Is this just a chroma boost, or does Cinematone change gamma etc?

Here is one answer from a Sony Q&A board: "It is used to record images with the gamma curve similar to that of film cameras. Rich and distinctive images are reproduced with white clipping of highlighted areas reduced.
Also, reproducing the detail of skin tone is improved by maintaining detail in the middle tones and highlights which are superior to the standard gamma curve."

I make my adjustments in post but I will say having worked with the FS100 some of these Cinematone profiles look pretty good. It all depends on what you're shooting and the look you want? My recommendation is look at the image on a decent field monitor before committing.

I think the cinematone on the fs100 is a bit different than on the NX70. On my CX560
which is the same(ish) vintage as the NX70 the cinematone lifts the gamma but does
not change hue or saturation according the vectorscope on my NLE software.

Wow, I was a bit blown away today when I received my 70u. I decided to go with it at a $ 2799 price with a $300 rebate.

Why was I blown away ? I had no idea that the camera had no way to adjust saturation, sharpness or contrast. This had been a primary complaint I had with my VG20, and because this one was deemed a more professional level camera, I assumed it had some capability of making those adjustments.

Am I wrong, have I missed something somewhere ?

Chris,

There's no picture profile adjustment at all on the NX70. Apart from Cinematone on/off.

What on earth were Sony thinking of?

Sony strikes again!

Man, they really want to protect the FS100 sales, don't they?

For what it's worth, Cinetone on the VG20 seems to slightly crush the blacks and lower over all brightness.... And that's about it.

Darn, I was sure hoping I missed something. I'll give it a day or two, to see if I think its worth it.... But it may be going back.

Sony, its getting harder to be in love with you.........

One thing you may wish to consider is getting hold of a number of good quality ND filters. The sweet spot for the NX70 is F4 and to avoid truly awful diffraction effects, the iris must not close beyond that point. A number of users have promoted variable ND filters, such as the Polaroid, having tried one I can confirm that it certainly reduces light well enough, but also Polarises & produces a strong colour shift across the frame! Thinking about it, they work by using two linear polarisers, so it's hardly surprising there's a colour shift!
Back to the NDs - Tiffen have been REALLY helpful in sourcing 37mm NDs which are not part of their standard offerings (ND 1.2 to ND2.0). B+W is also a quality manufacturer, as is anything using Schott glass.

My experience of the Polaroid ND was exactly the same. It worked well physically (especially after modifying the lens hood so it would fit under it), but everything became a bit, well, brown. I used it once in anger, and never again.

I have a collection of B+W NDs, and they do a great job. The only thing is the hassle factor of putting them on and off in a hurry. I had to buy some of them from a German retailer, they're not easy to find in the UK. Thank goodness for Google translate.

I have a Lightcraft Workshop 37mm fader ND, but it's hopeless with the wide angle of the NX70 with really bad vingetting.

For ultimate ND, I have a Cavision 3x3 mattebox with some really good Formatt NDs, but that's neither portable nor cheap!

Sony, its getting harder to be in love with you.........

In that pricerange I think you should have gone for the canon xf100.

I may be there yet, Noa

A number of things factored into my decision, including rebates, potential for mixing footage with the VG20, and the budgetary impact of the potential of going to with the Black Magic cinema rig, and what actual needs for this camera were. Ultimately, a $ 600 difference (after a $300 rebate) in new rig seemed like a pretty good deal. It turns out this camera is very much the same camera as my VG20, but with and XLR adapter, and smaller chip. The whole interface seems pretty much the same.

I had no idea that the camera had no way to adjust saturation, sharpness or contrast. This had been a primary complaint I had with my VG20, and because this one was deemed a more professional level camera, I assumed it had some capability of making those adjustments.

I just added an A57 to my lineup, oddly enough at $619 the 'creative styles' transfer into video mode. That means that contrast, saturation, and sharpness are selectable each from -3 to + 3 (includes 5 customizable presets + B&W).

Sony sure is weird.

I may be there yet, Noa

:) I just referred to the xf100 because here it's about the same price but the camera seems to have more control over the image. With the Sony it's" what you see you get", I do have a cx730 which imagewise should be the same as the nx70 and was planning to get another nx70/xf100 or even have been thinking about the vg20, as long as they are small and light camera's. The xf100 image might be too difficult to match with the sony but I know the nx70 image would not, it would fit right out of the box.

I honestly don't mind that I have no controll over the image because it's factory configured just how I like it to be, It's flat enough to leave room in post to CC. Only the price of the nx70 is quite steep, for a bit more I can get a panasonic ag ac130 but that's a real bulky camera. That's why I was thinking of the vg20 as it's about 1500 dollar cheaper over here but I read quite some negative reports about it. I actually want a second camera where I can hold the viewfinders eyecup up against my eye when handheld shooting. I don't really need xlr connectivity because I got a beachtek adapter for that with my cx730.

