The Sony NEX FS700. Super 35mm 4k and 1080p slow motion at up to 250/300 FPS

Camera Reviews

Mark 3 frame grab from shoot I am on click above for more.

I am out on a boat in the middle of nowhere off the coast of Australia shooting on the C300 and Mk3…you can see some frame grabs here. I have VERY limited internet access, but I heard of this and had to post, even though it’s costing me an arm and an leg to use the ship internet to do it! Too exciting not to!

The large chip camcorder market suddenly got incredibly exciting with the announcement of the Sony FS700 a 4k ready super slow motion super 35mm camcorder.

Although technically sitting between the F3 and the FS100E, it sports features that blow both of the cameras out of the water. Key being the ability to output 4k out of a 3G-SDI interface (via future firmware update) and in-camera recording at up 10 times your normal speed. This is a region free camera, so if you have to shoot 25p you can go up to 250 FPS at full HD…yep full HD, not 720p or anything smaller. If you go into 30p  we are talking RED Epic at like 300 FPS in Full HD. Crazy! I get the feeling that it is in 10 second bursts, not continuous. Still very impressive. It can also do higher frame rates of 400/800 and 960 fps at reduced resolution and at the higher speeds cropping….

It has ND filters, sorely missing in the FS100, and records AVCHD internally as before, which is surprisingly robust considering it’s high compression!

I own an FS100 and am constantly impressed with the image it delivers. I hate the lack of ND and find it a very fiddly camera to use. But for the price it is easily the best bang for your buck. This new camera betters the FS100 in most features…very much the same though in button layout, LCD placement etc…

I have yet to see any footage (EDIT: check footage below) but the release is scheduled for June with as estimated price tag of around $10k…Fascinating times!

Sony specs below and here

 

Preliminary Information

This is preliminary information. All features and specifications are subject to change without notice.

4K-ready

The first 4K-ready Super35mm camcorder in its class – providing an assured upgrade path to 4K acquisition and delivery – with full HD 1080p for today.The camcorder will also have the capability to produce 4K RAW 3G-SDI output via a future upgrade.

Super slow motion at 10x at full HD or 40x at lower resolutions

Incredible super slow motion capability of up to 10x slow motion at full HD resolution or up to 40x slow motion at a reduced resolution, giving you creative options that were once only available with specialist high-end equipment.

E-mount interchangeable lenses offer a wide choice of lenses

The E-mount interchangeable lens system utilises an extremely short flange back distance allowing you to use a huge array of lenses via a range of adaptors giving you almost unlimited creative options.

Additional A-mount lenses available

The Sony LA-EA2 A-mount lens adaptor allows you to use the wide range of high quality alpha lenses and take advantage of the auto focus function for quicker, more convenient operation.

Built-in HD filters

The NEX-FS700E features built-in, ultra-thin ND filters, offering exceptional shallow depth-of-field on highlights. It also means less accessories to manage as no external ND filters are required.

3G-SDI interface and HDMI

A 3G-SDI output enables easy integration with highest quality recording formats.

Exceptional ergonomics

The NEX-FS700E has a refined ergonomic design with a robust detachable handle and grip.

Switchable 50 Hz and 60 Hz shooting

The NEX-FS700E is switchable between 50 Hz and 60Hz to allow 24p shooting in PAL areas and no PAL/NTSC limitations.

Selectable magnification and positioning of expanded focus

Expanded focus improvement allowing 4x and 8x magnification and a moveable area of expansion for easy focusing with shallow depth of field.

Camera profile settings storage on memory card

Up to 99 camera profile settings can be stored, allowing rapid adaptation to multiple shooting environments without time wasted adjusting parameters. Settings are also easily shared in multi-camera productions.

Sony Professional: Introducing the Sony NEX-FS700 from Sony Professional on Vimeo.

 

FS700 480 FPS Test from Andy Shipsides on Vimeo.

This was a very quick test we did with the FS700 and it’s super slow motion options. Both clips are shot at 480 fps which records 10 seconds of real time. The image quality is reduced when shooting in this mode. The camera can be triggered at the start, end, or ‘end half’ when shooting slow motion. Even with some quality loss, the 480 fps looked pretty good. We did test 960 fps and the image quality was obviously reduced.

We had a very strong LED light source which caused the magenta / green shifts.

123 comments

  4. Yee Hah… Hopefully…

    Depending on price, this could be big hit for Sony – It seems to fit really nicely into my particular niche, at any rate.

