I was reading about the firmware update to the nex 5 today. It will finally get aperture priority mode when shooting video. The comment was that in bright light an nd filter will be needed to keep shutter speed low.

This is true, of course. But, with the vg10 even when you use shutter priority, you still need an nd filter, for two reasons.

At the ideal 1/60, the aperture may be f/22 which is too small. Your video will be soft.

To get a shallow dof, you need to keep the aperture near, but not at, the largest f-stop at the current focal length.

Because you need to do this under varying light levels, it seems a variable density nd filter is a must. That being said, I've found an nd8 (3 stops) to work most of the time outdoors.

It is amazing that with the exception of the new nikon 7000. None of these cameras have a built in nd filter.


Bottom line, getting manual control isn't enough.

I shot a big, long event gig today completely with the VG10.
Almost all of the shooting was ENG style, a lot of AF and AE. All of the daylight shots were @ 1/60, and using the VariND. I could easily & quickly stay b/t f 3.5 and f 8 depending on what I needed.
It all seemed to work very well. The cam was easy to shoot with under pressure, and the VariND provided the missing link for outdoor shooting.
I'm just now downloading the footage- we'll see what I've got.

This camera shoots 30p. wrapped up in a 60i wrapper.
 

30P or 60i – Which Is It? - Quoted from Luminous-Landscape Site

Most people interested in video know that interlaced is old tech, that all modern TVs are progressive devices, and that therefore Progressive video recording is to be preferred, because it potentially offers twice the vertical resolution of interlaced. But Sony AVCHD video cameras (at least until one gets to their higher-end prosumer and pro gear) is speced as recording 60i. But, when you read the fine print you discover that qt least some of these cameras (such as the VG10) really aren't recording 60i, they're capturing 30P and placing it in a 60i "wrapper".

Confused? Well, you're not the only one. I'm unable to write a knowledgeable treatise on the subject, but in brief, what's going on is that the AVCHD standard doesn't include 30P, but it does include 60i. This is relevant for those that want to burn a Blu-Ray disk because Blu-Ray uses the AVCHD standard. (Ok – everyone that burns Blu-Ray disks please hold up your hands. Humm. I thought so.)

So what we have is confusion. Most Sony's AVCHD cameras (including the VG10) capture 30P, but make it appear to other devices as 60i. Most non-linear editors, such as Final Cut, figure this out by themselves, and when you check the Info screen will confirm that the footage is 30P.

Other manufacturers who adhere to the AVCHD standard, for reasons best known only to themselves, try and avoid this confusing state of affairs, capture 30P, and also record as 30P. No interlace confusion.

So if you are looking at a Sony AVCHD camcorder that is speced as 60i, be assured that where the rubber meets the road (in your NLE) you will likely be working with true 30P footage. I can't imagine how many camcorder sales Sony loses each year because of this confusion.

David,
Most Sony AVCHD camcorders do not capture at 30P they are in fact true interlaced 60i with the temporal motion of 60 exposure a second( the field rate) . Other than the VG10 and a few others like the Bloggies( which record at 30P and 60P but not 60i) the Sony's are all 60i.

I for one like this as I really do not like the temporal motion of slow frame rates. I too would love progressive but at 60p or faster. Some of the latest Sony AVCHD camcorders like the CX550 will output 60P from the HDMI essentially deinterlacing in camera to match most displays which are 60P or faster in NTSC lands. A VG10 with selectable progressive frame rates would be nice for those who want a film look and those who want a real look. But neither 30P or 60P full resolution( 1920x1080) are part of the spec!!!!

Ron Evans

"30P or 60i – Which Is It? - Quoted from Luminous-Landscape Site"

When "reviewers" ask a question like this it indicates that still photographers don't understand video. And, in most cases when they review the video capabilities of these new cameras they start to babble nonsense. But, it is understandable.

When Sony USA PR doesn't "understand," it shows how Sony/Pana/JVC Japan works. The engineers in Japan understand that their chip can't run faster than 30Hz. They know BD and AVCHD don't record at 30p. And, they know if you put the 30p in a file tagged as 60I -- that the file will be compatible with EVERYTHING. So they send Sony USA the specs that say "60i." Since all the consumer marketing groups are staffed with low-paid boys and girls (mostly the latter) they simply print what Japan sends them. (They don't know to ask questions or are too afraid to ask questions.) And, reviewers print what the PR sheet says.

