F3: Sony F35 - still a relevant camera?

nate852 said:
I totally agree with you Adam, its the sudden surge of affordable external recorders that are starting to revive these older beasts!

I couldn't help it, but to upload a clip I shot with the Varicam 27h from atomos. See for yourself, the footage looks organic and has a certain filmic element to it.

raw file from Varicam into Samurai

https://vimeo.com/58041380
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It does look good indeed. One of the nicest things about the old Varicam was the colors. It looked much better than the F900 IMO.
I think the organic look you like mainly comes from the softness of the 720p sensor.
 
nate852 said:
Thanks for all the replies. I think even though the price has dropped to so low, getting everything needed for the camera to start functiong ...is probably going to stray in the Epic Price regions.
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Actually, that's really not the case. All you need to get up and running is the v-mount camera plate (about $300), an external recorder (Hyperdeck's about $300), and monitor/viewfinder of some sort ($700-$1300 will get one). That's all really.

Yes you need PL mount glass, or you need to have your PL mount converted. But glass and support gear are separate to your camera costs really.

Plus, with lightweight gear like the Hyperdeck, you could get an F35 rigged up in a basic setup that would only weigh about 22-25lbs - and support gear to support that sort of weight won't actually break the bank.
 
Grug said:
Actually, that's really not the case. All you need to get up and running is the v-mount camera plate (about $300), an external recorder (Hyperdeck's about $300), and monitor/viewfinder of some sort ($700-$1300 will get one). That's all really.

Yes you need PL mount glass, or you need to have your PL mount converted. But glass and support gear are separate to your camera costs really.

Plus, with lightweight gear like the Hyperdeck, you could get an F35 rigged up in a basic setup that would only weigh about 22-25lbs - and support gear to support that sort of weight won't actually break the bank.
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PL glass is expensive. If you don't already have it it will bring the costs up a lot. Converting to another mount is not easy and you better get it done properly or you just ruined your chances to resell the camera if you ever want to. Not to mention you wont get infinity if not done properly. To do properly, unless you can do it yourself is going to cost a pretty penny.

Then you get a $200K true cinema camera and shoot with low ball still lenses. Kind of defeats the purpose. But then what do you do if you're shooting under sun light? Carry those cumbersome variable NDs? Because if you are going to have a mattebox, it's going to cost you, and then suddenly the thought of being a one man band starts getting complicated. Then you need to record audio. Is the camera optimized for in camera audio recording? Then you say the camera weights only 25lbs. Maybe with nikons and no mattebox or follow focus etc. Otherwise it will weight more. Breaking the bank or not to get support, you still have to factor it in.

But in the end of the day, If you are buying a full sized high-end digital cinema camera and have to ghetto the heck out of it to afford it's operational costs, then you just can't afford it. Which brings me back to what I said before. If you can afford a C300 or Scarlet with PL glass you can probably afford to own an used F35 and shoot properly with it.

To think that the costs to run a camera such as the F35 is basically the same as a F3 is overlooking the big picture.
 
Sparky874 said:
I would love to know the answer to this as well not ever having used one. I have PL mount lenses, V-lock batteries and a Color Sony C30W viewfinder, what else would I need to start using one? Does it record to cards at all? Thanks in advance, Sparky
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Feel free to check the thread about happy F35 owners here in the SOny forum. It is incredible that people can now actually afford this camera, and it amazes me that most people are overlooking this beast because it's not the latest toy to be announced.
My comment to most people asking how good does the Sony F35 footage look is that... if you cannot tell the difference then don't bother asking.
 
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Adamsenoj said:
...Then you get a $200K true cinema camera and shoot with low ball still lenses. Kind of defeats the purpose. But then what do you do if you're shooting under sun light? Carry those cumbersome variable NDs? Because if you are going to have a mattebox, it's going to cost you, and then suddenly the thought of being a one man band starts getting complicated. Then you need to record audio. Is the camera optimized for in camera audio recording? Then you say the camera weights only 25lbs. Maybe with nikons and no mattebox or follow focus etc. Otherwise it will weight more. Breaking the bank or not to get support, you still have to factor it in.
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Absolutely, and I agree with you on all points. But anyone buying an F35 with the expectation of using it like a conventional video camera... well, quite frankly, they deserve all the pain, expense and trouble they're going to get themselves into! :laugh:
 
Adamsenoj said:
PL glass is expensive. If you don't already have it it will bring the costs up a lot. Converting to another mount is not easy and you better get it done properly or you just ruined your chances to resell the camera if you ever want to. Not to mention you wont get infinity if not done properly. To do properly, unless you can do it yourself is going to cost a pretty penny.

