FS100 Overview

FS100 Overview

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We've been uncommonly keen to get our hands on the Sony NEX-FS100 ever since we first heard about it back in March You see, this is no abnormal camcorder. Its spec sheet reads like a liturgy of filmmakers' prayers: a large Tremendous 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor, interchangeable lenses, XLR inputs and correct, professional controls. Sure, it comes with a $6,600 price tag to match, however it additionally heralds a development that should ultimately profit execs and atypical gadget denizens alike: the arrival of massive, daring DSLR-model optics within devoted camcorders. How do these optics impact the quality of the NEX-FS100's footage? Plant yourself someplace snug and click previous the break to search out out.
Gallery: Sony NEX-FS100 unboxing 26 Images
Cons
No auto zoomLacks sturdinessThe sensor isn't as massive as a DSLR's
Summary
It is not going too far to say that the NEX-FS100 is more than just a camcorder.
The sensor
There's just one solution to begin a assessment of the NEX-FS100 and that is with the phrases "Super 35mm," that are emblazoned throughout the digital camera's packaging, the system itself and all Sony's promotional literature. The Super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor really does make this digicam unique amongst its rivals - that's why Sony's marketing individuals seized on it, and it's also why we'll deal with this one spec on the expense of more niche options like sluggish-mo, GPS or image profiles. To place it bluntly, were it not for the sensor, we wouldn't bother reviewing this digicam at all.
The NEX-FS100 enters a market where common sensor sizes are woefully small, not only in comparison to full-frame or APS-C DSLRs, but additionally compared with those hefty 35mm celluloid cameras that still whir away on most Hollywood shoots and set a worldwide benchmark for cinematic magnificence. Digital filmmakers have been crying out for greater sensors for years, mainly as a result of they allow you to shoot aesthetically pleasing footage with shallow depth of discipline. In contrast, a small sensor tends to bring more into focus and hence make an image look flat - in different phrases, typical video. Another key advantage of an enormous sensor is low-mild performance, as a result of pixels unfold out over a larger area could be made extra delicate with out introducing noise.
So, precisely how big is the NEX-FS100's Tremendous 35mm sensor? Effectively, in case you thought the '35mm' label described a full-frame sensor of the sort you'd find in a excessive-finish DSLR like the Canon 5d, then you are going to really feel significantly let down. What's extra, if you happen to thought the 'Super' referred to one thing even greater than full-frame, then you definitely'll be much more bitterly dissatisfied. Sticking with SLR lingo for a minute, the NEX-FS100 could more accurately be described as "nearly APS-C." Regardless of all of the advertising and marketing hype, its 23.6mm by thirteen.3mm sensor is actually barely smaller than most client DSLRs on the market. It's also out-done by the CMOS within the NEX-VG10 (and the coming VG-20), which timidly started Sony's massive sensor revolution a 12 months ago and costs a fraction of the value of the FS100.
The advertising blurb will attempt to convince you that S35 works out higher than a full-frame DSLR once you consider 16:9 cropping and so-called line-skipping (which is how extremely hello-res DSLRs output lowly 1080p), but none of this negates the truth that a 'true' 35mm sensor has a much bigger effective surface space and therefore extra oomph than Sony's S35 format on the subject of of depth-of-discipline management and low-mild performance.
Able to dismiss the NEX-FS100 as falsely described items? Feel like grabbing your tripod and heading house? Please, maintain your horses for just one second. To begin with, the Super 35mm moniker is not a whole fabrication: it relates to an actual format, albeit one from the world of celluloid filmmaking. In a film digital camera, 35mm film runs vertically past the picture body, relatively than horizontally as it does in a celluloid stills camera. This means that the 24mm top of a stills body turns into the width of the movie body, leading to a much smaller frame area. The phrase "Super" relates to a popular modification of 35mm which barely will increase the area of the frame by encroaching on a piece of the movie strip previously reserved for the film's soundtrack. One may argue that Sony's advertising people have been disingenuous of their (over-)use of the Super 35mm label, notably when many among their audience won't be acquainted with celluloid terminology. In the end, nonetheless, Sony is telling the truth about its sensor.
The fact is this: the sensor in the NEX-FS100 is still monumental in comparison with nearly every certainly one of its rivals below $10,000. Leaving apart the NEX-VG10, which lacks professional credentials, the closest competition to the FS100 comes from the Panasonic AG-AF100, which has a Micro 4 Thirds sensor that covers just sixty five p.c of the world of Super 35mm. In the meantime, the ?-inch sensor within the Canon XF305 covers just 5 percent of Tremendous 35mm. As a final comparability, most well-regarded shopper camcorders tend to have quarter-inch sensors, which would cover just two % of a Tremendous 35mm body.
