FS100 compared to A77

[Phil Goetz]

Sony NEX-FS100U Super 35mm Sensor Camcorder (Body Only) is down to $2499 sale price. Brand new. Wow.

[Ryan Douthit]

My A7s just arrived. Will be interesting to see how this compares to my FS100. One thing: I'll be happy to kick AVCHD to the curb.

[Christophe Gryspeert]

Nice,
What I am interested in, is how you will stabilise the footage when not using a tripod..
I believe that some E mount lenses have OSS on it. Not sure how they perform for video.

One of the things I like about the A77 is the in-body stabilisation.
I like the smooth slightly visible motion when handholding it.
Something that concerns me a bit if I would opt for a fs100... Aside from the kit lens, I would'nt be able to get that smooth motion I guess.

[Ryan Douthit]

I've shot for Ford, Mazda, Autonation and many other rather particular clients without needing OSS on the FS100. You just need steady hands and a good understand of handheld technique, which comes with practice. That said, I did recently pick up the Zeiss FE 24-70 OSS for the A7S and it's quite a good lens (I didn't buy it because it had OSS, that was just a bonus). I shot this yesterday (with the A7S) using OSS on to test it out:

Sony A7S Test: 720p/120fps Water Splash - YouTube

You'll notice, the A7S also does slow-motion much better than the FS100.

[Christophe Gryspeert]

yep, something to look forward too :-)

[Samer Aslan]

Hi Christophe, if you're interested to buy a Sony FS-100 slightly used that am selling!
It's like new and have only 12x10h operation! you can see some pictures here:
https://copy.com/jcwzaEN4MbsV4Nzs
Good luck
here is the last job I've done using also the FS-100 :)

hairstyle on Vimeo

maybe better in HD:

hairstyle - YouTube

[Ryan Douthit]

Just an update on this old thread. After getting my A7S rigged out, I find that I never used the FS100 anymore. The FS100 is now for sale on eBay. Comparing the pictures, the A7S is just too pretty to put alongside the FS100 image.

The A7S is a complicated camera, but the more I get comfortable I get with it, the more I like it. For the short-term it's my A-cam. (rigged with DP4 monitor, Sennheiser shotgun, Movcam cage, rails, Juicedlink XLR, etc.)

Considering what to pick up for a "b" camera. I'm really hoping announces a VG900 successor using the A7S sensor. That would be ideal, actually. If Sony waits too long, and I need to get something sooner, I might opt for a A77 II for stills and some B-Roll in the short-term. (Now that it has XAVC-S)

[Christophe Gryspeert]

Originally Posted by Ryan Douthit

If Sony waits too long, and I need to get something sooner, I might opt for a A77 II for stills and some B-Roll in the short-term. (Now that it has XAVC-S)

Not sure why you would not turn to an A7 (or II for i'ts IS) for stills and B roll now.

No chance XAVC S will hit my A77 ... nah
I am curieus what it will do to the A77 II IQ though.

ps: didn't spent my money yet. Too much going on with Sony.
I can only spend it once..
Keeping my money now for other LT equipment. audio e.g.

[Ryan Douthit]

The A7 records in AVCHD - not going back to that if I can avoid it. The original estimates were that the A7II wouldn't hit until early next year. Now... shipping in December. If it does ship in early December, and the video quality is decent enough, I very well may jump on it. (Also, I already have a "spare" Zeiss 24-70 FE F/4 I'm not currently using that would be great on it.)

[Christophe Gryspeert]

Ok, I'll try this again :-)

for some obscure reason,i cannot let loose on the thought of an fs100.

Oh, yes. I have spinned my mind on newer cams like the A7s. But i am not convinced.
I like cameras to have at least some weight & size. I like them with long lasting batteries and a built in xlr solution.
i don't care at all about 4k. Maybe in 4 to 5 years, yes. But i live now & i'm happy with a good sharp 1080p solution. There will be better 4k options in future than A7s when i need one.

I know slog is better for grading but iso starts at 3200 then i believe & requires higher speed cards.
Not sure if I care, I see beautiful stuff from FS100 so it should be fine & gradable. The enemy of good is always better.

I have a plethora of good old MF pentax lenses, (f1.x or 2.x...) that can go along with e-mount. From macro to tele.

Both my dslrs are soft. they can do shallow DOF quite good. but a panorama or lots of detail. fuzzy is the word.
The one dslr that would take my interest and seems to deliver very nice sharp 1080p is the Nikon D750. But it won't take pentax lenses. end of story. It would be a contender otherwise. sturdy nice cam.
I've considered smaller sensor quality handycam such as AX/CX 100/900 to go with my dslrs. But seems they don't hold up handheld very well. which would be "the" reason for me to choose such a camera..
And i'm not sure to what extent those kind of cams would be gradable enough to mingle easily with my dslrs.

The one thing that i dislike about the fs100, is: stripped down with a small pentax prime for travel e.g., withhout the mic, it won't record any sound...

Well, this said, I am always thankfull of your thoughts before spending money. I can only spend it once... at least, to my knowledge :-)

[Ryan Douthit]

NAB is only a couple months away. I'd expect an "official" replacement for the FS100 at that time... or something awfully close. Might be worth the wait. FWIW, I just picked up an Odyssey 7Q+ and a Sony L-battery power solution for my A7S rig.

[Christophe Gryspeert]

Is your battery solution a bit easy to handle?
Good thing to know that is possible..

ps: since pentax has just announced they will release a FF this year, I'd might be saving my money for that.
if, for video, it performs a bit like the nikon D750, i'd be happy. Although i still regard the fs100 (or A7s..) as a great workhorse for all my video needs combined with my old but stellar pentax MF lenses...

and a friend of mine could not resist buying an A7s :-). So i'll be able to judge it first hand..

[Ryan Douthit]

Having done several shoots with it now, I really like the L solution for the A7S. I got mine from Westside AV. The Odyssey is very battery hungry, and that's the only downside. It takes several Ls to get through a day.

I did just buy a Nikon D810. I bought it for photography... but damn the video out of it looks fine. (Different than my A7S video: not as detailed, but very, very nice nonetheless.)

[Christophe Gryspeert]

Originally Posted by Ryan Douthit

I did just buy a Nikon D810. I bought it for photography... but damn the video out of it looks fine. (Different than my A7S video: not as detailed, but very, very nice nonetheless.)

congrats, seems like a very fine camera for combining photo & video!
I've went out with the D800 once. Great gear.