The same confusion came with AVCHD Lite which claimed to be 60p. But, the chip runs at 30Hz.

In both cases, the goal was to make files that are compatible with equipment and NLE. There is no 720p24, 720p25, or 720p30 in the BD/AVCHD world. There are only 720p50 and 720p60. Which by the way are what are broadcast. Likewise 50i and 60i.

All the NLEs I've tested see the clips as 50i or 60i. Make a 50i or 60i Sequence and all will be well. You can go right to AVCHD DVDs or BDs.

Unfortunately, for the non-consumer buyer, all will not be well. We'll notice the odd motion from 25fps and 30fps. We'll wonder how much quality will be lost when our NLEs needlessly perform interlace scaling for FX. Alternately, if we drop the clips in a 25p or 30p Sequence, we'll be pained that each clip will be erroneously deinterlaced.

We'll worry that if we upload an interlace file to Vimeo, will they automatically deinterlace it causing a loss in vertical resolution. And, we'll ask "should we deinterlace when making 720p25/720p30 for the Net."

Lastly, we'll wonder if the deinterlacer in our HDTVs are adaptive or not. Will they Weave deinterlace or only bob deinterlace?

So for the intended consumer market, calling it 50i/60i makes a good deal of sense. This group will buy because it is very sexy looking and has the magic buzzword "BIG CHIP." And, it does shoot beautiful video!

When we try to buy a $2000 camcorder rather than a $6000 product, we doing exactly what Sony does not want us to do. This likely explains why no 24p. We are supposed to buy products from the PRO division!

Um, my guess is "none." Pros understand the difference and know how to work with it, and consumers don't care -- they just know it works.

That's a harsh call to say the LL review is babbling nonsense.

Plus, to add to the confusion, what on earth is this about?: "There is no 720p24 .... in the BD/AVCHD world"

BD spec:
1920×1080 59.94-i 16:9 2D encodes only
1920×1080 50-i 16:9 2D encodes only
1920×1080 24-p 16:9
1920×1080 23.976-p 16:9
1440×1080 59.94-i 16:9 (anamorphic) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1440×1080 50-i 16:9 (anamorphic) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1440×1080 24-p 16:9 (anamorphic) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1440×1080 23.976-p 16:9 (anamorphic) MPEG-4 AVC / SMPTE VC-1 only
1280×720 59.94-p 16:9
1280×720 50-p 16:9
1280×720 24-p 16:9
1280×720 23.976-p 16:9
720×480 59.94-i 4:3/16:9 (anamorphic)
720×576 50-i 4:3/16:9 (anamorphic)

".. what on earth is this about?: "There is no 720p24 .... in the BD/AVCHD world" "

My god, you caught me!

I disagree. Reason? They are targeted at two very different demographics. The NEX-VG10 at $2K USD is targeted at the keen amateur. But even the keen amateur is rarely running XLR mics much less HD-SDI + external recorders and/or monitors, ND filters, etc. etc. etc. The Panasonic AG-AF100 on the other hand, at $5K USD, is targeted strictly at the professional videographer and has the feature set to prove it. And this is where you live so this is what appeals to you.

I agree with you Bill. I had a hands on with the Sony yesterday at the ProVideo 2010 event here in the UK. It is definitely a "rich kids toy", no way a pro camera (but I'm sure there are/will be some lovely films made with it).

Now the Panasonic sure looks much more of a professional tool in every way (...although the codec still worries me a bit).

Actually the shallow the DOF the fewer the background details that need to be compressed and so more efficient the compression so the less load on the codec.

The straight truth is that it is 25/30psf, and the lamentable fact is that the term psf is so little used or even widely understood. At the same time it is both of i25/30 and p25/30 - and at the same time it's neither of them. It's psf25/30, end of story.

What that means is that the pictures look like p25 in terms of motion rendition, it behaves like i/25 in terms of equipment compatability. Steve, I agree with pretty well all you say, but if I bought a camera marked i/25 (50i) I'd expect 50Hz motion rendition. In this case, I'd get 25Hz.

David quoted the following sentence earlier: "......some of these cameras (such as the VG10) really aren't recording 60i, they're capturing 30P and placing it in a 60i "wrapper" ". "Psf" is the simple way of saying "capturing 30P and placing it in a 60i "wrapper" ".

