New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement

Steven Digges · December 5th, 2012, 10:16 AM

It was a dumb question. I knew the answer, I was just being hopeful.

Not only is Adobe On location near the end of it's life so are many other things I use. I have old systems built entirely around fire wire. I would still use them if I could, I liked the fire wire days.

The no SD-HDI aspect of this camera hurts. But I can not complain one bit. If you want pro features you gota pay pro prices. This is a budget camera, SDI-HD is the first thing to go.

Matt Davis · December 5th, 2012, 11:06 AM

Would the Black Magic Intensity not do? HDMI in, USB3 out. IIRC, it comes with Media Express recording software. Perhaps not quite On Location, but maybe On Location supports the Intensity properly now.

Neil McClure · December 5th, 2012, 04:47 PM

I recently did a green screen job using the FS100. To record in 4:2:2 I used a Mac Air via an intensity extreme over Thunderbolt. The software I used was Scopebox which is way better than Media Express as it has scopes which help with exposure etc

Ed Betz · December 11th, 2012, 05:34 PM

A little more test footage....

Shot on all auto, Auto focus, iso, iris, etc...

Except the rack focus shots which were spot focus

Steven Digges · December 13th, 2012, 10:07 AM

Nice shooting Ed, I like it. Even compressed for Vimeo it looked to me like the camera has a pretty good contrast range? Servo lenses are not known for holding focus well while zooming, in auto or manual. Does this one? You did it, but of course I don't know how much footage you did not use. And there is the vertical move down the tree that's out.

Here is my question. In manual mode. If you use the traditional way we focus with manual broadcast cameras by zooming all the way in tight, pulling a focus, and then pulling out to compose, will it hold it? I would be really surprised if it does. Servo lenses are not good at that.

Alister Chapman · December 19th, 2012, 02:29 AM

I would not recommend zooming in to focus with the servo zoom. The focus may be different between the zoomed in and zoomed out position. As there is no function or facility for adjusting the back focus/flange back some focus shifts will be normal.

There are two versions for the Asia Pacific market, one with the power zoom, one with the manual zoom. The model with the manual zoom will not be available in all other regions/markets.

Noa Put · December 19th, 2012, 02:46 AM

Alister, since you have used the camera, how severe would you find the moire and aliasing on the camera? Do you know if it compares with a 5dII or a 7D? I know that the moire and aliasing on my 550d can be quite nasty on very fine detail and in some cases ruin the shot. I can get away with such a shot if I use it at a wedding but not if I make a corporate movie.

Ron Evans · December 19th, 2012, 06:45 AM

Noa this was something I found on Youtube.

moire at about 4:25.

Ron Evans

Noa Put · December 19th, 2012, 06:57 AM

thx Ron! the moire is certainly there which I knew but it seems much better controlled compared to the 5dII and that's what I wanted to know.

Chris Harding · December 19th, 2012, 08:31 AM

Hi Noa

I thought is was quite good actually..the 5DII was much more pronounced!! He goes on about your other concerns too and shucks the autofocus isn't bad either!! Watch at least from 4 to 8 minutes of the clip and I can't understand Spanish but it's easy to see the comparisons. Rolling shutter seems a little worse than the Canon.

I was trying to find a clip done at a trade fair in Europe where the moire on a guys checked shirt was really bad but apart from that poorly shot clip all the footage looks quite good!! I do really like the idea of getting to a very dim Church and being able to pull out a fast lens which you just cannot do with a normal video camera!

I still rather like this camera and it's still top of my list!!! Has anyone got a link to a manual so we can see all the functions???

Chris

Ron Evans · December 19th, 2012, 11:02 AM

I am interested in this camera too for my wife to use when we shoot shows and an alternate for my NX5U for more creative stuff. My wife normally uses our SR11 or CX700 using spot focus in the theatre since autofocus is not reliable with lighting changes but with AE shift. So semi auto use and the EA50 seems to meet this need great. Since almost all my stuff is in the theatre lack of ND's is of no concern the opposite in fact with low light being the norm so my only concern is if the stock lens gives enough performance in low light or will I have the complication( for my wife) of using a faster manual zoom lens. The NX5U ramps to f3.5 and is useless much above 9db of gain. 12db I can clean with Neat filter but thats a lengthy choice. So if my calculations are correct the EA50 at its worse would match the NX5U at 12db. ( EA50 f6.5 at 30db) If that is the cases then it should be OK. I will try a demo unit locally after Christmas.

