sony PMW EX-3 or panasonic AF-100

[Timmy Wright]

hey guys im thinking of upgrading my camera, Sony HXR-NX5, passing it onto my dad as he has taken an intrest in it, and was after a few opinions on which camera would be best suited for me, Sony PMW EX-3 or the Panasonic AF-100 and also some lenes that would suit.
i film alot of sport mainly surfing and am often along way away from the surfer that im filming.

any advice will be much appreciated
thanks tim

[Olof Ekbergh]

I have both cameras and they are both great cams.

But they are really different.

There is a lot written about that on these boards, do a little research and you will get lots of opinions.

Here are a few thoughts:

For long shots the EX3 with an adapter and the same lens as a AF100 will be much longer (get you closer to the subject). I think it is 6:1 (EX3) versus 2:1 (AF100) when comparing to a full 35mm frame (this is field of view, lenses are always the same focal length only the angle of view is smaller on a smaller imager).

Mechanical Nikon lenses work well with an adapter on the EX3. I would look at lenses in the 100-300 range. Really fast lenses are not as important when shooting in the bright sun, as a matter of fact you will want the lens stopped to something like f5.6 or more to help nail focus. You can also use 2/3" lenses but those are very expensive.

One thing about the AF100 and Canon EOS lenses, is that once the Birger adapter comes out, IS will work and this can be great on a long shot. As far as I know no IS can be used on the adapters for Canon lenses on the EX3. A 400 mm EOS lens with IS would be very nice to shoot distant surfers on the AF100 in my opinion. The 100-400 f4-5.6 L is great on the AF100, and will be even better once the Birger is out.

The most important thing for long tele shots is a great heavy duty Tripod and Head. Don't skimp there. Get one for a much heavier camera than you would for normal shooting, with these cameras. Not only do the bigger lenses add weight, but too keep things smooth you need a really dampened head and very heavy sticks, sand bagging the setup helps a lot in windy conditions as well.