As some of you know my FS5 arrived Friday afternoon. After the concerns that emerged late last week about limited recording/monitoring capabilities in QFHD (with the initial release firmware - and still some restrictions down the road) I had deliberately stalled my purchase for 24hrs whilst I learnt more/thought it through.

I decided to go ahead and purchase the cam and the first thing I did was a quick test. I posted a comment on another thread - here: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-pxw-fs7-fs5/530340-fs5-sony-confirms-monitor-output-cripple.html (and on twitter) confirming that it will indeed pass out Full HD to an external recorder (in my case Atomos Ninja Blade) whilst allowing 1080p50 internal recording to SDXC cards - and importantly whilst doing this the LCD remains active. For someone who will primarily use the cam, at least initially, in 422 10-bit 50Mbps Full HD this was a relief!

You can study the FS5 specs elsewhere - and no doubt a plethora of reviews and initial FS5 test videos will hit the web in the next few days...So, below, I'll just concentrate on a few of MY personal first impressions, focussing on some of the things others may not major on. I hope to add info as and when I can - and I'm sure other FS5 owners will be willing share their thoughts on how they find the cam here on DVinfo too!

Build quality is really, really good. It's small and light - as we all know by now. It is a joy to hold - most things are where I'd want them. I really like the side hand grip and (at least for my medium sized hands) the various button placements seem perfect. I love the way you can adjust it's angle of rotation in a couple of seconds - from full horizontal (grip effectively facing down - say if you wanted to shoot something overhead) to 3/4 facing up (if you want to video your toe nails...). It's a definite improvement on the grip on my beloved Canon C100 in terms of flexibility/functionality. The angle you can set it at is in steps - nine in all including either extreme. On my FS5 there is very slight rotational play when locked in any of these positions - about a mm or so. I would have liked it to be rock solid but nothing I feel I should worry about - anyone else on the new owners list have this?

EVF is so-so quality - better than the one on my C100 (for sure!) but I guess I've been spoilt with the PMW-300 arrangement! It's adequate and certainly usable.

LCD seems reasonably good - robust and well designed in terms of it's almost infinite position options. It's as clear and bright as you'd expect for a screen of it's size and spec. Still half-wish it was a touch screen with a few options (spot focus etc.) but that's more of a consumer cam feature anyway. Plugging it's lead into the body is a bit tricky/not something I'd want to do often or in a hurry! I suspect I'll rarely need to detach it anyway.

Tripod mounting area under the cam is nice and flat (no rounded bottom like my EX3 had!) and looks very rugged with it's two different standard sized mounting screw holes, and a smaller unthreaded hole between them.

The two XLR positions are brilliant and each has their feed controls (Line/Mic/Mic +48v) switches next to them. However, on the camera body XLR, this switch could be difficult to reach/check depending on side grip position - but no matter as it takes seconds to move that if needed.

The audio control area (on the side of the cam) has a drop-down flap - to make it easier to adjust the dials and Auto/Man options. It's possible to use a finger/thumb to adjust the dials through the round cut-outs in this flap with it up (it's normal position) but the Auto/Man AGC switches require the flap to be opened to change. This is good - as that'll stop me accidentally knocking one into Auto! The flap is more robust/better designed than the one on my PMW-300. However, at least on my FS5, it seems quite a loose fit - the flap might easily drop down, especially after some use/wear (it does not drop open at the moment) as there is no 'click/latching' mechanism to hold it up. If this becomes a problem I've already though of a very simple way to make it a tighter, friction fit and so ensure it stays up and closed when needed - no not just with tape! No worries.

The top handle is robust and easy/quick to detach. One thing I think Sony could have done better was to design a recess into the camera's top, adjacent to the socket for the handle's interface plug. This would have allowed a captive flap to be provided, it simply being hinged out of the way but still remain attached to the main body of the camera when attaching the handle (albeit underneath and hidden when the handle is in position). The cam has captive covers on all it's other main ports - but for this one they just give you a pull out piece of black plastic. I can see lots of those getting lost on location if people frequently mount and dismount the handle!

