I'm looking to buy the AF100 - Feedback and advice please

S

seanwin

Active member
Hi All,

I am currently a DSLR user. Using Canon 5D's and 7D's along with a Zoom H4N to cover mostly weddings. You can see some of my video here http://vimeo.com/pose/videos

I recently sold my 7D and am about to either purchase another 5D or buy the Panasonic AG-Af100. So I have a few questions that i'd love from some users of the AF100 that may also have come from a DSLR background.

1) Is the audio on the Panasonic the same or if not better then a Zoom H4N (preamps better? Less Hiss?) (i'm using a NTG2 Rode mic and a Sony Lapel Mic)
2) Whats it like in low light conditions. Does it perform better than the 5D in low light?
3) The 5D cons are quite well known such as, overheating, 12min clips, moire etc. Does the Panasonic share any of the same cons or if not what others does it have.

Any help on this would be great. I'm well aware that the Panasonic is a 2x Crop factor and I am going to have to get some more lenses. What lenses would you suggest getting. Currently I have the following lenses with my 5d.

Canon 70-200 2.8 IS Lseries
Zeiss 50mm 1.5
Canon 16-35mm 2.8 Lseries

I don't have a huge budget so i'd like decent performance lenses that works well with the Panasonic. Thanks heaps guys, I realise some of my q's maybe very amateur so I appreciate the help.

Cheers,

Sean.
 
All your questions are valid but have been answered a dozen times in other posts. The basic answer is, go for it, you won't regret purchasing an AF100 but keep your 5D. The only caveat is the availability of the Birger or RedRock adaptor for your L lenses, both in final design after 6 mo. of development but slow to market.
 
I double team my AF102 with my 7D often and I agree that you shouldn't get rid of the DSLR. I purchased nikon glass and a decent adapter...but waiting for the Birger so I can also use my canon glass with it.
To be honest I actually think that the AF is just as if not more fiddly to shoot weddings with than the 7D...but I don't miss the fragility (overheating, audio, monitoring, 4 gig limit) that the DSLRs bring when using them as the main camera.
 
If tagteamed with a 5D like I do I find the AF to shine where you need audio, slowmotion or timelapse and the 5D for handheld or shallow dof stuff. A 50mm lens is a great one to do interviews or headshots and I find the wide end less of a problem.
 
Thanks heaps for the feedback guy really appreciated it. I have been trying to find answers online but never seemed to get a direct answer, so your feedback helped.

I also found a Kipon adapter that will allow me to control iris on my L series lenses, might go that route at least until the Birger is released.
 
seanwin said:
I also found a Kipon adapter that will allow me to control iris on my L series lenses, might go that route at least until the Birger is released.
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Don't get to excited about that Kipon. It's not very good. Vignettes before exposure changes on most lenses.
Might need to budget in some fast used manual Canon lenses or manual Nikon. What's your budget for glass? So many options its hard to really say.
 
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Erik Naso said:
Don't get to excited about that Kipon. It's not very good. Vignettes before exposure changes on most lenses. Might need to budget in some fast used manual Canon lenses or manual Nikon. What's your budget for glass? So many options its hard to really say.
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Damn that's a shame. I saw a guy on vimeo, used kipon thought it looked good. My initial idea was to sell my 2 canon lenses n get some more zeiss primes. What are you working with.
 
I have a few Canon L lenses but they are all F4. Not fast enough. 17-40, 70-200 and 24-105. All sitting in a camera bag with my first gen 5D. I have used them with a Fotodiox EOS to MFT adapter but you cant control the iris so I set them at f4 with the camera by holding the DOF preview button down and removing the lens. Its a workaround. Then ride the ISO and ND for exposure. Not good but doable.
I have stocked up on manual Nikon mount lenses and Lumix Lenses.

Zeiss ZF 85mm F1.4
Voiglander 25mm F0.95
Nikom 50mm F1.8
TokinaATX Pro 28-70 F2.6 2.8
Lumix 7-14 F4
Lumix 14mm F2.5
Lumix 20mm F1.7

The Zeiss 85mm and Voiglander are my favorite. Then the Tokina. The 7-14 is a really fun lens. I need a telephoto so the Canon 70-200 is still in reach but at F4 and no aperture control its not used much.
I would love to get a two more Zeiss primes. Great glass.
 
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I too use Zeiss's (35, 50 and 85, all 1.4) and the Voigtlander 25mm. They are terrific lenses. I had them cine-modded by Matthew Duclos, adding focus gears and declicking the irises. If you are using a follow focus I would recommend the mods. I also love my Tokina 11-16 f/2.8 zoom.
 
Hi all,

Caught myself in another dilemma :)

Went to buy the af100 & was stuck considering the fs100 by Sony as well, aaaaaaargh!

I am not familiar with recording uncompressed footage but am changing this as I will be on particular shoots. My question is for those of you who have experience with it, how much of a quality difference am I going to be seeing between the pana sdi & the sony hdmi?

