SDI output, 4K and more...

[Andrew Stone]

Andy Shipsides on his blog post video mentions the output is 8 bit as well.

As Nate postulates, the 4K RAW will almost certainly be a Sony only output (when they unleash it) and will only record to a Sony recorder.

The old razor analogy: give away the razor and charge mightily for the blades.

Still think this is a remarkable camera for the price. Obviously the DSP is not as good as the F3, the image will apparently be a bit noisier but you will have access to RAW and all the imaging potential that affords.

[Mark Kenfield]

SDI output will be 8-bit apparently, though I wonder whether the eventual firmware update for 12-bit 4K, will also enable 12-bit 1080p through the same SDI port?

If it does, that'll be a serious boon for those interested in high-quality 1080p, but not fussed about 4K.

[Chris Medico]

Originally Posted by Mark Kenfield

SDI output will be 8-bit apparently, though I wonder whether the eventual firmware update for 12-bit 4K, will also enable 12-bit 1080p through the same SDI port?

If it does, that'll be a serious boon for those interested in high-quality 1080p, but not fussed about 4K.

10bit for video mode won't be coming. The processor in the camera is 8bit only.

[Mark Kenfield]

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

10bit for video mode won't be coming. The processor in the camera is 8bit only.

So the 3G-SDI will be capable of exporting 12-bit for 4K but not for 1080p video? That seems strange, I would have thought the 'transport' system was built around the same processing/output capabilities from the camera.

[Chris Medico]

Originally Posted by Mark Kenfield

So the 3G-SDI will be capable of exporting 12-bit for 4K but not for 1080p video? That seems strange, I would have thought the 'transport' system was built around the same processing/output capabilities from the camera.

When the camera is in RAW mode it will be bypassing the processor which is why it can output 12bit data. Its actually going to be easier for the camera to output RAW than normal video. Nothing really for it to do other than format the data for output.

3G-SDI doesn't natively support 4k. Sony will be using its own way to "package" it into the 3G data structure.

To get 10bit they would have needed to put in a processor from the F3 family. That would have made it hard to sell F3s.

[David Dwyer]

With Sony using E Mount lens will they start producing more lenses? Loads of A mount lenses but not many E ones?

SONY SAL-70200G 70-200mm F2.8 G lens

SONY SAL-70200G 70-200mm F2.8 G lens: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

 

SONY SAL-70200G 70-200mm F2.8 G lens: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

Lens I'd be looking at is the above but that's 1800 and another 300 adapter

[Mark Kenfield]

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

When the camera is in RAW mode it will be bypassing the processor which is why it can output 12bit data. Its actually going to be easier for the camera to output RAW than normal video. Nothing really for it to do other than format the data for output.

3G-SDI doesn't natively support 4k. Sony will be using its own way to "package" it into the 3G data structure.

To get 10bit they would have needed to put in a processor from the F3 family. That would have made it hard to sell F3s.

Gotcha, thanks for the explanation Chris.

[Alister Chapman]

The F3 and FS100 sensors are the same, Sony have clearly stated this many times. The FS-700 sensor is a new sensor. I was able to speak with one of the engineers at NAB. The new sensor uses more advanced on board noise reduction than the FS100 so despite the smaller pixels the FS-700 is only marginally less sensitive (for the same noise level) compared to the FS-100. This is borne out in my test shots on the Sony booth. I would estimate the FS-700 to be just a little over half a stop less sensitive than the FS-100.

The guys at Sony pointed out that they are expecting a little bit more aliasing from the FS-700 than the FS-100 when shooting HD as the optical low pass filter is optimised for 4k. That's no surprise really, as you have to choose one optimum resolution. We may also see further features getting added to this camera along the road as there is some spare memory on the DSP for additional processing options.

I was really impressed by the lack of noise when shooting the Belagio fountains at NAB. I used 3200 ISO and the camera was running at 240fps, so that also means a shutter speed of 1/240th.