Sony RX10 for assistant camera

[Peter Rush]

I should apologise to my EA50 - just going through last weekends wedding clips and I saw this example of pretty fast autofocus - password: autofocus

Private Video on Vimeo

[Steve Bleasdale]

Originally Posted by Peter Rush

Thought about that Steve as I use a 5D for evening receptions but.... I personally really like 50p as opposed to 25 (also gives scope for slowing it down) and the 70D has no focus peaking. As this camera may be in the hands of a novice then a good auto focus (I believe the 70D has a 'touch to focus' setup) or at least focus peaking is important. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise though :)

The 70d is now going to probably take place for the isle shot its that good, the auto focus is excellent, granted no 50p but in prem pro there are ways to get the slo mo smooth at 50%, you could always throw it in 720p just as good for the slo mo bits you need. Goes perfect with the 6ds and full frame, i use cinema light form N so all cameras go with that Pete. Touch screen and rack away perfect for all wedding video. Steve

[Noa Put]

720p 50p on canon dslrs sacrifices resolution, not sure how it is on the 70d but my experience with canon dslr's was it also contributed in much more moire as well. Mixed together with your other camera that might only be a solution for a random shot but not for all your footage. If you have a 1080p 50p camera you don't have to choose or make and sacrifices, your image will not degrade and you have the option for slomo when you want it in post while otherwise you have to decide in the field.

[Steve Bleasdale]

70d fine by me, not seen any moire Noa!! Odd occasion on the back of a shirt but nothing to ruin a shot mate..

[Noa Put]

Then canon must have improved on this, 720p 50p looked horrible on my t2i, but it doesn't take away the fact that you are shooting at a lower resolution which can be an issue when mixing with other camera's, that would not be the case with a camera that can shoot 1080p 50p. Also here the 70d body only sells at just below the rx10 price, that last one would give you a more complete camera like it is and in functionality it operates more like a videocamera which does have it's advantage.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Yes but the bokehlish 70d gives more film look no?

[Noa Put]

Pete was looking for a second camera to hand over to a, maybe inexperienced, assistant to shoot additional footage, shallow dof is the last thing you'd need for that purpose, unless you think out of focus is "filmlike" :)

The rx10 can give shallow dof as well, just look at the Japanese garden video I posted, only not super shallow like a full frame or with a aps-c sensor and a f1.4 lens but that is not the effect Pete was looking for. Shallow dof is only one of many aspects that can contribute to a "filmlike" look.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Yes i understand what you say, for the inexperienced guy for sure but will he not after three weddings be decent then the creativeness man steps in. Then Peter will want more as he gets experience, then he can shoot what he wants rather than point and shoot. Not saying out of focus is film look but it sure helps when a person is isolated and that look behind him/her looks great. Is it not why we all went DSLR? Also the canon will cut better with the canon rather than sony.

[Noa Put]

Yes, but a rx10 can simulate that shallow dof look just as well which is because of it's 1 inch sensor and you get a f2.8 lens all through the very usable wide to tele zoom range. The equivalent of a dslr lens for the 70d would cost more then the rx10 itself.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Yep i agree on the price but for sure Peter would have spare lens, however the 18-135 stabilizer new lens is very capable and great reviews, although i agree would make it around £1000 for both. Good shout though Noa.

[Steve Bleasdale]

Take a look at this Peter

#1047 PCM Canon EOS 70D Liveview AF Test - YouTube

[Noa Put]

It's my opinion that any dslr type of camera is the worst kind of tool you would give to a less experienced shooter, unless you don't mind coming home with a lot of unusable footage for several weddings in a row, the rx10 gives you more control then any similar priced dslr but it is also a difficult camera to master if you don't get the basics right. The best and easy tool to use is a sony cx730 handicam type of camera, those are most forgiving.

2 years ago I hired a canon 5dII shooter who offered his services as freelancer, he didn't have much wedding experience but had been working mostly for corporate shoots, at least, that's what he said, I did get to see 2 demo's which looked good enough for me so I decided to hire just to see if it was something I could sell later on as an add on and in the meantime I would have a demo trying to show couples why it's better to invest in a second shooter.

Long story short, he messed up more then 80% of his shots, out of focus, over exposed, too shaky (he insisted to shoot handheld with a zoomlens and some kind of shoulder support all the time, he knew what he was doing...), wrong whitebalance (indoor shots with people faces having a color like the Simpsons), eventually I paid him half his rate and learned a good lesson, I"m sure if I would have given him my sony handicams and just explained how to deal with the exposure with the zebra's and how to switch to manual focus if needed only 20% of his shots would have been useless.

[Dave Blackhurst]

This raises a good point - how easy a camera is to operate (or how good is it in "auto") is an important consideration. While over time an "assistant" can and should learn more about the technical side, it takes time to develop operational confidence and skill with most cameras once you're beyond "point and shoot" - so if the "auto" mode is competent, it can cover at least to some extent. You'll still need to cover the basics of framing and composition...

I'll agree that a Canon will better match other Canon cameras, and that a small camcorder might be a better addition in some situations if one is not already in the toolkit. There are places for both types (camcorder and SLR) - the RX10 is unique in that it falls somewhere in the middle, while covering both ends of the spectrum fairly well, with some excellent features. You can get a reasonable amount of "pop" and out of focus background with practice, and the things in focus are quite sharp (which also may not intercut well with DSLR footage?).

[Steve Bleasdale]

Good points! Good luck on peters decision!!

[Peter Rush]

Thanks for your comments guys - busy with edits at mo but will digest all your good points

Pete