F55: Tstops: My preliminary Review of the F55
- Thread starter TimurCivan
- Start date
Grug
Veteran
Thanks for your thoughts on it Timur, it'll be very interesting to see how this pans out in the market. I'm really interested to see if the lightweight build quality of the camera will be seen as a boon for, or the bane of the camera.
From what you have seen of the footage, any thoughts on the aesthetic/character of the image the camera outputs? and how it compares to the punchy-clarity of Epic? or the gobs-of-creamy-goodness of Alexa?
From what you have seen of the footage, any thoughts on the aesthetic/character of the image the camera outputs? and how it compares to the punchy-clarity of Epic? or the gobs-of-creamy-goodness of Alexa?
Honestly, i feel like all the cameras are globbing together into one look. The f55 looks more like Alexa i suppose.
krost-audiovisual
Well-known member
hey timur,
concerning menue on the evf-does that mean there'll be no menue on the sdi previews? would be terrible...
concerning menue on the evf-does that mean there'll be no menue on the sdi previews? would be terrible...
There may be. I Would hope so.
lasikdenver
Well-known member
From your blog post Timur:
-The PL mount is interchangeable with other forth coming mounts. Electronic EF mount is on the way.
This is not a Sony mount but rather from 3rd party (Optitek).
Jon
-The PL mount is interchangeable with other forth coming mounts. Electronic EF mount is on the way.
This is not a Sony mount but rather from 3rd party (Optitek).
Jon
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Grug
Veteran
Cheers. I've never heard anyone complain about something looking like Alexa, so I suppose we can count that as a plus.
I've got a few things to add to Timur's wonderful post that I either learned subsequent to our test or that I missed completely with just having the camera for a matter of hours.
The protruding viewfinder connector will actually be at something like 60 degrees in production, so there should not be that same danger of breaking it.
SDI menus out are already enabled.
In that pre-release camera, there is no WFM or Histogram. As I understand it, WFM is in the works but I don't know whether it will make first release.
As we have seen posted on the board, audio levels can be assigned to a button which then can use the jog wheel to adjust input levels.
And this is recent-- at the Abel event. SxS Pro cards can record XAVC 1080 below 60p. SxS Pro+ cards are needed for 60p, 2K, 4K and high frame rate. SxS Pro cards will record SR 220 when it is enabled.
I am somewhat less concerned about what Timur describes as a more plastic parts of construction. The plastic tabs and the latch for the battery plate and the AXS-5 recorder do concern me somewhat. I just don't like plastic tabs. I've broken too many.
I turned off sharpening in the XAVC tests but don't recall if there was a Detail setting. The pick-up footage is a little overly sharp. Is that because it is pre-release or because of setting? I don't know.
When graded in Resove using Resolve's ACES color science, the Raw footage does indeed look Alexa-like. I suspect we can get the XAVC looking really great as well but I don't know whether the clips we shot XAVC are going to be able to show off the camera as it should be.
Our friend Jacek from Optitek has produced an electronic EF mount and remote focus. Search this forum for details. I think Sony in Park Ridge has one, but I have not yet seen it. But PL mount is interchangeable just like the F3. Except it is a far better PL mount.
I have already highlighted some of the mistakes on the iPad video that Timur shot while we were discussing camera. I'm working with Sony to find all my other errors and will most likely just do a VO to correct those.
We appreciate everyone's understanding that we have had the privilege of looking at a pre-release camera and pre-release codecs. While manufacturers do seed pre-release cameras to reviewers and shooters (as we've seen), it is to Sony's credit that we are allowed to discuss what we have seen at this stage of the camera keeping in mind that we really need to withhold judgment until we have actual shipping units. As I've said, firmware tweaks and development will continue practically until shipment day.
Resolve 9.1 reads both XAVC and Raw files. Smoke 2013 reads HD XAVC but not 4K XAVC (I suspect because Smoke 2013 release 1 is reading HD using Panasonic's AVC-Intra 1080 codec). Smoke is one of those products that has promised support, so we will see that in coming weeks.