I've bought a Metabones MkIV (Sony E-mount to Canon EF) but have yet to find time to try it with any of my Canon glass on the FS5. I also bought the Sony G 18-105 F4 lens. I will put that through it's paces first to learn it's strengths and weaknesses. Image stabilisation seems pretty good and autofocus seems to work pretty well most of the time. Manual focus is tricky as it's such a short throw.

The Clear Image Zoom feature works very well (but I've yet to pixel peep footage on my monitors).

I'll try and add more info as and when I get time to test the camera fully - which won't be much this coming week as I have a lot of client filming work going on which I'll only do with the cams I know inside out. I don't like to be learning a new cam and risk a "screw up" in front of any paying clients!

For now I'll just post a snap of the FS5, C100 and PMW-300 side by side to give you an impression of the (lack of) bulk of the FS5. For sure, the ergonomics are better than the C100 so assuming everything else lives up to expectations this one's going to be a winner.

Feeling tempted to sort out how to balance the FS5 on my new Letus Helix Jr. next...If I get time I'll post a snap/impressions of how that goes soon - not sure that'll be today though.

Looking good. You don't happen to have a PDF user manual from a CD or something that you could upload for the group? I haven't found one inline anywhere just yet.

Nate, yes I have a disc with the manual on in various languages - will try and do that now for the English one. (I am surprised this is not available as a download on the various Sony Pro sites already).

Mods, I'm not sure if there are any copyright issues about doing this - but if there are please just remove.

UPDATE: In the Manage Attachments Menu you can upload PDFs (up to about 64MB). I've just tried to upload the Sony FS5 English Manual PDF...but after a few seconds I keep getting an "Upload Failed" message in the DVinfo upload window. Not sure why yet as the manual is about 4.8MB.

Thanks for the write-up. Let us know how it goes with the Metabones adapter.

Vocas in The Netherlands have kindly put the manual online.

http://www.vocas.nl/webfm_send/1239

As a C100 owner who is looking very closely at the FS5, I'll be following your thoughts with interest. I'm especially interested to know how you find the image quality vs the C100, as well as OIS and how well the lens adapter works with your Canon glass.

Thanks for the write up :)

Can anyone confirm the file format of 120fps mode? Is it saved as 60i?
Or better yet, post a file of a few seconds of footage.

Thanks,
Mark

Have not had time to test that yet - but I think the high frame rate bursts are indeed saved in a 50/60i wrapper...I wonder what did the FS700 use? (Note: it's not clear, at least to me, from my quick read of the manual via the link above - screen shot of page 58 also attached - I will try and find time to test this later this week).

One other thing I noticed that I forgot to mention in my opening post. It seems a bit strange that the grill for the handle's stereo microphones is on the TOP surface. Seems an ideal place to capture the operators breathing! Wonder why they are not more front facing (like on my C100 and PMW-300 - not that I rely on in-built microphones much, although the C100's handle mics are surprisingly good).

In the manual, I feel like Sony uses the terms "60i" and "50i" in place of NTSC and PAL. Check out page 141:

Nate,

Let's hope that's the case. I would like to see a HFR sample file just to be sure. If they aren't saving it as 50i/60i, then I would hope it's saved at the actual frame rate it's recorded at; 120p, 240p, etc. But that is not how the FS7 does it. On the FS7 you choose 24p, 30p or 60p (NTSC) and that's what your 120p recording gets rolled into. (Note: I couldn't download the manual nor even open the single page shot Andy posted. Slow connection here I guess...)


Mark

Just got in from filming and had a VERY quick play around with my FS5 set at 200 fps (nothing elaborate, just me waving it around at my studio monitors!)...I have a cat but he don't move too fast!

