Sony NEX-EA50... whinge alert.

Sony have recently announced the EA50... it's a large sensor camera which is like a bastard son of the FS100 and the VG10. It's not aimed at indie filmmakers or even ENG people... it's a wedding or event camera. If you shoot weddings or internet TV stuff it's probably perfect for you and a better bet than a DSLR as you can stick it on your shoulder and not worry about anything other than how it looks through the viewfinder. There's decent audio, a power zoom and even a good handle... it's the ideal event camera and it's very cheap for what it is.

What it isn't, is a production camera for feature films or music promos. If that's what you do, get the FS100 or FS700...or even the F3. The EA50 only has the APS-C sensor from the VG10, so it's not a cheap FS100 with a shoulder mount...don't be daft... at £2.5k??? What's wrong with the VG10 sensor? Nothing...as long as you know it's limitations. It's not as clean or as sensitive at the super 35 sensor in the FS100... and it has moire issues. It's basically a really good DSLR sensor in a pseudo-ENG style body.

So... i don't get the whining already on the net about it's lack of ND filters or lack of the super 35 sensor or even the lack of dual media slots etc... get over it! It's cheap and it's designed for event work. If you want to get into interchangeable lenses and work on large sensors for filmic work and you think this isn't right for you...rewind a couple of years and re-visit the DSLR revolution. Or...save up for a secondhand FS100...they are cheap now.

Personally, i don't like the daft shoulder mount and i don't like the power zoom lens... but that's cos it's not designed for me. I know plenty of corporate shooters who will love it.

In other news....

I just received my new Atomos Ninja 2. Wow... what a great piece of kit. I've already started shooting on it and i love it. It's taken the original idea of the Ninja to new heights. I really appreciate the new flagging system for choosing which bits of takes you like directly on the Ninja, while on set...genius. I also love the new shooting assist modes. False colour, Zebras, Focus Peaking, Blue Only... it all makes the shoot run much smoother and with less worry that i'm shooting crap. I'm already arranging some projects specifically to test the Ninja 2 further as i think it's going to be the mainstay of my rig for quite some time. By the way... the HDMI output on the Ninja 2 means i can carry the unit over to my big screen in the DIT area at any time and see my rushes without moving the camera. That is REALLY useful.  More on this soon....

Finally, we're almost done with the re-edit on 'The Addicted', my latest feature from Recoil Films. We've made some huge changes and i think the film is much darker and edgier because of it. I much prefer it. Release news soon....

S