NEX-EA50EH (NEXEA50EH) : Product Overview : Sony Professional (http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/product/nxcamcorders/nex-ea50eh/overview#overview)

At Last a Large APS-C sensor Run and Gun with zoom lens.

oooooooooooo i want to know more!

if it has built in nd filters then its really exciting

I wonder if Alister has had the chance to play with one yet?

Not to put a downer on things, but it's less than GBP3k:

1) No NDs
2) No stills in video mode (must switch modes)
3) Image quality not quite FS100 - there will be aliasing

At its heart, it's related closer to the VG20 than to the FS100.

But of course the form factor looks great - put the FS700 internals in the EA50 body and call it the 750? Please Sony?

NEX-EA50 NXCAM Camcorder: Product Introduction Video : Sony Professional (http://www.sony.co.uk/pro/article/nex-ea50-intro-video)


Here's the Promo Video

Oh no, not yet another proprietary memory card format from Sony!

The slide out shoulder mount looks like a good feature - albeit the whole cam looks a bit flimsy on the demo video. If the image quality is nearer to the VG20 (I don't know if it is or not) and there is noticeable aliasing then I certainly won't be getting too excited by the announcement of this cam.

+1 @Andy - I was told deffo NOT FS100 quality, no free lunches and all that. I don't think this was ever planned to be 'our camera'. I do hang out over at Mr Bloom's forum where there's lots of people who just reiterate over and over again that the FS100 is out of their reach and even S/H is a bit of a struggle. This plops it bang in the DSLR category and the Event Videographers who need something a little bulkier to stand out from the crowd to get their shots.

However, if they were to put an FS700 in that body... (says he, about to pull the trigger on a shoulder mount system). Who needs an EVF, Tilta rig et al with this style? I loved the JVC HD100, this has the same feel.

BTW, the card format - you can put either SDHC or MemoryStick Pro into its slot, ditto FS100/700. I'm up for the new mirroring memory stick for interviews and the like... check out the specs:

Sony Global - Memory cards - Mirroring Memory Stick (http://www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_eu/px/index.html)

OK, so it looks like the FS700 users will get something to play with for their zoom rocker :)

We the FS100 users don't have a zoom rocker, but this new announcement made me wonder if the servo zoom can be controlled with LANC (which we do have)... If all the electric connections are there already, a simple firmware upgrade could actually make it happen!

I still have my Zoe Bebob LANC controller for Z1, apparently those will work! (inc Variable speed zoom).

And I long sold away my 2 Manfrotto LANC controllers - one integrated tripod handle, and a clamp-on:(

BUT, if it turns to be true, the cost of a new controller will only slightly increase that of a new servo zoom lens (of course, I'm talking about some really fast one - not the F3.5-6.3)...

According to Alister here: New Sony NEX-EA50EH shoulder mount 35mm camcorder. Power Zoom lens for FS100 and FS700 | (http://www.xdcam-user.com/2012/08/new-sony-nex-ea50eh-shoulder-mount-35mm-camcorder-power-zoom-lens-for-fs100-and-fs700/),

- no need for the LANC (but one can be handy, nevertheless)!

OK, if you can use SDHC cards then that's not so bad then. Thanks for clarifying that Matt.

I've heard the rumor of this camera, I just didn't expect it so soon. The zoom lens is the most intriguing thing about it - according to Alister, it has a small zoom rocker built it (I can't make it out in the pics). That'd be perfect for my FS100.
Actually, this might just replace my FS100. The form factor is a lot better. I don't shoot any broadcast video with my FS, so a slight degradation of the video isn't that bad. It's still more optimized for video as compared to the NEX-5N.

Glen - the EA50 has the NEX-5N genes, so you're going to see VG20 style aliasing on near-horizontals. I'm holding onto my FS100 and continuing to invest in its shoulder mount. But yes, this form factor is very good.

The small zoom rocker 'may be' a fixed speed or two speed switch, not a variable control like a LANC controller. OTOH, maybe there's some ramping in the software with a soft start and stop - that could be enough for some.

