We got our own Sony NEX-FS100 yesterday. One of the first in Slovenia I would think. We also have a Volkswagen Jetta on loan this week and we thought we did some shots of the car to test the camera. They picked me up at 5pm and we had to go to Bled to pick up a magic arm for the car rig. It is 60km to Bled and during this time I had some time to familiarize with the camera.
Strange form factor and several mounting points.
Its form factor is strange. I guess it wants to be small and easy to work with, but I don’t know if it succeeds in doing that. It is definitely configurable. Handlebar, microphone, handgrip and viewfinder can all be removed. So it definitely is small. But as such totally uncomfortable to work with. We got the camera with the kit lens (Sony 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 Zoom Lens) which is crap in my opinion and we will soon have to switch to prime Canon EF lenses or micro four thirds with accompanying lens adapter (I later found out that Micro four thirds lenses aren’t the most suitable for the camera). The camera is very back heavy with this kit lens and because the handlebar is positioned to much to the front. You can reverse the handle, but then it is difficult to operate with LCD monitor which is located on the top so the camera is useless in shoulder mount situation without external monitor.
It handled being mounted to a side of the car pretty good for the first time.
Another thing that I miss are the ND filters, but I guess none of the cameras with interchangeable lenses have them so that means getting a matte box, several NDs or Fader ND and other filters is a must. I also wasn’t satisfied with the position with the XLR inputs (one on the side and one in the back), because you have to unplugged it every time you put the camera in the bag. Decision to go with the HDMI instead of BNC plug for external video was unwise and will probably be annoying in the future.
Two magic arms were enough for quite steady shot.
But enough with the negative stuff. The camera has a few pluses too. It has a lot of mounting points. 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads on the top and bottom so it is perfect for mounting on the car. One magic arm on the top and one below and that is it. It would be wise to have another to have three fixed points but maybe another time. It also record 50p slow motion in full 1080p resolution and even has smooth slow recording option to record 25% slow motion (as in 100 fps) for a three seconds burst.
That is it for now. More information about the camera in a few days after I will get to know her better. You can see more images from todays shoot below.
Various angles
One more car mount shot
Looking back at this post it is interesting how anoyed I was with the camera regarding that I am now spokesperson for Sony for that camera.
Hudo!