Hi all,

I've been following this forum for a while and have been both enjoying and educating myself!

I joined up to ask a question about a suitable 'b camera' to accompany the EA50 - My heart and head is set on the EA50 as it ticks a lot of boxes for corporate/wedding/broadcast work.

Mainly for the wedding work I will also need a 'b camera' - I'm hoping someone here can give personal opinions or suggest a few suitable options.

I'm leaning towards the Panasonic GH3 - but I was also considering the Sony NX30. I've mainly worked with Z1's before this so to have these options to hand now is a huge jump in picture quality. Feel free to throw out other suggestions that may work - max 1800euro/2000USD. If cheaper options available I'd consider buying 2 x 'b cameras'

At the moment though, my main question concerns matching footage between the EA50 and the GH3/NX30: Would it be a tricky ongoing issue or a simple process once established? Would love to "sign off" on this once and for all as I don't think I can spend much longer researching stuff online!

Thanks in advance.

To match footage you absolutely cannot go wrong with either a Sony NEX 5N (cheap as chips), VG20 or VG30.

I would personally go for the VG20 purely for the fact a pre-owned one on ebay can be had for well under £1000 now.

Get the VG20 or 30. A good sensor march like that is hard to find. And the new VG30s come with the same lens as the EA50 so your golden.

Steve

I have a FS100 for my A camera. I found a VG20 on eBay from a video dealer ( out of respect for
DVinfo sponsors I won't name names) for under $1000 and it was a demo unit, practically
brand new. It has been a fantastic B cam, I will be posting comparison footage soon.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The vg20 and vg30 were both options I looked into after reading this forum but the Panasonic won me over as I can use it for timelapse and stills - and it's readily available from an EU supplier. I'd prefer to buy new, as opposed to second hand or grey import - have been stung before...

The NEX-5N is an impressive little camera! Thanks for that, I found this clip which makes it even more worthwhile considering:
wedding video with sony nex 5n - YouTube

I was speaking with someone last night and they said that unless you have two of the same cameras, the image will not be the same, so there will always be a need to adjust/match footage. Makes sense. I'm sure a Sony option already suggested may be closer to the EA50 than a Panasonic GH3. Or am I over-thinking it?

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The vg20 and vg30 were both options I looked into after reading this forum but the Panasonic won me over as I can use it for timelapse and stills - and it's readily available from an EU supplier. I'd prefer to buy new, as opposed to second hand or grey import - have been stung before...

The NEX-5N is an impressive little camera! Thanks for that, I found this clip which makes it even more worthwhile considering:
wedding video with sony nex 5n - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn-TZ22nRro)

I was speaking with someone last night and they said that unless you have two of the same cameras, the image will not be the same, so there will always be a need to adjust/match footage. Makes sense. I'm sure a Sony option already suggested may be closer to the EA50 than a Panasonic GH3. Or am I over-thinking it?

Very true.

If were talking about buying new. Then I would personally go for the NEX 5N due to price. It is also a fantastic, discreet little camera. Very unobtrusive. And perfect to take with you on holidays as well !

That wedding video above is awesome ... and just shows what it is capable of in the right hands!

That wedding video above is awesome

I had been thinking of getting a nex6 and supply it with a 14mm wide angle for my blackbird steadicam untill I saw how much moire it produced, much worse then the ea50. The footage in above trailer from the nex5 does look ok but I don't like how the camera handles highlights, then I think the bmc pocket camera would be a much better alternative as it's just a bit more expensive and from what I have seen so far it's sharper and handles highlights much better, but no 50p on that one unfortunately.

I had been thinking of getting a nex6 and supply it with a 14mm wide angle for my blackbird steadicam untill I saw how much moire it produced, much worse then the ea50. The footage in above trailer from the nex5 does look ok but I don't like how the camera handles highlights, then I think the bmc pocket camera would be a much better alternative as it's just a bit more expensive and from what I have seen so far it's sharper and handles highlights much better, but no 50p on that one unfortunately.

Seems like every camera has it's pro's and con's.

The BMC Pocket has the same form factor as the NEX 5N so will be a good option too.

Seems like every camera has it's pro's and con's.

