Will the new Sony work as a run 'n wedding camera?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Mike

AFAIK All newer Pansonic camera use the lens rings to directly control the function mechanically so when you turn the zoom ring you zoom...however you don't have to fight the servo motor gears like you have to on other cameras..the servo motor/gearbox will only engage if it's powered up by a zoom button so the ring isn't trying to fight against the "dead" motor and gears in any way..purely mechanical ....some cameras did have a switch on the barrel marked "manual/servo" so you could disengage the motor but I think it's totally mechanical on the ring on all the new cameras.

Maybe check with Barry Green with this to be 100% sure but YES my 130's didn't connect back to the motors and neither do my HMC82's so I don't see why anything would change. Remember with Panasonic manual focus rings they are also used as "tweaking" rings in full auto so you can physically tweak the focus point after AF has locked the lens in and definately on the 82's there is no motor involved at all.

Chris

[Daniel Latimer]

There's a review of this camera up from at Sony NEX-EA50 Review. |.

He was very positive about the camera.

[Mike Beckett]

Chris,

I think I see what you mean. It's "fly by wire" but not "bad fly by wire". So it's electronic control of the lens, but not in a way that has you fighting motors. That's pretty much what I'm used to on all handycams, including my current Sony NX70.

But it's not true mechanical linkage to the lens for crash zooms and repeatable focus etc.

[Chris Hewitt]

The AG-AC90 sounds like a great camera. I use the AC160 and a Sony Z1 for my second camera which is due to be replaced any day now. I won't be going for the AC90 even though it meets all but one of my requirements and at a great price....no ND's. When I need ND's, it's always in a hurry which is a great pity because I would have bought this camera for sure.
I switched to Panasonic when I bought the AC160 after a long time with Sony but they bewilder me. The lesson I learned with Panasonic is don't jump in too early (the 160A being a very sore case in point). It's as if they suddenly remember what should have been on the release model months down the track and then add it and then charge the customer for it...yeah, great shame, the AC90 would have been perfect.

[Don Bloom]

I have to be honest. I've been looking at the NEX-EA50 AND believe it or, the Panny AC90s. different I know but both nice in their own respects. Since I'm going to be using whatever new I get for both weddings (last season-so help me) and run and gun MOS interviews at trade shows and some of both take place outside I think I really need the switchable NDs. I've always had them and they've saved my bacon on many occassions. so what do I do? I'm leaning towards......I don't know. this is the first time in my career that I am not 110% absolutely sure of what I'm going to spend my money on.
I do like the JVC series both the 7XX and the new 600 but frankly don't want to spend that kind of money at this point in my shooting life. Since I'm fairly clear except for a couple of weddings at the end of the year, I think I'm going to sit tight until I see some real world footage from the Sony and get some real world user reports back on both the Sony and Pannys. Man I hate being in this spot. I'm a decisive person and being indecisive is making me crazier than I normally am.

O|O
/--\

[Chris Harding]

Hi Guys

The AC-90 DOES have ND filters!! They are a set of automatically actuated filters that auto insert when needed...As I'm sure you already know, any 1/3rd chip camera has resolution problem from F8 onwards and 1/4" is closer to the F3 mark so what the 90 does (and the HMC40/80 too) is automatically start to slot in the internal ND's as soon as the aperture gets to F3 ..as the light increases more ND's are added. The only difference is that in full auto iris once all ND's are in the camera will change shutter speed..In manual iris as you close the iris the iris in fact only closes to around F3 and then the the wheel actually starts bringing in the ND's gradually ..the display actually shows the iris at F11 but is really only at F3 with 1/64th ND applied so the F11 reading is a pseudo reading which is easier to show on the LCD instead or displaying "F3.5 + 1/64 ND" If you are working on a bright beach or in very bright sunlight the camera might hit limits at 1/64 ND and 1/2000 shutter and in those cases an front ND might be needed!

The system works brilliantly and more importantly is totally seamless!! On my AC-130 cameras if a cloud when over the sun I had to rush over to the camera and drop out an ND filter manually which caused a flash on the footage..not good!!!

I still want to se the Sony EA50 handle checks and stripes at weddings...I can forsee issues with things like Adrian already has with his DSLR's like rainbows in the bride's veil netting and I hate to think what would happen if all the guys were in pin stripe suits!! Time will tell....I have only see one really bad case of moire so far with the EA50..the presenter (in Germany I think) had a shirt with square checks on it and the camera went crazy with the pattern!

Decisions, decisions

Chris

[Don Bloom]

Hey Chris,
I think you said that in another post here and while I generally pay close attention to whats being said, today is post-thanksgiving turkey coma day so I probably forgot you said that. Sorry buddy.
In the mean time, I'm kinda thinking at 2 grand a pop, I might just pick up a couple of the 90's for the wedding side and go for the JVC HM7XX seires (probalby gently used) for my corporate work. Since they shoot in MOV OR MP4 and with the attachment in an MXF wrapper, that might just be the satisifing end to all the mind games I've been playing with myself. I have a system already in place for shooting weddings with small form factor cameras so all I'd be changing is the cameras. Hmmmm, more to consider.
Damn you Chris Harding.....Me thinks you just made my decision.