Dumped the card contents onto a G-RAID Studio R and imported it into CC2014 (running on my new Mac Pro, with Mavericks OS).

Premier Pro displayed it no problems in the timeline. I tried looking at 'Media Properties' but still can't tell if it's interlaced or progressive...

One thing I will say is that the HFR options need a lot more light for correct exposure. Also, since it's dark here in the UK right now I had the lights on - and of course (as expected) you get some flickering in the footage which looks horrible - the flickering that is! When I get time I need to investigate what kind of lighting I might need for commercial work at HFR in indoor, lit environments.

Had a spare hour before a client visits the Studio this morning so I whipped the Sony FS5's top handle and side grip off and put it on my new Letus Helix Jr.

Managed to balance it very quickly - will need a little work using the iOS App to get the Letus settings "just right" (via the Letus WiFi link) but I'm mighty impressed by just how light and usable this rig's going to be for even extended periods. Very happy about this!

Took some quick snaps to share the joy!

And a couple more snaps - thought it would be useful to show both the top and back views of the set-up.

Andy, thanks very much for the info. The one thing I'm most curious about though - how do you find the general image quality compared to your C100?

I realise that "image quality" is a very broad term, but I'm a C100 owner and am very tempted to buy the FS5... so I'm very interested in the differences.

Any info that you can provide would be greatly appreciated :)

Cheers.

Just on a quick break whilst my client makes a call....It's a Sony so don't expect such good skin tones as we get with our C100s "straight out of the box" - ducking as I write this in anticipation of stuff being thrown at me ;-)

It's far too early for me to say Jody. Images look absolutely lovely on my big studio monitors BUT I've yet to shoot any people with it/only had time for some very quick tests since I got it late last week.

I expect the Picture Profiles etc. section of the Manual (Page 81 onwards) is going to get a lot of attention in the next few weeks.

I just got my FS5 from BandPro Tuesday, they may still have few in stock, call them, they ordered a lot of them.

I spent most of yesterday playing with it. I absolutely love it.

I will post some video later over the Holiday but I am really exited about this compact mini FS7. The footage is really good and the ergonomics of this lightweight cam are great.

I played around with the digital zoom and on my Canon 1979 FD 50mm f1.4 it is fantastic with a cheap mechanical adapter FD -> NEX. It is now a f1.4 50-100 mm zoom, wow.

I also played around with the vary ND. It is fun to turn on auto iris and then change the ND from 1/4 to 1/128, it works very smoothly and is a very interesting effect changing DOF dramatically w/o zooming. Talking about zooming in HD the kit lens is 18-210mm smooth zooming ENG lens for $500.00 that is remarkable. And it is really smooth, seamless from optical to digital and no loss of resolution I could spot.

I played around with 4K a bit and even though it is only 8 bit 422, as long as you nail exposure it looks really good even grading a bit. I am playing around making PPs. This is a really simple to use cam, not as powerful/compex as the FS7 but much easier to tune and the menus seem much more navigable and the response is instant, with my 7 I have to slow down and make sure I really press the multi knob exactly right, quite frustrating at times. The FS5 is really smooth and instant, I am not missing settings the way I do on the 7. I hope that Sony can make the menus as easy to use in the 7 as the new 5.

So far I really like CINE4 and I made up a couple scene files with that and Slog. Just starting to experiment.I will see how much time I can take away from family and turkey in the next few days.

My first impression of the FS5:

First impression: the new Sony FS-5 | Erwin van Dijck Videoproducties (http://www.erwinvandijck.com/nieuws/first-impression-new-sony-fs-5)

Just bought one of these JCI Multi Interface Shoe adapters - hope it's the right one for the FS5. Should have it in a few days then I'll report if it does fit the front shoe position.

JJC MSA-MIS Cold Mount Adapter Converter for Sony Multi: Amazon.co.uk: Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O1PZ9HE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01)

Can anyone report on light sensitivity is like comparative to C100? I'm thinking low-light shooting.

