NEX-5N review

[Steve Mullen]

Originally Posted by John Jay

The nice thing about the Canon HDSLR's is the picture profile facility where upon you can have custom curves etc.

Do the NEX series have something equivalent?

i've heard the vg20 gets the full set of curves from, I assume, the NXCAM cameras. That will provide control in video terms. Who knows what "nostalgic" really means.

That and full audio control plus jacks are certainly worth some $$$.

[John Jay]

Can you suggest reasons why NEX-7 video should be better than NEX-5N video?

I am interested in these slim jims, but if the NEX-7 video is better through some fancy processing then I will wait for it.

[John McCully]

I'm somewhat in the same boat as you John and maybe we shall just have to wait and see. I do note that both the 5n and the 7 have almost the same size sensor but the 7 has a lot more pixels packed in there. I presume that means something, as in there is a difference, but what that translates to in the final output I have no idea. Perhaps those more technically competent than me in these matters, which means mostly everyone around here, might enlighten us.

Sony Alpha NEX-5N Sensor size: APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) 16.1 megapixels
Sony Alpha NEX-7 Sensor size: APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) 24.3 megapixels

[John Jay]

Yeah, I am hoping for some kind of low light boost from binning and summing pixels rather than just throwing 20 million of them down the grid.

[Steve Mullen]

Good question

Bayered sensor needs about 3MP -- so what is done with all the extra pixels?

First, a 16:9 window must be placed on a 3:2 sensor.

The rows must be reduced by discarding or binning. Both drop the data rate needed at p60.

The horizontal situation is different as all pixels, or every other pixel, can be interpolated down which provides super sampling.

I think its fair to say the huge chip is aimed for photographers.

The greater number of samples raises the Nyquist filter frequency. Finer detail will not alias. Since the filter is before video is generated -- it's possible that when the video is downscaled -- aliasing will not be present. I THINK this true because interpolation will smooth the stair-stepping.

Binning MIGHT do the same on verticals.

So in theory 24MP might be much better for video -- and a real boon for Sony going to 4K2K.

Id expect most everything Sony will move to 24MP in 2012. There seems to be no loss of sensitivity.

[John Jay]

Well I guess we'll just have to wait and see, but I can't help not feeling frustrated on the lack of good data on the NEX-7 video side. Maybe it is not set in stone yet?

Perhaps it is a blessing with adverse reports on the NEX-5 overheating and making rattling noises. So in the end patience is a good strategy.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

I just received my NEX-5N. And shot a video to see how it performs.

I used aperture priority mode at 1/60th and an ND filter, everything else auto. It was bright and sunny and 80 degrees fahrenheit and humid.

The results:

1. No overheating in 2 hours of video shooting of many short clips (the standard way of shooting video).

2. No clicking or rattling.

3. No overexposure. This is the first consumer video camera I have used that does not overexpose badly in bright light - I never had to dial down exposure from the auto setting. This is not true for the Panasonic TM900, the Sony Hx9v or the Sony TD10.

4. The colors are great (everything at factory settings for contrast, color and sharpness and NR)

5. It was relatively easy to see the viewfinder and focus in bright light. I used both peaking and magnification when I used manual focus, but found the latter more useful.

Here is the link to the video. To maintain the quality, I edited the video in Sony PMB - trimmed and combined. That program does not transcode and thus does not reduce the quality. You can not only view the video, but you can download the original - the same file that was uploaded and was never converted from the original AVCHD clips from the camera - no tweaks, no sharpening or smoothing, no conversion. Straight from the camera:

NEX 5N HD Test Video: In the Garden on Vimeo

I purposely did not color grade, use transitions or other niceties so people can see what the camera produces, not what some hot shot can do with video. Or you can take the video and see how it does when you apply your own tweaks.

[Steve Mullen]

1) Finally Sony has biased exposure to not overexpose. But, this bias naturally creates an overall darker than reality picture. What needed is greater dynamic range so the average picture remains bright while the highlights retain color and do not go white.

You can see on the yellow flower the highlights are still white. Not as bad as the NEX-5, but still our eyes see very bright yellow not white. In theory, we need a big chip with big pixels. Japan is giving as exactly the opposite. (Although Panasonic's new FX150 steps back from 14MP to12MP and reports are the image is much better. JVC's new PX10 moves from 10MP to 12MP. IMHO, 12MP is more than enough for stills and allows a nice reduction to the bayered 3.6MP needed for video. (What the FS100 and F3 offer.)

2) I wonder if these "still" cameras use a dynamic knee when shooting video. When implemented with 3 channels, it knows that bright R and G is yellow and dials down the highlights to prevent over exposure (white). The same logic detects light blue to prevent it from going white. Will the VG20 offer Knee control as well as black crush and expand? These controls are what are expected in camcorders.

2) I checked a NEX-5N and found a NO DATA option for the display! Please see if that works.

I'm going to take my Ninja and see how it records 24p and 60i.