By the way thanks again to all it's been really great feedback so far.

Sean.
 
Hi,

The FS100 and the AF100 both will allow fo a shallow depth of field. They both use the same compression engine, i.e. AVCHD. They both had an 8 Bit 4:2:2 output but the Sony only has an HDMI and no HD-SDI, which you note, but one is a a professional standard connection that will not come loose (HD-SDI) and the other is a friction fit, which can. The Sony does not have Neutral Density Filters which you will need to buy and you should by good ones. the Sony is limited in its variable frame rates totally skipping two of the more popular 22 and 48. Theye have a different orientation as far as how they were designed. The AF100 comes from the area of Professional Video Camera and was designed by customers, professional DPs in this business. The FS100 appears to be an improvement to the DSLR design allowing for quality audio and video to be recorded. The AF100 just has a more diverse tool set that a DP coming from a video background would expect to find. There are some guys on this site that feel that you should by the Sony because that is what they did and they think it is a better camera, but frankly it is just a different camera to accomplish the same task. The AF100 brings more to the table right now with a free lens included, internal ND filters, 20 steps of Variable Frame Rates in 1080P, Waveform Monitor, more rugged build quality with an ergonomic design and a 3 year warranty.

And all of this for less money.

Hope this helps,

Jan
 
Thanks Jan, that cleared up plenty.

Ive ordered the AF100 and since everyone here seems to love the voigtlander I got that too :)

Cheers everyone appreciated the assistance.
 
I am an image freak and I personally like the look and dynamic range of the sony. It also seems to handle blue skys better then the panny. I want to step up to the sony once I get the finances right.
 
reem12 said:
I am an image freak and I personally like the look and dynamic range of the sony. It also seems to handle blue skys better then the panny. I want to step up to the sony once I get the finances right.
Click to expand...

sssshhhh you're giving me buyers remorse :)
 
reem12 said:
I am an image freak and I personally like the look and dynamic range of the sony. It also seems to handle blue skys better then the panny. I want to step up to the sony once I get the finances right.
Click to expand...

I have the FS100 and yes it handles highlights a bit better, but not THAT much compared to the AF100. And a DSLR beats them both.
 
I just dropped the cash on a Sony FS100. While I did like the design of the AF-100, I'm glad I went for the Sony since it has a much larger sensor and handles the highlights a bit better. I might miss having an ND Wheel, but I haven't shot without a matte box and 4x4's on a job in a long long time.

Either way though you are gonna get a great camera no matter which you choose.
 
you will not have buyer's remorse when you start using the AF100. I was on the fence between the two, and got the AF. Have not second guessed myself once.
 
Just a quick question.
Are you using the 14mm 2.5 ON THE PANASONIC AF-100.
if so, how is the lens working!¿
thanks!!!
 
Hi Jan, we meet in person at the Pasadena convention 3 weeks ago.
I also sow you at Nab show.
Great effort, keep the good work.
I have a quick question to make sure, I can do this,
I am looking to get the 14mm 2.5 lumix, feels I am nice that spot in my lenses kid
Now, it is the lens fully operation on the Af-100.
the official info is not clear.

also, I am sending you my work. here a video (I am proud of) shoot in Ecuador. NO extra lighting, Cinema Look, 24p, af-100 and a COOKE 25mm 1.4 - C MOUNT. JUST SOLID. IS ALL I CAN SAY.
http://vimeo.com/28154713

PLEASE!!! LET ME KNOW ABOUT THE 14MM.

thank you.

Vic Carrera
www.kingdoministry.org

Jan_Crittenden said:
Hi,

The FS100 and the AF100 both will allow fo a shallow depth of field. They both use the same compression engine, i.e. AVCHD. They both had an 8 Bit 4:2:2 output but the Sony only has an HDMI and no HD-SDI, which you note, but one is a a professional standard connection that will not come loose (HD-SDI) and the other is a friction fit, which can. The Sony does not have Neutral Density Filters which you will need to buy and you should by good ones. the Sony is limited in its variable frame rates totally skipping two of the more popular 22 and 48. Theye have a different orientation as far as how they were designed. The AF100 comes from the area of Professional Video Camera and was designed by customers, professional DPs in this business. The FS100 appears to be an improvement to the DSLR design allowing for quality audio and video to be recorded. The AF100 just has a more diverse tool set that a DP coming from a video background would expect to find. There are some guys on this site that feel that you should by the Sony because that is what they did and they think it is a better camera, but frankly it is just a different camera to accomplish the same task. The AF100 brings more to the table right now with a free lens included, internal ND filters, 20 steps of Variable Frame Rates in 1080P, Waveform Monitor, more rugged build quality with an ergonomic design and a 3 year warranty.

And all of this for less money.

Hope this helps,

Jan
Click to expand...
 
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