salim

Stella recently upgraded their lights CRI is up 93 and light is much closer to 5600K ... also controllable from an Elinchrom remote ....rather than hijack this discussion I 
started a new one about the SP 8000s .... snobby or not ... buy what works for you.
 
Bob

I think for a kicker / accent light the CRI (90) is fine. The thing about the internal battery is that it's so light you can almost forget about it's existence. I haven't verified this, but I imagine the Stella with internal battery is lighter than the Boltzen even without an external battery attached!
As to the personality of the CEO, I couldn't comment. These things put me off companies too from time to time, so I can sympathise. As you may know, they are bringing this all to film from their origins in scuba lights, and I think there are some innovations emerging as a result.

I've been looking to get a set of LED lights that I can travel with (fly around the world) that are versatile, high quality, powerful, not heavy and not too expensive. In this test I was comparing lights that I want to mostly use as a kicker/practical or maybe key (if I need to). 
The lights tested are: 
Boltzen bi-color 30W (3200k - 5600k), Aputure LS-mini20d (7500 k), Aputure F7 (3200k - 9500k), Luxli Viola (3000k-10000k/RGB)
Test methodology: I placed all lights 3 meters from a gray card. I set my camera to center/spot meter at auto ISO. 1/50 and F/4 (this is for my needs) and then I read the iso meter. I repeated the reading a few times to ensure there are no strange anomalies. The Aputure LS-mini20d (7500 k) is lighter than the Boltzen. It has much better spot focus ability. But it has two big issues. Just during this simple testing the fan came out. Not loud but audible. However, more importantly I place the 3200k soft gel inside the slot (I guess the slot was for the 5600k hard gel) and it burned. I heard Kaleb talk about the 5600k gel bleaching. Still makes the LS-mini20d a useable kick/accent light. Since I'm planning to shoot tungsten WB and it will give me a nice shade of blue. But it makes it not as versatile as I had hoped. Otherwise it's a perfect light. The Botlzen on the other hand gives you pretty much the same output in 5600K as well as 3200K. It's more powerful on paper, but not having as good as a spot as the Aputure makes the same power but for more weight. On plus side it has not fan, but it uses a heavy heat sink which is why it's heavier. 
 
@IronFilm and @HockeyFan12 as promised here is my quick test so far. 
Boltzen spot:
3200k ->  iso 320
5600k -> iso 250
Boltzen flood: 
3200k iso 1000-1100
5600k iso 640-800
------------------------------------------------------------
Aputure spot
7500k iso 140 
5600k gel iso 250 
+1gel 3200k iso 400
Aputure flood
7500K iso 640 
5600k gel iso 1100 
+1gel 3200k iso 1250-1600
---------------------------------------------------------
Aputure F7
5600K iso 1000
3200k iso 2000
7500K iso iso 1100
9500k iso 1250 
 
Luxli viola 
5600k iso 2500
3200k iso 2500 
 
2 Luxli viola 3200k iso 1250 (I did this, because I'm looking at a Luxli Cello as a possible key and Cello is essentially has 2x the LEDs of the Viola). 
 
Here are some images of the shape of the light on the bookshelf where I have my gray card
 
Boltzen full spot 

 
Boltzen flood using the barn doors to shape the light to around the book case 

 
Apurture full spot 

 
Apurture full spot with a 3200k gel on 

 
Apurture F7

 
Luxli Viola
 

So this was my bad, I put the flexible 3200k conversion gel (this is for the Apurture to convert the 7500K light to 3200k) in the slot where the hard gel goes (the hard gel is to convert the light to 5600k).  I only had get there long enough to do a flood and spot mode a couple of times. Maybe 5 minutes and it practically burnt right away. I'm not sure if the hard gel for the 5600K would do any better or as Kaleb Pike said in his youtube channel they got bleached. I can see that happening. Which really makes this like a 7500k light that you can use as accent/hair light etc. 
 

I've actually gone with the Stella 1000 for this purpose, because of weight. I had originally gone with the boltzen, but it's just a bit too heavy, especially when you add on batteries.
The Stella was a pricey buy though.

