Sony F55

Nino Leitner of Ninofilm.net writes: The music video for “DEJA – Struck by the Light” came around at the right time to make it a camera test for the brand-new Sony F55. The target audience for the song are teenage girls, and I think few of my readers fall into this target group, so I don’t blame you if the music is not for you – but if it is, please support the artist Deja by buying the song via iTunes or Amazon.

In this presentation from NAB 2013, DP Alister Chapman talks about what he's learned about the features of the Sony F5 and F55 from the sensor to color grading. Watch below.

Sony's Keith Vidger shows how to configure the Sony F55 to become a 4K studio camera via a CA-4000 camera adapter. Watch below. (via Cinescopophilia)

Andy Shipsides of AbelCine writes: With every new camera, come many new questions about workflow. The term “workflow” can be fairly broad, but today I am looking at importing Sony F5/F55 footage into various non-linear editing systems (NLEs). Both the F5 & F55 can record in MPEG2 (XDCAM), XAVC and HDCAM SR formats internally. With the addition of the AXS-R5 recorder, they can also record in Sony Raw. This article is focused on MPEG2 and XAVC, but be sure to keep an eye out for future blogs on working with Sony Raw and HDCAM SR. The F5 & F55 workflows are similar to that of the F3 and XDCAM EX cameras, but with some significant changes.

Andy Shipsides of AbelCine writes: The Sony F5 & F55 cameras are shipping in quantity now, and we’ve gotten a lot of requests for some custom scene files. I’ve put together five files in our usual flavors. They are designed both to change the cameras’ look and make matching the two cameras easier. The cameras handle colors very differently due to their different Color Filter Arrays (to learn more, read Mitch’s article on CFAs), so you’ll see some obvious differences in the files. My focus on these files was to match skin tones and give a nice overall look.

Hani Arab from Digital Logic and Mick Jones from Litup Digital go through the Sony F55's workflow, user interface and more in the 20-minute video found below.

This first look from Zacuto and AbelCine at the Sony F5 and Sony F55 looks at some of the differences between the two cameras as well as going through some handheld set-ups. Watch below.

Watch a side-by-side comparison of footage from the Sony F55 and Canon 1DC courtesy of Cinema 5D. The 4K footage is shown in its log outputted format as well as color graded. (via RedShark News)

Andy Shipsides of AbelCine presents a two-part introduction to the Sony F55. The first covers the camera's form and function while the second goes over the camera's menu. Watch below.

Cinematographer Steve Lawes (Sherlock) was approached by Sony to shoot a short film with the new F55. The result is "Dig" (found below) and now Lawes has written up his comprehensive review of the camera. He writes, "What is interesting, having sat through two days of grading is realizing how good the image is that comes out the camera. I actually watched it projected in 4K this morning, we created a DCP overnight and sat in the Mayfair theatre this morning and did a review and for that size of camera and the kind of price point it is rumoured to be at it is pretty amazing.

Spend an hour with Timur Civan as Ned Soltz as they go in-depth on the features of a pre-production Sony F55. Watch below.

Cinematographer Ben Allan of the Film Bakery has gotten his hands on prototypes of the Sony F5 and F55 and shot some test footage (that he's graciously offered up for free download too.) He writes, "Personally, I find [the] results to be quite remarkable and beyond what I would expect from any other camera I’ve tested – including film. To be 4 stops over exposed and have it not only useable, but really quite normal is astonishing.

Director and cinematographer Sam Nicholson shot the short film "Mahout" at Sony's behest in order to show off the capabilities of its new 4K camera, the F55. "Mahout" was shot on location in Sri Lanka and featured challenging weather conditions such as monsoons and severe humidity, as well as a cast involving young children and an elephant.

Watch it below.

You've read the specs. Now, see what the Sony F55 really can do with the short film, "Dig," written and directed by Martin Scanlan. Says NoFilmSchool.com's Joe Marine, "Content aside, the grade that we’re seeing in 'Dig' is much closer to a traditional narrative film. We have rich colors at times, and more subdued tones when the scene calls for it. Even in a compressed web form, it’s clear that the 4K image delivers a tremendous amount of clarity. I’m also extremely impressed with the dynamic range from this video."

Watch "Dig" below and read more here.

Sony Electronics has announced suggested list pricing for its newest CineAlta 4K cameras – the PMW-F55 and PMW-F5 – as well as their related 4K accessories. These new technologies, announced in late October to tremendous industry response, are designed to meet the growing demand for HD, 2K and 4K content creation across a wide range of professional applications.

The suggested U.S. list pricing for the new products, planned to be available in February, are:

•PMW-F5 CineAlta 4K Camera $19,400
•PMW-F55 CineAlta 4K Camera $34,900
•AXR-R5 RAW Recorder $6,300

Sony Electronics recently introduced two new 4K cameras, the PMW-F55 and PMW-F5, that can shoot HD, 2K and 4K. TV Technology’s Craig Johnston spoke to Sony Electronics senior product manager Juan Martinez and director of marketing for large image sensor cameras Rob Willox about the new cameras.

Where do these two new CineAlta cameras fit into the Sony 4K camera lineup?

After weeks of teasing, Sony finally revealed its expanded F Series ecosystem of products at the end of October. Sony’s expanded CineAlta ecosystem centers around two new 4K cameras, the PMW-F5 and the PMW-F55. They share an identical modular form factor differentiated only by the silver PL locking ring on the F55. The shape of the cameras very much resembles an Aaton film camera or even an ARRI Alexa, except smaller, shorter and lighter.

Sony Europe will be running a live-chat on December 4th all about their new F-series of cameras. The chat will feature Sony experts as well as the key crew behind two short films recently shot with the Sony F5 and F55.

The chat is taking place on Sony Europe's Facebook page at 6 PM GMT (1 PM ET). Register for a reminder here.

Download Film and Digital Times' extensive 96-page booklet going over both the Sony F55 and F5. The free PDF includes comparison charts, a thorough road map of each cameras' features and much more calling itself "“The Official Biography of the F5 and F55 at its Launch."

Download it here.

Sony has added a forum dedicated to its new F5 and F55 cameras to its Sony Support Community Boards. Moderated by Peter Crithary, Marketing Manager, Large Sensor Acquisition, the forum provides an opportunity for prospective users of these newly-announced cameras to interact with each other and with Sony.

Michael Sutton of Wide Open Camera weighs in on all the big camera news to emerge last week. He writes, "So it was a big week for all us gear heads.  Sony announced new cameras and a recorder, Red slashed prices and Canon started to trickle ship C500 EF cameras. One thing that all three companies offer is 4K but only two offer 4K video outputs. I mention this because I think its very important. Codecs get better and workflows become more efficient. Things change down the line as technology progresses. 4K resolution is great but most cannot even view it.