Nicolas MAILLET

Oliver Daniel i truly understand you... i know what you're meaning with the FS5. 5DIII Raw files are way too heavy for me and difficult to manage on some big movies. Good to shoot sometimes with but not a camera i like to carry with me now since i got my A7SII.
Here is a great camera... A7SII. With a powerbank and a good lightmeter with you this camera makes such fantastic things. 8 bits ok... we all know this... What i like is the Slog and its great latitude in contrasty situations and its 24x36mm size... Big shots with this cam. And the slomos are great when light is enough. Great 120 fps even with a 2X coefficient. A 16-35 2.8 does the job well for me with this 2x high fps mode.
What we can expect from an A7SIII will disappoint us i think... i think this won't be 10 bits... And a 10 bits hdmi output will disappoint me also as what i like from this camera is shooting ultra light, gimbal or zacuto shoulder rig and that's all... I've shot with 7" screens on the rig etc etc and i really don't like it... Too much equipment ruins creativity... Personal point of view of course.
The GH5 looks great to my eyes too... And this little beast has made some charms to me... I used to shoot with a GH2 and have been blown away with its inner qualities. The GH5 has a v-log mode and high frame rates... tempting features.
But, micro 4 thirds with native electronic lenses i don't like it, and metabones adapter with EF or other mounts that's what i used on the GH2 and sometimes had problems...
 
Why don't you use that fantastic A7SII ? have it from its exit right now and still have no problems with a cheap commlite adapter, damped with black cloth inside it...
My advice in your case would be stay with an A7SII till an A9S comes out !!!!! ;-)   As you know the tool is secondary and that A7SII ticks a lot of what i need to make it my A-cam on most of my projects. Why would i need to upgrade or change this lil baby ?!!!!!!
 
My A-cam for little projects like this :
Trailer for a drama company.
 
My 0.02 euros. :-)
 

Oliver Daniel i truly understand you... i know what you're meaning with the FS5. 5DIII Raw files are way too heavy for me and difficult to manage on some big movies. Good to shoot sometimes with but not a camera i like to carry with me now since i got my A7SII.
Here is a great camera... A7SII. With a powerbank and a good lightmeter with you this camera makes such fantastic things. 8 bits ok... we all know this... What i like is the Slog and its great latitude in contrasty situations and its 24x36mm size... Big shots with this cam. And the slomos are great when light is enough. Great 120 fps even with a 2X coefficient. A 16-35 2.8 does the job well for me with this 2x high fps mode.
What we can expect from an A7SIII will disappoint us i think... i think this won't be 10 bits... And a 10 bits hdmi output will disappoint me also as what i like from this camera is shooting ultra light, gimbal or zacuto shoulder rig and that's all... I've shot with 7" screens on the rig etc etc and i really don't like it... Too much equipment ruins creativity... Personal point of view of course.
The GH5 looks great to my eyes too... And this little beast has made some charms to me... I used to shoot with a GH2 and have been blown away with its inner qualities. The GH5 has a v-log mode and high frame rates... tempting features.
But, micro 4 thirds with native electronic lenses i don't like it, and metabones adapter with EF or other mounts that's what i used on the GH2 and sometimes had problems...
 
Why don't you use that fantastic A7SII ? have it from its exit right now and still have no problems with a cheap commlite adapter, damped with black cloth inside it...
My advice in your case would be stay with an A7SII till an A9S comes out !!!!! ;-)   As you know the tool is secondary and that A7SII ticks a lot of what i need to make it my A-cam on most of my projects. Why would i need to upgrade or change this lil baby ?!!!!!!
 
My A-cam for little projects like this :
Trailer for a drama company.
 
My 0.02 euros. :-)
 

Hi,
I've got an A7SII. There is nothing really disapointing in using it actually. The only drawbacks i find are the battery life and the 8 bits codec... But to be honest the camera has followed me on several films and it has done the job pretty well.  For the battery life i use a power bank via USB and Voila. 8 bits codec is cheap... If the WB fails on set and exposure is not done correctly... wow... crappy camera. But using a colormeter every shot and exposure meter too and this camera does a good job. I always use Slog3, knowing its weaknesses...
What i expect from an A7SIII is not necessarily a bigger sensor, but a faster with stacked memory. Rolling shutter on the A7SII has never worried me by now, but i understand it can be a pain for some persons.
What i expect is also a better codec, 10 bits higher bitrate... but i know Sony a bit and the A7SIII will be a "for everybody camera"... And 8 bits 100 mbps is great for everybody... Us, guys who want to buy a decent camera will not use that kind of a camera to shoot a commercial... therefore 8 bits 100mbps is average good to shoot cats and ducks on water... Those of us who want a more serious camera will go on the FS5 or FS7, more pro oriented... Sony won't shoot them in their foot... A7SIII won't have 10 bits chroma in my opinion... even if i truly want it.
Then what i want is an USB port like the A7SII.
240fps and 120fps 1080
Better menus
Better IBIS if possible...
A price that is related to their targeted market. Not crazy price...
Better AF even if i'm always Manual... lol... i think i've never used the AF on my A7SII... not once !!! I am canon equipped for lenses...
Better EVF if possible
 
Voila !!!!!! hope this will be tomorrow morning here in France...

to me :
- Aspect ratio
- 24 fps with motion blur associated
- Shallow depth of field
- camera movements
- Music used
- colors and lights
and the most of it : Actors and story.
 