Thanks!

First impressions of low-light are good - gained up a LOT I did not notice a lot of grain in the external monitor, but I did not record to review on a real monitor. Visibility via the camera was better than with the naked eye in the room. I was impressed.

First impressions of low-light are good - gained up a LOT I did not notice a lot of grain in the external monitor, but I did not record to review on a real monitor. Visibility via the camera was better than with the naked eye in the room. I was impressed.

Is that with the stock lens?

I just got my FS5 from BandPro Tuesday, they may still have few in stock, call them, they ordered a lot of them.

I spent most of yesterday playing with it. I absolutely love it.

I will post some video later over the Holiday but I am really exited about this compact mini FS7. The footage is really good and the ergonomics of this lightweight cam are great.

I played around with the digital zoom and on my Canon 1979 FD 50mm f1.4 it is fantastic with a cheap mechanical adapter FD -> NEX. It is now a f1.4 50-100 mm zoom, wow.

I also played around with the vary ND. It is fun to turn on auto iris and then change the ND from 1/4 to 1/128, it works very smoothly and is a very interesting effect changing DOF dramatically w/o zooming. Talking about zooming in HD the kit lens is 18-210mm smooth zooming ENG lens for $500.00 that is remarkable. And it is really smooth, seamless from optical to digital and no loss of resolution I could spot.

I played around with 4K a bit and even though it is only 8 bit 422, as long as you nail exposure it looks really good even grading a bit. I am playing around making PPs. This is a really simple to use cam, not as powerful/compex as the FS7 but much easier to tune and the menus seem much more navigable and the response is instant, with my 7 I have to slow down and make sure I really press the multi knob exactly right, quite frustrating at times. The FS5 is really smooth and instant, I am not missing settings the way I do on the 7. I hope that Sony can make the menus as easy to use in the 7 as the new 5.

So far I really like CINE4 and I made up a couple scene files with that and Slog. Just starting to experiment.I will see how much time I can take away from family and turkey in the next few days.

Glad to hear you say that about the FS/7 joystick and menus. I really have to concentrate on pressing the stick straight in, or I end up on a menu that I did not choose.

Is that with the stock lens?
Yes. This is in a dark livingroom with the family dozing off watching TV after Thanksgiving dinner. :-)

Yes. This is in a dark livingroom with the family dozing off watching TV after Thanksgiving dinner. :-)

Good to know. If you have good impressions of the low light performance with an f4 lens, I'm very excited to see what it will do with much faster glass.

I did a quick and dirty test with the FS7 just to get an idea of how it stacks up against the FDR-AX100 in low light. The AX100 has been my best low light performer. I set both cameras to UHD 30p, 1/60th shutter and f/4 iris. The FS7 was at 6dB to get the scene bright enough for me to make out details and to get about the same level of brightness I had to crank the AX100 up to about 18dB. In my editor, I was able to go to white balance effect and increase the brightness of the FS7 clip A LOT with no issues, very clean looking. Wouldn't have needed any Neat Video to remove grain. The AX100 is still pretty good as far as I'm concerned, but I guess that Super 35 sensor makes all the difference, which is the same sensor in the FS5, so I'd conclude the two cameras should be quite similar if not identical low-light performers. No time to do any more in-depth testing at the moment.

Mark

P.S. This was with the kit lens 28-135mm.

Just bought one of these JCI Multi Interface Shoe adapters - hope it's the right one for the FS5. Should have it in a few days then I'll report if it does fit the front shoe position.

JJC MSA-MIS Cold Mount Adapter Converter for Sony Multi: Amazon.co.uk: Camera & Photo (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00O1PZ9HE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01)

It arrived yesterday. Fits perfectly - nice and secure.

It arrived yesterday. Fits perfectly - nice and secure.

I forgot it has one of those goofy shoes on the front. One more thing...grrrr....

I can see myself permanently attaching a cold shoes to a couple of the side handle 1/4" points.