The BMC Pocket has the same form factor as the NEX 5N so will be a good option too.

Yep, there is no such thing as a "perfect" camera. I've said it for years, different tools in the toolbox for different jobs.

Yep, there is no such thing as a "perfect" camera. I've said it for years, different tools in the toolbox for different jobs.

This quote could not be more relevant.

From Philip Blooms facebook page:

"Don’t get it. Bought same tennis racket as that Federer fella yet I am still sh*t. #NoMoreAnalogies :) learn with what you have!!!"

Yep, there is no such thing as a "perfect" camera. I've said it for years, different tools in the toolbox for different jobs.

Thanks for posting this - I'm still leaning towards the GH3 as a 'b camera' as it offers more options being a video camera and alternate DSLR-type camera. It can get confusing looking up the multiple options - they're all good for something! But I think the EA50 and GH3 combination will best suit my workload this year.

Thanks everyone for all the input, much appreciated. Won't be using both cameras in combination until mid summer but will post up some clips for reference when I have them.

Get the VG20 or 30. A good sensor march like that is hard to find. And the new VG30s come with the same lens as the EA50 so your golden.

At least here in Sweden, the VG30 costs almost as much as the EA50, so then a second EA50 would be a better buy. Personally a used VG20 without lens would be the best if the price was right.

As far as I know, these cameras share all the same sensor:

NEX-5 + VG10
NEX-5N + VG20 + NEX-5R + VG30 + EA50

I like the ability to tune your image via the picture profiles with the EA50. With no pp, I really don't like the picture out of the EA50. Very harsh highlight handling, very poppy colours, sharpening artefacts... All in all very videoish or DSLRish. With some tuning or profiles from Abel Cine like the JRE45cine2, the picture is much more cinematic with the ability to save highlights and shadows in post.

Please correct me, if i am wrong here:
The VG line does not offer any picture profiles or similar funtionality, absolutely nothing.
The NEX-5N/R offer some picture profiles, which are very poor and simple but nevrtheless better then nothing. I believe that I can produce a more cinematic look with the 5N/R so one of these will be my future B cam.
Some input to tweak the 5N/R here:
Flaat Picture Styles fot the Sony NEX-5N - www.similaar.com (http://www.similaar.com/foto/flaat-5n/index.html)

As far as I know, these cameras share all the same sensor:

NEX-5 + VG10
NEX-5N + VG20 + NEX-5R + VG30 + EA50

I like the ability to tune your image via the picture profiles with the EA50. With no pp, I really don't like the picture out of the EA50. Very harsh highlight handling, very poppy colours, sharpening artefacts... All in all very videoish or DSLRish. With some tuning or profiles from Abel Cine like the JRE45cine2, the picture is much more cinematic with the ability to save highlights and shadows in post.

Please correct me, if i am wrong here:
The VG line does not offer any picture profiles or similar funtionality, absolutely nothing.
The NEX-5N/R offer some picture profiles, which are very poor and simple but nevrtheless better then nothing. I believe that I can produce a more cinematic look with the 5N/R so one of these will be my future B cam.
Some input to tweak the 5N/R here:
Flaat Picture Styles fot the Sony NEX-5N - www.similaar.com (http://www.similaar.com/foto/flaat-5n/index.html)

The VG30 has picture profiles ... don't know if it is similar to the EA50's PP.

And I agree about the video quality of the EA50 with no picture profile selected ...

It's too bright, colourful in my opinion and video-ish as you say!

I like my modified PP3 I think it's the CineAble look.

The VG30 has picture profiles ... don't know if it is similar to the EA50's PP.


As far as I found out, there's nothing like the EA50 picture profiles on the VG line, not even something close.
I really cannot find any information about this. But I know, that the VG10/20 don't have this feature. They have just 1 "cine-like" thing with no further tweaking possible. DIal it in or not...
This is my biggest complain together with the rolling shutter, which was way more on the VG20 than with the EA50.

Guess I post this here as its a B camera question and some of you own the VG20's and 30's

Is the VG20/VG30 small enough to hang from a huge lens (400 and 600) like you would with a DSLR? I feel the long ea50 needs support no doubt but, looking at the images of the VG20/30 it seems like they might be just fine if you dont knock them around.

