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Aurora filming - upgrade?


Snowfun
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Hi,

I'm thinking of upgrading my A7S. I use it with an Atomos Shogun almost exclusively for aurora filming and am happy with the results. But the rig is a bit awkward to handle (on Miller Air sticks in the dark and often in deep snow) and the cables can have issues in the cold. Needless to say, access to the Sony menus (albeit rarely needed in these circumstances) is next to impossible with gloves and with the batteries (Hawkwoods vloks)  next to the screen.  I prefer Prores and having 4k files for cropping and applying Neat Video (if required) in post (FCX).

Obviously one option is to wait for the A7Siii and see what it offers - although I suspect it won't really offer me anything over and above the A7Sii (internal 4k).

But I keep hearing about how good the C300ii is in low light - say 25k ISO max.  Should I regard it as a contender? I'd prefer the build quality and overall ergonomics (as I perceive them - I've not used one). The 10bit means that I could sell my BMCC/BMPCC and use the C300 for everything I do (which is only hobby stuff so no major "how do I feed the kids"  issues here). And there's a 4k raw output too I believe... 

Obviously the cost is a factor but I could just about do the C300ii. The FS5/7 don't have anything like the high ISO abilities unless I am much mistaken so they are not in the frame.

Or two A7Sii/iii and couple of Samyang T1.5s and I've got multi-camera aurora footage. In glorious 8bit - I think I'd prefer 10 if the C300ii delivers...

Thoughts?

Tim

 

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I think with the c300 ii... you would be wise to rent one and see how it feels for this type of work. It is small and light compared to most video cams, but will require a sturdier tripod, which is just another thing to lug about in sub zero weather.

I wonder if the 1DX ii might be a good option? 

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Jimmy is right, the 300 is an absolutely fantastic camera, but it is expensive for an amateur, maybe a C100 is more your price, 35mbps and 8bit ofcourse, but a workhorse, I was using it in -5 degrees Celsius in the snow and rain, the whole last week (together with 24-70/70-200 L lenses) and never failed me. The batteries were going down much easier than usual though..

Don't you have any battery problems with the A7? In normal weather I need as much as 6:1 (vs C100 batteries, and IBIS with the mkII Sonys).

Rental is also cheap with C100, and will probably be fine with your tripod, even though I had some issues with the Sachtler Ace L and the 70-200, the lens was a bit heavy for that combo.

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That video was one which got me thinking. 

Move stopped using slog 

Cost - yes a consideration but certainly not the primary issue. The C300ii is affordable. Batteries with A7S - not a problem because I use hawkwoods vloks.

C100 = 8 bit = no advantage (over A7S + Shogun)

Temperature wise - I've used the A7S at -35C. It lived.

Problem with renting a C300ii (which I would love to do) is that I reside in Finland for 3 months over winter (aurora "season") and couldn't afford rental for that time! 

Is the C300 really heavier than my current set up (which is very top-heavy)? I do like the Miller as it doesn't freeze up!

Thank you for comments. 

Tim

 

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I've only used the C300, not the mk ii, which is a little heavier. In terms of tripod gear, you might be right... probably a similar tripod required once you factor in your monitor and battery on the A7s.

Is this purchase a consideration for this aurora season, or next?

As things stand, the obvious choices seem to be the A7s ii, C300 ii and the 1DX ii ..... No doubt NAB will bring a few more to the list.

If you can justiy the costs, the c300 ii seems like a great camera though. I seem to remember it got a recent upgrade that really improved dr/noise in clog 2 and 3. The AF might be handy too, if you are filming people watching the auroras.

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39 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Is this purchase a consideration for this aurora season, or next?

Next.

Esconced in my cabin for this - some good aurora so far. Unfortunately I had a failure of the hdmi cable (related to the cold and movement I assume) so I had to take a lot of footage at internal HD. A new cable arrived (CVP/DHL delivered to the cabin at the end of the road with the pink sledge outside) and the Shogun is back receiving an input. 

I won't decide until the A7Siii is released but I'd like to be able to replace everything (A7S, BMCC,  BMPCC) with one camera.  Although waiting will, of course, simply subject me to rumours of the A7Siv etc....

AF not important for the aurora side of things. People get in the way! But, yes, might be fun for the rest (I've only ever used manual lenses so a new area to explore).

Tim

 

 

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nah A7S III will 99,9% not be 10bit. If you got the money, the c300 II is the best option. It might be noisyer, but you will be able to clean it up in post where you will not have any playroom with the A7S. Im hoping the C100 III will be 10bit and RAW to external recorder. Then I will be all over that. 

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22 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

nah A7S III will 99,9% not be 10bit.

I've seen a few people with this line of thought.... I don't really get it... Sony react very quickly and swim in the same pool as Panasonic, they need features to set them apart from the kings Canon and Nikon.

They will be well aware of the GH5 and the hype it has created. Also, there are not that many places an A7S III can go, feature wise.

 

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20 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

I've seen a few people with this line of thought.... I don't really get it... Sony react very quickly and swim in the same pool as Panasonic, they need features to set them apart from the kings Canon and Nikon.

They will be well aware of the GH5 and the hype it has created. Also, there are not that many places an A7S III can go, feature wise.

 

Because of the fs5 and fs7, they will only put 10bit in a consumer camera when we will see a signifcant upgrade in the fs5 and fs7.

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Panasonic have high end cameras too.

Not many people who require a solid video camera will jump ship to an A7s purely because of a codec... NDs, XLR, HFR, battery etc etc are the deal breakers. If anything, those type of shooter will probably buy an additional A7s iii, as a B/C cam that matches well.

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Yeah panasonic has the varicam line. Which is great but also expensive. But nothing serious in between(at least not for me). And look at Sony, they released a FS7 II, and you need to pay 2300€ more then a FS7 I and it has like none interesting improvements(atleast not for me). But Im not hoping on panasonic or sony to get a cheap cinema camera. 

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Presumably, if the A7Siii were to appear with 10 bit, I'd be stupid to buy a C300ii? Indeed for what I like doing a 10 bit A7Siii is essentially the end of story...

The fs5/7 with similar high ISO performance would be nice (although I think I understand why it's unlikely as professionals are likely to be lighting anyway).

Cloudy sky this evening... 

 

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1 hour ago, Jimmy said:

I can understand why you think it might happen, but a 99.99% chance?

They pretty much have to go with 4K/60p or 10 bit to make it worthwhile for video shooters to upgrade. I don't think the likelihood of seeing both is 0.01%!

I also think it was exaggerated, the change are around 99.98%, wake up people, Sony is not going to hurt the FS5/FS7, Panasonic is the only one who is going to give us 10bit 422 since they don`t have any other camera above to protect....if you have the money, go for the C300 mkii, you can use that camera for everything, it is a workhorse, I didn`t have the money so I went for the C100 mki with atomos ninja star, 8bit 422, and I am happy with it!!!

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