Hello all,

I've posted a few questions around here (DVinfo.net) as I am trying to make some equipment decisions. With my budget of about $5000 for a camera, I have narrowed my choices to either a used EX3 or a new FS100. Only recently have I tilted to the FS100. I am an experienced shooter though I haven't held a camera in quite some time. Here are the questions...

1. Would you recommend getting the package with the kit lens? I have some Vintage Minolta MD Primes and two zooms (28-70 & 70-200) that are a good bit faster than the kit lens. I do shoot live sporting events on occasion where I really rely on the autofocus. How is the auto focus on the kit lens? Is there a better Sony lens than the kit? I saw this servo zoom version for about $1200 but the FS100 hand grip doesn't have a rocker switch so it seems you have to control it from the lens. Anyone using that lens? Here's a link to the lens. Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 PZ OSS Alpha E-mount Lens SELP-18200 B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=913563&is=REG&si=rev#costumerReview) Will this lens even work with the FS100?

2. Using a lens adapter, is there any concern about back focus issues? I've seen adapters for the MD to E mount go for as little as $10 on eBay and as much as $200. Any thoughts or recommendations? I know most folks have invested in Canon or Nikon and I'm in the minority with the vintage Minolta glass but if anyone could speak to any hidden pitfalls to adapting lenses to the FS100. My biggest concern is infinity focus. I have read through the FS100 manual posted here and couldn't see any reference to adjusting for infinity focus.


That should be enough for now. Thanks so much for your consideration. Joe

The autofocus on the kit lens is OK. Not sufficient for fast moving sports in my opinion. Manual focus on the kit lens is worse than the autofocus and totally unusable for fast moving sports. The stabilization on the kit lens is quite good and usable.

Going with the "Alpha" series lenses with phase detect autofocus will offer much better focus performance. You will need the LA-EA2 adapter.

I have MTF lens adapters and can report they have adjustments for backfocus. I also have a very cheap ebay adapter that has no adjustments. You may need to spend a bit more on a lens adapter to ensue you get that feature. I've not had to adjust the MTF adapters. They were fine out of the box.

Maybe I've just been lucky. I've shot high school football, basketball and USA junior gymnastics
with the kit lens and never had problems with autofocus. A-mount and LAEA2 would be even
better for autofocus though. Never had issues with any third party lenses, I've used FD lenses,
Sony mount lenses and Canon EF mount, they all work just fine.

I'm not sure that the FS100 is the right tool for your particular needs (sports). It's great for corporate shoots or anything where you have time to fiddle with lenses. I'm thinking you're better off buying a smaller chip camcorder with a longer-range lens, zoom rocker, built in stabilization and fast autofocus. As a bonus, you won't be spending much more on accessories, lenses or adapters.

Thank you guys for the quick replies. I guess I confused things a bit with too many questions. I should have first asked.

How do you guys like the kit lens for general run and gun shooting? Is the zoom ring smooth enough that you could do a live manual zoom while the autofocus did it's thing? Is anyone using the $1200 Sony lens with the zoom servo on a FS100? I posted a link to the lens at B&H in my fist post. I've noticed that poeple are using it with the FS700 but haven't read anything about it's campatibility with the FS100. Bottom line, Is it worth the extra $700 over the kit lens?


I won't be primarily shooting sports but It may happen on occasion. I will mostly be shooting corporate and industrial videos for distribution on the net and on DVD/BlueRay. I really want to work with the super 35 sensor so i can play with my vintage primes but I also want as flexible of a rig as possible. I guess I really want you guys to tell me how much you really love (or hate) shooting with the FS100. Do you use the kit lens regularly or does it ride around in your bag, unused?

Thanks again!

I have the FS700 and I use the kit lens for maybe 60% of everything I shoot with the camera.

The lens is very good for normal quick setup stuff. The zoom is smooth but the lens is not parfocal so you have to zoom with care to let the autofocus keep up.

I've not used the servo version. I can't comment on that one.

Chris,
Thanks for the insight. Just what I was hoping to hear. If you don't mind my asking, what lens setup do you use for the other 40%? Thanks again, Joe

I have a set of vintage Canon FD "L" lenses that I use when I need that special look for dramatic works.

They have a great look and are a relative bargain.

Next question...

