Erik Naso

It happens so far past overexposure that it probably went unnoticed. It's pretty ugly that's for sure. 

2 hours ago, Chris Santucci said:

I'd rather have the better color and 10 bit color depth. Sony color and skintones especially are less accurate. But if you need to shoot in the dark, Sony is great.

I don't get the Sony skin tone argrument really. I like most of you shot in LOG modes and grade the image to what you want it to look like. I shoot with a lot of cameras. C100, C300, A7s, GH4, FS7 and they all get graded to look the way I want. 

Here are a couple FS7 spots I did. Personally I like the skin tone in these spots.

I was all in with MFT from the AF-100 to the GH cameras. I sold my GH4 and all my MFT lenses last year. The A7 Sony cams just had me. I feel noise was a issue and not liking what ISO1600 looked like made me move. Hopefully Panasonic can clean up the image in the next version because I really feel that is more important than resolution.    

Wow! Those samples are impressive. The next generation a7r and a7s are are going to be insane. 

This is crazy! I bought the update so I don't feel bad getting it early. :-D

If you like pictures I did a how to do it post here.

http://eriknaso.com/2015/09/15/huge-mistake-makes-v-log-l-free-on-panasonic-gh4/

Hard part is that dang app! PITA.

I loved the AF-100. Yes it had flaws but it also had what I needed to do my job without a bunch of add-ons. When Panasonic basically dropped it I was bummed. I sure would like to see a new model however it looks more like a fixed lens model. Either way if they use a MFT 4K sensor and it can be usable at 1600 ISO i'm very interested.

Nice job Sony! The FS7 has so many features we all want and the price is really good especially when you consider 10 bit 4:2:2 internal 4K recording. That alone is impressive. Add on the savings in not needing an EVF or rig saves you at least $1500. I'm simply blown away. I need cash now! Haha....

According to the Al Jazeera reporter Miguel Toran the Viltrox Mark II is better than the Metabones Mark IV. And it's much cheaper.
Has anyone tried it? Can anyone confirm that?

Define "better" Cheaper yes. All of these adapters do the same thing. I don't believe autofocus speed or accuracy will be different between them. This update hopefully will fix the main issue of crashing. 

As for price. That makes a big difference. Some like the Commlite are only $100 and people seem to like them. 

I wish someone by now would make a EF to micro four thirds adapter. Seems odd we have several E Mount versions and no really simple MFT version yet.  

I did the update and it went very smoothly. I had to do it at work since I dont have a PC in this mac family :-D 

I didn't see any improvements as far as auto focus goes so I think it's a bug fix update and I'm good with that!

I'm taking the A7s with my EOS lenses to Yosemite for a week and looking forward to shooting at night with the stars and hiking during the day. Waterfalls make some nice footy! Should be a fun time with the A7s and the GH4 too!

Windows only. Bummer. I need to do this update at work. All macs here. 

This any good to you?

 

http://www.lockcircle.com/lockport/

That looks very cool!

Erik or Andrew or anyone else who uses the A7s,

 

Do any of you use the A7s with EF Glass. If so, pros/cons. Also, do you have a product/method for locking the micro hdmi to camera and hdmi to Atomos? I plan to use the A7s for pro applications but if I can't secure the connections, then it's a no go. In my line of work, everybody needs to see what you're doing - all the time. So I'd definitely be using it with an onboard monitor or Paralinx Transmitter on a handheld rig or 3 axis gimbal (just got my Ronin!). 

 

thanks,

 

TIm

The issue with the Metabones adapter for Canon EF is the autofocus is slow. It does lock just takes a bit longer time than it would with a Canon camera. It's a big deal that you can use your EF glass so that's the trade off. For video it's not a big deal but for stills it might get frustrating. 

This any good to you?

 

http://www.lockcircle.com/lockport/

Now that looks pretty cool! 

 

Then I found out that the AP2 version may not be able to output 4K via HDMI in NTSC frame rates (see the dvxuser link below).

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?324461-Is-the-sony-a7s-a-world-camera-shoots-ntsc-and-pal

 

I tried accessing the 4K output but it was greyed out, both in PAL mode and NTSC mode (maybe because I don't have a Shogun?).  By the way, you need to reformat the camera and card when you are switching between the two modes.

 

I am going to try and call Sony to verify the 4K output issue.  I downloaded the manual but it was not clear if 4K output is not possible in NTSC mode.  

 

TL;DR Does anyone know if the PAL/NTSC version can output 4K in NTSC frame rates?  If not this thing is definitely going back.  Also, anyone have any issues with grey market cameras and services/repairs/resale value?

 

- Akshay

If no 4K recorder is hooked up the feature is greyed out. Mine does the same. 

The A7s will output 4K in either PAL or NTSC.

Strange that Amazon sold you a grey market camera. If it was from Amazon this will appear in the discription"Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" 

I think it could be from another vendor that sells through Amazon. As for repairs. I believe it has a one year warranty so after that it's no different. If the camera needs repair Sony will charge you. I don't believe they wont fix it.

Usually grey market sells for a lower price. B&H for example sells both. Maybe it's too late but you could get a warranty from Squaretrade. 

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

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, I know little about video protocol but had settled on that through trial & error.  Have you come up with a decent custom profile that keeps us away from 3200 ISO, that just doesn't work for me as I'm shooting 75/25 stills and video?  

