sleekmedia
Well-known member
Current FS5 owner here so I will throw out a few of my personal opinions... First off I think it is safe to say we are all SAFE and do not need to desperately liquidate our FS5 MKi and jump on board for the MKii. I commend Sony for preserving my wallet in that aspect!
However, cameras that do not undergo a significant hardware upgrade (i.e. addition of auto ND filter and locking mount like the FS7 MkII, etc.) should not be called a "newer" version if it is just software updating. I believe Sony should have offered the current FS5 MKi platform with all of the firmware upgrades current FS5 owners had to pay (i.e raw upgrade, hfr upgrade, etc.) at a reduced price or the same price with the addition of the new picture profiles to move and profit off of the remaining bodies they have sitting around. This instead would have been a better option than taking old bodies, installing the firmware, and painting a new logo on the camera which in turn really isn't any different than what I currently own except it depreciated the resale value of my device rather than preserving my investment further which is what you really want in our industry when you are paying the price of a used Honda civic for a camera body. It's simple, if Sony wanted to call it a MKii they should have put a locking mount on it like the FS7 MKii which would have made it much more stable for lenses like the 18-110 or the Fujinon MK's, etc., or any legit lens with follow focus and overall would have gave it a more robust feel and a more respected persona in the professional realm.
The second area where I really feel Sony dropped the ball is on its internal codecs. If you currently have the raw firmware upgrade and are shooting 12-bit raw out via SDI to an external recorder there is absolutely zero point to upgrade. Especially considering the recent addition of Apple Pro-Res Raw which is now 12-bit raw instead of 10-bit standard pro-res and should offer even more latitude in post production which in my opinion will totally outperform any baked in LUT Sony can give me from their Venice color science. With a little research on Youtube anyone call learn how to quickly grade S-Log 3 skintones to perfection in resolve with curves which is what any professional would use so the addition of this "venice color science" is gimicky to me and is a tactic to market the prosumer crowd. Sony needed to give 10-bit 4k 60p in camera it is that simple. I can't express how many times I just wished I could have gotten 10-bit 4k/60p or 10-bit 2k/120p in camera for those remote filming session where taking a full rig with rails, top handle, recorder, all in my cine-bag, etc. is just too much to bear solo for say shooting a sporting event / day-hike at 1400' elevation in the mountains which could be much more easily achieved with the standard FS5 platform without additional recorders. For Sony to get any current FS5 owner or even any small DLSR owner (i.e. GH5) to even consider upgrading you have to consider that the GH5 is half the size, half the weight, doesn't require any "gimicky" wires or recorders and for the entry level videographer or vlogger I don't think they will even look once at the FS5 platform until it can do 10-bit 4k/60p and 2k/120p in camera. It's even worse for those of us who are trying to bridge the gap between the professional image quality of FS7 but smaller run and gun bodies for solo work. I guess we will just have to wait and see what the A7Siii will hopefully bring at Photokina.
For now I will be keeping my FS5 mk1 and will be looking forward to getting to use Apple prores-raw.
However, cameras that do not undergo a significant hardware upgrade (i.e. addition of auto ND filter and locking mount like the FS7 MkII, etc.) should not be called a "newer" version if it is just software updating. I believe Sony should have offered the current FS5 MKi platform with all of the firmware upgrades current FS5 owners had to pay (i.e raw upgrade, hfr upgrade, etc.) at a reduced price or the same price with the addition of the new picture profiles to move and profit off of the remaining bodies they have sitting around. This instead would have been a better option than taking old bodies, installing the firmware, and painting a new logo on the camera which in turn really isn't any different than what I currently own except it depreciated the resale value of my device rather than preserving my investment further which is what you really want in our industry when you are paying the price of a used Honda civic for a camera body. It's simple, if Sony wanted to call it a MKii they should have put a locking mount on it like the FS7 MKii which would have made it much more stable for lenses like the 18-110 or the Fujinon MK's, etc., or any legit lens with follow focus and overall would have gave it a more robust feel and a more respected persona in the professional realm.
The second area where I really feel Sony dropped the ball is on its internal codecs. If you currently have the raw firmware upgrade and are shooting 12-bit raw out via SDI to an external recorder there is absolutely zero point to upgrade. Especially considering the recent addition of Apple Pro-Res Raw which is now 12-bit raw instead of 10-bit standard pro-res and should offer even more latitude in post production which in my opinion will totally outperform any baked in LUT Sony can give me from their Venice color science. With a little research on Youtube anyone call learn how to quickly grade S-Log 3 skintones to perfection in resolve with curves which is what any professional would use so the addition of this "venice color science" is gimicky to me and is a tactic to market the prosumer crowd. Sony needed to give 10-bit 4k 60p in camera it is that simple. I can't express how many times I just wished I could have gotten 10-bit 4k/60p or 10-bit 2k/120p in camera for those remote filming session where taking a full rig with rails, top handle, recorder, all in my cine-bag, etc. is just too much to bear solo for say shooting a sporting event / day-hike at 1400' elevation in the mountains which could be much more easily achieved with the standard FS5 platform without additional recorders. For Sony to get any current FS5 owner or even any small DLSR owner (i.e. GH5) to even consider upgrading you have to consider that the GH5 is half the size, half the weight, doesn't require any "gimicky" wires or recorders and for the entry level videographer or vlogger I don't think they will even look once at the FS5 platform until it can do 10-bit 4k/60p and 2k/120p in camera. It's even worse for those of us who are trying to bridge the gap between the professional image quality of FS7 but smaller run and gun bodies for solo work. I guess we will just have to wait and see what the A7Siii will hopefully bring at Photokina.
For now I will be keeping my FS5 mk1 and will be looking forward to getting to use Apple prores-raw.
