NEX-5N doubts

rawfa

rawfa

Veteran
Hi,

I will help a friend of mine on a documentary by shooting some interviews for here with my NEX-5N and I have some doubts.

- How many minutes can it record uninterrupted before turning off due to overheating?
- After it turns off due to overheating how long do I have to wait before starting to record again?
- How many batteries should I be looking at for recording a full day?
- Ho many SD cards should I be looking at for recording a full day in full HD 24p (24mbps)?

cheers

Rafa
 
My main doubt is how long do I have to wait after I reach the first 20 uninterrupted minutes before I can start recording again. These are emotional interviews, so if I record 20 minutes and then have to wait half an hour before I can record again it may be a problem.
 
I do not recommend none of the Sony Nex series for interview recording, they are not reliable under long continuous recording, the overheat is very unpredictable some times happen before 10mins, then cooled and let record by 29mins more (this is the recording time limit), but sometimes let you record without problems, so; i can recommend you to use a Sony A65/77 or a Lumix GH series.

The cooling time can be from 1 to 5 min, 3 batteries could be enough, a 32GB can give you 4hrs.

Cheers

Good luck.
 
I saw a post on here where someone used RAM heatsinks to overcome the overheating issue of the 5n

The only NEX cameras made for long recording is the NEX-VG20 (and VG10?). I've successfully recorded nearly 3 continuous hours on a single SD card with no overheating issues in standard room temperature on the VG20.
 
I wholly recommend you get two NEX 5Ns (I did) and just swap them in and out, its not like they are mega expensive, but they are really kool machines :)
 
xenogears said:
...i can recommend you to use a Sony A65/77 or a Lumix GH series...
Click to expand...

Although they do not overheat, the Sony A65/77 cameras have a 29 minute continuous record time limit (like all Sony A/E mount hybrid cameras, except the VG10/20).

The only DSLR/DSLT/DSLM cameras with unlimited recording time are Panasonics (even bridge cameras like the FZ150 have it). For me, this is the "killer app" for hybrid cameras. I don't buy cameras with recording time limits.

That said, it sounds like rawla already has the NEX-5N and has gotten some good suggestions on how to handle its limitations (e.g, the heat sink solution, buy another 5N and use it as a backup).

A couple of more thoughts:

1) If you don't have time to install heatsinks, you may want to test your camera in typical Rio weather before you start your shoot. Set it up, start shooting, and see how long it lasts. You may be lucky enough to have a unit that is less susceptible to overheating! If it does overheat, see how long it takes to recover before you can start shooting again.

2) if you can't live with the results, I recommend you buy, rent or borrow a Panasonic GH -- or perhaps a true camcorder like a VG10/VG20, since you already have E mount lenses. These interviews sound like they are too important to be ruined by a camera with a video recording time limit.

Cheers and good luck with your decision,

Bill
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't put a fan there: dust and noise are my enemies, even more so than heat
but it's interesting anyway: if I still had any overheating issues with the heatsinks (which seems not to be the case for those who have tried that method), I'd take the label out before putting a full row of heatsinks, then put thin tape over the remaining visible holes
 
I will....the day it has the same dynamic range and high iso performance as the NEX system when taking pictures...which is what I do 99% of the time with the camera.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top