F55: Some disappointing news about 4K internal/external recording options.

Do you think you could use an iPhone connected via wifi to control the "numbers" of the camera (gain, shutter, iris, etc) when recording internally and sending the signal out to a client monitor? Just a thought. If the LCD stays on before you hit record to display info, I think I can live with that too, since with the new ND filter you can pretty much lock your ISO and aperture to whatever you want and just spin the ND until it's exposed correctly.
 
I really think this isn't the issue that it's being made out to be. Either record 4K internally (which I expect 99% of users will be doing 99% of the time) or record externally with care! I know HDMI is not the ideal connection - but I've never actually managed to pull one out while recording.

Do you think you could use an iPhone connected via wifi to control the "numbers" of the camera (gain, shutter, iris, etc) when recording internally and sending the signal out to a client monitor? Just a thought. If the LCD stays on before you hit record to display info, I think I can live with that too, since with the new ND filter you can pretty much lock your ISO and aperture to whatever you want and just spin the ND until it's exposed correctly.

Which would be an interesting workaround. I haven't used the remote app (for iOS and Android) but Sony says you can use it to control the FS5 via WiFi or NFC. I'm going to guess that would work. Fingers crossed. Then record internally and externally, and use your iPhone like the little orange screen that C300's have :-D
 
On the other hand I'm still pissed at Sony for the FS700 4K update, which went from implied free software update (in early sales documentation at the time I purchased it) to a paid physical hardware upgrade... So I think it's best to assume if you need RAW – this may not be the camera to get!
 
Having to send your camera in surely is far from ideal. But the FS700 was the first with the FS raw. By now, recorders etc are in place, so for the FS5 it's probably only a firmware upgrade. Question is, how much will Sony charge for it and how long will it take? I'm guessing around the same price then FS700 upgrade was ($500?).
 
In the Vocas fs5 video and on another forum (not sure if its cool to link another forum here) Alister Chapman says its going to be corrected with the first firmware fix

See the Newsshooter video at the top of the thread. Bottom line: the update will fix part of the problem, not all of it.
 
I call this the "they just did a Sony" move. Yes Sony is more innovative in today's camera world, but what hasn't changed is their crippling strategy.

My guess is if they left out the revolutionary electronic variable ND filter, then they would have enabled internal 4K + external out. The strategy at Sony appears to allow each product to have one killer feature then cripple something fundamental.

As a consumer, my preference is for a camera to check off all of the fundamental boxes first, and then add on the killer features. There is no point in having something revolutionary if the basics aren't being met.
 
May be a dealbreaker for me... I was 99% sure I was going to get an FS5..... I need to upgrade from my C100 because I've had to rent 4K cameras too many times this year.
The problem is, every time I need 4K, its for corporate videos, where I have to connect a monitor for the producers to see / take timecode notes etc.

If the FS5 will record 4K internal, but I can't even output an HD signal w/overlays to an external monitor.... I'll still be renting for 4K jobs....
Absolutely ridiculous.
 
May be a dealbreaker for me... I was 99% sure I was going to get an FS5..... I need to upgrade from my C100 because I've had to rent 4K cameras too many times this year.
The problem is, every time I need 4K, its for corporate videos, where I have to connect a monitor for the producers to see / take timecode notes etc.

If the FS5 will record 4K internal, but I can't even output an HD signal w/overlays to an external monitor.... I'll still be renting for 4K jobs....
Absolutely ridiculous.

sounds like a FS7 is much more useful for you - price difference is not worth mentioning over a two year usage.
 
Maybe not though, based on this recent BH Review of the C300 MkII, it may have the exact same issue:

"I really love 99% of this camera. Once thing I do not like is you can only have 2 video outputs at the same time. So while I was using the monitor and evf I had no picture from the HDMI. If I wanted picture from HDMI I had to go into menu and choose between evf and monitor separately which can be a real pain."

If this is true, then perhaps these cameras cannot fit a chip inside that is capable of outputting that many streams in 4k without overheating, exploding or costing significantly more money?
 
The FS7 does 3 streams. 1) VF 2) HDMI/SDI 1 3) SDI 2/Internal rec

It makes sense now why they had to pair the that way and your probably right that it is down to processing power and cost although that is shameful if the C300II at twice the price can't have the VF running with 2 monitors on SDI outputs. I can understand limited control over each video stream but to not have it at all is bad for $16,000 professional camera.
 
Oh wow!!! A while ago the C300MkII was top of my list to buy. Now I don't feel so bad that my lowly, much cheaper FS5 shares a similar restriction - but still wish it didn't.
 
Maybe not though, based on this recent BH Review of the C300 MkII, it may have the exact same issue:

"I really love 99% of this camera. Once thing I do not like is you can only have 2 video outputs at the same time. So while I was using the monitor and evf I had no picture from the HDMI. If I wanted picture from HDMI I had to go into menu and choose between evf and monitor separately which can be a real pain."

If this is true, then perhaps these cameras cannot fit a chip inside that is capable of outputting that many streams in 4k without overheating, exploding or costing significantly more money?

Yes. I can confirm that. I have a C300 Mk II sitting here for review. If you were here in the NYC area I'd invite you to shoot with it ;)

Ned Soltz
 
Yes. I can confirm that. I have a C300 Mk II sitting here for review. If you were here in the NYC area I'd invite you to shoot with it ;)

Ned Soltz

Is it true that you can't use focus mag while rolling on C300II? not to hijack the thread but now that the C300II is in the wild I find it weird no one is talking about these things. Or maybe its just that all of my production circle that would have been looking at a C300II had decided to go with an FS7 instead.
 
That's a nice benefit for the FS7 in comparison, though I guess it doesn't have to compete as much since it only uses one stream for the eve/monitor.
 
I was working with C300MKii in our booth at CCW and I was working with 2 HDSDI streams as well as the Canon monitor/finder with no problem. We did have a menu setting to change over to get both SDI feeds functional. We were feeding out HDSDI and not trying to use HDMI so maybe there was something to the HDMI thing but I had not problem with two outputs on HDSDI.
 
Is it true that you can't use focus mag while rolling on C300II? not to hijack the thread but now that the C300II is in the wild I find it weird no one is talking about these things. Or maybe its just that all of my production circle that would have been looking at a C300II had decided to go with an FS7 instead.

I have been asking myself the exact same question. None of the C300 owners in my city are considering upgrading to the Mk2. Several debating have chosen the FS7 and others are still waiting to see what NAB '16 will reveal. I love my Canons but have decided to switch to Sony. Not only for the FS7 but for their current business model of many, affordable, highly-specced options. Have slowly seen many of my friends, all who were predominately Canon users switch over to the A7 series and FS series.
 
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