Ron Evans

Craig Seeman · December 19th, 2012, 12:43 PM

Regarding Moire I found this test on Vimeo by Ian Morris worth looking at.
The first shot is OK. The 2nd shot is very bad IMHO especially if you look at it in HD in full screen.

Noa Put · December 19th, 2012, 12:59 PM

I think it depends, when I look at the comparison video a bit higher between the 5dII and the nex ea50 I would consider the 5DII to be very bad and the sony just "ok". I"m sure if that building would have been filmed with the 5d or a 7d you could see lines dancing all over the wall.

Noa Put · December 19th, 2012, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Evans

I am interested in this camera too for my wife to use when we shoot shows

Not sure if this is a good camera to shoot performances, it's not a matter of adding a fast lens to gain in low light performance, it will just be very difficult to maintain focus. Even if you use the stock lens this one does not maintain focus if you zoom in, lock focus and zoom out, there will be shifts in focus which is something you don't want. I think that the ac-ag90 will be a much better camera for this purpose.

Craig Seeman · December 19th, 2012, 01:32 PM

Noa, good comment. It's really about right tool for the job in this case.

If you're shooting sports or performance, one has to consider whether shallow DOF is important as maintaining focus on the subject.

On the other hand, if you're shooting either in a multicam situation, you can assign "zones' to each camera based on focal plane if you're looking for shallow DOF or, at least, you can cut to another camera while one camera refocuses.

You're right when considering comparing the EA50 to other DSLRs. The problem "we" face is again right tool for the job. The additional problem is the lack of control in some situations. Imagine going into a corporate interview shoot and choosing the EA50 because you want the sDOF separation from the background but discover the person being interviewed has shirt or suit with fine lines in it. The client may find the results unacceptable. Sigh!

December 5th, 2012, 10:16 AM	#166
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement It was a dumb question. I knew the answer, I was just being hopeful. Not only is Adobe On location near the end of it's life so are many other things I use. I have old systems built entirely around fire wire. I would still use them if I could, I liked the fire wire days. The no SD-HDI aspect of this camera hurts. But I can not complain one bit. If you want pro features you gota pay pro prices. This is a budget camera, SDI-HD is the first thing to go. __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

December 5th, 2012, 11:06 AM	#167
Matt Davis Trustee Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Berkshire, UK Posts: 1,562	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Would the Black Magic Intensity not do? HDMI in, USB3 out. IIRC, it comes with Media Express recording software. Perhaps not quite On Location, but maybe On Location supports the Intensity properly now. __________________ Director/Editor - MDMA Ltd: Write, Shoot, Edit, Publish - mattdavis.pro EX1 x2, C100 --> FCPX & PPro6

December 5th, 2012, 04:47 PM	#168
Neil McClure Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 41	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement I recently did a green screen job using the FS100. To record in 4:2:2 I used a Mac Air via an intensity extreme over Thunderbolt. The software I used was Scopebox which is way better than Media Express as it has scopes which help with exposure etc __________________ Neil McClure Canon C100, Panasonic GH3, Sony EX1, FCPx, Motion 5.1

December 11th, 2012, 05:34 PM	#169
Ed Betz New Boot Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 17	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement A little more test footage.... Shot on all auto, Auto focus, iso, iris, etc... Except the rack focus shots which were spot focus Sony NEX-EA50 Test Footage auto everything on Vimeo

December 13th, 2012, 10:07 AM	#170
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Nice shooting Ed, I like it. Even compressed for Vimeo it looked to me like the camera has a pretty good contrast range? Servo lenses are not known for holding focus well while zooming, in auto or manual. Does this one? You did it, but of course I don't know how much footage you did not use. And there is the vertical move down the tree that's out. Here is my question. In manual mode. If you use the traditional way we focus with manual broadcast cameras by zooming all the way in tight, pulling a focus, and then pulling out to compose, will it hold it? I would be really surprised if it does. Servo lenses are not good at that. __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

