F3: What all should I be looking into getting if I upgrade from a DSLR?

R

ReelFilmGeek

Well-known member
So I recently got an offer for an affordable F3 and was thinking about jumping on the deal. I was originally looking at the C100 because of the ease of use with built in ND's and Audio compared to my Nikon D750 for documentary work that I mostly do when I do video work (still love my D750 for the large portion of my work which is photo related). So I got offered a F3 without the mic for a little less than half the price of a new C100 Mk I, but what all do I need to look out for and what will I need to make the F3 work? Hows the internal codec hold up compared to DSLRs and the c100 when I am not using an external recorder? How is the cameras sharpness as a few reviews of hte F3 I saw it was hit or miss but that may of been operator error. Also My current tripod set up is the Manfrotto 535 Legs and 502HD head. MY legs should be fine but what about my tripod head? Any thing else I should know?
 
F3 codec will hold up much better than a DSLR and sharpness is excellent - can't imagine where you heard that was poor. You can still do plenty of correction with the 8 bit codec. It is a huge step above a DSLR and extremely quiet in low light. My friends who owned C300 and F3 all thought that F3 took better pictures though the C300 was easier to handhold. You can buy a decent on camera mic for $200. Biggest issue is that the EVF is not very good for exterior work. Better than a DSLR since they don't have any though. I would consider getting a 3rd party EVF if you plan to do a lot of exteriors. Aside from that the camera is hands down the best deal out there these days as it takes marvelous pictures. Don't know anything about the Manfrotto.
 
I dont know the F3, but i have seen competitive business shoot 4:4:4 on it with external recorders. I guess the Convergent Design Gemini recorder. You could probably buy that really cheap too, and get amazing recordings?

The F3 footage from that combination is amazing, as seen in final deliveries. A workhorse, i take it.
 
The Sony F3 is a great camera, now available at incredibly low prices. Even it's internal codec, while terrible on paper, tends to hold up quite well in real world operation. Not to mention, external recorders are smaller and cheaper every year.

SxS cards are available cheaper used now, but if not, SDHC Class 10 cards are cheap and work great with a cheap adapter.

Major warning for Canon lens users: There's not cheap and good integration for EF lenses. There are quality adapters, but they can cost upwards of $2k. If your lens bag is full of Canon glass, you may be better off with the C100 or even an FS100. For Nikon or Canon FD, no such worries.
 
Viddovation said:
The Sony F3 is a great camera, now available at incredibly low prices. Even it's internal codec, while terrible on paper, tends to hold up quite well in real world operation. Not to mention, external recorders are smaller and cheaper every year.

SxS cards are available cheaper used now, but if not, SDHC Class 10 cards are cheap and work great with a cheap adapter.

Major warning for Canon lens users: There's not cheap and good integration for EF lenses. There are quality adapters, but they can cost upwards of $2k. If your lens bag is full of Canon glass, you may be better off with the C100 or even an FS100. For Nikon or Canon FD, no such worries.
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Lenses seemed to be one of the biggest issue but I already work with shooting on Nikon and all my lenses are the older Nikon Lenses with aperture rings so I should be fine there. If the regular codec still holds up fine for those times where I am shooting and dont need 10 bit or storage space is an issue I think I might pull the trigger. Now to just look into how much I will have to invest in batteries and such. Also a shame it seems like I will not be bale to get the Technica Armor for the camera unless I am willing to pay more than I am paying for the camera.
 
internal codec is fine unless shooting Slog or green screen and even simple screen you can get away with.
 
I have a friend who is selling his entire F3 package for $4500. Includes a couple of SxS cards (not sure of the size), 3 batteries, dual charger, PXU-MS240 XDCAM Mobile Storage Unit with 2 drives, steel handle, cases, baseplate for 15mm and 19mm rods, etc. PM me if you are interested and I'll put you in touch. I'll even throw in one of my F3 training DVDs just to sweeten the pot. :-) http://www.vortexmedia.com/DVD_F3.html
 
I'd just keep in mind that a brand new Sony PMW-F3L/RGB (Yes, with that S-Log/RGB key installed) can be had from B&H for $3995 flat, with warranty. Which means there are plenty of used bundles with kit available for far less. Bundles with SxS or other Sony media shouldn't be overvalued since high capacity SDHC cards now fill the same functions. Of course, the condition and quality of used bundles varies greatly.
 
Its the cost per month minus any rental that counts.

My FS100 lasted about four years and sold with an 85% mark down - very good considering the new price

My 7d lasted two months and sold with a 25% mark down - bad

My PMWF3 I lost $3k in 6 months - pretty bad - in fact probably the worst hit Ive had as most of my jobs in that period shot on the FS100 anyway - the previous owner got three years from it with 75% depreciation - he did better than me!

S
 
Unfortunately Im pretty sure I didn't get my money back on the 400.. bought too late.. and then had to buy a digibeta.. which was a gold mine.. and used it for 15 years .. although still around the $60,000 mark.. a good investment ..
 
Yeah, my Ikegami HL59 was a cash cow for about 9 years, and the used HL43 I picked up as b-camera in the summer of 2001 was completely paid for a couple months later after two weeks of 9/11 live shots in NYC. From that point on it was all gravy. We'll never see cameras with that kind of ROI ever again.
 
Another thing I realized is that the LUTs on the camera are only with the RGB 444 upgarde it seems. If the camera I buy used does not have the upgrade how do I get it and how much would that cost, and is it worth the price.
 
I would get the f3 and shoot with it barebones if necessary. You can hold it against your chest and use the lcd for handhold and get a tripod that can take 5-10kg. For IQ and upgradeability, the F3 wins. But if size and weight are top priorities, then the c100 might be better. I only buy stuff for thef3 that I can use with other cameras later, like a good monitor, tripod and viewfinder.
 
Also can I manual upgrade the F3 and get the sLog update? The one I was looking at currently has firmware v1.31 and no sLog
 
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