Then you get a $200K true cinema camera and shoot with low ball still lenses. Kind of defeats the purpose. But then what do you do if you're shooting under sun light? Carry those cumbersome variable NDs? Because if you are going to have a mattebox, it's going to cost you, and then suddenly the thought of being a one man band starts getting complicated. Then you need to record audio. Is the camera optimized for in camera audio recording? Then you say the camera weights only 25lbs. Maybe with nikons and no mattebox or follow focus etc. Otherwise it will weight more. Breaking the bank or not to get support, you still have to factor it in.

But in the end of the day, If you are buying a full sized high-end digital cinema camera and have to ghetto the heck out of it to afford it's operational costs, then you just can't afford it. Which brings me back to what I said before. If you can afford a C300 or Scarlet with PL glass you can probably afford to own an used F35 and shoot properly with it.

To think that the costs to run a camera such as the F35 is basically the same as a F3 is overlooking the big picture.
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My set up weights exactly 10Kgs including:
- body
- breakout box
- battery plate
- big 190mha Vmount battery
- top handle
- hyperdeck with SSD
- lamparte base plate with shoulder mount
- rods
- follow focus
- EVF
- cables
- 24-70 2.8 zoom lens
- 77mm ND filter

That's not particularly light or small, but definitely less than a red one or alexa set up with similar specs.
 
starcentral said:
Is Samantha Tavasa a model, singer, or both? :love4:


Oh yeah, nice footage.
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Samatha Tavasa is a japanese Bag brand. Taylor Monsen was the singer tha flew to HK for the show.



Macgregor, do you mean that is your F35 rig? Please show us some pics or videos for reference, as i'm intersted so see what people had done.
 
The Sony F35 still has numerous advantages over more recent cameras despite it's age: 1. CCD vs CMOS (better for strobe lighting). 2. Better IR Filter on sensor. It's not good for "far red" but much better for IR than say RED cameras. 3. Correct me if I'm wrong but the CCD I believe is more sensitive to tungsten balanced light than say the RED MX chip. 4. A supposedly wider color gamut than the Red or Alexa - but that's what Sony claims and I have no way to prove it.

I've just learned this as I prepare for a shoot with the Genesis.
 
nate852 said:
Samatha Tavasa is a japanese Bag brand. Taylor Monsen was the singer tha flew to HK for the show.



Macgregor, do you mean that is your F35 rig? Please show us some pics or videos for reference, as i'm intersted so see what people had done.
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The thread is here:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?288192-Just-got-a-new-camera

And pics here:
f35studio.jpg
 
You keep taunting us Miguel with your F35 obsession.

Question about your camera... It appears you have a Nikon lens on the F35. If so did you have the PL mount removed and who did you get to perform the surgery on the camera?

I am sorely tempted to get one.
 
He bought a second PL mount for the camera and had it adapted to Nikon F mount. It still almost brings me to tears to see Lanparte and Tilta support gear on an F35 :laugh:
 
Everything about Miguel's set up is pure epic- especially the image it pumps out. So tempted to go down that path...
 
Andrew Stone said:
You keep taunting us Miguel with your F35 obsession.

Question about your camera... It appears you have a Nikon lens on the F35. If so did you have the PL mount removed and who did you get to perform the surgery on the camera?

I am sorely tempted to get one.
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There's lots of info about Miguel's setup in his original thread. It's quite long by now, but worth reading through ;)
 
was chatting with a stedicam friend... he was wanting to know more about the specs... googled and came up with the UK page... at the very bottom... under related accessories...

the box that says cinematography... I was hoping under data ingest units... they have the new AXS-R5 listed... thought about calling Band Pro in LA... and see if it'll work with the F35...

http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/35mmdigitalmotionpicturecamerascamcorders/f35/specifications

never mind why do I keep thinking this camera is 4k... you can use any recorder... that does 1920 by 1080... 444 is best...
 
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