Michael1

It's good to have someone around like fuzzy to keep things in perspective.  For all practical purposes, he's right about the new cams being "good enough" for anyone skilled to produce impressive shots.  I have to admit, I am not seeing anything earth shattering in videos from new cameras from any of the manufacturers, certainly nothing like "Oooh, Ahhh, that's the new look!". :)

Michael

Yes I asked for 10bit :) A nice big firmware update would make a very good camera a great one and truly take sales of Canon I think.

 

Would the last one still shooting H.264 on a 5D Mark III please stand up? ;)

That would be nice, but I am not optimistic the internal data bus (hardware) was designed to handle anything more than 8-bit.  It's still good you got your two cents in, though.  Perhaps they will build it in next time.

Michael

The Shogun sounds nice, but I would be interested in a smaller, lighter, and much less expensive, 4K version of Ninja Star, which would be great for "run and gun".

Michael

Still looks pretty DSLR-y to me ... with lots of aliasing.

I guess that's better than "video-ish". :lol:

Michael

This is one of the better videos for a7S color, but there is still something unnatural about the color from the a7S.  The Nikon D810 colors look on the money.

Michael

That video looks very good. Actually it's strange because the reviews show it has almost the same aliasing as the d800, this means lineskipping. But the video doesn't show any of the d800 flaws, the colors workout fine and the highlights don't suck as on the d800.

Expeed4 is doing wonders with the sensor.

Where are these reviews that show the D800 and D810 having similar aliasing?

I wish they would upgrade the D610 to Expeed 4.  Perhaps since both the D5300 and D610 sensors are 24MP, they could virtually eliminate aliasing and moire on the D610 upgrade.

Michael

With so many vids on the Internet, how the hell can you tell which ones are fake? Is this one guy from You Tube already notorious for spamming the web, and I missed that memo??

 

Also..please don't tell me Jen Somerfield's Nikon D810 video is fake as well?! Can you prove Jen is a spammer as well?

 

How do you people stay on top of all these videos/spammers??

 

Frustrating :unsure: 

Most of them are real.  It's just this one guy that we see all the time who does the same thing over and over with camera comparisons.  Sometimes he screws up, and posts a video for a camera that is still in development.

Michael

This guy always post a fake comparison video when a new camera comes out.

I know.  I never trust his comparisons.  I think he is just trying to get advertising money by being the first with comparison video.  You can't get much out of this comparison anyway.  The Sony was exposed so much darker.

Michael

As I'm testing and reviewing the A7s I wrote what drives me crazy about the camera. I didn't say I was sending it back but said it's tough to justify due to the price and cost for me to get the camera usable as a hybrid. Very limited native lens choices are available with good auto focus for the other part of the A7s. photography Still valid points for me. And that record button! Ugh. Haha. But the review goes on. Doing reviews is a big part of the blog and also sharing production tips.

 

Will I keep it? I have some more time to decide. I really want to see what 4K looks like. It's a big part of the camera. It's killing me the Shogun won't ship until September. That 4K recorder/monitor is such a great deal. I'll be using it with the C100, C300 and GH4 mostly as a excellent monitor but of course as a recorder too. I really wish Panasonic would implement record start and stop flags through HDMI. Not sure if it's it possible with a firmware update. They never did this with the AF-100 and it had SDI.  

Thanks for the clarification, Erik.  I'll stayed tuned to see what else you find with the a7S.

Michael

What exactly are these "major issues"?

Michael

I liked the creativity of the video but do not like the a7s or gh4 in slow-motion at all whatsoever and do not find that they have been able to be cut with regular 24/30 footage...it has nothing to do with Andrew...scour vimeo and youtube to see what I mean.

 

I'd give a leg up in pure aesthetics to a7s though it seems functionality of gh4 is probably better for most...I may just keep 5d3 and use raw since I don't have clients and use it for personal use...if I need to get a quicker turn around I would surely invest in the a7s as I find its aesthetics better than gh4...

 

Good video.

