Question, are you guys still using you 50s? I dont see a lot of activity here I was wondering if you all all went on to other cameras. Also what up with the new sony lenses for the NEX? So expensive! are they aimed at 4K?

Yes, still using both of them and loving it. Will continue to use them until I MUST go to 4K. Then it will still be an e-mount or EF lens camera because I have so much invested in glass!

Steve

I think it's clear the ea50 has not been Sony's bestseller and I doubt there will ever come a successor, too bad really as it is a excellent camera but could use a updated sensor. I wish Sony would have continued their VG line, another camera model which had much potential but most likely has not been a bestseller either.

Yep still using one of my EA50's, but moved to the FS100 as my main cameras.
Too bad Sony never wanted to put the FS100 sensor into a EA50 body. I think that they would have had a hit if they did. No new glass at the moment as I already had E-mount 18-105mm f4, 50mm 1.8, 35mm 1.8, as well as A-mount Sigma 18-35mm 1.8, Sigma 70-200mm 2.8 that I use with LAEA3 and 4 adapters.

I REALLY wish Sony or Sigma would release a 18-35mm 1.8 native E-mount as the Sigma 18-35 1.8 alpha lives on my camera when the lights go down.

Where they lost me was no realeasing glass that was flexibile and fast enough ( i need the auto features) and then when they did they charged more than the camera for them. Id spend a $1000 each for a 17 to 50 ish at 2.8 and a 70-200 @2.8 but not $2500

Hi Randy

I dropped both of mine a year ago (almost) for Panasonic .. Pity it is a nice camera but as you say the lenses priced it out of the market. I ended up using mine with Nikon mount lenses in full manual. My biggest curse was the unprotected sensor getting dirty .. I think I paid more for cleaning materials than I did for any other camera. It certainly had some awesome features though and always looked professional I thought!

Chris,
Which Panasonics? DVX 200s?

Hi Randy

Nope I wanted something a lot lighter so I got two FZ1000 bridge cameras ..they have a sharper image and brighter colours than my Sony's had and cost a quarter of the price. However I did have to add an XLR adapter to the A-Cam so I had two dedicated XLR channels for main audio. Very pleased with them and on my B-Cam I have a simple twin grip frame using LED light handles either side on an aluminium bar under the camera .. The OIS is excellent so I get awesome handheld shots. It does 4K as well of course! and my total camera weight including rig and shotgun is a mere 1400 grams ...a huge difference from my EA-50 ... I needed something lighter and easier as old age creeps in !

I hear ya,I was looking at GH4 but I was wondering do you get servo zoom with those lenses? Or just just auto iris and focus? How is the low light? My Photographer that books my jobs wants me to look at the new Canon Rebel which looks like its trying to bridge the photo/Video gap. It has contant autofocus and a adapter that gives you servo zoom on the newer lenses (only 1 now) and its cheap $1500 for the whole package. Not ready for prime time yet IMHO.

Hey Randy

That's why I went with bridge cameras ... admittedly the zoom isn't quite as convenient as a zoom rocker as it has a ring around the shutter button for the power zoom but it's still a servo zoom and a 16X zoom is quite nice to use too. You just have to learn to rotate the zoom button with your finger left and right instead of what we are used to which is a up and down movement of a rocker switch. I find it pretty easy to use. I really got tired of trying to keep the darn sensor free of dust and debris on my EA-50 when I changed lenses and found I had to do a wet sensor clean every shoot which was a pain and scary if you damage the sensor ... Having a fixed 25mm - 600mm zoom lens is far more comforting for me.

Hi Randy

I dropped both of mine a year ago

What bad luck, dropping them both at the same time! :)

Apologies; I watched my FS700 and tripod tumble to the hardwood floor at the hands of a very intoxicated wedding guest on the weekend and I am dealing with it through (bad) humour!

