Matteo The Modder
Like all other prosumer camcorders, except Canon’s XL standard-definition MiniDV camcorder, the FX1E has a fixed lens, not interchangeable. Well, that’s what Sony thought!However, an Italian documentary maker and inveterate modder of video kit, Matteo Ricchetti, HAS converted an FX1E to take interchangeable lenses – well, he’s mod’d two, actually.
The first takes Nikon still-camera lenses and the job was done as a favour to a friend. The second – Matteo’s own - was modded to carry a B4 mount that accepts pro camcorder lenses of the sort he normally uses himself. Read more here
Modder Matteo and his mate’s mongrel FX1E – part Sony, part Nikon (seen herecarrying a 50-300mm stills lens) – with some tarting up still to do
Matteo had been thinking of offering a chargeable modding service for FX1s so, to test the water, he flew over to the UK, at DVdoctor’s invitation, from his lab in Genova to spend time on our stand during VideoForum in late January, where he and his interchangeable-lens FX1E turned out to be the stars of the show.
Matteo getting down and dirty on the lab bench
At the end of the day, Matteo took along his B4-mount-modified masterpiece to an HDV Q&A co-hosted by DVdoctor.net and Read more atShowreel magazine, and here There, Sony Broadcast and Professional’s Mike Smith admitted that his company – which markets the Z1, not the FX1E – wasn’t likely to offer similar mods for fear that they’d hit sales of existing pro cameras priced up to about £20,000! And he’s not wrong. Watch out for our streaming video of that Q&A session, it’ll be here soon.
Mike Smith of Sony Broadcast & Pro puts on a brave face when discoveringthat Matteo’s mod’d FX1E isn’t a Photoshop job after all
