Meeting with Sony to discuss FS5 cinema camera improvements - optimised firmware available Friday 7am London time

[Andrew Reid]

Friday 7am London time sees the release of a firmware update for the Sony FS5 which optimises the performance of internal recording, fixing the issues spotted by early adopters of the camera including myself (Andrew Reid) and Paul Antico.

Read the full article

[Nicolas MAILLET]

Insaaaaaaane !!!!!! That should certainly have been a great moment for you !!!!! Could you tell us something about RAW upadate ? Module at 5000 euros ? Big boy on the rear of the camera or what ? Or just a firmware ?

Please... with a RAW Update via firmware i think i could look at this camera twice...

[Simon Shasha]

You're doing the community a great service, Andrew!

Keep up the good work!

[Ed_David]

This is amazing, Andrew!!!  Great work - you are literally improving a camera!!!  No many people can say that!!!!  The FS5 is a damn fine little camera and after you are done, even better!!

[richg101]

9 minutes ago, Ed David said:

This is amazing, Andrew!!!  Great work - you are literally improving a camera!!!  No many people can say that!!!!  The FS5 is a damn fine little camera and after you are done, even better!!

exactly.  I'm currently running the a7rii as my primary workhorse, and it;s a damn fine unit.  it sees a hard life.  the fs5 is on the radar as the direct upgrade path for use with a speed booster ultra for video duties.  or maybe the kine 6k..  the price difference is significant but the 6k raw workflow and speed booster capability.  the little fs5 being somewhat flawed has had it being a 'possible'.  with it now looking like a much better step from the a7rii in video terms assuming Andrew can make sure they do the right things!, the fs5 is likely to be a much more viable gap bridger for me.  

[MartyB]

Fantastic news! Congrats Andrew! And if Mr Chan gave you any hints when the next PL APO cine lens and what the focal length will be, I'm all ears, loving my 50!

[Amro Othman]

Noice!

[raf702]

I'm really hoping the FS5 continues to gain more improvements. Since I'm on the fence on buying an A7SII. Mainly due to its low light capabilities.

But I don't know if I should just wait a bit longer and save up more, then pull the trigger on a FS5.

Cause I don't necessarily need a new camera right now. I can wait for a better option than the A7SII. 

A dedicated video camera is higher on my list than a hybrid video/stills cam. 

What do you guys think?

[fuzzynormal]

Ii desu yo!  If nothing else, it's good PR for both sides of the table. 

[cpc]

My dream camera has the electronic ND of the FS5 and the AF of the C300 mark II. Now only if Sony would catch up with Canon on the AF front.

[Xavier Plagaro Mussard]

Now they must produce a Sony FS5 Andrew Reid Limited Edition!!!

[Andy Welch]

1 hour ago, raf702 said:

I'm really hoping the FS5 continues to gain more improvements. Since I'm on the fence on buying an A7SII. Mainly due to its low light capabilities.

But I don't know if I should just wait a bit longer and save up more, then pull the trigger on a FS5.

Cause I don't necessarily need a new camera right now. I can wait for a better option than the A7SII. 

A dedicated video camera is higher on my list than a hybrid video/stills cam. 

What do you guys think?

Overall, the FS5 is much better than the A7S or A7R as a video camera. The ergonomics, variable ND, audio capabilities, 10-bit 1080 recording and a sensor that is less prone to rolling shutter artifacts are all big pluses. The only scenarios where the A7Sii or A7Rii win out is in very low light and in auto focus. Personally, I'd use the FS5 as the "A" camera and the A7Sii/A7Rii as "B" cameras or when needed for poorly lit conditions. 

Arguably, the biggest advantage of the FS5 will be it's ability to output 12-bit linear RAW. This will be an absolute killer. 

 

4 hours ago, Nicolas MAILLET said:

Insaaaaaaane !!!!!! That should certainly have been a great moment for you !!!!! Could you tell us something about RAW upadate ? Module at 5000 euros ? Big boy on the rear of the camera or what ? Or just a firmware ?

Please... with a RAW Update via firmware i think i could look at this camera twice...

Yes, I too want to know what they said about the RAW update release timeframe. @Nicolas- The output will be via SDI, like the FS700, and won't require additional hardware like the FS7.

[tomsemiterrific]

I note that JVC is also pretty good at responding to customers. I purchased a JVC GY-LS300---wrote two rather extensive reviews on B&H about it, vociferously complaining about no histogram, among other things. Apparently, I wasn't alone. Within a few months JVC came out with a fantastic firmware upgrade (v. 2) with a number of great features not available of any cameras in that price range, along with terrific technological innovations.

Unfortunately, JVC cannot fix the down right terrible EVF on the LS300. It is all but unusable, and no internal image stabilization belies their "run and gun" claims for the camera. But otherwise, price and feature wise, the GY-LS300 is a feature rich 4k camera that JVC continues to improve with firmware upgrades. Hope springs eternal.

Let's hope that Sony continues to improve the FS5 and has abandoned the policy of abandoning cameras (and the customers who own them) in mid-stream.  

You post, Andrew, is very encouraging, and I'm personally glad to read your report. Definitely glad I've kept my FS5.

[indianajones]

Andrew, congratulations, you deserve the recognition.

[raf702]

1 hour ago, Andy Welch said:

Overall, the FS5 is much better than the A7S or A7R as a video camera. The ergonomics, variable ND, audio capabilities, 10-bit 1080 recording and a sensor that is less prone to rolling shutter artifacts are all big pluses. The only scenarios where the A7Sii or A7Rii win out is in very low light and in auto focus. Personally, I'd use the FS5 as the "A" camera and the A7Sii/A7Rii as "B" cameras or when needed for poorly lit conditions. 

Arguably, the biggest advantage of the FS5 will be it's ability to output 12-bit linear RAW. This will be an absolute killer. 

 

 

That's good to know, but when RAW output is released I'm hoping I don't have to sell my atomos assassin for an O7Q+ or Shogun.

Maybe they will enable 4K HDMI like the FS7 with it's latest firmware V3, discussed at 

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?344155-FS7-Firmware-v3-Format-Tests

According to an FS7 user 4K HDMI yielded the best results versus 4K RAW. Maybe this will also reflect the FS5 when raw is enabled.

Either way I'm hoping the Assassin can be utilized with the FS5, when the firmware updates are released soon.

[agolex]

Head to head with the lil big boys, way to go, Andrew! 

[Nicolas MAILLET]

2 hours ago, Andy Welch said:

@Nicolas- The output will be via SDI, like the FS700, and won't require additional hardware like the FS7.

Oh oh ohhhhhh... this is gone to be a second Christmas in the year !!!!

With RAW abilities, this camera does not look the same... When Sony spoke about an update with RAW abilities, thought it should arrive 2 or 3 years later... Sony Rocks right now... Even the Alpha 6300 is a sexy tool... I think they have understood how to sell more : listen to the ones who buy... Wow !!!! What an amazing discovery !!!!!!

[ND64]

Andrew, what's your height again? :-)

[Mattias Burling]

This is good news for everyone

[griplimited]

Thanks Andrew for being the voice.