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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Would you shoot with a Sony PMW-F3, a ten year-old camera that now costs $800?

Got one, and yes I still do use it! (in fact just used it yesterday for shooting voxpops in town)

But I do not use my F3 professionally. As I'm specialized instead as a production sound mixer, my F3 is just for fun / personal / no budget stuff.

The F3 is best suited for those types of shoots, or for learning on, or as a very capable but ultra low budget B Cam to something better (like a Sony FS7/F5/FS5).

Although the recent up tick in interest in the F3 means they're going for 2x or 3x what they used to be! I'd be tempted to consider a Sony FS700 instead for a similar amount, or spending the little extra to get a FS5.
 
Not to hijack the thread but I have one of these that I bought B-stock in the camera/3 pL lens set package - mainly for the lenses - if anyone is interested. As B-stock it was either used for Demo at a show or simply repacked after a return. Not sure if it was ever used - will have to check the hour meter but it is in like new condition. May even be eligible for warranty (realistically prob not after 10 years) since I'm a dealer for a lot of products and a former Sony systems integrator dealer.

Have to say it is a pretty cool camera - lots of nice features.

BTW the lenses are pretty nice - they are the original plastic versions - optically very good and I am fine with the plastic given the super low price they go for - actually like the much lighter weight and since I don't use PL that often I'm not too worried about the possible lack of long term toughness.

High quality 1080P is nothing to sneer at. I wouldn't hesitate to use the F3 professionally on a music video, YouTube, or corporate video. The IQ and overall handling is still probably better than anything you can buy today for the price they go for.
 
It's a good camera, my father has several and uses them on docs. They are quite popular still in Spain, on jobs that can't afford Alexa, etc.
 
Glad to hear they're still keeping some pockets of popularity in the professional world! And I totally agree, if you can't afford even the rental fee for an ALEXA Classic and just want very good 1080 then the Sony PMW-F3 is a fantastic choice.
 
Well you get a proper PL-mount, internal NDs, good XLR inputs, along with timecode and a bunch of SDI ports (HDMI as well). So there's MUCH less rigging pain than you'll have with a stills camera of any kind.

External recording is essential though

Ergonomically it's not great compared to more modern offerings, but if you setup your preset white balances with a bit of forethought, you can make it pretty painless to switch between a range of WBs (not just Daylight and Tungsten), and if you can find one with the Element Technica Body Armour and the RGB 4:4:4 upgrade - it gets much better to use.

As a sensor in a box it's pretty terrific though. Terrific DR and nice skintones. We called it a "Baby Alexa" for good reason. Here are a few shorts I shot on the F3:

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