Hannes Famira

The news shooter article says that normal retail price will be $3,500 or so, which seems reasonable.
The price of mechanical and electronic components has plummeted over the lsat few decades thanks to centralisation in China.  The factor that makes or breaks products these days is the design of the physical unit and the software that controls it.
The proof is in the pudding, as they say, so I would reserve judgement until there are units in the wild, and of course, all PR materials that are real (it's common for even things like car commercials to be 3d renders now) will be under the absolute best possible circumstances.  Anyone who has ever used a GoPro knows that you'd have to be luckier than a lotto winner to get shots like they put in their promos.

Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4 Recorder was the only real solution back in the day I remember working well in 4 4 4 mode. There was some AJI stuff, but not as popular as the Convergent. No clue on the Blackmagic, never used one.

darn, well, that will help keep the secondhand prices of the F3 high 🤣😂
 

Looks so good. I love the images from this camera.

With the external Pix recorder, (like the one above) and the 444 model, it possible to record 12 bit 444 ProRes files. I’m not sure if this works in 60p though.
Honestly though, the color depth on the F3 is fantastic. I was always super impressed with the 10 bit ProRes files.

@Hannes Famira Afaik, with the 444 RGB upgrade the F3 spits out 10 bit 444, with choice for either Slog (1:) or Rec709, so no linear 12bit+. High quality 10bit Log with a sufficient codec equals or betters 12bit linear Raw, if I got Alister Chapman right, who has done tests with the FS700 and FS7 regarding that. You can read it on his website. I found one source, stating for 12bit output but that's one vs a majority ofsources.
444 does not for higher framerates than 24p I think, for sure not higher than 30p. You need a recorder like Pix, Odyssey or Cinedeck for 444. Blackmagic does 422 though. With the 444 RGB upgrade one can record up to 60p in 10bit 422 to a 3G Blackmagic VA and the other recorders as well. People have stated the 422 material is very good.

Yeah the benefit of the 444 version as well is being able to do 60p out of a single SDI.

The Sony menus are a pain but the files are amazing to work with. It doesn't like overexposure but it's phenomenal in the shadows. The camera is truly amazing in low light. I honestly would pick it above newer full frame options. The color and noise is so much nicer.

It does 60p, you just need the 7Q recorder. The 444 model does 60p to the black magic video assist tho.

For all of the clamps that get anamorphic adapters onto taking lenses, I've been struggling to build a kit where I can quickly switch out the taking lenses without having to realign the adapter. But I think I've found a good solution: reverse macro adapters.
Reverse macro adapters (if you don't already know) are meant to put a lens mount on the front of the lens, so you can flip it around and mount the front element to the camera. There are also 'safety rings' that then lock into the lenses original EF mount to protect the rear element, and also gives you a threaded ring for whatever you want to put in front of the lens.
So I found a cheap EF mount reverse macro system on Amazon, and with some step up and step down rings, mounted those puppies to my Rapido FMJ and RMJs, and boom: swapping my taking lens is not only quick, but also locks in with the anamorphic adapter already aligned : D
 
 

Indeed.
One advantage that budget Chinese lens manufacturers have is that they're not tooled up to do the radically sophisticated optical formulas and coatings of the latest optically perfect Zeiss / Canon L etc, which means that automatically they're making lenses with more vintage optical formulas and coatings.  
There market seems to be separating into two aesthetics: videographers are merging with stills photographers and want the highest resolution and sharpest lenses to sell hyper-realistic images directly to an amateur crowd (direct to consumer) and the cinematographers who are being forced by studios and VFX processing houses to shoot as high a resolution as possible and want softer feeling lenses with character to create emotion and to serve the narrative.
For these softer rendering lenses they're driving the price of vintage lenses through the roof - the very vintage lenses that the budget Chinese manufacturers are using in their new lenses.  They may as well be modern third-party re-issues of classic lenses.
This gives us, as budget consumers, the biggest advantage - we get lenses with the right level of sharpness from vintage lenses but with all the benefits of modern mass manufacture and globalised price competition.

The shoulder rig with follow focus and battery plate are currently for sale on eBay: http://r.ebay.com/FIpR7V The special part of this is the custom built lens support for the  Schneider ES Cinelux. I have more photographs of the rig on flickr: