Message for Doug:

I am coming up on 6 months since I bought this training, and I am so sad to see it go!

This class is invaluable, but I hate that its a rental and not a purchase.

I learned so much from it, and I still refer back to it from time to time for clarification on a setting.

Is there any way to get an extention to access this material on Vimeo after we have paid $80 for it?

Hi Brian,

I'm glad that you liked the video series, and I did price it as a rental to keep the cost down. I think that for most people this method has worked very well -- and Vimeo only allows one pricing option. If it was possible to offer two options -- 6-months or 1-year at different price poitns -- I would have done it.

Unfortunately, as it stands now, I have no control over the ordering process or giving extensions -- that is all in the hands of Vimeo. I don't get any customer information, order details, or anything else, nor is there any interface for me to control anything at all regarding orders. All I get is a cookie cutter notice when someone places an order that doesn't even have the customer name.

BTW, if someone feels they need a long-term resource beyond six months I recommend they get the FS7 field guide book instead of the streaming. It is very convenient to carry in a camera bag and I use it all the time myself.

Doug Jensen's Sony PXW-FS7 Field Guide Book (http://www.vortexmedia.com/Sony_PXW-FS7_Field_Guide.html)

I'll echo Doug's suggestion, the FS/7 Field Guide is a perfect companion to the on line intensive course. I refer to my guide all the time and the phraseology is identical. The book has the added advantage of not needing to be plugged in, online, within wifi, it's 100% reliable "old school" analog and I like that about it.

I get the initial push back on the 6 month rental, but that course anywhere else would have cost hundreds, and it's worth that and more, so signing up for another six months is still a good deal for what you get.

Really looking forward to Doug's training videos on the FS5 ;-)

Any chance they're gonna be out before the camera ships, Doug?

That way I'd get to enjoy and know the camera before it's actually in my hands...

Well Doug, seems the new Sony would be a perfect fit in my equipment list for those tight air to air shoots where the rigged out FS/7 is a little unwieldy. A cursory look tells me that if you are familiar with the 7, the 5 wouldn't be much of a transition.

Hope you are having a great time on your road trip!

Really looking forward to Doug's training videos on the FS5 ;-)
Any chance they're gonna be out before the camera ships, Doug?

Sorry, due to my schedule and the amount of time it takes working with the camera, I don't expect my training video to be ready until January. Also, I can't use pre-production cameras because there are often too many last minute changes by Sony -- sometimes based on my own feedback. I can go ahead and get familiar with a prototype and making preliminary notes, but the real production of the video cannot start until the final cameras are shipping. Thanks for asking!

Well Doug, seems the new Sony would be a perfect fit in my equipment list for those tight air to air shoots where the rigged out FS/7 is a little unwieldy. A cursory look tells me that if you are familiar with the 7, the 5 wouldn't be much of a transition.

Hope you are having a great time on your road trip!


I agree, the FS5 would be perfect for the tight confines of air-to-air.

My annual road trip shooting 4K wildlife and national parks stock footage is going great. Glacier, Roosevelt, Yellowstone, and now Grand Teton. My only complaint is the skies are too blue and boring, and the weather is way too warm for this time of year. But nevertheless, I'm getting good footage and, more importantly, enjoying do it. I may reverse direction and head back to Yellowstone if the weather cools off or we get some cloudy skies.

[QUOTE=Doug Jensen;1886157]I With Universal-1 you get the benefits of S-LOG's dynamic range and highlight handling, but the grade is a lot closer to finished right out of the camera.

I too shoot with you Universal-1 scene file after taking your online class. It's working great for me. I still enjoy the rush I get when I put on a LUT and see how amazing and different the pictures can look from LUT to LUT.

Recently, three friends / colleagues of mine have purchased FS7s and are shooting with Cine EI mode. I mentioned that I took your course and shoot Custom with gamma S-Log3. They asked me what the difference is between that and CineEi mode and other than the fixed iso and many setting/controls turned off, I didn't know.

What ARE the major differences picture wise, and is anything gained with Cine EI over Custom with Slog3 gamma?

Thanks so much for sharing you knowledge online.

