Sony 18-105 f4 G "Officially" NOT recommended for FS100 / FS700

Rishaar

Rishaar

Active member
I'd like to bring more awareness to the issue covered at this end of this thread :
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?316453-Looking-forward-to-this-lens-(Sony-18-104-OSS-F4)

As most of you already know, this anticipated lens shows extreme "pillow" distortion when used on the FS100 or FS700.
The reason is now confirmed to be that those 2 video camera don't have a lens distortion correction feature.
(However, the lens works fine on the NEX-3N/R, NEX-5N/R/T, NEX-7, NEX-VG20/30, NEX-EA50 cameras, where this feature is available.)

I got in touch with 3 different representatives at Sony Japan (Lens division), and their final "official" answer is as follow:
  • This lens doesn't have any problem and is fully operational
  • They do not recommend the use of this lens on any camera that doesn't feature "lens correction"
  • They do not recommend the use of this lens on the FS100 and FS700 as those cameras are NOT in the compatibility list
  • They do not endorse any camera store that would recommend the use of this lens on the FS100 and FS700
  • They do not accept return of this item related to this issue nor will refund

(Please bare in mind that i can only say about the feedbacks i got from Sony Japan. i cannot speak about the policies of Sony Us or Europe.)

There is no need / hope to wait for a firmware fix in this situation.
This is a cheapo lens working great on the EA50 or a NEX6 BUT it is not intended to be used with the FS100 or FS700.

Spread the word :furious3:
 
This lense is definitely not working correct with a NEX7. Look at the example
Benn
 
I was waiting for this lens , and at now I am very disappointed . For fs100, 18-105 F4 seems perfect lens , but we know all story , hmmmm I hope they will quickly fix ( new firmware ) it , and Sony gives fs100 users CineGamma PLEASE ,PLEASE ,PLEASE
 
benn said:
This lense is definitely not working correct with a NEX7. Look at the example
Benn
Click to expand...

Yeah i saw the sample picture. I tried on my NEX6 and it was working fine with the lens correction ON.

Darren Levine said:
Incredible that'd they take such stances
Click to expand...

Yeah, i hear you ;) Just imagine i had to take this crap directly on the phone from 3 different people.
However, if a vast majority of people using this lens don't have any problem and the only one who have issues are the one using it on cameras that are not promoted as fully compatible, then Sony can play this game pretty safely...

In the same time, makes you wonder exactly　how this piece of junk has been labelled a "G" lens.
 
Anyone know how it would work with the A7s in crop mode? I'm looking for a nice zoom for filming but issues with the sigma and canon 24-105s + I rarely shoot full frame when filming, but if I do a have a couple of nice primes.
 
I thought this was well established as being not acceptable for the 100/700? I had to do a double take as I thought you were talking about the upcoming 28-135, and I was going to lose my mind.
 
Sony has said they plan to release a new firmware for the FS700 that will perform distortion correction at up to 1080p60 for their 18-105 lens. They haven't released it yet. When I spoke to a Sony rep in September it sounded like it was close, but I haven't heard anything since then. Also I am working on a cable tv show that uses that lens a lot, and while I'm usually operating a different lens and I have seen some fairly significant distortion on things shot with that lens, they still love it and haven't really been bothered by the distortion. Any zoom lens is likely to have distortion somewhere in its range, especially a lens like that which has more range than a standard 3x zoom. I think if you are shooting with still zooms you probably are going to have to be ok with more distortion, more breathing, less sharpness, etc than primes, and for 1080p content or for doc/reality/eng, those things are not as important as having a lens that gets the shot. It's not exactly a fisheye and it's still a pretty sharp and useable lens for most things. I admit that it can look a bit odd how much distortion that lens has at 50mm since I'd normally expect the most distortion on the wide end, but it's just another factor to balance.
 
I took the plunge and purchased the SELP18105G regardless of the distortion to use with my FS700. Exactly as you said, I can work around it. I'll just be cautious of any straight lines near my subject etc. It's more important I have a lens with a constant aperture and lens that I can simply just "get the shot" with.

I sincerely hope a FS700 firmware update with distortion correction is released by January next year. Would contribute towards being a great start to the year for us FS700 owners using this lens.
 
I believe that the firmware will come out in time for the release of the new 28-135 PZ. As far as I know that lens also needs some correction. And FS700 owners should be one of the bigger groups of potential buyers of that lens. Don't think Sony wants to miss out on that opportunity...
 
Yes, I have this lens too and now it's corrected will prove pretty useful on FS700 for certain applications.

Incidentally, have tried it with new firmware and does what it says.
 
Miklos Nemeth said:
Was the FS100 obsoleted/discontinued when the FS700 was released? I guess FS100 will not get any more firmware update.
Click to expand...
The FS100 probably doesn't have the pixel count and/or processor power to perform the correction.
My guess is that there won't be any more firmware upgrades to the FS100 and that this one most likely was the last one for the FS700...
 
RatLabProductions said:
I love the 18-105 on the FS7 (in HD) the correction helps this lens a lot. Great range for S35 sensor.
Click to expand...
Yes, I sold my 18-200 power zoom along with the EA50 it came with. I miss that lens, although it was a bit on the slow side many times. But for stage performances it was great. The 18-105 is gonna be my next purchase. Would like a bit more range but the price point is great. The new 28-135 would be a dream but far above my budget. I pretty much only use power zooms for filming live performances, and they never pay well enough to justify such an expensive lens ;)
 
YAY !!! Perfect timing. I purchased the SEL18105G about 2 weeks ago and have a job this weekend. Can't wait to update my FS700 now.

I have to apply the V2.10 update as I don't have the 4K upgraded version of the FS700. I am still on version 1 as there hasn't been a worthy firmware update until now.

The link to V2.10 is here: https://www.sony.co.uk/pro/support/software/SET_BPE-SS-1030/10

Any body know what they improved when they say "4. Operation stability improvement" ... even using Version 1 of the firmware I have found my FS700 to be very stable.

1.
Distortion correction of E
-
mount lenses supported (SELP18105G, SELP1650)
2.
Iris ring operation supported (SELP28135G)
3.
Direction change on zoom ring rotation (SELP28135G)
4.
Operation stability improvement
 
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