This is an almost one hour-long FS7 review by famous cameraman Philip Bloom. The FS7 E-mount is a yet unmatched camera in that price category. Watch the video!
FS7 store links:
Sony PXW-FS7 body only at BHphoto, Adorama and Amazon.
Sony PXW-FS7 with 28-135mm lens at BHphoto.
Sony VCT-FS7 Lightweight Rod Support System for PXW-FS7 at BHphoto.
28-135mm at Amazon, Adorama, BHphoto.
28-135mm powerzoom in Europe at Sony DE, UK, ES, IT, FR, CH, AT, NL, BE, FI, SE, NO, PT.
Sony 128GB XQD Memory Card G Series 400MB/s at Adorama and BHphoto.
Sony 64GB XQD Memory Card G Series 400MB/s at Adorama and BHphoto.
Sony 32GB XQD Memory Card G Series 400MB/s at Adorama and BHphoto.
26 Responses
A great review of a great video camera!
I wonder how difficult it would be for Sony to change the ballistics of the focus controls of the e lenses.
Ballistics? You want to fire the focus controls from a gun?
However, assuming you mean ergonomics, I’m sure they can change it to some extent, but it’s never going to have the positive feel of a focussing ring.
There’s, perhaps, an admission that focus-by-wire doesn’t work well with video in the shape of the FE PZ 28-135mm lens which provides both focus and aperture control rings on the lens. This might be the ideal native-mount lens for the Sony FS7 if it wasn’t for the fact it’s not really wide enough for the cropped sensor.
Perhaps Sony will come out with more video-orientated lenses for the crop sensor, but I rather suspect they will be very few in number due to the market size. Really, I think the future will be in adapted lenses. E-mount is very flexible, and there are plenty more options if you forgo AF (which, for semi-pro work is, maybe, the way to go).
There is no long term company profit for adapted lenses. Not many camera companies can survive with just producing cameras alone. If they don’t sell native lenses along with, then their profit plummets.
Yes we enjoy the ability to adapt any mount. But that was not part of Sony’s plan. In fact, Sony history makes them the king of proprietary only accessories. They certainly didn’t create E-Mount for the customer benefit of adapting lenses. They had no idea, and did not plan for all the 3rd party adapters. Not part of their profit model. Sony only planned for A-Mount adapter model.
And there in lies the root of weakness in the E-Mount system. The one advantage, the one feature that customers really enjoy (lens adaptation), is the exact feature they didn’t plan for… and it will be the exact feature that will be their undoing. Especially after CaNikon answer Sony with a more robust and native mount. Going to be a lot of cheap Sony’s on the used market soon-ish.
Down here Sony is bundling this camera with a free Metabones EOS adaptor.
Sony makes almost no video lenses apart from a few cheap, junky kit lenses that almost no one buys.
Everyone is using this camera with EOS lenses down here. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone use an Alpha Mount lens on one of these camera yet.
It is a nice camera.
The build quality is a bit cheap.
It isn’t very sturdy.
But the camera is very cheap for what you get.
You’re correct, in that I was incorrectly using the word ballistics. I was thinking of meter ballistics, which is the algorithm used for a meters response to an input signal. Digital meters often have the ability to respond with linear, log, or exponential characteristics, and with different timing characteristics.
The same could be applied to digital controls, however generally isn’t. I don’t understand why it isn’t possible, if not already done to have focus by wire work in a calibrated, linear fashion, as a physical control. I think it’s possible through software/firmware.
Ultimately, autofocus — in fact auto anything — is little used in professional video/cinema. The world of scripted production is more focussed on control and repeatability — in twenty years of production I never saw a cameraman use an auto mode.
Granted that is not the case for the wedding video crowd, and I’m now used to seeing television programming where shots drift in/out of focus, or change exposure as they pan passed a window — so the standards of camera work have evolved over time. But that also speaks to the trend towards unscripted or loosely scripted programming. Cinestyle production is more likely to be done fully manual than auto, and so lenses that don’t offer any form of auto focus (and therefore the focus-by-wire manual) are likely to hold sway. Sony may choose to offer one, but there are plenty available that will adapt quite well to the FS7 already.
JMHO
Thanks Philip…
thanks for confirming (at 16:00) that Sony fly-by-wire focusing ABSOLUTELY STINKS for professional use. I concur. And thanks for the quote at 16:45…
“So it’s a real problem with native lenses and I really hope they can find a way to improve that.”
As a stills photographer, I’ve noticed another problem beyond the accelerated fly-wire system. Extremely slow manual focus won’t register or engage the lens at all. The lens simply won’t focus, and that makes fine tuning impossible for critical eye focus required for portraits and fashion. Like you, I’ve tried the FE native lenses. Gave them a fair chance in the pro world. They just can’t perform the way we need them to. Many other pro togs and video guys have complained about it too. Native Sony FE glass is NOT ready for prime time.
