My Test & Review of a completely new set-up & rig:

New camera & lens system, hardware and post-production-editing-software.

I haven't made or uploaded anything lately; it's been more than a year. I recently jumped ship, to a compact Mirrorless camera system, specifically, the tiny & inexpensive, yet monstrous in performance and features - Sony NEX 5N.

Since my last video, I have sold my Canon 5D2 (had it since they were first released) and all my Iscorama anamorphic lenses (Isco 36 and Isco 42) and Zeiss ZE and Canon EF/L lenses, for financial reasons. Soon after, I then switched to a cheaper Canon 60D, some cheap russian vintage prime lenses and a Kowa B&H anamorphic lens out front, for about half a year.

Just recently, I purchased the new Sony 5N (mirrorless, APSC sized sensor (similar to 35mm video/film format), interchangeable lens camera), after selling my 60D to replace it with. I also was lucky and found a somewhat rare, mini, tiny anamorphic lens that would be the perfect size for the 5N's smallness and is a perfect match and companion - the Moller Bolex 8/19/1.5x (made for 8mm film). For a taking lens, I wanted to keep the 5N's, and also the Moller/Bolex's small aesthetics and opted to go for an older, smaller, rangefinder lens instead of the typical, bigger SLR lenses. The beauty of old vintage rangefinder lenses is that they don't require a thick adapter like that used for adapting SLR lenses to a mirrorless compact camera system (ie: Nex or micro 4/3 cameras). Rangefinder (Pen-F/LTM/M39/M/Contax-G mounts) lenses are much smaller than SLR lenses, have a much shorter flange-to-film/sensor distance and typically have a small barrel with 39-46mm front filter threads, whereas SLR front filters can go from 49mm all the way to 82mm. The adapters to mount RF lenses on the NEX are Much smaller than SLR lenses, about 1/3 of the thickness. The taking lens I got was the vintage Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 LTM/M39 mount.

The only downside usually found on old RF lenses are their minimum focus distances; which are almost waay to long at 0.7-1m and hard to work with at short distances. This is due to their compact design. One, awesome and new way around this not-so-great-MFD, is a company (Hawk Factory) that sells focusable helicoid M-mount-to-NEX adapters. The double helicoid is sort of like a built-in, focusable, macro-tube and m-to-nex adapter in One. Genius! I actually just received mine today in the mail after a short 1.5 week wait from Taiwan (though this video was shot before I received it; so it is still using a +2 diopter).

The Moller-Bolex 8mm anamorphic I have has a very nice 0.5m MFD (a rare feature to anamorphic lenses, as most only go to 2m and need rare +.5 diopters to get those desired, usable focus ranges); but, my Canon taking lens only goes down to 1m MFD, which cannot take advantage of the Moller-Bolex's awesome MFD without diopters, Lol. But since I now have the Hawk Helicoid adapter, it allows me to focus the Canon RF taking-lens down to even below .5m!..allowing me to take full advantage of the Bolex's .5m MFD WITHOUT diopters! Woot woot! Speed and ease is money!

This new set-up can fit in my pocket, rear jeans pocket, coat pocket, shorts pocket, or any pocket that is reasonably sized. The only pocket it won't fit in are front jeans pockets (since they are usually really super small and thin anyways). And, if I don't feel like having a bulging pocket and want to be a little more comfortable during walks or camera-downtime, I can always opt to just hang the small and light 5N on my belt with a little clip-on carabiner attaching to the 5N's simple, sleek and stylish leather wrist-strap (made by Gordy's if you're wondering). Now, I can go out on the town, city walks, street shoot, with absolutely no camera bag at all (great for being incognito, unobtrusive, or taking it anywhere you couldn't a big DSLR - clubs, bars, intimate venues, casual outings, meetings, etc.). To keep everything pocketable, incog and compact, I also rid of all my old, big, heavy, grip gear for my dslrs (the big super clamp, the heavy and long magic arm, the cumbersome shoulder rigs and ballheads) and replaced them with some nice super small stuff - a nice Table-Top tripod, a Nano-Clamp and a Micro Ballhead, all from Manfrotto, cleverly designed with compactness in mind, good, solid quality, and all fit very easily in my pockets; like a pack-of-smokes easy. These beautifully small tools and grip gear will aid me in static shots, long exposure, timelapses and landscapes and at the same time can be brought anywhere with me in my pockets, when needed, along with my 5N.

