[jeffshaddix]

Like the sensor, if it has IBIS, it will do quite well.

[osv]

I wouldn't assume that this new camera will have the same form factor as the A7 - remember everything is just a rumour at this stage. After all the VG900 looked nothing like the NEX cameras.

I don't think the traditional "camcorder" form factor is perfect either - that evolved from the necessity of housing a video tape transport.

was that some kind of an art installation or something? wild!

i could have easily shot that with my a7r, but would i want to use the a7r for paid video event gigs? absolutely not, even after spending extra $$$ for support brackets and a real video lens, if such an animal even exists.

Hand-held camera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

sony created that vg900 because they know what their professional video market wants.

i think that you could be right about it possibly being an entirely new form factor... why not just make it a camcorder shape to begin with? i think that it would alienate the small still camera crowd, but???

[jogiba]

Tiny form factor to shoot with discretely. All A7R stuff was shot like this with no rig. This is “lens whacking” on the NY subway


Using the Atomos Ninja to test out the clean output recording

The Sony mirrorless camera review….within a review…within a review… | Philip Bloom

[Christine Tham]

was that some kind of an art installation or something? wild!

i could have easily shot that with my a7r, but would i want to use the a7r for paid video event gigs?

Yeah - it was a weird installation. I mainly shot to test the focus tracking abilities of the A7r - I must say it performed way above my expectations, given that it was shooting at f1.8.

Would I use the a7r for a professional engagement? Well, it's been years since I've actually shot video in a "professional" capacity (wedding), but even compared to the gear I was using back then, the a7r lacks some of the features I was using - like XLR support, but surprisingly it has a lot of what I would look for (zebra highlights, manual audio levelling). I even bought a stereo XY mic that I can attach to the hotshoe.

So yeah, in a pinch I think I would use it, although I would prefer something a little more upmarket in terms of features. The VG900 wasn't "professional" either - it was decidedly in the prosumer category in terms of features.

I don't think the new camera will be aimed at professionals, but it will be interesting to see what sort of prosumer features Sony would pump into this rumoured camera. I am thinking probably no XLR support still, but who knows? If it can record uncompressed audio, it would be a killer camera for concerts. As it is I used to carry a portable hires audio recorder with me, so I guess it's not a complete deal breaker but everything in one package would be nice.

---

Last edited by Christine Tham; 04-04-2014 at 04:06 PM.

[osv]

i have the fastest dsl that att offers, but vimeo never streams well here.

what little i saw of it was weak in spots... for instance, that makeup shot, where he panned over from the mirror, and never recovered focus after the camera landed on the actual person, instead of the mirror.

probably trying to set critical focus with the camera lcd, which is never a good idea.

---------- Post added 04-04-2014 at 04:11 PM ----------

Yeah - it was a weird installation. I mainly shot to test the focus tracking abilities of the A7r - I must say it performed way above my expectations, given that it was shooting at f1.8.

continuous autofocus mode? it definitely looked good.

you kept it pretty level also, which can be extremely difficult... i think that operator technique made the biggest difference by far.

nice work.

[Christine Tham]

the a7r lacks some of the features I was using - like XLR support

Just realised after I posted that there is in fact an XLR adaptor that should work on the a7r:
XLR-K1M : Others : A-mount Accessories : Sony Australia

[osv]

it even has phantom power, pretty sweet! looks pricey tho :-0

i like your idea of the portable recorder, just feed the output to the a7r, sync it up later in post

[jogiba]

The Sony XLR-K1M Adapter and Microphone Kit connects to the Sony Multi-Interface Shoe on the A7/A7r.
Sony XLR-K1M Adapter and Microphone Kit XLR-K1M B&H Photo Video

[Christine Tham]

continuous autofocus mode? it definitely looked good.

you kept it pretty level also, which can be extremely difficult... i think that operator technique made the biggest difference by far.

nice work.

Thanks.

Yes, the skill of the operator makes the most difference when shooting video, more so than camera features. I am not great, in fact really rusty since it's been years since I shot video, but I remembered a few things. One of the things I did was to look ahead and prime where the camera should be rather than what the camera is currently shooting.

[jogiba]

I’ve just had some information from a source that may be of interest to those awaiting Sony’s NAB announcement.

As we know from previous rumours the Sony A7S will feature a 12MP sensor. This is very good news for video.

My source says this will be 4230 x 2820 for stills. The cinema DCI format of 4K as seen in the GH4 is 4096 x 2160 which would mean only a very small crop of the sensor.