Gallery: Sony NEX-FS100 out on a shoot 19 Pictures
E-Mount Lens and optical controls
The NEX-FS100 may be bought with out a lens for around $5,900 or with a 18-200mm E-mount optically stabilized F3.5 lens for $6,600. Our review sample came with this kit lens, which was simply okay. It was sharp on the majority of focal lengths, the auto focus was quiet and fairly speedy and the lens was mild and simple to pack. But it surely was a gradual lens with a relatively small maximum aperture that inevitably cancelled out among the constructive effects of the massive sensor. It wasn't particularly nicely-constructed either, with transferring sections that appeared vulnerable to dust accumulation and that also appeared slightly loosely fitted together - although this did not turn out to be a hindrance during our take a look at shoots. In the real-world, the kit lens nearly gets the job carried out.
This leads us on properly to the digicam's E-mount system, which in any case frees you up from dependence on the equipment lens, and which is an more and more sensible choice as a lens platform. With third-occasion manufacturers also making E-mount lenses, there are already some of super-fast prime lenses available on the market and the choice will solely increase over time. Another consideration is that any E-mount lenses you invest in will also work with some other NEX cameras you would possibly add to your arsenal, including the NEX-VG10 as a backup digital camera and the fantastic NEX-C3 to handle stills. Finally, there's additionally the potential to add A-collection and Minolta lenses via the LA-EA1 adapter that retains AE and slow AF, in addition to other adapters that totally lose computerized controls. The approaching LA-EA2 adapter , which sports a translucent mirror, ought to improve matters additional. In different phrases, the E-mount system delivers all the choice and flexibility it is best to need.
There's one factor the NEX-FS100 won't do, however, and that is auto zoom. It doesn't matter what type of stuff you shoot, you'll miss this facility and you will most likely have to regulate your shooting style to compensate. As you will see within the daylight sample footage below, there are a number of messy crash zooms, ensuing from the truth that we usually choose to zoom in or out quickly, however there is not any approach to do this neatly with the handbook zoom ring. Lengthy, clean zooms might be even more durable to pull off consistently unless you are on a tripod, as a result of the hand that turns the ring is similar hand that stabilizes the front part of the digicam whenever you're going handheld.
Another necessary omission is built-in neutral density filters. These would have been very helpful in our daylight shoot, as they would have allowed us to open up the aperture further and achieve extra control over depth-of-discipline. However instead, Sony has made the package cease proper all the way down to F40 - so you will get correctly uncovered footage in vivid sunshine, but at the expense of selective focus. So, the one option to shoot open air and benefit totally from the large sensor will probably be to convey your individual ND filters, matte field and possibly a rail system to help it all properly. Some individuals will really feel completely at dwelling with such accouterments, but others - especially from the worlds of reports and documentaries, will see it as unnecessarily cumbersome.
Physique, layout and construct high quality
The NEX-FS100 has a wise modular design that makes it by far essentially the most moveable and flexible professional camcorder we have ever used. With the lens, grip and viewfinder indifferent, the physique weighs simply 1.04kg (two pounds four ounces) and is definitely small enough to pack away in a DSLR bag with loads of house left in the facet-sections and pockets for the opposite elements. By comparison, non-interchangeable lens camcorders, like Sony's widespread Z collection, have been extraordinarily troublesome to pack in something apart from a large, dedicated and conspicuous digital camera bag. This will probably be extremely necessary to at least one key market segment: the lone shooter who must journey as lightly as possible. The modular design additionally means there are many further tripod mounts around the digital camera. For example, the hand-grip screws into a mount on the facet which might alternatively be used to shoot in portrait mode on a tripod - not something that will probably be used so much, however flexibility like that always is useful at some point.
In fact, the argument will come up: why not simply shoot on a DSLR, which would be even more moveable? We'd as well deal with this issue right now, as a result of it is the physique and layout of the NEX-FS100, relatively than simply the lens and sensor, that make it a extra critical skilled contender than any DSLR at present available on the market. Yes, filming on a great DSLR just like the Nikon D5100 or the Canon 7D is an more and more viable possibility. But you really need a video camera that may shoot all day without getting hot and switching itself off - and the NEX-FS100 meets that basic requirement simply with a acknowledged most recording time of 510 minutes. It also has the option of a 128GB Flash Memory Unit, which costs round $one thousand further and stores ten hours of footage. We had the posh of an FMU throughout our take a look at shoots, but we also used top quality 16GB SDHC cards that saved over an hour of full quality footage with no problems.
