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A6500 AF, quick question :)


Papiskokuji
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Hi guys !

I'm about to buy an A6500, but I was wondering if the PDAF works in 120 fps mode. Does someone have the camera and could tell me with confidence if it is the case or not. I have a RX100 V and the PDAF only works in 60p max. In 100/120 fps, it relies on contrast detection only... :(

Thanks !

And also, if someone has an idea about the quality difference between the A7S II and the A6500 in 120 fps mode. I think they're quite similar (if I remember correctly).

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No, I can't tell "with confidence". I only ever made 5-6 test shots with slomos. One was a fast jump to my microphone shock mount on the table from 6 feet distance to close up, AF set to center. With this 5 x slomo, it nailed the focus perfectly in every frame. But then, the motif was black with sharp outlines and lying on bright wood. 

What this test showed clearly was that the image quality is really poor then. That's why I didn't do more slomo tests.

AF is good in general, but it all depends on the mode, if you chose the right one. The most reliable modes are those which involve tracking, for example face detection. They can be called perfect. But there are caveats there as well. See Max Yuryevs and Jason Wongs tips on Youtube. A vlogger's face may be constantly sharp as he/she moves forwards and backwards, but there may be perceptible breathing of the oof background, and this also depends on the AF speed and (here it gets complicated) on the lens used.

Fact is, the AF works best if it has little to do. When the lens is stopped down to it's maximum resolution and the focal length allows hyperfocal distance. What's the point then? 

Here is a real world example from a wedding videographers view. It's a bright day, and you are outside. In 2160p, the display gets so dark, you really can't see your image!  In AF mode, there s no peaking to check critical focus. So what I do is either focus manually through the viewfinder (with IBIS and OIS you need only the most basic rig, like a more comfortable *grip*, if at all) or, if I am to use a gimbal, use a bright field monitor (i.e. the smallHD Focus, which has peaking in AF mode). Touch AF doesn't work then, for obvious reasons. I then stop down the aperture to - typically - f7.

Yes, I do lose nice DoF effects, but the AF won't fail then. One of the biggest advantages of having a camera with good low light capabilities is to be able to use, say, f5.6 in an available light situation. Also, shooting with 120 fps. You need five times the light for that. Then again, since the HD quality of this camera is nothing to write home about anyway, you'll want to use a lower ISO to get a cleaner image.

Lenses: too many aspects to consider. If good and reliable AF is essential, use good Sony lenses. Or perhaps the new Sigma 16mm, the reviews suggest it's the perfect gimbal lens for the A6500.

There is no easy answer ...

 

 

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Although I didn't actually shoot any footage, I set the camera up for 120fps and turned it to AF-C and panned around and the AF seemed to adjust fine. Didn't give me any warnings. This is with the SEL 10-18 f/4.

Tomorrow I will try and confirm by shooting some footage. It's 10:00 at night now.

I imagine the 120fps of the a7S II would be significantly better. all of the 1080p on the a6500 / a6300 is not good. It is like some of the Canon cameras shooting 1080p in MP4. Maybe a bit sharper but with more aliasing and moire. 120fps on the a6500 is supposed to be even worse.

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The upcoming A6700 very probably will have 60p UHD and even better AF. It will almost certainly also have an HLG profile. Now if it also had all that with 10-bit video (and the fully articulated display) ... 

GH what?

Be it as it may, as soon as a new version is available, all Sonys drop in price dramatically. This is a sad fact now that you made up your mind to get one. Should you wait? Your decision. At least I would try to get a used one. 

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On 2/19/2018 at 9:50 AM, Axel said:

The upcoming A6700 very probably will have 60p UHD and even better AF. It will almost certainly also have an HLG profile. Now if it also had all that with 10-bit video (and the fully articulated display) ... 

GH what?

Be it as it may, as soon as a new version is available, all Sonys drop in price dramatically. This is a sad fact now that you made up your mind to get one. Should you wait? Your decision. At least I would try to get a used one. 

What a6700? How do you know there is one coming? and when? and how do you know even details like 60p UHD and HLG profile?

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On 19/02/2018 at 8:50 AM, Axel said:

The upcoming A6700 very probably will have 60p UHD and even better AF. It will almost certainly also have an HLG profile. Now if it also had all that with 10-bit video (and the fully articulated display) ... 

GH what?

Be it as it may, as soon as a new version is available, all Sonys drop in price dramatically. This is a sad fact now that you made up your mind to get one. Should you wait? Your decision. At least I would try to get a used one. 

Hehe thanks for the insight ! I actually haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s just that I have an opportunity to get one for a good price and that I know I’ll be able to rent the A6500+gimbal set up quite easily...

Something also dramatically changed my mind about sony slog2 100mb 8 bit codec recently... I tried the last version of Magic Bullet looks and I don’t know how they pulled it off but they have great color correction tools which don’t break the image ! No pink macroblocking, no nothing ! So impressive ! You can also easily change the skin color. The results are astonishing ! Very cinematic, very flexible !

I’m sure the GH5 can produce « thicker » images... but it’s more expensive, you have to buy v-log, the storage space needed is greater... I have my 5D mkIII for this :) I dont know, we´ll see what I end up buying !

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1 hour ago, Papiskokuji said:

Hehe thanks for the insight ! I actually haven’t made up my mind yet. It’s just that I have an opportunity to get one for a good price and that I know I’ll be able to rent the A6500+gimbal set up quite easily...

Something also dramatically changed my mind about sony slog2 100mb 8 bit codec recently... I tried the last version of Magic Bullet looks and I don’t know how they pulled it off but they have great color correction tools which don’t break the image ! No pink macroblocking, no nothing ! So impressive ! You can also easily change the skin color. The results are astonishing ! Very cinematic, very flexible !

I’m sure the GH5 can produce « thicker » images... but it’s more expensive, you have to buy v-log, the storage space needed is greater... I have my 5D mkIII for this :) I dont know, we´ll see what I end up buying !

Just one man's opinion:

The 1080p of the a6500 (and a6300) is pretty bad. If I need 1080p, then I switch out my a6500 for my a6000 or my a5100, which means a max of 60fps 1080p. Or shoot in 4K (up to 30fps) and then downscale to 1080p in your NLE.

Also, be sure you can live with the screen dimming, the rolling shutter, the overheating issue, you will want to get EOSHD Pro / Pro Log (or spend some time getting some good profiles, GFilm like is nice for S Log), and the ergonomics / UI.

No camera is perfect and I like a lot of things about my Sony cameras, but I am also dissatisfied by a lot of things with them.

Hope this helps.

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