Sony RX100

[Antonin Baches]

The best little digital camera!

Ein Moment in Berlin (1080p) on Vimeo

Ein Moment in Berlin (720p) on Vimeo

[Al Gardner]

That's awesome. I knew I should have bought that camera.

[Ken Estes]

Very nice.
We just got one these RX100's in house, but I haven't had the time to shoot it.

[Antonin Baches]

Thanks,
You can use a flat profile (Portrait mode -3/-3/-3) to achieve a better colour correction.

[Dave Blackhurst]

There is a lot of customization available in the RX100 when shooting video... it's actually quite the little monster if you want to experiment and get creative. Nothing quite like it out there - it's like the engineers were let run wild and allowed to stuff in all sorts of options. The challenge is it takes a while to get a handle on what it can do - while it CAN "point and shoot", there's a lot more under the hood.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Hi all,
Just trying out this camera—wondering (just one of my many plans) if I could use it alongside my PMW-200 for interviews. Does that sound crazy? I work alone, so I can't carry around as much gear as other shooters. The little RX100 would fit into a corner of my PMW-200 camera case; I'd just need to bring along a second (and smaller) tripod. (I know that audio is limited on the RX100M3, but I'll sync up in editing and use the good audio from my PMW-200).
However, I have a lot to learn.
Would fellow forum-members mind giving me a bit of advice, to get me going?
For example: what file type should I record to? AVCHD or XAVC S? Do you need an especially speedy card if you go with XAVC S?
I edit with Avid Media Composer. I imagine I'll have to somehow convert whatever I shoot to mxf before I can do any editing.
Any other advice? Is there any kind of small stabilizer unit that people use with cameras this size, for shooting handheld?
Regards,
Malcolm

[Bill Pryor]

I think it would make a good second camera for that kind of thing. I have a Sony A7R I use that way with my FS100, both using Zeiss lenses. I've been thinking about getting this little pocket camera as a third. There have been times I've shot things like chroma key plates with a pocket camera, and one time I saw an abandoned house and gas station in the middle of nowhere, ,TX, that I jumped out and shot, bracing myself on the hood of my car, and used it in a documentary. Having a pocket camera available all the time can be a good thing. And, both the model 2 and 3 shoot 24p.

I've found that if you use a neutral setting and white balance both cameras, most all Sony cameras intercut well with only minimal color grading. Sometimes just tweaking the pedestal a little is all that's needed.

As far as switching codecs on your XDCAM, if you're converting to something else to edit, then it's probably not relevant. Shoot AVCHD on the little one, whatever you normally shoot on the other and convert for editing.

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Bill... thanks so much for your reply. And yes, many times I've found myself in the same situation—big camera packed away, something's happening, pull out a pocket camera and capture something you'd otherwise miss. Until now my pocket camera has been an even smaller Canon S100. I think this RX100 will be a big improvement on that, but even that camera got me some things I would have otherwise missed.
I'll record AVCHD with the RX100, but would the XAVC S (if I've got that right) variety be a better bet than the standard AVCHD?
I shot a test yesterday, with my dog running through some tall grass, and was disappointed in the results. It was AVCHD, 60i. Maybe I should switch to 60p or 30p?
Regards,
Malcolm

[Dave Blackhurst]

You should find the RX100 (presumably Mk2 or Mk3) useful as a "B" or "C" cam (or BOTH, they are pretty reasonably priced, particularly Mk2's at the moment with the Mk3 hitting the market!). I've got a couple small desk tripods and things that clamp to my main one (you'd lose the alternate angle with that) - not much "rigging" required!

Yes, you should probably shoot 60p if you're shooting AVCHD. XAVC S comes in the Mk3, and from experience with it in the AX100, it is superior to AVCHD (50Mbps vs. 28Mbps in 60p mode SHOULD get you something, and it does!).

I carry a small folding Stratos FBX flash bracket (posted some pix recently on the RX10 thread if you search my posts), it's surprisingly helpful for handheld, like a mini-fig rig. A camera this small and light typically doesn't "need" a lot of additional rigging for handheld if it's only short clips and you've got decent camera technique. I've shot one handed (I strongly suggest the Franiac or Sony add on grip!), with perfectly acceptable results.

