My new video camera 'meccano set' - FS7
Discussion
Thought I'd pop my new bread earner up here as a comment on the state of pro video cameras and in case I can help anyone choosing a video camera ever or give any video shooting tips.

Basically these days you have to buy a lot of extra bits to make these 'cinematic' cameras vaguely ergonomic and workable - all the meccano bits with red knobs cost an extra £1k - just to up the ergonomics/practicality!

Where this camera scores is in the image quality - its has 15 stops of exposure latitude and can do 180fps true slo mo in full 4k (although your 64Gb memory card will last only a few minutes then)! This for the cost rivals cameras costing £40k a few years ago for a quarter of the price so its good to see Moores Law in action!

Basically these days you have to buy a lot of extra bits to make these 'cinematic' cameras vaguely ergonomic and workable - all the meccano bits with red knobs cost an extra £1k - just to up the ergonomics/practicality!

Where this camera scores is in the image quality - its has 15 stops of exposure latitude and can do 180fps true slo mo in full 4k (although your 64Gb memory card will last only a few minutes then)! This for the cost rivals cameras costing £40k a few years ago for a quarter of the price so its good to see Moores Law in action!
KrazyIvan said:
Holy crap that looks expensive.
I am guessing YouTube doesn't do this cameras image quality justice.
I think you can upload UHD (the TV flavour of 4k - which is 3840×2160) to YouTube. It will be very compressed down and you'll need a 4k monitor and capable graphics card too. To be honest for me, initially, if I shoot in 4k it will be about being able to loslessly zoom in to the image and get different shots out of it or to give creative options in post production but still deliver in 1920x1080 HD.I am guessing YouTube doesn't do this cameras image quality justice.
TheRainMaker said:
Epic camera, all you will ever need, well for the next few years anyway.
What sort of work do you do if you don't mind me asking.
I really think it will last a good few years this one! Do all sorts of jobs really - Restoration Man is a favourite. Biggest project now is learning this new fangled camera page by page with the manual and then recording the new exhaust on my motor once I work out what button to press What sort of work do you do if you don't mind me asking.

TheRainMaker said:
Oh, on a side note, let us know how you get on with that lens 
I almost cried when I first tried it - but it wasn't a shock.... The rings aren't physically connected to the glass or iris
. It is good glass though - if you like wading through mud!1920x1080 centre crop is coming any day so may be able to put a proper lens on it then...
Congrats on the purchase!
We have 3 of these now at work, as our primary cameras. We didn't get the kit lens though - 28mm on the wide end, on an S35 sized sensor, just doesn't feel wide enough for me, for run and gun doc work.
We tend to use a canon 24-105 with a speed booster, with a 70-200, for low end doc work, Pl primes for stuff in our studio, and hire anything special for anything else. We just did a TV pilot doc that featured a lot of dogs, so we hired in a fujinon 19-90. Amazing lens - real hybrid of broadcast style zoom and cine zooms. Gave us the look of primes, but the flexibility of a zoom.
What kind of work do you tend to do?
We have 3 of these now at work, as our primary cameras. We didn't get the kit lens though - 28mm on the wide end, on an S35 sized sensor, just doesn't feel wide enough for me, for run and gun doc work.
We tend to use a canon 24-105 with a speed booster, with a 70-200, for low end doc work, Pl primes for stuff in our studio, and hire anything special for anything else. We just did a TV pilot doc that featured a lot of dogs, so we hired in a fujinon 19-90. Amazing lens - real hybrid of broadcast style zoom and cine zooms. Gave us the look of primes, but the flexibility of a zoom.
What kind of work do you tend to do?
Thanks Peter! I kept waiting for the better and affordable kit lens to appear but realised that the physics on a 4k S35 sensor made that a pipe dream - those ('easily invoicable...
) £25k+ Cabrio lenses will have to wait http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/fujinon_19-90-c...
I had to have the kit lens as its parfocal and has a (form of
) servo zoom. Just cant be checking focus on some jobs every single time i change focal length (for 'change' read 'crash zoom'). That Canon 24-105 caught me out once when working fully open... It seemed parfocal...but of course isnt - like most of 'em stills lenses. Also very wary of iris flicker nonsense and other lens control issues through a Metabones Speedbooster. So I bought a stabilised std E mount Sony 16-70 for my shoulder mount wide. Its disgracefully puny!
Do a good mix of work from primetime TV as mentioned above through to bread an butter corporate and edit on Avid a lot - love the self shoot/direct/edit gigs (just did one for Nissan). In fact, looking at your profile, you beat me to a gig recently, so its a small world
That'll intrigue you 
) £25k+ Cabrio lenses will have to wait http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/fujinon_19-90-c...I had to have the kit lens as its parfocal and has a (form of
) servo zoom. Just cant be checking focus on some jobs every single time i change focal length (for 'change' read 'crash zoom'). That Canon 24-105 caught me out once when working fully open... It seemed parfocal...but of course isnt - like most of 'em stills lenses. Also very wary of iris flicker nonsense and other lens control issues through a Metabones Speedbooster. So I bought a stabilised std E mount Sony 16-70 for my shoulder mount wide. Its disgracefully puny!Do a good mix of work from primetime TV as mentioned above through to bread an butter corporate and edit on Avid a lot - love the self shoot/direct/edit gigs (just did one for Nissan). In fact, looking at your profile, you beat me to a gig recently, so its a small world
That'll intrigue you 
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