Just got a new camera - Sony F35

SJX

I think people are all selling their cameras for different reasons, some of them I think had more than one camera anyway, for others the F35 was possibly not a brilliant choice in the first place (more for the sake of their clients can't see the benefit over an F3), others just fancy a change. I have had mine a while now, don't think I would sell it and it has already paid for itself.

Also, I think it cant be stressed enough this is still NOT a cheap camera - nothing with a PL mount ever is. Even modding it to take Nikon lenses costs a fair whack and IMHO defeats the point of the camera - but each to their own, for some it obviously makes sense.

the F65 isn't discontinued, it is still Sony's flagship, but the ALEXA and RED still seem more popular. Doesn't bother me, it makes a cracking picture, as does the F35.

The F35 is brilliant - end of - it just isnt comparable to a DSLR or Blackmagic in any real way (for good and bad)
 
I didn't sell mine btw!

Still very happy with the F35. its not a heavy/bulky as its made out to be.

I've not found any camera to give me the joy the F35 does. and Ive shot plenty (Canon C300, Fs700, F55, F65 and Alexa) and the only 2 cameras I have the same feeling for is the Alexa and the F65, but honestly the F65 is waaaayyy to clean for my liking, and a bit clinical, but great for sci fi movies IMHO.

I shot F55 for a music video recently and as much as its a great tool with almost everything u could want, i still feel it has the "sony look" (F35 is the ONLY sony that doesn't have the "sony look" ;)
To me, MOST sony's have what i can only describe as a "thin layer of plastic overlaid onto the image" look to them, most notable on skin in medium/closups.

The F35 just doesn't have that, and maybe its because the F35 is the only joined venture Sony has ever embarked on with another company (panavision)
 
Supersampling will have a lot to do with that Justin - the camera needs absolutely no artificial sharpening to produce a pin-sharp image thanks to the massive sampling rate.

I shot one project with ALEXA and Ultra Primes once but I'm not sure I'd use the combo again - technically excellent, but just too clean and soulless.

But then on film I was always a fuji over kodak man :)
 
JMtheDP said:
SJX

I think people are all selling their cameras for different reasons, some of them I think had more than one camera anyway,
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Sure. But why sell the F35 instead of the others?


JMtheDP said:
for others the F35 was possibly not a brilliant choice in the first place (more for the sake of their clients can't see the benefit over an F3), others just fancy a change.
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Of course. But it hasn't been that long since this F35 in the lower end trend started. Maybe a year? Normally when people sell cameras within that short period from buying it it means something more than just fancy a change. So I was just curious since I've been thinking of buying one myself.



JMtheDP said:
the F65 isn't discontinued, it is still Sony's flagship, but the ALEXA and RED still seem more popular. Doesn't bother me, it makes a cracking picture, as does the F35.
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I didn't see a lot from the F65 yet. Only high budget movies like Oblivion but with that budget it's hard to look bad. But I kinda like the F35 look better. Between it and the Alexa I'm undecided. Between it and the new Blackmagic 4K nobody seen enough yet from the new Blackmagic to really tell.
 
Jusgorilla said:
The F35 just doesn't have that, and maybe its because the F35 is the only joined venture Sony has ever embarked on with another company (panavision)
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Didn't they also work together on the F900? I remember Panavision had their own version. Or was that just accessorization like they do with Arri and RED?
 
Panavision and Sony have been in bed together since the early 90s. I believe they have now split, part of the reason there is no Panavision F65.

The F900 was one of the first major ventures, yes. George Lucas wanted to shoot Star Wars II digitally and basically gave Panavision a list of things he'd want from a digital camera. Sony built their version, Panavision modified it to suit their needs and take some lenses they made specially.

As to why people would sell the F35, unfortunately a lot of people we sometimes work for don't appreciate what cameras really are, or how they behave. I have had a few people ask me whether we can use a DSLR instead of my F35.

In the corporate world I would also say that an EX3 is probably a heck of a lot more practical than an F35. The F35 obviously nails it on nearly every measurable front, but the EX3 kinda just does what people need.

How many people do we know that insist they can't tell the difference between DVD and Blu-Ray? I know a lot more than I care to mention.

It's like in the car world - some people will only ever buy a brand new car, but a cheap one. Others will be happy to have a 10-year old performance car for half the money, and they'll take the risk knowing they have something epic.

If you're thinking about buying an F35 - if you can afford it, and REALLY afford it - do it. You won't regret it. This camera is absolutely brilliant at what it does and for anyone that thinks a non-4K camera has no future, I think they better tell ARRI because the ALEXA is clearly a loser (with half the sensor res of the F35)....
 
Sony had nothing to do with the F900s at Panavision. They were bone stock F900's that Panavision designed various modifications to. In the end they were much heavier and much less stable optically. At the time, I was competing against them directly and all I heard from the the high-end film crowed was that HD sucked because it was too big, heavy, complicated, and unreliable. Meanwhile, myself and many others, where using stock F900's in every imaginable scenario from corporate to movies with great success. Sony did a great job on that camera, and it was modified to near death to try and make a TV camera look like a movie camera. I even did a few jobs with one Pana F900 (or 900F as they called it) and one of my stock F900's. We were ALWAYS waiting on the Pana camera, usually because of a back focus issue. Sony had nothing to do with that.

The Genesis, on the other hand, was a side by side collaboration. There are some interesting stories about how it all came about, but in the end Genesis was really nice. I did lots of jobs with it, looked good and was easy.


