AG-AC130 OR Sony NEX-EA50 ??

[Scott Comeau]

I'm going to buy one of theses camera and I can't make my mind up !!

I'll be using it most of the time for landscape videos and youtube videos.

I'll love to hear your views on what one to buy.

Both are about the same price.

Thanks for any help you can give me !

[Michael Warren]

There's no perfect camera. Even the top end cameras have limitation that need to be worked around.

FWIW, here is my opinion:

If you don't need the long reach of the lens on the AC130, and you have time to set up your shots, then I think the EA50 would probably be better for you.

You can get better creative DoF with the EA50, but the skew is worse than the AC130, so if you plan on doing fast pans, the AC130 would be better.

The EA50 can take a range of lenses, which gives you more creating potential, but that comes with hassle of sensor cleaning and the inability to zoom while shooting without losing focus.

[Chris Harding]

Hi Scott

For me it was no contest at all. I sold both my AC-130's after 3 months being very disappointed with so much on the camera! Hunting autofocus, ridiculous ND filter range and very poor audio. I not biased either being a faithful Panny user for 23 years!! For me the AC series were simply not the Panasonics I was used to ..even the build quality was nowhere near my older (and half priced) HMC80's!!

Do your self a favour and look at the EA-50... they are awesome and have everything that the AC-130 missed out on! With a simple adapter you can use your still camera lenses too!

After 12 months of use (I have two EA-50's) I have found them very hard to fault ...haven't seen any skew and my cams that Mike has mentioned and unless you are inside a dust storm and change lenses the sensor keeps pretty clean. I change lenses at weddings and Realty shoots almost every day and the occasional puff with a blower on the sensor is all I have needed in the last year!

Take a look at the manual and features on the Sony forum ... it really has everything you want

Chris

[Mike Beckett]

Conversely, I've never had any bother with my AC130a. It is very much a small chip Run & Gun camera, but if you don't want to change lenses (I really couldn't do it in the environments I work in), and you want a really good integrated lens from 28mm wide to 600mm+ zoom, pin sharp from edge to edge, the AC130 is great. "Built like a tank", mine has survived all sorts of abuse over the past year.

It's really a practical live coverage/news-type camera, I just need one camera for any of my work, including scenic shots, interviews, anything. Beautiful smooth zoom lens if you need it, with no bumps. I neither need nor want shallow DoF beauty shots, if my footage is blurred then people would complain about not being able to see things.

Now, if you're more into beauty shots, or want interchangeable lenses, or just plain don't like the AC130's form factor, then go for the Sony. The Sony does have 50p, which the AC130 doesn't.

The AC130 just isn't as bad as Chris makes out. ND filter, audio and focus have never bothered me, even autofocus isn't too bad. The only time focus caused me an issue was in light so low I could hardly see with my own eyes.

Scott, in the end... it's personal preference. Chris does weddings I shoot trains (and people, and interviews). You do neither. The choice is yours! :)

[Chris Harding]

Hey Mike and Scott

Correct! Mine is a personal opinion based on all my previous Panny cameras and my shooting method!
Lots of people use the camera and love it (Mike included)

I do wedding shoots with two cameras and while I'm busy with one, the other MUST look after itself in full auto. My issue with the ND's was that when a cloud moved over the sun it needed a manual ND filter change and doing that in the middle of a wedding ceremony creates a nasty flash on the footage as the filter comes in. Obviously if you shoot in full manual this will not happen. The autofocus too had a mind of it's own and would change focal point in auto after 5 minutes so I used to end up with the bride all fuzzy and the trees in the background sharp as a tack. I still don't like the audio circuitry! My HMC cameras were way, way better!!

What I do like about the Sony is that you don't need ND filters if you don't want to use them..the camera can shoot at F16 and the image is still pristine!! With small sensors it degrades after F8 (that's why the ND filters are there!!)

It's all again personal preference and the fact that the Sony can be shoulder mount is great for me and features like touch focus in manual and awesome focus peaking (3 levels and 3 colours too) means using manual lenses is really easy too. I'm no DOF fan either so I seldom try to create it anyway and use the Sony's as "video cameras" You can also put on a manual lens and the camera in auto will STILL calculate exposure for you based on what aperture you set which is really useful.

I started my career with Panasonic starting with the old VHS M3's and never jumped ship as newer cameras were always good or better than the previous ones. I guess the 130's never suited me???

