Video quality question

I have a Sony A65 which we use for stills and videos, and i wanted to get a back-up camera for the  video side of things.

I was thinking of getting a A57.

Since the A57 is a 16mp camera (against the A65 24mp) would that mean that the quality of the video be lower on the A57....or the same as the A65.

Also whilst we are on the subject of video quality....would the quality of the video be better on the A99 than the A57 and A65.

Confused.

The megapixels of the sensor are irrelevant (well, at this resolution they are). What happens when you take video, whether it's a 24MP sensor, 16MP sensor, etc... is that the camera downscales the footage to, in the case of 1080p HD video, 1920 pixels by 1080. Your camera sensors obviously have a lot more pixels than that, so there is processing software within the camera that will bring the resolution to the appropriate levels. What you'll want to look for in the specs is that they shoot full 1080p with an AVCHD codec.

My A55 shoots 1080p/30p so I'm certain the 57 will do at least the same, the 55 can shoot 60i, but not 60p, checking the video specs on the 57...it can shoot 60p at 1080 so it'll do pretty much everything you would need it to.

The a99 is pretty lackluster in video mode.  I found the a57 to be far superior; specs and features not withstanding.

Curious about this, what makes it lackluster?

A57 better than A99 in video???

Dude, whatever you're smoking, please share.

curious about this, I would think the a99 would at least be equal in quality or superior as they use the same engine I believe.

The a99 actually has more video features than the a57 and a77.

quality is going to be about the same, its really gonna come down to PP anyways

The reviews I have been reading do not look good for A99 video.

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The greatest of mankind's criminals are those who delude themselves into thinking they have done 'the right thing.'
- Rayna Butler

I'm smoking actually SHOOTING and OWNING the a57 and a99 cameras, and shooting video with them.  On paper, the a99 should SMOKE all Sony DSLR's.  HDMI out, microphone/headphone jack, XLR accessory, etc.

But..it doesn't.  At all.  Sony has done something screwy with however the camera takes that gorgeous 24 megapixel sensor down to the 2.07 (1920x1080) video output.

Until someone here tests it being recorded to a Atomos Ninja or other HDMI recorder, the speculation is it's the compression.  Who knows.  All I know is what I've shot and tested, and I spent a few weeks on every conceivable setting and just couldn't get it to look right.  Ran it through editors (Sony Vegas, Adobe after effects, etc.)

The problem is when you want a decent depth of field.  It's just not sharp.  Period.  It seems like low resolution garbage.  There is shimmering and other strange pulsing effects when AF is on.

I even ran an HDMI cable to my Sony 60" LED TV and tried adjusting the sharpness -3 to +3. (Also while shooting).  I can see a difference when I adjust saturation and contrast, but NOT sharpness.  I also don't see a difference adjusting the noise reduction one way or the other.

Does it blur out the background in video mode?  Absolutely.  But nothing is sharp.  Even in the brightest of sunlight stopped down to F/16 in MF mode with IS turned off.  I gave up and sold it.

The a57?  I set it to P mode with a slower lens and got a far sharper video with a decent blown out background.  Same with the a77.

Here's the raw mts files - take a look at these. About 120 meg download. Raw though.  First one shot at F/8 IS off focus @ infinity with the 24-70 Zeiss and on a tripod; 2nd shot is AF (F/3.5) handheld.  Both with Auto-ISO; camera settings Portrait 0 0 +2 sharpness.

LINK to the files

Shawn

Don't blame the camera because you work for panasonic/canon/nikon

Dont listen this guy the a99 takes exceptional video:

http://vimeo.com/52031763

Do you want explain the quality in sections of this video?  Not only ultra sharp but INCREDIBLE dynamic range.  The a77/a55 etc CANNOT compare with this color and dynamic range.  There is more to consider then sharpness but in the above posters case he obviously didn't know how to set the microfocus and subsequently sold the cam.

I really hate it when someone who is either incompetent or subversive to the product proliferates lies. Tell ya what bub - you pick a real simple topic.  Say a house plant or whatever.  You shoot it on your a77 and post the video and I will shoot on my a99 and well post and compare.  Since you already have the 24-70 we will use that lens.

Cool?

So from what I've been reading her regarding video quality between cameras, i could get a A57 as a video backup camera, and there would be no difference in video quality (against my A65).

To me thats good news.

I must admit that the stills side of the A65 is amazing...and i would not consider a A99.

I sold my Canon 1Ds3 (and got a good price for it), and am more that happy with the Sony range.

I also had a Canon 3200 to test, but when doing videos it used to overheat in warm weather...and i had to keep putting it in the fridge...lol.

The only criticism that i have (video)is that the A65 auto focus doesn't work in most modes, and when it does, it stays on something like f3.5.

So in bright sunlight (again in video mode) in auto-focus mode I get 1000sec at f3.5, very annoying.

But we battle on.

Shot with an external recording device and heavily graded.  Shot with just about every high end lens Sony makes and worked on by an entire crew of people, in the most exotic parts of the world.  Lighting guys, dollys, silders, etc.  Show me some footage you've shot with YOUR a99.

No, I'm just a guy who foolishy kept upgrading my Sony gear thinking the a99 would be the holy grail - then started reviewing the footage and really started noticing how poor it looked.

I work for Panasonic/Canon/Nikon?  Wow.  I'm starting to think some of you are off your rocker on this site.

I stupidly sold the a77 to BUY the a99.  What a mistake as far as videos go.  Unless you're talking to yourself here - I have no idea what makes you think I still have an a77.

There are some issues with my A99 as well, the video looks really bad in certain situations.  My Nex5n looks better with the same lenses - 24-70z and 70-400g.  I called Sony and went through the whole troubleshooting business and they asked me to send it in for exchange.  I shoot video professionally with a FS100 and Nex5n and some of the A99 footage cannot be cut with what I'm getting from the other cameras - its that bad.  I have the same issues Sheild 3 had - soft when shooting wide shots.  Hopefully the second one will be better, otherwise the A99 video is a huge disappointment.

yes I totaly agree, this guy (Shield3) is completely crazy:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/post/50320829

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Michel J

wow ! Sony ask you to return, then you continue to bashing before testing the new one, Bashing is your sport: do you like it?

The problem with people like you and Shield, is like we can't bellieve any word of what you are talking.

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Michel J

Yes, A99 beats them all. Save some money and get A99 (or new released camera), leave a65 as back up.

Thanks Chris for the update.  I am going to put the troll on ignore as he's not only never shot video with the a99; rather he's never even owned the camera.

I am curious to find out what you get back from Sony.

Michelle - you're on ignore.  Done arguing with someone who's probably never even SEEN the camera in person.

A99 beats them all?  Based on what, specs?  Sure.  Real life?  No way.