FS7: Crop mode (centre scan)

My interest lies in figuring out whether a super 16 Zoom lens like an 11-110 would be useable for ENG.
News gathering is going to stay HD for years to come being able to se a relatively cheap but mechanically superior lens like that for those purposes.
If S16 works well enough in crop mode it could be an interesting solution for that segment of my business.
A lens with that kind of range is unavailable for S35 those that come close way too heavy and expensive.
Right now I am using the 18-105 and have like everyone else a love hate relationship with it.
For all other types of jobs all I really need are my Zeiss Loxia 35 f2 and my 50 f2.
PL 35mm Glass is just not realistic right now.
 
its cheaper to get a great s16 zoom than a so so B4 zoom and i believe also lighter. I don't really care about motorized zooming I never "use" the zoom more interested in the range and manual focus.
 
Honestly, I don't think the FS7 will get center crop any time soon. I spoke with a Sony guy some weeks ago, when he said that the FS7 will never be the F5. They will try to fix most issues in a Firmware update, but there won't be new functions added.
Okay, he was not the developer of the Firmware, but close enough. I'll wait first, before thinking about lens choice for crop mode...
 
I just watched an intv with Allister Chapman who said clearly that Sony is keeping centre crop for the F5/55 to differentiate. That makes perfect sense. I'm a little disappointed but I'm more impressed with vrs 2.0 software being touted by him to fix wfm/lut and many of the other issues.
 
FrameFarmMedia said:
I just watched an intv with Allister Chapman who said clearly that Sony is keeping centre crop for the F5/55 to differentiate. That makes perfect sense. I'm a little disappointed but I'm more impressed with vrs 2.0 software being touted by him to fix wfm/lut and many of the other issues.
Click to expand...

Sometimes these plans change in the face of market pressure. When Canon released the C300 priced competitively with the Sony PMW-F3, suddenly S-Log was offered for free instead of a nearly $4,000 upgrade. Shortly after users hacked the Sony F5 proving internal 4k was possible a relatively low cost official upgrade was announced.

If the hardware remains viable in the market but the firmware is not competitive with newer products in the market, then chances increase of features being made available.

The surest way for Sony to abandon planned firmware updates is for sales of the produt to be low (look at Sony SR-R1, was supposed to get uncompressed option - never happened).

So, I'm hopeful for the FS7, but indeed - only buy gear if you can live with the existing features and existing firmware. Relying on the manufacturer to improve the product after release is a recipe for disaster.
 
At first blush you would get ENG style servo lensing.
But then you'd need to power it with an ancillary power source which would be wonky. And the lens would probably not talk to the camera so you would be in manual iris land, which is fine by me.
But powering would be a drag and yes, unless you are actually "Scaling"' your FOV would not match what you think your lens offers.
 
Where did Sony announce center crop as Firmware update feature for the FS7 officially?
I must have missed that...
 
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It was listed as a (future) feature on the (now deleted) document listed on the first post of this thread - that was a Sony document.

So they took the doc down - who knows why - maybe becuase centre scan was wrongly listed.. or a million other reasons

At the start of the thread it seemed clear, now less so.

S
 
Definitely coming.
I heard it from Juan- the champ of the FS7-at the NAB. He knows how important it is...
 
That thing just popped to my mind!! Remember what happened to the RAW output from FS700? At the beginning Sony said you will be able to use only with their recorders. Later on they've enabled that to other manufacturers.
Sooo... There is a chance that Sony down line will enable RAW from FS7 directly from it, without that extension thing!
 
alohype said:
That thing just popped to my mind!! Remember what happened to the RAW output from FS700? At the beginning Sony said you will be able to use only with their recorders. Later on they've enabled that to other manufacturers.
Sooo... There is a chance that Sony down line will enable RAW from FS7 directly from it, without that extension thing!
Click to expand...

I'd say there's a good chance what you're proposing simply isn't hardware supported. I think you're absolutely right that Sony will continue to offer extra features to existing cameras to keep them competitive with emerging cameras from competitors - it has happened on the F3, F5, FS700 and such. But, they can only enable via firmware what the hardware supports. In some cases they can also offer an upgrade that includes a hardware component.

That said, there's a fair chance the hardware doesn't support routing a RAW signal on the FS7 to one of the existing SDI spigots on the main body. Without hardware support, you're still locked into the XDCA attachment. Mind you, someone enterprising could either reverse engineer that expansion port or license a 3rd party product utilizing it, but I personally doubt we'll see direct raw on the FS7. Perhaps on a future FS7R or FS9...
 
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