Shining a light - Sony A7S II first impressions & 4K S-LOG 3 clips for download / grading

[barefoot]

Everyone has their opinion, personally the Sony A7 cameras are excellent when in the correct hands.......

j.f.r, you've missed my point. I wasn't suggesting that it isn't possible to create beautiful videos from the A7S series. 

[Bernzini]

Has anybody tried the Metabones Nikon to E-Mount adapter on Sony's A7 cameras? I've read pretty bad reviews about it. Anyone can tell how well or bad does it work? Thanks!

[smon222]

I case anyone is interested.

Just recorded 29min clip 4K 24 100m and no overheating yet on the A7s II.  Lcd was on and against the body and in a 75 degree room.  Body was warm though. Just a note, the battery is lasting longer than I remember the mk1.

 

 

[independent]

Can somebody with the a7s ii confirm 5-axis stabilization with 3rd party lenses, for both manual (Nikon F) as well as adapted electronic (e.g. Canon + metabones) ? There's some conflicting info out there, and b&h's site says 5-axis stabilization works on all lenses. 

[Rand Thompson]

New here, but I just love the look of S-Log-3 footage graded. If the photos were posted incorrectly, please let me know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jcs]

Re: overheating: try back to back 29min clips (mine overheated ~10 minutes into the 2nd recording). At this time I don't see that as an issue as I never do takes anywhere near that long (and tend to turn the camera off to save battery).

5-axis stabilizer: works on every lens. Tested on with MB IV and SpeedBooster: Canon 50mm 1.4, Canon 24-70  F2.8L II, Canon 85mm F1.2L. Results are pretty good. It's necessary to hold very still, else the motion can get 'springy' (still better than microjitter). Coupled with a small rig/brace (+ extra weight), it will work very well.

The Sony FE 24-240 works very well- stable smooth image (IS + IBIS).

Shooting RAW stills: Sony's color science has really improved over the A7S: it's actually a decent still camera for skintones now.

Favorite indoor settings: Cine1 gamma and SGamut3.cine. For high-dynamic range, SLog2 and SGamut3.cine. SGamut3 gamma is noisier and has banding issues compared to SLog2, Cine1/2/4.

[independent]

Re: overheating: try back to back 29min clips (mine overheated ~10 minutes into the 2nd recording). At this time I don't see that as an issue as I never do takes anywhere near that long (and tend to turn the camera off to save battery).

5-axis stabilizer: works on every lens. Tested on with MB IV and SpeedBooster: Canon 50mm 1.4, Canon 24-70  F2.8L II, Canon 85mm F1.2L. Results are pretty good. It's necessary to hold very still, else the motion can get 'springy' (still better than microjitter). Coupled with a small rig/brace (+ extra weight), it will work very well.

The Sony FE 24-240 works very well- stable smooth image (IS + IBIS).

Shooting RAW stills: Sony's color science has really improved over the A7S: it's actually a decent still camera for skintones now.

Favorite indoor settings: Cine1 gamma and SGamut3.cine. For high-dynamic range, SLog2 and SGamut3.cine. SGamut3 gamma is noisier and has banding issues compared to SLog2, Cine1/2/4.

To clarify, did it work on "every" lens or the Canon lenses that you've listed? Second, are you sure that all 5-axis are engaged (yaw, pitch, roll, X, Y)?  

I think what causes confusion is the statement the stabilization system works for all lenses. That may be partially true, in the sense that 3 out of 5-axis may be engaged, but that doesn't mean that all 5 are. 

This site quotes Mark Weir as making some unclear comments about it : http://www.thephoblographer.com/2014/12/17/comparison-olympus-sonys-5-axis-stabilization-work/#.VicvKbwyeRs

According to the site, entering the focal length into the camera provides pitch and yaw. Roll stabilization is always available - lens agnostic.

Based on the process of elimination, it seems that X and Y stabilization needs focal distance - that's the information that can't be manually inputed into the lens. This isn't absolutely clear though. Second, it's not clear if focal distance is communicated electronically via adapters like metabones - whether at all, or more importantly, accurately. If it's being communicated but incorrectly because of the middleman adapter, then it'll be lost in translation. In the article above, they recommend turning image stabilization off in canon lenses.

What complicates this further? These comments were made about the A7II, not A7S II. So it's uncertain how much those comments apply now. 

I think clarity on this issue makes a big difference... it can be a determining factor on what lenses to use for certain shots, and it can have a major impact on your cinematography.

 

[jcs]

independent- I couldn't see any difference between Auto and Manual (+ setting focal length), looks like all 5 axis work OK. Perhaps on a longer focal length manual might work better. In any case, the stabilization is pretty good. Not as good as say Power OIS on a Panasonic Camcorder, but good enough if one is very smooth with the camera. On a basic rig the results will be excellent.

[Nicolas MAILLET]

New here, but I just love the look of S-Log-3 footage graded. If the photos were posted incorrectly, please let me know.

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

[Rand Thompson]

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

Thanks, actually its was a custom Lut I made and After Effect using a custom curve.

[Rand Thompson]

Here is the graded clip of one of the Jpegs.

 

[thecaptiveman]

Re: overheating: try back to back 29min clips (mine overheated ~10 minutes into the 2nd recording). At this time I don't see that as an issue as I never do takes anywhere near that long (and tend to turn the camera off to save battery).

This is a huge improvement over the A7R II, and I imagine for most people it would be good enough. The problem for me is that I shoot interviews that go longer than this. It's too bad because if it wasn't for this one issue both the A7R II and A7S II would be nearly perfect for me. 

Can anyone else confirm that the camera overheats after recording 40 consecutive minutes or so?

[Rand Thompson]

Decided to post 4 more grades. I have a GH4  and Vlog-L, at least in 8-bit mode, doesn't look as good as this does graded.

 

[Rand Thompson]

If some or all of these videos need to be deleted, I will completely understand.

 

 

Rand

[Rand Thompson]

I was looking at the video with the two girls and a guy with the yellow subway train. There is a guy in a Blue colored coat behind them. If you look at the graded footage, there seems to be  some purple in the coat as well. I thought it was just my grade but you can see hints of it . albeit much less saturated in the ungraded footage as well.

Could it just be the fluorescent lights above in the subway?Here is want I am talking about below.

 

 

[Nicolas MAILLET]

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

[MattH]

100%. And I'm thinking, that just like any other fad, that at one point there could very well be a mass exodus away from these candy colours.

I wouldn't count on it.  I think we are going to have to endure this sort of over exuberant grading till the day we die.

[User]

On second thought, I'm with you. I wasn't considering the newly arriving hordes.

[Rand Thompson]

Nicolas,

I think I have to get use to grading Sony S-log footage. I think also, because these clips were all one long continuous shot, that the grade of one part of the clip may have been too much for other parts of the clip. I was use to the colors from my Canon 7D being more or less perfect out of camera. The same goes for my GH1, Nikon D7000 and D7100, and the Sony a6000.

[Gregormannschaft]

Not from the A7S2, but the A7R2, but this footage is gorgeous.

https://vimeo.com/142734311