I've been looking to get a set of LED lights that I can travel with (fly around the world) that are versatile, high quality, powerful, not heavy and not too expensive. In this test I was comparing lights that I want to mostly use as a kicker/practical or maybe key (if I need to). 
The lights tested are: 
Boltzen bi-color 30W (3200k - 5600k), Aputure LS-mini20d (7500 k), Aputure F7 (3200k - 9500k), Luxli Viola (3000k-10000k/RGB)
Test methodology: I placed all lights 3 meters from a gray card. I set my camera to center/spot meter at auto ISO. 1/50 and F/4 (this is for my needs) and then I read the iso meter. I repeated the reading a few times to ensure there are no strange anomalies. The Aputure LS-mini20d (7500 k) is lighter than the Boltzen. It has much better spot focus ability. But it has two big issues. Just during this simple testing the fan came out. Not loud but audible. However, more importantly I place the 3200k soft gel inside the slot (I guess the slot was for the 5600k hard gel) and it burned. I heard Kaleb talk about the 5600k gel bleaching. Still makes the LS-mini20d a useable kick/accent light. Since I'm planning to shoot tungsten WB and it will give me a nice shade of blue. But it makes it not as versatile as I had hoped. Otherwise it's a perfect light. The Botlzen on the other hand gives you pretty much the same output in 5600K as well as 3200K. It's more powerful on paper, but not having as good as a spot as the Aputure makes the same power but for more weight. On plus side it has not fan, but it uses a heavy heat sink which is why it's heavier. 
 
@IronFilm and @HockeyFan12 as promised here is my quick test so far. 
Boltzen spot:
3200k ->  iso 320
5600k -> iso 250
Boltzen flood: 
3200k iso 1000-1100
5600k iso 640-800
------------------------------------------------------------
Aputure spot
7500k iso 140 
5600k gel iso 250 
+1gel 3200k iso 400
Aputure flood
7500K iso 640 
5600k gel iso 1100 
+1gel 3200k iso 1250-1600
---------------------------------------------------------
Aputure F7
5600K iso 1000
3200k iso 2000
7500K iso iso 1100
9500k iso 1250 
 
Luxli viola 
5600k iso 2500
3200k iso 2500 
 
2 Luxli viola 3200k iso 1250 (I did this, because I'm looking at a Luxli Cello as a possible key and Cello is essentially has 2x the LEDs of the Viola). 
 
Here are some images of the shape of the light on the bookshelf where I have my gray card
 
Boltzen full spot 

 
Boltzen flood using the barn doors to shape the light to around the book case 

 
Apurture full spot 

 
Apurture full spot with a 3200k gel on 

 
Apurture F7

 
Luxli Viola
 

So this was my bad, I put the flexible 3200k conversion gel (this is for the Apurture to convert the 7500K light to 3200k) in the slot where the hard gel goes (the hard gel is to convert the light to 5600k).  I only had get there long enough to do a flood and spot mode a couple of times. Maybe 5 minutes and it practically burnt right away. I'm not sure if the hard gel for the 5600K would do any better or as Kaleb Pike said in his youtube channel they got bleached. I can see that happening. Which really makes this like a 7500k light that you can use as accent/hair light etc. 
 

Yeah I did a feature earlier this year and the DoP owned a Boltzen, and the fan kinda annoyed me :-/ But not as much as the RED ONE did....
Looking forward to this :-)

In final testing stages now, so early next week hopefully.

Forced AF with an AF-ON button does not work well in video mode. Gives too much hunting. 
So my practice is to have a dedicated button that toggles between AF/MF. When I want to focus I engage the toggle and to set the focus point you can touch the point on the touchscreen. Then turn off if you don't want to change focus any more. Woks reliably for me. 

Hey Salim.  Thanks for creating this topic.  I just found it and I'll check it out tonight and report anything about the camera I discover.
 

I use the c500 for all my work 2k 60 12bit the C300 mkii does not have this. It is an amazing camera. I think you can get DPAF on this it’s not been done however it is the same sensor as the C300 mk1 and that has DPAF.
Re: Pro Res Raw, in the menus it does have 4k 60 raw and 4k 120fps half raw email Atomos and shout about it they should consider it. 
Here is some of the Work shot with the c500, a documentary I am working as a DP on 
 
 

I thought about it it, but then I got the M9. I figured for the price of MX I can have 3 M9s this way I have 3 practicals. I think M9 is too bright and too heavy. 
One person on FB user group posted that the fit and finish was too rough and sharp and it could practically cut your hand.  Ted Sims responded for something more portable he would pick the M9 himself. I think the MX has it's place, but for the price, I rather have the versatility of 3 M9s. 
There is the new korean company that I posted above (proFound) they have a small flexible LED that connects to the USB power source. It's just a LED cloth with a USB cable. They're not shipping yet, but that's the one I would get, if you want that flexibility. 

There is only afc in video mode no afs.  Assign toggle from afc to mf to a custom button.

