F5 and F55 - 5 Year Cameras?

[Alister Chapman]

At the recent CineAlta meeting in New York (I did not attend myself), the Sony representatives indicated that the F5 and F55 cameras would in the future be getting a number of internal hardware updates. These would be a mix of paid for and free updates that would add new features/functions or other improvements. The idea being to make the camera a better long term investment. I really hope this comes to pass as I'm fed up with replacing cameras every year.
This is what Arri have done with the Alexa. Keeping basically the same core camera and then introducing incremental upgrades such as new side panels.

[Wacharapong Chiowanich]

Good to hear! Now bring on an 4K XAVC to neatly fit the FS-700 please. A lot of people have neither the time nor computer power to use that RAW strap-on of yours. And neither do we afford the F55.

[Duane Adam]

Originally Posted by Wacharapong Chiowanich

Good to hear! Now bring on an 4K XAVC to neatly fit the FS-700 please. A lot of people have neither the time nor computer power to use that RAW strap-on of yours. And neither do we afford the F55.

Same for the F5. Seems punitive not to have 4K xavc available.

[Jack Zhang]

My thoughts are that the F5 is going to get XAVC Long GOP 4K only and the FS800 gets XAVC-S only. There has to be some sort of crippling to make sure the F55 remains the flagship camera.

[Mark Kenfield]

Even without upgrades I can't see any chance of the images the F5/F55 output becoming obsolete in the next five years (or even the next 10 for that matter). We've reached a point of diminishing returns with image quality (and with display resolutions at 4K).

It's good to hear that the camera upgrade madness might finally be starting to slow down a bit.

[Cliff Totten]

If the R&D hype is real...the new "organic" CMOS technology could force a massive industry turnover.

"If" the touted signal to noise ratio of 80+db is real and "if" it's dynamic range really is 18, 19 or 20+ stops is not a lie...than yes, all cameras today will be obsolete in a couple of years.

Oh...Sony just purchased another factory and is outfitting it for additional sensor production. Could they be ramping up for what could be a landslide of new imaging products?

"If" this new technology is as good as they say it is, it will turn everything upside down. We could see it placed into everything from new cell phones to all the way up to a new F65 - type cameras.

The race is on. The Panasonic/Fuji partnership vs. Sony. I wouldn't imagine that Aptina-type companies would not be as advanced or wouldn't see their organic technology arriving as fast as the big two.

I'm sure that patents are going to play a big problem between all of them as well. (nasty legal fights)

I have read they could hit the market as early as 2015. I'm just wondering if the organic CMOS technology is as radical an improvement as they say it is. (the touted numbers are crazy!)

CT

"If" is the big keyword here. Building the "Spruce Goose" is one thing...actually flying it is another.

[Joachim Hoge]

Thank RED for this. It's no way this would have happened without them. Can't even count all the firmware upgrades I've gotten over the last couple of years, and a free fan and heats ink upgrade that shaved 350g of the wheight as well.
I'm glad to hear Sony are following suit.
I think the F55 is a great camera and if I get a project that can justify it I will get one.
I do miss external buttons for sound control more than I thought I would ;-)

[Buba Kastorski]

Originally Posted by Joachim Hoge

Thank RED for this.

my thoughts :)

[Duane Adam]

I'm starting to wonder if my F5 will even be a five month camera. The realization that there's no 4k except in raw with an $8,000 upgrade already has me looking for other options.

[Jack Zhang]

Originally Posted by Cliff Totten

If the R&D hype is real...the new "organic" CMOS technology could force a massive industry turnover.

"If" the touted signal to noise ratio of 80+db is real and "if" it's dynamic range really is 18, 19 or 20+ stops is not a lie...than yes, all cameras today will be obsolete in a couple of years.

Oh...Sony just purchased another factory and is outfitting it for additional sensor production. Could they be ramping up for what could be a landslide of new imaging products?

"If" this new technology is as good as they say it is, it will turn everything upside down. We could see it placed into everything from new cell phones to all the way up to a new F65 - type cameras.

The race is on. The Panasonic/Fuji partnership vs. Sony. I wouldn't imagine that Aptina-type companies would not be as advanced or wouldn't see their organic technology arriving as fast as the big two.

I'm sure that patents are going to play a big problem between all of them as well. (nasty legal fights)

I have read they could hit the market as early as 2015. I'm just wondering if the organic CMOS technology is as radical an improvement as they say it is. (the touted numbers are crazy!)

CT

"If" is the big keyword here. Building the "Spruce Goose" is one thing...actually flying it is another.

I just hope they solve skew once and for all. We're growing up in a generation that has never/rarely seen things acquired without rolling shutter artifacts. If we can have both, that'll be grand.

[Paul Cronin]

Agree Alister tired of buying new cameras every 12-18 months to keep up with client demands. The F55 is a great camera and I work it hard. So far it just keeps getting better with all the firmware up grades and glad I went with the 55.