New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I posted a preview in the presets topic on this forum this afternoon because I had been experimenting with the pp5 preset and I did apply a yuv curve to it in Edius to further crush the blacks and added some saturation to make the footage “pop” more. I also experimented a bit with the sound to add a mixture of live sound, some stock sound and a bit of weird experimental music. :)

So today I went out ‘sight seeing”, just 15 minutes from where I live and went really early to catch that nice morning sun color, it was the first nice day today since weeks, freezing in the morning but 16 deg in the afternoon. First visit was at the “sahara”, a place called like that because of the white sand and there is quite some wildlife, I also went a bit further as I live in an industrial area so you”ll find larger factories, a windmill park and so on, I just wanted to have sufficient footage .

I’m quite pleased with how it turned out, I’m beginning to like the camera a lot :) This time I slapped on some bars on top/bottom of the video , was hoping that this together with the pp5 preset and yuv curve would give a more “cinematic “ feel. What do you guys think of “the look”? Are the colors not overdone?
Tech info: just the camera with the stocklens this time, my tripod and a slider. Filmed at 1080p 50p so I could slow down most footage 50%. Used the internal mikes for sound which are very good at capturing ambient sound.

The stock lens, eventhough it has it quirks, is definitely my goto lens for outside filming, just being able to cover so many different focal lengths without the hassle of constantly changing lenses is a big time saver. Also, and that is a issue, the sensor VERY easily picks up dust if you exchange lenses, I don’t exaggerate when I say you MUST check for dust spots before every shoot and even during if you exchange your lenses. I have had to clean my sensor several times already with my arctic butterfly. You can see the spots if you point the camera at the sky and look true the loupe and then underexpose a lot, the spots do appear then if there is dust on the sensor. You also have to zoom in and out to be sure. If you don’t do that these spots can ruin your image, mainly in the sky.

The video is also available for download from vimeo for those that want to pixelpeep, remember that it’s a lower quality then the original, on my big screen the native image looks very good. For those that are interested, you can drop me a line if you want to see the 1080p 50p master, I rendered a 35mbs 1080p 50p file (about 900mb) so I might place that on a dropbox account for those that want to download that.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

NICE NOA! I'd love to see the 900mb file you mentioned! My dropbox account is the email address you have from when we were talking the other day.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger soon on this camera...

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

By far the best film i've seen you make ... was convinced for a second I had the Discovery Channel on lol !

Well done.

Im sure Sony would be proud seeing you put there EA50 to work so well !

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Great work Noa! Encouraging to see the potential of the stock lens.

I do not think the color was overdone at all...I will give the PP5 a try also.

Keep up the good work!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Nice Noa

I always bug people about this point but wouldn't some narration be a big bonus ... you know what you shot but no-one else does? a story line about the region could only be an enhancement or maybe a narrated poem about the glory of early morning ?? Maybe I look at things different but I do like a story line on a documentary shoot. Why did you title it Saraha?? or am I dumb??

Beautiful shots and PP5 profile looks really good for early morning shoots...you are braver than me getting up when the temperature is close to freezing.

Chris

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I watched this a few times... downloaded the "original .mp4" on vimeo and looks better than the one embedded. I'd still like to see the 1080p version though.
I've researched a lot on this camera because I'm thinking seriously about buying it... I don't know the settings for PP5, but looks like you might want to tone down the detail or sharpness in the settings of it. I haven't noticed much aliasing or moire in your clips, but this one I did on the end "mechanical" shots.

FYI, I liked the punchiness of the colors in this clip. It fits the mood and time of day.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

You are right, it would be a bonus but I don't have the right voice to do that, on the other hand, all shorts I make don't have the intention to inform but to make people curious. In this film I added all the location I filmed at the end so local people know where I have been and if they don't know they can ask, that means I made the curious. :)

"lazy" might be a better term (just kidding :D) It's in the description, the area where I filmed is called like that because of all the white sand, the lake actually is manmade, all the sand, where now the water is, was used for glass production.

Weather is starting to turn, still freezing cold in the morning right now but at least some brighter weather during the day though the forecast is (again) rain the next days. Getting up that early makes all the difference though to your shots, there is a reason why it's called the magic or golden hour at sunrise or sunset. :)

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Will try to upload it as soon as I can.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I did sharpen all footage but I noticed that turning the sharpening on or off doesn't make that much difference to the visible moire or aliasing, this is what the camera is showing. From a distance on a big screen you hardly notice it, eventhough it's there. It's good that moire and aliasing is less then on my 550d.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Interesting... maybe more prominent in Vimeo? Anyways, I just purchased one! Can't wait to play with this thing....