Alister Chapman demonstrated the other end of this scale yesterday - a full-on broadcast ENG lens with its zoom controller powered off a V-lock (yes, mounted to an FS100/700). You get the range, the par-focal nature of a video lens, the DoF and the performance of an ENG (albeit with the doubler applied, so you're getting a 18x8 lens start at 24mm (2.4x magnification factor) up to super telephoto. Lens and adaptor can cost more than an FS700, so it's not for everyone - but... "!"

And consider this: what about software zoom? If you have a 4K sensor and you're shooting 1080p, even if it's a 2x zoom factor, that might be enough for an interview, and suddenly all your primes and non-parfocal zooms can do that 'creep-in' trick during an interview, or that slight adjustment to framing during a pan. All with super-clean accuracy and ramping beyond human control. Not as a replacement, but as an extra blade in the swiss-army-knife approach. A new brush in your paintpot.

But all this is conjecture. Just like 'tap focus' and 'face detection' was last year. :-)

Mike - yeah, this is more of an super-VG20 than it is an FS100 replacement. Still, Alister says the video processing is better than the NEX-5N's, so there's a little hope.
I do like that form factor, though. If nothing else, I'll grab that zoom lens.

OK, I did see the power zoom switch on the new lens. It can be used on the FS100. Sweet! Better order the zoom lens while you can. I'll bet they'll be in short supply for a while, with all the FS100/700 users wanting one.

Glen - the EA50 has the NEX-5N genes, so you're going to see VG20 style aliasing on near-horizontals.

How do you know this for sure Matt?

How do you know this for sure Matt?

He doesn't, it's all rumors untill someone get's his hand on the camera. I think it's going to be a popular camera with wedding- and event videographers considering it's pricepoint and it's the first "real" formfactor videocamera (compared to the fs100/700) with a large sensor, exchangeble lenzes and xlr, no need to trick out with overpriced accessories. If it performs imagewise Sony might have a winner but since they made no fuzz about it that doesn't sound promising :)

A 16mp photo camera sensor mounted in an ENG-style video camera?

I own several Sony cameras, one of which is a NEX VG20. I can understand a sensor like this in a consumer "Handycam". It DOES take great pictures and it's in a somewhat "practical" photography friendly hand-held body. However, video resolution is very "soft" even when compared to a Handycam CX760. Low light performance is great with a fast prime but moire artifacts badly hurt this camera sometimes. I use it for photos allot but I use it carefully for video and only for certain types of shots.

Why would Sony uses this sensor in a true video camera? This camera would have been PERFECT with the FS100's super35mm.

So very close,...yet so far!

I'm beside myself.

CT

If Alister gets this camera and points it at his resolution charts? Woah,....ouch!.

+1 @Andy - I was told deffo NOT FS100 quality, no free lunches and all that. I don't think this was ever planned to be 'our camera'. I do hang out over at Mr Bloom's forum where there's lots of people who just reiterate over and over again that the FS100 is out of their reach and even S/H is a bit of a struggle. This plops it bang in the DSLR category and the Event Videographers who need something a little bulkier to stand out from the crowd to get their shots.

However, if they were to put an FS700 in that body... (says he, about to pull the trigger on a shoulder mount system). Who needs an EVF, Tilta rig et al with this style? I loved the JVC HD100, this has the same feel.

BTW, the card format - you can put either SDHC or MemoryStick Pro into its slot, ditto FS100/700. I'm up for the new mirroring memory stick for interviews and the like... check out the specs:

Sony Global - Memory cards - Mirroring Memory Stick (http://www.sony.net/Products/memorycard/en_eu/px/index.html)

Gotta say I thought the same thing at first - finally a newer-tech version of the HD100 I loved for years, but smaller & lighter-weight... but no built-in NDs is a non-starter for me.

I'm hoping either Sony will carry this form-factor over into the more pro line - something akin to what you describe as an FS700 in that body... and/or that Panasonic will unveil a AG-AF100 successor that has something in common with this form-factor for ergonomics & handling.

Wonder if we will get an update to the NX5U/AX2000 next.

Ron Evans

He doesn't, it's all rumors untill someone get's his hand on the camera.

No, not rumour at all. Matt was at a product presentation hosted by a product manager from Sony where it was clearly stated that the sensor is the same APS-C sensor as the VG20/NEX5N with the same Optical Filter optimised for a stills camera and as a result similar aliasing and moire levels.