That's a great question Peter. I'm sure Doug has solid reasons for preferring Cine EI, but , even with all of Doug's help, I switched to Custom a few days ago just because I wanted to see something nice come from all the money I have invested. I realize that it's my inexperience, not the FS/7, but my post processing skills are just not up to Cine EI yet it seems. Shot some beautiful Custom clips this week, so I'm feeling a little better.

Where is Universal 1? Can you point me in that direction?

Jim pretty much answered the question for me already.

If you want to record the the cleanest, least adulterated signal possible (without shooting RAW) then Cine EI with S-LOG is the best choice. This gives you maximum flexibility in post and you don't have to worry about any settings except exposure and one of three white balance presets when you are shooting. Everything else is locked down and fool proof. But the trade off is that it takes more time in to process the footage in post, you need to use a dedicated program such as DaVinci Resolve to grade the footage (not an NLE), and you better have the skills in Resolve to make the footage come to life.

The Custom Mode is best if you want to shoot WYSIWYG video that will require hardly any, or maybe even none at all, processing in post. Hopefully the video will be ready to use right out of the camera. And if some adjustments are necessary (such as when using my Universal-1 scene file) they are simple enough that they can be done in your NLE. With custom mode you also get full white balance control, noise reduction, and better access to the camera's exposure monitoring tools -- so grading can be skipped or greatly simplified. But the trade off is that you better be shooting with a good solid Scene File that already comes 90% of the way to providing a finished look in the camera because that look will be much harder to change in post than if you shot Cine EI.

So the bottom line is that if you already know how you want your finished video to look, choose Custom and use a Scene File. But if you want maximum flexibility in post and have good grading skills, monitors, and time on your hands -- then Cine EI might be best choice.

Two very valid but different ways of working with the FS7, F5, and F55. But most cameras from other manufacturers simply don't have the processing horsepower to have a Custom option. With Custom, the camera is basically tgrading the footage on the fly as it is recorded. But other brands of cameras cannot do that, so those cameras have to be used with neutral settings and then the footage graded in post. Sony gives you both options!

Thanks for the clarification Doug! That is exactly what I gleaned from your online course and your Field Guide.

I'm just about to pull the trigger on the FS/5 after much research. Do you think the reduced frame rate of the 5 will be a drawback with the subjects I shoot? I'm thinking that just having the FS/5 by my side and set to S&Q Motion would be worth the investment. Shooting 4K and switching to an S&Q friendly codec on the FS/7 seems pretty disruptive, if you had the FS/5 set and handy, it would make capturing slo-mo simpler.

I think the FS5 is a very nice camera but it's no substitute for an FS7. The FS5 simply lacks an awful of of features, codecs, functions, and menu options of the FS7. If size, weight, or cost are a consideration, the the FS5 might make sense, but other than that, I can't really see a good reason for a pro to choose an FS5 over and FS7. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the FS5, I'm just saying it lacks a lot of stuff. Different cameras to suit different needs.

Thank you very much for the answer. I've only just read this now. I'm still a little confused, because when I set the gamma to s-log3 in custom mode (your universal-1 profile) , the image flattens out and needs correction. I put it in FCPX and use LUTS and the change is dramatic and awesome and there is a lot of control. But I do wonder if I'm taking full advantage of the DR and/or missing out on picture quality because I'm not putting it in Resolve (which I don't use and don't really want to learn as I'm already as busy as all get out). Sounds like I have to shoot Custom mode given that.

Peter, are you using ALL of my settings for Universal-1 or just the gamma mode? If you are using all the settings incorporated into my scene file the image should look 80-90% of the way finished right out of the camera and no LUT or fancy grading in Resolve should be needed. However it will certainly need some image manipulation in post to push it over the top, but those simple adjustments can be done in an NLE. Just to be clear, Universal-1 is not meant to be a WYSIWYG scene file where grading can be totally avoided -- it just lightens the load a lot. My philosophy is that unless you are shooting CINE EI or RAW as much of the video processing as possible should be done on-board the camera before any compression or image degradation has been applied. The camera is processing at 16-bit internally before it spits the video out and you can't get that pristine signal later in post.