Yes. It is lighter than most DSLRs.

The VG10/VG20 body is ridiculously light.

researching so many cameras I must have mixed up my sizes, just got my VG30 and pretty sure its not going to stress the lens mount :)

That looks weird!

What's your purpose with that lens on the EA50?

researching so many cameras I must have mixed up my sizes, just got my VG30 and pretty sure its not going to stress the lens mount :)

That's some head turning equipment isn't it !

As above, what lens is that and purpose?

My need of the Nikon 400mm 2.8 AFS lens is motor sports photography, and only once in a while will it used for video for motorcycle road racing.... specifically slower corners, cresting a hill, large group of riders a tight locked down shot looks cool for a couple seconds as they come into and out of the zone of sharp focus when played back slow motion. I have a very old much much smaller Nikon 300 3.5 AIS that I love on the EA50 but its does not have than paper thin DOF I can get from a 400 or 600


The main use for the VG camera is going to be small sliders and jibs... the EA50 is just large enough to need more of a real jib and a fair amount of counter weight to fly but with the little VG30 one of those folding jibs look like they would work out well

I use the NEX 5n as B cam for my VG20 - same sensor. True, the VG20 has no 'picture profiles'. IMO, they are totally unnecessary if you know what you are doing. No film camera I ever shot with had digital 'picture profiles'. 'In those days' you used a matte box and learned how to use filters.

I currently use a standard 4x4" matte box with my Zeiss prime lenses and a selection of Schneider Optics 4x4" glass filters. It is a combination made in heaven as Schneider have produced filters specifically designed for modern CMOS sensors.

No picture profiles means the manufacturer dials in the profile for you, you could end up with a too contrasty or saturated look and there is no way back. I rather start from a flatter profile so I can get the look I want in post or dial in exactly the look I want in camera to match with any other camera I"m using. A camera that doesn't have that can be very difficult to match with other camera's.

"No film camera I ever shot with had digital 'picture profiles'."

True, but those cameras didn't pick your film for you either and having a set profile is pretty much like living with one film stock.... Love my VG30 so far but I do wish I could crank down the sharpness and contrast a bit

Yes, OK but Noa and Ray, you are both missing my point. Let me play 'devil's advocate' for a moment. The VG20/30 and EA-50 are all 8 bit cameras, as are most DSLRs. They record a heavily compressed 4:2:0 AVCHD signal to SD card (or uncompressed 4:2:2 to third party SSD recorders via HDMI) but there is really not a lot you can do with an 8 bit signal as the 'latitude' and dynamic range just is not there. Best you can do is learn to expose carefully and not blow out the highlights as you'll never get them back.

From a professional broadcast perspective, any 8 bit camera is really a 'consumer toy'. The 'high end' consumer cameras (or 'prosumer') cameras we choose to work with are really designed to 'shoot a great picture' then 'show a great picture' on your HD TV or 'burn a great picture' to DVD or BluRay. (which is also an 8 bit 4:2:0 50i/60i medium)

Now, to my point: Filters.

If like me, you are trying to get the best possible performance from your 8 bit camera, then 'shooting flat' does have some advantages but whether your camera offers inbuilt 'picture profiles' or not, really does not matter because cinematographers have been using filters for years to effectively do the same thing. Ray "loves his VG30 so far but wishes he could crank down the sharpness and contrast a bit" and he can if he uses the correct filter. Whether you manipulate light in an analogue way with filters or in a digital way with 'picture profiles,' it's much the same thing so when I read people complaining about the lack of 'picture profiles' on 8 bit cameras, they are really showing their lack of understanding of the technology behind the craft. Of course, good filters are expensive. So are lenses. Cameras, however are cheap and quickly become obsolete. An investment in lenses and filters can last a lifetime.

I regularly shoot 'flat' on the VG20 by using Schneider's 'digicon' filters to reduce highlights and lift the blacks ie: compressing the image in much the same way a Dolby noise reduction compresses audio during recordings. For more technical information, read the documentation on Schneider's site: https://www.schneideroptics.com/info/mptv.htm

I don't care how many bits you have, if you clip your highlights there is nothing there to repair.

