Has anyone bought an EA-50M??

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Chris Niedo

I do have a big problem with the kit lens! I'm not sure, if I have a faulty one, but the servo zoom seems to be mechanical too much for the lens. Whenever I push and release the zoom rocker really fast, i lose focus. the funny thing is, that it jumps right back, as soon as i push it again.

Was the camera in autofocus at that moment? It doesn't look like that though as autofocus usually doesn't make such quick adjustments. The 18-200 stocklens on the first ea50 displayed this behavior as well in some cases but not as bad as in your example. You could have Sony have a look at it but I do have a feeling they will say it's normal behavior.

[Steven Digges]

There is nothing wrong with that lens. In fact if anything the AF may be improved compared to the other kit lens. On the original lens the AF is good at finding its mark but it is not fast at doing so. On this clip his AF is snapping back into focus rather quickly.

Look at the two lenses I mentioned earlier, one at $600.00 and one at $2,500.00 and both looking like they have similar specs on paper. Focal range slightly different, both F4 but a $2,000.00 price difference.

Here is the new EA50 kit lens used in the sample clip

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1001011-REG/sony_selp18105g_18_105mm_f_4_g_lens.html

Here is a new par focal pro lens that is similar in specs

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1082051-REG/sony_selp28135g_e_pz_28_135mm_f_4.html
The $2,000.00 difference is justifiable because to manufacture a par-focal lens costs a lot of money. Every element inside the lens is specifically engineered to maintain focus throughout the zoom range. There are also other things that raise the cost but par-focal is one of them. All lenses are only as good as the glass they are made of. Good glass is also expensive to manufacture. Technology has not found a cheap substitute for good glass. Lenses are an area where you really do still get what you pay for.

Chris N. I would test that lens at slow and fast zoom ranges to learn its characteristics so you know how it will perform and live with it. It is a kit lens. It would be unrealistic to expect it to perform like it's $2,500.00 counterpart. Welcome to the forum!!!

Steve

[Steven Digges]

Also:

It is a little hard to be sure exactly what Chris N. is doing there. I am assuming you are pushing the rocker to its fastest position and the AF is refocusing as soon as you stop? I’m not sure what you mean when you said “it comes back when I push it again”?

The original lens zooms very slowly at its fastest setting. Much slower than yours. I suspect that if you zoom slower than fastest you might find a sweet spot with better results. I hope so, I can do it with mine. The 18mm-200mm lens also has a slight jerk to it when a power zoom is initiated. That problem seemed to be worse for some people than others. I think I got a lucky one.

Thank you for posting that clip. There are several of us here that have documented our entire experience with the EA50. I know there are guys here willing to answer any questions you may have. I hope you enjoy your new camera. We are curious about your experience with the new model.

Steve

[Steven Digges]

Chris N.

I always try to contribute in a positive way but sometimes I'm too blunt. I probably should not be so quick to tell someone to "live with it".

Maybe there is more to the randomness of quality with these inexpensive lenses than I realize. I have two of the 18mm-200mm kit lenses. I just tested both of them again. They may be cheaply made but mine sure work well. They perform almost like par-focal even though I do not expect them to. I can cycle ether one of them from full wide to full tele and I have no jerky motion and they almost stay in focus after repeated zooming. At worst, they get a little soft. The focus does not blow out and go back in like yours did. Could it have been the detail in the picture you were shooting that caused it or does it do that every time?

Steve

[Chris Niedo]

Hey guys!
Thank you for welcoming me to the board! I've been lurking the forums for a long time, but finally had a reason to register.
First of all: I didn't activate AF, while recording the clip. I understand, that the lens isn't listed as parfocal and it would be a lot to expect, from a lens that cheap, but I don't understand, how it's possible that it jumps to the perfect focus point again, once I push the zoom rocker a second time.
Overall I was very, very impressed with the first tests. I'll be back in europe and ready for longer testing next week!
chris

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Steven Digges

There is nothing wrong with that lens. In fact if anything the AF may be improved compared to the other kit lens. On the original lens the AF is good at finding its mark but it is not fast at doing so. On this clip his AF is snapping back into focus rather quickly.

The lens was in manual focus like I thought.
If that was the case then that kind of behavior his test clip shows is not exactly normal but I have seen similar focus changes on the 18-200mm while zooming reported by some users but not that bad.
Chris, does the same happen if you zoom manually with the lens instead of using the zoomrocker?

[Chris Harding]

That sounds very weird?? Surely if the lens is in manual you wouldn't get a "pop into focus" result by doing a quick in/out zoom with the rocker ..it almost seems like AF has kicked in and has adjusted the focus .. strange.

It certainly will be interesting to find out if Sony has indeed changed the sensor to a more sensitive one? It's basically a slightly slower lens than the original 18-200 so it the same sensor is used it would need a bit more gain to get the exposure right.

We shall wait for Chris to return home from his travels next week

[Steven Digges]

The story of this lens is getting stranger all the time. Of course I was coming from a place of assuming it was in AF mode. We are watching it snap into perfect focus. Now Chris has confirmed it was not set up for AF and it was the zoom rocker on every other push or something like that made it focus.....weird!!!

So this is what we do know:

Sony obviously has QC problems. Look at what we know for sure about the 18mm-200mm PZ lens. I have two of them that work perfectly. Others, including Noa documented theirs did not perform as expected. Some of them are flawed with a nasty jerk when a zoom is started. That lens is what I would consider to be a true "kit" lens. It comes packaged with a camera. It should work as expected and they should all be consistent. But, as a kit lens no one is going to expect great things from it.

