FS7: FS7 II Official

I'm prepping a multi camera show next year, and this is welcome news for me.

I know the MKI and MKII will match each other, and if I decide to pick up a camera to rent to production I'd opt for the MKII.
The locking mount, vari-ND, and added buttons will come in handy. Hopefully the loupe is improved as well.

Anyone know if the LCD is the same resolution, any improvements there?
 
I feel this creates a bit of an awkward spot for the FS7 since if you're a new buyer the MK1 seems a bit meh in comparison to the new one because the Mk2 fixes little annoying things (mostly) that should not have been in the MK1 and still should not (VF attachment, arm extending, not enough buttons). At the same time now the MK2 sits at the same price as the C300 MK2 and Im not sure the FS7 wins that fight. This feels like a greedy move by Sony, they want to up where in this segment they sit price wise and yet the biggest reason the FS7 got so popular must have been value for money?
 
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Bern Caughey said:
Sony also announced 256GB XQD cards.
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Am I wrong for being a tad more excited about this than the cam itself?

As an existing FS7 owner I won't see myself needing an upgrade to anything less than perhaps a F55 or Alexa, however I do appreciate the moderate updates.
 
I really wish they had integrated the extension box into the camera so you can output RAW without a $2000 dongle. They should have implemented the same approach taken with the FS5.

But regardless the variable ND and stronger mount are a nice improvement.
 
As a mark I owner I am very, very happy and relieved with this announcement. It gives me another year or two of pecaful usage without a need to upgrade. You can fix all the annoyances with third party accessories the only real upgrade is VND. I'm sure it's a great feature but not worth this amount of money for any current owner. I feel like it's a very good move on Sony side - not upsetting current owners and even more firmly putting FS7 in place in industry.
 
stokstad said:
... At the same time now the MK2 sits at the same price as the C300 MK2 and Im not sure the FS7 wins that fight. This feels like a greedy move by Sony, they want to up where in this segment they sit price wise and yet the biggest reason the FS7 got so popular must have been value for money?
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Isn't the C300 MkII still $2k more than the FS7 MkII? While I'd agree Sony is trying (perhaps not-so) gently ratchet-up it's pricing, that's still a decent margin - at least in Sony's eyes I'm sure. But if I didn't already own an FS7 and was in the market I would probably disregard the FS7 MkI altogether once the MkII hit the streets - so maybe I would be closely weighing out the extra $2k to go C300 MkII. I dunno...it makes things a little less "obvious" all around for those not already in the Sony "ecosystem".
 
The greatest thing about this announcement is maybe a potential price drop for the C300.
 
I'm a new FS5 owner, but did lots of research before pulling the trigger. One of the features that pulled me to the Sony vice Canon C100II was the variable ND in the firmware-upgraded auto mode. Best thing since sliced bread. It's a clear glass layer in front of the sensor. When activated, it can darken, like transition eyeglass lenses, in infinitely variable amounts smoothly. You set your preferred shutter angle and iris, and the ND rides the desired exposure. You can even dial in +/- exposure compensation, and it'll do it. No more NDs...period.

For a run-and-gun production, there is no better, faster way to expose and keep your DoF consistent.
 
digitalinnovations said:
Isn't the C300 MkII still $2k more than the FS7 MkII? While I'd agree Sony is trying gently ratchet-up it's pricing, that's still a decent margin - at least in Sony's eyes I'm sure. But if I didn't already own an FS7 and was in the market I would probably disregard the FS7 MkI altogether once the MkII hit the streets - so maybe I would be closely weighing out the extra $2k to go C300 MkII. I dunno...it makes things a little less "obvious" all around.
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It wouldn't be a surprising business plan were Sony's plan to hook the market with the lower priced Fs7 MkI and knock the C300 out of the top spot then raise the price once you have hooked the market. But keep the price under that of the C300 MkII. Even if the Fs7 MkII were the same price as the C300 MkII the Fs7 is still the better choice for ergonomics. And it also has the advantage of the electronic ND. A feature I value more than the manual focus assist on the C300 MkII. Being at the stop I desire is more of an issue for me than is maintaining focus.

That 18-110mm servo zoom is also a player in the equation. To my knowledge there isn't an equivalent servo zoom that can work on the C300. Not anywhere close to the price of the Sony 18-110mm at least. For some productions having a par-focal servo zoom is vital.

Canon scored a major success with the 5D and again with the C300 but ever since then Sony has been kicking Canon's butt. Beating Canon to the electronic ND is big time coup for Sony. It has to be tough times over at Canon right now. The C300 MkII was met with a "meh" and the fancy new C700 is already being panned as a head scratcher that is 5 years behind the times.
 
A "head scratcher that's 5 years behind the times" with a premium price tag to boot. It's just a shame how Canon chooses to implement upgrades / features and how they choose to price those "late to the party" features and cameras. But they can obviously get away with it...either because people continue to pay it OR their lens sales / wide adoption of Canon branded lenses allows them to do so.
 
Is it possible to use the Viewfinder with a 15mm rod, instead of the square one? I'm thinking I'd like to mount it to a CineArm or Zamerican Arm.
 
digitalinnovations said:
A "head scratcher that's 5 years behind the times" with a premium price tag to boot. It's just a shame how Canon chooses to implement upgrades / features and how they choose to price those "late to the party" features and cameras. But they can obviously get away with it...either because people continue to pay it OR their lens sales / wide adoption of Canon branded lenses allows them to do so.
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I'm not sure how much they are "getting away with it". To wit:

"My regular rental houses have had to sell most of their C300 II stock, because not many people are renting them. In their words, the C300 II is a flop (in the UK).


“They’ve all had to buy a lot more Sony FS7 stock, because the demand is very high. It’s also hard to get an FS7 at short notice.

“The glaring omission from the C300 II is 4k60p and a rubbish 120fps mode. That’s the reason why the cheaper FS7 is favoured. Canon really screwed up on that one."

http://www.eoshd.com/2016/08/canon-c300-mark-ii-flopping-vs-the-sony-fs7-at-rental/
 
Well I hate to say it but Canon needs some sort of wake up call... Either in terms of keeping up / leading the pack OR being a bit more competitive / realistic with their pricing structure. It why I "went Sony" and I'm sure I'm not alone around here...even with the additional hurdles (color, look, etc.) that Sony puts in our path that Canon does not.
 
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