Large Sensor News

Video review of the Sony PMW-F3
Philip Johnston of HD Warrior reviews the Sony PMW-F3: He likes it! He really likes the low-light capabilities of the camera, and he mostly likes it's layout and operation (much better than the NEX-FS100, anyway!) About the biggest dings against it; the lack of a tape hook for measuring focus distances, and the fact that the Sony lenses won't fit other cameras.

He also demonstrates how to remove and attach lenses.
HDWarrior: Video Review of the Sony PMW-F3



Sony PMW-F3 Kit Lens Quality
While we're talking about the Sony lenses that are included with the Sony PMW-F3 Kit, Matthew Duclos at the Circle of Confusion took apart one of those lenses, and he wasn't impressed, finding lots of plastic and poor build quality:
While I was taking the lens apart I came across so many things that rubbed me the wrong way like the plastic all over the place, the screws didn’t line up with their holes and were stripped before I even touched them.
He has added an update to the original post noting that the optical quality of the lenses is quite good, and he does say that the build issues will relate more to service than operation, but he remains unimpressed.
Circle of Confusion: NICE TRY, SONY

[For another interesting data point on these lenses, check this earlier post about a person who did a comparison between the Sony, Arri Ultra Prime and Zeiss CP1 lenses. NotesOnVideo: Lens Color Differences]



Panasonic AG-AF100 Scene Files
Andy Shipsides at AbelCine has put together some scene files for the AG-AF100, and also notes a trick for reducing sensor noise: ...to my surprise, changing the Matrix settings to NORM2 seemed to make the biggest difference.
The scene files are:
  • CLEAN: gives the cleanest possible image in terms of noise
  • RANGE: increases the dynamic range of the camera
  • 5DMK2: designed to match up with the 5D Mark II HDSLR
  • CONTRAST: for anyone wishing for more contrast in their image
  • Cool & Warm: same as the Contrast look but with warm or cool offsets applied
CineTechnica: AF100 Scene Files Created by AbelCine



Kitting out the NEX-FS100
Zacuto has posted pictures of a fully kitted-out the Sony NEX-FS100, complete with baseplate and arms [$2,530.80], follow-focus [$1,591.25], EVF [$950], mattebox [~$1,000] and AJA Key Pro Mini [$1,995.00]. Total Cost? ~$8,066 (camera extra.)

Looks cool though.
Zacuto: Sony’s NEX FS100 has Arrived



Lensbaby Composer Pro
Lensbaby makes a series of low cost effect lenses which can be fun to use. They've now come out with a "Pro" version; the Composer Pro. The Composer Pro upgrades the swivel ball and focus mechanism to deliver smoother focus and tilt control. According to the company, the updated focus mechanism "features a fluid and accurate dampened focus ring comparable to the focus mechanisms of the highest quality professional manual focus lenses." This lens might be the Lensbaby for videographers.

The Composer Pro will retail for $300 with the Double Glass Optic installed or for $400 with the Sweet 35 Optic installed.
Lensbaby: Composer Pro
 
Composer Pro With Sweet 35 Optic [$399.95 B&H] (For Canon EF (EOS)) (For Nikon F) (For Olympus E1) (For Pentax K) (For Sony Alpha A)
Composer Pro With Double Glass Optic [$299.95 B&H] (For Canon EF (EOS)) (For Nikon F) (For Olympus E1) (For Pentax K) (For Sony Alpha A)

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