We're under attack!!!!! Sony NEX-7, A77, A65, NEX5N

I apologize for the anger and yes, I am just venting but this is seriously upsetting. All I want is a Super 35 sensor, 1080p 24p/60p video, good low light, decent AVCHD codec, improved rolling shutter, aliasing, moire, clean HDMI out for a price somewhere south of $1200..

sorry dont mean to derail the thread, it just seems if you can get over your m43 sensor size phobia, the gh2 will give you pretty much what you want, Its only a 1.18 crop difference from aps-c
 
I apologize for the anger and yes, I am just venting but this is seriously upsetting. All I want is a Super 35 sensor, 1080p 24p/60p video, good low light, decent AVCHD codec, improved rolling shutter, aliasing, moire, clean HDMI out for a price somewhere south of $1200. Is that asking too much. I have wanted that since 2009 and not a single company has offered that. Every time, someone gets close and then they mess it up somehow. Panasonic got close but messed up with a sensor that makes it almost impossible to use wide angle lenses. Nikon finally improves on the D90 but leaves out 60p and cripples the video mode with functionality restrictions. Canon builds some decent video DSLR's but then sit on their butts and do nothing. Samsung makes a good mirrorless cam but leaves out 24p. The Sony NEX camera has almost everything I am looking for at a price that is almost half of what I am willing to pay but it is defective out of the box and a fix is unlikely considering the fact that it is a hardware issue. The new Sony DSLR's have great video specs but they forget to mention the video crop which practically turns a APS-C sensor into a M4/3 sensor.

Sorry for the rant but I just wish for once a camera company other than Red or Arri would actually pay attention to the things that customers want instead of cramming their products full of crap like sweep panorama, GPS, touchscreen and orientation sensors which render audio useless. Not bashing Nikon but they seriously missed the boat with that microscopic sensor.

Indeed....most of us have been on the same ride and have the same frustrations. We all certainly feel your pain. See you around for sure! I hope we all get to shoot 10bit, footy on 1K cameras soon enough!!! :) Take care!
 
I'm RIGHT THERE (very close to pulling the trigger on that one too...) GH2 is looking pretty wicked these days for sure!! The 5N has the "pocketable" factor that is important to me though....and it's a bit cheaper too. But....mad love for the GH2 for sure!!!
 
I haven't actually heard the clicking yet but I've only played with it for a couple of hours. It's possible that the problem might occur with a particular function turned on. I've been recording sound professionally for 20 years and I discovered the audio record bug in the 5D 2.0.3 firmware. I'll have another play with it today and see what I can come up with.
 
Just be careful, some people on DPreview commented that their external mics picked up the clicking.

Are they referring to an external mic like a shotgun or a lav, or they talking about the external mic that you can plug into the NEX5N?
 
This footy IS NOT the NEX5N....it is the NEX5 with a c-mount lens. I'm not sure if I can make it 'til tomorrow!!! I'm pretty sure I will be driving to a store that has this cam in stock...and I will be confessing my sins there. :evil:

Here's a look at a c-mount lens on the NEX5. Very interesting indeed!

 
Heh....nice parallel! Seems like that worked out just fine, right? (WICKED photo cam, right?)

There is always something! I just remembered the MUD in the GH1! That help came from the outside! The D7000 is excellent as a stills camera. The video is cool too.
 
Heh....nice parallel! Seems like that worked out just fine, right? (WICKED photo cam, right?)

Also reminds me of the early Panasonic GH1's which had these nasty vertical banding lines. The thing is, only some of the GH1's had them and they solved the problem pretty quickly. The NEX problem is a major design flaw and it seems to affect EVERY NEX 5n. Sony has some explaining to do. I really hope they address this soon because I am dying to put my vintage Nikon and Canon glass to good use.
 
Are they referring to an external mic like a shotgun or a lav, or they talking about the external mic that you can plug into the NEX5N?

It may be the optional sony mic which attaches to the top port. Still, Philip bloom said he could hear it when his ear was close to the body and engadget said they could hear it when the camera was arms length away so you would probably need to keep the recorder and mic a fair distance away to avoid the problem. In reality, this is probably not a huge deal for narrative filmmakers since sound would be recorded separately on an external recorder but if you were to mount the recorder onto a rig with the camera, you may get a faint click. If people could test this and determine how loud the camera is to the human ear, we may know how to solve the problem in the event that Sony does nothing. Are there going to be NEX 5N sound blimps? That would be hilarious.
 
I'm actually going to pick up my NEX5N tomorrow at Best Buy (I have in-store credit). Good luck Nikon, I wish you the best of luck with this camera line.
 
Last edited:
Has anyone actually called Sony Customer service to inquire about this issue? Their silence on the matter is killing me. I mean how long does it take to figure out what the problem is? Users already have a pretty good idea that it is the orientation sensor and that is without even taking the camera apart. Come on Sony, at least tell us that there will be some fix to assure customers that they will not be stuck with defective products should they choose to keep their cameras. There is nothing worse than when a company keeps you in the dark.
 
OK I checked out the clicking. It's not digital it's definitely mechanical. Something near the sensor is floating around making a faint rattling sound. The thing is if you're handling the camera how a cinematographer normally would you won't hear it. If you're operating the camera like a maniac you will hear it but a boom won't pick it up. On anything but a whip pan it's fine. On even a mild tilt it does rattle a bit but as I said a boom wouldn't pick it up. For your average joe six pack this might be a problem. For serous filmmakers it's not a drama. It's like a built in rolling shutter alarm. I'll put it on my blackbird and see what happens but when I shoot outdoors I can't even hear it.
 
OK I checked out the clicking. It's not digital it's definitely mechanical. Something near the sensor is floating around making a faint rattling sound. The thing is if you're handling the camera how a cinematographer normally would you won't hear it. If you're operating the camera like a maniac you will hear it but a boom won't pick it up. On anything but a whip pan it's fine. On even a mild tilt it does rattle a bit but as I said a boom wouldn't pick it up. For your average joe six pack this might be a problem. For serous filmmakers it's not a drama. It's like a built in rolling shutter alarm. I'll put it on my blackbird and see what happens but when I shoot outdoors I can't even hear it.

Thanks for the test. How about mounting the camera on a shoulder rig? Would normal hand-held footage (a little shaky but controlled) produce the click? Holding the camera in your hands is going to make it very shaky so I imagine that mounting it on some kind of shoulder stabilizer would allow you to get that documentary look without driving the orientation sensor crazy. Thanks again for looking into it.
 
I had it on a shoulder rig outdoors, I'll have a listen to the recorded audio. But even if it is picked up by the internal mic it's not really a big issue. Sony should just reprint the manuals and call it the "Rolling shutter alarm". It might train some people to handle the camera correctly. You can't just run around with these things handheld having an epileptic fit and expect it to look like a Frankie Coppola film.

I spent more money today on a c-stand, some gels, and a blimp than I did on the NEX-5N. A blimp and a decent shotgun mic costs as much as this camera! A good pre-amp costs about the same! As does a field recorder! This thing is incredibly cheap for the images it can produce. My reasonably pro field recording kit cost me about $2000. Good sound is not cheap. Don't expect anything like good sound recording on a $600 camera.

The only real issue for me so far is the 60p is overly compressed but I'm hoping for a hack.
 
Last edited:
I am the proud owner of a NEX5N folks!!!! WAAAHHHOOOOO!!!!!!! It's at home quietly sitting in a box, preparing for the onslaught of shooting that will take place this weekend!!!! I can't freaking wait!!! Cheers Peeps!!!
 
Back
Top