Nicolas MAILLET

Man the F55 and F65 look great... Not a bargain to have one at home but i think they look great. Love their colors and film like abilities.

Hey,

i've just tested yesterday the A7SII... and to be honest it's a bit of a shock for me... In the wrong way...

I took a morning in my local camera dealer to test this new baby... Weather was rainy and i couldn't go out at all. So, interior's shots, with different types of lights, some of the worse conditions ever to shoot some tests... Anyway, a good deal to see what the 5DIII compared directly with same lenses would do...

- How TINY it is !!!!! It is not manageable... With two hands you cover the entire thing... and to reach the buttons is a pain as you have to change your hands place...

- With a big lens in front this is even worse... ZEISS big aperture tested.

- Menus are awful... too complicated when you're not used to... Maybe with some habits...

- And the last but the not least : COLORS are awful... Maybe i made mistakes when i put the temperature but this has been terribly awful compared to a 5DIII Raw... I only took videos in Slog 3 PP9... i've reached average results with these poor light conditions on the A7SII but with some big problems on skin tones and colors themselves... Some yellow  tints in particular... Nothing too much difficult to deal with the 5DIII RAw... Normal when codec comparison but wouldn't have bet it would have been so hard with this Sony codec...

Overall performance doesn't feel good enough to let my 5DIII go... This A7SII looks really cheap considering colors. But in what concerns dynamic and resolution, ok the A7SII does the job well... To be honest, i don't understand why RAW 14 bits have less good highlights transitions than a 8 bits so much compressed codec... Maybe the latitude of the sensor itself combined with ultra flat gamma profile... that would also induce bad colorimetry (difficult to hold with such a flat profile...)

And i don't speak about the EVF that is merely unusable with poor definition... Peaking is big and not precised... Wow... This is going to be tough right here... Articulated screen that looks like a piece of plastic you can break in two fingers only...

That is looking damn cheap and not usable for paid jobs at all...

Then...

I have to think twice... let the waves of the initial shock go away and let my brain concentrate on what is good on the A7SII...

Mainly :

- Good low light performance. Axiom...

- 4K internally

and to me that's all that really kills the 5DIII... Other things are not so easy... I doubt FS5 would do a better job concerning colors...

I think tests on A7SII with good light conditions (daylight, unique type of light source) is ok, but when the situation becomes complicated... XAVCS 8 bits is not the way to go... Too stretched...

Other tests to come soon.

I have never seen tree barks that blue, and even on blue conifers, that only have smooth blue shades on their needles... Here we have a massive vivid tint... Come on... i've never seen these oversaturated colors in Nature... even into the golden hours (Morning and evening).

But if this man wants to use these luts it is ok... maybe he has already seen this one time in Nature... Only a matter of taste. Personally when i see these strange psychedelic candy style pictures, i forget what the footage wants us to see first... its story or its inner beauty... 

Totally disagree guys... sorry. This last video looks blue and yellow... It's not a matter of taste but i've never seen needles from pine that are blue, or grass that is blue... blue trees, blue mushrooms... Maybe a smurf i've seen blue one time...

An entire movie like this and i'm sick after 30 minutes... This footage does'nt look natural at all.

I try to put style when it is needed ONLY. Breaking bad is yellowish to give that desert so much present. Idem for Sicario, truly strong yellows... But in a forest, blues are non sense for me... I think grading is more like a discrete thing and these impulz luts are not made in that direction...

Sorry, maybe a tough labor day today...

No strange colors when he goes in the stairs from the previous graded footage.

Nice !!!! Great color skills. Resolve i presume ?

You're right, FS7 is 7800 euros here, all brand new. Without cards and batteries... I've found BP-U60 batteries @ 90 euros each, which is not damn so much expensive.

This is in fact a good option. 8500 euros all inclusive. That's pretty what the price is for an Ursa Mini... I never checked this out... I'm Ok to spend that amount of money for a great 4K and great dynamic.

Why not.

This is pretty much interesting. FS5 looks to have a good potential when you have enough money... Odyssey 7Q+ is not what i call cheap, and requires external power... This is not a fantastic solution but if it works that means you have 4K 10 bits prores with 14 stops of dynamic... pretty good sounding like that. Now we need on the field tests...

And what about this little baby : http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1137279-REG/video_devices_pix_e5_5_4k_recording.html

10 bits 422 for the FS5 only in HD... i think this won't be the case for UHD... I believe it is 8 bits 422 SDI or HDMI Out...

That's what i call an answer !!!!!

You're right. This FS5 will probably be my first choice. It has almost everything i need. But what i fear is that being good everywhere can't be possible... there is certainly a problem somewhere...

Tests will be important.

i've not thought in that option... It could be cool. Never used it myself. Have done one project with but i was only the director. Picture was cool. Gonna think of that...

Think the A7S II looks the same... but 3400 euros only... No ?

Lol !!!