What type of shoulder rig are folks using with their FS100s? The Zacuto stuff looks very very nice but it is way out of my budget for now. Any recommendations on a more frugal set up? I was looking at the Opteka CXS-2 Dual-Grip Video Shoulder Stabilizer Support System (http://opteka.com/cxs2.aspx)

Anyone using this? A different option? I would love to hear some real world experience stories. Thanks!

I didn't get the kit lens because I already had a Canon 24-105 and 70-200. I use the Metabones "smart" adapter and it works quite well. If I had it to do over I would probably buy the Sony lens. It's better for a run-n-gun situation than my current setup.

I've been using old Nikkor lenses with Nikon-to-EOS adapters going to the Metabones adapter. No focus issues. I just ordered the set of Rokinon cine lenses and am retiring the old Nikkors.

Also, I have the Zacuto rig but the only reason is that it is what I used on the 5DII. If I were buying today I'd probably go to Coollcd.com. They're a Korean company and I've bought stuff before from them. Good prices, quick shipping and well built. Also, with the FS100, if you use the big LCD viewing tube that comes with it (which I do and like better than a separate monitor), you need a shoulder rig that's offset--ie., the shoulder brace is off to the right of the rest of the rig. Coollcd products come that way ,as do the Lanparte brand they carry. My Zacuto rig was inline because with the 5DII I used their EVF which hung off to the left. I bought offset brackets from Coollcd to modify the Zacuto. I like the Coollcd and Lanparte shoulder braces better. Cavision also has some less expensive rigs that are well built.

I think if you go to the Metabones site they may have adapters to go from your Minolta lenses to the E mount. They won't be as cheap as the eBay ones, but their stuff is more solid and well made. Nice thing about the E mount is that you can get an adapter for just about any lens out there.

Bill,

You might look into shortening the LCD viewing tube that came with the camera if it would help fit
your rig. Take out 4 screws, and you can velcro or use black gaffers tape, and suddenly that
'chimney' is much shorter. Extra bonus, you don't need to tighten down the LCD to keep it from
sagging and such as it is also much lighter. Easy fix and I just saved the 4 screws and
middle plastic piece in a bag in case I ever want to sell the camera I can easily restore it
to the stock LCD.

Bill,

Thanks for the info. I've bookmarked Coollcd, Looks like they have some nice components for making a custom rig. Glad to hear the system LCD for the FS100 is adequate as I didn't want to shell out an extra $1K for a side mounted viewfind. At $4500 for the FS100 with the kit lens sounds like a no brainer right now. I hope to pull the trigger soon. I searched Metabones but it seems an adaptor for the old minolta MD lenses is not offered. There are plenty of MD adaptors but Metabones doesn't seem to be one of them. Thanks again for the info. Joe

It's a good time to buy right now with the B&H price reduction. I don't know how long that's going to last. I got mine for $4200 for the body just before the end of the year. Then the price went back up last month, and then down when NAB started. It seems like they'll have a sale price until the stock is gone, then it goes back up when they get in a new shipment.

The viewing system is good. I think the LCD is about as sharp as the Zacuto EVF and it's a little bigger. It also has the focus enhancement which makes it easy to focus quickly without having to use the expanded focus button. I don't mind the length of the tube, and I like the big eyecup. It's about the size of the ones on the old broadcast cams I used to use.

Although the camera has incredible battery life, I got a second one (the bigger one) and have never worried about using up both during a full day of shooting.

I don't know if you have any ND filters but you'll need one or more, or a variable ND, because the camera's native ISO is 500. If I want to shoot at a 2.8 or wider to maintain a really shallow DOF, I have to use an ND even for interiors. I bought the Schneider variable ND for this camera and it is excellent but pricy at $400. Recently Genus came out with their better quality Eclipse, which is only around $160 and gets great reviews. I use stepup rings on all my lenses, to 77mm, and have standardized on 77mm filters. I prefer not using a matte box unless I absolutely have to because of the hassle. Normally I use the camera by itself on the tripod and bring out the rails only when I need the follow focus for a dolly shot or lens support for a heavy lens.

Lots of great info Bill! Thanks. Please post up anything you might think useful for a newb. Do you shoot primarily to the Compact Flash cards or do you use an external recorder? Thanks again! Joe

The FS100 uses SD cards and that's all I shoot to. I've done chroma keying and color grading with no problems, so I don't really need the external recorder to provide a lower compression. In fact, I get a good key a lot easier with the FS100's files than I did with the 5DII.

