FS7: FS7 successor (rumours/expectations)

JCummings said:
I hate to beat a dead horse about battery travel, but the 30% charge restriction only applies to batteries that are shipped as cargo (on cargo flights only) along with special requirements on packaging, labeling and paperwork. No professional camera batteries are allowed as checked baggage on any passenger aircraft ever, under any circumstances.

According to FAA and IATA rules and guidelines, passengers can carry an "up to 15" (100Wh and under) spare batteries on-board and up to two additional higher capacity (101-160Wh) batteries. Nothing over 160Wh is allowed. Individual airlines can set their own restrictions on the number of carry-on batteries. Always a good idea to check with your carrier first.

There is no language regarding state of charge restrictions on allowed carry-on batteries.

Only that they must be individually and securely packed and protected against short-circuiting. Again, no professional camera batteries are allowed as checked baggage on any passenger aircraft under any circumstances, regardless if they are charged or not. As far as I can determine, the installed battery exception does not apply to pro camera batteries.

Anton Bauer has two informative guides with links to all the current U.S. regulations here:

http://www.antonbauer.com/en-US/Transportation-Information/safety-regulations-when-travelling-with-lithium-ion-batteries

http://www.antonbauer.com/en-US/Transportation-Information/taking-the-hassle-out-of-battery-travel

I believe most major foreign IATA carriers go along with the U.S. guidelines, but I would research that carefully before you go.

To review...

1. Can you check camera batteries on your passenger flight if you discharge them to 30%? NO

2. Must you first discharge your allowed carry-on batteries? No, they can fly fully charged.
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You are allowed 3 x 100-160 WH batteries .. but one must be attached to the camera.. plus 2 spares..although often I forget to put one on the camera at security and seldom get challenged .. but you can have 3 batteries ..in that category..I always travel with a copy of the rules.. that iDX produce .. also has pictures that makes thing easier for airport staff who are not the sharpest tools in the box..
 
Ive been thinking a lot about 'the next' camera.

Im not sure what it should be or do!

For runabout I defo want to cut back on lens changes.. 18-110 and 100-400 maybe. (plus always a 50 1.8 for art!)

I do feel that decent AF* will hit the map and therefore careful consideration of the lens system will be a consideration.

I do not trust cross brand adapters to deliver high end communication that AF needs or speed boosting devices - so 'the next camera' will not be a body, but maybe a lens investment too.

Are my nikkors at an end? I have $8g of AFD ones so moving away from that is a pain. In reality I could go to canon with a 24-205 and a 70-200/4 for under a grand and cover 90% of work** (on a fullframe solution) - Id get a canon stills cam too (the 5d2 was fine for stills!)

So sony have to (for me) persuade me maybe to buy into thier glass. the 18-110 is clearly a market leader for S35 ENG filming, then a 100-300 or 80-200 would complete the picture, but do they have a usable stills camera??

$10g plus the body is a commitment - so that body needs to be very very good!

Today canon offer C200/300, competent stills cams and a pile of AF glass, new used, hirable, servicable - sony have a big wall to beat that.
Nikon have perfect glass, great stills cams, and a paucity in the video offer!

As an old schooler not being canon or nikon requires big trust and usable menues from a third brand. Sony need to bash it out of the park.

S

*yes AF is not 'for cinema' but the dirty reality on the ground of using a gimbal or crane or doing sports/live without a puller (yes I have a puller and remote rig for the right jobs) make it a bit of a killer app if it actually works. Stills wise I gave up on AF in the mid 1990s - when AF was not considered to be 'pro'

**assuming MF primes for 'art/cinema crew jobs'
 
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Does anyone know if Sony is actually still producing FS7s or are they just sitting on a stock pile of them? What would be wrong with Sony just keeping the FS7 around and adding features via the firmware? Coming from Canon cameras, Canon was notorious for phasing out their cameras quickly and having them replaced by a successor. Then they would lower the price on the discontinued cameras and those cameras would all but disappear. But if Sony had a winner with the FS7, what's the need to replace it? Is it possible that it is just a great camera and will continue to be into the foreseeable future? I was always under the impression that the FS7 was a bit future-proofed. Is that not correct?
 
Because cameras are made by investors and people who don't care about film making.... Keep something around is not good business. I hate that fact myself, because I would love too see one camera just being updated / upgrade, rather then seeing some new bs ever 3-4 years that marginally makes something better. It's a bs business... being a camera manufacturer. The FS7 will lose interest when 6-8k becomes what every production company tool can't live without, because we all know that 8k tvs look that much better than 4k hdr and you watching The Olympics 2028 or X-Factor 35 will suck if you don't have an 8k tv.