Steve

I am with Craig on getting the image right in the first place. Are these Schneider Digicon filters available in any kind of screw on form? Not always convenient for me to shoot with a matte box and I would love to reduce the high contrast on the VG30.

The question is what is "the right image in the first place"? Take my Sony cx730 handicams for instance. That camera doens't have any presets either, what you see is what you get but I happen to like what comes out of it the way the manufacturer has decided it. It's not too contrasty, not too much saturation, just right and that saves me a lot of time in post.

But you do have camera's that have too much contrast and/or too much saturation or too much sharpness as factory settings and to go further on craigs statement that "8 bit camera are really 'consumer toy's" that is also something that applies on camera that don't allow any image manipulation in camera, that's also a typical consumer camera limitation as those people don't want to deal with that kind of thing, they just want to point and shoot.

I don't see myself carrying around with a bunch of filters to bypass a limitation on the camera, with the ea50 I can just press a button and get the look I want, whether that is for getting a similar look from another b-camera, or to get nice punchy colors and a contrasty look, or just a flat image to do my own cc in post, it's just a push of a button.

that 'latitude' and dynamic range just is not there with 8 bit camera's is partially true, there is a big difference between a standard factory preset and the techniclor cinestyle preset for a dslr just to give an example. That alone has allowed me to take shots that where not possible before with the default presets and the same applies for my ea50, you don't have 12-13 stops dr like with a bmc but you can get a lot more detail in shadows and highlights in the same image using such flat presets which gives you a lot more options in post. Not sure how a filter on top of the lens would be able to achieve the same result, I might be wrong but have not seen a filter example that can do the same, but then again, if it where possible I need to add a filter instead of pushing a button.

Adding $200-$300 in filters to get it right in camera seems like a crutch, not to mention the idea of stacking them over ND's seems like a silly idea when a simple tweak to the software would solve the issue.

Just to be 100% clear my gaol is indeed to get it right in camera... and "right" to me is a bit less sharpness and contrast.

The argument about it being 8 bit just makes my point... with 8 bit there is even less to "save" in post.

OK, as a former cine cameraman, TV commercial producer and retired broadcast TV engineer, I have a considerable investment in filters and Zeiss lenses. When the VG20 came along 18 months ago, there was no contest. It had all the manual controls I was used to on my Betacams, it suited my purpose and my market and continues to do so even though the 'press' lamented it's lack of inbuilt picture profiles when it was first released. My next camera will probably be a BMC but I should not need to change lenses or filters.

Last year, the UK's BBC produced a very lush HD version of the classic 'Great Expectations'. The German DOP chose to shoot the big budget series on an Arri Alexa. Although great care was taken to set up the camera and specific post production routines were developed by the colourist working with DaVinci Resolve, the cameraman occasionally used filter stacks up to half an inch thick to get the 'look' he wanted 'in camera'. Why do you think he did this? Don't you think the $80K Alexa has picture profiles as well? This is part of the craft of the DOP.

Sure, on 8 bit consumer cameras, presets are a nice, quick and handy feature to help with exposure and contrast but they are not an 'essential' element. I'm not suggesting you go out an buy a stack of expensive filters, all I am saying is filters can manipulate light in a similar way that 'picture profiles' manipulate data. One analogue, the other digital. You can read the tech details on Schneider's filter site to see how the digicon filter for example, compresses the image into a 'flat' picture profile.

With files from an 8 bit camera, there is always a danger that too much manipulation in post production can degrade the image as there is not the latitude to play with and banding can be the result. This is one reasons I use AWPro to immediately transcode my 8bit AVCHD to 10bit DNxHD for editing but getting the right look 'in camera' is important to me as most of my time is spent capturing the image, rather than manipulating it in post production. Generally, the only 'tweaks' I make to the image once shot are minor gain, chroma and black level adjustments.

PS: Schneider's filters are available in various formats including screw on and clip-on

Craig,

this is all very true.
When I studied cinematography, we always had a bunch of filters when using 16mm or other film materials.
With Beta and later on DigiBeta things changed. We got a lot of control already in the menus. Espacially with the gamma and the blacks. Later on with knee there also was some highlight control.
I used these options more and more but took the filters with me nevertheless.