Here's a little joke i've made with friends that uses some codes of what i call a cinematic video :
Slow motions here to be a bit parodic... And you'll notice a hommage to Marion Cotillard somewhere in the video... That couldn't be more cinematic with this !!!!! lol

to me :
- Aspect ratio
- 24 fps with motion blur associated
- Shallow depth of field
- camera movements
- Music used
- colors and lights
and the most of it : Actors and story.
 
Here's a little joke i've made with friends that uses some codes of what i call a cinematic video :
Slow motions here to be a bit parodic... And you'll notice a hommage to Marion Cotillard somewhere in the video... That couldn't be more cinematic with this !!!!! lol

Hi guys,
with friends we decided to give ourselves a challenge and see what could be done in 1 hour shooting.
That's what i've done with my A7SII :
 
This is a joke. Big big big slowmos... too much slowmos.. but this was the goal, with the dramatic music !!!
If you have some videos to give, shot in 1 hour only, no more.
Color grading in Lumetri, première pro, with a custom LUT made in photoshop.
Hope you like it.
N.B. : LAPIPA does mean nothing... lol.
N.B. 2 : a bit of hommage to MARION COTILLARD...

Hi guys,
with friends we decided to give ourselves a challenge and see what could be done in 1 hour shooting.
That's what i've done with my A7SII :
 
This is a joke. Big big big slowmos... too much slowmos.. but this was the goal, with the dramatic music !!!
If you have some videos to give, shot in 1 hour only, no more.
Color grading in Lumetri, première pro, with a custom LUT made in photoshop.
Hope you like it.
N.B. : LAPIPA does mean nothing... lol.
N.B. 2 : a bit of hommage to MARION COTILLARD...

Hi guys,
with friends we decided to give ourselves a challenge and see what could be done in 1 hour shooting.
That's what i've done with my A7SII :
 
This is a joke. Big big big slowmos... too much slowmos.. but this was the goal, with the dramatic music !!!
If you have some videos to give, shot in 1 hour only, no more.
Color grading in Lumetri, première pro, with a custom LUT made in photoshop.
Hope you like it.
N.B. : LAPIPA does mean nothing... lol.
N.B. 2 : a bit of hommage to MARION COTILLARD...

Hello,
a7sii for Stills is not good enough imho. I've got a 5d3 and this a7s2 and each one has its own role : 5d3 for stills and a7s2 for videos. Some people say the a7r2 can deal with both stills and videos.
 
if I had to choose then I would take the a7r2.

Jcs that's a good point. Those 3 pictures looks almost the same... There are differences of course, like colors, and resolution but hey, this proves there's no need to fight when speaking about cameras.
My preferred goes to the one on the center. If it is the A7SII i'm glad i chose that camera. And if it is not the A7SII, i'm happy too because everyone here can't tell which is which while being 100% affirmative...

Wonderful !!!!
I ended with an A7SII... I love it for its dynamic range and convenient aspects like small size, USB charging, 24x36mm look. In some ways i don't like it : 8 bits luma, color that have to be adjusted very well depending on lights sources, and the major drawback, the rolling shutter that sucks a lot...
I've used it in replacement of some big cameras on some shots for commercials i make, and it is truly a good camera to my eyes... But clients don't want small photocams like this and i still rent the big brothers i'm used to.
This FS5 looks like it's a cool camera... I'm waiting the RAW update to see if it does like the FS7, where the benefit is not a big big step... We'll see !!!!

5D RAW is good enough for projection on a big screen. Made it several times with always good results. DCP in jpeg2k and you're done. Just have to upscale your size from the native 1920x1080 to 2K. Projectors accept only DCI standards and no 1080...
 
Concerning the project : a doc. For documentary for sure i'd go with an A7SII and not a 5D RAW... By far. I've got the two bodies at home and as jcs said, the only major drawback of the A7SII is the jello effect from the Rolling shutter technology... Too bad really. Annoying even on tripod with micro jitters. But when you know it you do with it. The A7SII has by far more little files, has better dynamic, and better low light abilities... Everything i would go with for a documentary. Get a power bank like an Anker astro E7 26800 mAh and you have more than 2 days of shooting with you.
 
After using the A7SII, i never use anymore my 5D for video... I only use it for pictures, where it shines a lot compared to the A7SII.