I bought one (a metal cold shoe) from Small Rigs just for that purpose - but when I thought about fitting it I noticed it would then prevent the top handle being fitted! It would be a pain to fit it every time I whip the top handle off - but not impossible.

Maybe someone makes a cold shoe that is "not so wide" or chunky as the one I have. Basically, the two rows of fitting holes (either side of the handle) are several mm (between an 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch) too close to the centre line of the camera body. It would have been much better if they were positioned a bit wide so accessories using these holes do not foul the sides of the top handle - when fitted.

I guess you could fit a narrow/rectangular cheese plate type accessory on one or both sides that allows more flexibility, so it is not the end of the world. Not had time to look into that yet.

This is just one of the issues with having such a compact body - which I love for so many other reasons, apart from this!

One question: how much does the body only weigh?
How much does it weigh with only a small battery?

I'm curious because I'd like to compare with a C100 mk2 setup o a MoVI M5.

Some random observations:

Does NOT accept third party batteries which is quite annoying, since I have three of them that work perfectly with my EX3.

Viewfinder is really handy when shooting handheld outside but it's hard to really judge anything on it. Good for composition, obviously, and for an extra point of contact when shooting handheld.

Rubber eyecup comes loose relatively easy.

LCD screen is ok.

Could not connect my iPhone 6S via Wifi...

Fits in my messenger back! Very nice to haul around town.

Super slo mo introduces flicker from any artificial light source- which almost always seems to be around in some corner of the frame... and it needs sufficient light or there will be noise.

I have a lot to learn about working with a large sensor camera. Colors straight out of the camera look very uninspiring, most likely because I have not a clue of what I'm doing.. I've shot 709 and a cine setting without much cc. Really looking forward to getting some tips on picture profiles/paint settings and post production with these files.

I don't see myself doing a lot of work in Resolve or other CC but rather would like to shoot relatively flat (no s-log) and get a nice look with something like FilmConvert. Anyone care to comment on this approach to working with this camera?

One question: how much does the body only weigh?
How much does it weigh with only a small battery?

You should be able to find that all back on the sony product page: PXW-FS5 (PXWFS5) : Specifications : United Kingdom : Sony Professional (http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/broadcast-products-camcorders-digital-motion-picture-camera/pxw-fs5/specifications/)

Jeroen, which 3rd party batteries did you try? I only ask because I was researching today and saw some did work with the FS7 - I wonder if those same ones would work with the FS5 (Wasabi and Kastar were reported to work on Amazon comments)

I ordered two Wasabi 60's. We'll know when those come in, later this week. I assumed the same thing about the FS7 compatibility.

You should be able to find that all back on the sony product page: PXW-FS5 (PXWFS5) : Specifications : United Kingdom : Sony Professional (http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/broadcast-products-camcorders-digital-motion-picture-camera/pxw-fs5/specifications/)

Thanks!
Body + BP-U30 is 1050 g.
Good to know!

It seems to be ca. 150/170 g lighter than a C100 mk2.
Although Canon states the body to weigh approximately 1kg, which leaves some room for uncertainty...
(I'll check it out.)

A Metabones weighs 150 g, a speedbooster 203 g
So it looks like the setup will be pretty close to each other when using Canon glass.

Jeroen, which 3rd party batteries did you try? I only ask because I was researching today and saw some did work with the FS7 - I wonder if those same ones would work with the FS5 (Wasabi and Kastar were reported to work on Amazon comments)

Good to hear some third party batteries do work. I have a DSTE battery I purchased on eBay that does not work on the FS5.

But I spoke too soon: another no-brand BP-U60 replacement that powers the camera via a little cable (I was going to return it but the batterylife is good) to the DC in jack works fine. But it doesn't communicate via the connectors and has its own LED battery life indicator.

Nate, after reading about your research I think if you buy 'reputable' third party batteries it shouldn't be a problem.

