EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

I would say that Sony listened to this forum and made a fine camera based on EA50 feedback. Outstanding specs and an e-mount-this baby is a winner.

Will I be running out to buy one......NO!!!!.......When 4K is the rule of thumb, I might. Things are going to change even more quickly on the tech side. Will households be rushing to spend $2K on a new 4K monitor when 8k is around the corner after a 4k update......don't know.....and my pockets aren't that deep to explore that financial possibility.

So enjoy.....it's a nice camera for those wanting to spend their hard earned money on the next best thing until the FS4 comes around!! I say that sarcastically!!!


Best,

Scott

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

This camera has nothing to do with the ea50 and no, Sony didn't listen to feedback on this forum, if they did they would have made a firmware update to solve some of the complaints made about the ea50.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

yes...not really an updated ea50 but in fact a very nice camera.
but damn...the batteries should be the same as on the ea50.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Here you can buy two ea50's for the price of one fs5, it certainly is a nice camera and obviously competing with the c100.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

well regarding the price hurts a little...or even more ;-) on the other hand it´s a major improvement compared to the ea50.
the superslowmotion is really tempting.
probably i will stay with the ea50 for quite a while. but still thinking about the selp18105....

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

The Sony EA50 will eventually be phased out as 4k becomes the standard, forget about firmware updates the EA50 was a test mule for the 4k format in 2K HD, and now what was learned is being applied to the 4k super 35mm camera platform.

The EA50 is done. Prepare for an FS4 and FS3 and that's what the EA50 will evolve into, my opinion. E-mount glass will move forward to serve 4K standard.

Love my EA50 and it has plenty of life left in it, not interested in buying 4K however being informed is key to understanding the dynamics of our ever changing field----this is evolution at work---The EA50 was a 1st of it's kind and I'm certain they will no longer make a 2K HD camera like again. HD is on the way out, 4K is on the way in. It's just a matter of time. The FS5 reinforces that on Sony's moving forward in a 4K world.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

It sounds like you work for Sony :) I have had a nex-ea50 and miss it's ease of use compared to a dslr, 4K is just a new way to make a lot of money for the camera manufacturers because we all have to start all over again with with our camera investments, something that will repeat itself once the first 8k camera's will come out. Existing models are hardly being improved anymore and 4k is yet another reason to bring out a new model with some of the features you have been missing before.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

The thing that was different about the EA-50 was the shoulder mount form factor... To me this looks a lot like a 4K FS100 even down to the rotatable handgrip.

I honestly cannot see anything about the FS5 that remotely says it's a EA-50 replacement ... I see it purely as the new FS100 that does 4K

After going back to Panasonic I still think it's got a way better image than I ever achieved with my EA-50 ..Hmm wonder how much this will sell for down here?? Probably around the 8K mark ...ouch!!

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

EXACTLY. I'm done with the game, and to be frank it just cheapens the industry-we bear the weight of these format changes and it hurts. How are you supposed to run a business when somebody tells you your tools are out of style before their life cycle is up......Does a mechanic get a new crescent wrench because it has a new chrome fashion statement and that's what tool manufacturers are interested in selling.....NO....It's about function. But in our little world, it's keep up with a sick timeline of technology or get steamrolled by it, because product life cycles are shorter and shorter as camera manufacturers keep killing us with shorter technology life cycles....Not fair....for the little guy it just doesn't pay, unless you can survive by allocating $20K every other year on new monitors, cameras, and computer equipment. The last camera I had survived for 12 years.....now it's necessary to sell your gear and buy new gear annually.....that's INSANE!!!

So bottom line, I will admire the changes from afar and book jobs that pay my rate and work for me, as I don't have the pockets nor the patience to play this game that is tipped in the manufacturers favor....they win every time, we lose. I'm not doing it. I am by no means employed by SONY, and if I were this post would be my resignation. It's not a fun game, technology was fun when it was manageable, now it's a rabid elephant that tramples everything in the room including itself!!!!

So me and my Sony EA50 will live happily ever after as that's the last camera I'm buying to do work, this has become a hobby for me!!! I will be making my own enjoyable content that is entertaining to me---that's what it's come to, and I'm happy with that. My camera earns, and will continue to earn, no need to buy into this manufacturer game anymore, I'm just shooting what I enjoy shooting with my EA50 until it dies!!! which is never since it's a tank!!

Keep independents alive and create beautiful content because as always "Content is KING"

Best,

Scott

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Hi Scott

Let's face it if you are pure tech head and buy the latest gear you will for sure end up with no money in your pocket. However technology HAS advanced so much that you can get better gear and actually pay less!

I sold both my EA-50 bodies (I sold the E-Mounts earlier and used my Nikon lenses) and the videos I shot for brides were good but never awesome. The EA-50 with the F3.5 lens at weddings bottoms out at around 3200 ISO so low light was always an issue for me ..Had to then buy F1.8 lenses to do my job! The cameras alone cost me $4000 each ..then the extra lenses etc etc and on it went.