    Here in Australia, Sony have been recently pushing the FS100 with a bonus couple of big batteries, and the 128GB flash memory unit… I was tempted… Guess there will now be a few slightly pissed-off recent purchasers out there…

    Nigel

    1. I am one of those very people who have an FS100, but it was £3k less than the FS700 so I can’t complain! However for for 4k acquisition work this would be a fantastic future proof investment for anyone thinking of buying. If you haven’t got the £6K I would highly recommend buying the FS100! Hopefully should be uploading some sweet stuff I shot with the FS100 very soon

    2. you are wrong nigeltraill – the FS700 will be around double the cost of the FS100 and that is without the software upgrade and without the cost of an external recorder (needed to get the most out of this camera).

      Both the FS100 and FS700 will have their place in indi-film making.

      What remains to be seen is how Canon – if at all possible – will be able to compete against Sony now.

      Canon has nothing at the $5k price point, and nothing (yet but the 4k NAB camera might be worthwhile) to compete against this FS700.

      I think Canons playing it safe year after year is going to bite them in the ass unless their NAB camera is out of this world.

      Right now I think Panasonic is the only one that can challenge Sony in 2012 unless the Red Dragon (vapor ware atm) unleashes soon.

      Take care!

  5. The camera can shoot Super Slow Motion of up to 120 frames a second in a 16-second burst, or 240 fps in an 8-second burst. If you need even crazier time-suspension, the FS700 does 960 fps too, so long as you’re prepared to sacrifice 1080p.

  10. Note to Canon and RED: Look guys, THAT is how you surprise people with a new camera, no 4 year talking or mediocre advances. Just total shizznizz.

    Hate to say it, but sounds like after the 7D, now my 5D is going to gather dust. Waited years to say this: I can break out all the nice de-clicked nikon glass again.

  11. It is VERY interesting as I Mentionned in the forum.
    I am very curious to see what there others have to show. I am soooo convinced that Canon wiil go to NAB with 4K stuff too, and I HOPE that they will announce a firmware update for the C300… Red seems to have stuff too to show and to “blow our minds”. I am wondering if Arri will stay in its marketshare or if they’ll bring a C300/Scarlet/F3 priced Alexa model. So much stuff is coming.

    We’re in 2012 so… “It’s the end of the woooorld ad you know it”… 😉

  12. Isn’t this camera being priced at $8K? That is a very decent price for sure, and will probably really eat into the C-300 which is priced 2x as much.

    This is definitely going to steal a lot of Canon’s thunder at NAB (especially because of the Metabones EOS adaptor), which is good Canon’s video releases have been lackluster and / or overpriced lately. A wake up call to reality.

    Now, the 4K EOS Canon has to be good to compete.

    Competition is good.

  13. Woah. I just read the part about future 4K RAW upgrade. OK… with that juicy little tid-bit, who is going to buy the C-300 now at 2x the cost? I’m sure the RAW upgrade will cost a decent amount, but it will still probably be cheaper than the C-300.

    Way to go Sony. Pushing the limits while Canon is pushing the wallet.

  14. Expect a load of new low budget features with the following slo-mo shots – Guys getting out of cars looking all gansta, women walking into nightclubs with their boobs bouncing slightly, people showering profusely, guys walking down streets looking really hard and moody, cocaine being snorted, joints being smoked, pints of lager being dropped just before a fight kicks off, faces being punched, sweat dripping of noses, angry dogs barking, wide shots of general partying.

    British Gansta films will of course feature all of these shots in abundance.

  22. Man, this is strange, i was getting my cart ready on B&H, to buy the fs100 and I read the news… I don’t know, I’m guessing the 4k means 4:4:4 or 4:2:2? ND filters! Not sure about the price range… I’ve read it’s somewhere between 8 and 10 thousand… Probably closer to the latter. 25, 30, 50 and 60p (and the amazing slo-mo)… This camera is made for my needs. If it gets closer to 8000 then I might consider dumping the fs100 and getting this instead. I’ve been saving for almost two years…
    I can’t wait to read a philip bloom review for this camera… I think I might wait a couple of months for this. In your experience are the initial “talk” prices closer to the street price or the list price?

  23. Is there any word / rumors on whether the 4K future upgrade is going to cost extra, and if so any idea of how much? Or, will it simply be released as a free firmware upgrade? Since there were a lot of upset F3 owners that paid for the 4:4:4 upgrade (that is now included for free with that camera), I wonder if that experience will affect how Sony handles the 4K upgrade on this camera.