:)

To behonest... I would be happy if all manufacturers simply said now; "we're gonna stop inventing new bs and just stick to these... they are fine." I don't even have a 4k or hdr tv myself, and not losing sleep over it.
 
legrevedotcom said:
Because cameras are made by investors and people who don't care about film making.... Keep something around is not good business. I hate that fact myself, because I would love too see one camera just being updated / upgrade, rather then seeing some new bs ever 3-4 years that marginally makes something better. It's a bs business... being a camera manufacturer. The FS7 will lose interest when 6-8k becomes what every production company tool can't live without, because we all know that 8k tvs look that much better than 4k hdr and you watching The Olympics 2028 or X-Factor 35 will suck if you don't have an 8k tv.

:)

To behonest... I would be happy if all manufacturers simply said now; "we're gonna stop inventing new bs and just stick to these... they are fine." I don't even have a 4k or hdr tv myself, and not losing sleep over it.
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I agree entirely... Twice now on my FS5 and a7rii I have experienced depreciation in my camera bodies for a newer model that offers very little upgrades. It is a brutal game and quite honestly I have to admit I think Sony plays the "new camera model upgrade" game much worse than the other companies. I would love to see paid firmware updates or something rather than repackaging hardware to charge a new premium.
 
Ill settle for a Red or Alexa with all licenses included but with a price tag that doesnt say "we know you want this... and therefore we will charge your ass off."

:)

But I know the "good business" vs "sensible business" is a debate that wont even get off the ground haha.
I've always sworn to myself that if I was fortunate enough to come by wealth accidentally, I would make a camera that fullfills all needa but without charging everyone's lifetime salery :P
Just enough to cover RnD. And then make sure it could be upgraded along the way...

Why the hell can I swap a cpu, ram, graphics engine in my comp and make it run 4-5 morr years but I can change my cameras sensor / brain??!?
 
The more expensive the body, the longer the life span. Look at the F5/F55. Still no replacement after almost 6 years. And the cameras have changed enormously over time with firmware updates. The sub $10k market is very unstable with new models constantly coming out. My biggest concern right now isn't 6k or 8k, but how long camera manufacturers are going to continue so support S35. I have an investment in S35 lenses and switching to FF isn't remotely feasible in the near future. FF doesn't interest me at all. Especially with the shallow DOF.

Back on topic.....
 
Gizmosgadget said:
The more expensive the body, the longer the life span. Look at the F5/F55. Still no replacement after almost six years...
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Hmm, the fact is, the FS7 pretty much smashed a massive hole in the F5/F55 market. The amount of clients/producers/production companies I've seen ditch the F5/F55 for the FS7 speaks for itself, so many reasons to go that route, that made much better business sense. The popularity of the FS7 in the market is too immense to ignore.
I literally couldn't give away an F5 to most clients, it's a hard sell, and by the looks of it, the Venice is the replacement for F55 until Sony release a "Little Venice" or similar to replace the F5 I guess...
 
Went to CVP today for a 'show' of bits.. it was a joke of flat batteries and broken SDi leads but..

I defo came away with a feeling of AF being the next step The C200 felt very good on that front.

THe C200 was bulkier than I suspected and a (no bits) Red was impressively the most compact camera that wasnt the FS5!

I felt at the point, as I said above, about which AF glass I want to buy will fix the camera brand

Id say the FS8 needs probably to be full frame and have very grown very up AF to persuade me to stay with Sony and buy into a bit of thier AF glass.

(16-35, 24-105 and 80-200 or 100-300 or suchlike would be $8g or suchlike + the camera)
 
cane141 said:
Hmm, the fact is, the FS7 pretty much smashed a massive hole in the F5/F55 market. The amount of clients/producers/production companies I've seen ditch the F5/F55 for the FS7 speaks for itself, so many reasons to go that route, that made much better business sense. The popularity of the FS7 in the market is too immense to ignore.
I literally couldn't give away an F5 to most clients, it's a hard sell, and by the looks of it, the Venice is the replacement for F55 until Sony release a "Little Venice" or similar to replace the F5 I guess...
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Can't say I've had that experience. I have no problem selling the F55 in my market. And I'm not dismissing the popularity of the FS7. The point I was trying to make is, if you play in the $10K and under camera market, be prepared for fast turnover in camera models. The higher end cameras have tech that slowly trickles down to lower end models and even then, some things don't make it. 16-bit RAW is one of those things. It's taken a while, but I now have clients that now specify RAW (X-OCN).
 
cane141 said:
Hmm, the fact is, the FS7 pretty much smashed a massive hole in the F5/F55 market. The amount of clients/producers/production companies I've seen ditch the F5/F55 for the FS7 speaks for itself, so many reasons to go that route, that made much better business sense. The popularity of the FS7 in the market is too immense to ignore.
I literally couldn't give away an F5 to most clients, it's a hard sell, and by the looks of it, the Venice is the replacement for F55 until Sony release a "Little Venice" or similar to replace the F5 I guess...
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Gizmosgadget said:
Can't say I've had that experience. I have no problem selling the F55 in my market. And I'm not dismissing the popularity of the FS7. The point I was trying to make is, if you play in the $10K and under camera market, be prepared for fast turnover in camera models. The higher end cameras have tech that slowly trickles down to lower end models and even then, some things don't make it. 16-bit RAW is one of those things. It's taken a while, but I now have clients that now specify RAW (X-OCN).
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Yep. Unless they think the rate is going to be significantly cheaper using the 7 vs F5/55, why would a client not want a better camera, everything being equal? I've gotten calls and jobs specifically because I do have an F55, which there actually aren't a lot of in my market. Definitely outnumbered by F5's and fs7's. I've only "lost out" to a 7 once, and that was just someone calling for a specific rental request, not me and my gear.