I agree.  None of the slow-mo is particularly sharp from these cameras.  I think some people missed the point.  Andrew was showing what could be done creatively given the slow-mo resolution limitations with a "dreamy" ambience, while simultaneously utilizing the low light capabilities of the a7S to create some cool lighting effects.

Michael

You sir are very welcome. I have been testing the gamma and color mode this weekend trying to really understand what is going on. Ever read the Sony manual? Horrible! Check out this post and scroll down to Picture Profiles. 

I'm working next on Color Mode. This camera is tricky to setup and has settings similar to the Sony pro cameras that I'm not very familiar with, so it's a whole new learning curve but it sure is fun!

Erik, I was thought I read in your blog that the a7S was not for you, and you were sending it back.  Did you change your mind, or am I thinking of another blog?  Sending it back or not, I am enjoying the results of your testing.

Michael

Anyone have any comments on banding.  I'm seeing it a lot in a7S videos.

Michael

Wou I would write off A7s completely if I had to choose based on this video.

Im sure all eoshd fanboys will speak highly about it, but what the heck, they are fanboys after all.

Seriously, this video could have been done with iphone 5s and there would be no difference. 

 

You are very interesting when it come to theory, analyzing pros and cons of equipment but in practice world you should stop making videos like this...

How are you going to make a video with an iPhone at ISO 12,800?

Michael

Andrew, how about throwing the new Nikon D810 in the Evolving Review for comparison?

There is some sample footage coming out now that the camera has shipped.  The colors look fantastic (very natural), and the detail better than expected, but the dynamic range isn't anything to write home about in the videos I saw.  I don't know if it is because people are shooting with the wrong profile or what.  It would be nice to see someone do something with it who knows what they're doing, and see how it compares to the a7S, full frame to full frame.

Michael

Michael1,

 

Canon 50/1.8II is only $125 compared to the Nikon 50/1.8G.

 

Leica 50/2 APO just got a $1000 price increase to north of $8K.

 

Sigma 50/1.4 ART is about $1000.

 

Zeiss Otus 50/1.4 is about $4000.

 

Lots of choices for consumers, with many tradeoffs across those choices.

 

The Otus is four times the price of the FE 55 or Sigma Art 50.

 

Some consider the FE 55 and Sigma Art 50 among the greatest bargains in lenses.

I can confidently say an $8000 Leica prime is well beyond my skill level. :)

Good points and comparison, though.

Michael

You'd have to rent them each, perform some real-word tests and see which meets your minimum requirement.  You get what you pay for with glass but the FE 1.8/55 IMO is actually quite a bargain.  DXO is akin to a "job interview for a lens"  a lenses character is only revealed when stressed under different/challenging shooting conditions.  Just like a persons character is!

 

And by magic, this just appeared over on TOP:

 

How To Get the Best Performance from Your Camera Lens, Parts I and II (TOP Classic)

I like the way you put DXOMark as the "job interview" for the lens.

Thanks for the tips and link.

Michael

Still having a problem with the Sony full frame lens options.  The prices are out of whack.

Lens Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.8G
Full Frame Equivalent 50
Price $199.95
DXOMark 30
DXOMark Resolution 16MP
DXOMark Transmission 2
DXOMark Distortion 0.40%
DXOMark Vignetting -1.7 EV
DXOMark Chromatic Aberation 8um

Lens Sony FE Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 55mm F1.8 ZA
Full Frame Equivalent 55
Price $1,000
DXOMark 42
DXOMark Resolution 29MP
DXOMark Transmission 1.8
DXOMark Distortion 0.40%
DXOMark Vignetting -1.6 EV
DXOMark Chromatic Aberation 9um

Five times more for the Sony lens.

Michael

I was told by one of the main guys at B and H that you simply cannot get any sharper than than the 12-35mm for Lumix. I believe anything native will inherently have the edge (on sharpness). The look is something else all together, but no doubt you could tweak the 12-35 and make it look less video-ish..too bad the lens isn't faster.

How would you "tweak the 12-35" to make it look less video-ish?

