Small interchangeable-lens, large sensor 108060p camcorder (Sony NEX-5N)

It's the SONY NEX-5N. And it not only shoots at 108060p, 28 Mbps, but it has all manual controls in video mode: aperture priority, shutter-priority, full manual (including shutter, aperture and ISO). It's smaller than many consumer camcorders with it's kit zoom lens.

It has a gigantic sensor compared to all consumer camcorders (APS-C), so it should blow even the Canon G10 out of the water in low light. And you can add an OLED, moveable viewfinder (90 degrees), in addition to having a moveable LCD touch screen.

Interchangeable, optical-stabilized lenses. No power zooms, though, and no audio inputs.

Here's a video, taken the first day I had the camera in my hands:

http://vimeo.com/29018746


I used aperture priority mode at 1/60th and an ND filter, everything else auto. It was bright and sunny and 80 degrees fahrenheit and humid.

The results:

1. No overexposure. This is the first consumer video camera I have used that does not overexpose badly in bright light - I never had to dial down exposure from the auto setting. This is not true for the Panasonic TM900, the Sony Hx9v or the Sony TD10.

2. The colors are great (everything at factory settings for contrast, color and sharpness and NR)

3. It was relatively easy to see the LCD touchscreen and focus in bright light. I used both peaking and magnification when I used manual focus, but found the latter more useful.

Here is the link to the video. To maintain the quality, I edited the video in Sony PMB - trimmed and combined. That program does not transcode and thus does not reduce the quality. You can not only view the video, but you can download the original - the same file that was uploaded and was never converted from the original AVCHD clips from the camera - no tweaks, no conversion. Straight from the camera.

I purposely did not color grade, use transitions or other niceties so people can see what the camera produces, not what some hot shot can do with video.

Youtube is blocked also, right?

I have uploaded the original file to Megaupload, so you can download it. If that is also blocked, complain to your local Chinese government offical .

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=I5JE8MXR

The Panasonic TM900, the best camcorder I have used, is sharper. But the NEX-5N has much better dynamic range in bright light and does not overexpose.

I will try a low-light comparison. It will be boring video, but hopefully informative.

1. The NEX-5N has better DR than the Hx9v and does not overexpose like the Hx9v in good light.

2. The NEX-5N is much better in low-light: more color, less smearing and less noise.

3. The stabilzation on the Hx9v is better - it needs to be as you have a 300mm+ lens. There is no difference in the range of the NEX-5N kit lens, except if you like to walk and shoot (a bad idea).

4. The audio on the NEX-5N is much better than that of the Hx9v. Both have no manual control, but the latter pumps up the sound aggressively, meaning you get a lot of ambient noise in quiet areas and pumping - no dynamic range. The NEX-5N has AGC also, but it is not nearly as aggressive, so the sound is more natural. There is also one option external mic; no option for the Hx9v.

5. The power zoom and deep DOF on the Hx9v means it is much better for action video or sports.

6. The NEX-5N shallow DOF produces some gorgeous video, but also means focus is more critical.

Here is another video taken with the NEX-5N, at a beach. It illustrates the good color, and lack of overexposure that almost all other camera/camcorders exhibit in bright light. And a beach with bright sand reflecting the sun can also lead to underexpsoure. But exposure seems spot on (when I wanted it to be). Also, tracking autofocus works well - following a gull and dogs retrieving a ball or stick, walking beachcombers, etc.

A 108060p video with the 18-200mm lens (27-300mm 35mm equivalent), and ND filter. Shutter priority mode at 1/60th.

http://vimeo.com/35550839

"too bad you cant attach an external microphone and eliminate wind noise."

Actually, you can:

http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/sto...ab=featuresTab

and cover it with a dead cat.

Wind noise, however, here, is part of the point: wind, surf are part of the audio-visual scene.

The Sony Hx9v and TD10 and the Panasonic TM900 overexpose in bright light and almost always need exposure adjustment to not only avoid hotspots but to avoid washed out color.

The NEX-5N takes great 2D panoramas, and 3D panoramas, using the tried and true old technology of getting different views by sweeping the camera across the scene. It takes advantage of a really powerful processor to create the 3D panorama in a second from the sweep. Great!

I do not see, however, how one can take 3D videos with the camera, panorama or not. It is a particularly good low-light 2D video camera.