A fantastic piece of kit, but this camera is not without issues.
Read the full article

I have mentioned that before, but I will do again here: When playing with picture profile settings it is important to change the exposure from -3 to +3 stops in order to observe any potential color shits. Some combinations produce more color shifts than others, so adjusting the exposure for skin is a good tactic in general. 

My limited input is basically just a recap of wolfcrow's hour-long video on slog 2 exposure (which is well worth watching):
In a nutshell, use spot metering and expose whatever you consider important at 40 IRE or above, and set your zebras to 70 IRE for your skin tones (for Caucasian folks).
He cautioned against the generic "expose two stops over" or the generic "expose to the right" because you might have inconsistent skin tones (and he was assuming that is what most filmmakers would care about), and with inconsistent skin tones one would have to do more work to match skin tones from scene to scene.
That kind of makes sense to me. Say you have a shot with someone with darker skin and a not overly bright sky, and you just expose two stops over (or you expose to the right using multi-segment metering). Then your next shot features a lighter-skinned actor and a bright sky, and again you decide to expose to the right. The overall exposure is lower than the scene with the darker skinned actor and the dark sky, and the skin tones will be off.
He mentioned that slog 2 was designed to have a filmic look when handling highlights / over exposure
Anyway, I have watched it like three times and that seems to be the main gist of it. The info also seems to jibe with the information from the article by Allister Chapman that you linked to here:
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-is-exposing-log-brightly-beneficial/

I bought the A7Riii and I wanted to make this thread into a resource where I can learn from others and share what I have I've learned. There is enough overlap in video with A7iii that I think it would benefit both camps. 

I bought mine $300 less than the MSRP via GreenToe. If you're not familiar it's like Priceline for buying gears. You place your price and if it's reasonable, sellers match your price or make a counter offer. I placed a bid for $2750, later increased it to $2780 and I got an offer for $2890 which I accepted. It's from a US Sony dealer. I've also heard people buying some zeiss lenses about $200 blow MSRP. You can go to Greentoe.com or if you follow my affiliate link, I think I get $25: https://gtoe.me/YsjOxVWyaM   
 
So I like to discuss camera settings, picture profile people are using, AF settings, post processing, LUTs, noise reduction techniques, etc. 

I start with what @Don Kotlos replied to my question on his picture profile settings: 
 
setting suggestions by Sony Global Ambassador: 
 
 
 
a setting used by a youtuber: 

and by another YouTuber: 
 
 
Understanding picture profiles: 

PDF  version: 
HTML version: http://helpguide.sony.net/di/pp/v1/en/contents/TP0000909109.html
 
Picture profile comparison: 
 
 
One YouTubers recommendation for Cine4 profile settings:
 
 
Exposing SLOG2 for skin tones:
 
 
Wolfcrow's explanation and reasoning for his Slog exposure process: 
 
 
 
Cine4, Slog2/3 comparison video: 
 
 
 
Some good reads from XDCAM, they're not specific to A7Riii but still very informative: 
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/10/using-s-log2-from-the-a7s-in-post-production/

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/03/understanding-sonys-slog3-it-isnt-really-noisy/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-is-exposing-log-brightly-beneficial/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-are-sonys-isos-different-between-standard-gammas-and-log/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/using-luts-for-exposure-choosing-the-right-lut/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2018/03/banding-in-your-footage-what-causes-it-is-it-even-there/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/more-on-frame-rate-choices-for-todays-video-productions/
 
Not specific to A7Riii but relevant to getting a correct exposure:  
 
 

I bought the A7Riii and I wanted to make this thread into a resource where I can learn from others and share what I have I've learned. There is enough overlap in video with A7iii that I think it would benefit both camps. 

I bought mine $300 less than the MSRP via GreenToe. If you're not familiar it's like Priceline for buying gears. You place your price and if it's reasonable, sellers match your price or make a counter offer. I placed a bid for $2750, later increased it to $2780 and I got an offer for $2890 which I accepted. It's from a US Sony dealer. I've also heard people buying some zeiss lenses about $200 blow MSRP. You can go to Greentoe.com or if you follow my affiliate link, I think I get $25: https://gtoe.me/YsjOxVWyaM   
 
So I like to discuss camera settings, picture profile people are using, AF settings, post processing, LUTs, noise reduction techniques, etc. 