Some lovely shots in this new short from Alister.

The Falcon. PXW-FS5 short film. | XDCAM-USER.COM (http://www.xdcam-user.com/2015/11/the-falcon-pxw-fs5-short-film/)

I am filming night time operations for a helimedix charity that I support and whilst we're awaiting an emergency call out thought I'd use the time to get to know the FS5 better. So as well as the C100 I have with me for filming tonight I also brought the new baby and have read the Manual cover to cover.

It's probably something simple I've overlooked but I can't seem to access the Direct Menu on the cam - Page 54 in the Manual. Spent the best part of the last hour trying! The default button is Fn 5 (on the handgrip) but pressing that does absolutely nothing. I have checked the cam is not in Full Auto Mode (of course!!!) but just can't seem to get this Direct Menu access to work. Must be a setting I've missed somewhere I suspect.

I even wondered if I might have a dodgy/non-working button 5 on the handgrip - so as a trouble shooting, temporary measure set the Status (button 3, on the camera body) to Direct in the Button Assign Menu - and still no joy.

Anyone with a FS5 care to tell me what the stupid mistake I'm making is?

Found it! Face Detection must be turned OFF for this Direct Menu control to work, via button 5 on the side handgrip - or any other button you might asign. This (and a few other notes) are on page 55.

Just posting this in case this baffles anyone else!

Also, I just discovered the tiny button 6 tucked away round the back, inside edge of the side handgrip. Have assigned it to Centre Scan for now. There are so many control options on this grip :-)

Andy, have you had a play with the picture profiles yet? I'm wondering if there's a profile that's similar to the Canon C100's "Wide DR" profile. I.e. More dynamic range without the need to heavily grade the footage.

Nope - frustratingly (but I'm not complaining!) I'm mega busy with client work at the moment. I'm as interested in this aspect as you, I assure you!!!... but everyone wants their film finished before Xmas! (plus there are lots of family/kids/school events that happen this time a year too).

I'm not going to have much time to play with the FS5 (or my new Letus Helix Jr.) for a while, let alone the detail needed for tweaking Picture Profiles.

I think others (now the FS5 is shipping in large numbers) will be able to contribute on this aspect - and failing that, I'm sure it'll be worth buying Doug Jensens training material for the FS5 (when it becomes available - he has said January 2016).

Newsshooter FS5 review is here:

Sony FS5 review: A grab and shoot camera for the large sensor era (http://www.newsshooter.com/2015/12/02/sony-fs5-review-a-grab-and-shoot-camera-for-the-large-sensor-era/)

Fir those who have the FS5, what cards are you all using?

Just shot a bunch of 4k with an old PNY 64GB U1 class card from my A7s - seemed to work just fine, even though I thought you needed the U3. For that matter the 128GB (U3) versions are on sale right now at a variety of places online for $39.99 each. I'm planning on getting a few.

I shot for 3 hours tonight at a professionally lit collegiate choir concert and I'm starting to get the hang of the camera. It'll take some more time to gather my thoughts, but overall I'd say it's a good progression from my C100s. Sideways in some ways, but for the most part a nice little camera. Transcoding to ProRes proxy right now in FCPX because there's no way that my personal 13" Retina Macbook is gonna play this stuff. Just too processor intensive. 2013 i7 + 2014 5k iMacs at work can handle about 2-3 streams before they start to choke.

Also, it looks like a cool Bolex or something when you put a grip underneath :)

First impressions here with the FS5 using the MTF B4 adapter with a B4 lens with a doubler. Pictures look very acceptable indeed. Very comparable to an FS700 or an FS7 using the same setup. Totally useable.

Then we tried the FS5 S16 crop mode with the 2x disengaged on the B4. On an under scan monitor you could see that the circle magnification even though only designed for a 2/3" sensor did in fact cover the S16 centre crop. BUT and a BIG BUT... the chroma aberration (CA) was woeful, absolutely horrible. Made the whole setup totally unusable.

