I am looking for a decent servo zoom lens for the FS700. Sony keeps saying that they will be coming out with one since the end of October 2012. They seem to be dragging their feet. Has anyone out there had any luck with a servo zoom lens for the FS700 that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Hi I am waiting for one myself. I am aquireing quite an arsnell of fairly priced lenses for differant applications but like you and probably a lot more people we are waiting for a decent motorised zoom lens will keep fingers crossed its not to long in comeing. Thanks Wilf.

The power zoom lens (SELP18200) that comes with the NEX-EA50UH (and the consumer NEX-VG30H) will work on the FS700 & FS100. However, all zoom operations must be done from the controls on the lens itself. The zoom rocker on the FS700 will not control this lens without a firmware update. Same with the FS100 along with the availablity of a suitable zoom rocker/handle assembly. This was a result of me testing the lens on my FS700 & FS100 after I took delivery of the EA50UH. The servo motor is not absolutely quiet; nor is it noisy. I can hear it if I put my ear next to the lens. I have yet to test if the mic on either FS' will pick it up.

afaik, the power zoom lens is not yet available for purchase by itself.

btw, on the EA50UH, the zoom rocker on the handle will control the power zoom (11x) OR digital zoom (2x). Not both at the same time.

Jr. Pascual
49 Productions

Thanks for the information. I took a EA50UH out for a spin last Friday. The servo zoom on it is not internal focus and only opens to a 3.5 and ONLY when you are zoomed out to 200mm. A couple of things I liked about that camera was the ability to do about a 10mm digital zoom with a prime lens on it! I put on a 35mm and a 50mm prime and got some amazing dof, plus the ability to zoom in some. I think the servo zoom on the EA50UH is garbage. Still waiting for Sony to come out with a better, faster servo zoom for the FS700 in February.

There is an E-Mount 16-50 coming soon that apparently has zoom servo.

The servo on the SELP18200 won't work correctly with the FS700 until it gets a firmware update. This update should come soon. The lens is f3.5 at the wide, 18mm end and f6.3 at the long 200mm end. It's not the best lens in the world, but it is useful. The zoom speed is quite slow and there can be some small focus shifts as you zoom (there is no back focus adjustment so 100% accurate zoom tracking is impossible). However it's the only lens anywhere near this price range that offers a decent zoom range. Consider that the Fujinon Cabrio 19-90mm PL mount zoom costs about $45k.

Engadget claims the SELP18200 will be available to purchase in March for $1200.
Sony grows E-mount lens collection with 20mm pancake, 18-200mm power zoom (http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/22/sony-20mm-18-200mm-e-mount-lenses/)

The SELP18200 is up for pre-order on B&H already. Listed ship date is Feb 27, 2013.

@Tim, the SELP1650 is the kit lens that comes with the NEX6 stills camera. I have tried it on my FS700, and it is horrible. It has massive barrel distortion, which the NEX6 corrects on the fly, but the FS700 does not. Also, zoomed wide to "16mm" (it's actually more like 14mm), it doesn't just vignette, you actually are recording the insides of the lens tube.

Also, it does not support Active mode image stabilization. The Sony store claims it does, so perhaps it's just the FS700 firmware does not handshake properly, but all things considered, the lenses other faults make this a moot point.

And finally, it does not feel like $350 lens, it feels like a cheap toy. It is best relegated to lightweight travel use on the NEX6 that corrects all it's faults via electronics.

Hi the lens that you are talking thats not the same lens as is on the EA50 & VG30 Thanks Wilf.

Wilf, are you saying that this SELP18200 is not the same SELP18200 that ships with the EA50:
SEL-P18200 | Wide Angle Lenses | Features | SELP18200.AE | SELP18200 | Sony (http://www.sony.co.uk/product/ddl-wide-angle-lenses/sel-p18200#tab)

Could you elaborate on the differences?

Hi Juan thats the question i am asking you, Please excuse my ignorance i have a few lenses now for my 700 one of them is the stock lens which for everyday run and gun situations is not such a bad lens my question is is the new motorised lens opticaly the same but just has a power zoom.Thanks Wilf.

Oh, I thought you were making a statement, not asking a question - SORRY!!!