This is a budget camera, better suited to video than a 5D or other DSLR and with pro video features like XLR audio, shoulder mount, a decent well placed EVF etc normally only found on more expensive cameras and a new servo zoom (based on the 18-200mm E-mount kit lens) all for less than £3K. I know many that would probably pay the best part of that just for the lens.

Is it perfect, no, but then there is no such thing as a perfect camera because what's perfect for one person is not perfect for the next, but for many lower budget people I think this will be just what they are looking for. I can see it being very popular with wedding and event videographers as well as schools and colleges etc where they can buy 4 of these for the price of an F3 and getting the ultimate image quality is not paramount.

No, not rumour at all. Matt was at a product presentation Ok, then I understand, I found it strange that without the camera being used or tested by anyone someone would know what artifacts the image would suffer from and how they compare to existing camera's.

Because this is an "NXCAM" we must ask the per-release standard questions:

1.) Will you be able to control GAIN, IRIS and SHUTTER SPEED at the same time (Some Handycams allow this but not all NXCAMS today do)

2.) Will this camera have standard audio level meters with "db" values or the non-decrypt "pyramid" type that have no values. (Some Handycams have level meters, some NXCAMs have pyramid type.)

3.) Will the camera display "gain" values on the screen when shooting or only displayed during playback? (Some NXCAMS today do this)

CT

When the VG20 came out, I bought it directly from Sony the day it was, based on specs Sony posted. As it turned out, those specs were wrong. While Sony said there were picture profiles on board, there were not. There is absolutely no way to adjust contrast, saturation, and sharpness. I was a vocal critic of that, but Sony did nothing to fix it.

Hopefully this camera has those adjustments. I note that in one of the close up pics I saw, there is a Profile button. Now if Sony doesn't disable the adjustments features in PF, all should be good. Sony, how about sending us FIrmware update on the VG20 so we have the same features 5n through this new camera.

Frankly, I don't consider the moire and aliasing issues of the VG20 to be a significant problem, though I recognize there are purists who accept nothing less that perfection, there are going to be trade offs to price points. You can shoot around obvious issues with that. Here is one wediding shoot I found quite nice, shot with the VG20.

https://vimeo.com/groups/115787/videos/47165658

More interesting products from Sony, and thats great.

No camera will ever be perfect, but I wonder if the various departments at Sony are working in secret from each other, which prevents them from ever "getting it all together" in one package.

It will be interesting to see if it has some of the automatic/semi auto modes of the consumer cameras that I find useful on XR500, CX700 etc like AE shift, touch spot focus etc. It has button for face tracking so I assume it may have all these features too. That would be useful in managing the shallower depth of field.

Ron Evans

Moire is not a problem until the day the groom wears a suit with fine pin stripes or the brides dress has a fine pattern. Then you have a major problem with only one real cure and one work-around. Either shoot everything slightly out of focus or find a different camera.

I'm sure Sony could put everything into one package, best sensor, best codec, best ergonomics (for who?), best lens system etc. But it's not going to cost less than £3k GBP. That's the way of the world, same with cars, houses, computers etc. Why do people expect to pay bottom dollar, but get a top dollar camera? When you can only afford a Golf do you expect to be able to buy an Audi A8 for the same money?
This is the only large sensor shoulder mount camera currently on the market for less than £45k.

less than £45k
Was it not around 3K?

Don't know how the moire and aliasing from a VG20/NEX5 compares to a Canon 550d/7d, but if it would be equally worse then a grooms suite or a brides dress has not caused me problems so far but rooftiles have or certain fine pattern floors and walls with very small bricks and the moire can be quite nasty at times with wide angle lenzes.I have seen vg20 videos and it looks like it's not as bad as with Canon dslrs? I also read good things about the "Mosaic Engineering's optical anti-aliasing filter" for the 5d that seems to eliminate moire and aliasing considerably, wonder if that is applicable to other camera's suffering the same problem.

Noa, that filter is from Mosaic engineering, and yet it works well with the 5D. They have now developed one for the 7D, and the other DSLRs seem to be not far behind. The VG20 probably hasn't sold enough to warrant development, but I would like to see it.

