Sonys PMW-F5 fast becoming the camera of choice for TV production

Sony has today revealed that its industry-leading PMW-F5 4K camera is the acquisition tool of choice on a wide and growing number of hit TV series. Shows including Live at the Electric, Jamie Olivers Friday Night Feast, Through the Keyhole and Crackanory have all been shot using the F5 in the last year, as the camera redefines the standard in image quality for production companies investing in both HD and 4K technologies.

The breadth of the shows using the PMW-F5 is testament to the flexibility of the camera, with each programme presenting its own unique shooting challenges. Hit BBC 3 comedy show Live at the Electric used the F5 when shooting its third series, with two of the cameras specifically used to film standalone sketches.

Discussing his experiences of the F5, Sam Hardy - the shows Director of Photography - commented: I know the superb image quality that Im going to get from these cameras, across any number of lighting situations. We used two F5s to shoot the sketch segments of Live at the Electric, as I wanted to achieve a filmic look, and the footage we captured has both engaging depth-of-field characteristics and beautiful rich colours. Aside from the aesthetic benefits of the F5, the other crucial benefit was just how easily it fitted into our digital workflows.

The recent Freshone series, Friday Night Feast presented by Jamie Oliver and Jimmy Doherty, moved to the F5 for the second series. DoP for the series Olly Wiggins chose the camera for its wide S-log latitude, compact design and ergonomics, which helped in challenging shooting conditions. The show consisted of three different shooting scenarios: documentary, live TV studio, and beautifully crafted food photography. The camera excelled in all of the different set-ups, commented Wiggins.

Similarly, a new series of entertainment classic Through the Keyhole - hosted by Keith Lemon - also used two F5s, alongside two Sony PVM-740 OLED monitors, to shoot the shows famous house tours. Charlie Grainger, the Director of Photography on Through the Keyhole, commented: Having shot the first new series of Through the Keyhole on the F5, as well as the 2013 Christmas Special, we were blown away by the quality of the images the camera produced. Despite the variety of lighting conditions in the houses, the wide dynamic range of the F5 meant that we were consistently able to capture superb footage from our location shoots.

Currently showing on Dave, Crackanory saw one F5 camera used and was shot over a three-week period and also supported with Sony monitors.

Weve seen an increase in demand as more and more production companies appreciate what the PMW-F5 is capable of, said Olly Wiggins at camera rental company S+O Media. In addition to capturing stunning HD images, the F5s 4K capability allows television companies to future-proof their content, ensuring that they have the highest resolution content possible for the future.

First released in late 2012, the Sony PMW-F5 4K camera has a modular and compact design for easy configuration and also features the latest type of 4K Super 35mm image sensor with a 4096 x 2160 resolution, 11.6M pixels in total. The F5 delivers unprecedented creative options for up to 4K production and delivers the industry-standard High Definition XDCAM 50Mbps 4:2:2 codec.

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