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Ode To the Beloved Sony FS100


Benjamin Hilton
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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

I did a quick google search and found this video... there’s just something about a Sony with a cheap Fujian 35mm 1.7 lens.

Of course, it seems like an a6000 with the Neutral Profile could yield similar results in a much smaller form factor.

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Yeah that is a pretty awesome video for what little money involved. Yeah true I would not doubt the A6000 would not be too far off. And they are crazy small. But you loose all the buttons and aids that make a Cine Camera a Cine Camera. But for Run n Gun, stealth yeah hell yes the A6000 gets the job done probably. Might even be the same sensor as the Sony NEX-7 or even older or in the A6000 for all I know in the FS100??

Truth be known the VG-10, VG-20, VG-30 may have had the same FS100 sensor! But I would not recommend one at all. To much Morie', compression artifacts on and on with them.

Sony and Canon  both milked the hell out of the same sensors in their cameras back then.

Good set of photos of the body of the FS100 on this site.

https://www.engadget.com/2011/08/26/sony-nex-fs100-review/#gallery=52736&slide=585064&index=0

https://www.engadget.com/2011/08/26/sony-nex-fs100-review/#gallery=52735&slide=585045&index=0

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15 hours ago, Benjamin Hilton said:

I tried working his profile into an a6400, but couldn't get anything to feel right.  Something really special about that sensor. 

I'd love to know more about this a6400 camera. 

15 hours ago, Benjamin Hilton said:

I have never used an F3 before, would love to try it though.  Anyone had any experience using Glen's profile with the F3?

Nope. But if you link to it then I could try it with the F3 on a future YT vlog video. 

14 hours ago, Benjamin Hilton said:

I wonder if it's possible for some really talented person to take the sensor and processing power of the FS100 and mod it into a smaller body.  Even just a box with an HDMI port on it would be amazing...could build out a nice package that is still small and compact. 

The FS100 body is already very small. And for the costs/hassle of doing that it would be better to just buy a different camera! Such as a FS700/BMPCC4K/F3/etc or any of zillions of others. We're spoiled for choice in 2018!
 

12 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Now the PMW F3, that is a pretty damn big camera.

Big compared to DSLRs!

But small/medium sized compared to cinema cameras.

 

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11 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Sony PMW F3 picture in hand. They are pretty wide also. They are about the same as a Panny AF100. Both are  not huge like a Arri Alexa is though.

Sony F3.JPG

Jealous you have the nicer adapter, and the batteries with D tap!

Interesting mounting of the monitor/recorder too, I am fairly happy with how mine is, but I can see how having the weight centered would be better.

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9 minutes ago, IronFilm said:

Jealous you have the nicer adapter, and the batteries with D tap!

Interesting mounting of the monitor/recorder too, I am fairly happy with how mine is, but I can see how having the weight centered would be better.

Yeah it is a nice, balanced setup. Compact also. That is hard to achieve to be honest on any camera.

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I simply do not understand the nostalgia here. I shot my senior thesis project on an FS100 and while I got some decent images out of it thanks to the skill of my DP, it always looked very videoish to me. The highlights burned horribly, the colors were oversaturated, and even if you shot it flat, you could never quite bring it back to the way you want it in post. Also, the form factor and ergonomics were some of the worst I have ever seen, the placement of the LCD screen on top was ludicrous, and the lack of NDs (thankfully rectified in the FS700) made screw-ons or matteboxes a necessity, which is difficult on a zero-budget. It was Sony's first go at making a prosumer large-sensor camera (after the F3 which came out at the same time), and their lack of common sense and feel for camera design just wasn't there, despite their long history in making video equipment.

My C100 mk. I(same era, same price-range) eats it for lunch in every possible way. Image quality, roll-off, NDs, hand-holdable ergonomics, etc.

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1 hour ago, BrooklynDan said:

 Also, the form factor and ergonomics were some of the worst I have ever seen, the placement of the LCD screen on top was ludicrous, and the lack of NDs (thankfully rectified in the FS700)

I really don't think much of anything was rectified with the FS700 in the early years doing 4K LoL. This is not my idea of Engineering Excellence Design 101. ?