There will not be FCP 7 XAVC import as far as I know. The XAVC Browser (like XDCAM Browser) will decode the files and probably will be the basis of FCP X import. There will be an AMA Import module. PPro will be via Rovi codec. As of this writing, Resolve 9.1 is the only all-purpose reader for F5/55. That will change shortly so by the time there are acutal production cameras, we will see full support.
The headphone jack is the biggest design flaw. Carlos has already said on this forum that he is working on a solution.
My overall impression is very positive. I am looking forward to shooting with a release unit.
Ned
The protruding viewfinder connector will actually be at something like 60 degrees in production, so there should not be that same danger of breaking it.
SDI menus out are already enabled.
In that pre-release camera, there is no WFM or Histogram. As I understand it, WFM is in the works but I don't know whether it will make first release.
As we have seen posted on the board, audio levels can be assigned to a button which then can use the jog wheel to adjust input levels.
And this is recent-- at the Abel event. SxS Pro cards can record XAVC 1080 below 60p. SxS Pro+ cards are needed for 60p, 2K, 4K and high frame rate. SxS Pro cards will record SR 220 when it is enabled.
I am somewhat less concerned about what Timur describes as a more plastic parts of construction. The plastic tabs and the latch for the battery plate and the AXS-5 recorder do concern me somewhat. I just don't like plastic tabs. I've broken too many.
I turned off sharpening in the XAVC tests but don't recall if there was a Detail setting. The pick-up footage is a little overly sharp. Is that because it is pre-release or because of setting? I don't know.
When graded in Resove using Resolve's ACES color science, the Raw footage does indeed look Alexa-like. I suspect we can get the XAVC looking really great as well but I don't know whether the clips we shot XAVC are going to be able to show off the camera as it should be.
Our friend Jacek from Optitek has produced an electronic EF mount and remote focus. Search this forum for details. I think Sony in Park Ridge has one, but I have not yet seen it. But PL mount is interchangeable just like the F3. Except it is a far better PL mount.
I have already highlighted some of the mistakes on the iPad video that Timur shot while we were discussing camera. I'm working with Sony to find all my other errors and will most likely just do a VO to correct those.
We appreciate everyone's understanding that we have had the privilege of looking at a pre-release camera and pre-release codecs. While manufacturers do seed pre-release cameras to reviewers and shooters (as we've seen), it is to Sony's credit that we are allowed to discuss what we have seen at this stage of the camera keeping in mind that we really need to withhold judgment until we have actual shipping units. As I've said, firmware tweaks and development will continue practically until shipment day.
Resolve 9.1 reads both XAVC and Raw files. Smoke 2013 reads HD XAVC but not 4K XAVC (I suspect because Smoke 2013 release 1 is reading HD using Panasonic's AVC-Intra 1080 codec). Smoke is one of those products that has promised support, so we will see that in coming weeks.
There will not be FCP 7 XAVC import as far as I know. The XAVC Browser (like XDCAM Browser) will decode the files and probably will be the basis of FCP X import. There will be an AMA Import module. PPro will be via Rovi codec. As of this writing, Resolve 9.1 is the only all-purpose reader for F5/55. That will change shortly so by the time there are acutal production cameras, we will see full support.
The headphone jack is the biggest design flaw. Carlos has already said on this forum that he is working on a solution.
My overall impression is very positive. I am looking forward to shooting with a release unit.
Ned
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krost-audiovisual
Well-known member
Hey,
thanx for all the great info!
as my F3 was quite often outside in weather conditions, how would you rate the "weatherness" of the camera? i'm very concerned with the fan openings atop, and that no connector has it's rubber cover (but maybe that's because of the Preprod unit?)
thanx for all the great info!
as my F3 was quite often outside in weather conditions, how would you rate the "weatherness" of the camera? i'm very concerned with the fan openings atop, and that no connector has it's rubber cover (but maybe that's because of the Preprod unit?)
I imagine its weather resistant. If the F3 survived, i figure the F55 will survive better.