Sony gives its Super 35MM NXCAM a name: NEX-FS100

Sony has given its modular Super 35MM NXCAM a name: NEX-FS100. It's designed to compete with Panasonic's AG-AF101, but it's got an interesting mix of professional and prosumer features: It uses the same sensor as Sony's new F3 camcorder, which is approximately 10% larger than the 4/3" sensor Panasonic uses. The FS100 uses Sony's E-mount lenses, but can support other mounts with adapters. It's got dual XLR connectors like the AF101, but it doesn't have the AF101's HD-SDI outputs; its outputs are HDMI (4:2:2 uncompressed), component and composite. And, it uses the same AVCHD codec as the AF101. So, with the exception of HD-SDI outputs, the FS100 and AF101 are very similar.

Digital Photography Review is quoting a list price of $5,850 (U.S.) for the FS100 with a 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 lens. That would make the body-only price of the FS100 roughly comparable to Panasonic's $4,995 list price for the AF101. However, Slashgear is reporting a price of $6,550 and availability in July 2011, so there's clearly some confusion about the final price. Also, given the Japanese disaster, it's likely that final availability will be delayed, or the quantity of units initially available may be very small.

Update: Nofilmschool.com is reporting prices for the U.S. models of the FS100 to be $5,850 for the FS100U model without lens, and $6,550 for the FS100UK model with lens. That would explain the multiple prices reported by different sites, but it also means that the FS100 will be about $1,000 more than the AF101 for comparably-equipped models.

The  physical design of the FS100 is where it diverges widely from the AF101. Its viewfinder is hinged on the top of the camcorder, and can be augmented with an eyepiece or folded down if the cinematographer wants to use an external monitor. The FS100 is considerably smaller and looks more like a consumer camcorder than the AF101, which may make it less noticeable for news and documentary-style shooting.

The first videos shot with the FS100 are available for viewing, and the quality is very good. A video on the same site explains the camcorder's features and capabilities, and leads into a music video that was shot with the FS100. More footage and reviews are likely to appear between now and NAB.

Sony posts details about its new PMW-F3 Camcorder

Sony's U.K. division has posted details about its new PMW-F3 camcorder, which will use a Super 35mm Exmor CMOS sensor with sensitivity equal to ISO 800 and a signal-to-noise ratio of 63dB. 1080 frame rates will be 59.94i, 50i, 29.97P, 25P, and native 23.98P. The camera also supports 720P in a variety of frame rates.

The F3 is positioned significantly higher than Panasonic's forthcoming AG-AF100/101: Its standard HD-SDI interface will output 10-bit 4:2:2, vs. the 8-bit output of the Panasonic AG-AF100, and in April 2010, a Dual Link HD-SDI option will be available that will output 10 bit uncompressed RGB and support 1080/59.94P and 50P. It will record using the MPEG-2 Long GOP codec at 35Mbps or 25 Mbps, not AVCHD. The F3 will support variable frame rates from 1 to 60 fps in 720P and from 1 to 30 fps in 1080P in 1 fps increments. SxS cards will be used for storage, and an optional adapter will support Memory Sticks and SD cards.

The F3 will have its own proprietary lens mount and will come with a PL mount adapter. Optional hot shoe interfaces will be available for Cooke /i and ARRI LDS lenses. Sony is offering some unique bundling options: The PMW-F3L will come without lenses, and the PMW-F3K will come with not one, but three lenses: 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, all at T2.0.

Both PMW-F3 models will ship in the U.K. in January. UrbanFox.TV is reporting that the "tentative list price" for the F3L will be 14,500 Pounds, and 20,700 Pounds for the F3K. Sony has also announced Japanese pricing, which converts into around $17,000 for the F3L. There's been a fair amount of push-back on the Internet to Sony's pricing. The U.S. list price for Panasonic's AG-AF100 is $4,995, and while the F3 has a bigger imager, 10-bit 4:2:2 HD-SDI output and an optional Dual-Link HD-SDI interface, it's hard to argue that those features make the F3 worth more than three times as much money as the AF100.

The F3's price puts it at where the RED originally was at its introduction, and while the current RED is more expensive, it's not that much more expensive. It appears that Sony didn't want to cannibalize sales of its EX3 camcorder by pricing the F3 too low, but if they keep their tentative pricing, they could end up helping Panasonic more than themselves. Panasonic positioned the price of the AF100 against DSLRs, while Sony appears to be positioning the price of the F3 against the rest of the CineAlta product line.