Now, with small cameras like the EA50 I did some comparisons with tweaked picture profiles and I must say that I find it a lot easier and more suitable for my low budget projects than buying and changing filters. I don't say it's not worth it, I only found out for myself that I don't want cameras without these controls anymore.

But lenses are still an important thing for the look of your footage too. I would like to have 2-4 Zeiss ZF lenses with declicked aperture. These would fit the small cameras sizewise better then the CP2's or otherPL lenses and still have that certain Zeiss glow...

Erik, +1 very well said.

Craig, if you have them, like them, and they work for you, then more power to you. I don’t think you’re going to find much of a case for convincing a lot of people here it is the way to go. Especially from those of us that did use them once upon a time. I checked out your article last week. It seems to me your trying to make a case for turning a camcorder into a quasi film camera, which it is not and never will be. But that is my opinion. I am not one of the 5D evangelists either. They spend unreasonable amounts of time and money trying to turn a still camera into a video camera. I just don’t get it.

You mentioned “the craft”, I had to delete a long post I wrote earlier today because I did not want to be offensive. To put it shortly I think our craft is getting lost in all of the interest in the technology. All some guys want to talk about is the gear. Professionals still talk about photography. When I am working an event as a credentialed pro and another pro walks up they almost never ask me about the camera in my hands. Understanding the technology is a given. They are much more likely to ask me what type of shot I am going for. Or we are discussing the lighting situation. Most often we are complaining about flights or hotels. We are never talking about pixels or lines of resolution. First and foremost I am a photographer. Regardless of whether I have a still or moving camera in my hands. Even though still shooting is not part of my living anymore. There are guys on this forum that will argue with you that they are not photographers. If that is the way they feel then so be it, then I am sure they are NOT one. They obviously don’t work in the industry or they would understand why the head MoFo is the DOP ;)

Steve

The thing I like about this forum is the intelligent discussion. Sometimes it seems, the more expensive the equipment, the more intelligent the discussion.

Erik, I agree with you about lens choice. I used to own a selection of 15:1 and 18:1 Fujinon ENG servo zoom lenses and I missed the control I had there so I sold the VG20's kit SEL18-200 zoom and chose instead to go 100% prime and manual. (apart from my little SEL16-50 motor zoom which I use for portable 'handycam' applications) I love the 'look' of my vintage Zeiss SLR lenses on the Vg20 and purchasing these old lenses today, can be very cost effective as they can be used on many modern cameras via simple or complex adapters. Although my 300mm telephoto is 'only' F4.0, it weighs 1.6Kg and the front glass is nearly 100mm in diameter so it certainly 'seems' faster.

Steven, you'll need to forgive me for sometimes 'stirring the possum' to generate some debate (a thing we Aussies like to do) and I agree with you about the DSLR crowd's determination to turn their 'still' cameras into Hollywood 'frankenrigs' but you need to take pity on me as I come from a 'nerdy' broadcast engineering background so all this talk of pixels and sensors is fascinating to me. Most camera people I meet whether they be still or video professionals, have little real interest in the technology. Their gear needs to work for them reliably and earn an income.

I guess my brief is to get the best out of my camera with the least resources and it was initially purchased for a National Parks website 'stills' contract plus "a bit of video". My current project has me backpacking the entire camera/lens collection into remote Blue Mountains locations, assembling the rig on site and waiting for just the right light to get the 'shot' I want. Part of the appeal is the 'wilderness experience' and a nice thing about hybrid cameras like the VG20/30/EA50 is that if you set up to capture a great 'video' image, then acquiring a high resolution still frame or time-lapse of that same scene through the same lens is simply the flip of a switch.

PS: Here's a 30 second Blue Mountains clip I posted to Vimeo recently. Pan is too fast and shutter speed was incorrect but I put it up so another engineering mate could download an original 50P .MTS file. (vimeo.com/64781266)

Hi Craig. Regarding the Digicon filter that you use on your VG20, what grade would you recommend for general use?