Michael

IMHO, Any of them are fine and you'll be able to do what you want to do.  Those that worry endlessly about the tech are missing their chance to just get out the damn door and go shoot something creative and compelling; making work that demands to be reckoned with.

I think I need to remind myself of this at times.  I like the "get out the damn door and go shoot something". :)

Some of us may even be guilty of spending more time evaluating and comparing camera gear, than we do selecting a wife or husband.  :o

Michael

I'm not sure i understand the comments I've been reading of the A7s being a "different price bracket" to GH4.... 

I've never understood why some people say "If you can afford this, then you can afford something more expensive".  Some people do have budgets.  Many people don't want to buy a $2500 camera without a factory warranty.  Not worth the risk.  The a7S body is 50% more than a GH4 body (+$800).  Then add the expensive Sony lenses.  Then extra batteries.  Then a flash if you are doing still work.  Then a $2000 Shogun if you are doing $4K.  Then whatever grading software is required, which is still undetermined at this point.

I'm not saying it isn't worth it for some people, but it is certainly out of the budget of others.

Michael

Jeez I feel kinda bad posting that link from Eriks site, but it does help to get a look at all the different aspects of a camera....especially if you are going to shell out bucks and buy it, its good to be well informed of strengths and weaknesses,

I don't think you should.  I found Erik's blog post very informative.  I'm glad you posted it, because I may not have seen it otherwise. (thumbs up).

Not all blog posts have to be positive.  The negative aspects are from the perspective of the blogger, which may or may not align exactly with your usage.  Remember Andrew's blog on the Nikon D5300, where he said "As of today, DSLR video is over. Dead. Kaput!"?  It doesn't get much more negative than that.  However, Andrew did point out that the D5300 produces an excellent image and low light performance for the price point.  People here are still buying D5300's and producing good work, even though it's "dead".  A negative blog doesn't mean the product isn't right for your criteria.

Michael

Ha! Thats pretty funny!

I'm not "narrow-sighted in the least. Maybe you should check out the rest of my blog eriknaso.com. I write more about other stuff than just cameras.

 

I wrote about what I felt are issues with the A7s for me and I'm finding that others do feel the same. Not everyone of course. The single biggest issue is the price. It's a hybrid camera so for me I want it to work as one. If it only becomes a video tool then I prefer other cameras to use. I actually want to keep it for it's strengths but to really get the most from the A7s I would have to spend a whole lot more on Sony lenses to take full advantage of auto focus for stills and maybe even video. I think I made that pretty clear in my article. 

 

A little about that "Erik guy." I'm a broadcast DP in San Diego. I work in local broadcast shooting commercials and news image promos. I use a lot of different cameras to get the job done. At work it's the C300 and C100. I just added the GH4 too. I have lots of lenses for it since I also used to shoot with the AF-100. 

 

My thinking in writing the article was a wake up call for myself. It's good to know the bad things too right? Good to know how much you need to invest to get the camera usable for you right? Thats pretty much it. Thanks for reading the article.

Eric, thanks for the coming on here with your retort.  I always think it is good the hear both the good and bad before buying something of substantial value.  It creates realistic expectations, and greater satisfaction with what one bought.  I thought you blog post was a nice summary, and a bit of eye opener, if not a reality check. :)

Michael

I agree with Quirky on a lot of his points. I'm not sure why 5D RAW comes into this at all... It's a massively different kettle of fish. Although I think it's ok to show how cameras such as the a7S can match it in perceived performance.

Why wouldn't we want to see 5DMkIII raw?  I do, and I would think most people would want to see this in a comparison test, since it is the current benchmark for many.  I thought it was very interesting.  I guess you can skip over it if it is not of interest to you.

Michael

 

The point about Erik being subjective and how it doesn't fit his particular criteria is valid and I agree.  However, it is still informative in the general sense of those who are on a budget and have to consider all options such as switching form Canon to Sony, and the costs to be incurred.

 

Gh4:

 

>

 Mokbel is phenomenal at capturing cinematic images with the GH4 color, DR, etc.