For me, these are the operative questions regarding 30psf.
I can use a native 60i sequence, mix VG10 and CX550 (60i) and if going out to BR, I'm not concerned. But what happens to a VG10 60i sequence when it gets "deinterlaced" for web?
One work around for me, if I use Cineform DI, the CF converter can be instructed to "interpret" the raw footage as 30p. It will simply reassemble the fields into the original 30p frames without applying any deinterlacing algorhythm. There may also be a way to have CS5 "interpret" the raw footage to 30p without deinterlace. I haven't tried that yet. Anyway, as 30p, I feel more confident that no matter if going to web, BR, or DVD, there'll be no unanticipated tampering with the images.
But, I feel like there are still many unanswered questions at this point.

All you have to do is tell your NLE that the footage is progressive. Easy. No de-interlacing required. Have people forgotten that any SD camera that records 25p or 30p is also recording to PsF? It was never a problem then, and it isn't a problem now.

Hmmm...
I hadn't forgotten, I just never knew that to begin with.
That is what I suspected re CS5- just open a 30p sequence and drop the psf onto it.
However, if you allow CS5 to open a default sequence based on the footage, it will be 60i.
Seems like that would be the smartest way to handle VG10 footage, rather than an interlaced sequence.

There's slightly more to it then dropping the footage onto a 30p or 25p timeline. If you do that the NLE might assume that the footage is interlaced and perform a deinterlacing algorithm on it. I say *might* because depending on the system it may or may not understand that the footage is already progressive.

For example I always had to tell both Vegas and FCP that my XDCAM SD footage was progressive. So you will need to set up a 25p or 30p timeline, but make sure that the individual clip properties are set to progressive or no field order.

As David said;
So it actually doesn't matter if you use an i or a p timeline. If you use an interlaced timeline you will still see progressive, and if you use a progressive timeline, as long as you tell the NLE that the footage has no field order, you will also see progressive.

The key is the encoding at the end of the chain (to BluRay or DVD), to make sure that the compressor knows what it is receiving, and setting the output accordingly.

Whilst true, there are caveats to that, Simon.

It's quite true that an SD camera is unlikely to record progressive directly, and extremely likely to record it as psf. If the editing software then reconstructs the original progressive, fine, but if you were to simply display it on an interlace display with no further processing, you'd get horrible 25Hz "twittering" on horizontal or near horizontal lines.

For that reason, if the psf pictures are likely to be viewed directly via an interlace system, it's very desirable to line average the original progressive image. That obviously softens the vertical resolution, but it's a small price to pay for getting rid of the line flicker. If psf is simply being used as a carrier, the destination being an NLE which will reconstruct true progressive, you obviously don't want line averaging.

In CS5, if I drop the 60i psf on a 30p timeline, it previews normally on a big HDTV monitor- no loss of horizontal rez, no artifact, twitter, etc.
However, I can highlight multiple clips in the project window, activate the pull down menu, select Modify>Interpret Footage>Conform to Progressive (no fields). On preview, it looks exactly the same as the unmodified psf.
So, I'm not sure exactly what PPro is doing- Is it really conforming to 30p automatically when the psf goes on a 30p sequence, or is it just providing great previewing capabilities?
The clip properties window for individual clips gives framerate as 29.97 for both i and p footage, and makes no reference to field order. No help there.

For the non-consumer there certainly more. Vegas Pro and FCP do need you to re-tag all clips as progressive or they will deinterlace each clip when used in a progressive sequence.

FCE and iMovie do not offer that function. The clips will be deinterlaced -- although I sell software the re-tags interlaced AIC to progressive.

Premiere Elements can only make a progressive Project if you choose H.264 DSLR setting. (But, AVCHD may not playback -- needs to be confirmed.) If you make an AVCHD Project you can only have an interlace sequence but it appears dropping clip into a sequence MAY change the sequence to progressive (Premiere may look within the data stream) -- BUT during export the sequence is assumed to be interlaced and deinterlaced if you make 720p30.

EDIUS and Vegas Movie Studio I need to re-check.

Sony, by marketing as 50i/60i saves the consumer from all this complexity. They can just use it. Of course quality is VERY likely to be lost.

Were Sony to market it as 1080i60/30fps or 1080i60/30p -- they would confuse every kid at Best Buy, most every consumer buyer, and a number of "pros." The fact I still need to re-check NLEs says its not obvious the exact workflow needed for each one.