So how do I like the Moller-Bolex 19/8/1.5x? Another surprise! SHARP if not sharper than my old Iscoramas and Kowa. I wasn't expecting this, since it was designed for 8mm; but it def covers the entire APSC sensor and is sharp corner to corner, side to side, wide open. Bight blue and purple flares are a nice change of pace and totally welcome and unique (as opposed to my old Iscos and Kowa, with their warm and white flares). No vignetting with 50mm; not even any white-vignette halos! (which sometimes are seen in much bigger anamorphic lenses like iscos, kowas, sankors) Again, the biggest advantage is no diopters and a nice MFD. But, it's still a double focusing system. Size is perfect for the Nex. Iirc, the only other "mini and "tiny" anamorphic lenses of this size would be this one, the Iscomorphot-8, the Agfa (Iscomorphot clone?) and the even smaller and more rare mini-Berthiot/Hypergonar (Henri Chrétien). All these were made for 8mm film and are super small and would look sexy with a Nex and a small RF/LTM/M39/M 50mm as its' taking lens; of course, for those that are concerned with small and sexy aesthetics and a small pocket anamorphic rig ;)

Not only have I made a change in hardware; but, post-production and software as well. Out with the old (Final Cut Pro 6, Final Cut Studio 2) and in with the new (FCP7/FCS3). I actually got the new FCPX; but I returned it the next day and got FCP7 (I am not going to get into it. In short, FCP6/7 is professional, but FCPX feels very consumer, it should be called iMovie . . ."iMovie Pro", haha.. Not much difference in FCP6 and 7. The biggest things and reason getting FCP7 are the awesome, well-known, plug-ins offered that are compatible with this newer version of FCP7 that I have never used before, but now Love and can never be without! Specifically two, the most important ones to me - slow-motion (Twixtor) and stabilization (Mercalli). We all know the Twixtor plug-in is the most kick butt and #1 for slomo. And, for a stabilization plug-in, many know of or already have been using really great ones; such as Warp, Deshaker, Mercalli, Lock & Load, etc. I never have though. So, you can only imagine my excitement. And, having Mercalli for me is very much also a key ingredient to having and staying with my "pocket and compact" hardware and rig philosophy and goals; since without Mercalli (or any other stabilization plug-in), I will be required to lug around and carry some kind of shoulder rig or stabilization rig and extra hardware. And, we all know those are hardly pocketable; most not even backpack-able, lol (ie: long rods, rails, grips, counter-weights, via redneck or zacuto, etc). Having Mercalli, I can go out and shoot PURE hand-held without any big, obtrusive, heavy, stabilization or shoulder rigs.. just the tiny little camera in my hand is all I need, and that's it! :)

Intervalometer? Screw TempusNEX or Gentled. I actally bought the former, and it was broken upon arrival and was of very low quality construction. Tip: DSLR.BOT - an awesome, clean looking, $5 iPhone app with more features than a $135 Canon intervalometer, and a little Infrared dongle ($4 diy, or $10 ordered from company). Nice! More stuff that is pocketable! :)

Ok, enough of the gear and hardware talk. What about performance?

So how do I like it compared to my old DSLRs, the 5D2 and 60D? It kills them both in low-light video at 3200iso (thank goodness Sony capped off 5N's megapixels to a low 16Mp. High Mp is the enemy for low-light iso performance!). Yes, I said the 5D2 too :P ...It's performance is shocking (especially for a $600 cam) and unbelievable; but true. Aside from low-light hi-iso performance, the general IQ (color, detail, etc.) - easily defeats the 60D/7D in both video and still-images; and, is pretty darn close and almost unnoticeable difference to the 5D2 video (except of course the slightly thinner DOF of its' wide FF sensor. Only thing the 5D2 has over it, is its' still-images; due to its' FF sensor and higher 21mp resolution).

What does this $600 camera have that the 5D2 and 60D/7D doesn't have? Besides it's damn small size (and at the same time still retaining a nice sized, humongous APSC sensor, just like all of the other DSLRs out there): the best 3200iso video out of any current DLSR, 60p in FULL HD!, focus peaking (a must for manual focus lens users; a genius innovation), ability to go all the way down to 1/4" shutter during video mode for quick set-up 2p timelapses, AVCHD2 format, supposedly the awesome same sensor as the D7000 (though the 5N's processor is newer tech, which I assume should be even better), and so on.

Is it a 5D2 killer? Maybe so, maybe no. I may be bias since I own one as my primary camera, and appreciate it's size and what it can do. The image quality is pretty close. Depends on how much you value size I guess. So, to me, it IS a 5d2 killer. It def kills it in low light 3200iso video. Is it a 60D/7D killer? Absolutely. Both still images and video are better. And, don't forget all the aforementioned features that none of these Canon DSLRs have (ie: 60p HD, AVCHD, etc.).

Is the 5N going to be a Classic?

I think it already is :)

As many alternative-lens & old-school rangefinder heads (owners/users of expensive leica, zeiss, nikkor RF lenses) have said.. yes, the 5N is the new classic. "A pocketable 5D2"

Gear-porn pics of my pocket-anamorphic-rig:
s27.photobucket.com/albums/c164/fooddude/Sony%20NEX%205N%20Moller%20Bolex%20Anamorphic%20Pocket%20Rig/

Shot at 60p for slomo. Video edited with smaller 720p clips as it's just a quickie software test (quality isn't the best). NO color-grading or color-correction. All color is in-camera (Portrait mode: -3, -3, -3) and also from the wonderful vintage Bolex-Moller anamorphic lens and vintage Canon RF lens ;) ..All shots were totally Handheld and dolly'd with my unstable arm-movement (original is shaky and ugly). Mercalli is invaluable, especially to us hand-held and street shooters.