Good video demands you can see what you're taking pictures, and the NEX-FS100 covers that base with an exquisite 3.5-inch LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY and separate viewfinder attachment for out of doors capturing that's far simpler than any DSLR screen. There are a few niggles on this area, together with the LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY's susceptibility to finger smudges which can be very difficult to wipe off, and also the truth that it doesn't flip out to the aspect, which implies you'll be able to't tilt it downwards when taking pictures with the digital camera above your head. Nevertheless, the camcorder sports activities an HDMI output and so cries out for a superb discipline monitor, which might remove all these limitations.
The NEX-FS100 has two XLR inputs, one on both facet, that are important for utilizing broadcast-high quality growth mics and radio mics. With a DSLR, or even with the NEX-VG10, you'd find yourself having to buy a separate audio adapter or recorder like the Zoom H4N and that will mean quite a lot of additional stuff to consider on a shoot, including an additional gadget to mount on the tripod, an additional 'record' button to push, and even clapper boards and scene announcements to help match up audio and video in put up production.
Crucially, the NEX-FS100 has hardware buttons and switches for all the controls you tend to want when capturing video, together with quick-auto buttons for publicity and focus (whereas still shooting in manual mode), expanded focus, auto and manual lock, white steadiness set and presets, gain, audio levels and audio channel directions. Only settings that typically need to be configured once per shoot (or less) are relegated to the menu system, which is accessed via the touchscreen and is clunky however effective. In distinction, DSLRs bury the vast majority of video settings in their menus, where you may by no means get to them in time for reactive shooting.
Unfortunately, whereas the NEX-FS100 has all the appropriate controls in roughly the precise locations, they're disappointingly small and fiddly. The auto focus and expanded focus buttons are just about unattainable hit precisely while capturing handheld, to the purpose where shooting information or fly-on-the-wall stuff that requires quick responses will likely be extraordinarily tough, if not not possible.
Another big downside is build quality. Sony's earlier pro camcorders like the Z1 have been tough beasts that might handle substantial bashing about in kit luggage and aeroplanes and 4x4s in international lands. That they had some weak areas, like the boom attachment, however it was not uncommon to find a four-12 months-outdated Z1 in a newsroom locker that was coated in scratches, cracks, gaffer tape and blood-stains, and but nonetheless worked perfectly. Having played with the NEX-FS100 for a good period of time, we simply would not have the same confidence in it. The modular design is partly accountable - the grip attachment, for example, would not feel strong sufficient even when screwed in tightly. There isn't a handle on top of the digicam except the mic holder, which screws into the inevitably weak hotshoe adapter. Also, the digicam is not dustproof or moisture-proof, so you may simply should watch out with it.
Video Quality
Many years ago, we stuck a Sony Z1E onto a plank of wooden beside an historical Nikon F3 stills digicam. Our purpose was to video a picture of the world as seen by a real 35mm digital camera. That was the first time we saw digital video with shallow depth of area, as opposed to the hideous flatness of regular video, and it blew our minds. We received that same buzz all over again with the NEX-FS100, but mercifully with out the splinters.
Our first job with the digital camera was to help out on a 3-digital camera shoot of some superb kids with learning disabilities performing Shakespeare. Regardless of the sunny day and absence of any ND filters, we have been capable of finding shady spots had been we may stop all the way down to F6.three to F11, and as you'll be able to see from our sample clip, this was ample to deliver a sense of depth in sure key scenes. There's a shot of a proud father taking footage, the place each the foreground and background is blurred just enough to make you consider him and acknowledge him regardless of the fast edit. The identical goes for the children making up their messages in a bottle: the depth allows you discover and join with each kid individually in a way that - we imagine - flat video might never obtain with the identical energy.
Next up, we wished to check the low-light performance of the digital camera and this the place issues started going fallacious. It was solely our fault, as a result of we were on excessive after the daylight shoot and we have been able to imagine that the NEX-FS100 could carry out miracles. We duly turned up at a poorly-lit music studio in London's East Finish to get a number of photographs of a buddy's band rehearsing. The studio wasn't dark, as such, but all the lights have been within the flawed parts of the room, pointing in completely the incorrect direction, and we had no time or permission to deliver our personal lights or move stuff around.