I was forced to resize my gear as the EA-50's were just too heavy for my old back and I bought two Panasonic FZ1000 bridge cameras ... $899 each versus $4000 +++ BIG difference!! After the Sony's were sold I still had a pocket full of cash left. Now one would think that an $899 camera is going to be a lot worse??? Not at all ..The image quality throws my EA-50 footage out the window ..I can shoot wedding right up to 6400ISO and the image is clean ...AND I can shoot in 4K too and no extra lenses to buy either!

Sometimes a downsize does work ... I'm thrilled with what I have now and it weighs in at around 2lbs too!!

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

To me the only reason to upgrade gear is if you can't paid to use the old stuff anymore. . .that definitely should not happen every year!

Yes, SOME clients have very specific demands for what codec/camera/etc. you shoot, others wouldn't know an EX1 from an elbow. Unless all your clients are the former, you shouldn't have trouble making money with "old" gear for years. I unfortunately never bought into HD, instead getting an XL2 in 2005 when the Sony HDV cams were just coming out. I think if I had bought into a CARD-based camera (tape sucks so hard now after using cards) even in the "old days", like an HVX200 or something, I'd STILL be using it on most gigs. Not all, but most.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

This is a FS700 replacement.

240fps slow motion at full HD, variable ND's better ergonomics and most importantly 4K video with a wide dynamic range.

It's the FS100/FS700 upgrade most definitely. Unless they come out with one that does 240fps 4K slow motion.

Personally? I can't wait for 8K camcorders to come out so I can grab the best Sony 4K cam for half price on ebay in a few years time. At the moment, I can't afford to upgrade and thankfully my customers don't require 4K video. They're satisfied with a creative Full HD edit most importantly full of content, with nothing missed out !

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Its a nice camera personally I think its interesting that Sony seems to really have a commiment to the NEX mount as far as cameras but doesnt seem to want to make more lenses. personally id like to see some faster lenses before I make another commiment to the Sony NEX line. I love my ea-50 but I always seem to struggle in low light, id need more lenses in the 2.8 range.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

I really like the FS5.
I WISH they would make an EA50 4k version and call it something like FS4.

While the FS5 is way better than the horrible brick design of the FS700, I still prefer the ergonomics of the EA50.

If there was an EA50 4k that could do 12MP stills and low light video like the A7S / FS5 with some 1080P slomotion and built-in ND count me in! Put it around $3.5k-5k so it falls beneath the FS5. Heck I'd even pay the same price as the FS5 for it!

I really want AVCHD and XAVC-S along with XAVC-L. My NLE's cannot ingest XAVC-L.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

They just announced at IBC that 8 more FE lenses will be released before first quarter of 2016.
One lens is a SEL2470GM. My belief is that it's finally a 2.8 24-70 for the e-mount.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

but are there new powerzoomlenses between those lenses of all manual?
If I'm correct there are now only 2 powerzoomlenes: the stocklens from the ea50 and a F4 contant aperture?

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

I'll be interested in that SEL2470GM if it's f/2.8 and e-mount whether it's manual zoom or not. I hope it's OSS. :)

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Same here! A 2.8 24-70 with OSS would be an ideal all round lens. Many shoots I have there's not so much time with fiddling with lens changes etc, so would be perfect.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Dmitri you just made my day!

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

There is the Stock EA50 lens, which also comes as a kit lens with the FS700R.
And there's the 18-105 f4 and the 28-135 cine lens.

A 24-70 f2.8 would be great whether it's power zoom or not.

Sony has said they intend to expand the cine zooms/lenses as well.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

But please note that I am not sure it's gonna be 2.8!!!
It's just that they already have the 28-70 f3.5-5.6 and the 24-70 f4 Zeiss. So making another f4 24-70 makes no sense. And I think a f2.8 24-70 is one of the most requested lenses for the e-mount.

What I've heard is that the 8 new lenses will be presented at some photo thing in October.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

HD is very far from dead. Yes, the new formats and tech changes come at us very quickly. But on the "Joe consumer public" side old standards die slowly. The wedding guys know that more than anyone. Worldwide they shoot in HD and are still delivering in good old SD DVD. I don't know why BluRay never took off the way it should have? In American living rooms everyone has a nice HD TV, but that old DVD player is still sitting there! Streaming media is the thing that is allowing them to watch content in HD. And many people just seem to not know or care.

As videographers we are all one part technician and one part artist. Weather you need to keep up with every format change or not depends on the area you work in. If you are in broadcast the customer DOES dictate things right down to codec and frame rate. But for many of us our clients don't even know what a codec is and they don't care. My corporate clients almost NEVER ask me what I am shooting in. They just expect me to provide a quality image that is compatible with their usage. I have not had a single request for 4K yet. Yes, it will come some day, but in my world my clients don't even know what it is.

I slogged my way through all 8 pages of the thread on the FS5. If I was buying a new camera right now that would be it. But by the time I NEED to buy new cameras there will probably be something else released that will change that. As a fulltime shooter for my living I don't get caught up in all of thechie excitement over new releases. ROI is very important to me. So I am grounded in need vs want ;-)

Steve

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

+1 Mr. Digges. You hit the nail right on the head fair and square.