O|O
\--/

[Chris Harding]

Hi Don

You will probably hate me for this but I'm not 100% convinced on the AC-90 yet either!!! Two main issues worry me ...Firstly on the AC-130 running audio with loud music at the reception I had to use ALC as the ambient level changes drastically! The AC-130 limiters don't reduce the audio signal at all but physically clip just the top half of the signal and the audio was crappy..I'm trying to get someone to record music (maybe just a hifi and use ALC and see if the 90 does the same thing?

My second issue is the background smearing I'm seeing in both YouTube and Vimeo footage in normal outdoor lighting....things like trees when shot at full wide are great and crisp in the foreground but sorta over 1/2 mile or more a line of trees look smeary..one person described the effect as "spray painted"

If it's just the compression on the hosts no problem ..but it might be something else???? Take at look at sample footage that's shot outdoors and wide angle and look at large areas in the far background and see you you think????

OK, now you can say "damn you Chris" as I have brought up two obstacles..Don I was burnt with the 130's so I'm ultra careful now!!!! Maybe wait until after the festive season before deciding???

Look at the trees behind the lake here?? http://youtu.be/kJ1cM72MlRk


Chris

[Don Bloom]

Hey Chris,
As to the 1/2 mile away image-for me even if it is a little smeared I don't think it would bother me since I'm not looking for clarity at 1/2 mile. Plus in my are I think about the only place I'm going to get that kind of range is if I go to downtown Chicago and go to the observation deck of the Sears...oppps, I mean Willis Tower (it's on the 104th floor) and then only on a clear day ;-)
HOWEVER.......the audio is an issue for me. While I generally run my audio in manual configuration I need to know that it's going to be as good as it is now. Since the camera isn't even out yet until next week sometime AND it is the holiday season and I am taking off the month of January (family cruise time again) I do think I'm going to wait until the first of February to make my final decision and I'm sure by then there will be plenty of footage on YouTube and Vimeo to go thru and disect. Hopefully there will be plenty of audio to listen to as well.
damn you Chris....(just kidding) Thanks for all the information you have thrown in on this thread!

[Chris Harding]

Hi Don

That's my plan too..wait for some decent user feedback...review videos done in the backyard are really no use to us..seeing a wedding done on the camera is far more useful.

The manual audio on the 130 was great, if not a bit inaccurate...setting the channel to -40db and using a -38db Rode Videomic gave almost no output so I wasn't sure how they calibrate sensitivity!! The Audio limiters were the ones that gave me uphill and clipped the signal so hopefully by February I can get someone to show me you can use ALC on the 90 and it won't "haircut" the waveform. On another forum people seem to be carefully ignoring my request about the limiters which was worrying.

For you Christmas is quieter, for me it's a nightmare with bookings every weekend as it's Summer here!!

Hopefully we might also find a more meaningful review of the Sony by then as well???

Chris

[Tim Akin]

Hi Chris,

I am expecting UPS to deliver the AC90 tomorrow. I will check out the ALC audio asap as well as the "sprayed hair look". I am also very interested in the low light capabilities of the 90. It will have to do better than the FX1000's I'm using now......or at least equivalent to. The only other camera I have to compare it to is the GH2.

I will start a new thread in the Pany section.

[Don Bloom]

Tim
That would be great. Looking forward to a real world review.

[Chris Harding]

Wow!! The great Don Bloom just might consider switching teams!! They are certainly reliable cameras from Panasonic with all my Panny cameras I have never had any issues and never had to send one in for warrany repair either.

Tim that would be awesome...I found one video where the guy actually filmed some people and they talked to the camera..usually it's just shots of the backyard which give the viewer no idea amount how the camera will work in a typical usage environment.

You can just add to this thread too..it has gone wildly off track anyway as we started with Sony and ended with Panasonic.

Chris

[Tim Akin]

It's funny how the thread went that way.....thought it might turn to AG-AC90, that's why I was reading it. I have been scouring the net for any info I can find on the AC90.

I have a wedding on Dec 15th so I can share some real wedding footage after that. I'll be using a combination of the FX's, GH2 and the 90. It's a fairly big wedding with a great band at the reception.

[Chris Harding]

Awesome Tim

It will be great to see the camera actually doing a wedding and I'm sure Don will be happy with that too!!
That will also be a good opportunity to test out the audio ALC when the band starts up as they will be pretty loud!!

Judging from what I have seen so far I think you will be happy...it has the same sensitivity as my HMC80's BUT the gain is squeeky clean whereas my cams start getting noise at anything over 12db!! Cos it's only an "effective" ISO40 camera I would definately slip on a video light during the dancing and evening when the lights are turned down so the venue becomes a dark cave!!

Is the ceremony at a Church or outdoors ?? We look forward to some "meaningful" footage!!

Chris