Sony NEX-EA50 NXCAM, Handbook

Page 1: ...NEX EA50 Handbook ...

Page 2: ... accidental data loss Separate START STOP buttons allow independent recording control for each media type SELP 18200 powered zoom lens not available on all models The powered zoom lens delivers smooth zoom action during video capture from 29 mm through to 322 mm 35 mm equivalent High quality digital zoom using fixed focal length lens The NEX EA50 provides precise high quality zooming when using a ...

Page 3: ...Chapter 1 SENSOR AND LENS Chapter 0 AUTOMATED FUNCTIONS Chapter 2 SHOOTING STYLES Chapter 3 FILE BASED Chapter 4 PICTURE PROFILE ...

Page 4: ...eing controlled automatically Even when the AE function is used it cannot produce perfect results under all lighting conditions But by also utilizing support functions you can use the AE function effectively AUTO MANUAL control display AUTO MANUAL switch GAIN button 1 Iris position moves to either F3 5 or maximum iris in AUTO FOCUS mode 2 Iris position moves to either F3 5 or maximum iris in PUSH ...

Page 5: ...ant to tone down the subject s brightness even if the background becomes darker you can shift AE toward the minus side Moving the AUTO MANUAL switch to MANUAL enables manual adjustments of the iris gain shutter speed and white balance settings Please note using this switch will change the settings for all these exposure settings Regarding focus adjustment moving the FOCUS switch to MANUAL enables ...

Page 6: ...use ND filters One Push White Balance lets you capture white subjects as white How to use operate 1 Push the WHT BAL button on the camera body 2 Select A A or B B with the WHITE BALANCE MEMORY switch located on the camera body 3 Set the correct exposure under the same lighting conditions as the subject capture the white subject as large as possible in the screen and push the one push button 4 The ...

Page 7: ...erature is 5 800K in WB PRESET setting Some camcorders in the HDV and NXCAM series are equipped with the same function You can roughly match their color temperatures by setting their WB OUTDOOR LEVEL at the same level Usage examples When you do not have a white subject for setting white balance When you want to match the white balance of multiple cameras as much as possible When you want your imag...

Page 8: ...s two audio input channels and accepts three input sources built in stereo microphone unidirectional mono microphone supplied and external line in There is a 48 V phantom power supply How to set operate 1 Connect the shotgun microphone to INPUT1 upper and set the INPUT1 switch see in diagram above to MIC 48V 2 Set both the CH1 switch and the CH2 switch to INPUT1 position TIPS Mono sound signal is ...

Page 9: ...e microphone or recording distortion within the camera or a combination of both To reduce input distortion adjust the trim as described above To reduce recording distortion change to manual audio mode switches and and adjust the input level dials and so that the sound level meters remain out of the peak zone In certain settings the Audio Limiter can help to improve the sound quality when recording...

Page 10: ...n turn boosts the sensitivity and the signal to noise ratio allowing the camera to produce clear images with minimal noise even at maximum gain in low light settings Depth of field High sensitivity and low noise TIPS About depth of field To capture the entire view from foreground to background in focus photographers typically use a wide angle lens with short focal length together with a narrow ape...

Page 11: ... the light level and enhance the bokeh effect The NEX EA50 allows for higher gain or ISO settings where the image signal level is amplified electrically to boost the image brightness In this way the NEX EA50 can produce excellent images with minimal noise in low light settings such as a darkened stage where conventional video cameras would have too much noise Gain and ISO sensitivity can be set in...

Page 12: ...sing the lens mechanically Iris Controlling the brightness How to set operate 1 Set the AUTO MANUAL switch to MANUAL 2 Press the SHUTTER SPEED button to highlight the shutter speed setting 3 Adjust the shutter speed using the SEL PUSH EXEC dial Note A shutter speed of 1 100 sec is displayed as 100 Thus a higher value indicates a faster shutter speed The shutter speed can also be used to control th...

