F3 start up costs/gear

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DanKov

Well-known member
I have an fs700 and have been planning to go raw with the CD 7Q. However, raw wasn't what excited me, more so the color space and extra bits. I am now looking into a used F35 as an alternative. I'd loose high frame rates but gain alot in the image itself. My question for the F35'ers is, how much money have you guys found is needed to have a reliable 10/12 bit 444 shooting kit? I already have rails, ff, evf, mattebox etc. How many batteries do you need and what are you using to attach them? Once you modify the PL mount is there no going back? I already have a Zeiss ZF kit, but I'm considering the Xenon FF primes when they come out as well. Any input is greatly appreciated.
 
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Your title says F3 but your message says F35.

There's no doubt the F35 destroys the F3 in terms of film like look and overall image quality. I think the F35 shooters here would be happy to tell you how awesome their rigs are and probably more so how incredibly affordable it can be to get one of these fully up and running.

Having said that, XAVC 10-bit 422 on the F5/F55 is not something to dismiss either considering the HFR, RAW option, incredible ISO, and more.....
 
Dennis is right- the F5 is pretty sweet and not that much more money. And a used F3 is a fantastic value proposition. But if you're keen on an F35 there'is reward in going that way. Having the best image quality to cost ratio or modern specs are probably not on that list, however.

The most expensive parts of the process for me were
1) the camera itself
2) upgrading my support gear to handle the extra beefiness
3) accessories to make it work the way I want

If you add in the need to go 444 12bit then a recorder will set you back a good penny as well (I'd budget at least $3k on the low end for that. Pix240, used Cinedeck, KiProQuad, etc. Probably closer to $4k when you add in media, power, mounting, etc.) I'm happy enough with the 422 10-bit I get with a Samurai or Hyperdeck ($1k and $400 respectively with cables,etc). If I need more I'll rent a higher bit depth solution at the time.

The F35 is not a small, easily handled thing. It's heavy. Mine all kitted with a Samurai, mattebox, rails, FF, IF box, battery, PL lens and Lanparte shoulder mount was getting close to 30lbs. A lot of users are experimenting with mods to get the thing more manageable to work with, myself included. In the interest of transparency I'll list roughly what I've spent so far:

-- camera $11k (came with lots of useful extras like IF box, power cables, Sony EVF, some cheeseplates, etc.)
-- repairing the camera (I did something to it in ignorance- live & learn, but it's part of the cost). $2k
-- upgrading sticks and fluid head from my FS100 set up $1500
-- power (adapter, 190wh vlock batteries, charger, etc.) $700
-- Nikon mount mod $1100
-- Cheese plates, handles, misc bits to get it into scope, new video card to handle Resolve, etc.-- $1500-ish

So that's roughly $16-17k. Not cheap. I gave myself a budget of $15k (approx the price of a new C300, which I was also considering). I shot past that budget mainly due to the repair cost. You can get two nicely kitted F3's for that same money and you're only about $5k short of a functional F5 at that price point. Once you go with the 444 12-bit you're at the price of an F5. Of course if you already have beefier support kit, don't need to repair the camera and are happy with 422 10-bit then you can get the price down under $15k.

I've had some other costs as well, but they were transitional. I got a PL Red zoom 18-50mm lens, as well as some other Zeiss Pentacon lenses with a PL adapter, then decided the PL route was too heavy, so I sold that stuff off at a minor loss. I already had the Lanparte V-lock shoulder pad thing that I modded to work with the F35, but I have since cannibalized that for parts to customize the rig so it's lighter. So that was opportunity cost of tying up my money and time to try them out and ultimately decide I wanted something different, resale loss, etc. It's not a lot, but it's definitely real.

Do I regret the journey? Not one bit. I love the footage I get, I love the things I'm learning (even when I break stuff or make mistakes). I love having something that is uniquely different. Should I have gotten an F3 and saved some money, or gone whole hog into an F5? Maybe, but I don't do video for a living (not directly, anyhow). So I don't have a lot of the use case or return on investment concerns that pros do.

One thing that helps me keep all of this in perspective is this:
The F35 sold for over $200K when it was new. It still makes the same level of images that demanded that price 3 years ago. That a plunker like me can get into one for $15k is astounding, really.

Hopefully this wasn't an embarrassing level of personal info. :cheesy:
 
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Really, there are only a handful of cameras that can shoot non-RAW and still produce filmic like quality images. The F35 is one of them next to something like the Alexa but look at the price difference. :huh:

As for the F5/F55, today XAVC 10-bit 422 with slog2 has proved itself not to be too shabby in terms of losing that "video look" but NEXT MONTH a major firmware release will unleash the SR Codec on the F5/F55 and I'm expecting this will really crank up the power of the Sony's and help bridge the gap to Alexa, even if only another couple percent!
 
I like the look of the f35 better than the alexa - but that's just me - I am having great results with the f35 and the pix 240. However the alexa can get up to 120 fps, and has ISO 800 which can be very useful. The F35 is not the best in low light - still around 450 ISO with dynamic range boost thingy on is not too shabby for a lot of shooting
 
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