I start with what @Don Kotlos replied to my question on his picture profile settings: 
 
setting suggestions by Sony Global Ambassador: 
 
 
 
a setting used by a youtuber: 

and by another YouTuber: 
 
 
Understanding picture profiles: 

PDF  version: 
HTML version: http://helpguide.sony.net/di/pp/v1/en/contents/TP0000909109.html
 
Picture profile comparison: 
 
 
One YouTubers recommendation for Cine4 profile settings:
 
 
Exposing SLOG2 for skin tones:
 
 
Wolfcrow's explanation and reasoning for his Slog exposure process: 
 
 
 
Cine4, Slog2/3 comparison video: 
 
 
 
Some good reads from XDCAM, they're not specific to A7Riii but still very informative: 
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/10/using-s-log2-from-the-a7s-in-post-production/

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/03/understanding-sonys-slog3-it-isnt-really-noisy/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-is-exposing-log-brightly-beneficial/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-are-sonys-isos-different-between-standard-gammas-and-log/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/using-luts-for-exposure-choosing-the-right-lut/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2018/03/banding-in-your-footage-what-causes-it-is-it-even-there/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/more-on-frame-rate-choices-for-todays-video-productions/
 
Not specific to A7Riii but relevant to getting a correct exposure:  
 
 

I bought the A7Riii and I wanted to make this thread into a resource where I can learn from others and share what I have I've learned. There is enough overlap in video with A7iii that I think it would benefit both camps. 

I bought mine $300 less than the MSRP via GreenToe. If you're not familiar it's like Priceline for buying gears. You place your price and if it's reasonable, sellers match your price or make a counter offer. I placed a bid for $2750, later increased it to $2780 and I got an offer for $2890 which I accepted. It's from a US Sony dealer. I've also heard people buying some zeiss lenses about $200 blow MSRP. You can go to Greentoe.com or if you follow my affiliate link, I think I get $25: https://gtoe.me/YsjOxVWyaM   
 
So I like to discuss camera settings, picture profile people are using, AF settings, post processing, LUTs, noise reduction techniques, etc. 

I start with what @Don Kotlos replied to my question on his picture profile settings: 
 
setting suggestions by Sony Global Ambassador: 
 
 
 
a setting used by a youtuber: 

and by another YouTuber: 
 
 
Understanding picture profiles: 

PDF  version: 
HTML version: http://helpguide.sony.net/di/pp/v1/en/contents/TP0000909109.html
 
Picture profile comparison: 
 
 
One YouTubers recommendation for Cine4 profile settings:
 
 
Exposing SLOG2 for skin tones:
 
 
Wolfcrow's explanation and reasoning for his Slog exposure process: 
 
 
 
Cine4, Slog2/3 comparison video: 
 
 
 
Some good reads from XDCAM, they're not specific to A7Riii but still very informative: 
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/10/using-s-log2-from-the-a7s-in-post-production/

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/03/understanding-sonys-slog3-it-isnt-really-noisy/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-is-exposing-log-brightly-beneficial/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/09/why-are-sonys-isos-different-between-standard-gammas-and-log/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/using-luts-for-exposure-choosing-the-right-lut/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2018/03/banding-in-your-footage-what-causes-it-is-it-even-there/
http://www.xdcam-user.com/2017/12/more-on-frame-rate-choices-for-todays-video-productions/
 
Not specific to A7Riii but relevant to getting a correct exposure:  
 
 

Hi, take a look:
 

Just a few months ago I had an FS5 and Shogun Inferno with RAW update. The kit was great however I didn't't really enjoy using it. So I ditched it and went GH5, and I find the quality of my work has improved due to the creative liberation and portability you get from it. 
If I did get any of these cameras, I'd probably go C200. Got Sigma ART lenses, Canon colour and DPAF = win! Not at all on the list though. Depends on what I'm doing. 

Here is an extensive comparison between A7rII and A7rIII also illustrating the improvement in color:
 

In all my testing I've found the existing settings work fine on the A7R III.
An update is coming out anyway, with some extra bonuses and tweaks.

I'd likely avoid log in that case (it'll be a lot of testing)

Unfortunately, there is no way. Neither internal, nor external capture.

1. I shoot by myself and with my assistant. We always have the SmallHD focus monitor on it. 
2. I’ve always shot on gimbals with manual focus. I’ve always shot on cameras that only have manual focus. This is not an issue. It’s how I learned and how I’ve always shot. I just set the focus, look at my monitor and make sure the subject I want to be in focus is in focus, then I make my move. Very simple really. On the MoVI M5 you can take one hand off and change focus while you hold the gimbal by the top handle. 
You have to treat the 1DC like a 5D mkiii basically. Use a monitor or a Zacuto Z finder and you’re set! It’s what we all did back in 2010 and that’s all I’m doing now.