Page 13: ...are high priced filters that are used in combination with a matte box They are not affected by the lens diameter and the light volume can be adjusted by simply changing one filter with another Sheet type Because these filers were at first based on gelatin they are still widely referred to as gelatin filters They are inserted into a paper filter holder Sometimes they are cut up into smaller pieces ...

Page 14: ... line denotes the 100 brightness point Brightness levels over 100 are displayed with a different background color to help locate areas of whiteout The ZEBRA POINT option also shows the selected Zebra brightness level on the histogram providing a visual indication of brightness levels during filming Histogram for checking overall light balance ASSIGN Zebra stripes are superimposed on areas of the i...

Page 15: ...to ensure smooth focus transition when shifting from one subject to another PUSH AUTO for temporary Auto Focus AF How to set operate 1 Press the EXPANDED FOCUS button on the lens ring to cycle through the expanded display options 2 Use the arrow buttons at the top of the camera screen to move around the display or press the EXEC button to return to the center of the display The display can be expa...

Page 16: ...een selected To select a different face press the SEL PUSH EXEC dial and repeat step 2 Note Face detection is disabled when using digital zoom Face detection locates and focuses on faces within the field of view Face detection requires an E mount lens Face detection to focus automatically on faces TIPS When the peaking level is set to high the focused areas are easy to locate but there is also a c...

Page 17: ...to highlight OK then press to confirm 15 0 AUTOMATED FUNCTIONS 1 SENSOR AND LENS 3 FILE BASED 2 SHOOTING STYLES 4 PICTURE PROFILE 15 Spot Focus lets you focus on an object simply by tapping it on the touch screen Requires an E Mount lens To minimize camera movement a tripod is recommended when using Spot Focus Spot Focus focus from the touch screen ASSIGN How to set operate 1 MENU CAMERA SET SPOT ...

Page 18: ...t lens required Focus Transition shifts the focus automatically between two pre defined points Note Focus Transition is only available during video capture and requires an E Mount lens Focus Transition using rack focus to transition between two points ASSIGN How to set operate 1 MENU CAMERA SET STEADYSHOT 2 Choose from STANDARD and ACTIVE modes Press the SEL PUSH EXEC dial to confirm SteadyShot is...

Page 19: ...utton 6 Note The icon flashes during this procedure and operation is disabled 5 Press button 4 again to switch to CHECK mode Check the focus at point A with button 5 and at point B with button 6 Note The stored focus points A and B will be automatically deleted in the event of any of the following The camera is turned off The lens is removed Optical zoom is used How to use focus transition from A ...

Page 20: ...zoom lens suitable for a wide range of conditions with a zoom range from 27 mm wide angle converted to 35 mm format to 300 mm telephoto The optical design comprises four aspherical lens groups to provide sharpness and clarity while the powered zoom boasts a choice of six speeds for smooth fixed speed zoom operation The built in optical stabilization system includes an active stabilization mode to ...

Page 21: ...flange back distance is too short for the lens mount a mount adaptor must be fitted The NXCAM E Mount lens has a short flange back distance of just 18 mm which means that it can accommodate a variety of different lenses using mount adaptors Shorter flange back distance to accommodate wider interchangeable lenses Carl Zeiss E Mount lenses are also available Touit lenses are manufactured to very hig...

Page 22: ...th a built in AF drive motor linked to a 15 point AF system with three cross sensors for high precision focusing LA EA2 A mount lens with phase detection AF Compatible with a wide range of lens types SENSOR AND LENS Sony E Mount lenses LA EA2 Sony A Mount lenses Non Sony lenses Non Sony mount adaptors ...

Page 23: ...X EA50 digital zoom delivers up to 22 x zoom 29 644 mm at 35 mm equivalent Without ramping loss of light Digital zooming with fix focal length lenses prevents ramping loss of light in the telephoto end that is ideal for shooting in low light conditions with fast fixed focal length lenses i e SAL50F14 50mm f 1 4 and LA EA2 plus digital zoom 75mm to 150mm effective focal range without light loss TIP...