Can I ask you Chris, what's the quality of the viewfinders screen? Is is large and sharp for easy focussing? And what about the viewfinder, is that good for focussing? Are you in general satisfied about this camera?

Well Noa, I bought the camera because nearly all my shooting is on or near the sea, & I'm tired of replacing my small cameras every year because of corrosion... The NX70 is the only camera I know of that offers a moderate amount of weather sealing & so far it's working!
The screen & viewfinder are just about adequate, in my opinion. Bright daylight will force you to use the viewfinder which offers a good eyecup & smallish image. Expanded focus helps confirm focus but the peaking, even in "low" mode is a bit crude.
Overall I quite like the camera. I've started using Cinematone, as it allows me greater control in colour correction. The Active steadyshot is good, although you loose sharpness as it crops the frame. The golden rule is to keep an eye on the iris - F4 or below.

The golden rule is to keep an eye on the iris - F4 or below.

Do you use an ND filter to be able to do that? Without that the only option left is use the shutterspeed, I have the same issue on my cx730, in general you don't notice these often very high shutterspeeds outside, only when they trow rice at a wedding as you can see every single rice grain :)
I"m looking into an option to screw on an nd filter but am not sure which type to get.

Never mind, just saw that my cx730 keeps a constant F4.0 outside and rides the shutter to keep it at that level, it's sunny outside today and I saw shutter speeds close to 1/500. I did realize suddenly I had a 52mm nd2-400 collecting dust here (use don my old nikon nikkors with my t2i) and screwed that on just now. Problem is that I can't find a way to show shutterspeed, iso and f-stop while filming, only during playback so I have no clue what the camera's does when turning the nd filter. If I use a too high nd value the iso will kick in and that's not good either.

Does the nx70 show these values while filming?

Yes it does in Manual mode (Not auto). Set the lens ring to control iris & use the screen icons for shutter & gain.

Problem is that I can't find a way to show shutterspeed, iso and f-stop while filming, only during playback
Does the nx70 show these values while filming?

Yes it does in Manual mode (Not auto)

I'll just leave this here.

I was hoping you"d show an image of a cx730/740/760 with that info in record mode :) but it's good to know that at least it is included on the nx70.
I only wished the small Sony's did this as well, maybe I overlooked but only found it possible to see this when the camera is in playback, quite stupid as you don't need that info after you filmed it, guess Sony deliberately limited some of the functions so more advanced users would buy their more expensive camera's. Maybe a magic lantern version can be made for this? :)

I agree it's odd. Especially when a $600 Sony DSLR, sorry 'SLT' displays everything.

VG 20 and NX70: I have both the VG20 and NX70 at the moment. Their GUI's are very similar, and when I used them together the first time this weekend, I got a bit confused when I was looking for a minor feature on one, that was only on the other camera.

After my brief use, I am pretty sure these cameras will cut well together and that was something I was looking for, rather than go with the XF100.

The benefit of the smaller chip camera came up right away is a wide shot in which a I needed a deep depth of field. In the area I was shooting, I could not have gotten everything in as sharply as with the NX70.

There is no doubt the image in on the NX70 camera is a lot cleaner and sharper than my old FX1.

I think the NX70 is going to give a sharper image in daylight and well lighted situartions, but the VG20 is a lot cleaner in lower light situations. Even so, I find the grain of both cameras in low light situation to be very fine...... a lot like grain in Tri-X black and white film that was popular for low light film shooting.

Lack of adjustibility frustrates me a bit. Its like Sony is saying I am too dumb to know what I would do with the camera, even though I am smart enough to write a check for $2,700. Realistically, though, I have to agree with Chris Stevens that Sony has left room on the 70, as well as the VG20, to add saturation, maybe a bit more contrast, and sharpness in post if you think it is warranted. I have used sharpness a lot on the VG20 in the past without adding that funky looking edges.

Viewfiner seems sharp, and seem same apparent size as on my FX1. I am starting to get used to touch screening on the VG20, and now the NX70.

Not have had them yet in a camera I owned, I do love the XLR capability of the NX70, but realistically, the unit now be added by the manufactures for removal, are really just XLR adapters,

I am sitting here with a case full of old SLR lenses, and my Canon 5D Mark II as well as a T2i, which I have tricked out with a few accessories, and with Magic Lantern, but I am beginning to wonder whether I will ever go back to shooting them.

Sold me T2i about 6 months ago to help buy the VG20 and I haven't regretted it for a second. The VG20 makes some incredibly cinematic pictures. It's sensitivity in low light is simply amazing. I've railed against the lack of pro controls since the start, but it's really the only camera at it's price range that can do everything that it does.

Update on my 70u saga.

Today, after some real gut checking, I realized the 70u is just not adjustable enough to me. So I took advantage of Sony Stores 30 day return policy. Come on Sony, you could have done better.