such thing as a large sensor camcorder?

T

thedigitalcurrent

Active member
I've had the EX1, GH2, and now have the HMC150, but I want a large sensor camorder with a zoom lens that I can control from the rocker switch, and have autofocus. Does that exist? I have seen the EA50UH, but the lens is terrible....F6.3 or something while zoomed in? Come on...my HMC150 has a better lens than that. Anyone?
 
thedigitalcurrent said:
I've had the EX1, GH2, and now have the HMC150, but I want a large sensor camorder with a zoom lens that I can control from the rocker switch, and have autofocus. Does that exist? I have seen the EA50UH, but the lens is terrible....F6.3 or something while zoomed in? Come on...my HMC150 has a better lens than that. Anyone?
Click to expand...

The Sony is the only one I know of. All the large sensor (m43, s35) cameras seem to be aimed at cinema, not ENG. The exception being that Sony.

There are reasons for this, not least of which are the laws of physics -- large sensors require large glass, which is heavier and more expensive, and leads to cost and weight saving measures like smaller aperatures. Which, if you're looking for shallow DOF, works against you and makes the larger sensor somewhat... pointless?

None the less, it can be done. But given the lack of large sensor ENG cameras on the market, it would seem that the major camera makers aren't convinced they can make money on such a camera. Much depends on the success, or not, of that Sony.
 
Large sensors don't make practical sense for ENG.

If you mean a consumer/prosumer level camcorder don't overlook the Sony VG20. VG30, VG900(full frame 35).

You will not find fast wide range prosumer priced zooms like the small format cameras have. Simply not physically possible to do it at reasonable size weight and cost.

The Fuji Cabrio lenses are full EFP on lens zoom control like most 2/3" broadcast cameras. Auto focus is not typically a function of pro video lenses at that level though. $38k lens.

Canon EOS cinema series cameras worth a look too. C100, C300. You get auto focus lens controls with Canon lenses, but I think zoom is still manual.
 
The AF100 can mostly do what you want. The 14-140, 14-42, and 45-175 Lumix X lenses are all motorized servo zooms. However, it won't work from the camera's rocker because the camera doesn't have a rocker. The lenses have a rocker switch on them themselves. So it's far from an ideal solution, as a video camera it does everything a video camera does, but the lens is not going to compare to a regular ENG camera lens.
 
The full frame Sony NEX-VG900 works with it's rocker switch to control zoom on the Sony 16-50 PZ OSS and 18-200mm PZ OSS zooms in APS-C mode. Here it is with the 16-50 :
8433680912_66473f100a_c.jpg
 
firehawk said:
Barry,
Does the af100 have a lanc jack so those lumix x lenses be zoomed with a zoom controller?
Click to expand...
Yes, it has a remote port and you can use remote zoom controllers. It's not LANC though, as that's a Sony protocol. The AF100 uses the same zoom controllers as all the other Panasonic handhelds, like the DVX100, HVX200, HPX170, HMC series, etc.
 
Thank you for the correction and information.
That ability should put the af100 with one of those lenses as a large sensor camcorder option similar to what thedigitalcurrent is looking for.

The only other one I can think of is the ea50 already mentioned which is probably the only turnkey option available right now.
I happen to own it and the hmc150 and while not perfect, the ea50 concept is a great one and I wish it would be explored by panasonic.
 
thedigitalcurrent said:
the lens is terrible....F6.3 or something while zoomed in? Come on...my HMC150 has a better lens than that.
Click to expand...

People dont seem to get the basic thing that to cover a larger sensor the lens must be larger, make the sensor 8 times bigger or so and the lens is not going to have the same Fstop or is going to be a monster

It will weigh 30lb and be two foot long and have a front optic of 8 inches diameter - just like this.. http://lenses.zeiss.com/camera-lenses/en_gb/cine_lenses/master_lenses/master_zoom.html

While a camcorder may have a 1.8 aperture it needs it far more than a large chip camera - because the large chip is more sensitive to light and has less DOF

To answer your question - IMO there is not a simple camcorder that has a large sensor, the AF100 would be the closest or one of those sonys

S
 
why not getting an ENG lens and snap it on a large sensor camcorder? there also are auto focus ENG lenses out there... the MTF B4 Adapter will do it!
 
The Sony EA50, VG30, VG900, FS700 and F3 all have servo zoom rockers. The first four can use the Sony E-mount 18-200 PZ OSS and 16-50 OSS zoom lenses. The F3 has a different lens mount. The power zoom lenses for the F3 are crazy expensive.

You didn't mention budget, but the EA50, VG30 and VG900 are relatively inexpensive, the FS700 is getting up there in price. Used F3s can be had for a good price, since the F5 and F55 have come out.

The Sony zoom lenses have small built-in zoom rockers, so they can also be used on the Sony FS100, VG10 and VG20. Also on Sony E-mount DSLRs. I'll probably get a power zoom for my FS100, since clients always want a zoom shot.
 
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