PS: Media Composer claim the clips are progressive when they are imported to DNxHD for use in a progressive project.

Yes, the twitter could be an issue with direct viewing. Although when I used to edit SD I also had a very nice consumer CRT (a JVC) that had a progressive mode on it that would combine the two fields from PsF footage. Shame none of the pro monitors I came across at the time could do this! There were probably other consumer displays that could do this too, since many DVD manufacturers failed to correctly set the progressive scan flag on their discs. So TV and DVD player manufacturers had to find a way to properly combine the fields automatically. My TV required me to manually tell it to do so though.

In the case of the consumer software the PsF footage can be happily edited on an interlaced timeline. There would be no loss of info. The issue then really comes when it gets to final encoding. But in actual fact it shouldn't make much difference.

Lets say that you have 1920x1080 50i PsF footage and you edit it in your NLE on a 50i timeline. No deinterlacing or loss of line info takes place in that case. Now you want to output a 1920x1080 sequence for Vimeo or YouTube. Conventional wisdom says that you need to deinterlace interlaced footage because of the weird combing effects when shown on a progressive display. However in this case it doesn't matter because the footage really is still progressive. No combing will be seen even if you don't perform any deinterlacing. You'll see both fields at the same time as you should.

As David said, there could be an issue on interlaced displays, but to be honest I never really had any issues, certainly no more so that with interlacing itself! Although camera setup did help. But if you are going out to DVD or BluRay then the encoder does need to know that it is receiving progressive scan footage (even if you output from the NLE timeline initially in a 50i file). Although having said that I have heard that a lot of players these days ignore the field flag and do their own interpretation of whether footage is progressive or not due to the unreliability of the manufacturers in the past.

One of those things that is complicated yet simple at the same time!

"In the case of the consumer software the PsF footage can be happily edited on an interlaced timeline. There would be no loss of info. The issue then really comes when it gets to final encoding. But in actual fact it shouldn't make much difference.

Lets say that you have 1920x1080 50i PsF footage and you edit it in your NLE on a 50i timeline. No deinterlacing or loss of line info takes place in that case. Now you want to output a 1920x1080 sequence for Vimeo or YouTube."

I agree, BUT if any scaling is done there will be a vertical resolution loss. Why? Because each field will be scaled individually and then recombined. During the scale, all the lines are NOT together, so they cannot be used for the scaling math. PIP and 3D FX will suffer.

Moreover, when you export to H.264, you need to be VERY sure your NLE does not assume H264 is progressive (which is what Apple does) and then auto-deinterlace the 1080i Sequence. (One needs all 1080-lines for the WDTV.)

When you export a 1080i file and upload to a website, the website may auto-deinterlace. With 720p internet video there will be a serious visible loss. But, with 1080p now being supported, there will be a visible loss. If you can export an H.264 file without auto-deinterlacing, then this is the way to go.

===========

FCP forces a deinterlace of every I clip when it is used in a P Sequence.

Since Apple seems not to document what kind of deinterlacing is used, for speed it might well be bob which is a 40% drop in vertical resolution. About the same would occur if blend were used.

I do know that iMovie forces deinterlacing.

So if you use a 1080p Sequence, you must change every clip to P. Therefore, you must be sure your NLE offers this capability!

No viewfinder image, when using the HDMI terminal
 

I was planning to test the VG10 and nanoFlash today...
But just before I left, I connected a HDMI cable to a monitor... and discovered the camera stopped feeding a video signal to both the viewfinder and LCD panel.

Unless I've done something wrong… it appears, if you want to uses a nanoFlash, KiPro Mini or Ninja, it means adding a HD monitor to the camera.

Does anyone know if it's technically possible to change this in firmware?

I've read this before, that HDMI out disables all of the camera monitors.
There is a firmware update for VG10 scheduled for Nov, but I haven't seen exactly what issues it will address.

Does pressing the Finder / LCD button do anything to toggle the display state?
Just throwing out ideas...

<Edit>

Whoops, my bad. On page 34 of the Owners Manual, under 'Notes' it states: "No image is displayed on the viewfinder and LCD monitor when signals are output via the HDMI terminal."

Well....bit the bullet big time.

I shoot about 5 weddings a year and misc projects, up till now with my PD170 and VX2000. I nearly went HD earlier this summer, but the downscaling issues for DVD output made me ask myself: why? My PD/VX are just as sharp on DVD as any HD, and better in low light than any. Workflow is simple. Clients are happy.