I concur, the 7 is very popular and great bang-for-the-buck, but it's no F55.
 
Gizmosgadget said:
My biggest concern right now isn't 6k or 8k, but how long camera manufacturers are going to continue so support S35. I have an investment in S35 lenses and switching to FF isn't remotely feasible in the near future. FF doesn't interest me at all. Especially with the shallow DOF.
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That's why full frame has to be with really good AF.

Sony have a winner with fs7, they may give it a few tweaks here and there and milk it forever.
I'd be happy if they would release F5/55 successor with truly pro body, make it full frame, great AF and I will have a reason to upgrade.
 
morgan_moore said:
Id say the FS8 needs probably to be full frame and have very grown very up AF to persuade me to stay with Sony and buy into a bit of thier AF glass.
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I expect that whatever replaces the F55 will be sort of a S35 version of the VENICE... And I'm sure it will also have E-Mount (a-la venice). Which is quite a big deal. Then you could use the same glass all the way from an a6500 all the way up to the VENICE.

I was expecting the original FS5 to be full frame... There has to be a lower end full frame coming to the FS-line sooner rather than later. And no matter how good the FS7 already is, they need to start to bring some of the innovations from the A7 cameras to their video cameras. Especially the AF.

The F55/5 are due for replacements, the FS7/FS5 are using 6 year old sensors... Seems like it's all set for a big overhaul...
 
cane141 said:
Hmm, the fact is, the FS7 pretty much smashed a massive hole in the F5/F55 market. The amount of clients/producers/production companies I've seen ditch the F5/F55 for the FS7 speaks for itself, so many reasons to go that route, that made much better business sense. The popularity of the FS7 in the market is too immense to ignore.
I literally couldn't give away an F5 to most clients, it's a hard sell, and by the looks of it, the Venice is the replacement for F55 until Sony release a "Little Venice" or similar to replace the F5 I guess...
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I think the fs7 has made a dent in F5 sales .. thats for sure.. but as an f5 owner the success of the fs7 has only been a huge plus.. most of the requests I get are for fs7.. as soon as I explain the f5 files will be exactly the same .. and actually its a higher end camera .. no problems.. why are you finding it a hard sell.. my rates are higher now than when I bought there f5.. 4 yrs ago.. the files on a HDD are exactly the same from an fs7 or f5.. what are you telling the clients who ask for fs7..????
 
I think as we are all gear heads we naturally want to upgrade to something new, even though fs7 is perfectly fine camera. Just a thought, full frame F7/77 (or whatever, F5/55 successor) would sell like hot cakes.
 
alohype said:
I think as we are all gear heads we naturally want to upgrade to something new, even though fs7 is perfectly fine camera. Just a thought, full frame F7/77 (or whatever, F5/55 successor) would sell like hot cakes.
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Maybe.. but what would be the advantage.. apart from an even more Shallow DoF.. and being able to achieve a "better" 4K by down sampling off 6K or 5.5k.. 4-3 for anamorphic etc.. for features thats something they need..and they already have it with Venice,the new Alexa/RED monster blah blah,,but us corp/doc guys.. really.. ?.. but no doubt the camera manufactures will convince man bun producers it will make their corp "awesome" and dope.. and we will all have to rush out and buy them..
 
alohype said:
I think as we are all gear heads we naturally want to upgrade to something new, even though fs7 is perfectly fine camera..
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Its not a perfectly fine camera, well it is OK but still not really a tool.

90% could be sorted in firmware.

Why not perfectly fine?

-forgets cache record on exit of HFR
-generally slow after exit of HFR
-huge menu digs for some 'moves' (4k to HFR for example)
-EVF is a toy
-handgrip is putrid
-forgets cache record on exit of HFR
-forces you to record wild track after recording HFR
-AF is comical
-good EVF placement is not possible due to short cable
-replacement EVF pushes you to external batteries
-SDI goes wonky in conjuction with HDMI
-one card at a time
-no digital 1.4 converter
-no way to evaluate R G and B
-locks you out of audio 3 and 4 on XLR in.

All things I think to be in the FS7 'remit' to get right.

Yep Id like
500 fps 4k XOCN but that is a different camera :)
 
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