Sony FE PZ 28-135mm f/4 G OSS Lens
UPC's:
MPN's:
Great Camera for the Price
First and foremost, this review is based on a demo model and documentary/ENG style productions.Most certainly not a beginner's camera. Camera is not the sturdiest of designs and must be handled with gentle hands... keep it away from students. If you have experience with the F5 or F55 then you will feel right at home. This camera is full of menus and will take time to create specific looks and/or settings. The default settings are a bit flat. The ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Almost awesome
The FS7 is a very customizable camera. You can create settings very specific to your needs. This is a blessing and a curse. It's nice to have the flexibility, but it also makes things more of a pain to set up. The options can be quite confusing for someone like me who isn't as experienced with Log color grading. There are many similarly named options that require research to fully understand.The FS7 lets you program custom buttons, but there aren... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
STILL WAITING FOR THE FIXES
I use the camera for indie film. I sold my Sony NX5 (I wrote an exceptionally long glowing review on this site after owning the NX5 over 4 years prior to selling it) to move up to the FS7, and it is a move up. Here is the good and the bad. First the bad: I'm not sure how much of this review will be printed, but people should know the whole story beyond the specs. The operating system is a work in progress. Not unusual these days, but it is painfu... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
This is not a professional lens.
I'd go for 2.5 stars but can't. Used this lens for the first time today with an FS7 on a documentary TV show. First things first: it's not wide enough. And I'm not talking wacky or stylistically wide, I mean wide enough for basic shooting. At 28mm, the crop makes it 42mm. That's the wide you have to work with. Meaning it's a huge problem when you're forced to stand 5-7 feet back from the subjects to get a simple talking two shot. In a small room?... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great camera, funky ergonomics.
First off, the important stuff. As far as a professional video camera goes, this thing is beast. 4k internally with a strong codec. 10-bit, 422. Boom. Image quality is astounding and low light is almost completely noise-free. The internal codec XAVC-I performs extremely well in post, maybe even better than ProRes. Coming from the FS700, I wanted 4k, but didn't want to attach an external recorder, along with an LED light and lav receiver when shoo... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A unique lens
my main purpose for buying this lens was to attempt to emulate a camcorder servo zoom type of thing. on my A7III you basically get a 4.8x zoom. using Clear Image Zoom end up with a potential 9.6x zoom. so 10x is not extreme zoom but would have been good enough for me as my old DVX100 from years ago was only a 10x. i also bought the Sony VCTVPR1w/remote zoom handle. first ill say that the lens by itself is pretty sweet! optically i say its very go... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best in price range but not perfect
Bought this camera 2 weeks ago and half way through a month long documentary about global business changes. Set in 15 cities around the world shot in various locations from night shots off cities to interviews in offices and day shots around cities. I wish I had of bought this camera with the standard Zoom lens. I chose to buy a set of cinema primes instead. The standard LCD/viewfinder is no good for critical focus when using primes. the amount o... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great camera but kit lens is a disappointment
Having owned a bunch of XDCAM's including the EX1, EX3 and F3 the FS7 is a very nice addition and overall I have been very happy with my investment choice. I wished it had just a couple more assignable buttons and didn't rely so much on menus but the features the camera allows is really great even with those minor drawbacks. The firmware upgrade was very easy and camera has awesome capability making it even better than I had hoped. My main reason... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best value
I'll start off saying I'm not a professional. I'm more of a hobbyist. I had been using the HCX-1000 by Panasonic, but it had a lot of trouble in the low light scenarios that I used it, so I started looking around. Enter the FS7. This camera is unbelievable. I did days and days of research before committing on this purchase. I could not be happier. I record in 4K using XVAC-I, and the image quality is superb. I purchased a Rokinon 1.4 lens for eve... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fantastic Camera. Amazing price point!
Other reviewers have said it all. Just wanted to add my voice here. This camera is amazing! But there is a little gem out there for those who shoot SLog3 like I do. A German videographer took the time to match his FS7 with his Arri Amira and create LUTs matching the two. This is the single most valuable thing I've purchased for this camera. Look up Bertdegraeve and purchase those LUTs. NOW!!! He has even made LUTs for +1, +2, and +3 exposure (I t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
A Pleasure to Use
First, I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. It's not perfect, but it's really a solid performer for a pretty wide gamut of shooting situations. The good: The ergonomics are good, especially if you add the Shape shoulder mount and extension arm. I also added the Zacuto diopter as it's more compact than the stock piece. I can work all day with this on my shoulder and it balances really well with a V-Mount battery. Cine EI mode. Really really spectac... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
The most affordable 'cinematic' Sony Camera
I'm not going to explain what the camera does, I'm sure you know that by now. I'm just going to talk about my experience with the camera over the last few months. I'm a cinematographer that can't stand your regular Video look, I'm much more into cinematic, filmic looks. I've owned all sorts of cameras including the RED epic, and I have to say that the FS7's image quality is up there. The internal codec is so good that I don't even use the 7Q reco... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
For the price, it's serviceable.