No i can't shoot them !!! i can assure you !!! lol

C100 mk II does look great to my eyes. that's true. But i think it's time to upgrade to 4K. Not as i like it, as i shoot 90% of time @ 1080... but clients often ask for 4K now... Don't really know why. When i have to shoot in 4K, the budget has to include a camera rent... anf as you already know it's expensive... For some trademarks ok, they have the budget, no problem, but for some other ones that have less... i don't want to say to them NO. First because i miss the project (and the bill...) and second because after i say NO clients don't propose me other projects... i live with making films, this is my job... And i have to make choices well thought to be the best bargain at the end of the project. If i can save money buying a camera i think it's a great choice at this time when cameras prices are low for the quality you can get.

Clients want 4K now... the're stupid. Woops... Said that ? Lol.

Sony FS5 is a great all around baby. If it has the same picture as FS7 i'm done. Slog3 has a great gamma curve, not easy to expose when you run n gun but my main job is well controlled lit scenes... My job says to me "URSA mini Baby !!!!!!" and my wife says "FS5 baby !!!! Come on !!!!!" ... My wife ? Lol. She even doesn't know how to power on a camera... No, FS5 looks to be the great all around camera, NDs, high isos, Dynamic range, storage cost, power batteries efficiency, SDI and Hdmi output, RAW enabled in the future... But i say this to myself often : if you want to do all, you're gone to make average things. If you do some things, you can make them great. I think it is the same for cameras. And that FS5 looks too good everywhere... URSA Mini has great codecs for sure, but sucks in other ways... Not an all around camera at all...

Oh crap. Choice is difficult on paper... And the A7S II looks cool too, for its price !!!

I've seen such strange cable. Is it reliable though ? Data transfer is big.

For V mount batteries do you have any idea where i can make a bargain as the same as the CFast cards ? You have such great ideas for hardware !!!!

Ebrahim i can see the FS5 for me too... but 4K 8 bits 420 is damn cheap for a camera that costs 7K euros... (with batteries)

When i say personal camera i mean a camera i can use when shooting shorts @ 48hFP or KinoKabaret or festivals like that without renting one. To shoot my daughter or my holidays i shoot with my iphone and it is almost perfect for that. Personal camera means i buy it.

URSA has fantastic codecs built in. I don't know if the FS5 firmware upgrade will be cheap... and it already costs 7K euros... Pretty expensive lil baby !!!!

Wow... all i have to say right now is thank you guy !!!! Hop !!! Economy is just more than 800 euros...   

Oh ? Can you link something ?

What i looked at : http://cvp.com/index.php?t=product/lexar_lc128crbeu3400

When you take 2x this card it's 1250 euros...

Hi guys,

it's time for me to change my personal camera, my 5D3 that works really great but that is not reliable for some works, that is not easy to work with because of MLV raw files and no other codec, that files take too much space...

Great cameras are about to come out soon, FS5 and BM Ursa Mini 4.6k... The A7S mark II is already out.

This is gone to be MY camera, that i pay with MY money for MY personal work... but, as with the 5D3 on some projects, i use it for paid works... The new camera has to be good enough to be used for paid works. I make some national commercials for trademarks. And sometimes renting a F55 or Red Epic is a bit too much for the job... but as you know, clients want big cameras, want 4K... I don't know why... the last time this was for a web campaign, only 1080 broadcasted, the client said to me i was obliged to shoot with 4K... Don't know if we live in the same world... But this is more and more a fact, clients want 4K now...

I've searched wich cameras could fit my needs and that i could pay myself with my little own budget of 8000 euros more or less.

A7S II :

What i like

- Cheap price so far.

- Best isos performance, great to push the isos and screw down the lens in dark conditions to keep focus more easily.

- compressed codec to gain space on my servers compared to RAW 5D3...

- 422 hdmi out

What i dislike

- No ND

- Power solution that is not efficient to be productive

- 8 bits when output to a recorder... that is cheap Sony guys !!!!

FS5 :

What i like

- ND... Sooo far

- 10 bits @ 1080

- Power solution with BPU 90

- SD card X2 slots

- High frame rate

- Firmware to upgrade 4K 10 bits ?

- Hdmi AND SDI out

What i dislike

- 8 bits 420... crap. Crap, and re crap.

- Iso performance to judge when it comes out

- Paid firmware to upgrade (and certainly not cheap from Sony...)

- EVF that is certainly cheap... too small.

- The price for what you get

Black magic Ursa Mini 4.6K EF :

What i like

- Codecs that are rock solid

- Dynamic range pushed so far

- User interface that is so clear and user friendly

- Zebras that are reliable @ Blackmagic

- Price compared to the FS5 for what you get (Raw, Prores, 12 bits DR for the same price...)

- 4/3 format, and 2.40 ratio @ 4K... yummy

What i dislike

- No ND

- Power solution that is expensive and not so efficient compared to the price (IDX 150 to go with 3 hours when it charges in 9 to 10 hours... then you have to take some 4 batteries to shoot all day long...)

- CFast @ 1300 euros for 2X 128 GB... Ouch mommy are you here ? I'm sick !!!