  24. Very interesting post. I just wrote an article about this on my blog as well. Someone on my site brought up a good point when I mentioned that the FS700 won’t have a “RAW” format per say like the Scarlet (its 4k competitor). However when you look into it, one will see that RED’s “RAW” is still lossy compression and if you raise the compression level and lower the data rate (like the scarlet does) artifacting is definitely visible. My point being that the 4k out via 3G SDI will bring video at a level that is very close to being “RAW,” giving much more room for play in post.

    I’m blown away that this camera will only cost $9k. It really could be a game changer. My only gripe with the F3 and the FS100 is that they look very “digital” in my opinion. The CS300 is also flawed in this respect. The Epic and Alexa have a very organic, dare I say, “Film” look to them. Ultimately, for $9k though you can’t go wrong. Especially if you factor in the ability to overcrank above 60fps at 1080p. (something even the CS300 can’t do).

  25. I love my FS100, so this is very intriguing to me. Nobody is noticing the mode button on the top of the camera where there is a film strip and camera icon? Looks like another push into RED’s territory.

  26. If this comes in at the rumored price of $8k, it will be a hit for some purposes but Its a shame they did not fix the LCD monitor placement and something tells me they did not improve highlight handling and the sometimes funky red colors. I will take that over 4k anyday!

  27. From Cinema 5D regarding the frame rates:

    Details on what kind of slow motion it can shoot:
    – 240fps for 8 seconds in Full HD
    – 120fps for 16 seconds in Full HD
    – 960fps up to approx 19 seconds in a burst
    _(1920×432 line skipped readout, interpolated in
    _camera to 1920×1080)
    – 1480fps up to approx 9 seconds in a burst
    _(1920×216 line skipped readout, interpolated in
    _camera to 1920×1080)
    ___________________________________________

    Why not do them in full 720P instead of interpolation?

    Very exciting, these high frame rates are the last remaining category where us mere mortals could not venture in camera tech. Since this is the very first to do it I am guessing in 5 years time 1080p at 1000fps full quality will be an every day thing on pro cameras.

    The Phantom Miro with EF mount has a 24k and up price and does do 10bit at 1000fps but then again 24k is the cheapest and goes up to 50k.

    Time for Canon to wake up, no more 720p 60 BS even on the C300. Sony just got my money!

  29. I’m extremely interested in this camera.

    It has everything I wanted from the original Scarlet and more. I love being able to get the 4k recorder later on when I need it and not having to foot that bill in the beginning. I shoot mostly sports so that slow motion is really what I’m looking forward to. And I also love the idea of power zoom lenses. (very helpful when field games) Just hope the prices on those lenses are not too crazy.

    It is pretty much the perfect camera for my needs in the foreseeable future.

  34. Wow, thanks Philip, the price just keeps dropping on this awesome stuff! – And I’ve got to say, you live the most glamorous life! If Indiana Jones were a camera (Tech) geek, he’d be you!

  35. Wow! this looks brilliant 🙂 What lenses do you use on your FS100? It would be so convenient to carry different backs (Canon, Nikon, Sony) to use as the shot dictates but only one set of lenses for all..

  39. I read this article:
    http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-57407947-264/nex-fs700-pushes-down-sonys-4k-videocamera-prices/

    It seems to indicate that the FS700 will be 4 megapixels wide, but will interpolate the RGB so it won’t be 444. Does this mean it will be 4k, but not as nice as Red Scarlet 4k?

    There’s something about the Red look I really like. I don’t know if it’s the color space or just the 4k, but it makes really pretty footage.

    I like the idea of the FS700, or the upcoming Canon 4k camera (or the Digital Bolex) because I think they will be easier to use than a Red and not rely on extremely expensive proprietary media storage.

  40. Now this makes sense! All my current FS100 widgets will fit nicely on this new camera. Finally an upgrade without the need to buy all new periphrial/support gear. If this camera comes in @ less than $10,000 its going to really shake up the HD landscape!

  42. Back when the FS100 came out, I attended the west coast launch at one of the shows. SONY was trying to pass it off as a cine camera. I instigated a rebellion to complain about the lack of ND filters (SONY gave a lame excuse about the flange depth being too short, apparently not a problem in the FS700!) in the FS100 and also let them have it with the fact that it wasn’t a world camera. They said I’d have to buy another camera if I wanted to shoot 25p.

    It’s nice to see that SONY actually listened to those of us there that day, who weren’t interested in drinking the Cool-Aid.

    Now if they just had changes the form factor. It’s nearly impossible to shoot high angles. The SONY rep actually suggested “Just turn the camera upside down.” To which I responded, ” And mount it on what!”

    Oh, well, there is still some room for improvement.