 

Cheers,

Chris

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!

hmm.. is it even possible to use the ETTR +1 method without an external monitor with a histogram? the internal histogram is a joke, particularly in S-LOG2 where there isn't even a line to indicate clipping! seems like pretty poor implementation to me.. also seems tricky to me to get a spot on exposure in S-LOG without an external monitor. but if anyone has any tips or i'm overlooking anything, i would love to hear it!

Yes the A7s is hard to judge exposure with. I found using zebras is the best way to protect the highlights. If you set them at 100 IRE and you see them adjust your exposure a little until they are gone. 

The histogram works from left to right as opposed to a waveform.

You will know if you're clipping when a straight line on the right starts creeping up. same goes with crushing the blacks but on the left.I cant upload an image so >here is a link 

Heheh, I knew this was going to come back to bite me in the derriere, and fair enough, I deserved it.  :)

 

I wasn't really calling you "narrow-sighted," but I did say that particular blog post may make you sound like a proverbial narrow-sighted gadget nerd. There's a difference, you know. But perhaps that remark sounded grumpier than it needed to be.

 

As for checking out the rest of your blog, that's a deal. I will do just that at some point. 

 

 

What I was referring to with the not making logical sense remark was the part under the Lenses header in particular, but explaining that in full would be a bit too long a story for this thread. Suffice to say I didn't agree with some parts of the piece, but that's okay, it's just life. As said, it was nothing personal, just differences in viewpoints.

 

I totally agree about needing to invest in native lenses for a new system, be that a Sony, Canon or whichever one. That's always the ideal case, isn't it. Whichever system you go for, you are likely to invest quite a bit in its lenses, too. Otherwise it makes not much sense, except in some special cases.

 

But apparently I was skimming the blog post too quickly, because that part didn't actually seem too clear in that article. Maybe I shoud re-read it with more time. FWIW, what stuck in my mind from that part of your blog post was your complaining about how bad the A7s was with Canon lenses, and how you'd have to spend a fortune on native Sony lenses, which you were not willing to do.

 

That would beg the question why would one invest in an expensive Sony camera in the first place, then, if that was an issue? If one had a significant collection of existing EF lenses and one had no intention of ever trading them for something else, or even investing in the native lenses, wouldn't it make more sense to stick with the Canon system, and not wasting money on a new one?

After all, it's not really the A7s's fault if the native Canon lenses aren't ideal for it, because they haven't been designed for it. As you no doubt know, the fact that you can use them as, say, in MF mode in the first place is a great thing.

 

A Canon camera would be equally bad with Sony lenses, provided that  was even technically feasible, with flange distances being similar and all. Whichever way it goes, using non-native lenses is always a compromise. But as you know, that compromise is sometimes worth having, and the camera can deliver beautiful footage, even with Canon lenses. 

 

No need to answer the rhetoric questions above, though, I'm just trying to clarify my previous talking points. However hasty my first read may have been. It was not about you personally, it wasn't about defending the Sony camera, it was more about choosing the right camera for each of us. And I do get your point now. 

 

 

 

Yes and yes. 

You're welcome, and I'll read more, whether I agree with your views or not. :) Judging by this reply, I'll probably disagree less than some people here might think.

Peace & rock'n'roll.  ;)

All good. Me and Quirky are having tea soon and going for massages. See how easy it is to get along.

Erik, I follow your blog. I buy much of what you say from the perspective of a fellow working cameraman who pays his mortgage with TV work. Many of the user unfriendly features become a deal breaker on field. While acceptable for the personal art project, when the meter's running high, delays with gear futzing or failure loses you clients fast.  I'll probably end up getting an A7s but won't use it for work until it's rigged right. I use on board monitors with DSLR's because I'm expected to get virtually everything in focus. So I'd go the Shogun route. Now if I can find a reliable way to secure HDMI.

Thanks Tim!

I'm still playing with the A7s and I'm getting closer to an image I like with it. I just did a post about shooting in studio news updates and grading with Colorista II. Check it out. http://eriknaso.com/2014/07/25/using-the-sony-alpha-a7s-for-news-topicals-and-grading-the-footage/

The camera requires more fussing than I'm used to and Slog2 is very different than Canon log. I'm liking the CINE gammas a lot more and Pro color mode is a little more saturated. Cinema is nice too. A little less saturated.  

I'm going to play around again with 120 fps but not in Slog2 with lower ISO settings. I think this will look much better and yield cleaner images. 

Remember folks. Slog2 is really for scenes that are contrasty Those scenes need more shadow detail. If the scene is more even then a cine gamma might be a better (easier to grade) choice. The cool thing is you have a lot of options with the A7s as far as looks go. Learn them and exploit them. Push the camera to the point of breaking it. (image wise of course) and then you will know how to control it. I'm still trying to tame this beast. 

"Really? 

 

His piece, especially the first half of it makes no logic sense. It makes him sound like yet another narrow-sighted gadget nerd. I agree with him about two pretty obvious things, though, that the piece is only his opinion, and that the A7s and himself aren't a good match. 

 

That's not the fault of the camera, though. It's merely tells us that the A7s is absolutely the wrong camera for him and for the likes of him. Which is fine, no camera is perfect, no camera can be a perfect fit for everyone, and there are plenty of other nice cameras around." 

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.