 

FS7004K.jpg

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On 8/4/2018 at 5:27 AM, BrooklynDan said:

I simply do not understand the nostalgia here. I shot my senior thesis project on an FS100 and while I got some decent images out of it thanks to the skill of my DP, it always looked very videoish to me. The highlights burned horribly, the colors were oversaturated, and even if you shot it flat, you could never quite bring it back to the way you want it in post. Also, the form factor and ergonomics were some of the worst I have ever seen, the placement of the LCD screen on top was ludicrous, and the lack of NDs (thankfully rectified in the FS700) made screw-ons or matteboxes a necessity, which is difficult on a zero-budget. It was Sony's first go at making a prosumer large-sensor camera (after the F3 which came out at the same time), and their lack of common sense and feel for camera design just wasn't there, despite their long history in making video equipment.

My C100 mk. I(same era, same price-range) eats it for lunch in every possible way. Image quality, roll-off, NDs, hand-holdable ergonomics, etc.

I guess the beauty of the FS100 sensor was really pulled out with the Glencairn G Log Profile, totally different camera almost than using stock profiles.  More cinematic out of the box than anything I have been able to pull from any camera since, and I've shot with quite a few cameras.  I've never used a C100 though, but I would imagine the ergonomics are quite a bit better.  That is why I had to give up the FS100, just too big and awkward for the kind of doc work we do, wouldn't be bad for cinema shoots though. 

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2 hours ago, TheRenaissanceMan said:

Eh, the F3 is the same sensor with better processing, better form factor, better I/O, built in NDs, S-LOG, and for basically the same used price. Neither is a small camera, and I'd rather have an F3 on a cheap shoulder pad any day.

Yeah it is really still a viable camera today for 1080p output. Beautiful to be honest. And that is about 95% of what anyone needs still, or can afford to edit computer wise, and to afford hard drives wise to store it. Try uploading 8K content to Vimeo and see what that cost a month for that privilege to use.?

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4 hours ago, TheRenaissanceMan said:

Eh, the F3 is the same sensor with better processing, better form factor, better I/O, built in NDs, S-LOG, and for basically the same used price. Neither is a small camera, and I'd rather have an F3 on a cheap shoulder pad any day.

The F3 seems to be going for roughly double the price of a FS100. 

However double of a very small price is still a small price! So yes, go for the F3.

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1 hour ago, IronFilm said:

The F3 seems to be going for roughly double the price of a FS100. 

However double of a very small price is still a small price! So yes, go for the F3.

Yeah but that is the one with the paid Slog upgrade. They all got the free firmware upgrade that 97% of the people only need to have. How many people Need uncompressed 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 1080p, through the Dual-link HD-SDI outputs, or can afford the recorder to even record it.

I think the the free S-Log 4:2:2 is good enough and they are more like 1000 bucks or a bit more compared to 1700ish or a bit more for the 4.4.4 one that you Will need a recorder for. However if you don’t have the RGB option, paid one, you will not get any Look Up Tables, no EI-Slog and no 4:4:4 output, only 4:2:2. So pick your poison. Nobody is going to turn down the paid update one, but do you Really need it?

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Wow 500 that sounds damn cheap for a FS100. on ebay here in the USA cheapest FS100 599 bucks, Cheapest Sony F3 is 875 bucks. I'll take the F3! Adorama still has that F3 for 775 bucks with the plastic missing and broken on the LCD. No big deal with the plastic from the pictures to be honest..

But isn't the free upgrade on the Slog for the F3 Only 8bit internal and 10bit external off one SDI port?? And the 4.4.4 thing is like 12 bit on both SDI ports external or 10bit also?

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2 hours ago, webrunner5 said:

Wow 500 that sounds damn cheap for a FS100. on ebay here in the USA cheapest FS100 599 bucks, Cheapest Sony F3 is 875 bucks. I'll take the F3!

I did say ""500ish", so yeah my figures are not too bad. 
And of course, I'd go for the F3 instead!

 

The free slog update is 10bit 422, which is good enough for me (even though  I own the RG444 update) as that is the best my recorder can do anyway. 

 

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