    Their later firmware upgrade to implement 4k sound pretty weaselly to me. Notice there are no specs given for the upcoming 4K upgrade. Nor a price…

    Hey, SONY! Why not go back to the classic ENG configuration. It was good enough for ARRI in the ALEXA. Why are you guys scared of it? It’s a classic form factor that WORKS. That’s why they call it a classic!

      1. I agree……Just directed 3 music videos in LA last week on the Alexa, and my DP really didnt want me to
        throw my 5D and GOPros into the mix. He’s a really fantastic DP but I was frustrated at times when I
        couldnt get some of the shots that I wanted. So excited to see how this new camera stacks up, hope its the one I’ve been holding out for!

  44. This definitely shows every other video camera manufacturer who’s STILL BOSS!:D Crazy 1080p framerates, when every other large sensor 1080p cam cant match its new 1080p 60p. And a clear RAW 4k future, which will hopefully employs F65’s REAL RAW format. And all this 1080p goodness already available for external recording RIGHT NOW so no more codec bitrates woes.

    Add to that that magical e-mount super short flange distance which enables you to use ANY LENS you could ever want. This camera pretty much takes care of every single want you copuld ever ask for, and for a crazy price of less than 10k?!?!!??! Crazy Sony. Im so glad I went with your dslt’s and Nex’s..so now Im walking with the king.:D

    1. At the price point the FS700 is intended for and when looking how Sony does marketing and stuff I don’t think you will have RAW with this camera. OR, not the same “real RAW” as the F65 because the sensor and processing power won’t be the same.
      Like with the F3 you don’t get really the same image and signal quality you get with the F35.

  45. What a coincidence my birthday is in June, If the specs hold.. happy birthday me. I’ve used the fs100 a love the image quality you get from it.
    My only concern and is how much will the low light capability be affected with the upgrading sensor. Still.. ND filters, higher frame rates, ability to do 4k in the future.. looks so promising.

    If it the specs stay the same, would you sell your Fs100 to upgrade?

  46. I would certainly love to own the new FS-700. However I own the FS-100 and I’m having a truly great time shooting with that. My clients love the camera. I’ve owned it since last November and I’m slowly integrating it into more of my shooting assignments.

    Do I need having 250 fps at my disposal. Not really. Does using a variable ND filter get me frustrated. Not really. In fact, I like the speed and subtlety of adjusting the light levels during an interview with that as opposed to using the rotating Iris knob on the camera, which adjusts light levels in small steps.

    New cameras come out these days like rabbits breeding. Just a fact of life. Love the camera you’re with.

    Joe. DP from NYC.

  50. Well i just got my FS100 in Nov of last year and love it but after looking and seeing the FS-700 on philip’s site i am putting money away cause RED better look out cause sony is going to kick some but for 4K Camera for under 10K

  51. We now have a war on between Canon and Sony and RED and Panasonic (maybe Nikon and JVC if they have the balls?) no doubt 4K bodies will be falling from the sky in all directions in no time!

    So the biggest question for me now is what lenses to buy – because lets face it, all these new “bodies” are to a certain extent throw away. Ive got money invested in Canon glass but nothing like what we used to spend on ENG lenses – so its not such a big deal to get some good manual Nikons.

    Lenses now are the most expensive part of your kit – or should be – and will last a life time.

  54. C-300
    Born Jan 2012, Died April 2012
    R.I.P

    Unless Canon does a crazy Firmware update at NAB, the C-300 will go down in history as the quickest Flash-In-The-Pan. The 4K EOS now has to seriously Kick A$$ or else, Canon will lose the large sensor video market because they dragged their heels for so long.

    I doubt Canon (or anyone else for that matter) saw the Sony F-700 coming.

    Good times.

    1. slightly ott Gene! The C300 is far from dead. There is no other large sensor camcorder that does broadcast quality recording in camera. This is a big deal for people like myself.

      The FS700 looks great for slow motion. For the 4k…let’s see until he firmware comes and what it entails hardware wise…it certainly cannot record that in camera.

      1. Well Philip, if there’s anybody else who’s travelling the world and changes cities and hotel rooms on
        a daily basis, then the small size of the C300 might come as an advantage for him.

        But for everybody else, the C300 is getting harder and harder to consider. I think Canon rushed too
        much just to get a product on the market and played very conservatevely (just like they’ve done wth the
        5DmkIII).

        Canon has awakened and annoyed the giant (Sony) and it won’t be pretty. First Sony reduces the
        price of the F3. Couple of months later it launches teh FS700, which, let’s say it again, is HALF
        the price of the C300, and sports AF and a rocker zoom, 60p, 240-960 fps, 4K, 12bit RAW…

        The FS700 will be the perfect indie camera and a stunning tool for broadcast docus and drama when
        paired with an external recorder.

