Cheap EA50

[Jody Arnott]

Hey all,

I was using Google Product search to try and find the best deal on an EA50, and I came across this:

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

It's about $1000 less than what B&H are selling them for, so it seems a bit suspicious.

Has anyone heard of that online shop?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jody

They are based in Jakarta so I would suspect that these are grey market units...nothing wrong really with them as long as you don't have a warranty repair. It could also be a scam of course. My dealer (VideoPro) is in Brisbane and their current price is AUS$3700 so that's awfully cheap.

They might be worth watching carefully as the website is marked 2013 so it's all a new thing and might grab a dozen orders then drop off the face of the earth!!

BTW: How are you liking the 600 as a camera ...I nearly went for the JVC but the EA-50 form factor swayed me!

Chris

[Jody Arnott]

Thanks Chris. It does sound like one of those "too good to be true" deals.

I'm loving my 600. I'm looking at an EA50 as a second camera, mainly for the shallow DoF and better low-light sensitivity. I do a lot of real estate video and I think it would be perfect for that.

However I'm not sure I'd pay ~$4000 for one, when the NEX-VG30 can be picked up for almost $1500 less.

How do you like your EA50?

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jody

I love them to bits! I have two actually for weddings mainly but yes, I also do Realty shoots during the week. What I have found which is really awesome for properties is my Nikon Mount Tokina 11-16mm F2.8 lens which I obviously use for property photography and then for the video I put it on the EA-50 with a Novoflex adapter and shoot the video all at 11mm ... provides perfect coverage and nice wide angles made the houses look larger than they are (which all agents want anyway) The really neat bit is because of the huge DOF you can get at 11mm you can basically set the lens focus between 2' and 3' and use it as a point and shoot and everything is in focus. House rooms with often white walls and white ceilings provide a very difficult scenario for an auto focus lens and with AF lenses I was finding that the lens often simply gave up trying to focus on an empty room all in white as there is simply no contrast so it cannot lock on anything. The Tokina at 11m works a treat and everything is sharp as a tack!

Chris

[Jody Arnott]

Sounds great!

How do you find the lack of built-in ND filters? They're probably my favourite thing about my HM600.

Do you use a variable ND of some kind?

[Steven Digges]

Hi Jody,

I would not give that site my Credit card information in a thousand years. Looks like a typical scam site to me. I don't think it is even grey market. I bet it is just collecting CC information.

I am probably going to pick up a VG20 or 30. But for one reason only. To fly on my Blackbird stabilizer because of the weight difference. It shares the same sensor so it will match. But.... the VG30 is a handycam, and an expensive one at that. If you are only going to have one, the EA50 or the VG30 it is well worth the extra to get the EA50. The EA50 value is the EA50 is it is so feature rich. I have used the VG20. Not a bad camera but not even in the same class as the EA50 other than the sensor. They compliment each other but the EA50 is truly an entry level pro camcorder, the VG30 will probably frustrate you with it's limitations.

The VG30 gets you a handycam at the top of that category. The EA50 gets you a pro camcorder for a little more money with an abundance of pro options, it is worth it.

Just mt humble opinion.

Steve

And Chris is

[Chris Harding]

Hi Jody

The EA-50 has a big sensor so it never suffers from image degradation at any aperture .. I don't use any filters but if you want to avoid high shutters so you can introduce some motion blur instead of having a freeze frame then a variable ND is easiest. Don't buy cheap one's either my first set of filters had terrible IR contamination!!! Images at F16 in bright sun are perfect with no ND but with small chips like the 600 you have to keep the iris below F8 otherwise the image will suffer!

I agree with Steve too ..the 50 is a pro camcorder and well worth the little bit extra ...that's why I have two!

That site would LOVE to get their dirty mitts on your CC number ..Remember the very wise saying .."If it's too good to be true, it's most likely not"

Chris

[Jody Arnott]

Thanks for the tips guys. Yes, I'll definitely be steering clear of that website.

Your input is definitely swaying me towards the EA50 over the VG30. B&H has it on sale at the moment for $2999 USD... very tempting.

[Chris Harding]

Hey Jody

VideoPro have it for $3779 so that's a big saving but check the shipping and warranty issues first? Also if you import from the USA I think you guys get charged 15% sales tax?? I got both of mine from Brisbane because that included GST at 10% and was also free shipping so that actually brings the net price right down to around $3300 with a local warranty too.

The really nice thing I find is that with an adapter I can use my entire range of Nikon lenses too which has proven very useful indeed and I had them already!! Great if you already have a DSLR!!

What would the retail price in NZ be compared to B&H ...Would you save any money??

Chris

[Jody Arnott]

The retail price is about $5300 here in NZ, so even with sales tax and duty I would be saving a bit of money.

I'm coming to Australia (Gold Coast) next month for a holiday. With our dollars being so close at the moment, it's another good option. I think I can even get GST back at the airport on the way home.

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

The EA-50 has a big sensor so it never suffers from image degradation at any aperture ..

I wish that was true :) If you shoot with a fast lens wide open you will see that the image does get softer.

[Peter Rush]

Jody I have the Genus variable ND - it's brilliant

Eclipse ND Fader Filters | Genustech

Also I use these magnetic quick release adapters because I very quickly became frustrated at having to constantly screw it on and off when constantly moving from indoors to outdoors at a wedding shoot.

Home Page

Pete

[Chris Harding]

Hi Noa

I was meaning that the camera still gives a perfect image at F16 whereas a 3 xCMOS chip camera HAS to use ND filters to get the aperture back to F5.6-F8 otherwise the image just breaks up.

I don't think the sensor has anything to do with the soft image at very big apertures like F1.4..it's purely a lens issue ... most have significant softness at very large apertures unless it costs you $15K ... if you look at any fast lens that has a resolution chart test on a still camera at different apertures it's amazing how soft it actually is at fully open compared to F8 or F16. I looked at shots from a Nikon on a Tokina 17-50 with a chart printed with text and at 17mm and F16 it's razor sharp but at F2.8 you can hardly read the small print at all. Guess that's the compromise we have to accept when the lenses we buy are in the hundred's of dollars instead of the ten thousand's of dollars! I'll never afford glass like that!!!

Chris

[Allan Barnwell]

Try out a DVinfo sponsor for your purchase! We have cameras in stock.

Check out a couple of camera tests we have done. Original media files are linked out here:

Sony camera comparison: NEX-EA50 NEX-FS700 (raw media available) - YouTube

This one too:

Sony EA50 and FS700 tested / same lens / same settings - YouTube

Last but not least, check out the NEX-EA50 in a Texas dancehall!

Shooting Video on the NEX-EA50: The Broken Spoke - YouTube

[Jody Arnott]

Hey guys, a couple more questions.

Can anyone comment on these two stores:
http://www.42photo.com/
http://www.rythercamera.com

They both have great prices on the EA50, but seem to have mixed reviews.

Also, can anyone comment on the EA50H vs the EA50UH? From what I've read, the UH is the North American version while the H is the Asian version. The H is a bit cheaper. Is there a difference between the two?

Thanks!