Video camera kit

ALwin · June 28, 2016

1 hour ago, Vicky99 said:

ALwin, you use the FS7 for ENG work? I looked up the camera on google and it looks like a great camera. Can you tell us your thoughts about using it for ENG, and if you have comments about the FS5?

Funny you should mention the FS5, my colleague received his today and we were just now putting it together.

The FS7, a very good sub-$10,000.00 camera, one of the best for this price range. Image quality is fantastic, it can handle low light very decently though keep it mind it is NOT a Sony A7sII with an ISO that goes over one million. Well, even if a camera can go up to such a high ISO, no camera is really meant to be used like that. People who really know what they are doing use proper fast lenses and lights. It's small and lightweight, smaller and lighter than a previous camera I used. I've had it for about eight months now.

The downsides of the FS7, while Sony has designed it to be shoulder mountable it wasn't really comfortable. I had to buy a shoulder mount rig. I don't like the viewfinder loupe, it can fall of easily with even a slight bump.

I like the large Super 35 sensor, which is great, sometimes I find myself wishing for a smaller sensor so that I don't have to worry about focusing issues. I am starting to use Cine EI mode more when I am not using the camera for ENG work.

Sony FS5, younger sibling to the FS7 indeed. I haven't used it myself, and my colleague just received his today. First impressions:

very compact and light weight
unlike the FS7 which comes with 3 physical ND filters, the FS5's filter dial on the camera only brings down the electronic variable ND filter in front of the sensor. The variable ND can be pre-set to 3 values in the menu or can be set to variable mode and adjusted with the turn of another dial.

I'll write more later, when I get home from work.

Vicky99 · July 10, 2016

Hi ALwin, sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. We were quite busy for the past weeks. Thank you for telling us about your experience with the FS7, and your view about the FS5.

We managed to get some extra budget allocated for buying a new camera kit and we have placed an order for the Z150 along with lighting and audio accessories. We also ordered a smaller handheld camcorder for backup.

Thank you for all your help. By the way, can you provide me with your contact details and the rates you charge? We would like to add you to our list of freelancers that we sometimes hire to help us.