I HIGHLY recommend the Xume system. It makes using ND so much easier. Just snap the filters on
and off lenses. The magnets are almost strong enough to pick up the lens by the filter without them
coming off. Nice system for the FS100 or any DSLR where you need ND filters.

That's pretty slick. You'd think somebody would have thought of that a long time ago..

I have the FS700 and I use the kit lens for maybe 60% of everything I shoot with the camera.

The lens is very good for normal quick setup stuff. The zoom is smooth but the lens is not parfocal so you have to zoom with care to let the autofocus keep up.

I've not used the servo version. I can't comment on that one.

The SEL18200 is not exactly parfocal because it does momentarily lose focus as you zoom in and out, but in my experience (and I've used about 6 copies of it by now) in about half a second focus returns. Say if you're focused at 50 meters and you zoom in or out, after half a second focus is back at 50 meters. Most of the time it's barely noticeable. In fact for a long time I thought the lens was just straight-up parfocal.

So it's kind of an electronically-assisted parfocal lens. In my experience it works very well in reactive shooting. And the "active" stabilization is among the best I've ever seen in an interchangeable lens.

I HIGHLY recommend the Xume system. It makes using ND so much easier. Just snap the filters on
and off lenses. The magnets are almost strong enough to pick up the lens by the filter without them
coming off. Nice system for the FS100 or any DSLR where you need ND filters.

Second vote for the Xume system.

And generally I think the FS100 represents the best compromise between price, performance, portability, etc. right now. The OP has made a great choice.

I upgraded twice to the FS700, but I found it too bulky. Also it's twice as expensive as the FS100, and I don't need the super slow motion.

The C100 is nice but still significant more expensive than the FS100. ($6000 with the 24-105mm lens right now. A great deal and I'd say a close second, but it lacks the FS100's flexibility in terms of lensing.)

A little-mentioned plus for the E-mount, I think, are the cheap, light, and optically excellent E-mount prime lenses. 24, 35, 50, f/1.8, the latter two stabilized and relatively cheap.

If I didn't like the E-mount lense' electronic focus and aperture control, I could also use the Metabones Speed Booster with my old Contax Zeiss lenses, whose aperture rings I greatly enjoy.

**And shortening the loupe is absolutely necessary.** A easy and reversible process.

Al,

Thanks for the insight on the kit lens. I'm pulling the trigger on the FS100 purchase with the kit lens tonight. I'm really excited to be getting back into shooting after spending nearly 10 years in management. I would never had guessed I would be able to shoot with 35mm primes with a video camera without using a spinning ground glass adapter. It's a brave new world. All of you experienced FS100/700 shooters are welcome to post up your words of wisdom as I am sure I will be enduring a steep learning curve. Thanks again for the help. Joe

I use the FS100 to do Motorsports and find it works pretty good. I don't use the kit lens, as I opted to not get it. I do have an Alpha DT 16-50mm 2.8 that works great with the FS100 (manual only, I never use autofocus) as well as a Tamron 2.8 70-200mm in an Alpha mount. (I also have several Canon FD lenses with adapters).

Rally fast pans, for example tracking cars, will lead to some harsh artifacts. Usable, but not ideal.

Also, I don't see any reason to rig the camera for run-and-gun. It works fine (for me) handheld without a rig. I tried it with one I built for my A77 once and have never used it since.

Regarding the FS line suitability for fast-moving sports: a friend of mine shoots for the World Rally Championship and they use lots of FS700s. Also, most of the action sports video world uses RED, FS100/700 and Canon 5D Mk II/III cameras these days. I've even started to see some C300s. Nobody working in the action sports world that I know is shooting with small chip cameras for their A-Cams these days. (Regarding an earlier recommendation in this thread to consider a small chip system for sports.)

Also, Joe, check out the FS100 section on Vimeo for inspiration. Some really great work being done with this camera.

