Re: T2i / T3i vs NEX-FS100 - Should I sell?

E

ectobuilder

Veteran
Re: T2i / T3i vs NEX-FS100 - Should I sell?

Hey Guys,

I've been a huge supporter of the Sony NEX-FS100. However recently I invested in some lighting (LED) for the first time (I normally do run and gun events with no external lighting).

With the lighting, I shot with BOTH the FS100 and my DSLR. And wow was there a difference in usability and user interface.

You see, up until now, I've always preferred my FS100 (to my DSLR) because of it's splendid low light capability. BUT, with proper lighting, the DSLR really kicked the FS100's butt in terms of giving full artistic freedom to adjust exposure and white balance on the fly (used magic lantern for white balance, very easy to get to). Accessing these features on the DSLR is so much more quicker and easier than it was on the FS100.

I love the dedicated ISO button and dial wheel of the DSLR, whereas the FS100 (as you all may know) has a three-stage gain switch on the side and to dial in the gain in 1db increments you must go into the cumbersome menu (yuck).

However on my T2i / T3i, by having such easy access to such features, it allowed me FULL CONTROL and ARTISTIC FREEDOM over my lenses and artistic composition of the scene. Yes the FS100 allows for exposure adjustments as well, it's just more awkward and slow to get to, I feel held back artistically.

So my question is this, given my situation should I be selling my FS100 (assuming if I am content with staying away from very low light shoots)?

I've also reasoned that in order to get great low light out of the FS100, you need to shoot with a wide open aperture anyways, meaning I am forced to shoot with a shallow depth of field (not something I want to do all the time), so that defeats my purpose of wanting to shoot like a free artist (I should have full control over selective depth of field), meaning I would have to "pick my fights" and shoot with proper lighting only, hence using DSLR's.

I'm thinking of selling my NEX-FS100 (i.e. sacrificing low light, for artistic freedom and cornering myself to proper light shoots) and just rely on my T2i / T3i for now and weight to see how the 1Dx and maybe even Nikon D4 performs in low light and may go for these instead (assuming they still have dedicated exposure setting buttons and dials).

What to do, what to do?
 
I'm more than sure this is not even comparable..... No way on this green earth will any Canon Dslr provide a nicer image than a Fs100. Fs100 is simply a better camera. Now if you want to sell it and use your t2i then by all means do it, but something tells me you truly have not learned how to use that fs100 $5K video camera.
 
One: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you like the image of one camera over the other, that's completely up to you. People get so stuck pixel peeping and waste mounds of time they could be using to tell visual stories.

Two: You have an interesting frame of reference, and one that is growing more common. Seasoned pros who have moved from traditional video cameras to DSLR often complain of the lack of intuitive control over the image... things that were easily controlled at the touch of a button on the side of the camera are now relegated to menus and sub-menus on the DSLR (and many of those features are locked out during recording on a DSLR). You're used to shooting with a DSLR, and have not developed a familiarity with the "old-school" design of a traditional camera. Those buttons and switches are tried and tested over several decades now, and when you learn to work with them you'll be able to zip around with that camera and get the images you want. The 3-position gain switch is a video function, where ISO is a still photography function. We're seeing hybrids of these come about now as companies take what the pros have liked about the DSLRs (sensor and image quality) and adapted them back into the traditional camera bodies that we miss so much. That said, keeping the gain presets at 0dB, +3dB, and +9db (or 0, 6, and 12... or 0, 3, and 6... or...) can be incredibly useful. But it all boils down, again, to what you're most comfortable with (and if you can sacrifice extended recording times over a 12-minute file limit). People get so stuck pixel peeping and waste mounds of time they could be using to tell visual stories.

Three: Low-light has just as much to do with the lens as the sensor when it comes to cameras with large chips, but every camera loves light. The more light, the better (without risking a fire hazard, of course). Low-light is a new trend in digital film making, but even in the days of yore when actual film was king for narratives and documentaries, low-light was a last resort. People love it now because they can do it... and because lots of amateurs are sold on the idea that shallow DOF is the mark of a pro, which low-light/open-aperture shooting gives. If you want your projects to look professional, light them. If you absolutely must shoot low-light, go with what looks best to you and don't worry about the rest. People get so stuck pixel peeping and waste mounds of time they could be using to tell visual stories.
 
Just find the image that suites your needs. If that is in a DSLR such as the 7D then that is your choice alone.

People go way overboard on pixel peeping.
 
I'm also surprised by your preferences, but, if they are so, I suggest you look into the hacked GH2 and the NEX-5N as cheap alternatives with very good low light capabilities
with one of those and your current canon dslr, you should have all your bases covered (one has lovely image and colors, the other has great low light and is nearly aliasing/moire free)
you save a bit, and in 6 months you can dive into the new generation of canon DSLRs, be it 1Dx or some eventual little brother of that
 
I also absolutely hate the video style of having three switches for ISO and then having to go to the menu to change them. Does not make a lick of sense.
 
vision_filmz said:
I'm more than sure this is not even comparable..... No way on this green earth will any Canon Dslr provide a nicer image than a Fs100. Fs100 is simply a better camera. Now if you want to sell it and use your t2i then by all means do it, but something tells me you truly have not learned how to use that fs100 $5K video camera
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Click to expand...

yeah, why go with a 5K camera if you could go with something easier to work with/more familiar like the 7D/60D/5Dmii?
 
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