The Sony E PZ 18-105mm f/4 G OSS Lens is supposed to be a completely different story. Sony made the mistake of putting a "G" designation on it. According to Sony that is suposed to take it completely out of the "kit" lens class and put it up there with the finest they can make. If you read just the first paragraph on this Sony page you will see their glorious definition of what a "G" badge means.

G Lenses – Concepts behind the "G"

In the case of this lens, the G badge seams to be more of a marketing ploy than reality. For example, you will never see a "L" designation on a Canon lens unless it is of "L" series quality. You probably will also never see a "L" lens for $600.00. I paid an average of $1,200.00 for most of mine.

According to Sony that G badge means you can expect great performance from that lens. It is NOT a kit lens. But we know that's not true. First, it is already well documented that it is flawed. Its distorted image gets corrected electronically by some cameras but not others. Yet it is still being sold as if it works with any E-mount. For a while Sony even published a camera compatibility list for that lens, but it appears to be taken down now. I looked and the link was inactive. What kind of BS is that? A lens that only works with some cameras that fix it's flaw? But they are still selling it. And it has their highest badge of quality on it!!!

Now, Chris N. is showing us his has other flaws. In fact his flaws could be considered funny because his lens is paranormal y possessed! There are other users here that have good results with that lens on their EA50. Again, it seems to be a QC issue with hit and mis luck involved.

All of this is not making me feel like rushing into a second EA50 anymore. Your not supposed to have to count on luck when you buy a camera or a lens.

Steve

[Chris Harding]

Hi Steve

The EA-50 is a brilliant camera (for me anyway) and both my 18-200's worked great BUT I still didn't think they reached the level of "awesome" or even "stunning" This is the reason why I have body only EA-50's now ..My lenses got me a fair amount of money (Power Zooms see to be in demand and I'm happy with zooming manually and very occasionally I can do a really smooth mini zoom digitally if I have to) I come from a manual background when AF system used Ultrasonic sensors (Panasonic WVP100) and were terrible! I personally think that getting the kit lens on eBay and popping an adapter and all your favourite still lenses on the camera is much nicer. In fact quite a few guys use vintage glass which is often top quality (especially Minolta!) and at budget prices. I share all my Nikon mount lenses between my still cameras and my EA-50's Both my 18-200 PZ lenses sold more than a year ago and I'm happy!

Chris

[Serggio Lamas]

I have the impression from other videos I have seen from the series VG 10 -20-30 that are much better and sharper image from EA50 models

[Peter Rush]

I have the VG20 and the image is slightly sharper but that's because sharpening is added in camera - Image from my EA50 still beats it as I add sharpening in post - much better.

The VG20 has no picture profiles (I believe the VG30 has) and so I find the image too contrasty for my taste and so only carry it as a spare in case I have an issue with the EA50

Pete

[Steven Digges]

I have a VG30 to back up my EA50. I bought it to fly on my Black Bird. I find the images to be a satisfying match without a big noticeable difference. Of course that is when I match lenses too. I use canon and Sony lenses. The sensor is the same but what surprised me is the processor. They have to be the same or very close to it. Even though I shoot in manual most of the time these two cameras will pick the exact same settings in any auto mode almost every time. They compliment each other quite well. The VG30 is like an EA50 in a stripped down box with few features. When I first got it I laughed because I never thought I would own a camera with picture type icons in the menu ;) ;) ;)

The VG30 does not have profiles, just a cinamatone setting and a bunch of other cheesy filters common on consumer cameras.

The VG30 is an expensive Handycam with the internal guts of the EA50. The EA50 is a superior camera in every other way. These two cameras sell for the same retail price at the moment. It would be ridiculous to choose a VG30 over an EA50 at that price. Because of the similarity in image quality the VG30 makes a nice back up for the EA50. They are also cheap on E-bay because they have been out for a while. I think it is awesome to have a small lightweight camera to fly or backup my main camera for a low cost. I use all the same lenses on both cameras and do not have to do any modifications in post for matching.

Note that the VG30 does not have any 720 shooting options. It does have the same 1080 modes as the EA50 including 1080i FX and 1080P 60 PS.

Steve

[Steven Digges]

OK guys, I did it. I ordered a second EA50. I have some reservations about it I can't answer until it arrives and I put my hands on it. My big concern is this newly improved sensor. Sure it will be nice to have better low light but will it match the look of the other camera? I am old school, one reason for the purchase is where I come from you just don't mix a bunch of brands and models together. I have always had camera kits with two or three of the same model. I am also heavily vested in good Canon glass. Having the interchangeable lens ability of the EA50 is critical to me.

As I said in this thread I also have doubts about the new lens. A Sony "G" lens is supposed to be of their highest quality. But is this one that good? I will have to see for myself when it arrives? Even then it will not be a huge deal because both cameras will have Canon lenses on them most of the time.

I really like the EA50 and at the current price it is still an amazing value. If everything works out this will give me a three camera kit I like for two head interviews. My VG30 is a match, it can be the two head shot and an EA50 on each face will work well for me. I hope they match!!!

Steve

[Chris Harding]

Awesome Steve!!

Please let us know about the sensor and it's performance! The spec sheet quotes amazingly better low light performance with the new sensor and considering the lens is slower than the 18-200 too.

We would really appreciate a side by side comparison of the old and new cameras to settle for once and all if there actually is a new sensor in the M camera!

Chris

[Randy Johnson]

If it is in fact a NEW sensor id be VERY interested in the improvements. I am about a month from getting mine.