F5: I have approx £20k to spend on a F5/F55 kit - advice needed!

Fotojorno said:
I have no first hand inside info but I along with others have a sneaking suspicion 4K or UHD XAVC might be coming to the F5 as a paid option in the future.
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That's potentially pretty significant. I'd like to hear more about that. Is there a thread about that somewhere?
 
Sparky874 said:
I could probably afford that and the canon 30-105mm zoom, which would be a very versatile combination. I have read some very positive reviews of this lens and it would allow you to cover more ENG type jobs too. Thanks as ever, Sparky
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That Canon 30-105 is a STELLAR lens. I love it!
 
JCummings said:
That's potentially pretty significant. I'd like to hear more about that. Is there a thread about that somewhere?
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No, I wouldnt say there is a thread about solid rumors or inside info. Take with a grain of salt, there is a 26 page thread about the topic of 4K XAVC in the F5 in the Sony forum's where Sony at no time says it cant or will never happen. My guess is from little tid-bits here and there from different people, the seeming desire by Sony to increase the shelf life of the F's, Sony reps stating that paid & free internal "upgrades" will be coming to the F's, Sony's huge push in the 4K market and what the competition is doing or preparing to do. There is always a chance that Sony could release a F model with 4K xavc but none of the other 55 features and price it in the middle. Personally if it were me in the market right now, I'd hate to be in the position of only considering the 55 for it's 4K xavc with NAB so close.
 
Sparky874 said:
Hi guys. I have about £20k to invest in some new kit.
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In all reality you could buy 10 of these, or perhaps a few less.

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I am been sent that camera for review next week - doesn't really tick any of my boxes but will be interested to see.
 
ChristianMoriarty said:
Off topic-
Bill : was there any "magic" matching the F3 to the F55?
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Our "B" cam does not have to be a dead match to "A" cam, as it's more of an insert camera.
But the Sony F55 color science is much better suited to the F3 than the "other" cameras production was considering.

There's no significant color correction on this shoot so I have the F55 tuned to HG4 and HG7 with ITU-709 Matrix, and the F3 is set to Standard Matrix and Cine1 Gamma at iso 570.
Shooting Zeiss ZF primes on the F3 and Fuji Cabrio 19-90 on the F55, occasionally with Schneider Classic Softs.

*Update - I have switched to using HG4 exlusively and now have two F55/Cabrio packages, so matching is no longer an issue. I'm also using Schneider Classic Soft 1 on both cameras.
 
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I actually find the simplicity of operating the BMCs superb for fast-paced shooting and high volumes of setups. If you know what it is you want, you can get it faster with the BMCs, but I agree - they're very different animals to the Sony Fs.
 
Watch out for center scan, I did a resolution test, it is softer, also a friend of mine tried it out on a shoot and was getting weird motion artifacts
 
jameswmulryan said:
Watch out for center scan, I did a resolution test, it is softer, also a friend of mine tried it out on a shoot and was getting weird motion artifacts
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On the F55? Sometimes it's very slightly softer and sometimes it is not. For example, I'm finding that 2K Center Scan S&Q Motion looks better than 2K Full Frame S&Q Motion.
But even when it is slightly softer, the difference is hard to see and is still vastly superior to using an optical extender.
 
Between independent tests Doug and I have done there may be less difference between 2k center scan vs 2k full scan depending on the actual lens being used.

But in general I believe the center scan mode to be soft, but hard to notice unless compared side by side.
 
I have sold 3 F55's for around 30-38k for a package (usd)

At conversion of 1.67, 20k = 33.4 USD, I sold a kit with the body, r5, viewfinder, and sony shoulder baseplate with tripod adaptor, the dual charger and a battery. You don't need an inferior camera - buy once cry once

Jason
 
Thing is realistically what features does the F55 not have that you think within the next 4-5 years you are going to want?

Sure better HFR, or higher dynamic range, etc.. but are those things you really need?

I think the F55 has a good shelf life and agree crying once is the way to go. I might be a bit afraid of the resale value of an F5 in 2 years but again we'll never really know until we're there...
 
I see these things from the perspective of having munched a load of cash on stills cams in the 2000s.

Basically I bought stuff I knew was flawed - D1 (1/4mp jpg), SLRn (moiree hell), D100 (2 frames per min in raw), D70 (6mp), D2x (4mp), it took nikon about 6 years of digital to come up with a non flawed tool - the nikon D3 stills camera (12mp,raw, decent iSO)- I think that was 2008, ive not traded up since then, many pros still use them and I guess the resale value is good for a Nikon D3. The D1, D2x and the like are now going for $100 - because they were fundamentally flawed technology - each had a flaw, low res, low ISO, moire or somthing. We bought knowing those flaws but accepting the compromises of the tech of the era.

The non flawed technology has held its value.

To me the 55 offers, HFR, raw, GS, onboard 4k, decent 1600 - where is the flaw - I don't see one?

The 5 has its 'flaws'

I think the 55 will hold value, sure in 2015 the canon C200 or sony FS800 might give you the same performance for $10g but you wont actually be fkd arriving on a job with a 55 - not for a very long time. Just like no one laughs at a stills tog with a D3.

S
 
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I am willing to bet that at some point, whether in 10 years or 100 years we will reach a point where anything better is overkill you cannot see. I wish we lived in those times - where we can truly buy once cry once and not buy new equipment every few years unless broken/stolen. The ONLY ones who lose is us, EVERYONE ELSE is making money on it. It's so bad that some companies purposely produce crap with the sole intention of selling us the real innovation later - and by the time they do they actually have the new gear all figured out and then feed us crappy products- all so they max profit and get two or more sales instead of JUST one.

There was a comedian in the 90's who was talking about how it all started with records, then 8 track, then tape, then dolby, then dolby B, then dolby c, then dolby FXpro, then THX, then ...... and the list goes on and on, and then came CD, then came gold CD, then master CD, then digitally remastered, then laser disk, then DVD, then DVDR then DVDRW.... it just keeps on happening over and over, and most of the time it FEELS like it's on purpose... and many times the only difference is the label on the device LOL

THe F55 feels like the first time this isn't the case, and I really hope that it isn't a trick. LOL

J
 
Hey J - you know I think you are right. I just got my F5 this week. I already own a Sony F3, Sony F35, PDW-700 - but you know I think the F5 camera will replace them all - it can do anything you want, with almost any look you want, and the frame rate options are incredible, esp for someone like me who shoots a lot of sport. The more I play with the camera and get to know my way around it, the more excited I am about it.
 
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