Has anyone bought an EA-50M??

[Chris Harding]

Hi Guys

Just wondering if anyone has bought the updated EA-50M yet? Apart from having the shorter zoom the specs say that it has a new sensor the same size as the FS100 with no aliasing issues and much more sensitive. With the F4 lens Sony is quoting a low lux rating of 1.57 in 50i mode at 1/25th shutter and that's with a slightly slower lens (F4 against F3.5 on the 18-200) Is that for real? The older model is quoted as a minimum lux of 7.0 at 1/25th with the F3.5 lens ... Heck if that's true then the sensor is heaps better and almost gets close to the FS100 (but not quite!) Still it's a huge sensitivity gain over the older model

If you have an M series could you comment please unless Sony's specs are wrong but they seem to be the same locally here and in the USA

Chris

[Steven Digges]

Hey Chris,

The FS100 has a super 35 sensor. The EA50 is APS-C. I understood the new M model to have an "improved sensor" but I read it is still APS-C and based on the previous design. Did you hear differently?

I would like to hear a response to your question too. But what I want to know is does the improved sensor match the original?

I always have had at least two identical body's (like you) for the sake of matching. If this IS a completely new sensor it changes the game.

Steve

[Chris Harding]

Hi Steve

The very reason my post is almost a question says "I don't really know" and obviously nor do others. I'm trying to find out. Sony quote on their site that the new sensor is the same "size" as the FS100 but also say that it's an APSC sensor too . I doubt whether it's a Super35 sensor but is, in fact, a new sensor designed for HD as opposed to the sensors we have which came out the A99 still cameras. All Sony sites DO quote the new low lux rating of nearly 5 times better than the old chip (7 lux against 1.57 lux) on a slower lens .... It's very hard to know what to make of it so we do really need to know if the M model is indeed a whole lot better than our models

Chris

[Serggio Lamas]

I wonder the Sony service could be switched on sensor in EA50 and replace him with FS100 sensor and pay the difference in cost?
Or any better sensor?

[Noa Put]

I don't think it's just a matter of switching out sensors between different model camera's, it's not just a sensor switch but how the other hard- and software works together with that sensor and the ea50 is not designed to carry a fs100 sensor and it has not been tuned to get the most out of that sensor either.

Since there is no report or user video whatsoever about the "updated" ea50 where you can see it has improved I would not be trading a first gen model for it. The price however is still very low, here it's exactly 1000 euro cheaper then what it did cost the first year, only 2600 euro including a 18-105mm f4.0 lens which makes the body only just 2K which is a bargain.

[Michael Spanheimer]

I would love to have an ea50 with a sensor with less moire/antialias issues....

We had to film a show recently which was happening in front of a big (16meters broad) LED-Wall- with 3 x ea50
That turned out to be a mess mainly.... I wonder how this will be "fixed in the post".....

[Chris Harding]

Hi Michael

The original EA-50's like ours had the A99 APSC DSLR sensor in it that was optimised for stills ...the new M supposedly has a newer Exmor APSC sensor that was designed specifically for video so your moire/aliasing issues are greatly diminished plus it's more sensitive. However it seems no-one can verify these facts and also it seems no-one has bought one. I wonder if Sony themselves would be any help?

My cameras are nearly two years old now and I normally replace at this interval and sell the old ones but I'm tending to put on brakes until I can get more information.

Surely someone must have bought the new M model ..if sales were poor Sony would discontinue them like the FS100 is going thru???

Chris

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Michael Spanheimer

We had to film a show recently which was happening in front of a big (16meters broad) LED-Wall- with 3 x ea50
That turned out to be a mess mainly.... I wonder how this will be "fixed in the post".....

The aliasing and moire was one of the reasons I sold my ea50, there where often situations though I really loved the image that came out of this camera, I even liked it more then what my current camera's can produce but boy, at times the aliasing could really mess things up. I remember shooting at a coalmine with big buildings and small bricks, I just couldn't move the camera and even if I didn't, you couldn't see those small bricks, it was just a aliasing and moire spaghetti mess. Even my gopro4 does a lot better in that respect. I have a feeling Sony will just abandon this model, it's very low price might be a indication that they are clearing stock.

[Dmitri Zigany]

Yes, the most logical thing was that Sony just switched to the 18-105 lens to be able to sell the camera for less and clear it away.
Is the "new sensor" part of the description just there since the original text? Didn't the text for the original EA50 also say new sensor for video? Maybe they just left the text as it was and that is confusing us that have or used to have the original EA50?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Dmitri

Not only did the description change but the specs have changed substantially! Our cameras had a low lux rating of 7 (1/25, auto gain at 50i) the new sensor quotes a low lux now of 1.57 for the same settings ... way better and much closer to the FS100 Super35 sensor but not quite there of 0.28 lux (which has not changed at all)

With manufacturer's it's all about sales and more sales ..if a camera sales start slipping then it's discontinued like the FS100 ... maybe the move to a cheaper lens allows them to put the camera in a new price category to attract a new market sector for entry level cameras ....at it's new price I cannot see anything else in that range that is a direct competitor so it might be just a marketing tactic?? But yes if it doesn't generate enough sales in it's new slot it too will be discontinued like the FS100 will be shortly ...you can have a brilliant camera out there BUT if it doesn't make you money you find something that will .... all about profit and marketing !! I guess we will find out if Sony's move was a good one or bad one when they get the sales figures???

