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[ Jump to the forum discussion: Sony NEX-VG10 (APS-C sensor, interchangeable lens) ]
Two months after a preliminary teaser, Sony announced the new NEX-VG10 camcorder. With a DSLR-sized sensor and interchangeable lenses, this new high-definition video camera brings outstanding, unprecedented options to the videomaking world.
But who is it really for? Should you get a NEX-VG10 or a DSLR? As often, it all depends on what you really need… Now this camcorder calls for a full specs review and comparison.
For answers and more, continue the discussion in our forum thread: Sony NEX-VG10 (APS-C sensor, interchangeable lens)
Here is also, hereafter, a demo video published by Sony.
Video cameras are complex technology, which sometimes make us ask ourselves so many questions:
- What is the best camcorder for our needs?
- How to adjust optimal settings for best video quality?
- How to capture video from the camcorder and transfer it to a computer for editing? Which video editing software is easiest or most powerful?
- How to burn DVDs or blu-ray discs?
To help you find answers to these questions and more, Friends of HD Video now launches a new online community, ready to welcome you.
Read our full announcement to discover what makes us so special… or Sign Up Now!
Sony announced on May 11, 2010 the development of a completely new HD camcorder (read the full press release).
Essential characteristics are:
- Interchangeable lenses, compatible with the “E-mount” interchangeable lenses developed for the NEX-5 and NEX-3 still cameras. For those, see the announcement and previews at DPReview – Sony NEX mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras previewed,
- Compatibility with α DSLR lenses via a mount adaptor,
- APS HD CMOS sensor, that should bring the same image quality as the current crop of video DSLRs from Canon, Nikon…
Any question or comment on this article? Come over discuss it on our HD camcorders forums!
With these two combined announcements, Sony is introducing brand new exciting options in the market: a DSLR sensor in a true camcorder form factor (we shall see how that fits in one’s hand though), and DSLR-like still cameras in a compact form factor.
As Matthew Jeppsen said (Who will Get The Cheese?), DSLR enthusiasts have been enjoying unprecedented benefits for such a low price: high sensitivity and low noise, filmic depth-of-field, high dynamic range, interchangeable lenses. The drawbacks however have been very strong too: intense aliasing, rolling-shutter artifacts, imperfect recording codec, short record times, bad audio, and an awkward DSLR form factor that won’t hold comfortably.
It will be very exciting to see if Sony manages to overcome these issues in this new product. And also, despite the low depth-of-field that makes focusing so difficult to achieve, can Sony manage to make this a product that ordinary prosumers / hobbyists can truly enjoy carrying around and travel with – or instead will that be again basically a tool for indie film makers only like the current video DSLRs.
Product availability expected for Fall 2010.
 In order to achieve high-quality video commentaries that your audience will enjoy listening to, it is vital that you let the talent’s voice stand out loud and clear. But recording voice is more difficult than it may seem: sometimes it is too loud, and sometimes instead you can’t hear it well.
To overcome this issue, you need to understand and take advantage of one essential audio production technique: dynamic range compression. It does not need to be complex however: with a free software tool and no more additional work than a simple drag-and-drop, here is a practical tutorial to help you reach fantastic quality in your voice-overs.
Read more (full story)…
 Have you ever shot video at night, especially in cities, only to realize later on that your picture looks all red, orange, or yellow? This is due to the sodium vapor street lights, also known as broken spectrum lights.
This post brings you a short color correction tutorial, which teaches you how to fix your night shots to remove the red color cast and make them look more natural.
Read more (full story)…
 After Sony teased the whole world with an earth-shattering announcement, it was high time to join the party at the Siel & Satis 2009 Trade Show in Paris and ask the question of all questions:
What is “industry-shaking” in all this?
Get the answer and more after the break with a Q&A report about the new PMW-EX1R and PMW-350, and also a short test of a fascinating device by JVC which converts 2D video to 3D – in real time, please.
Read more (full story)…
Sony’s coming up with “Something BIG” in SIEL & SATIS trade show in Paris, Oct 20th, 2009…
Should we expect a new XDCAM EX with the latest EXMOR R sensors? Handheld or shoulder-mount? This, and the price tag, is anybody’s guess.
I recently struggled to find a cheap voice-over solution with reasonable quality… My editing software has a voice-over feature which can take sound input from the PC sound card; all sound cards or motherboards have a microphone input; so I just figured I should buy a quality headset with a built-in microphone. The microphone, being closest to the mouth, would bring a beautifully sounding voice while rejecting side noise. Or so I thought — the results were pathetic.
But there is a much better solution, at no additional cost.
Read more (full story)…
There’s a dreaded situation regarding colors and lighting, which happens when you mix sunlight with other color temperatures. For example:
- Shooting outdoors with both direct sunlight and some shaded areas: the shade may appear slightly blue compared to the warm sun.
- Shooting indoors under incandescent lighting (using INDOOR White Balance) with some daylight flowing in at the same time through a window: daylight typically appears blue compared to artificial light.
Professionals would address such issue by color-balancing everything with 5500K-calibrated light sources, or setting some blue gel on the incandescent light source, or avoiding the situation altogether. That’s not practical for the casual videographer / hobbyist as you just can’t buy a whole set of lighting gear, let alone carry it around the world when travelling. Fortunately, there’s a work-around solution only a few clicks away if you have higher-end editing software such as Apple Final Cut Studio, EDIUS Pro, or Adobe Premiere Pro.
Read more (full story)…
Art Adams at ProVideo Coalition wrote a nice short article about White Balancing.
Obviously I can’t carry a chip chart and a vectorscope when going out there and shooting, let alone own them, so I’ll essentially retain one simpler advice in Art’s experience – quote:
“If the shot works on either daylight or tungsten preset, that’s where I stay–because those results are the most predictable without a monitor, as long as I’ve viewed them in advance and found them acceptable.”
Okay! Sounds exactly like I did here! I checked the OUTDOOR WB preset in advance, determined what custom Picture Profile adjustment would make it closest to what I like best, and voilà – colors are much more predictable and gorgeous now with my FX7.
We often learn things the hard way (like ruined footage), and after that it’s really nice to read one of the experts confirming this WB preset stuff.
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