Page 24: ...greater stability during handheld operation Optional attachments include a hip support available from UN to mitigate fatigue during extended periods of handheld operation and a counterbalance available from Vocas to improve weight distribution Multiple backup options The NEX EA50 can record to a memory card and the HXR FMU128 flash memory unit simultaneously Recording to each media type can be con...

Page 25: ...ng time FREE RUN In FREE RUN mode the time code continues even when recording is stopped providing in camera continuity during breaks in recording This mode is useful when using multiple cameras and for synching to an external time code TIPS The wireless remote control supplied has a TC RESET button for resetting the time code The wireless remote control can be used to synchronize the time codes o...

Page 26: ...Dolby Digital Linear PCM 1920 1080 60p 50p 600 640 2460 3200 1910 560 700 750 940 1030 1560 1830 60i 50i 30p 25p 24p 60p 50p 60i 50i 30p 25p 24p 60p 50p 60i 50i 60p 50p 60i 50i 60i 50i 60i 50i PS mode maximum 28 Mbps FX mode maximum 24 Mbps FH mode average 17 Mbps HQ mode average 9 Mbps LP mode average 5 Mbps HQ mode average 9 Mbps 25Mbps 1920 1080 1280 720 1920 1080 1280 720 1440 1080 1280 720 14...

Page 27: ... Synchronizes recording with the time code of the connected camera starts recording when the camera time code starts and stops recording when the camera time code stops The Rec Run time code allows high quality HDMI camera data to be recorded onto an external device Copying DV files from the NEX EA50 Content Browser identifies DV content in NEX EA50 memory and converts the folder structure to XDCA...

Page 28: ...E menu allows users to change a variety of settings such as Gamma Curve Color and Detail Up to six sets of setting combinations can be stored in the internal memory banks from PP1 through PP6 Using PICTURE PROFILE presets The NEX EA50 camcorder comes equipped with multiple PICTURE PROFILE factory presets By using these presets you can match the image texture with other types of camcorders or creat...

Page 29: ...s for adjusting contrast BLACK LEVEL As the name indicates this setting adjusts the black level of the image As an image effect you can emphasize black to create a type of image that would give a hard impression or you can weaken black to give the image a soft impression Shifting BLACK LEVEL toward the minus direction emphasizes the black color in the image while changing the level toward the plus...

Page 30: ...the range up to gray RANGE should be set lower when you want to control the quality of dark areas If you want to adjust the overall image tone RANGE should be set higher At first it may be a good idea to start from the LOW setting LEVEL 7 to 7 Increasing LEVEL set value brightens the image whereas decreasing set value makes the image darker For example if you set RANGE at LOW and decrease LEVEL se...

Page 31: ...etting automatic adjustment starts at lower input signal levels than normal HIGH KNEE setting automatic adjustment starts at higher input signal levels than normal MANUAL SET POINT 75 to 105 Sets the position of the KNEE point output level SLOPE 5 to 5 Determines the inclination of the KNEE slope A negative SLOPE setting results in a milder KNEE slope angle This boosts the dynamic range but reduce...

Page 32: ... a lower set value presents faded colors COLOR LEVEL should be adjusted in tandem with contrast Bright and vivid settings produce video like images while dark and vivid settings result in film like images The combination of bright and light creates pastel tones whereas dark and light settings create artistic finishes COLOR PHASE COLOR PHASE controls Hue in the color space A single step in Hue amou...

Page 33: ...here may be undermined as its transparency may be lost or its luster may be altered for example Excessive DETAIL when shooting shiny leaves for instance may result in the leaves looking as if they are made of plastic It is also advisable to use DETAIL only modestly when shooting paintings Because DETAIL makes image edges wider the original texture of a subject consisting of very fine lines may be ...

Page 34: ...ness and presence to the subject But it may bring undesirable results because it emphasizes wrinkles and pores White DETAIL gives the subject clean and glossy impressions You can increase the proportion of white DETAIL and reduce that of black DETAIL when shooting jewelry and glass objects to stress their clear transparent nature LIMIT Restricts the amount of black DETAIL for low luminance areas a...

