FS100 first impressions
 

Just received my FS100 today. Heavier and a bit more solid than I though it would be with the exception of the screen and tube--those are about as what I expected. It is definitely a tripod camera and uncomfortable for hand held which is okay for me because I do not shoot very much hand-held..

The kit lens is okay but it is really not very fast.The jury is still out on that until I have some more time to do some shooting. It does not appear to be exceptionally sharp but similar to my Z7. I am waiting for my lens adapters so that I can try out my prime lenses.

9db of gain is similar to my Z5 and Z7. To me this is very noisy however the FS100's light sensitivity seems to be about 1.5 stops above those cameras and perhaps 3-4 stops above my Canon DSLR

The kit lens's autofocus is better than I expected. Far superior to my Canon DLSR in video mode.However the Canon DSLR autofocus is almost useless in video mode so anything is an improvement

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

Congratulations on your new camera Keith - but are you sure you can compare the noise level at 9dB between the FS100 and the other cams you mention?

I don't have Z7 or Z5, but I doubt they are much cleaner than the EX series - and I can tell you my FS100 at 30 dB has noise comparable to my EX1 at 9dB...

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

I have not spent enough time with the camera to give an experienced opinion yet. I am hoping to spend some time this weekend. I'll report back.

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

I've had mine about a month now. I didn't like the handheld feel at first, either. The COG is about a mile away from where the hand hold is, and after about 5 seconds it starts to hurt your wrist. It then gets exponentially worse, the longer you hold it. It is pretty much impossible to shoot handheld and hold a shotgun mic at the same time, which pretty much go hand in hand for me. I tried shooting hasselblad style, and while it doesn't work for everything, it is comfortable, stable, and works well. The upshot is that shooting from that angle gives things a different look, and overall, I like it. The down side is that it's basically a dick's-eye-view.

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

I am starting to get used to the profile but the lack of full top handle is difficult to get used to. Even though I shoot with primarily with a tripod I still have to carry the camera around.

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

What Canon autofocus? There's autofocus while recording?

Re: FS100 first impressions
 

The Canon DSLRs autofocus works in video mode however it is so slow that it essentially useless.