Hi James, if you are considering purchasing one grade of digicon to start off your collection, I would suggest the "1/2". I use mine in a 4x4" matte box but I believe they are also available in 'screw-on' rounds to suit several popular lens diameters. The digicon was developed especially for modern 8 bit cameras and DSLRs which record direct to heavily compressed codecs like AVCHD or H.264.

Schneider catalogue info: "DigiCons are a revolutionary new filter recently added to the Schneider line of filters. DigiCon characteristics: Raises black levels while lowering highlights. Combined with in camera gamma settings and/or post production, a higher dynamic range can be recorded. The result is more detail in highlight and shadow areas with no loss of resolution or softening of the image. Filter produces no color shift and highlights are clean and halo-free.

They are available in 6.6 x 6.6" , 4x5.65", 4 x 4" and many other sizes by special order. They are offered in five strengths : 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1 and 2. The filters are used in a matte box mounted to the camera and are geared toward digital shooting."

Many thanks for that information, Craig. I will look into getting something sorted out.

Regards, JAMES

Just to get back to topic.

Before a burgler motivated a major rethink in equipment used a Canon XA10 as B-cam for a Panasonic HMC-150. Worked perfectly as both cameras was set to ITU-709. gamma and matrix. As long as both cameras was set to same WB, there was no problem in intercutting the footage. The XA10 is a gem for B-camera, as is super on a Magic Arm and can be placed nearly everywhere.

I expect the XA20 to be even better as it can be controlled by Wifi. Furthermore Canon has upgraded the camera considerable per ex with dual format recording.

My plan is to get an AE50 and a XA25, and match the EA50 to the Canon using ITU-709 as base.

A issue you might encounter is differences in sharpness and by that I mean that the xa25 might be noticeable sharper, if I shoot side by side with my ea50 and my sony cx730 I can pick out the cx730 shot out easily as it has more resolution which you mainly see in wide shots with more fine detail.

Jos,

My thinking on “B” cameras for the EA50 was recently changed. At first, I did not get all of the posts here raving about the VG 20 or VG30. How could an overpriced consumer handycam be worthy of use in a professional environment when your main camera isn’t even truly a pro level camera? It is a HANDYCAM and it lacks the control I need on my shoots…..right?

Then someone loaned me one for a month. I am not a big fan of “B” and “C” cameras being anything but an identical model of the “A” cam. But, if the EA50 is the “A” cam and one or two more of them is not an option please consider the VG20 or VG30. Here is why:

We all know about the sensor, and that is the big one. Forget about all of the painful tweaks and endless matching issues. It shoots the same image as the EA50. What more can you ask for?

Interchangeable lenses. I put the same array of Canon glass on it I use on the EA50. And again the image matches. What more can you ask for?

A benefit the EA50 can’t do for me…..I have a blackbird stabilizer. The EA50 is too heavy for me to fly handheld. The VG20 was a dream. Perfect fly cam to match my EA50. What more can you ask for?

I am a keep it simple guy. After a lifetime in this business I suffer from software overload. I am not into complicated tweaks and adjustments that must be dealt with every time you fire a camera up. My goal is the same now as it always has been. Get it right the first time and every time! I generally do not re-hire any crew member that looks at me on set, when I have questioned something, and says to me “fix it in post”! See my signature. I read so much stuff on this forum about tweaks and adjustments during acquisition (the worst) or in post (PITA to me) I wonder if it is an obsession, a compensation, an over dependence, or just a pain lack of understanding of how to acquire good video on set? Good video on set starts with matching images by utilizing proper cameras. Not by using a mix of technological adjustments to compensate for poor equipment decisions. In my not so humble opinion.

Yes….in the same post I just recommended a hanycam and went on a rant about quality….WOW….I better go eat lunch!

Steve

Jos,

You said “your plan is to get a Canon and a Sony” and adjust them to be a matched set. That is beyond my comprehension. If you have not made the purchase yet, why would you set yourself up from the start with a poor match? Electronic compensation is not a good solution for me.