        Let’s not forget the less you invest in the camera, the more you’d have for lenses and compared to the
        C300, the FS700 comes with 3 Zeiss primes and your f2.8 zoom of choice “for free” (slo-mo aside).

        1. am not saying the fs700 isn’t looking fantastic. But let’s be careful with the analysis of the specs…AF…that’s on E-mount lenses. Rocker Zoom…for which lens?

          This is coming from someone who will most likely buy the fs700, for it’s slow motion abilities, for anyone who has shot with a c300 it is simply the loveliest camera to shoot on. the images are mind blowing. the ergonomics of the fs700/100 are pretty poor. the internal recording, adequate. have you ever worked with external recorders? great for studio stuff. a bitch for anything else ESPECIALLY docos. Sony simply need to make a camera with a large sensor that records 422 50mb/s internally. Simple as that. Cameras like this are great and have amazing cool features but I need the basics first to be top notch.

          1. Abelcine and pretty much every other person who got a preprod model said in their respective blogs that it will output 12-bit 4K RAW. Maybe mentioned in the official sony spec sheet sent to them. http://blog.abelcine.com/2012/04/04/sonys-nex-fs700/

            So I guess that makes the FS700 worth the awe its been getting huh. I would like to agree that the C300 is looking pretty dead by now. Very hard to justify against this camera. If all you’d want is the higher bitrate, a small external recorder for 1.5k USD will solve that..way worth the 5K USD plus saved.

            And the UNLIMITED LENSES option! And did I mention 240fps 1080p?!?!?! and 12Bit 4K RAW!!!

            1. exhausting this gelald but i will address this again even though i do believe i just said this. Please do read comments, it makes my life easier.

              specs are NOT everything. Froth at the mouth as much as you want but until you have shot with all these cameras then trust me in this.

              Using an external recorder is great if you can but a pain in the arse. Nothing better than recording internally, especially at a broadcast accepted codec. Right too for the rich job and using an external recorder on job i am on right now would be a disaster. mostly handheld in small spaces, no rig and lots of moving around fast in the middle of nowhere on a boat. only one camera i would want for this job and that is a c300. This is coming from a future FS700 purchaser.

              Right tool for the right job and an incredible HD lightweight broadcast approved full hd large sensor camcorder has a definite place. This is coming from someone who earns money shooting jobs and picks…guess what? the right tool for the right job.

              Once last thing until we see the 4k and it’s output AND how much it will cost it’s worth being cautiously optimistic. Better to be surprised than disappointed! Don’t forget this is a dirt cheap camcorder and Sony HAS a market to protect.

              thanks

              p

              1. Phil, I do agree wholeheartedly about your right camera for the right job philosophy. But for those who cannot afford multiple 20k USD plus cameras like,may I pressume, majority of your readers, and would like to own a single camera that they can build up or down to do multiple differing job requirements, Im saying the FS700 is looking a hell lot more sensible than any other cam and is looking like a huge steal when put up against the C300.

                But taking from your argument, that the reason why youd choose to shoot with the c300 on your current job is the fact that it has internal broadcast quality codec, and is small enough to shoot anywhere pretty much without a rig. I dare assume, that you always, alwaays use a larger monitor right, for focusing and such, even with your minimal rigging. And the atomos ninja/samurai is just as small as an external recorder. So in effect, even if you use the fs100 or fs700 for that matter and attach in an atomos samurai for external recording and monitoring youd be able to get the same small agile package youd need plus a more capable camera, and record in a high bitrate, 10bit,4:2:2 color space in an edit ready format (Prores). So the argument for using the c300 on this particular job, as opposed to an fs100/fs700 + atomos ninja is a little weak.

                Id love to see some great footage off of this, and I respect that you dont want to pass judgement until you shoot on one, but come on..you cant deny that an externally recorded high bit rate 1080p footage from this thing at 240fps will wipe the C300’s measly 30p on any given occasion that requires slo motion. In some respects, specs do matter..at least the very obvious ones.

                1. hi gerald

                  the c300 cost me £10k not $20k.

                  i don’t use an external monitor with minimal config that i am using right now. the evf is actually usable for the first time. incredibly freeing.

                  i own a ninja and the screen is very poor the samurai is much better but not a monitoring solution as no peaking etc. i really do not recommend this. when we shot “that day” on the c300, this is a fiction piece, the samurai was mounted to the right and my monitor to the left. no way i could use the samurai to judge anything. a nice screen but not for critical monitoring.

                  slow motion is not everything. on this documentary i have not shot slow motion once or missed it once. it’s all real time. i am very concerned with the slow motion wars that are now imminent we are going to be deluged with very dull slow motion of everything. nothing better than real speed!!

                  i want to know more about the 4k, how it works, see the quality and very importantly know how much it will cost me!