However according to the source the A7S features the same codec as the AX100, XAVC-S, which is Sony’s de facto consumer 4K standard. This consumer codec only supports 4K at Ultra HD resolutions in 16:9, which means a slightly larger crop of 3840 x 2160 (around 8MP).

That amounts to a 1.1x crop over full frame in terms of how wide your lenses are… The same crop as Speed Booster on APS-C (E-mount). Still very little difference so we really are going to get real full frame VistaVision 4K out of this beast.

I also did some research on XAVC-S. It records in MP4 format but perhaps rather disturbingly it has a much lower bitrate than the GH4′s 4K codec. It is just 60Mbit/s vs 100Mbit/s on the GH4 in Ultra HD.

I have not yet graded any footage from the Sony AX100 but it will be interesting to see how XAVC-S stands up at that bitrate. It is a very modern codec and bitrate isn’t everything.

Full frame Sony A7S ‘with 1.1x sensor crop in 4K mode and XAVC-S codec’ | EOSHD.com

[kenyee]

Is the Sony codec any good?
In all their prior efforts, the codecs weren't very good and the GH3 stilll did better...

[jogiba]

Is the Sony codec any good?
In all their prior efforts, the codecs weren't very good and the GH3 stilll did better...

Here is the specs :


Here is a video taken with the 4K Sony AX100 with that codec :

You Tube

You Tube

[jogiba]

I am still not 100% sure about it but tomorrow (Sunday 6) there is a fair chance Sony will unveil new FE lenses too! Last weeks Mark Weir from Sony US said we won’t have long to wait to see the new lenses. And he also said fast aperture lenses are in the works too.

Today a French SAR reader (Merci Max!) pointed me out to a new Sony interview posted at Lesnumeriques (google translation here). Here Sony FE lens designer Naoki Miyagawa said he would like to build an e-mount 85mm f1.4 (or even f1.2) if he had time (given by Sony) to do so. And I don’t know why but my instinct says he already designed the lens and that it’s ready for the market

Reminder: The Sony A7s will be unveiled live at 2pm in Las Vegas (on Sunday). You can follow the live video stream on SAR!!! This is the time in other time zones:
- 5pm New York time on Sunday April 6
- 3am (22:00) London time on Sunday April 6
- 11pm (23:00) Berlin time on Sunday April 6
- 6am (06:00) Tokyo time on Monday April 7

Sony FE lens designer hints the the chance to see a 85mm fast FE prime soon. | sonyalpharumors

[jogiba]

We are almost there! At 2pm Las Vegas time (10 pm in London and 11pm in Berlin) Sony will announce the new A7s E-mount Full Frame 4K camera with 12 megapixel and XAVCs recording. And if we are “lucky” we are going to see an updated FE lens roadmap too.

A7s rumor recap:
Over a month ago I started to get rumors about a 4K capable photo camera. As I have been told back at that time the camera wasn’t ready yet. So I assume the A7s will not come to market immediately and its main goal is to take away the spotlight from the currently only competitor in this class, the Panasonic GH4 (here at Amazon). The good news on the A7s is that while Sony focused on delivering a great 4K quality the positive side effect for photographer is that after a very long time we will get a new camera with low Megapixel count. A unique chance to grab a camera that has top clean High ISO, speedy processing and probably delivers enough resolution for most of our daily use. I just hope the price will be around the same of the Panasonic GH4 ($1,700). Very important to know: The A7s is not the new A9 high end camera. The A9 is still scheduled for a late Summer release!

The surprise:
Sony could announce an updated FE lens roadmap. A couple of weeks ago mark Weir from Sony said new FE lenses would be announced soon. And he said fast primes are int he work too. Yesterday Sony FE lens designer said they would like to make a 85mm f/1.4 or f/1.2 lens. So let’s cross the fingers for that guys!

Again, be sure to be online here on SAR to follow the event live at 2pm Las Vegas time (10 pm in London and 11pm in Berlin).

Sony A7s live stream soon on SAR! And A7s rumor recap. | sonyalpharumors

The A9 might be the 54mp camera that was rumored in February.

Japanese magazine Sony roadmap is just speculation/rumors. | sonyalpharumors

[kenyee]

Here is a video taken with the 4K Sony AX100 with that codec

Nice and sharp resized down to 1080p...4K would work great w/ Warp Stabilizer too

I'd be surprised if Sony's A7s is only 12MP though...average consumer wants more MP nowadays