Everything I've seen so far on the web leads me to believe the lens I linked in the Sony UK store is the exact same one that ships with the EA50. If you look at "What's Included" on the Sony UK site, it even mentions the ALC-SH125 lens hood, and according to the guys in the EA50 forum, that's what they received on their kit EA50's. The VG30 comes with a different, petal shaped hood.

Also, if you check the specs anywhere for the EA50, it's always listed as shipping with a SELP18200 - note the P for power.

The press release for the lens mentions that something like "the lens that shipped with the EA50 and VG30 is now available for purchase separately".

Just remember that so far the zoom rocker on the FS700 does not work, it will not work until the camera firmware update is issued. Alister Chapman has mentioned this several times on these forums, and he's had a pre-release version of this lens in his hands, plus the press release mentions "firmware update required" for the FS700 as well.

I've been looking forward for this lens too. The much maligned FS700 kit lens works quite well for run & gun, which is mostly what I do, but without a 3rd hand, zooming while holding the camera steady is problematic.

Thanks for that you sound just the same as me.If it is opticaly just as good as the stock lens i will be happy.Its taken me quite a while to get used to my cam and which lens to use for which job but i realy miss a power zoom' when your on the move its i bit awkward to focus zoom and hold the 700 but having said that i still love it Thanks Wilf.

One would hope that the SELP18200 would have at least the same auto-focus performance as the SEL18200 kit lens.

I find it interesting that people say the kit lens has really bad auto-focus.

In a side by side comparison, FS700 with the kit lens, and a HVR-Z5U (E in your region, I think) in perfect, clean working condition, I find that neither camera particularly bests the other in regards to auto-focus, yet I've never heard anyone say the Z5U (E) has **bad** auto-focus.

The FS700 is slightly more inclined to back focus from an interviewee to a busy background, say for example leafy trees, or high contrast stripes (but face recognition can mitigate this), and even with face recognition turned off, the FS700 seems to ever so slightly favor faces when looking for something to focus on. Apart from that, I can find no major difference in AF performance.

Perhaps what is happening is that because of the shallow depth of field, if focus is even slightly off, the errors are more obvious, and for this reason people are inclined to say FS700 AF is bad. Maybe someone who thinks FS700 AF is bad will jump in and say in comparison to what... because comparing it to a tape measure and a manual focus pull on a $4K cine lens is just silly. I use my FS700 as a "poor man's" Phantom HD most of the time, but running & gunning, and the FS700 AF doesn't let me down very often.

I think it's also worth noting that I find the FS700 can AF in low light / low contrast situations better than the NEX6, in both cases using the SEL18200, and the NEX6 has a theoretically more competent contrast detect **and** phase detect AF system (my SEL18200 does have the upgraded lens firmware v2 to support CD-PD auto-focus on the NEX6).

What will the SELP18200 retail for in the UK? Im considering selling mine (from my EA50) as I own a VG20 and im happy with my regular SEL18200... I could do with the cash to be honest to use towards a few other prime lenses I had in mind.

How much are you asking for your SELP18200?

This is the latest info I have received via a product flash re lenses for the FS 100/700:

SELP18200 Power Zoom Lens now available separately

The NEX-EA50H camcorder is supplied together with an 18-200mm power zoom lens and there have been many requests for this lens as a stand-alone product.

The SELP18200 lens is now available separately, as a Consumer product.

The lens has its own Tele/Wide zoom control switch, but in order to use it on the NEX-FS700 with handgrip servo control, a firmware upgrade is required for the camera. This will be free of charge and available for download from February 21st.

It is possible to control the zoom by a LANC or IF wireless remote controller, but not the focus.

SRP ex GST AUD$1,317.27

Consumer has also announced the SELP1650 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 power zoom lens. This can be used on the NEX-EA50H and also the NEX-FS700 once fitted with the same firmware upgrade as above.

· Power zoom can be controlled using both zoom lever on the camera and the zoom lever on the lens. On an NEX-FS100, or NEX-FS700 with original software, the power zoom can only be controlled using the zoom lever on the lens.

· The optics of SELP1650 are designed to be used with cameras that have a lens compensation function. The NEX-EA50H has this, but the NEX-FS100 and NEX-FS700 do not. If using this lens with NEX-FS100 or NEX-FS700, distortion, aberration and/or light falloff at the image periphery will occur at wide-angle focal lengths.