[Ozzy Alvarez]

Originally Posted by Steve Mullen

I had zero overheating issues with the NEX-5. And, since I'm confident of the quality Sony's AVCHD encoder can produce (bit rate is not anymore all that useful an indicator) I see zero need for a recorder. Therefore, an NEX-5 or NEX-7 seem to be very interesting because that leaves more money for lenses. All of which can transfer to a FS100 or FS200 next year.

Putting a touchscreen on the left side of a camcorder along with it's buttons is not -- for me -- as ergonomic as having it on the back of a NEX-5 or NEX-7. In other words, for me, the VG20 camcorder shape is not as useful as photo-style camera.

The NEX-7 looks interesting to me.

Is there really a FS200 next year or are just speculating? I just ask because I was thinking of getting a FS100 as my new A-cam and getting a VG20 as my B-cam. But, if a FS200 is coming. It does seem strange since the FS100 is still a relatively new cam.

[Steve Mullen]

Next year is all of 2012. Which would mean the FS100 would be up to 18 months old. Pana's AF100 would, I think be 2 years old. Because Pana desperately needs to lower CMOS noise I assume next NAB or IBC will see a better AF100 announced. Sony doesn't need to update the FS100, but they might announce something to show they continue to progress vs Pana. I really would not worry about buying the FS100.

[John Vincent]

Actual production models of the AF100 began getting into preorder peep's hands in January of this year. FS100's around April. Meaning, the AF100 would for all intents be two years old at the end of 2012/beginning of 2013.

I'd be shocked if there was a FS200 (or whatever you want to call it) coming out in the next two years, for two very important reasons: One - it's still selling. By any objective read of the various forums (and lowering of the AF100's price) - the FS100 is currently outselling the Panny by a wide margin. Of the two, there's no doubt in my mind that the FS100 is the new darling.

Much as Canon had no reason to upgrade the Mark II as they, up to very recently, were still flying off the shelves, Sony has no real rival at that price point, the AF100 not with standing.

Two, Sony just announced/release of several other models - including the VG20 - which will offer at least some of what the FS100 provides.

Now a AF200 in 2012? That I could believe. Short of that (or a new wundercam from Canon), Sony has no reason to update the FS100 as of yet.

[Mark Rosenzweig]

Back to the topic of this thread - the NEX-5N.

Dim light and bright light video. Uses the NEX-5N 16mm lens with the VCL-ECU1 attachment (18mm wide-angle) in train station (day and night) and subway shots and the kit lens (18-55mm) outside in Union Square with a neutral density filter. The ultra wide-angle makes for some effective shots - a cheap and great lens combo

Stations, trains, outdoor food and flower sales, the making of a movie, and a performance in a subway station.

108060p, fixed shutter at 1/60th. No clicking whatsoever, even in a vertical pan. The camera audio is actually pretty good, and put to a test with the drum solo in the subway station! No conversion; the original can be downloaded.

NEX-5N and VCL-ECU1 Video: Trip to Union Square NYC on Vimeo

[Steve Mullen]

I've been importing p60 into Media Composer with a 1080i60 Sequence and exporting as 1080i60. Works great and there are no interlace artifacts in the 60i movie.

The 18-55 is a very nice lens, Are you going to buy a converter for old lenses so you can shoot fully manual?

[John Vincent]

Originally Posted by Mark Rosenzweig

Back to the topic of this thread - the NEX-5N.
NEX-5N and VCL-ECU1 Video: Trip to Union Square NYC on Vimeo

Well to fair Mark, this is the VG10/VG20 section of this site. A question was raised about the possibilities of other cameras coming down the line (FS200) - why not try to answer it?

Beyond that, the VG20 and 5n have much of the same tech (if not exactly the same), including mount - obviously users of one camera will have at least some in the other models.

[Jeff Hinson]

Originally Posted by Mark Rosenzweig

Back to the topic of this thread - the NEX-5N.

Dim light and bright light video. Uses the NEX-5N 16mm lens with the VCL-ECU1 attachment (18mm wide-angle) in train station (day and night) and subway shots and the kit lens (18-55mm) outside in Union Square with a neutral density filter. The ultra wide-angle makes for some effective shots - a cheap and great lens combo

Stations, trains, outdoor food and flower sales, the making of a movie, and a performance in a subway station.

108060p, fixed shutter at 1/60th. No clicking whatsoever, even in a vertical pan. The camera audio is actually pretty good, and put to a test with the drum solo in the subway station! No conversion; the original can be downloaded.

NEX-5N and VCL-ECU1 Video: Trip to Union Square NYC on Vimeo

______________________________________________________________________________

MARK,
Thanks so much for the video and comments on the shoot.
I ordered my Nex 5n yesterday and hope to try it out this weekend. Im an amateur shooting music videos and some events, currently shooting with an XHA1.
I hope to pair the Nex5n and the VG20 as my A&B cams.

question: I know most of you folks have a lot of lenses, I will only have the 18-55 kit lens and the 16mm. I "will" need some ND filters for outside shoots...which NDF did you use on your outside shots in the video?

thanks,
Jeff