We grabbed a couple of pictures at low acquire and were extraordinarily disappointed with the outcome - it struck us as no different from a small-sensor camcorder. However we weren't actually thinking straight, as a result of the point of a large sensor shouldn't be that it improves mild sensitivity at zero gain, but that it lets you pump up achieve with out including an excessive amount of noise. Realizing this, we notched achieve right as much as 12db. On the UK broadcast scene, even this much gain is taboo and will render footage unfit for broadcast for something other than information - and even then, a information programme would solely willingly accept 12db footage if the cameraman evidently had no alternative, such because the scene of an accident shot at night time. The drive of behavior made 12db really feel "unhealthy" to us, like a compromise too far - and the picture was nonetheless too dark and muddy to be acceptable.
When we allowed the camera to boost achieve automatically, it immediately shot as much as 18db and extra. At this point, the picture of the musicians became properly exposed, though it nonetheless appeared unattractive because of the horrible lighting. There wasn't a great deal of noise visible on the small LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY, however all our instincts shouted at us that this 18db footage could be speckled worse than a speckled hen when we received dwelling and saw it on a large monitor. So we switched back to 12db and did our best to hunt out decent pictures at that degree of achieve, which turned out to be mission unimaginable. Eventually, we gave up altogether and went for a beer. Terrible mistake: we must always have allowed the camera to shoot at whatever acquire it needed, after which carried out our best to re-work the lighting in the studio to make it more flattering. Had we completed this, we'd have discovered that our photographs were actually as noise-free as they seemed on the LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY. Where we expected to see speckly noise all over the shadows, there was nothing besides, properly... darkness.
Back at house, we realized our mistake and rapidly organized a second round of low-light capturing at the Smithfield meat market. This time we allowed the digital camera to do what it wished and we had been stunned by the outcomes. Despite the night time-time hour and the generally weak and utilitarian lighting, the photographs seemed clear as a whistle and even engaging to look at.
We additionally grabbed a number of pictures on our trusty shopper Panasonic HCR-SD90, purely for the sake of comparability. The concept wasn't to check a $6,000 digicam with a $600 digital camera, because that will be daft. But we felt like we would have liked some reminder of what noise appears on a high gain image coming off 1 / 4-inch sensor. The image of the market clock instantly below is from the NEX-FS100 capturing at 18db, and the one under that is from the SD90 additionally taking pictures at 18db. Even with the photographs shrunk and re-compressed for this web page, the purplish noise contamination on the lower picture is simply as obvious as the all-spherical cleanliness of the NEX-FS100 output. Positive, some noise is obvious on the NEX-FS100 shot of the 2 market merchants additional down the page, however the noise really as a pleasant movie-like high quality to it, with out much chromatic distortion. (Note, it is possible that auto acquire notched itself up to 24db for this specific shot with out us noticing - it did rise into the mid-20s a number of instances throughout the market shoot without inflicting sufficient noise to alert us.)
The moral of the story? The NEX-FS100 shoots great footage at high gain of 18db and over, but that will not enable you one jot if the lighting in your scene is genuinely crappy. In the event you get unhealthy low-light footage with this camcorder, you can be pretty sure it will likely be your personal fault.
Wrap-up
The NEX-FS100 is far from excellent as an all-around camcorder. It's significantly held back by the lack of auto zoom, minuscule buttons and fragile development, all of which is able to limit the filming situations where this camera might be acceptable. In the meantime, those that do make the leap of religion will shortly be forced to regulate their fashion in a method or one other. To make the very best use of a digital camera like this, it is advisable shoot quite traditionally: tripod mounted with a matte field, in a relatively gentle atmosphere, with time taken to gentle and frame each shot correctly earlier than pressing the file button. (Learn: too good to be true.) Taking pictures reactively for information or documentaries shouldn't be inconceivable, nevertheless it's difficult.
Some gadgets are price making sacrifices for, however, and that is one among them. It delivers the uncooked cinematic beauty permitted by a large sensor, together with a smart lens platform and all the essential video and audio controls and I/ options required by any skilled shooter. Muscling via on a DSLR or VG10 does not even evaluate.
It is not going too far to say that the NEX-FS100 is more than only a camcorder. To us, it represents a positive step along a path that we hope all manufacturers will finally drive one another into taking. For too lengthy, digital video formats and cameras have centered on making issues look extra life like: higher resolutions, higher bit-charges, sharper, clearer, smoother, extra consistent pictures. At the same time, producers have skimped on those key optical ingredients that give filmmakers the creative freedom to make the world look better than it does in actuality. That is why most handheld professional and consumer camcorders as we speak have sensors no greater than their ancestors from 15 or even 20 years ago, typically ranging from a sixth to a third of a measly inch. Admittedly, Sony might have been much more beneficiant with its Tremendous 35mm EXMOR sensor, which isn't practically as huge because it sounds. But we're not complaining, as a result of S35 is lots sufficiently big to make stuff look lovely.
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