Chris

[Noa Put]

You can see that if Sony has a bestseller, like the rx100, they not only bring out firmware updates on a regular base but also improve by making a version II, II etc, if they only do firmware updates and don't update the model within 2 years there is a big chance you will be looking at a discontinued model soon.

[Steven Digges]

I think the NEX EA50 is a sleeper of some kind. It is a mystery to me why it never took off. I absolutely love mine. Bang for the buck it is the best camera I have ever owned. Like several of you guys I bought mine when it was first released and paid full price, I would do it again. In fact I might get the new one. What is holding me back is the lack of information about this improved sensor. None of us know anything about it.

About half my work is done with broadcast level cameras. I don’t own them I rent them or get hired to operate them. When I am working with a bunch of other professional video guys and talking tech everyone knows about the Sony models from the FS100 on up. When I say I have an EA50 they almost always say “what’s that?” Sony classifies it as an entry level professional camcorder. The proof of that is they support it through their broadcast support, not the consumer division. I think it’s low price (even list price) kept it from being recognized by a lot of pros for what it is and what it will do. For the guys that do recognize the model number when we speak it becomes obvious that they see it as a pumped up consumer camera. Which it kind of is. In reality it falls in that grey prosumer range. I think it is that perception/reality that kept it from taking off, not its abilities or features. I don’t care what you call it or how you perceive it. In its new price range I don’t know if it can be beat but no one seems to know that. If the new sensor really does help with the aliasing and low light think about how great that will be. And for $2,700.00, are you kidding me!!!

Here is something else that is weird. The Sony VG30 has got to near the end of its shelf life but they are still in stock everywhere. At this very moment they are at B&H for exactly ONE dollar less than the EA50. Go figure that one out? Let’s see, do I want a rich mans over priced vacation handycam or do I want a pro level EA50. With that said, I did buy a VG30 last year. I got a brand new, open box one off of e-bay for $1,500.00. I bought it to fly on my Black Bird, I needed something small and light that would match my EA50. It works out perfectly. Same sensor, same or similar processor, perfect match.

Keep this in mind too. The 18mm-105mm F4 lens is flawed. That is the lens that works on most NEX cameras but NOT on FS series cameras. It pincushions on FS and some other e-mount cameras. Maybe Sony has paired it with the new EA50 to get rid of a camera that never took off and a flawed lens? Sony really pushed it (and blew it) when they put a “G” designation on that lens. This month they released a truly professional quality “G” lens with the same specs and more. For the pro version you pay $2,000.00 instead of $600.00.

At any rate, I hope someone can answer Chris’s original question. I also want to know if the new sensor is a reasonable match for the old one or does it have a totally different look like almost all differing sensors do? For $2,700.00 with an improved sensor it is still an amazing camera deal to me. And Chris, I think you have a lot of shelf life left in your EA50s. Two years old or not I have no plans to sell mine.

Steve

[Chris Harding]

Thanks Steve

That is a very comprehensive summary of the Sony market. I truly agree with you..the EA-50 is a very under appreciated camera. When it came out I couldn't believe my eyes all the features it had that my Panasonic HMC cameras never had. I have had no issues with my cameras at all and they were bought in January 2013 and the second in March 2013 so yes they are 2 years old now with not a single regret!

If I did replace them it would be with another pair of EA-50's of course ..there is really nothing on the market that has the same features but I still am amazed that we haven't found an M series owner yet!!

Chris

[Chris Niedo]

I got mine last week, but only had the chance to try it out a little, before i left for vacation.
Since the ea50 has been almost ignored in my home market (i live in austria/europe), i can't compare it to the previous model, but im very impressed with the low light performance and didn't notice big moire/aliasing issues.
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. luckily i made a video, before i left, so see for yourself:

00005 on Vimeo

[Chris Harding]

Hi Chris

At last we have a "M" user!!! Your clip looked pretty bright!!! What sort of gain does the camera want to apply in say, a normal house room (during the day) It would be great to see if the sensor is better.

OK, the lens is NOT parfocal .. very few are so that means that fully zoomed and focussed it will NOT stay in focus if you zoom right out ... I think the image re-focus bit in your clip is the autofocus realising that the focus has changed so it re-focusses ..... if you go to manual focus and zoom to 105mm and manually focus then go right back to 18mm without touching the focus you will find it's fuzzy ....a parfocal lens will stay in focus over the zoom range but nowdays they seem hard to find! Your lens is normal not faulty the blurry bit is just the auto focus trying to adjust after a fast zoom!

Chris