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I just saw the video review on another site and he said the camera doesn't produce any moire or aliasing but he didn't look right or filmed the wrong objects, you can also see it in the last shot and look at the powerlines in the distance, that's some nasty aliasing going on. Most of the time you won't notice it and it's less visible then on my dslr but the camera does produce moire and aliasing. On a big screen the aliasing on those lines are quite visible though, it doesn't ruin the image but should be something to be aware about.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Great stuff as usual!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Thanks for the explanations Noa... The Sahara title had me pondering but having done software for the bottling industry I can see how you arrived at it ... I assume the lake has now been returned to nature?

I think the PP5 will be great for scenes like this but it may make skin tones a bit contrasty... I did a property shoot using the bright CineAble profile that uses Cinematone1 and the colours were magic but start putting people into the mix and skintones become very dark and un-natural... Once you get into Summer and some weddings it will be interesting to see what profile works best for the bride and groom outdoors ...I'm still finding that it's easier with lots of people to use PP3 and then with a bright outdoor setting simply lift the saturation in post. That way the skin tones seem to remain a lot more accurate.

If you get a chance try PP5 on a nice sunny day when you have one and shoot some people.

Chris

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

great stuff! Thanks

JC

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

They would make me proud if they could fix some shortcomings I added to the firmware wishlist I started :)

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-nex...wish-list.html

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Even for being such a slow lens focusing can be a challenge but I do like the fact that you can get just a bit shallow dof to separate your subject from the background, I just don't like that extreme shallow dof where you see the operator hunt for the right focus on moving objects, focus needs to be spot on, always. With a bit blurry background you get a much more usable dof but still retain that "dslr" kind of look, in that way this lens is fast enough. I only wish the focus ring was a bit more accurate.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

For the few I haven't answered, thx for the kind words :) unexpectedly the camera has become my personal therapist the past weeks, what started with testing the camera to just have some fun filming inbetween busy wedding seasons has turned into dealing with the hard facts of life.

Both my parents are sick, my mother had a hart attack this weekend and almost died and my father got the message today his cancer is terminal. It makes me feel selfish thinking about the fact that I enjoy my day out with the camera and the editing that follows but it helps me to clear my head. Life isn't always fair...

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Sorry to hear that Noa

Life can be cruel yes and please send our best wishes to both of them.

My friend Fred, here (the one that was born in Antwerp) has to also rush over to Holland for 4 weeks to care for his Dad who has broken his hip for the 3rd time now and cannot look after himself (then again he is 91!!)

Hope you stay strong over this difficult time

Chris

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Noa, you are right- life isn't always fair, I know, but it keeps coming at you, and you either deal with it or roll over. And that is what you are doing-dealing with it.

Sorry to hear your news. Small comfort I know, but you will have a lot of support here among the boys and girls on this forum.

all the best
Rod

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

if you need narrator/voice over, try Fiverr: Graphics, marketing, fun and more online services for $5
you can get a very professional voice over for $5

I use that one one of my project (shoot with FS100)

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Thx guys for the support, much appreciated.

Wow, that's a great tip, thx, is that also for commercial use or are there limitations?

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Wow, wish both your parents the best of luck!

At least your finding work to be therapeutic. Most people can easily fall ill themselves due to unexpected news.

Just keep doing what your doing!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

My dad (he's 70) is tough as nails and he has a humorous, almost bizarre approach to dealing with his condition, when he called me up yesterday to tell the bad news he said "I have good news, you"r going to be rich soon!", he just takes it one day at a time and I try to do this as well.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I am 71 and I think I understand your dad's logic a little more now than I did when I was younger. I often tell my wife that we do not need to leave a lot of money for our daughter to buy more shoes with !!!!

I wish them both well.

Keep doing what you are doing as it is the best for your health and indirectly theirs too.

Ron Evans

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

I have been checking out the Fiverr website and it looks like a great recourse, was thinking about using a voice over for my next short, for a price of about 5 dollar that's something I really would like to try for my personal work.

The question I have is if I would borrow some from let's say, shakespeare, would the same laws apply as with music composers where (I think) after 70 years after they die you can use their music if you would compose it yourself. Would the same apply for authors of the written word if you would quote it in a film, either in writing or spoken?

