Which to ditch? - my EX rig - or my 5dmk2 setup? Please Help

T

thomsa

New member
Hi all.
I need some sage advice from someone with more experience than I...please...

I have an EX3 rig and a 5D rig. Pretty standard setups. Documentaries. Faraway Locations. Very Run and Gun. Both rigs are great in their own ways.
However the 5d is a frequent pain in the rear as EVERY shoot I miss some shots through follow/focussing errors, (Shallow DOF), Monitoring issues, External Sound Recorder Issues (Zoom etc), or the card maxxing out at some stage.

The EX3 is superb - except that the shots with the (admittedly excellent) stock lens, don't always have the cinematic feel we all lust after.
The biggest EX3 issue is actually its form factor. I need a camera that travels real easy. Is compact, and self-contained.
The EX3 oversized viewfinder is delicate, protrudes a lot, and easily broken in the places I work. Also a bit too large for my needs.

An F3 would be an obvious upgrade choice, but with the weight+price+no servo, its off the menu.
The 101/100 from Panasonic looks useful- but I prefer the compact FS100 with its great sensor I think...

It would (i think...) be a good option and allow me to:

1. Avoid having to hire a focus puller and sound recordist for smaller gigs (ie use onboard sound or via a mixer)
2. reduce my travelling rig size/wight (carryon if possible)
3. Use my Canon L lenses (when necessary adaptors arrive) for cinematic shots
4. most crucially NEVER lose a shot for focus reasons (ie some servo/AF/zoom options) using the average-but-reliable stock lens

I'd keep my 5d as a B-Cam if i trade in my EX3 i think - what do you think?

(Thanks for your help)
Thomsa
 
Sounds like you really want and need the F3. You've discovered the limits of the DSLR cameras. I make my living with my EX1 (corporate & industrial videos) and it's perfect for that. And then I can use it to make some very nice movies too. Love the versatility of the camera versus the price point. If you're only doing movies, then you might consider moving up.
 
you'll miss that awkward viewfinder before long. if only they'd have put that on the f3....
 
fs100 sounds like ur camera

also i always chuckle at people complaining about focus issues with large sensors...uhm, stop down?!
 
jambredz said:
fs100 sounds like ur camera

also i always chuckle at people complaining about focus issues with large sensors...uhm, stop down?!
Click to expand...

I thought about suggesting the same thing, except that he'd have the same problem with out of focus shots.

What the manufactures need to invent is a camera with both a small sensor (for wide depth of field) so you can easily follow live action stuff and then a large sensor for when you want that cinematic look. Maybe they could use a large sensor and then just move it away from the lens somehow? (I obviously don't know what I'm talking about....but you get the point)
 
I have both the EX1 and F3. I haven't tried the FS100 or AF100. It turned out that the peaking function of the F3 is much better than the 'ex1. It hasn't been difficult to stay in focus. The F3 is bigger and heavier, but not by much. The Lenses may add to that depending on what you'[re using. A 50mm f1.4 lens and it won't be bigger or heavier.

For me the lack of ND filters, HD-SDI, etc were finally deal breakers on the FS100. For the af100 it was the highlight rolloff and resolution.

From using my DSLRs though any of them are an improvement, just in differrent ways.
 
Hey all,

Thanks for your feedback. Stopping down aint an easy option for me as I need as much light as possible - I shoot available light only, frequently with African subjects, in sub saharan Africa...maybe at similar latitudes to Kingston in fact :) I often use a 1967 1.2 Nikkor 55mm lens on my 5D typically with screw on NDs as needed...its difficult (for me at least). I dont have an option for Follow focus.
I had forgot about the lack of ND on the FS100 - it is a pain...

hmmm F3 is such a large expense - it would cost me 20,000 euros - too much - at home (europe) but in ABel Cine i could pick it up for 9000...tough decision. Also (MBP) and other users report the F3 viewfinder is very poor outdoors...decisions decisions....

thanks again for your feedback,
T
 
I thought that was supposed to be the idea with one of the RED "scarlet" interchangeable mount versions- where you could shoot Super35 when you wanted "cinema" or just flip a switch to a crop mode and only shoot with 1/2 or 2/3" out of the center of the chip...then just swap the mount from PL to B4 and you are good to go.
 
Dump the 5D. The EX1 & 3 are by far better all around cameras. If you want to double the budget, then the F3... surpasses anything Panasonic has.
 
thomsa said:
Hi all.

1. Avoid having to hire a focus puller and sound recordist for smaller gigs (ie use onboard sound or via a mixer)
2. reduce my travelling rig size/wight (carryon if possible)
3. Use my Canon L lenses (when necessary adaptors arrive) for cinematic shots
4. most crucially NEVER lose a shot for focus reasons (ie some servo/AF/zoom options) using the average-but-reliable stock lens

I'd keep my 5d as a B-Cam if i trade in my EX3 i think - what do you think?

(Thanks for your help)
Thomsa
Click to expand...

It seems to me that you're looking for a non-interchangeable lens camera....something like the EX1r or the about-to-be-release Panasonic AC130/160 sound like the best options.

You're asking to use Canon glass but currently there's no adapter (that I know of) which does auto focus with that glass. Also, the zoom range on the ac130/160 is unreal -- great for wildlife.
 
I own: PMW-EX1, PMW-EX3, and a PMW-F3. Previously owned a Canon 7D (sold it).

Couple points about the F3:
*It actually does have a servo rocker control, and in 2012 will have an 18-252 or so T3.8 lens that is servo controlled, and I beleive with IS. The lens is likely to cost nearly as much as the body... but for run and gun doc work, could be very good.
*If you need to shoot available light only and want a large sensor camera, the F3 is pretty much best in class. It's low light is stunning, bordering on unbelievable. And that also means you can stop down in situations where other cameras can't afford to stop down.
*It shares media and codecs with your EX3, and even Nikon glass if you like, with an adapter. They work well together.

It'll cost, but it's a damn good camera.
 
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