  56. SONY has balls selling a camera now, with a promise for an upgrade to 4K in the future. A paid upgrade none the less. Like the $4000 S-Log upgrade. How much will 4K cost us? $4K? $8K?

    The fact is we have no idea, and SONY isn’t telling. Since when did we start buying products that were only partially activated. And then shell out even more money to turn on the other features. “Future Proof” BS. Future SONY greed and profit is more like it.

    Name one other product that people buy which is only partially enabled. Can you imagine Chevy selling a VOLT that went 40 miles on batteries, but if you gave them $8,000 more they would upgrade your firmware to allow for 80 miles on the batteries. NUTS!

    I have never seen such idiotic marketing as SONY currently is trying to pass off on the world with these cameras. Just how do you think the poor bloke who recently shelled out $4,000 for an S-Log upgrade is feeling now that the S-Log upgrade is available at a fraction of that price. Cheated? Duped? Betamaxed?

    Come on SONY, knock it off already…

    It’s time we fought back against large multi-national corporations that are ripping us off.

      1. Sony also announced one that does that ! XDCAM HD 50Mbits/sec 422 ! Called the PMW-100. It seems to be Sony’ version of the Canon XF105. I know it is getting way too much boring to compare the two brands but the facts are here :
        – single CMOS Chip (1/3 for Canon, 1/2 for Sony ?)
        – same codec (come on ! Despite the marketing name it is THE SAME codec)
        – same form factor (more or less)
        – same price range (more or less)

        That being said, I’m also very pleased to see the FS700 coming and it has great specs but one thing EVERY ONE SHOULD NOT FORGET :
        RAW and 4K require a LOT of space and processing power ! If you buy a camera for those specs you have to own an editing system that will be ok with it ! Try to editing and color grade a short film shot on Red with an iMac. It is really doable, I’m doing it and have an early 2009 24″ iMac maxed out. BUT, it requires A LOT of render time, proxies making and so on. The quality ? Outstanding ! But not in real time !
        And go tell your clients “sorry you have to pay 4 days instead of 2 of post because you know, my computer needs 2 days to render”. And if you’re kind and don’t make them pay those 2 days, it is still 2 days wasted !

        That being said, I’m going back to my old Canon XM2… 😀

      2. I heard in you chrostmas shootout that bitrate is not everything. Fs100 produces far cleaner and sharper 1080p than higher bitrated 5dmk3 and d800, is evchd 2.0 really that bad phil! The footages off the fs700’s launch video seems to hold so much res even at 720p web cmpressed. Is it really that bad to you?

    2. Ripping us off?! You have any idea how much full hd super slo motion camera cost before this thing?? More than 100k usd each! And who among the camera manufacturers has the cheapest Super35 sensor camera? Yep its Sony.

      What other brands sells us stuff for a future promised upgrade? RED sells us their epic and scarlet for a promised future Dragon sensor upgrade. Motorola sold us their xoom, for a future lte upgrade. Modularity, the power to upgrade your system to the latest tech without buying an entirely new machine. Its the future. And its very pro consumers.you really should see what other brands are doing before making this crazy conclusions that sony is the one ripping us off. They are actually the ones leading the innovation pack at very very cheap price ranges, which sends a domino effect to the competition. You should thank them.

      2. They are really expansive, you’re right. But they offer a very good resolution (the FS700 can do proper 1080p “only” at 120 fps which already is fantastic (I’m told while I’m writting this that it can go up to 240 fps for sure). And there IS a burst limit (of about 16 to 8 seconds) My point is that they ANNOUNCED a resolution loss for the higher framerates. Plus, ACCORDING TO the official press announcement, slow mo can “only” me recorded in camera, not via 3G-HDSDI :

        “The NEX-FS700U’s 3G HD-SDI and HDMI connectors can output full HD 50p and 60p, in addition to standard HD 60i, 24p, 25p or 30p frame rates with embedded time code and audio. With 3G HD-SDI, it can output native 23.98, 25, 29.97 progressive signals. Users can elect to output PsF over the 3G HD-SDI. Thanks to flexibility of the digital ports virtually any external recorder can be paired.”

        So unless it records it in overcrank mode (which would be freaking awesome !!!) we won’t be able to output slow mo footage to record on any fancy external recorder.