Hey John

Yeah I guess it was bad humour .. I would have cried if I dropped even one. They cost me $4000 each locally! However with a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 Art lens up front sometimes I really did feel like dropping the B-Cam! At the end of a wedding my arms used to feel like they were going to drop off anyway. I must admit with the Panasonics I can even hand hold the camera using just one hand sometimes and you don't feel like you have any weight at all. With the Sigma I think the all up weight must have been close to 3 kgs at least! Trouble is 90% of that weight is up front so it's murder on your arms .. I did have an ENG rig with a spring rod going to a waist belt which helped on long sequences like dancing but it really was too restrictive for normal B-Cam shooting so when you start at lunchtime your arms and back feel like they are going to break by 9:00pm! I did also find that you needed to change picture profiles on the camera between indoor and outdoor which is tricky when you have a wedding where the bride arrives in bright sunshine and walks into a darkish Church ... The Pannys seem to have a much better tolerance for doing outdoor to indoor shoots. Are you only on FS700's now?

Randy ? the low light is actually amazing ..I can often shoot receptions on the F2.8 lens without any light and the sensor is in fact smaller than the EA-50 too .. I guess it's all in the processing of the signal? I even did wedding speeches a few months ago and got brilliant results with no extra lighting!!

I have 2 kits I think im going to sell one for now. I want to go back towards servo lenses auto iris and focus ect. I have one kit with the NEX lenses and one with a speed booster and 17-50. I think I will let that one go. According to what I see on Ebay it looks like it still has some good value.

Hey John

Yeah I guess it was bad humour .. I would have cried if I dropped even one. They cost me $4000 each locally! However with a Sigma 18-35 F1.8 Art lens up front sometimes I really did feel like dropping the B-Cam! At the end of a wedding my arms used to feel like they were going to drop off anyway. I must admit with the Panasonics I can even hand hold the camera using just one hand sometimes and you don't feel like you have any weight at all. With the Sigma I think the all up weight must have been close to 3 kgs at least! Trouble is 90% of that weight is up front so it's murder on your arms .. I did have an ENG rig with a spring rod going to a waist belt which helped on long sequences like dancing but it really was too restrictive for normal B-Cam shooting so when you start at lunchtime your arms and back feel like they are going to break by 9:00pm! I did also find that you needed to change picture profiles on the camera between indoor and outdoor which is tricky when you have a wedding where the bride arrives in bright sunshine and walks into a darkish Church ... The Pannys seem to have a much better tolerance for doing outdoor to indoor shoots. Are you only on FS700's now?

Randy ? the low light is actually amazing ..I can often shoot receptions on the F2.8 lens without any light and the sensor is in fact smaller than the EA-50 too .. I guess it's all in the processing of the signal? I even did wedding speeches a few months ago and got brilliant results with no extra lighting!!

Chris the problem I have with my FZ1000 is that in order to shoot 2.8 you can't zoom at all. As soon as you start to zoom the lens starts closing down.
I could have gone for a Sony RXii and have gotten constant 2.8, but lose the extra zoom which the fz1000. I will say that 2.8-4.4 f-stop is still very good.
I can shoot at 3200 before grain starts creeping in, but that's a bit high for me normally.

Also, I can't use the HDMI out and record at the same time, as the screen goes dark as soon as record is pushed. I can monitor on my camera LCD but what's the point in that.

All in all it's a real good little camera, but when it goes up against my fs100 I'll take the fs100 every time. And my EA50 with the Sigma 18-35 1.8, it's no comparison, I'll take the EA50, although it does have quite a bit more heft to it like you said. That is when shooting 1080P.

Hi Michael

Point taken but it's hard to compare a camera that the body alone costs more than a bridge camera and when you buy the FS stock lens you actually have a worse drop off as you zoom. Yeah the crippled HDMI output is annoying and when I do live broadcasts I often end up shooting with one FZ feeding the encoder via HDMI and the 2nd recording to card ... the better Lumix cameras do both of course!

However apart from the weight issue I also decided that I still preferred the Lumix end result compared to Sony ..Just a personal choice of course ! I do miss those old EA-50's but my back doesn't!!

still using the nex-ea50 (bought from Noa Put) and a FS100 (bought about 2 months ago) These camcorders still produce a great image to me. The FS100 is really good in low light;

My clients asking 80% for dvd and 20% for blu ray. So still no need going to 4K.

Hey Randy. I just sent you a PM of some thoughts and a couple videos to see.