Official Sony NEX-VG10 Thread

Paul V Doherty said:
I am very curious why this camera does not seem to have generated as much buzz and excitement as had been anticipated.
Is everybody holding out until Sony announces their pro s35mm camera?
I thought the VG10 would have been embraced as the extreme low-end s35mm camera, filling the sub $5k void below the AF100
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I bet some are like me - waiting for the mythical firmware upgrade to see what it shakes out like. The Sony NEX-5 seems significantly improved with its upgrade, so one would hope that the same would hold true for the VG-10. It IS, however, missing XLR Inputs (but I can use my Zoom H4n as I do with my Sony SR7), full manual audio controls, and some manual focus aids and exposure indicators would be helpful as well. $2k is at my upper limit, and I like the form factor. The AF100 is WAY overkill for my needs.

I've finally built a pc that can handle AVCHD files natively with Premiere CS5, and am now enjoying the whole video process. The VG10 is ALMOST right... Maybe with the firmware upgrade... Sometime this month I hear? Anyone hear a date?

Larry
(finally post #1 after reading for awhile)
 
Paul V Doherty said:
I am very curious why this camera does not seem to have generated as much buzz and excitement as had been anticipated.
Is everybody holding out until Sony announces their pro s35mm camera?
I thought the VG10 would have been embraced as the extreme low-end s35mm camera, filling the sub $5k void below the AF100
Click to expand...

Lack of 24p, as I'm sure you've already gathered, is a huge and puzzling buzz kill. Anyone who is going to spend the money on a camera with interchangable lenses is more interested in composing shots and creating a film look than someone spending an equal or lesser amount on a handycam to take to Disneyland. The majority of those people, this camera's market base, want the option of 24p.

I'm still boggled, but... whatever.
 
Here's a short audio sample highlighting the Quad Mic Capsule's performance in a live noisy environment - sound is raw straight out of camera and completely unprocessed.
 
How well do you find it handles highlights?
I'm thinking about getting the camera tomorrow at B&H and have been pouring over online footage (YouTube-yuck) and there's a video called "Sony Handycam NEX-VG1 lens demo" and it shows the Sony 70-400 lens on some sort of crested bird (30 seconds into video) that shows some serious highlight blowouts and was wondering if this is typical of highlight handling?

Thanks~
Steve
__________________
Steve Nunez-New York City
www.stevenunez.com
 
SteveNunez said:
How well do you find it handles highlights? .... shows some serious highlight blowouts and was wondering if this is typical of highlight handling?
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Steve, don't be alarmed. I too saw a ****-load of these videos with blown highlights and it did worry me before I got my camera, however you have to understand that a lot of those clips on YouTube & Vimeo are shot by amateurs & people who only use the cameras auto exposure modes. Most indie & pro film-makers are boycotting this camera because of it's glaring omissions hence the lack of any well shot sample clips.

If you decide to use the camera in full-manual mode you will get very beautiful footage. Here's my best effort with very little post production to preserve the out of camera image:

 
Evro, thank you for the reply.
Your footage sample looks good and showcases what can be done with a VG10.
Highlight clipping is still a concern for me and I'm guessing a variable ND filter is a must with this camera.
Having used some JVC cameras in the past has shown me how difficult it is to deal with clipping........I hope I can keep it under control with the VG10, which seems possible.
Thanks again~
 
Nice footage! If you want to shoot with a fast lens outside, I find on almost all CMOS cameras you need a variable ND filter (or just ND filter in general). On the 7D I use one (I bought the FaderND) and it works great. I try to keep my shutter speed consistent so that's why I have to use the ND.

Although be warned, if you need to use the fader ND on certain lenses, it doesn't work that well. I cannot remember if it was ultra-wide or tele lenses as I only use it with a 30mm, but something to take into consideration.
 
valdi99 said:
Here is service manual in 3 parts for Nex-VG10 if anybody wants to take apart this camera.
http://elektrotanya.com/?q=showresult&megnev=sony&megnev2=nex-vg10&kategoria=&kat2=all
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Yikes!! valdi99, this is an amazing leak, I bet Sony won't be happy about it ;) None the less, these manuals might be the kind of help our friendly camera hackers out there need to convert the VG10 from a toy to a real indie camera :)

Major props to you for this amazing contribution!!


To Rick & Steve, thank you for the support :)

Rick is 100% spot on with the ND filter. I bought the LCW Fader ND and for shooting outdoors it has been an absolute saviour. Here a short little clip I filmed hand-held from the stands at Seaworld on the Gold Coast. The camera & lens are stock except for the addition of a Light Craft Workshop ND Fader which I used to adjust exposure on the fly.

Aperture was fixed at f6.3 with 1/100sec shutter.
 
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Evro, yes that caught my eye too, as did the mention of Carl Zeiss as one of the partners. E-mount CP.2 primes anyone? I think this shows Sony are getting serious about the E-mount NEX series. Wonder what they have lined up for the s35 cam? Not that I could afford it mind.
Dave
 
OK, time to revive this thread a bit. Is anyone using a shoulder brace/rail system with their VG-10? I ask because I have seen a significannt amount of work with this camera in the past three months; enough to justify investing
some of the profits into making the camera a more effective tool.
I've identifed a few "needs" for me
-a framing monitor. Not necessarily HD, since I'm not really relying on it for any critical focusing
-stabilization. Handheld for any length of time is tedious with the 18-200. Nose heavy, and the side to side wobble had to go
-quick on/off the tripod
-smoother zooming. I know, shouldn't be adjusting the zoom while you're shooting, but sometimes you have to, right?
I looked around at a lot of options for rail systems, and finally decided that the Indiesystems Areeba would do what I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. The package deal was attractive; it gave me the rails, shoulder brace, matte box and a follow focus.
So, that's what I ordered. Here is how it looks
areeba mount indie slider w sony vg10.jpgSo far, very pleased. It is all carbon or steel, well made. I;m using the follow focus as a zoom control and it works very well. The snap gears design is well thought out; rare earth magnets hold the gear halves together very securely, but come off easily. Lots of adjustability, excellent stability, and plenty of options for mounting other accessories. The mattebox is very well made as well...an added bonus. I didn't realize how nice it was to have a mattebox until atually using it for a while. the monitor is a Lilliput 7in. from CoolLCD in China. Excellent price, service and fast delivery. thumbs up! good products, good service. No affiliation with either company other than a happy end user.
So...what are you using?
 
I'm using a V1U, so, completely different needs, but I like what you've done. I take it there's nowhere to mount a microphone though with the LED on top? I generally have the mic(s) off camera anyway.
 
I almost never use the on camera mic for anthing other than ambient audio. Most of my stuff has been talking heads, so they're always wired with a lav and wireless transmitter. I mount the receiver on the tail of the shoulder brace.
 
i've been expecting a "pro" version of this cam with XLR and manual audio recording levels etc. No pro version yet?
 
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