The AX100 seems happy enough shooting 4K XAVC S onto an SDHC class 10 UHS1 Patriot card I had laying around (not even sure the bitrate spec...). Nothing "special" though!

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Thanks for the insight, Dave. I checked out your pix of the Stratos—I'll definitely get something like this if I keep this camera. Here's my predicament at the moment: I have to figure out a way to get the test video I'm shooting into Avid. Right now, screening it on my MacBook Pro, it doesn't look as good as I'd hoped. When I'm moving through a field of tall grass, I see all sorts of funny stuff. I think it may just be because my Mac doesn't like the AVCHD. So I'll withhold judgement until I get the footage into Avid (convert to mxf first, I guess). You're right, by the way—the version of camera I'm checking out is the M3. I can keep it for two weeks (handling it very carefully of course) to see how much I like it. So far, I love the photos, but need to figure out if the video is right for me. I've never like AVCHD, but will figure out how to get it into Avid before I say any more. When I google the subject of converting the files, an app called Acrok MTS Converter pops up. I'm the dubious type, always thinking companies on the internet are out to get me, so the fact that the name of this app is Acrok (A Crock?) makes me wonder.
The other camera I'm considering as a second unit is the Panasonic GH4. Many nice features (including the fact that it records in something other than AVCHD!), but it is a bigger camera. Both you and Bill make the very good point that the RX100 is so small that you can carry it with you without even feeling it. A big plus for the kind of shooting I do.
Anyway, I do appreciate any and all advice about this. I'm can be slow to make up my mind because when I do, I stick with what I buy for a long time (just ask my wife about our 10-year-old Honda Civic).
Regards,
Malcolm

[Dave Blackhurst]

Hmmm... in the never ending AX100 thread (at the top of the forums) there were some reports of "funny stuff" (at least I'd guess that's what you'd call it) when processing AX100 clips on an older Mac... the camera may be "fine"... but there might be issues handling the clips you'll have to iron out.

I have the RX100 and the M2, actually was the camera I used the most for a while. The RX10 has become my main cam of late, with the RX100's for "backup" and portability, and just added the AX100 for all the joy of dealing with 4K clips... No M3 (yet), but the tech is similar enough between the cameras to be able to guess at what you should expect.

As I've dialed in a new computer specifically for 4K, I've had LOTS of opportunity for "funny stuff", including replicating some of the stranger reports - tracked them down (at least on my PC) to monitor/TV settings and driver issues.

One thing I'm finding with the AX100 is that if you're shooting in bright light, you need to watch the shutter speed and keep it as low as is reasonable to leave a little motion blur - if the "auto" cranks the shutter speed, you get stuttery motion and "shimmering" on high contrast edges. This can be made far worse if you have sharpness settings turned up on your playback system.

I just reviewed some outdoor clips again from the RX10, and now see a bit of that same effect - not as noticeable as with 4K clips, but I'm now realizing that one needs to keep that shutter speed under control (ND's should help, I know the M3 added those - crank 'em up and try to get your shutter down to or under 125 and see if that helps any).

These new bigger sensors and fast lenses take a bit of getting used to - I shoot a lot indoors/ambient light where that speed is awesome, but it can apparently create other "issues".

Also, these cameras are good with "auto", but to get the most out of them, it helps a lot to know all the manual stuff and how to "massage" the camera for best results. That seems to be part of being on the leading edge tech wise! If you decide in favor of the GH4, you'll run into that...

Hang in there with the M3, I'll see if I can help any, but you may need to post in the Mac fora here for help with the computer/software. I can say that it is possible to get video on par with the photos that should make you very happy if you can dial it in!

[Malcolm Hamilton]

Dave—this is so informative! I know I'll have other questions for you in the future, but what I realize is that what I should do now is to read the manual cover-to-cover and learn what I can about all the different settings. I'm not particularly good when it comes to grasping the technical know-how, but that's no excuse.
You've given me a big head-start, and some confidence that this is a very good camera, so thank you very much—to Bill as well.
Regards,
Malcolm