My New Camera
The Sony PMW-FS5 is a camera in Sony’s cinema line that was released back in 2015. 6 years later, I’m far from the front of the pack of users who have loved and shot videos on this great piece of technology. Featured below are early test videos I’ve shot on this camera since purchasing it in February 2021.
Why buy another old camera?
When I was looking into buying my first professional camcorder or “cinema” camera, I had a list of features that I thought were important. I knew there was no way I could get everything I wanted, but here’s a list of features I had hoped for (no particular order):
Interchangeable Lenses (maybe a given, but also not…)
Internal ND Filters
IBIS
Some 4k Frame Rates
1080HD Slow Motion
RAW and/or LOG Video Recording
10-bit 4:2:2 Color Sampling
Auto Focus
Then comes the real kicker: PRICE. I want to shoot videos and book projects at the drop of a hat, so I didn’t want to wait save up $5k or more to buy a camera (as a rule, my wife and I strictly pay cash for large purchases). I had saved up $1,200 by February and felt like I was reasonably within range to purchase a camera that had most of the specs I wanted such as a BMPCC4k, GH5, or A7Sii. With an eye on the used online market, I found some decent deals on these camera bodies but was deterred by the cost of fully rigging them out.
The original FS5 is missing the software upgrades for RAW video and high frame rates that come natively with the FS5ii, but otherwise it is basically the same. Both are feature rich cameras even though they are largely surpassed by today’s latest releases. After shooting a music video on the FS5ii, I checked to see what both models were selling for used and boom… Listed on Facebook Marketplace for $1600, the Sony FS5. I shot my shot, offered every dollar I had, and the seller was kind enough to cut me a deal. $1200 to bring my baby home!
Age is a funny thing…
Starting in the second half of my senior year of high school, I began teaching trombone lessons. I had won awards and was on my way to Berklee so I’d earned the respect of some of the younger trombonists who became my first “trombone studio.” I used to tell their parents that the only difference between a freshman trombonist and a senior trombonist was time. If the freshman wanted to beat the senior in a competition, they’ve simply got to maintain a healthy practice routine that would make up for the time difference!
So here I am at 26, a retired semi-pro trombonist, trying to make up for the time difference for not having gone to film school. I loved my undergraduate experience and am enjoying my professional life so far, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve got something to prove because of my late start. This is a huge step up from my first camera and very strategic investment. Now I don’t have any excuse not to make memorable media! Check back in on my blog monthly and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to keep up with my journey!