Hey all! Thanks for the great info. I took possession of my new FS100 on Tuesday. I only have had a chance to shoot with it for a day but I can already tell that I made a good choice. I shot at a high school track meet and got some great slo mo of high jump, triple jump, discus and shot-put not to mention the running events. I haven't had a chance to watch the footage on anything other than the camera's monitor but from what I can see, the auto focus had absolutely no problems keeping up with the action while I ran the zoom manually. I was surprised how quickly I became proficient at doing a smooth manual zoom. I shot everything hand held using a shoulder rig I bought from Opteka. With some tweaking, I think this will be the way to go for handheld shooting. I really can't complain about the kit lens either. I shot outdoors under partially cloudy conditions. I didn't have any ND filters with me so I had to up the frame rate a bit to 120 and shoot at around F16 and up. I'm sure this helped the auto focus out a good bit. I have a $10 Minolta MD to Sone E mount adapter on its way. I can't wait to shoot with my vintage minolta lenses. I'll try to get something edited and posted but it may be a while as life has suddenly gotten busy. Thanks again, Joe

I purchased a Fotga brand MD to E mount adapter so I could use my vintage Minolta lenses with my new FS100. I think I paid a total $10 and change for the adapter shipped to my door. I bought it off Ebay of course. I have to say this adapter is really well made and works perfectly. I only had a chance to test it with one minolta lens (58mm F1.4) and I have to say, the image looks amazing. I was a little concerned about infinity focus but it was spot on so I guess I can say I'm pretty happy. I had purchased a Fotga 15mm support camera rig from Ebay for about $67 shipped and I was blown away by the quality of the machined aluminum of that rig. That led me to take a chance on the adapter from Fotga. I know it is Chinese made but it is definitely not junk. I would have guessed it was made in Japan or Germany if I didn't know better.

Chinese made stuff can be of excellent quality. Depends on who's in charge of manufacturing. If they go for lowest cut rate price, they get crap; pay decent and they can turn out Japanese quality. The Metabones smart adapter is Chinese and is very high quality and solid. I also have some rig components from Coollcd.com, and their gear is Korean made. It is as good as any other components I've used.

Hey All!

Here is my very first day shooting with the FS100 using the kit lens. I was running around the track meet with a shoulder rig and shot everything hand held. It took some getting used to using the manual zoom lens. I wanted to post this up because there was some debate earlier as to if the auto focus could keep up with sports action. Watching on a big monitor, I could pick out a few shots that were a tad soft but all of my shots were what I would consider usable. I didn't have any ND filters and it was a partly cloudy day so I had the iris fairly closed which helped out with the focus. In short, I am truly thrilled with the camera and believe that it will only get better as I get comfortable with using it. Feel free to give me any feedback that would be helpful in my future shoots.

2013 Smoky Mountain Conference Track Meet - YouTube

I'm not sure that the FS100 is the right tool for your particular needs (sports). It's great for corporate shoots or anything where you have time to fiddle with lenses. I'm thinking you're better off buying a smaller chip camcorder with a longer-range lens, zoom rocker, built in stabilization and fast autofocus. As a bonus, you won't be spending much more on accessories, lenses or adapters.

I agree with you on this. FS100 is more of a manual cam that needs a little more time to set up your shots. It does however offer excellent picture quality and depth of field. You might also look into a HXR-NX5 Sony.

Any update on using the zoom rocker on the NEX-FS100 to make the SELP18200 zoom electronically?

This is the lens in question:

18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Telephoto Lens | Sony Alpha NEX Lens| SELP18200 Review | Sony Store (http://store.sony.com/p/Sony-Alpha-NEX-18-200mm-Telephoto-Lens/en/p/SELP18200)

Looks like folks are searching for the answer here too:

https://vimeo.com/groups/fs100/forum/topic:258311

I talked to a reliable source at Sony. The answer is no.

Hello all,

I've posted a few questions around here (DVinfo.net) as I am trying to make some equipment decisions. With my budget of about $5000 for a camera, I have narrowed my choices to either a used EX3 or a new FS100. Only recently have I tilted to the FS100. I am an experienced shooter though I haven't held a camera in quite some time. Here are the questions...

