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A new (and extraordinary) Sony A7S 4K low light test


Andrew Reid
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The Sony A7S is the camera I am most looking forward to in the coming months and although it is a shame it lacks an internal 4K codec, it does promise much improved internal 1080p and 4K HDMI output. Here Yosh Enatsu has used the Blackmagic HDMI to SDI Ultra HD converter to a Hyperdeck Studio deck to record this test shoot in the dead of night.

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

The dead of night recording looks amazing...if only youtube didnt kill it...or maybe its my screen someone tell yoshiro to upload it on vimeo!

the setup looks hard to operate...and at what cost? maybe you can get a camera with internal 4k recording with this money?too much trouble for a tiny body in my opinion, but if you have the "madness" and already own some of the setup maybe its a good idea to get the camera..

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This camera is amazing. The only thing holding me back from this camera (but I'll probably get it anyway) is the fact that it is FF. It probably sounds weird, but after using an APS-C camera, I have a lot of APS-C lenses. I know that it has a crop mode, but APS-C 4K is upscaled if I heard correctly and as far as I know that isn't good :D

But because of the way I shoot, 4K isn't a necessity, low light and DR are much more important to me and this camera tackles both of those things, well, epicly.

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I don't agree that the small body size seems rediculous with large lenses/rig.  The body is a piece of technology that houses the sensor, processors, and holds the lens mount.  It seems like the best approach is to get that as small as possible while still giving the functionality you need/want.  For me, looking at this camera as a possible 5D replacement, I'm looking at it as cutting 1lb off what I carry around.  So if my overall weight and size are skewed heavily towards the lens/rig that I use, I'm fine with that.  Plus the small size here gives many options - you can use a svelte lens in situations where you need that, like a handheld stabilizer gimbal, and use heavier lenses when you want that - long shots on a tripod, etc.  Whatever gets that job done of processing the image, in whatever form is the most efficient.

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Is it really 15 stops of DR in video? I saw the dxomark tests which puts Sony A7R between 14 and 15 DR in photo but it doesn't mean that it will have 15 stops dynamic range. 

 

The APS-C Canons for example have 11 stops in stills but barely have 8 stops in video. 

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Regarding the camera vs lens/rig size, you can always adapt some Nikon AIS primes and record internal 1080p to keep the size/weight down for guerrilla stuff.  Then when you need to go all-out for 4k, do the rig with a shogun or whatever. I'm sure most real-world projects in the next year or so will be delivering in 1080p or 2k, so a single project could combine both techniques.  I'm just curious how the 1080p XAVC-S will handle color grading.

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There's something funky on the image around and inside the lantern - especially the last shot.  Doesn't it look really really video-y?  I can't tell what I'm seeing.  Almost like it was shot at 60p or something (which I think is impossible for the 4k on this camera). 

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The fact that you can see detail inside the lantern without losing the shadow detail in the background is amazing.  I'm not crazy about the color in this clip, but you really can't argue with the DR.

 

Yes the dynamic range looks incredibly filmic. The way it handles the highs and lows... amazing.

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Regarding the camera vs lens/rig size, you can always adapt some Nikon AIS primes and record internal 1080p to keep the size/weight down for guerrilla stuff.  Then when you need to go all-out for 4k, do the rig with a shogun or whatever. I'm sure most real-world projects in the next year or so will be delivering in 1080p or 2k, so a single project could combine both techniques.  I'm just curious how the 1080p XAVC-S will handle color grading.

 

Hopefully one day we will get a 4K Ninja Star.

 

Just an improvement to the mounting of a larger monitor would be handy... I don't like spidery arms and top heavy rigs for handheld, so putting the monitor on top of a cage or on the hotshoe is a no-go for me. I'll be coming up with a different rig.

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Hopefully one day we will get a 4K Ninja Star.

 

Just an improvement to the mounting of a larger monitor would be handy... I don't like spidery arms and top heavy rigs for handheld, so putting the monitor on top of a cage or on the hotshoe is a no-go for me. I'll be coming up with a different rig.

 

What about your BMPCC rig? As I recall you had a good minimalist cage for that camera. You think you could rig something similar for a7s?

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The fact that you can see detail inside the lantern without losing the shadow detail in the background is amazing.  I'm not crazy about the color in this clip, but you really can't argue with the DR.

 

I do wonder how the camera would handle the kinds of high-motion footage I've seen you shoot.  Previous reports express concerns regarding the jello.

 

Still, carrying two or even three cameras around on a shoot these days is a heck of a lot easier than it was carrying just one around in the past, so I'm not put off totally by certain limitations when the payoff is of such high value.  

 

For my travel shooting gigs, a GH4, EM-D, and an A7s can live together in the same backpack with a few lenses.  I could make that work.

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Is it really 15 stops of DR in video? I saw the dxomark tests which puts Sony A7R between 14 and 15 DR in photo but it doesn't mean that it will have 15 stops dynamic range. 

 

The APS-C Canons for example have 11 stops in stills but barely have 8 stops in video. 

 

It won't have that DR unless the video is raw. It'll be really good though, it seems. 

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That's some serious crazy low light shit & it looks just fine - now did they leave it in s-log or did they grade it?

Was it me or did they blow the highlights, sorry blacks in the last ISO test!

The only thing that troubles me is if the Jello is really nasty, then the lowlight capablities will just be a gimmick for video.

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