I sold my company to Plus8 shortly after Episode II, and we got the job to do Episode III with F950's (prototype). We put the new Fujinon E-Series zooms and had no issues. Again, Sony did a great job. It was amazing to see a show at that level come together where essentially everything is prototype.
 
Hello Everyone,

Just a quick update on my "hot pixel" situation.

So I followed Macgregor's suggestion to update the firmware (which is a piece of cake really), let the camera rest and redo the auto black balance. Unfortunately it did not solve the issue. I did discover a few more things though. First of all when the sensor is cold the hot pixel does not show up, but after about 2-3 minutes it does. In CINE IE mode, even when it is set to the highest ISO (1000 ISO) it does not show up. However it does show up in CINE mode when the gain is set to +3 or above. Entering the service menu (find link to the procedure here below) where one can correct pixel issues, I discovered the problem is on the Red channel only.

So Otto Nemenz sent me some instructions to enter the special service menu to correct hot pixels today. I did some additional research online with the information they provided and found this very detailed instructions set here: http://members.tripod.com/camera_dave/pdf/V1.46_RPN_correct_procedures.pdf

I started doing the process; it is actually pretty simple to get to the service menu. However as I do not have a high definition screen to connect the camera to and did not feel 100% comfortable in doing it myself, speaking with the head of the Otto Nemenz service department we agreed it would be best that they complete the procedure and double check that everything else is fine as well. If they cannot solve the issue completely they will send me another camera after making sure it is in tip top condition. They will be taking care of shipping both ways as per sales agreement I have a few days to check that the camera is working correctly.

I have to say it is a real pleasure to deal with such a serious and professional company as Otto Nemenz and their sales representative have proven to be. They really do take care of their customers 100%. I would buy from them again in a heart beat.

In any case I just thought you all would be interested in the link and outcome of this situation.

Igor
 
Samana76 said:
I have to say it is a real pleasure to deal with such a serious and professional company as Otto Nemenz and their sales representative have proven to be. They really do take care of their customers 100%. I would buy from them again in a heart beat.

In any case I just thought you all would be interested in the link and outcome of this situation.

Igor
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That is a great customer service story. That is why Otto has been a Hollywood staple for a long time. Get things done.
 
Most of what Panavision has to offer as far as digital cameras right now involves "Panavising" other maker's digital cameras. Of course they still rent their classic film cameras. "Panavising" entails tweaking and accessorizing to give the cameras that special Panavision panache.

They are however rumored to be working on a 65mm format digital camera. Kind of a "Genesis; The Second, First Book." or digital version of this: http://www.panavision.com/products/panavision%C2%AE-large-format-system-65

Sadly right now this new digital camera is still vaporware.

Now if they were to use a 65mm sized, CCD sensor then you might have something. Who wouldn't want a 4K, 65mm version of F35 ?
 
Yes, as far as I know their F65 is just a panavised version. Panavision had nothing to do with the F65 development as they did with the F35. Maybe why the F65 doesn't have the same mojo as the F35.
 
ajhill said:
Most of what Panavision has to offer as far as digital cameras right now involves "Panavising" other maker's digital cameras. Of course they still rent their classic film cameras. "Panavising" entails tweaking and accessorizing to give the cameras that special Panavision panache.

They are however rumored to be working on a 65mm format digital camera. Kind of a "Genesis; The Second, First Book." or digital version of this: http://www.panavision.com/products/panavision®-large-format-system-65

Sadly right now this new digital camera is still vaporware.

Now if they were to use a 65mm sized, CCD sensor then you might have something. Who wouldn't want a 4K, 65mm version of F35 ?
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I'd bet they're going the Aaton route of using a CCD sensor from Dalsa. Panavision usually invests in cameras that are far too expensive and impractical to sell, but that pay off through years of rentals eventually. Their biggest problem right now, I've read, has to do with cooling the massive sensor. It'll probably be a cool bit of kit, even if I never get to use one.

Also, isn't a major part of Panavising a camera simply adding a PV mount? Obviously they make their own accessories too, but that's the unique bit.
 
Yes Panavision's major draw is their lenses. Putting the PV mount on them generally stops people using them with other cameras.

Technically you can only rent PV lenses from them if you're also renting a PV camera package... but I think that doesn't always work.
 
There is a reasonable amount hope for this new larger format under development at Panavision. It's going to be developed by some of the same people who brought us the Genesis and F35:

John Galt is Panavision's chief technology officer. He joined Panavision in 1999 as senior vice president and founder of the Advanced Digital Imaging group. Galt was the project leader of the Panavision/Sony co-development of the Genesis Electronic Cinematography System and is presently engaged in the development of Panavision's next-generation 70mm camera system. Galt has been awarded numerous patents in image processing, high-definition image acquisition, and film digitization.

Here's hoping...
 
Ok viewed "some" of the posts here ...like what I'm seeing image wise and coming into some dollars.

So a newbie question with the F35 what "actual" box is required to get a signal out to a Odyssey or similar is there just one, or a variety ?

Thanx
 
You don't need a "box" to get a signal out to the Odyssey, but if you want more than 10-bit 422, you'll need the interface box. There's just one, so you can't go wrong :) The interface box feeds 12-bit 444 through dual SDI
 
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Apologies wasn't clear in my post "the Box' I was referring too is the one docking with the F35......and thats the "interface box"...correct ?

thanks
 
Hehe, sorry, I think I was a bit unclear myself. The interface docks on the F35 and outputs the camera's best possible quality through two SDIs. However, you don't need it if you only want to shoot 10-bit 422, as the camera also has SDI outputs mounted directly on the body.
 
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