big or small your bank account balance will be once you purchased the one you liked the best.
 
I know that it really shouldn't cost that much more, but I will pay more for the formfactor, mic in and headphone jack. I've played with the vg10 and love the feel, but the video sucks. If the video is enough better I'm in. It doesn't need to equal the fs100, as long as it is good enough. My main concern is wobble, which seems to be greatly reduced in these cams. Hopefully someone that shoots video will get a 5n soon and shoot a proper torture test.

I think the 5n and vg20 would make a great combo, it seems absurd that being based on the same chip and processor that is wouldn't be possible to set them up the same, isn't that kind of the point.

I don't want the hassle of syncing dual system audio all the time, so the 5n would not cut it as an A cam, but it would be great for b-roll and stealth coverage.

A vg20 rigged with a mix-pre plus a compact uncomressed audio recorder for back-up audio, and a 5n plus a set of manual lenses (not zeiss), nikon and samyang, would still be less money than a basic fs100 and kit lens. That's including the kit lenses on both cameras.

In two years when consumer quality matches current prosumer quality, I'll update the bodies and lenses will be good to go.

If I had a paying client base that could quickly pay off something like an fs100, I'd go for it no question, but these new consumer cams seem more than good enough for my uses. I just want to see more decent video tests.
 
brunerww said:
Am I the only one who wants a large sensor, interchangeable lenses, 24p, 60p a headphone jack and a non proprietary mic jack for less than $4000? I have the GH1/GH2 and love them both (and use them every day), but from what I've seen of the VG20's image quality (even in this negative review), it is pretty good in the video department, it shoots RAW stills and it has the audio department covered.

Yeah, I'd rather have knobs than menus, but I can live with that. Still want to know more about this camera -- even if Andrew doesn't like it :)
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That's what I want to. I just hope the street price ends up being closer to the vg10 price, even though it is improved adding to the price is pushing it.

the dslr market has unrealistically jaded people as to price points. The GH2 with 10x kit lens is $1500, So $700 seems like a lot more to pay for a pivoting viewfinder with an eye cup and a headphone jack, but there is no comparison when it isn't an option.

The best of the current pure camcorders are still over $1000, with 1/3" chips and fixed zoom lens.

I remember when there was a $2000 price point for premium consumer camcorders with full controls etc, that for certain users was significantly better than the dumbed down version without need to move up to $4000+. The big price jump added features geared to pros working every day, xlr bigger body etc.

I for one can make do with what a decent consumer cam can offer, and have no interest if frankenrigging a slr style camera to work like a video cam.
 
acoelho1 said:
Why all the bad blood towards Eoshd? I've read his stuff on occasion and imho, he is simply providing information to the community. In the end, you will have to check out the camera for yourself so stop hatin and go shoot something.
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My issue with that review is that to totally discount a camera, of any type, after what appears to just be a little hands on time at a trade show is just not appropriate. His comments should have been qualified as an initial impression, but he goes off and declares the VG20 as a, "Piece of crap" with what is nowhere near a proper evaluation. I am not at all interested in purchasing a VG20, but for pete's sake, it deserves a better evaluation than what this blogger gave it, IMHO.
 
David G. Smith said:
My issue with that review is that to totally discount a camera, of any type, after what appears to just be a little hands on time at a trade show is just not appropriate. His comments should have been qualified as an initial impression, but he goes off and declares the VG20 as a, "Piece of crap" with what is nowhere near a proper evaluation. I am not at all interested in purchasing a VG20, but for pete's sake, it deserves a better evaluation than what this blogger gave it, IMHO.
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Agree. Clearly a slanted "review" by any objective reading. However Sony set themselves up for this sort of thing by A) Having a sales rep who clearly knew next to nothing about the camera (as well as not having a back up camera to replace the broken one), and B) Not issuing any more data on the camera, or getting it into reputable reviewer's hands. Slanted as the "review" was, it brought up legit questions that Sony has not answered.

As of this post, there are contradictory stats for this camera between Sony's European and American/B&H web sites promoting the camera (specifically about the data rates the camera can record at). Perhaps not a surprise given the sheer amount of new stuff coming out at the same time from Sony.... but it's been over two weeks now.

A lot of ambiguity could be dealt with in a post, new press release, or a new promo video.
 
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