I have been surprised that some things I thought would be a problem with the VG20 were not a problem at all.

I have a VG20 and lemme tell you, moire patterens are not ALL bad.

Sometimes the artifacts make a great "focus assist" tool.

CT ;-)

I love my VG-20 - it's a wildly unappreciated camera... That said, getting a few more buttons, control over sharpening/contrast (at least I assume it will have them), and 2 XLR inputs sure as heck isn't worth $3,000.

This new camera has the same sensor, same lack of built-in ND, same frame rates, same glass as the stock zoom lens. Oddly, it doesn't even have the VG20's dedicated eye piece view finder (rather using the same clunky FS100 method).

Looks quite a bit like the JVC GYU 100/et al line-up - which is good. I used to own one, and it def had a "wow" factor when you showed up with it. But again, hardly worth the huge up tick in price.

A side step at best, as I'm not sure why ENG gathers wouldn't use either Canon or other Sony cameras that have 50mbs/4:2:2 colour space - I'm guessing it's more of a form factor test run for the next gen of the FS100/700.

It's at B&H now, $4500.

Sony Sony NEX-EA50UH Camcorder with 18-200mm Servo Zoom


A side step at best, as I'm not sure why ENG gathers wouldn't use either Canon or other Sony cameras that have 50mbs/4:2:2 colour space - I'm guessing it's more of a form factor test run for the next gen of the FS100/700.

It's just a VG20 in a big package, much the same as the HD1000 and MC2000 were consumer cameras with giant bodies surrounding them. This time with a few actual pro features thankfully. The point of this is for wedding and other event videographers that want something that looks more professional. It's not the tool it's who's using it, but when the bride sees her special day being shot with handycams she might freak. That's the basic thought anyways.

It for sure delivers the "Wow" factor....

Yet many wedding guys have been using DSLRs for years now. When my VG20 is tricked out for action, no one questions that a "real movie" is being made.

Some will grab it up I'm sure, but why anyone would buy this over a FS100 (or a Canon XF105 for that matter) is beyond me.

I think the "big camera" is more of a crutch for the insecure shooter than it is to please the client. That excuse should be dead everywhere by this point, and videographers should know how to deal with it. They should be selling their product based on the work they have done and do, not the size of their camera. As far as the client, its just a matter of education that skill and editing are what make the film, not the size of the rig. If your selling point is that you have a big camera, that won't last long in the industry if you don't have the skills to go with it.

Of course, the shoulder mount may be best form factor for the wedding shooter, and that may be the thought in rolling out this camera. I am not knocking that.

unsubscribed...

At $4500 is only $300 cheaper than FS100. Even if we assume that Fs100 with the same servo lens would be around $5000, the difference in price is not substantial. If the sensor is not optimized for video as its rumored and without HDSDI, it isn't really that good of a deal. Only the ergonomics look better.
Compared to the $700 A57($1000 with 18-135), which probably shares the same sensor and also sports inbody stabilization, seems a tad expensive as well.

If it was meant as a cheaper alternative of FS100, it should have been around $3500 max.

Compared to the $700 A57($1000 with 18-135), which probably shares the same sensor and also sports inbody stabilization, seems a tad expensive as well.

The A57 and all other current generation Sony SLTs only have IBIS in photo mode, in video mode they crop in an additional 1.24x and only use digital stabilization. Total crop for an APS-C SLT in video mode is effectively 1.86x, if you turn off steadyshot in video mode it does not eliminate the additional crop.

According to Alister here: New Sony NEX-EA50EH shoulder mount 35mm camcorder. Power Zoom lens for FS100 and FS700 | (http://www.xdcam-user.com/2012/08/new-sony-nex-ea50eh-shoulder-mount-35mm-camcorder-power-zoom-lens-for-fs100-and-fs700/),

- no need for the LANC (but one can be handy, nevertheless)!

Well, it looks like the information on the zoom rocker being integrated with the lens is not accurate; it clearly belongs to the camera body:

Not sure but if you look at the photos there's a button that looks like a zoom rocker on the side of the lens with a "t" and "w" printed, I suppose that's the second zoom function?

Yes - but this one is more a "lever" than a proper rocker...