One of the few servo zooms for the Fs7 that are under $20k and have an iris ring on the lens. A decent performer. Not as wide as most would like. Be advised that the zoom's servo is not infinitely variable. It won't feather start or feather stop. Impossible in my experience to do very slow creeping zooms with this lens. It just isn't engineered for that. The focus has an electronic feel more than a mechanical feel. That makes it slightly difficul... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
I really like it sometimes, but not most. Go figure.
I bought this for my FS700, intrigued by the parfocal zoom for this price. This is the most expensive lens I have ever purchased, and I know about the tradeoffs with zooms. I did not buy the other Sony G lens (wider but not as tele) due to the fact that it is only for APS-C, and I have ideas of getting whatever the newer A7S/R is ... full frame future, thanks. I feel it is cool, has a lovely blur, but has a few things I don't like. For its size, ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fantastic camera with some limitations
I use the camera for mostly doc and television shooting, and occasional narrative work. The strong points: -Ergonomics: excellent, brilliant right-side handgrip allows many controls including iris control on many lenses, focus mag and other functions. Good selection of user-definable buttons on the grip and body. Camera balances great on shoulder with some modifications (3rd party baseplate, XDCA unit with gold mount battery adapter). -Recording:... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Not Mr. Right, but Mr Right Now
We've been using the EX3 for many years with the stock wide lens, and FS100's with the 2 two common e-mount lenses available for it (the 3 speed servo lens and the manual stock lens). Like most FS100 users, we were unhappy with those lenses, and were looking for something like the EX3 lens. Well, this is probably as close as Sony is going to get to it for the near future, so if you have an FS100 or 700 and are sick of those other e-mount lenses, ... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great camera, but Sony needs figure out ergonomics
I recently purchased the camera and overall I am very happy with it. The lens is a bit of an oddity, but works ok for what I'll be using if for - basic run and gun on corporate shoots. I use my old PL lenses on it for interviews etc. The electronics and imaging so far are what I expected and was hoping for, although I have not really tested it hard. The menu is a little clunky, but I think I can get used to that. But I must really say something a... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Great camera with a few drawbacks
I've had the camera a few weeks and have a slightly different perspective from other reviewers. Most of them are using it for pro video, my primary use is for shooting feature films (VOD and direct to DVD). I had built a kit of Nikkor and Sony prime DSLR lenses for use on the FS700, they work nicely on this camera also. Prospective buyers should know that this camera requires the user to go into the menus on a regular basis. Example: Want to swit... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best Camera I Have EVER owned!
I have owned high-end broadcast cameras since the SONY BVW-1A/3A to the F900. The SONY PXW-FS7 is hands down the best camera I have ever shot with or owned. The latitude is incredible, the images are very natural. Updating firmware is very easy (except for the 11 minutes of stress.)This will most likely the last camera I purchase; for storm chasing, this is the ultimate recording device. I have several XQD Series N cards and was worried they woul... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Better lens than reviewed...
I think this is a better lens than the 3 star average it has gotten. Having said that, it does have it's issues. I'm basing this review off using the lens now for about a year on a FS700 paired with an Odyssey 7q.Cons: It is big, bulky and heavy. It is not very wide on the short end of the lens, so working in tight places can be problematic as can the focus distance which is also not great. There is no speed adjustment on the servo and it's not t... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Philip Bloom said it best.
This camcorder is the best 'bang for your buck' on the market right now. There are a ton of great things to say about this camera - but let's get right to the juicy stuff. The image is beautiful, so sharp. Slow motion is fantastic. 180 FPS is beautiful. The built in ND filters, awesome. Zebras and focus peaking are great. Viewfinder adapter for outdoors is great. I loved the thing when I first took it out of the box and started shooting on Custom... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Best camera for the money
I've been in the video production business for over 35 years producing videos for corporations, broadcast and non-profits. I started with Betacam SP cameras and have owned 8 different cameras since 1980, including a $ 60,000 broadcast HD camera. The FS7 beats them all and is in a class by itself. The quality of the image is outstanding. Coupled with the correct lens this camera creates image quality that is undistinguishable from an ARRI Alexa. A... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
GOOD
This is a very unique lens, I only use it on a A7SII. There is currently no other native E mount lens that gives you this much flexibility and features. The power zoom is very smooth and there is very little focus breathing on this lens. For some reason, the native camera body remote trigger (cable release) allows you to power zoom in or out a bit slower than the on-lens button. I prefer the remote for slower movement. Using the zoom ring for a f... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Fragile mount...
We have two of these lenses mounted on our FS7's, and both broke off from the camera body during transit. The mount is secured to the barrel with 4 tiny thin plastic columns, and knowing the weight of the entire lens, the amount of stress the mount goes through by simple transport will not adequately hold the weight. I am baffled to see that this entire barrel is only supported by four thin plastic columns - You would think that Sony would be sma... Show More
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video