- Iso performance (not run n gun friendly on some projects where light is not controlled...)

I can't decide which one to get... really. i'm searching for the best all around camera, flexible one, capable of good iso performance and reliable. I'm used to my 5D3 RAW, but i need 4K now, and good enough camera to use on some paid projects... My heart goes to the URSA... but iso perf is not here at all... not usable in some conditions. I can't keep my 5D3 for low light... i have to sell it to buy the new camera...

What do you think guys ? it will be my own camera, for personal work (short films with friends, music videos...) but sometimes used on paid projects for some big trademarks when RED Epic or F5/F55 is not justified... My heart goes to the URSA mini but batteries are heavy, it is not run n gun with 800 native isos... i'm lost.

5D3 is totally a great baby to shoot with. I've done so far paid work with it... and nobody has complained about quality... When the grade is just what it has to be, it's a killer camera... I've done some 3200 isos shots that are really great, merely noise free... Wow. Sometimes the girl who takes sound with me says "3200 isos... no... don't push it too far..." But she is always stunned by how good the picture is (when over expose then bring down in post... ETTR)

I've already seen your comparison Andrew, between the A7S and RAW 5D3. This video has always put a doubt in me considering my 5D3, but i've never had the opportunity to have an A7S in my hands to test it like i want... In your video, what shocks me is that the 8 bits Sony have better transitions in the orange sky than the 5D3... 14 bits... Woops... That's pretty strange. And i have seen this in other videos too... 8 bits !!!! 

I've decided to rent an A7S mark ii to test it frankly... torture it... And then i think i'll choose to stay with my 5DIII or go with the A7S II... time will tell.

It is a camera for me and low budget productions... i don't take any big risk.

I'm thinking about to rent a FS5 when it comes out... This crazy camera loos terrific too even if too pricy compared to a A7S II... Ok VND integrated but S35 and 32 000 isos only...

Poor children... forced by their father... 

You look like me... My daughter is now ready to make a light set on her own... 

Great light JCS

Ok. So this could make a good test to see if grading is more difficult with it and if it affects colors on Log... I bet it makes mess... Do you have some ND filters ? Variable ? Fixed value ? Tiffen ? Good quality. Please if you do such test tell us which ND filter you use.

This test and dynamic range i have to test soon. If you do the ND filter one, i just have the DR one to do and think am ready to spend money on this lil baby !!!! Bye bye 5D3 and ML Terrific but not smooth and size friendly workflow...

I'm sure this A7S mark II is a good little body. Andrew did you use any ND FIlter ? If you do Test please do one for me :

Take a contrasty scene exposed on highlights with AND without a ND filter. I think ND filters adds some green tints some people are afraid about when using Slog...  If you have 18% grey card please expose it on Slog3 @ 41% more or less (think it is + 2 stops over exposed but i can't remember right now)

Thank you Andrew.

Still not perfect grading as it lacks gamma on our protagonists and the pavement on the left has blue splats... Nothing too hard to correct... Skin tones look great to my eyes. Not green at all.  The difference in exposure between the man and the woman seems to be due to where they are situated from the sun or light, not a problem with colors themselves.

i've desaturated the smiley a bit, desaturated the walls behind them but add some more gain and gamma on the same walls, fixed Lum vs Sat to bring the tones exactly what they are and not what they look with color correction and other little things like that. it is perfectible a lot but this evening i have other things to do... (to color some work... paid work... lol)

I think skin tones look better on this one... I didn't make any attention on the highlights of the shop behind them, but with an extra node and you're done...

8 bits but pretty smooth to grade. Well exposed and good colorimetry when shooting and i think pictures would look great...

Slog3 is really goo i think, and better to Slog2 to maintain highlights and blacks... A7S mark ii is well worth it. i'll rent it this week end to judge comapred to a 5D3 RAW.

I'm used to work with canon 5D3 RAW video and you're right... it's easy to get great things on the canon... but on the Sony, it is mega compressed, colors and Luminance !!!! Files are not the same size !!! I do think i'll upgrade from 5D3 raw to the A7S mark ii...

Tweaking skintones on davinci resolve isn't that difficult. Let me a bit more time to grade the first shot and i think you'll be okay with skin tones... Don't forget to mention RAW on canon doesn't have any color fixed as it is RAW... and Sony has color integrated in the compressed wrapper... if on the shot it is biased... tones will be difficult to be saved...

I've done this for my grading... Don't know what you're thinking of but i'm happy with the A7S II files. I think they grade well and have some great latitude. Just on the metro the pictures look too green to my taste but can't do anything while the train has the same tones...

Done in Davinci Resolve 12 with the help of waveforms and Parade to adjust colors... Some nodes too, to fix Luma vs Sat. I could have made some better work on the hair of the woman... and maybe the tint on the metro... but hey it's been a 10 minutes grade for all the shots. No more than 4 nodes on each shot...

Let me know what you think.

Damn !!!! That 4K mini cam pictures look awesome !!! Wonder what 15 stops will look like ... Really excited about what we're living right now with Blackmagic Design.