Another hobby of mine has been backcountry photography where I've been using just a super-zoom pani. Horrible noise in the long shots.

So I started to look at alternatives last week and came across the NEX cameras. I settled on the NEX-5, but I needed the big lens, which is 900.00 if you can find it.

Then I noticed a bunch of my searchs also pulled the VG10 which comes with the 18-200. Found this thread and read some more reviews.

End result: just ordered Nex-5 two lens bundle (16 + 18-55) 799.00 + the VG10 from adorama for a total cost of 2798. from adorama. Ouch!

Of course I'm terrified of the manual zoom and DOF focus issues for weddings, but the season is over and I'll have time to figure it out.

I could have held out for a red scarlet and REALLY spent some dough, but I'm excited to try this setup.

TY to all for the great posts and reflections!

Would love to get some advice on which memory cards to try...

You'd be waiting a long time- RED has finally announced that they are abandoning the Scarlet prosumer product.
The VG 10 is a fun camera that is capable of beautiful photography.
There are a couple of issues:
1) Focus is a big issue- even at f-5,6,7 DOF is shallow enough to be noticable. The auto focus works pretty well, but like all of them, it's not bulletproof. You can press the "Photo" button and the camera will refocus and light up the sensors it is using- at least this tells you what the cam is looking at.
2) Low light is not terrific due to the slow stock lens (f-3.5). You may need to get a faster prime lens to get best low light. Sony is adding several new lenses to their E-Lens series in 2011.
3) Exposure control- to maintain control of both iris and shutter in daylight, you will need to add ND filters, or IMO the best solution, a variable ND filter like the "VariND". Your PD-170 has them built in, the VG10 does not.
4) Image stability- the OIS and IS features on the VG10 are pretty good, but not as effective as I've seen on some of the small chip cams (CX550, for example). Camera movement, particularly "roll" can really spoil an HD shot. You may find a monopod gives more reliable stability than handheld.
5) Manual Zoom- The zoom is rather stiff when new, but loosens and smooths out a bit with use. Nonetheless, handheld zooming is quite difficult. It is definitely more doable with a monopod. You will very likely be cutting back on your zoom shots.
6) Memory cards- either Sony Duo, or SD cards. I've used both, it makes no difference- just be sure the card is rated to handle the max data rate of the camera.
You will enjoy this camera.
There is a learning curve- it is quite different from using the PD-170, and the images will have a very different look than you are accustomed to.
For wedding photography, you should be able to create a really beautiful, more cinematic looking product once you learn the camera.
Have fun!!

Good. Anything that stops people zooming during a shot is a good thing!

Agreed!!
I'm not missing it a bit.

Bob TY for drilling down on the basic issues.

I always use a monopod (though of course sometimes it's retracted)---so that won't be a change---but I rarely touch the lens--I will learn.

Simon--amen! I have cursed myself many times while editing for too much zooming---that friggen button is dying to be played with. Never looks great---best is a fast zoom to a new steady frame size.

I'm very interested to see the low light performance- hoping it will be at least as good as the PD with wide adapter in place.

Don't tell me I need one of these:

SAL-70200G | 70-200mm f/2.8 Telephoto Zoom Lens | Sony | Sony Style USA

or maybe more practical: SAL-2875 28-75mm f/2.8 SAM Constant Aperture

November firmware update will be interesting to see if these lenses are viable for video.

PS: the low light sure looks good here:

http://vimeo.com/groups/nexvg10/videos/15206564

however check the last few seconds of this clip


wow. that's a fast lens. I see what you are talking about.

maybe a Sony SAL-50F14

[QUOTE=Robert Young;1581772]You'd be waiting a long time- RED has finally announced that they are abandoning the Scarlet prosumer product.

Are you sure about that Robert. Do you have a link to this anouncement? I thought that the price has changed a tad but by a grand or so plus it is having the HDR added but I do think that it's not abandoned.Delays yes....

I think Robert might be confusing reports that RED had "abandoned" the consumer market. As Henry notes, they say they still plan to ship Scarlet, but it will be more expensive, and they are changing it's target market. They had thought they could go after the consumer DSLR market.

oh come on, give me a brake, 2 years is not a delay :)
Scarlet is an urban legend

Buba - that is still a delay - a two year one - but still a delay. Show me a post where they say it is scrapped and I will agree. Ikonoskop are in the same place.