        Dans when looking at the footage posted by Andy Shipside about slowmotion, IF this is direct internal camera codec… It is way to compressed with way to much artifacts to be usable for broadcast work. (Broadcast industry is really concerned about those things, hence the need of a broadcast approved codec on board)

        Anyway, it certianly will be a superb camera, and let’s be honest : if I had the money I might buy it (unless anon does a firmware upgrade of the C300 which I think has a really good sensor… And yes, Slow Mo 4K and all that jazz it’s nice but if the sensor is crappy it will be crappy slow mo and crappy 4K ! And to MY TASTE, the FS100 suffered of a bad dinamyc range and a bad bad bad so bad rolling shutter problem)

        Anyway, I think if anyone doesn’t want to be desappointed they should read the press announcement entierely ! (http://philipbloom.net/forum/threads/sony-fs-700-slow-mo-and-4k-via-3g-hdsdi-for-less-than-10k.1392/)

      3. SONY isn’t selling you anything in the firmware upgrade. My point is merely that they are taking your money and turning on functions that were already in the camera. What price would you pay for a 4K upgrade?

        RED’s dragon upgrade is a physical new sensor/and or hardware upgrade. And that’s worth paying for.

        Sony’s seems like they are releasing the camera before it’s done. And we all get to be beta testers.
        In a way that makes SONY much like RED, selling beta versions of their cameras.

        It’s like GM selling you a V8 car that only initially uses 4 cylinders. And then if you pay for an upgrade, you can use the other 4 cylinders, because the firmware essentially turns them on.

        I’ve owned and shot with SONY’s for 25 years. I just think it’s a dumb way to sell a product.

    1. Sweet. Nice and clean like the fs100. And not washed out..
      Yes i said it – the fs100 looks washed out and when graded seems to lose all black detail.
      Haven’t decided to buy one yet because of that. The fs700 is too pricey right now for me personally.

  58. Did anyone else notice the rolling shutter / jello at 3:30 on the “Sony Professional: Introducing the Sony NEX-FS700”. Any idea if that’s FS700 footage, or perhaps that’s some b-roll from a dslr, just getting some external views of the FS700 hardware?

  59. It does look like a promising camera BUT it is 4K ready(!) not 4K like the scarlet. a price point under 10k is great for this camera but you will not get the 4k for this money I believe.

    If the upgrade is a paid one and you need some external recorder (with an unknown price) we will have to see what it will actually cost to record true 4k and how far off the price is from the c300.

    1. IF Sony’s goal is to make it work with the same RAW files system as the F65 it will cost an arm, a leg and a kidney to buy the external recorder !
      But I think that “low cost” camera will push people like Aja, Blackmagic and others to come up with an external 4K video recorder. Not RAW, but video.

        1. A part from Sony’s recorders for the F65 (on SR Memory) the only I can think of is the enormous Codex. But it seems to only record in Arriraw format which isn’t a bad thing but seems to require a prorietary T-Link connection that the FS700 obviously does not have.

          The only others that I know of are the Cinedeck EX and RX that can record into CineForm RAW codec (I don’t know if it is a good one or not) but they are expansive (more or less 15K US Dollars).

          Every one can think everything they want about Red, Ikonoskop or the Digital Bolex project, but they seems to be the cheapest way to record RAW today. (I think the Cinema DNG coming out of the Ikonoskop lacks a bit of dynamic according to the demo footages they give on their website but it is just my opinion)

  60. It’s a little bit like the Scarlet imo. At first people, including me, got really excited but we have to wait and see if the camera can keep up to the expectations (especially the price). And I really hope it does.

  61. I was just thinking of the possibilities. I have never edited RAW on my system but have 4k and my Quadro handled it nicely. So for 4k there may be less expensive solutions but not sure if there alternatives for the Red Rocket.

  62. Is it just me, or does anyone else think that the super slo mo record rates at 10 secs etc is a bit rubbish. I would definitely use my Samurai with this – Would it record continuous with that at 240fps 1080p? I would need to use/test this camera in a real world paid job scenario before purchasing.

  63. Sony’s fs700 is an excellent value for money Camera for all kinds of jobs.
    With good external recorder like KiProMini is will become far more advanced camera then F3 or C300.
    God bless C300, it had 30 days lifetime 🙂

    1. I honestly don’t get the C300 hate here. It’s an amazing camera. Having just finished shooting a doco using it I was blown away by how amazing the image was and how easy it was to handle with no rig.