If one wants to use B4 lenses on the FS5 or the FS7 it looks like you will have to buy Mike Tapa's dedicated MTF B4 to S16 E-mount adapter or something similar. Not the cheapest of solutions at around US2,250 but there again if you need that capability and can earn $$$s with it maybe a worthwhile investment.

Newsshooter at IBC 2015: MTF - B4 to Sony E-Mount adapter on Vimeo

According to Mike the optical path and beam convergence of B4 lenses that are designed to work through beam splitters has been corrected for proper convergence on this new adapter when used on cameras without beam splitters (prisms).

The S16 crop mode of the FS5 and the FS7 looks like it is only going to be useful with the S16 lenses it was designed for unless you are going to use a dedicated B4 to S16 adapter.

A fascinating camera the FS5. A cross over that's more of a blend between an FS700 and an X70 rather than an FS7 and X70. Still evaluating!

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

Fir those who have the FS5, what cards are you all using?

Both these work well.

Amazon.com: Sony 128GB SDXC UHS-1 Class 10 Memory Card (SF128UX/TQN) (OLD MODEL): Computers & Accessories (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MCJPSUO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007NDL54C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

Fir those who have the FS5, what cards are you all using?

Dave, I bought a large bundle of these 64GB Sandisk Extreme Pro SDXC cards. They are rated at 95MB/s and are very reasonably priced. Sure, you can buy even faster SDXC cards - at much higher cost - but these work just fine for 4K. I always buy Sandisk cards and from a reputable source and (touch wood) I've never, ever had an issue with any of them.

SanDisk Extreme Pro SDXC UHS-I Memory Card: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005LFT3UW?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00)

Thanks all for advice on cards.

Now to figure out whether to look at the kit lens or whether to buy the metabones booster and use with my canon 24-105L ...

And whether the Wasabi batteries work ...

I think if you already have the Canon 24-105 L IS F4 I'd go with the Metabones Speedbooster to turn it into a pretty decent F2.8 with great range.

I bought the Sony Kit lens. I also bought the normal Metabones MkIV adapter as I already have a Canon 17-55mm IS F2.8 (which is a great lens image wise, just not ruggedly built)...plus various other Canon lenses in my kit (Canon 10-22mm, Canon 100mm L HIS F2.8 Macro, Canon 70-200mm L IS F4 and a Canon 1.4x Extender). The IS on the 17-55mm is superb (and quiet) for hand-held work, it's just that it's sometimes not long enough for run-n-gun...but the superb Clear Image Zoom on the FS5 solves that!!! And there is the 2x centre crop mode option too for any quick "punch ins" (but I might just do that in post if needed). I can also see me doing 2-cam shoots with both my Canon C100 and the FS5 so wanted more than one lens in the "critical FOV range".

The Sony kit lens is decent if not spectacular and is even more difficult to focus manually (because of the nature of its design) than the Canon 17-55mm. But it's quite nice having it zoomable by the FS5 grip's rocker, or the lens side control (not that I ever zoom when rolling... apart from maybe a very slow/creep zoom). The Sony kit lens image stabilisation and overall "balance" on the camera seems pretty good.

There is a thread already running on here just about lenses for the FS5 so have a look at that too Dave, link below:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdcam-pxw-fs7-fs5/530510-lenses-fs5.html

Andy - I can see advantages for both lenses.

Canon better built, better focus feel, faster (with speedbooster), a bit shorter (with speedbooster .07x) and a tad wider.

Sony has full auto functions such as push zoom, and has slightly better range.

Cost of Sony lens about the same as the Speedbooster.

What do you think of difference of image quality?

I suppose Speedbooster leaves one open to using other Canon EF lenses ... more selection than Sony.

PS - like you i love my 17-55 ... aside from sucking in dust, and being a bit short on the tele side of things.

For those who haven't ordered yet, the FS-5 is in-stock at B&H right now.