On the other hand, if you are using S-LOG3 and not using the other paint menu settings of Universal-1, then the picture will look pretty drab and will require more work in post. Applying a LUT would be a good head start -- and I'd rather use Resolve for that. But if you are happy with the results you are getting in FCPX, why change?

Thanks Doug. I use your Universal-1 setting in its entirety. And now that you mention it, a few simple adjustments to the contrast and saturation make it pleasing to the eye. But my editor and I seem to get better results when we whap on a LUT and go from there. But it's not perfect and there are LUTs we have that are designed for S-log-3 that don't even come close to looking right, which has confused me. But less so now. I think I will do a test CineEI and your universal-1 on the same shot/lighting conditions and apply those same LUTS to see what looks better.

I agree with you. I'm happy with the results we get with your profile and FCPX / LUTs we purchased, so I see no need to go to Resolve. Thanks again for taking the time to answer.

Hi Doug
My question is, are you upgrading your PXW-FS7 Master Class for firmware 3.0
It would be interesting to know
Regards
Tommy S

Hi Tommy,

The honest answer is that I don't know yet. I'm just finishing up my FS5 training video that I've been working on since November and I haven't even looked at the new firmware for the FS7 or F55. I'll be working on another project during February so it will be March before I can even consider it.

Thanks for asking,
Doug

Hi Doug,

Sorry to ask on this thread but when will your FS5 Training Video & Book be ready on you website?

Thank you.

Hi Harry,

The video will be available weekend if all goes well. Uploading the 20 chapters right now.
Not sure if there will be a book or not, but if there is, it is at least a couple of months away.

Doug

Doug,

I watched your FS7 training videos before deciding to buy the camera. I was shopping for a new camera with 4K and HFR capability. I thought it was going to be BMD's Mini Ursa. The FS7 just looked like too much camera for me. The Mini hit a snag and meanwhile I gained enough confidence from the videos and went ahead and ordered the camera back in August. I have the book also for reference as I get more into the more complicated functions. This week I went to a speedway and shot about 4 hours at the drifting track. All 180fps, so no auto anything. With peeking, I think I did pretty good riding both the focus ring and zoom ring. It's a very nice camera and I've made the plunge to try external raw recording to the Odyssey 7Q+. Hopefully by the time I move back to the U.S. I'll be ready to take on some actual paid work. Anyways, thanks for producing such a comprehensive video presentation.

Mark
"Video Enthusiast"

Hey Mark,

That's cool to hear that the camera is working out and that you're happy with it. I like hearing feedback like that! I'm honored to have been given the chance to give you a push in the right direction and flatten that learning curve.

The drifting track sounds cool I'd go shoot it with you if I was there!

Doug

Hi Doug,

Sorry to ask on this thread but when will your FS5 Training Video & Book be ready on you website?

Thank you.

I am happy to say that my FS5 master class is up and running now.

6 hours
20 chapters
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/fs5


You can watch the entire first chapter (56 minutes) for free.
Doug Jensen’s Sony PXW-FS5 Master Class - CHAPTER ONE FREE! on Vimeo

Doug, Great work on the Sony FS5 Masterclass. I have already learned a lot after watching just the first two chapters. I hope you will publish a Field Guide for the FS5 as well. I'm curious, do you use your F5 to film the class? The IQ is amazing.

Hi Michael,

I'm pleased to hear you are liking the video. I'm not currently working on an FS5 book and nothing is planned at this time, but it is too early to rule it out entirely.

All of the example shots, opening montage, b-roll, and demonstration footage was shot with the FS5. But I only have one FS5, so when you're watching my video and you see the FS5 in the shot, then that video would have been shot with my F55.

Doug

Yes. I agree about Jensen's camera classes. We learned SO MUCH from the course when we first got the FS7 and the field guide is always in the camera bag. His writing style and chapter sequence is broken down in a logical form that makes it easy to follow and refer back to a specific topic it needed.

Also with this new FS5 course. In the same way as his other training, he talks "camera man to camera man". I've only been though 6 chapters am happy with it already. The menus and options < and lacking of options > are SO different than the FS7.

I also like how the training takes advantage of technology by making it a streaming course. Simple to connect and watch from anywhere. < with cell data or wifi of course >
Hats off to Jensen again for putting so much content and time into this.