Sony NEX - 1st video production

[Elysium0o]

Hey all, bit of a newbie with video so did my best here.

The introduction is a tad long so sorry for the boredom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQMyIHgGvEo

The NEX does produce some great results for video. Very impressed with it so far.

[David Kilpatrick]

The Glidetrack speed is just perfect and the camera tracking shows no trace of the problems which affect most DSLRs. I guess you are using a 60/30 model which will be superior to the European 50/25 model in this respect? The autofocus shifting is better than anyone could achieve using manual follow focus (close-up tracking on the alloy wheel is what I'm thinking of there).

Any more info on the 1 metre Glidetrack SD device? I think this defines the video technique used, I've tried to do this by hand with occasional success but the speed control and stability of the glide is far superior in your video. Did you disable the in-lens OSS when using the Glidetrack?

David

[Elysium0o]

The Glidetrack speed is just perfect and the camera tracking shows no trace of the problems which affect most DSLRs. I guess you are using a 60/30 model which will be superior to the European 50/25 model in this respect? The autofocus shifting is better than anyone could achieve using manual follow focus (close-up tracking on the alloy wheel is what I'm thinking of there).

Any more info on the 1 metre Glidetrack SD device? I think this defines the video technique used, I've tried to do this by hand with occasional success but the speed control and stability of the glide is far superior in your video. Did you disable the in-lens OSS when using the Glidetrack?

David

Hey David, sorry, I need to add my location in. This was with the Euro spec NEX-5 system so running 50/25. For these, I ran a manual focus purely so I could make sure the AF was not confused via certain scenes. OSS was left on to help compensate where possible. I doubt it would have made a massive difference but I shall try some tracking shots with it turned off and on to compare.

Before the track started, I lined up the part I wanted to be bang on then reset the head to where I needed to start. Biggest challenge was making sure when pressing the REC button, no vibration came back through the rail.

The Glidetrack is a fantastic system and the 1 meter version is ideal for my needs since it is still portable but long enough to add some drama. They can custom make a 4 meter track but I have no transport mode for that.

You might want to get in contact with the company since they are based in Scotland to see if you can maybe try it out before investing in one.

The biggest challenge is making sure the tracking shot is fluid so for each scene, I had to do about 3 takes before I was happy.

What really blew me away was how well the NEX system handled the variating light conditions without causing too much of an issue when coming back to view or edit.

Top marks so far but it needs to be put through its paces some more for me.

[David Kilpatrick]

Yes, they are only 90 minutes from me and I just called them, and subsequently emailed. I'm trying to get the Shooter to include in my NEX tests, and a set of their product pix. Prime example of a product which could have sold at twice the price, excellent value, and a very professional site.

These rails also have applications, if adapted, for lenticular 3D work and I have mentioned this to them. The original Nimslo Computrak, which I worked with in 1979-81, was a very expensive device but basically just a camera rail with calculated space intervals to match lens and focus distance.

David