this post is for all the camera people... I will hereby rant, rave, kick, cry over, and foam at the mouth while discussing the new Sony NEX-VG10...
For those of you who still don't know what this is, I will tell you. It is one of the first, if not THE first consumer, or rather "prosumer" (cross between professional and consumer... I'll explain that later...) camcorder. It is not only a normal camcorder, but following in the Sony tradition, it has several amazing features.
First, and perhaps most importantly, it uses technology developed for the SLR. The best part about this camcorder is the fact that it has interchangeable lenses. That means if you don't like the lens it came with, you have several other options, (2 at the moment, with possibly more soon) which which you can expand the possibilities. If that isn't enough, you could buy a converter that will let this camcorder accept the Sony alpha mount, which is what all of their other lenses are. And from there, you could buy a Sony to Nikon, Sony to Canon, or practically any other conversion you want, and you could use the lenses you might already have.
So if you are like me, you are thinking, "hey, that's cool, but what makes it so unique?" I mean, we had interchangeable lenses back before most, if not all of us were born, so what's the big deal? Well, that is a privilege that has been reserved for the SLR, and now the DSLR. Like me again, you are probably saying "So? Don't those fancy cameras (mine included) have video built-in now? Can't you use those lenses you already have with the camera you already have?"
While that is true, and while virtually all the new DSLR's coming out these days have video capabilities built-in, they are still an SLR. Besides the fact that they are designed for pictures and not video, the newer sensors are not built to handle something like that. Okay, so why pay extra, and switch from an SLR to a camcorder?
It wasn't until I started digging deeper into the possibilities that I really saw the reasoning behind a camcorder like this. I'll list them for you real quickly:
1) It has a much better form-factor for videotaping. Face it, who likes holding an SLR stable? It just isn't ergonomically efficient.
2) Sound. This is a big deal with movies. If you have an SLR like mine, (D90) you have a mono audio track, through the built-in mic, with no other options. The VG10 has not just one or two mics, but four mics, built to capture the best stereo sound they possibly can.
3) The lens that comes with the camcorder. It is an 18-200mm Optical SteadyShot (as Sony calls it. VR for Nikon, IS for Canon) E-mount lens. The E-mount is new to the Sony line-up, which means it has the newer technology. Because they created a whole new line, they were able to cut down on the size vs. performance ratio. They put a whole bunch of fancy electronics, fairly good glass, and some awesome programming, and viola, you have a lens. True, the hassle of buying new lenses is always a pain, but hey, they bundle this lens with the camera, and you most likely won't have to buy another one for it for the next year.
3.5) This is built on the last one, but deserves it's own point. It has auto-focus. Because they made a whole new line of lenses, they were able to make the camera (or camcorder) and the lens talk more. This means that you can have crisp auto-focus capabilities while you are filming. I'm stuck on my D90, which I have to manually focus, and trust me, when you are running, it is rather hard to keep both hands on the camera.
4) The sensor. If you are like me, you love the depth-of-field that bigger SLR's will produce. One of the main reasons they can do that is because they don't have a pin-sized sensor hiding underneath some big body. They have a sensor that, in this case, is 23.4 x 15.6mm in size. This is definitely not the camera on your phone. This qualifies as a full APS-C-sized sensor, with all the rights and privileges that come along with it. Add some fancy filters, some nice programming, and their BIONZ processor, you have 14.2 effective megapixels of awesomeness.
5) User Interface. It has a really high-definition viewfinder, and then a 3" fold-out screen for your viewing pleasure. Not to mention the nicely placed buttons, scroll-wheels, zoom, handles, and hand placement, it is well-designed from the ergonomic standpoint. Now obviously we'll need to see how it feels, but knowing Sony, with 25 years experience building these things, I'm sure they won't mess this up.
Still think there aren't enough reasons to get it? well, let me throw in a couple others... Headphone and microphone jacks, both a hot-shoe, as well as a universal cold-shoe, (not powered) free editing software, both MMC and SD capacity, compact design, and on and on.
The drawbacks? Well, so far, there is only one, possibly two...
1) Price. Maybe it isn't a big deal for you, but $2,000 is on the more expensive side for me, especially with school to pay for... True, you do get quite a bit for your money, and I would say that it is an incredible deal, but it is still a bit prohibitive to jump into the video market...
2) This is still a bit ambiguous, but the video type might be a problem. It has a CMOS sensor, which shouldn't be a problem, but it is 1080i, instead of 1080p. (Quick explaination. Interlaced, or "i," is where different parts of the sensor alternate back and forth exposing themselves. (think even and odd.) Progressive, or "p," goes from top to bottom, without skipping any. It starts at the top, goes to the bottom, and starts at the top again.) Now, why is this such a big deal? Well, if you are doing anything with lines, the 1080i might tend to have "jello" lines, where they will bend, because they are being exposed at different times. If the sensor and processor is fast enough, this won't be a problem, but it is still listed as a possibility.
So now you know about the Sony Handycam Camcorder NEX-VG10. Most likely more than you wanted to know, but hey, now you are prepared for when it is released in September.
