JDirckze Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 G'day folks, Just wandering if anyone has any experience recording audio direct to Sony's F3? I've done a search here but didn't yield any results. I guess I'm just curious to know if there are any 'gotchas', or if there are any reasons NOT to record direct to camera? How does it sound? I think I remember someone saying it is similar to the EX3 in terms of audio. Cheers, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundslikejustin Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Not sure about where you are located, but here is Brisbane, AUS there aren't too many F3's knocking about yet, so I doubt many people have gotten to use one yet. The audio performance on SONY's have typically been less than stellar on the Mic level inputs, but fairly decent if you send them line level. As with any direct to camera setup, I'd be putting my mics through a mixer and cabling, or w/less sending to camera. The EX3 audio, again, was fine for me as long as I was sending it a line level. The mic pres on any SONY (or most any branded DV, HDV etc sized camera) have never been that wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDirckze Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks for the reply. I'd definitely be sending audio at line level... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I am working with 5 ex3s and one F3 at the moment. The audio quality of the F3 is the same as EX3. Second the line level. I find the headphone output to distort when turned all the way up. Not sure about where you are located, but here is Brisbane, AUS there aren't too many F3's knocking about yet, so I doubt many people have gotten to use one yet. The audio performance on SONY's have typically been less than stellar on the Mic level inputs, but fairly decent if you send them line level. As with any direct to camera setup, I'd be putting my mics through a mixer and cabling, or w/less sending to camera. The EX3 audio, again, was fine for me as long as I was sending it a line level. The mic pres on any SONY (or most any branded DV, HDV etc sized camera) have never been that wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDirckze Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks Rado, That's good to know. Are you cabled to the F3 or using a wireless link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Hoppe Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 My experience with the F3 yielded the same results as the EX3 and other broadcast style cameras. I was cabled in through my mixer and sending line level and everything sounded fine, both during production and on the broadcast. The headphone return is predictably mediocre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Cabled most of the time. Line level with return. A few times Lectro SR level set at 0 DB Thanks Rado, That's good to know. Are you cabled to the F3 or using a wireless link? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 F3 sounded like most good video cams to me. Headphone out is wimpy and lower fi than what you are really laying down. phil p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddsound Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I worked a documentary a few weeks ago that had an F3 and a Red One. Sent Line level and all was good. Ditto on the headphone return. Definitely not an ENG camera with those Prime Lenses on it. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 i just did a gig last week with an f3. sent line level and worked out well. i thought headphone amp was actually pretty decent. much better than my af100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDirckze Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Thanks very much for all the replies! Looks like I've got nothing to worry about. I'll probably roll a backup on the 552 anyway, but good to know there are no issues using the F3 as primary. Cheers, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I do not know if the F3 we are using has a faulty headphone output but when I turn it all the way up to much my tone it starts to distort. So keep it lower and raise my return.. i just did a gig last week with an f3. sent line level and worked out well. i thought headphone amp was actually pretty decent. much better than my af100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 If 16 bit audio and poor frequency response is fine then go ahead. But I die inside every time I send audio to a camera from my recorder mixer. Thanks very much for all the replies! Looks like I've got nothing to worry about. I'll probably roll a backup on the 552 anyway, but good to know there are no issues using the F3 as primary. Cheers, Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSound Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 If 16 bit audio and poor frequency response is fine then go ahead. But I die inside every time I send audio to a camera from my recorder mixer. Well keep dying inside then it is good enough for most people. If the client is happy I am happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDirckze Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Well keep dying inside then it is good enough for most people. If the client is happy I am happy. I have to agree with you there Whitney. At the end of the day I'm only adhering to the workflow that my client has in place. Of course, I'd love to record higher quality audio to an external machine, it would mean additional income from rental, but all I'm really recording is dialogue anyway, so I'm sure using my 552 as a front end to the F3 will suffice... Anyway, back on track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSpector Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 People are usually mistaken what do they hear out of the camera headphone amp with what actually have been recorded . Rado - in reality, you need 12 bit maximum ;-7. MS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael McQueen Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 well of course i ran backup sound on my 552, i do that on every shoot. nothing like telling the client that you have backup audio after the fact, they are always very thankful and appreciative for me doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolo72 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Hi Just to confirm what every one else said - I did a corporate just over 2 months ago using 2 F3's (i think they were the first in the country/prototypes). Line level at -20 was fine. They were using nanoflash over SDI to record and consequently i monitored off of the nanoflash drive which sounded alot better than the F3's headphone output. The DIT played some of the files to the clients and they loved it - job done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 well of course i ran backup sound on my 552, i do that on every shoot. nothing like telling the client that you have backup audio after the fact, they are always very thankful and appreciative for me doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewFreedAudio Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I'm on a shoot with the F3 right now. Line level in, headphone jack is as expected with these cameras. Typical audio quality and fine for broadcast when good microphones and a mixer is used. And skill. One big downside is the complete lack of hash marks or numerical indicators for the audio input level so you really do not know where -20 is. The Z7U has a status button that will give you more accurate meters for initially setting your input level. But no such luck on the F3 (that I have found). Perhaps someone can correct me if I am wrong and there is a menu with more accurate meters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Schuck Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 The F3 has the same menu structure as the EX3. Hit the status button roll the menu navigation wheel down one page and you get the better meters. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 I use to do the same but changed my mind a few weeks ago. I still record backup but only deliver if they need it. For a few weeks I would give daily backups out of the 552 even though I was not supposed to. 2 weeks ago after delivery the editor comes back and tells me that the SD card can not be recognized. We go to the editing sweet and I see that his card reader is a small spy like camera with a USB where the SD card can barely stay in. After bringing the SD card home I found that it is dead. Next day I had a conversation with the editor and told him that If he needs any audio I have to back it up first on my Pad and then he can have it. He smiled and said: DO not worry. We are not going to use any of the backup sound anyways but thank you for the extra effort. So from now on I will record backup but never deliver it if editors do not ask for it. If later on they loose or screw up the audio I will send them what ever they need. Or maybe just give them all the backup after wrap. I will let them know that I keep the files for at least 3 months after shooting. well of course i ran backup sound on my 552, i do that on every shoot. nothing like telling the client that you have backup audio after the fact, they are always very thankful and appreciative for me doing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted May 19, 2011 Report Share Posted May 19, 2011 " If 16 bit audio and poor frequency response is fine then go ahead. " 16 bit audio is an industry standard, and what "poor frequency response" ?? BTW, you can have 24 bit audio that is no better than 16 bit audio, and you can have "wider frequency response" that doesn't sound as good, too... up until the 1980's our industry standard microphones only boasted frequency response from 75 Hz to 12KHz or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadoStefanov Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 It was not important back in the days because people were listening sound on there TV ... " If 16 bit audio and poor frequency response is fine then go ahead. " 16 bit audio is an industry standard, and what "poor frequency response" ?? BTW, you can have 24 bit audio that is no better than 16 bit audio, and you can have "wider frequency response" that doesn't sound as good, too... up until the 1980's our industry standard microphones only boasted frequency response from 75 Hz to 12KHz or so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted May 20, 2011 Report Share Posted May 20, 2011 " people were listening sound on there TV ... " and at movie theaters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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