      As mentioned before external recorders are cool…but nothing better than a great internal recording! 🙂

      1. I agree about internal recording, HOWEVER, 50mb/sec in those horrible MXF files is not great (FCP not Premier user). MUCH better off getting 170mb/sec with Pro Res 422 recording. Is this 700 10bit also?

        I’m thinking hard about swapping my EX3 for one. What you reckon? Just your opinion.

      2. Thank you Philip, for all your patience with everybody!

        I am working as a photographer for 22 years now, since 5D came in, I started to make film.
        I work for big enterprises, I have to work quick and dirty most of the time. I want best quality and therefor I think the C300 would be the best choice, even after reading all about F700. Very important pros for me on the C300 side:
        camera handling (so I can get rid of my rig),high ISO’s and off course the image.

        In a week or 2 it’s in my hands, can’t wait!

        offcourse I will await the 15th of april!

      3. I think nobody here hates C300. We all love it. But with some design modifications and price drop to $10,000 we will all love it. Perhaps Canon will release perfect DSLR in form of Canon C4K. I just hope does not crop in 2K like Scarlet.

    2. To me, the C300 offers better ergonomics. And to me (again), that plus the onboard codec would make me choose this camera because I would need less piece of rig to work properly. And I love the images coming from this camera (the demo short made by Vincent Laforet is loaded on my PS3 in Full HD and I run it like every week to watch it again and again and ag….). By the way don’t forget it can record in Log mode, which I like to call “the budget raw”, but still very usable (bummer : 8 bits only, but suffices even if I hope Canon can come with an upgrade to make it 10, 12, 14, 16 or 100000000 bits !)

      Maybe the “good” move, and that’s just my opinion and I’m a movie editor, color grader and VFX Artist NOT any sort of cameraman, would be to buy the camera that has the best compromise between ergonomics, image quality and recorder capabilities AT NORMAL speeds, and then consider renting another for the times you have HAVE to do slow mo. (unless you’re a slow mo addict ^^)

      1. I’m a slowmo addict ! Because I’m doing action sports videos… I’m the perfect target for Sony, and I was very exited about this newsss….
        BUT, I’m totaly agree with Philip, We need to wait for the 4k firmware… Pricing etc… It could be a bad surprise.
        PLUS, the video test of slowmotion http://vimeo.com/39405035 , remind me that 200fps is not that good for super slowmotion…. 1000fps is the killer one. (for sports).

        So Sony :
        10 000€ + ….€ = 4K video
        = 1080/250fps

        or Bolex… :
        3000€ = 2K (could be a great camera)
        +
        Phantom Miro : 34 000€ = 1080/1500 fps…

        Best,
        Mathieu @genepiFILM

  65. I agree with Philip in terms of wishing the FS700 had and internal robust 50megs/Sec Codec. I did a two camera shoot with a Canon XF100/7D and brought the footage into Premiere CS5.5. There’s so much wonderful color hidden under the surface of the XF100 footage. The 7D files turn muddy and start to pout if you even think of touching the color correction dial.

    For narrative film use, my list of desired features are few, but important:

    1. 50megs/sec or better codec for color grading.
    2. Decent Dynamic Range- aah the upcoming Blackmagic Cinema Camera anyone …
    3. Reduced Jello Effect … for example … on the 5D Mark III, even moderate pans (not necessarily fast enough to notice the skewing of objects) will still produce a queasy feeling in my stomach. I’m hoping the FS700 doesn’t suffer from this.
    4. A way to get decent resolution for a 2.39:1 crop for theater presentation. I wish these cameras had a firmware setting where you could simply hit a button and go from 16:9 to 2.39:1, thereby saving the unused vertical bits and adding them to the horizontal. That’s one aspect of Red’s 4K 5K that’s so great – being able to easily get a high resolution 2.39:1 crop. I’m wondering if the 2.5K on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera will facilitate this?

    The only other peeve I have with the FS700 is the placement of the LCD/EVF. The camera is difficult to handhold when utilizing the Built-In EVF (from experience with the FS100), but also impossible to use when on a shoulder rig necessitating the added $$ expense of a 2nd EVF.

    Regardless of its (few) shortcomings, I’ll probably be one of the first in line to pre-order the NEX-FS700.

  66. Some time ago I bought the Sony Nex VG20. One of the things I really love is the sound. It is 5.1 and it gives a very realistic 3D sound. I do consulting in more expensive sound and vision for people at home. I have a second system in surround of 30.000 euro+. I had many camera’s in my life but this is the first in 5.1. Now you cannot go back to stereo anymore. I love the 700, and thinking about buying one soon. What are the possibilities for a 5.1 microphone to use on the FS700?

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