Generally, the Sony F3 reminded me of my old PD-100. If you've ever used a PD-100/150/170 you'll be right at home with the F3. Let's start with what I didn't like:
1, The viewfinder is really cheap for a $16,000 camera. The image is just passable but what really feels cheesy is how it's connected to the end of the handle. It's all plastic and feels like it's going to snap off with the first bump. This is really bad. Really, really bad.
2. I hated the subject they had to shoot, a silver and black bike with lots of chrome against a white background. Perhaps they were trying to show off how the cameras handled specular highlights. I would have preferred the standard cute girl with bowl of fruit. In other words, skin tones and color, what I shoot everyday.
3. I had heard all about how well it did in low light, especially when upping the gain. I'm here to tell you the gain on the F3 is just like any other video camera. Clean at zero, practically nothing at 3db, a little noise at 6db, definitely there at 12db and I'd only use 18db on have to have shots like Jesus and Elvis together at night.
3. They didn't have the 3 prime lenses that Sony will sell with the F3. Both I and the guys at Band Pro were hoping to have a set to play with but that didn't happen. Instead, they had to use a set of brand new Leica primes for all the cameras there. Nice lenses and if anybody has $175,000 I can have to buy a set please call. But it still didn't tell me about what I would use. Zeiss was there with a set of Compact Primes sitting on the table but not on the camera.
4. The F3 has some unknown Sony mount with a PL adapter. I have a distrust of adapters in that there may be back focus issues. On the other hand, in the end maybe the Sony mount is a good thing. There is a zoom rocker on the top right of the camera and I'm sure they'll have some kind of Sony lens that will zoom and have auto focus at some point.
So what did I like?
1. The F3 has a bigger sensor than the AF-100.
2. The F3 seemed faster than the AF-100. I was able to swing an Alexa, F-35 and 9000 at different subjects and I got the sense it was right around 500-600 ASA.
3. The F3 has dual link. This means you can shoot SxS for lower end projects but use the same camera to shoot uncompressed 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 on high end productions. On the other hand, isn't 4:2:2 just fine?
4. It has four 1/4" holes in the top for screwing on accessories. It's the little things that make a camera great.
5. The F3 was connect to the same monitor with a 9000 and F35. There are very few clients who could have told the difference between the 3 cameras when switching between them.
I asked Brian Secky if the F3 worth 3 AF-100's? He looked at me like I had worms crawling out of my ears. His thought was film people would want the extra quality the F3. Plus, if you are already using Sony stuff, like SxS cards, it can all be used with the F3.
Of course, the real test will be the clients and whether they are willing to pay more for the quality.
Band Pro is still offering Pre-Orders with no money down. They think the Sony PMW-F3 may be the answer for productions currently using DSLR cameras for depth of field, but hungry for the professional and familiar camera outputs and workflow. The sale price for the camera body with PL mount is $13,300. The sale price for the camera body, PL mount and 3 Sony prime lenses (35mm, 50mm and 85mm T2.0) is $18,950.
If you're interested or have questions call 818.841.9655 and ask for Brian Secky. He's a really nice guy.
http://www.bandpro.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&category_id=75&product_id=126
http://www.bandpro.com/products/new-products-and-specials/96-sony-f3.html
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