You seem like the typical Red hater and skeptic. I am not a fanboy but you gotta give it to them - they are pushing the envelope quite a bit. I visit the forum often to check progress.Yes they have failed to meet projections but I believe that they acknowledge that. The hype they create can be nauseating to some - yes . But folk who end up hating RED have lost perspective.....where can you get the specs they are offering at the prices they are offering elsewhere? Of course when they ship.................

Just so you know they have showed off a working Epic at a few trade shows .......apparently Scarlet is a little behind that in the schedule.......

By the way Buba.Jannard is a billionaire ..LOL...he may just sue you for saying his product is an urban legend.( joking )

Michael
I think, actually, you do have it right.
The announcement was a bit ambiguious, but it does seem clear that the Scarlet, as originally conceived, has been abandoned.

The low light performance is O.K. with the 3.5 lens. The camera produces very little noise at high gain- that's the saving grace.
For really good low light, however, I'm thinking more along the lines of something like a f-1.4 or 1.2, 50mm prime lens. Hopefully, something like this will be offered as a new E Lens in 2011.

Hi Robert - does the VG10 output clean HDMI out of interest? By that I mean without any overlays and uncompressed? Any way of tersting for us. Sorry if this has been asked

I believe that it does.
I know that people are reporting that it works with the NanoFlash recorder.
However, a big problem for shooting (with the current firmware, anyway) is that with HDMI out activated, you have no image display on camera- either VF or LCD. You must use a monitor.
A big drawback :(

So.....what have we here is the gorgeous GF, wild in bed, stunning, but real moody syndrome.

I use the 50mm/1.8 because I didn't want to spend the money for the f/1.4. You can shoot without noise at +18db, or at +21dB with a very tiny bit of noise. The image will be far brighter than you can see with your eyes. I suppose the 1.4 might allow one to stay at +18dB.

There is NO noise in very dark shadows. Only in middle shades. No chroma noise at all.

That's reassuring.

Are there A-mount zooms faster than the current E-mounts?

OK I looked it up.

"Sony Alpha Lenses with SAM (Smooth Autofocus Motor) and SSM (Super Sonic Wave Motor) will be able to autofocus with the Sony NEX LE-EA1, according to the Sony Press release. So here is a list of Alpha Lenses with SAM or SSM:

Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 24mm f/2 ZA SSM (36 mm - equivalent focal length on the NEX)
CZ Vario-Sonnar® T* 16-35 mm f2.8 Zoom SSM (24 - 52.5 mm)
CZ Vario-Sonnar® T* 24-70 mm f2.8 Zoom SSM (36 - 105 mm)
Sony Alpha 30mm f/2.8 Macro Lens SAM (45mm)
SA 35 mm f/1.8 SAM (52.5 mm)
SA 50 mm f/1.8 SAM (75 mm)
SA 85 mm f/2.8 SAM (127.5 mm)
SA 300 mm f/2.8 G SSM (450 mm)
SA DT 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 Zoom Lens SAM (27 - 82.5 mm)
SA 28-75 mm f/2.8 Zoom Lens SAM (42 - 112.5 mm)
SA 55-200 mm f/4-5.6 Zoom Lens SAM (82.5 - 300 mm)
SA 70-200mm f/2.8 G SSM (105 - 300 mm)
SA 70-300 mm f/4-5.6 G Zoom Lens SSM (105 - 450 mm)
SA 70-400 mm f/4-5.6 G Zoom Lens SSM (105 - 600 mm)

Since the nex3/5 have already been updated to autofocus with a-mounts, we are asumming vg10 will be updated on Nov, right?

The first one I'm getting is

Sony Alpha 30mm f/2.8 Macro Lens SAM (45mm). People rave about this cheap macro (200) and like it as a medium prime as well.

Here's a sweet 1080 utube that shows a bunch of lenes on the NEX 5, identified, on italian countryside in spring. Check out the 1500.00 135mm f/1.8 Lens. Note second sequence at 1:30, autofocus from hillside to flowers. Impressive.

YouTube - "?" NEX-5 Video "Light & Wind" Valdorcia, Italy ????????????????

Actually the 18-200 looks great in that, i thought.

Another which shows off the 18-200---looked amazing on my 42"

YouTube - Sony Nex-5 18-200mm Lens New York City Times Square Robot Man