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Noa,

First and most importantly, hang in there and do what ever you need to do while you go through your difficult time. Believe me, it is something I do know about. Both of my parents are gone. This last year I have seen more trauma and death then in my whole life, and I am 53! Before I logged on just now I was eulogising another good friend I lost. All therapy is good, no matter where you find it.

Second,
You are KILLING me! My professional shooting is so boring it is painful to watch sometimes. I look at your shorts and the artist in me starts screaming to get out. You have nothing but admiration from me. I can't shoot as well as you but as soon as I get a chance to get out of here I am going to shoot something just for me!

Third,
you guys are way ahead of me on the presets. I still have not had time to play with them. Your "look" this time is exactly what I want! Please verify, did you tweak PP5 in camera and post or is it PP5 tweaked in post only?

Fourth,
Actic Buterfly. A quick search found kits ranging from $125.00 to $300.00 U.S. Wow??? I currently use sensor swabs with the eclipse solution.

Fifth,
Chris, I will help you write the first for words of a narration poem, you can finish it..........Duck, Duck, Goose, Goose..... :) :) :)

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

thx again for the supporting words all, means a lot. About the pp5 preset I used, I adjusted in post, I will have to come back to you in a few days on this one to show what exactly I"ve done. I edit in Edius just that you know.
That butterfly thing is ridiculous expensive yes, but it's very effective, with a blower dust might still land back on the sensor but it's worth a try and I didn't know you where a scriptwriter as well, you are a man of many talents. :)

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Just a reminder for who might have missed it, for those that like to see that Sahara film at a much higher quality, I have a 900mb file in a dropbox account for a few more days, just pm me and I"ll send you the link for download.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

It's "night and day" different to me... looks great!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

So just the factory standard pp5 and a slight YUV curve change in edius + 20% extra saturation in the black and grey balance and 15% extra sharpness. The values in the yuv curve (the "y" part) are: (46,30)(75,64)(138,129)(212,196)
http://sonynexea50.files.wordpress.c...pg?w=497&h=279

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Thanks for the details.

There had to be some luck involved in one of my favorite cuts??? The white goose flying way beyond the tree branches. How else would you have known to focus out there unless it there was others that came by first?

Quack, Quack!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

ooops...posted twice.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Luck? What's that? I always work according to script, the goose had a copy.

I heard the bird taking of on the left side of me but I couldn't see it in the beginning through the trees (their wings make this distinct clapping sound when they hit the water), I just had a small window in front of me between the trees where I could see the water and little time to capture it so zoomed in manually on that point, (good thing I had the powerzoom set to off) focused using the magnifier, panned quickly left and started tracking the bird as soon as I saw it to the right. It was just a matter of a few seconds and it was gone. There was some luck involved.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Hey Noa, is the offer to possibly see the higher quality version still a possibility? My Dropbox email is chrisdq82@gmail.com

I would really appreciate it!!!

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Hi, just shared the file with you, would be interested to know what you think about the image quality.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

That is not luck. That's smart shooting. I was a pro sports shooter for many years. Yes, "the thing that makes the great shot" has to happen, but if your not ready and capable it is missed more than it is captured. Now that I am not shooting sports I get the biggest kick out of watching photogs on the sidelines. When the action explodes at the sidelines in front of them you will see three out of four with lowered cameras and shock on their faces but their will always be that one guy that never stops shooting. Who do think gets "the shot".

Steve

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

hey Noa,

i love the image quality, but i do see the moire. but its weird that i never noticed it in vimeo when i played it on the same monitor. i know vimeo uses compression, but i never noticed it there.

anyways, i enjoy the image quality, but i still am not certain if i'll get this or the FS100. neither has ND filters, but the FS100 can see more in the dark... i like how the EA50 has that form factor though :-/ but i'll probably not usually use it for ENG stuff. it'll likely live on a tripod in controlled environments and then about 20-30% of the time need to go into the field for run & gun. *sigh*

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Here the fs100 is about 2500 euro more expensive then the ea50 so then I would expect it to perform better, If I would have had the cash I probably would have gone for a Sony fs100 or Canon c100 but for what I paid for the ea50 you do get a lot for your money.

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Let's just say it was a lucky smart shot :D

Re: New nex-ea50 film: Sahara
 

Nice video! Too bad about the EA50 shortcomings, but you obviously worked around them.