In any case, with the FS100 a LANC controller will be essential (provided the camera has all the electrical connections in the lens mount ready for controlling the servo zoom motor)!

No, not rumour at all. Matt was at a product presentation hosted by a product manager from Sony where it was clearly stated that the sensor is the same APS-C sensor as the VG20/NEX5N with the same Optical Filter optimised for a stills camera and as a result similar aliasing and moire levels.

This is a budget camera, better suited to video than a 5D or other DSLR and with pro video features like XLR audio, shoulder mount, a decent well placed EVF etc normally only found on more expensive cameras and a new servo zoom (based on the 18-200mm E-mount kit lens) all for less than £3K. I know many that would probably pay the best part of that just for the lens.

Is it perfect, no, but then there is no such thing as a perfect camera because what's perfect for one person is not perfect for the next, but for many lower budget people I think this will be just what they are looking for. I can see it being very popular with wedding and event videographers as well as schools and colleges etc where they can buy 4 of these for the price of an F3 and getting the ultimate image quality is not paramount.

There is no perfect camera because manufacturers deliberately hold back in an obsolescence form. Crafty.

What is there a big deal for Sony etc to go back to what Canon made in the 1990's. ie the Canon EX1/2/L1/2 Hi8 camera, the forerunner to the XL1 which had interchangable lens and a rocker button on the body??

Well, it looks like the information on the zoom rocker being integrated with the lens is not accurate; it clearly belongs to the camera body:

There is a zoom control on the lens. It may not be "proper," but it sure would be useful on my FS100:

I've not seen any photos showing the lens zoomed in. Does it extend like the kit lens for the FS100/700 does?

What is there a big deal for Sony etc to go back to what Canon made in the 1990's. ie the Canon EX1/2/L1/2 Hi8 camera, the forerunner to the XL1 which had interchangable lens and a rocker button on the body??

This is a naive view of the engineering involved. A button is insufficient. Zooming a lens requires a mechanical way to turn the lens mechanism. This is in the form of a zoom motor. The "button" is just a controller. If the motor is in the body, then there must be a mechanical connection to the lens mechanism which requires support by the lens manufacturer in the form of something in the connection or gearing on the ring. That means a body specific version of the lens. Ditto if the motor is in the lens as it appears to be in the new lens. The body must support the electrical control interface on the lens in order for the body's controller ("button") or possibly LANC connection to control the lens motor.

There is no perfect camera because manufacturers deliberately hold back in an obsolescence form. Crafty.

Features cost money. Every feature you enable requires engineering to develop it, test it and maintain it. The more features, the more a camera costs. Additionally, you as a camera owner benefit from a manufacturer choosing model replacement timing and features. It comes in the form of resale value.

The lens sure will telescope out when zooming in. It's just a matter of the lens hood racking out along with it or the lens body racking "out of" the lens hood. There is no way their engineers can make the zoom this long on the tele end while keeping the lens' body length the same as in the wide position with the current optical technology. All professional ENG zooms can be made non-telescopic simply because the image circles only need to cover the sensor size of 2/3" or smaller.

35mm cine zoom lenses don't telescope when the focal length is changed, with the matte box systems used it would be a serious issue if they did.

According to the information I have from Sony the lens is essentially the same as the 18-200mm kit lens that comes with the FS100, only re housed with a servo motor to control the zoom. All the indications are that it telescopes in just the same way.

The lens sure will telescope out when zooming in. It's just a matter of the lens hood racking out along with it or the lens body racking "out of" the lens hood. There is no way their engineers can make the zoom this long on the tele end while keeping the lens' body length the same as in the wide position with the current optical technology. All professional ENG zooms can be made non-telescopic simply because the image circles only need to cover the sensor size of 2/3" or smaller. Really? There are plenty of non telescoping 35mm PL mount lenses with similar zoom ranges from Angenieux, Arri and Canon,. It can be done, it just isn't cheap. You can even add an adapter to a 2/3" lens to increase the size of the image circle to create a non-telescoping s35mm zoom. However it is much cheaper to take a varifocal dslr zoom and modify that.

Yes, but real 35s cinezooms are always humongous (so that the entire lens housing can accommodate the zoom movements required by the optical groups inside). I've never seen a handholdable and compact 35s zoom.