5D RAW is good enough for projection on a big screen. Made it several times with always good results. DCP in jpeg2k and you're done. Just have to upscale your size from the native 1920x1080 to 2K. Projectors accept only DCI standards and no 1080...
 
Concerning the project : a doc. For documentary for sure i'd go with an A7SII and not a 5D RAW... By far. I've got the two bodies at home and as jcs said, the only major drawback of the A7SII is the jello effect from the Rolling shutter technology... Too bad really. Annoying even on tripod with micro jitters. But when you know it you do with it. The A7SII has by far more little files, has better dynamic, and better low light abilities... Everything i would go with for a documentary. Get a power bank like an Anker astro E7 26800 mAh and you have more than 2 days of shooting with you.
 
After using the A7SII, i never use anymore my 5D for video... I only use it for pictures, where it shines a lot compared to the A7SII.

5D RAW is good enough for projection on a big screen. Made it several times with always good results. DCP in jpeg2k and you're done. Just have to upscale your size from the native 1920x1080 to 2K. Projectors accept only DCI standards and no 1080...
 
Concerning the project : a doc. For documentary for sure i'd go with an A7SII and not a 5D RAW... By far. I've got the two bodies at home and as jcs said, the only major drawback of the A7SII is the jello effect from the Rolling shutter technology... Too bad really. Annoying even on tripod with micro jitters. But when you know it you do with it. The A7SII has by far more little files, has better dynamic, and better low light abilities... Everything i would go with for a documentary. Get a power bank like an Anker astro E7 26800 mAh and you have more than 2 days of shooting with you.
 
After using the A7SII, i never use anymore my 5D for video... I only use it for pictures, where it shines a lot compared to the A7SII.

No problem to adjust levels on A7SII footage... It's more a problem of exposure on location... When exposed between +2 Stops and 100% Zebras, no problem at all... I can adjust things like on my 5D mark III RAW... And it's even easier... The only major big problem is to define the good white balance... Ok with a color meter and some charts... But could be a problem when not well adjusted... as 8 bits can't recover anything...
Concerning luts... i don't use one... I prefer adjust my levels with parade RGB and some waveforms by myself... This tends to have no "look" at all and i prefer that...

kgv5, commercials are almost all shot in RAW when possible... This is a choice guided by the production and nothing else... Like 4K when only 1080 needed... Productors want 4K to have the ability to resize... This is not a choice made by the ones who shoot...
5d mark III has RAW... cool !!! I've used it on a big French National TV broadcasted commercial 7 months ago... I don't say it is a bad camera or anything else... i just say this is really not the best option to shoot with today... And today an A7SII is better to my eyes. Way comforter... non hacked, 81 minutes on a 64 GB card, and everything with a slight better dynamic, and slow motions... I don't speak about high isos... lights are always controlled on my sets :

1DC right here 3 years ago... used in 8 bits 1080 only... No 4K MJPEGs... Reaaaaaallllly small budget... But broadcasted on French National TV channels during these three years... Just youtube it : "Pièces jaunes 25 ans"... Shoot with what you want !!!! One time i did replace the F55 we're used to shoot with by an A7SII, my personal A7SII... We had time to play in post. Dynamic and colors are not the same, but the result was here : the client didn't say anything about the quality... No strange skin tones around...
 
Take a look at this too : 
 
 
I don't shoot 5D mark III anymore. Too limited camera. Great picture but limited camera, not flexible, and not matching cameras of nowadays.

kgv5, commercials are almost all shot in RAW when possible... This is a choice guided by the production and nothing else... Like 4K when only 1080 needed... Productors want 4K to have the ability to resize... This is not a choice made by the ones who shoot...
5d mark III has RAW... cool !!! I've used it on a big French National TV broadcasted commercial 7 months ago... I don't say it is a bad camera or anything else... i just say this is really not the best option to shoot with today... And today an A7SII is better to my eyes. Way comforter... non hacked, 81 minutes on a 64 GB card, and everything with a slight better dynamic, and slow motions... I don't speak about high isos... lights are always controlled on my sets :

1DC right here 3 years ago... used in 8 bits 1080 only... No 4K MJPEGs... Reaaaaaallllly small budget... But broadcasted on French National TV channels during these three years... Just youtube it : "Pièces jaunes 25 ans"... Shoot with what you want !!!! One time i did replace the F55 we're used to shoot with by an A7SII, my personal A7SII... We had time to play in post. Dynamic and colors are not the same, but the result was here : the client didn't say anything about the quality... No strange skin tones around...
 
Take a look at this too : 
 
 
I don't shoot 5D mark III anymore. Too limited camera. Great picture but limited camera, not flexible, and not matching cameras of nowadays.

