Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
Swans? Did I hear someone mention swans? I've just uploaded footage I shot last week with a demo PXW-Z750 that, coincidentally has swan footage at 1:45.
FS7: New Sony PXW-FX9 with venice features and 6k full frame
- Thread starter J.Brown
- Start date
JPNola
Veteran
Was that a swan song post?
Oh to have an S35 E-Mount camera that's as easy to live with and self-contained as that 750. Viewfinder! Handle! Shoulder Mount! Mic mount!
I know... I'm old...
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
You basically just described my dream camera proposal that I presented to the Sony engineers at NAB in 2018. I'm waiting to see if anything comes of it. Even a year is not long enough in their product development cycles to know if it might lead to a tangible product or not. Heck, I saw mockups and other stuff for the FX9 in 2018. So I'm still hoping my dream camera might happen some day.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
Not quite. The HDVF-EL20 is only $4300 and that's the one you need. The 30L has a flip-up LCD that I've never used once in all the time I have used Z450 and Z750 cameras. Completely unnecessary. The 20L gets the job done just fine.
Okay, $4000 still might seem steep for a VF, but you have to see it to appreciate it. It blows away the $12K color LCD viewfinder I had on my F800 ten years ago.
JPNola
Veteran
yeah, the industry sort of lost its way going from this...
to this...
[ I cheated a bit there in comparing an ENG camera to a camera rigged for "cinema-style" shooting. But you get the point. For most of my career you took the camera out of the bag, attached a battery, and started shooting. There was no having to tell the Field Producer that you needed 15-20 minutes to "rig" the camera before you could start shooting. The only time you needed a bnc cable was if you were connecting the camera to a monitor for the Producer / client. ]
to this...
[ I cheated a bit there in comparing an ENG camera to a camera rigged for "cinema-style" shooting. But you get the point. For most of my career you took the camera out of the bag, attached a battery, and started shooting. There was no having to tell the Field Producer that you needed 15-20 minutes to "rig" the camera before you could start shooting. The only time you needed a bnc cable was if you were connecting the camera to a monitor for the Producer / client. ]
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Keep up the good work, Doug!
I didn’t even know the 20L existed. The one on the 450 I used was the 30L. I also found no use for the LCD, but the Oled evf was fantastic. I don’t mind the high price if it’s a good quality factory evf.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
That is the best Frankencamera photo I've ever seen. Classic.
The only other reason to connect a BNC was to jam timecode -- which ironically is a function many cameras can't even do anymore.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
I just try to push for what I want personally, and I know there's a lot of people who will want the same thing.
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
Yes, same exact OLED display on the 30L and the 20L. The only difference between them is the flip-up LCD. Which could be good for low-angle shooting, operating the camera on a dolly, etc. But don't forget that the Z450/Z750 also have an LCD screen at the rear of the camera body that can be swung out for those times when you don't want to put your eyeball on the VF.
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thirdyearff
Active member
I would also like to see a manufacturer develop a "cinema" camera with a shooter form factor. And unless you are fortunate to have shot with an ENG camera, the ergonomics and how wonderfully self contained they are, i think that you would agree things have regressed terribly, at least as far as form factor in the last 15+ years...case in point the photo of the franken rig in the thread. I came into the business in '89 and the first two cameras i touched were the BVP7 and IKE HL55...pull 'em out of the bag...throw on a brick and off ya go...sticks optional. But having said that, I currently have access to two X500's and i still find myself grabbing the Fs7 (and i've pre-ordered the FX9)...go figure.
Liam Hall
Veteran
Lol, so true.
The 2/3rd-inch format is perfect for so many applications I don't know why people don't use it. Also, why are they so big? With no tape deck and a small optical block what is under the hood?
Doug Jensen
Carbonite Member
It's all about putting the center of gravity over the shoulder and making it comfortable to shoot with. Smaller wouldn't be easier. Lighter wouldn't be easier. It's all about ergonomics and keeping the cable clutter and accessories to a minimum. The weight of that lens needs to be compensated for by pushing the brick battery as far back as possible. But with that said, I was always surprised at how light the Z750 felt whenever I picked it up out of the bag. I always keep my FS7 and FS55 100% built-up also for immediate use, but the Z750 was so much lighter. I wish I'd had a scale to weigh it. Another thing I like is being able to sling an ENG camera from a leather Portabrace strap over your shoulder without having a bunch of sharp edges and accessories drawing blood.
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