December 19th, 2012, 02:29 AM	#171
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement I would not recommend zooming in to focus with the servo zoom. The focus may be different between the zoomed in and zoomed out position. As there is no function or facility for adjusting the back focus/flange back some focus shifts will be normal. There are two versions for the Asia Pacific market, one with the power zoom, one with the manual zoom. The model with the manual zoom will not be available in all other regions/markets. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

December 19th, 2012, 02:46 AM	#172
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Alister, since you have used the camera, how severe would you find the moire and aliasing on the camera? Do you know if it compares with a 5dII or a 7D? I know that the moire and aliasing on my 550d can be quite nasty on very fine detail and in some cases ruin the shot. I can get away with such a shot if I use it at a wedding but not if I make a corporate movie.

December 19th, 2012, 06:45 AM	#173
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Noa this was something I found on Youtube. Sony NEX-EA50 - Pruebas de Imagen - YouTube moire at about 4:25. Ron Evans

December 19th, 2012, 06:57 AM	#174
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement thx Ron! the moire is certainly there which I knew but it seems much better controlled compared to the 5dII and that's what I wanted to know.

December 19th, 2012, 08:31 AM	#175
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Hi Noa I thought is was quite good actually..the 5DII was much more pronounced!! He goes on about your other concerns too and shucks the autofocus isn't bad either!! Watch at least from 4 to 8 minutes of the clip and I can't understand Spanish but it's easy to see the comparisons. Rolling shutter seems a little worse than the Canon. I was trying to find a clip done at a trade fair in Europe where the moire on a guys checked shirt was really bad but apart from that poorly shot clip all the footage looks quite good!! I do really like the idea of getting to a very dim Church and being able to pull out a fast lens which you just cannot do with a normal video camera! I still rather like this camera and it's still top of my list!!! Has anyone got a link to a manual so we can see all the functions??? Chris

December 19th, 2012, 11:02 AM	#176
Ron Evans Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 4,220	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement I am interested in this camera too for my wife to use when we shoot shows and an alternate for my NX5U for more creative stuff. My wife normally uses our SR11 or CX700 using spot focus in the theatre since autofocus is not reliable with lighting changes but with AE shift. So semi auto use and the EA50 seems to meet this need great. Since almost all my stuff is in the theatre lack of ND's is of no concern the opposite in fact with low light being the norm so my only concern is if the stock lens gives enough performance in low light or will I have the complication( for my wife) of using a faster manual zoom lens. The NX5U ramps to f3.5 and is useless much above 9db of gain. 12db I can clean with Neat filter but thats a lengthy choice. So if my calculations are correct the EA50 at its worse would match the NX5U at 12db. ( EA50 f6.5 at 30db) If that is the cases then it should be OK. I will try a demo unit locally after Christmas. Ron Evans

December 19th, 2012, 12:43 PM	#177
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Regarding Moire I found this test on Vimeo by Ian Morris worth looking at. The first shot is OK. The 2nd shot is very bad IMHO especially if you look at it in HD in full screen. NEX-EA50 Moire Example on Vimeo

December 19th, 2012, 12:59 PM	#178
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement I think it depends, when I look at the comparison video a bit higher between the 5dII and the nex ea50 I would consider the 5DII to be very bad and the sony just "ok". I"m sure if that building would have been filmed with the 5d or a 7d you could see lines dancing all over the wall.

December 19th, 2012, 01:32 PM	#180
Craig Seeman Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA Posts: 3,841	re: New Sony NEX-EA50EH Announcement Noa, good comment. It's really about right tool for the job in this case. If you're shooting sports or performance, one has to consider whether shallow DOF is important as maintaining focus on the subject. On the other hand, if you're shooting either in a multicam situation, you can assign "zones' to each camera based on focal plane if you're looking for shallow DOF or, at least, you can cut to another camera while one camera refocuses. You're right when considering comparing the EA50 to other DSLRs. The problem "we" face is again right tool for the job. The additional problem is the lack of control in some situations. Imagine going into a corporate interview shoot and choosing the EA50 because you want the sDOF separation from the background but discover the person being interviewed has shirt or suit with fine lines in it. The client may find the results unacceptable. Sigh!