Page 35: ... filter Two types of adjustment methods LB CC and R B are available We recommend you start with the LB CC adjustment method A higher set vale leads to warmer colors while a lower setting creates colder colors Please make sure you adjust white balance first FILTER TYPE LB CC Light Balancing Color Correcting LB COL TEMP Adds an effect similar to applying a color temperature adjustment filter 9 Blue ...

Page 36: ...TER TYPE R B R 9 FILTER TYPE R B 0 FILTER TYPE R B B 9 34 34 FILTER TYPE R B Alters the R Red or B Blue level in the video signal 9 Lowest level to 9 Highest level PICTURE PROFILE PICTURE PROFILE Settings ...

Page 37: ...IX LEVEL 1 8 COLOR LEVEL 7 7 8 BW COLOR PHASE 7 7 COLOR DEPTH R 7 7 G 7 7 B 7 7 C 7 7 M 7 7 Y 7 7 WB SHIFT FILTER TYPE LB CC R B LB COLOR TEMP 9 9 CC MG GR 9 9 R GAIN 9 9 B GAIN 9 9 DETAIL LEVEL 7 7 MANUAL SET ON OFF V H BALANCE 2 2 B W BALANCE TYPE1 TYPE5 LIMIT 0 7 CRISPENING 0 7 HI LEVEL DETAIL 0 4 COPY RESET 35 0 AUTOMATED FUNCTIONS 1 SENSOR AND LENS 2 SHOOTING STYLES 3 FILE BASED 4 PICTURE PRO...

Page 38: ...ting PICTURE PROFILE settings To carry out this type of adjustment you need a precisely calibrated picture monitor a color chart and a grayscale chart If you can make adjustments while looking at a waveform vector monitor you can complete the task in a shorter amount of time Quite often there is not enough time for adjusting the color tone on the scene And the color temperature changes depending o...

Page 39: ...ustments of your own NEX EA50 setting to match HXR NX5 Base picture profile 2 Black Leve 2 Gamma ITU709 Black Gamma Range Low Level 0 Knee SET POINT Slope Manual 92 5 3 Color Mode Level PRO 8 Color Level 1 Color Phase 3 Color Depth R 5 G 1 B 0 C 2 M 1 Y 4 Detail LEVEL MANUAL SET V H BALANCE B W BALANCE LIMIT CRISPENING HI LEVEL DETAIL 1 ON 0 3 2 1 2 NEX EA50 setting to match DSR PD198 PD177 PD175 ...

Page 40: ...n if you intend to process your video with nonlinear editing software later it is important that you record your image in the right way Nonlinear editing software is a very powerful tool but can t fix everything If you adjust various settings to make sure your video is recorded in a way that is as close to your ideal as possible you will be able to create a video that will be closer to what you ha...

Page 41: ...onitors to curve as shown below This represents the gamma curve of CRT monitors red curved line Video cameras gamma curve blue curved line plots the opposite curve For this reason the properties of the camera and CRT monitor can be offset to faithfully reproduce and display the original subject Nowadays display monitors based on LCD plasma and OLED are used widely Because these monitors have diffe...

Page 42: ...s knee correction deals with contrast in image areas with high luminance levels CCD and CMOS sensors can handle an extremely bright input signal To output it as a video signal however we need to keep the signal within the standard range for video For this reason the signal output level is kept lower than the signal input level in high luminance areas that generate input signals beyond a certain le...

Page 43: ... and enhance the fineness of the overall image The function also deals with the image texture affecting the appearance of coarse surfaces and transparent materials for example DETAIL is also a very important image setting when shooting people Its settings can change the atmosphere by determining the way face wrinkles and skin tones look But used inappropriately the DETAIL function may lead to a lo...

Page 44: ...d NXCAM logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation Exmor SteadyShot Memory Stick Memory Stick PRO Duo Memory Stick PRO HG Duo and their respective logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation XtraFine and Picture Profile are trademarks of Sony Corporation AVCHD and AVCHD logo are trademarks of Panasonic Corporation and Sony Corporation SD SDHC and SDXC logos are trademarks of SD 3C LLC All other trademar...