Not overly exiting news but there you have it from the horses mouth.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

So in what way is the SELP18200 different/better than the SEL18200 kit lens.

Hi Chris

My new servo 18-200 lens comes in a couple of days please can you tell me were i can download the update from meny thanks Wilf.

Just one more question my friend had his VG900 dilivered yesturday so today i went round with my bag of lenses primes and zoom lenses we put on SAMYANG 14MM prime pressed the rocker zoom switch low and behold a nice slow variable zoom (electronicaly of corse but still not bad) does anyone know when the firmware is put on the FS700 will that function be included. Thanks again Wilf.

Sorry folks i take that last statement back. Played footage back on big screen not realy very good at all very grainy Thanks Wilf.

Hi again

Just one little footnote been useing VG900 all day the only realy bad point and it is a bad point i think the term is called ailiasing example when you point the camera at a brick wall the wall is shimmering all over the place, when you film car grills or almost anything with straight lines the edges are flickering all over the place really bad. Take my advice spend a bit more money and buy a FS100 OR FS700 you can't compare the pictures they are like chalk and cheese honest. Thanks Wilf.

Has the FS700 firmware to operate the servo SELP18200 Power Zoom Lens come out yet?

Is there a link to down load it?

According to B&H who asked Sony for me about the upgrade new camerass have it now and the upgrade will otherwise be available in two weeks.

Sony Asia has had the power zoom enabled firmware for download since Feb 25:

Firmware Upgrade Ver2.0 for Windows : Download : Sony Professional Solutions Asia Pacific (http://pro.sony-asia.com/support/download/548298/product/nex-fs700)

Note that the AC adapter is required to complete the update.

SELP18200 lenses are in stock at B&H in the USA.

From the site:

Sony is offering a firmware upgrade for NXCAM Camcorder "NEX-FS700"

[Applicable model]
NXCAM Camcorder
“NEX-FS700K”
“NEX-FS700”

[Applicable firmware version]
The applicable products are with the firmware version "Ver.1.00" .
(Please visit the download page to check the firmware version installed on your product.)

[Contents of upgrade]
Function addition that E-mount power zoom lens control by zoom lever on the camcorder.
Object lenses are followings. (As of Feb. 2013) E PZ 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 OSS : SELP18200

Sounds great what if i'm not operating windows but mac osx ?

Neville,

Here's the link for Mac OS:

Support for NEX-FS700 : NXCAM (AVCHD) : Professional Cameras : Sony Professional Solutions Asia Pacific (http://pro.sony-asia.com/support/product/nex-fs700)


Jr. Pascual
49 Productions

Just received mine today. (Australia). Stock was 3 weeks away, and due to use on a project I ended up getting it from Hong Kong on eBay. Immediately worked fine on the firmware I loaded a few weeks ago.

I was kind of hoping at the same time we would get the digital lossless crop zoom for prime lenses, but don't think so. Maybe they have to enable 4k out at same time or something?

Anyway, I was holding off until someone did some iq to make sure optics really were the same as the non power lens. Then I saw someone's detailed zoom tests and looked ok.

I've not done detailed tests yet, but looks good and the zoom speed is serviceable.

I'm more likely to use it for a cinema style zoom though, eng style it probably would be too slow, and then you are grabbing it manually but it is smoother manual than the non power zoom stock lens.

It's nice to have the rectangle video hood, but ill miss the bag storage aspect of the petal hood (where you can reverse it onto the lens). You cannot with the power zoom, due to the underslung motor, best you can do is reverse it and sit it loosely over it vertically. Would work in a pinch if space was tight

Happy to field other queries.

How slow can you set the automatic zoom out on this lens? I need a automatic zoom as slow as possible for time lapses?

Sony will soon release the 18-105 f4 power zoom as well....
Interchangeable E-mount Lens | 18-105mm f/4 Mid-Range Zoom Lens Review | SELP18105G | Sony USA (http://store.sony.com/p/E-mount-Lens,-18-105mm-Zoom-Lens/en/p/SELP18105G)

But is the Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS servo zoom controllable by the updated firmware FS 700 rocker, or only via the lens button?