Phil, I know you enjoy your Canon and Nikon glass, with adapters… You may also one day consider the same with A-Mount zooms from Zeiss. Not only are they crisp with excellent flare resistance, but they’ll return you to the tactile feel you need, and also provide full compatibility. When AF is required, you can use them with LAEA-4 adapter and get DSLR caliber AF with video, for those rare times.
I hope Sony can stop using game controller philosophies for their fly-wire focus system… and one day provide user override to turn off accelerometer.
Famous camera man?? Oh god how much did this guy paid to be advertised.
Really? I think it an entirely apt description. He is better known than most, and at the forefront of DSLR cinematography. He travels and speaks on his art worldwide. If that doesn’t earn him the privilege of being described as ‘famous’ I’m not sure what would.
He is famous (and now infamous) as a blogger, he is far from being a famous cinematographer.
Ignoring his domestic peccadilloes for the purpose of this discussion … I struggle to understand how he does not qualify as ‘famous’ & ‘cameraman’. To launch him into the category of ‘famous cinematographer’ would be a bridge too far, but no one but you has proposed this.
Don’t embarrass yourself, Skip…
uhh http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2423275/
I watched and enjoyed the video. Mr Bloom correctly points out that E-Mount non-linear focus by wire doesn’t work for video. Is this a hard wired aspect of these lenses, or could a firmware change provide linear focus by wire?
It SHOULD be possible to bring a firmware update – If it´s really coming is questionable. Btw. – As an example: Sigma is delivering their DN lenses (19, 30 and 60mm) also with a focus by wire / fly by wire system – But there the focus travel is LINEAR – At least til an certain point (as the sensor can always loose a step – Especially if you turn the focus-ring really fast ^^).
But I really LOVED to focus with them on Micro 4/3 bodies – Til I concentrated more on vintage glass (and sold them again). So if you have a E-Mount system, just go for the Sigma DN lenses (or vintage glass). Btw.: Also the new Sony 28-135mm powered E-Mount lens seems to come with a linear focus system (I never tried it by myself – Just read about it). But it´s REALLY expensive (and bulky) – So definitely not everyones favorite “always on” lens ^^.
Does he beat his camera operator in the video?
Nice, Maxi. Is Philip Bloom wearing a wifebeater in the video?
Didn’t plan for? haha, it was Sony’s big plan, they tried it on the FS100 and it was a big hit and build on it. Every Sony rep I ever talked to tells me how proud they are of their open lens system and what a clever move it was to design the e-mount. It pushed the FS100 and Fs700 and now the FS7 into the spotlight and made the A7S extremely popular. So yeah nice try with more fake predictions based on nothing but your own personal bad judgement.
Heh… So it was Sony’s plan to create a camera that encouraged users to purchase other lenses besides their own?
Or… it was Sony’s plan to create a camera that encouraged users to keep their old lenses?
LOL… Where are all the smart Sony adapters for Canon/Nikon lenses? Where is the Sony made LFEA-4 adapter for Nikon AF?
Reality check… if it was truly an “open lens system” then third party players wouldn’t have to reverse engineer the protocols for limited compatibility. Happy accident for consumers no doubt. But name one other Sony invention that encouraged openness rather than proprietary. Where is your precedent?
Heh… Was it Sony’s plan that Canon users keep their existing lenses, and dump their toy Sony’s after Canon answers the mirrorless EVF market with better compatibility and pro grade functionality?
Good plan…. Hmmmm… Bunch of short sighted Einstein’s over there.
Lens manufacturers don’t have to reverse engineer anything for E/FE mount. Sony provides the details to vetted licensees: http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/201102/11-018E/
And here’s another Sony invention that is open. Their camera remote API: https://developer.sony.com/2013/11/29/how-to-develop-an-app-using-the-camera-remote-api-2/
Not a bad review, accurate and useful info as usual. Could have done without all the glory shots though.
In the pro video and cine video it has long been the case that users could choose lenses from other manufacturers. Sony has a long history of letting cinematographers match their favourite lens to a Sony body. So all they’ve really done is move their pro standards down to the lower dollar models.
Friend, Emount doesn’t have a long history. The long history you speak of is based on Sony accepting Arri PL standards. There is NOTHING Sony about that, except recognizing they must accept someone else’s standards in order to play in that high profit game.
So what are “their pro standards” that you speak of? They certainly didn’t move PL to any Alpha body.
Even Sony Cine lenses are native PL… Shown here:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/906631-REG/sony_scl_pk6_f_cinealta_4k_six_lens.html
You need an adapter to put these pro standard lenses onto Emount. Sony didn’t move anything to lower dollar models except a cheap flimsy lens mount… the only lens mount in history that needed a 3rd party to create a “Tough Emount” conversion kit because so many pros were complaining about the Sony original. And now that same mount is trying to play pro. I find that kind of funny.
Does it have a Professional mode?
Betacam buddy. Long history. Dominant even. Fact check.