This 10 Year Old Sony Cinema Camera Can Shoot 4K 120 FPS 16-bit RAW!!

💭 Comment - Let us know what you think of the Sony PMW-F55 down below!
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Chapters:
Intro - 00:00
The Sensor - 00:42
The Image - 02:12
The Specs - 03:48
The RAW Recording - 04:32
The Modular Design - 05:45
Buying Used - 08:58
Conclusion - 13:33

#SonyF55 #SonyCinemaCamera #UsedCineCamera

[CVPTV]

What older cameras should we take a look at next? Let us know down!

[panoramavideoproduktionrob]

I have an used F55 for 2 1/2 years now. I got it with an full package (AXS-R5 Recorder with media, viewfinder, SXS-cards etc). Great camera! A workhorse. In my opinion this camera will still hold up for many years.

[jakebaine]

I was a PA on a gig where the DP had one of these. He loved it. It was his Honda Civic of cameras, tons of reliability! Really want to try one soon.

[jamesbridges]

I had mine for 7 years. Best camera I ever owned

[TheFPSChannel]

We have owned a F5 version since 2011. It is STILL our primary interview camera. We’ve invested so much in lenses, batteries, a monitor, cables an a heavy duty tripod there is no financial incentive to replace it. It has always been our policy to ‘invest in the best’ so the equipment postponed obsolescence for as long as possible. But this unit defied all expectations. And it has endured the Canadian Arctic, the bottoms of iron mines, the bowels of industrial rubber operations, deep damp forests and yet was always ready and waiting for studio work.
That said: the slow startup, the huge expense of the raw optional accessory, the huge expense of the cards to record raw and it’s overall unergonomic form factor means we would likely not pickup a second used unit.
Still… great, great investment for us.

[aphosimages]

I had the pleasure of being a camera op on one of these on a big multcam shoot, loved the image, and paired with a cineservo lens, this thing is a dream

[TheJ_G]

Damn. For months I’ve been saving up for one of these, and they’ve all been $4000 or less for a while. I was finally getting close and a handful of popular YouTube channels started dropping videos like this in the past several weeks for this camera. Now I can’t find a good used one for less than $8000-$10, 000… Literally some of the same listings that were under $5000 are now closer to $10, 000.

Thanks a lot guys…

Every time a youtube channel exploits older camera gear for views and traffic, prices sky rocket and end up staying there.

[balmofilms]

I love these series. They bring me so many "If I won the lottery I would buy it" memories from when I started learning filmaking... 😂
It's amazing to see how good still look nowadays!

[gnkstudios]

I was 🤏🏽 close to buying this camera. The deal breaker was the crazy ridiculous pricing for the memory cards. I wanted this camera so bad. Man. If they rereleased this camera with cf express I would’ve bought it in a heartbeat.

Edit: after reviewing your site, I noticed how much cheaper the media cards are for the R5. Man I wish I would’ve saw this. I’m still very happy with my z cam purchase but this f55 is still on the menu for a next camera purchase. 4k will be not be irrelevant for another decade. Camera is still incredibly relevant.

[GrazerMadhill]

This camera is still used at NRK (Norwegian National TV)! We used it for a kids show called Bablo, and it gave great results for such an old camera compared to our newer ones. A bit more finnicky, but with an experienced DP that was no problem

[InfamousStar]

Love these videos, and your timing is always impeccable. I picked up an Arri Alexa Classic a while back; and then a week or two later, you dropped your Alexa Classic in 2022 video. I also just picked up one of these F55 cameras with a R5 external recorder, and then you dropped this video a couple days post-purchase. I love it. ♥️

[jordanfish]

Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown was shot primarily on this camera, along with the F5.

[prodac]

Still own own one, still use it for multiple Nat geo shoots. On my last shoot out in south america I tried to make the transition from F55 with DVF 200 to FX9 with Zacuto Kamelion.... Lasted one day with it. Went back on to the F55 which we had as our back up camera set up. The Sony EVF is so far superior to anything else out there, and so far Sony haven't produced one for the FX9, and I don't think the Venice is as good operating wise as the F55, with all the assignables in the right place on the body for docs which the Venice lacks, not to mention the crazy over pricing of the Venice. Long live the F55.

[DynamicPhil]

These "blast from the past" videos are super fun and informative! I had forgotten about a lot of these older Sony cinema cameras. I'd love to see a workflow comparison video in Resolve showing how all the various RAW formats handle in terms of playback and pushing the grade (Canon Raw Light, Red Raw, BRaw, Sony Raw, X-OCN, etc). Did you notice much of a difference between editing and grading the full 16 bit Raw vs. the X-OCN ST and LT? Or is it a similar scenario like with Red Raw in that LT is fine for almost all situations and the only reason to go for ST or full Raw is if you are doing VFX work?

[davidhildreth]

I loved the F55 and it paired with Venice 1 really well. The only draw back was the heavy data rate of the R5 raw files, X-OCN was a godsend.

[cobymarcum]

I use a PMW-F5 without raw recording and it looks far better than other newer smaller cameras that I own. It is very filmic in the images it produces. 👍

[venture_films]

I was the first (or second) person in Australia to receive the F55 when it was released. Still use it today as my main workhorse alongside an FX6 and FX3. Love the image and to attached to it to get rid of it. Think it will get mounted on my office wall when it retires!

[colemowery]

Just ordered one of these! this video has lived rent free in my brain since it's release last year!

[ChuckRiseUp]

This camera is a tank! We use it every day at CBC/Radio-Canada (public broadcaster in Canada) for our public affairs shows, music videos, documentaries and much more.

I'm still amazed by the image quality of this 10+ years old camera. When paired with some good Zeiss or Canon cinema prime glass, this camera produce really really good image.

Only complains: it's not a good camera for run-and-gun scenario, specially if you want to adjust your audio or change your frame rate on the spot. It takes a long time to boot up and everytime you are changing your your base project setting the camera has to reboot. Also, you'll need an ND.3 and ND.6 filter cause your only stuck with two internal ND filters. Other than that, it it still a killer camera for its price.

[simongentry]

it’s a gorgeous camera! it’s light, global shutter and the sony raw 16bit is creamy. the FZ mount is easily made into what you need, PL or say EF