My broadcast clients all want 1080i and that's catered for by my now ancient PDW and EX cameras with their industry standard MXF MPEG-2 capability. The bulk of my corporate clients want 720p and smaller while some of my ad agency clients get their stuff shot and posted in 1080 50p which can be either AVCHD or XAVC 10-bit. Even the ad agency people who are aware of 4K don't want the extra costs involved with 4K at this point as 99% of their output is going to free to air and cable HD. As for my live streaming clients 720p has been the maximum demand.

Sure I could shoot 4K RAW on the FS700 down sampled to HD where it looks better but ultimately that's my choice if I desire to do go that route for quality sake. Or shoot 4K for post cropping and movement as there is a definite advantage in doing this in some cases. To date though no one has asked me for 4K delivery. It will come but I will wait until those market demands reach the point where I have to address those requests and when it does reach that point i will be looking for camera with 4K 50p not 25p. What I am not looking forward to though is the massive data loads involved with 4K files. XAVC-I mode QFHD 50p CBG records at 500mbps and 600mbps if you want 60p. XAVC-L at 150mbps for me is plenty big enough. Especially if it's for long form events like conferences or training courses.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Hopefully the EA50M will drop in price a lot soon and I'll pick up another.
In about a year I'll see if I need to go 4K with my main cameras and by then even better cameras will be out plus current cameras such as the FS5, FS7, or DVX200 should be less expensive.

The EA50M kit lens e-mount 18-104 G f/4 will work fine on the FS5 right?
But does it work on the FS7?

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

I think you mean the 18-105 don't you? if so the answer is yes and yes. FS5 and FS7 the 8-105 works with both cameras plus it will work with the FS700 with firmware upgrade plus the A7S in crop mode.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Yes, the 18-105 is also the kit lens for the FS5...

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

oops! I meant 18-105 :)
Thank you both for the help on that.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Hey David,

My guess is the EA50 has seen its last price drop on street prices. I paid $3,700.00 for my first one the first month of release (would do it again). I paid $2,600.00 for my second one. Original MSRP was $3,900.00.

The last price drop will be a very short lived one right before it is discontinued to clear out stock on shelves. Who knows when that will be? I know I will be getting more years of service from mine. They are great cameras. I hope your enjoying yours. The 18-105 G is a big improvement over the old kit lens. But I know you followed my comparison thread so you know thats what I think.

The FS5 looks very exciting, but as stated I have no requests for 4K yet.

Steve

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Thanks Steven,

Yes I am very grateful for your EA50M thread.
Yeah I agree the last potential price drop will be the final clearing out. The EA50UH dropped to $2299 at the very end to clear out stock. I paid $3400 for mine. I am hoping the originally less expensive EA50M will do something similar and I'll pick one up to use for the next couple years and then transfer the G lens over to a future 4K camera.

Although if Sony released an A7S or FS5 in an EA50 type body I would be very tempted to go ahead and sell all my cameras for a couple of those now.

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

The FS5 is foremost a stellar HD camera with a little 4K bonus.
It does 1080 HD in 10bit 422 (even at some high frame rates). 4K (UHD, not DCI) is only 8bit 420, so until the raw output is enabled, it's more of a HD than 4K camera.
But 10bit 422 is what I miss in my FS700, rather than 4K...

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

Dmitri,

Stop it....I know that....your changing the want vs. need equation :-0 :-0 :-) :-) :-)

I am writing about that now as your post came in!!!

Did you see Sony's promo video shot with the FS5 in Australia? The footage is beautiful and they showed off all of that exposure latitude, it is flipping amazing, who would not want that!!!

Kind Regards,

Steve

re: EA50 evolved.....it's now an FS5.....Sony listened!!!
 

David,

Yep, I get it, it is a game we all play, "whats next?". The answer is "we don't know". So I buy what I know will meet my needs and don't look back! The new releases are coming at us faster than ever. Especially now because of the impending change to 4K. The real question is what do you want? vs. what do you need? Are you a gear head that must have the latest and greatest? Or are you more interested in a positive ROI? Those are rhetorical questions that I have to ask myself. The FS5 looks like a perfect camera for me, but I don't NEED 4K yet, so no reason to invest.

Here is what I need: I learned video shooting in the old Betacam days when a 25 LB. camera on your shoulder was common. Because of that I am partial to shoulder or semi shoulder mount cameras. I am not a DSLR guy at all. The EA50 is not heavy to me at all, I love the form factor. BUT....the airlines are forcing me to change my prehistoric ways. The baggage and shipping fees are now outrageous and my clients are questioning my overall travel costs, as they should. I can see me fitting two FS5s in a carry on. Last week I shot a gig in Colorado, a state close to me. The client got a smoking deal on my ticket for $212.00 but then it cost me $310.00 to check my bags and pre-ship gear. They just don't want to pay that anymore! I am looking at my entire kit and going to figure out how best to start going light and fast. That is not just gear changes to light weight stuff. It will be an operational change in how I am used to working. There is much to consider!

Kind Regards,

Steve

Dmitri, I WANT a FS5!!! It is lighter than an EA50....right :-)