If you can Scott, maybe try a hire of both cameras?? Everyone is different and there is nothing like a test drive to make up your mind!! Try to get a 130A not a 130 as they are supposed to be better on the focus side.

Chris

[Mike Beckett]

Agree 100% Chris with all you said. Especially the advice of trying out both cameras. AC130 is definitely not one I'd like to run in auto!

Maybe there's another camera that may suit Scott. Canon XA20? If it's for YouTube then it might do.

Get thee to a shop and try them all out, if possible.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, Chris. Yours is a bit warmer and dryer than mine. :)

[Chris Harding]

Thanks Mike

Hope you and your family have a great one, regardless of the weather! Yep it's a balmy 30 degrees here (celcius of course) with blue skies and the same is forecast for the next few days!

My next shoot is only on Saturday so I 3 full days to relax and eat a bit too much!!

Chris

[Greg Clark]

I read hoping that there is an affordable camera that can be used in Auto and has the long zoom. It looks like my perfect camera does not exist. I guess I keep my XH-A1's with my stockpile of DV tapes.

[Michael Warren]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

I guess I keep my XH-A1's with my stockpile of DV tapes.

The XF300 has a lot of similarities. That's what I've recommended to a friend to replace his XH-A1s, which he has been very happy with, but are getting long in the tooth and developing problems.

[Ron Evans]

Look at the new Sony HXR-NX3.

Ron Evans

[Michael Warren]

The NX3 looks quite promising, but there only seems to be one video out there so far. It will be interesting to see if it improves on the picture quality of the NX5.

[Greg Clark]

The NX3 looks like a possibility. Does it follow the NX5?

[Michael Warren]

Originally Posted by Greg Clark

The NX3 looks like a possibility. Does it follow the NX5?

Looks that way to me. I don't know if you've seen this:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-...camcorder.html

[Scott Comeau]

Originally Posted by Mike Beckett

Conversely, I've never had any bother with my AC130a. It is very much a small chip Run & Gun camera, but if you don't want to change lenses (I really couldn't do it in the environments I work in), and you want a really good integrated lens from 28mm wide to 600mm+ zoom, pin sharp from edge to edge, the AC130 is great. "Built like a tank", mine has survived all sorts of abuse over the past year.

It's really a practical live coverage/news-type camera, I just need one camera for any of my work, including scenic shots, interviews, anything. Beautiful smooth zoom lens if you need it, with no bumps. I neither need nor want shallow DoF beauty shots, if my footage is blurred then people would complain about not being able to see things.

Now, if you're more into beauty shots, or want interchangeable lenses, or just plain don't like the AC130's form factor, then go for the Sony. The Sony does have 50p, which the AC130 doesn't.

The AC130 just isn't as bad as Chris makes out. ND filter, audio and focus have never bothered me, even autofocus isn't too bad. The only time focus caused me an issue was in light so low I could hardly see with my own eyes.

Scott, in the end... it's personal preference. Chris does weddings I shoot trains (and people, and interviews). You do neither. The choice is yours! :)

Thanks for all the replys !

I ended up buying the AG-AC130A because I had the chance to compare it with the Sony NEX-EA50

EA50 had no ND filters.

The Sony build quality was poor compared to the AC130A Sony felt real plastic all around I don't excect this in a three thousand dollar camera.

The EA50 only had one card slot.

The zoom I could not get to work smooth on the EA50 the zoom on the AC130 is great and the electric zoom is also good.

I like the taping on top of the AC130 for 1/4-20 as I mounted a Marshall 5" Monitor in the 1/4-20 Hole.

I also put a second shotgun mic in the hot show adaptor I could not have done this with the EA50.

The EA50 flash memory card is too much money at 649.00 $

I had problems with importing videos files into Adobe Premiere Pro 5.5. the video was fine but no audio this is know problem with NXCAM files and Sony.

The Panasonic files import fine into Adobe Premiere Pro 5.5 with no problems.

Time code display information is better I think on the AC130.

Sony only had one year warrenty - Panasonic had Three year warrenty.

Biggest factor for me was build quility and two card slots.

This is my first non Handycam video camara that I bought so the price was good with the 400 dollar rebate.

Just my view !

Scott

[Chris Harding]

Hey Scott

As I said it's like buying a car and each to their own and you must be comfortable with what you buy!

Funny how people have different views? I actually found the build quality on the AC-130 very poor and made of thin plastic whilst the Sony was great! Maybe our ones here are made in a different factory?

Bottom line? They are both great cameras and may you have awesome success with yours.

Chris