1. Would you recommend getting the package with the kit lens? I have some Vintage Minolta MD Primes and two zooms (28-70 & 70-200) that are a good bit faster than the kit lens. I do shoot live sporting events on occasion where I really rely on the autofocus. How is the auto focus on the kit lens? Is there a better Sony lens than the kit? I saw this servo zoom version for about $1200 but the FS100 hand grip doesn't have a rocker switch so it seems you have to control it from the lens. Anyone using that lens? Here's a link to the lens. Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 PZ OSS Alpha E-mount Lens SELP-18200 B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=NavBar&A=getItemDetail&Q=&sku=913563&is=REG&si=rev#costumerReview) Will this lens even work with the FS100?


hey Joe,
i personally love the kit lens. autofocus is SILENT!!! never had a lens be this quiet. its not speedy, but its good and its quiet. i just leave it on autofocus mode at all times mostly. next point to consider is this lens has builtin Active Optical Steady Shot. its super smooth! i've shown footage to people who thought i was using a steadicam!
i think it has a place in every FS100 users pack, but if you do sports it won't focus fast enough i think. :-( sorry. a camera with a deeper depth of field may be necessary.
yes that powerzoom will work with any Sony e-mount camera, but you must control the powerzoom from the lens. i have used it before.

Thank you guys for the quick replies. I guess I confused things a bit with too many questions. I should have first asked.

How do you guys like the kit lens for general run and gun shooting? Is the zoom ring smooth enough that you could do a live manual zoom while the autofocus did it's thing? Is anyone using the $1200 Sony lens with the zoom servo on a FS100? I posted a link to the lens at B&H in my fist post. I've noticed that poeple are using it with the FS700 but haven't read anything about it's campatibility with the FS100. Bottom line, Is it worth the extra $700 over the kit lens?


I won't be primarily shooting sports but It may happen on occasion. I will mostly be shooting corporate and industrial videos for distribution on the net and on DVD/BlueRay. I really want to work with the super 35 sensor so i can play with my vintage primes but I also want as flexible of a rig as possible. I guess I really want you guys to tell me how much you really love (or hate) shooting with the FS100. Do you use the kit lens regularly or does it ride around in your bag, unused?
I
Thanks again!

hey again!

to answer this question. I LOVE it. I've used Panasonic HVX200's and Canon and nikon DSLR's, but this is by far the best run and gun can I've ever had. I never have had a camera I can just leave ISO in auto and autofocus on at all time and just never worry if I'll miss the shot. and even as high sometimes as 8000 ISO i get no to little grain. certainly not as much as the canons and the panasonic hvx200 sucks in comparison!

I wish I had 2 of them!!! and when I say run and gun I mean for hours without a shoulder rig just walking around handheld filming documentary style. the kit lens is worth it, and the power zoom lens is ok. but not a vey fast powerzoom. it IS comparable. even it's highest speed of power zoom is pretty slow. be warned. otherwise it's the EXACT same lens as the usual kit lens. same AMAZING optical stabilization. etc. I haven't really tried following a ball game :-/ sorry

I've tested numerous solutions for lenses on the FS100. These are my findings:

1. Kit lens. Optically good, image stabilizer efficient and quiet, but zoom tends to move without touching it, because the glass is s heavy. Therefor, I do not use it often.

2. All my Canon DSLR lenses with the Metabones Mk II adapter. This expensive adapter is worthless for video.It will keep the image stabilization, but that's about the only advantage. No real autofocus and changing the aperture with the dial on the camera will cause the lens aperture to briefly open completely between stops, resulting in a terrible flicker in the image. So changing aperture while filming can NOT be done. I don't know if mine is a lemon, but in these conditions this very expensive adapter is not worth one third of it's price.

3. Old, manual Nikon lenses with a cheap Fotasy Nikon/NEX adapter. No autofocus, no image stabilization, but perfect light control with the manual aperture on the lens. Plus a huge choice of lenses, like 50mm 1,4 on the second hand market, for pennies. Even super-long lenses and exotic ones like tilt & shift come at a bargain. I use my good old 50mm 1,4 a lot, for its beautiful DOF.

4. Rokinon (=Samyang in Europe) 35mm T1,5. This is, as far as I am concerned, the winner. This inexpensive lens has a declicked aperture ring, very smooth autofocus, and no adapter needed. It is very sharp and well made. I will certainly buy some more of these, for example the 85 and 24 mm.

5. Sony's own NEX 16-50 pancake lens, with auto zoom (on the lens). This a very good second, especially if I want to keep things really lightweight. Sharpness is excellent in most zoom positions, there is some cushion distortion, but the auto zoom on the lens can come in handy.