Seeking Camera Advice

Hey guys, I was browsing around at different cameras, keeping in mind the pros of a camcorder and the pros of a DSLR. I stumbled across the Sony NEX-VG10. I was wondering if anybody had heard of it or had any advice regarding it. It's got a 24mm sensor (much larger than a standard 1/3" in most video cameras, though smaller than the 36mm in the Canon 5D MkII) and interchangeable lenses, but has the form factor of a video camera, with a higher quality microphone and more inputs, plus such features as autofocus and recording straight to AVCHD.

To me, this sounds rather tempting. I posted on Facebook yesterday asking about it but nobody here replied, only one of my photography friends vaguely recommending against, at least telling me to wait to see if Canon reveals anything next month. Any thoughts from the folks on here?

 

There is a big Canon announcement next month, though no one knows exactly what it's for. At the same time, Red is announcing Scarlet, which may or may not be affordable.

I think it depends on what type of shooting you're aiming for. If you're a big fan of the ol' run and gun with autofocus, DSLRs aren't for you. On the other hand, if you are ready for manual focus mayhem and want to play with lenses, get a DSLR (+ all the accessories as you need them). At least a DSLR will still be a good still camera when its video functions are obsolete.

As for the Sony kit - if you decide you don't want a DSLR, then the Sony is probably a fine option. I'd wait for the announcements before buying anything.

-Spiff

 

Well You know I have a Canon 60d which is amazing. Sony in the prosumer range really doesn't do it for me. I know that it has interchangeable lenses but panasonic has a better version of this in the AG-AF100. In all honesty, wait a month see what canon is releasing. If its a camcorder dslr hybrid, buy if its another iteration of the canon dslr with better features, buy it. You really can't go wrong with canon or even panasonic. I like both companies. Or if you really like sony like that, you could get THIS lol.

 

If Canon announces a video/DSLR hybrid somewhere along these lines, I'll be willing to pay a bit more for it than for this from Sony. Though it won't be the primary use, I do want to have run-and-gun available as I'd like to start getting my fiancee more into the production end of filming, and having the option to auto everything then slowly kick off the training wheels one by one is a better way to start out than to hand her a DSLR.

Looks like I'll be waiting on the announcement, though. Thanks for the feedback, guys

 

Here's Film Riot's review on that camera.

Big downside: No 24p.

 

Not worried about 24p. The video was posted by Sony for one of their own products, so taking it with a grain of salt, but it does look nicer and nicer Thanks for the heads-up on that one!

 

You really should worry about it. Not because it's essential for any technical reason, but because it's the standard for narrative film making.

-Spiff

 

Oo, yeah that's a big one. I didn't realize it was lacking the 24p.


That's actually a dealbreaker for me.
Hopefully Canon's got something good planned.

 

Why in the hell would Sony release a camera that doesn't shoot 24p in 20-freaking-11? And when the guy in the review said "that's not a big deal since you can convert it in post," I wanted to kick him in the head.

As for the rest of the discussion, I agree with Spiff. Wait to see what Canon and RED say in November. We're holding off on our decision for our India project to see what they roll out.

 

Because somebody holds a patent for it.

 

Okay, so, Sony's VG20 has the 24p support at only $200 more. Sold? Still gonna check on what Canon's offering, though.

Sony NEX-VG20H