I have fifteen years of experience working on video projects of all budget types. When we are working in a truly professional environment with broadcast cameras, CCUs, and a proper budget mismatching does not exist. We never hand an editor or client a bunch of footage and say “Oh by the way, it all came out of good cameras, but you will need to adjust them all in post”. It just does not happen. These days, with everything a NLE can do, and the cameras abilities to adjust, it may be tempting to rely on technology. But in my experience that is still the realm of the semi-pro or amateur. Professionals get it right in the acquisition phase. And that is not hard for us to do when budgets are small and we are working with pro-summer gear.

So Jos, I am not picking on you…..I AM questioning your choice of cameras you have not purchased yet. Save yourself now, before you take the plunge.

Steve

Hi Steven,

No offence, and I fully understand your helpfullnes. But I might have been unclear. I have no intention of match anything in post. This would be a clean disaster, as you describe.

I had a XA10 end a Panasonic before, and they where matched up as cameras. What I did was tweak the picture profile of the Panasonic HMC151 to match the Canon XA10. This worked nicely. I had another profile matching a Sony.

I am doing events and stage performances with one total camera and one for close ups. The Canon XA10 was doing the total shots . And here the sharpness was an extra help here. I did borrow a EA50 before my cameras was nicked to see if I could tweek the profiles to match. And it was indeed possible.

I will be doing corporate video as well and the EA50 on its own are very nice for that. Especially as I have some emount optics.

But I have just been able to try a XA25 today and Canon seems to have seriously improved the image quality, so it might not as easy to match the two cameras.

The best

Hi Steve, I too own both an EA50 and a VG30 plus a CX730. I love the VG30, however, I don't always find it to be the perfect match to the EA50 as I have dampened the colours a little using the picture profiles on the EA50 and I can't do that with the Vg30 and so am left with its rather high contrast image. I am talking with Schneider about the possibilty of them making me a 1/2 Digicon filter that Craig has referred to and they can do so for $140 but so far only offered me a 67 or 72mm thread and I want a 49mm for my 35/1.8 that normally sits on this camera. How do you get around the problem, perhaps you don't bother with the PP on the EA50? Do you have the cinematone turned on or off on the Vg30?

James, why don't you simply use a filter thread adapter on your lens? (ie: 49mm>67mm) I use them all the time as one of my Heliopan Skylights is 67mm and I adapt it to the 40.5 thread on the SEL16-50mm motor zoom.

Forget about all of the painful tweaks and endless matching issues. It shoots the same image as the EA50.

James, what preset do you need to use in the ea50 to match it with the image from the vg30?

Still working on that Noa but will post once I have satisfactory results. I have dabbled with your JR45 Cine profile but am finding it too contrasty and a little red, so continuing some tests.

Hi James

Peter and I shot last weekend's weddings on the PP3 profile with colour level lifted from zero to +4 and I must say I really like the result!! Pete will also be posting his results later too! It's worth a shot?

Chris

James, why don't you simply use a filter thread adapter on your lens? (ie: 49mm>67mm) I use them all the time as one of my Heliopan Skylights is 67mm and I adapt it to the 40.5 thread on the SEL16-50mm motor zoom.

Of course Craig, thanks I will give that a try.

Still working on that Noa but will post once I have satisfactory results. I have dabbled with your JR45 Cine profile but am finding it too contrasty and a little red

They are not my preset, I just copied it as well from another source :) But you are right that the reds are more pronounced but I don't find it contrasty, it's actually quite flat.

Hi James,

The match for the loaned VG20 I was using with my EA50 was just PP1 or off (i see little difference between those two anyway). I was shooting corporate meeting lectures so the match was great. I do not have to get real fussy with those shoots. I was using my Canon lenses and everything looked good. For you guys that are tweaking every last pixel of perfection out of it you might not be as happy as I was.

I am now shopping for a VG 20 or 30 on E-bay. I have never purchased a used camera of any type before. Or a new one from E-bay. I get most of my stuff from B&H. In this case, for a cheap "B" cam and fly cam the E-Bay prices are about half and it is not a big investment so I will probably pick one up pretty soon. I will let you know if I still think it is that great after I put more time in on it. I still believe it is a good "B" cam for the EA50. But you are correct that is not true once you start utilizing the versatility that the EA50 comes with.

Are you happy with your VG30? Does the cine profile match PP5 on the EA50 by any chance? I did not get a chance to compare them.

Steve