I have the 5D mk III and A7SII. Both have pros & cons... But in fine, i use more the A7SII for its Quality/space ratio... 5D mkIII RAW is just wonderful to work with... true... Convert your mlv to dng and boom !!!! Resolve and you got it graded in only few minutes... Mixed lights ? No problem... (not too much...) Errors on set with white balance ? No problem...
A7SII is a different animal : don't like at all mixed lights and don't like AT ALL when you put the wrong, or average White balance... and i'm not mentioning white balance with Nds etc... which needs the right correction (I love you Sekonic C700...)
For me, after using these two beasts, i can say i do love my A7SII. And i only like my 5DIII Raw. (Video speaking only...). Files are waaaayyyyyy smaller and the dynamic range looks superior on the A7SII. I admit, colors are difficult to work with... but taking care of it on set and you have your post production more or less effortless. And to the advantage of the A7S, shooting by night is just a pleasure : deep depth of field even in dark conditions... Time saving when you have to stay focused on a moving subject... You have strong enough isos to be pushed to close your lens... For me (and my focus puller) it's been a pleasure to use... in almost every light condition...
 
Have you used the A7SII enough to judge it to its real potential ? Colors are a bit of a pain to deal with but with the right tools it can be ok. The only big problem i can see with this camera is the rolling shutter that produces that big jello effect... Can be a pain in some cases... Shoulder rigged with no stab for example... and some fast pans too...
Why don't you LOVE it ?

Hi,
2 x 2K "blond" with diffusion panels in front of them and gels to correct the yellowish tint
3 x 650W ARRI fresnels with diffusion panels most of the time too
1 x 150 ARRI junior fresnel light with some manfrotto magic arm most of the time to reach some points...
2 x LED panels with 200 leds more or less (Chinese cheap ones Aputure) that i almost never use... Low CRI and mixing with other lights is not an easy task.
1 x Chinese ball that is sometime interesting to work with. 400W if i remember well.
 
When i need more, i rent... 

Hi,
2 x 2K "blond" with diffusion panels in front of them and gels to correct the yellowish tint
3 x 650W ARRI fresnels with diffusion panels most of the time too
1 x 150 ARRI junior fresnel light with some manfrotto magic arm most of the time to reach some points...
2 x LED panels with 200 leds more or less (Chinese cheap ones Aputure) that i almost never use... Low CRI and mixing with other lights is not an easy task.
1 x Chinese ball that is sometime interesting to work with. 400W if i remember well.
 
When i need more, i rent... 

The question is : do we have a body not well calibrated ? 5500°K on body, recorded like a 5900°K in real life ... This could be possible... Then a correspondance sheet could be created to move the right WB on the body corresponding to the WB in real life...
I've got a color meter... How could i test the WB of the A7SII (that i got in my hands) ? I've got some X-rite color checkers. My mind says i could estimate the difference (in %) between the color chart seen by the A7SII, and the color chart in Resolve... Then compare it to what the colormeter says at the same moment on white card...
Maybe a new post could be created together to try to estimate the calibration of our bodies ? Maybe someone has already done that ?
What do you think guys ?

Hey !!!!!
A little commercial made with a 5DIII RAW with magic lantern : 
 
I've got an A7SII now... and i use more this last one... Merely the same results as the 5DIII but files with the A7SII are really REALLY less big !!!! And there are other prox with the A7S : High frame rate, high sensitivity... But, there is always a but : colors are not as easy as the 5DIII when you don't have a color meter...
 
BTW : today my 5DIII is here to take pictures, and my A7SII is here for video.

I can advise you to use the latest 12 version... Just some pleasure to deal with... Really efficient concerning light adjustments thanks to powerful waveforms and a mind blowing tracker tool...
No way i turn back to AE now... Resolve is just so much powerful. Give it a try.
 
Anyway, i don't know if a plugin like this exists for AE. Sorry.

Yes there are some problems with 8 bits when trying to correct colors. But this is in extreme correction only, when white balance has not been adjusted correctly when shooting.
when we have to work with this kind of codec, we take time to double check the color temperature, triple check when outside... Our sekonic and our color checker is out for every shot... As we say nearly everywhere : check twice, shoot once.
 
so yes, i agree, sometimes some colors go crazy when using resolve's color correcting tool, but manual tweaking can do a good compromise though in these rare cases. I prefer tweak hard in rare case than doing an approximation work in every shot. In fact we always trust in our color checker better than in our sekonic... And cameras have their own calibration that biases colors too. It is not only an 8 bits codec matter.

That's what i'm saying about A7SII colors using the color checker... i see no problem at all with skin tones and other colors... they are just really accurate !!!!!
 
I'm using it every time i shoot some serious work... all cameras. F5, BMCC, RED epic etc etc... and with the A7SII i purchased few weeks ago, no problem too. I never ever used LUTS as they're almost always making some things i don't like on footage.
 
Ed David i 100% agree with your post.