New Sony A7s to shoot 4K video

[Peter Siamidis]

Cool, I was unlikely to buy camera form factor for video use anyways, but the A7s being 4k external recording only makes it simple for me to totally ignore. Hopefully they have a full frame 4k video camera in the works though, but then again that would cannibalize their FS-700 so who knows.

EDIT: Hmm on second thought after reading it's specs....maybe I could try replacing my VG900 with this one, what to do, what to do....

[Ryan Douthit]

I predict they'll make a new version of the FS100 (the FS100s?) with this same chip. I mean, seriously, SLog2 Gamma, XAVCS at 50 mb/s and 4k out in a tiny mirrorless? Not to mention this will easily dethrone the FS as the "low light king." Very impressed. I may replace my FS100 with one (or two) of these when they come out.

[Ryan Douthit]

Didn't see anyone post the official video. Click through to YouTube and play it in full 4k glory. (obviously recorded with an external recorder.)

α7S Unparalleled 4K image quality (from Sony: Official Video Release) - YouTube

[Cliff Totten]

WOW!,..I'm sure the codec is there on the motherboard. Sony has just disabled it for now. They are probably testing the market to see if they will enable it later.....WOW!

And now Atomos has the "Shogun" 4K external recorder? Nice move Atomos!!

[Tim Polster]

Originally Posted by James Manford

Looks like there will be some fantastic 4K cameras in the horizon then.

I think it would be best to wait atleast 2 years before any upgrade (if it's even needed for the work you do).

The hobbyist rather than the professional inside me just wants one for fun.

It is difficult but I agree. If you can have the strength to wait things are always better past the transitional stage. But the images are amazing.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Impressive image quality in that official video. No fast action though - it will be interesting to see what the rolling shutter is like.

EDIT: Just watched the Den Lennie Vimeo film (embedded on his blog). Sure, only HD, but some lovely action shots with the A7S in Scotland.

[Betsy Moore]

To me, this camera is both incredible and at the same time the definition of a heartbreaker.

1) I don't know how you can look at the ancient AF technology and think that it's anything but intentionally crippled compared to the AF on Sony's own A6000, Canon 70 D, and the Panasonic GH4. I know for a lot of old schoolers AF is the devil but the devil has his uses. With a full frame camera in shallow focus my operator has a gruesome time trying to follow focus on moving actors while advanced AF systems can do this easily. She has to spend 90% of her creative energy trying to keep the leading man's eyes in focus rather than feeling free to move the camera and find new compositions as the take proceeds. One man crews lose the option of steadicam, or "human crane" shots.

2) 8 bit out? Really? Really?

3) The GH4 can record 200 mbs internally (also only in HD so I imagine also intentionally crippled)--why can't the A7s record some flavor of 4k at least 200 mbs as well? I've had an A99/Ninja 2 combo for approaching 2 years now and as much as I love my Ninja having an external recorder as large and bulky as your camera eliminates the essential light footprint appeal of a small camera. You're more likely to draw notice in public quasi legal situations, the recorder is unweildy and threatens to tip over, the hdmi wire cuts out or goes bad for ever if you breathe on it the wrong way, it's twice as heavy which means twice as many cameragirl rest breaks, it's far more combersome to turn on/off, especially with the Tascam required for external sound, and worst of all because an external recorder is so unweildy you find yourself being less flexible, less willing to go for those cool low, high angles, and/or other awkward angles for fear of messing something up.

I can live with an external recorder one last time, especially since the new Atomos at least doesn't have the Ninja 2's picture quality of a 90 year old cateracts patient. But after all this waiting, and all the potential cost and bulk involved... after all this, the focus issues still won't allow me to move the camera freely? And the output is still too compressed for advanced grading?

Intentionally crippled. Has to be. That's why Sony has gone in twenty years from the most prestigious electronics brand in history to the new Admiral Televisions. They no longer try to make the most jaw droppingly amazing techno miracle--they try to make the next chess move.

So why do I want one so bad?

Oh, that low light...

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Ryan Douthit

Didn't see anyone post the official video.

Those 12800 iso shots, wtf...I read that the camera can do ISO 200 – 409600 for movies, 409600 iso, that almost sounds like a joke :) Couple that with the new full frame E-mount power zoom 28-135mm, F4 that they have under development and you are ready to go, to bad you need to invest in the external recorder to get 4K as well. The rumor mill says the camerabody would be around the price of the gh4?

[Betsy Moore]

Den at F-Stop Academy says, "We’ve been using it very comfortably at 12,600 ISO and the images are clean and have great resolution." Of course, it's part of a paid endorsement but those guys are pretty good about not gilding the lily.

[Noa Put]

It looks like the 5dmark3 has just been dethroned, the A7s is the new low light king. Why does everything has to go so fast right now, it's like every investment you make gets old after a year, I thought that was only for pc development. The photogs are probably having a good laugh at us.

[Noa Put]

It's still a commercial and we still need to see some real world examples but I"m baffled about the the high iso performance, if it delivers as promised, you should be able to shoot in pitch black environments with this camera. The dynamic range also seems impressive when using slog2 gamma.

?7S from Sony: Official Video Release - YouTube

[Cliff Totten]

So the A7s is 8bit, 10bit or 12bit read from the sensor?

HDMI is 8 bit today so a recorder is will only get an 8bit signal.

So this hopfully scans in 12bit, bends the gama to S-Log2 and gives you that flat look over HDMI?

I wonder how that will grade in our NLE.

Is it HDMI 1.4 with 4k 30p only?

Hmmm....

[Ken Ross]

Originally Posted by Cliff Totten

Is it HDMI 1.4 with 4k 30p only?

Hmmm....

Unless I'm misunderstanding their promo video, yes. This looks to me to have some of the same pluses and minuses of the AX100...only you need an external recorder for 4K. Of course it offers a bunch of other goodies too.

I think if it was HDMI 2.0 and 4K@60p, they would have touted that as they do with their new UHD displays.

But that external recorder is just a deal breaker for me. Next year this same camera will record 4K internally and do it at 60p, just like the AX200 will. ;)

Yeah, I'll 'struggle' with the AX100 for the next year. :)

[Ron Evans]

It has the BionzX just like the AX100 and I am beginning to think that this is the bottleneck in the encoding. The PXW-Z100 and FDR-AX1 do not use this part as they use the encoder chips from the F5 and F55. The Bionz can clearly sample at high frame rates from the sensor but cannot encode XAVC-S at these higher frame rates so cannot record or send out of the HDMI. You gain some consumer features but loose the frame rate.

Now if they had a version at 60P it would be great for my application and external recorder is fine with me.

Ron Evans

[Peter Siamidis]

Originally Posted by Betsy Moore

So why do I want one so bad?

Oh, that low light...

Yeah I'm pondering one as well but more as a 1080p cam to replace my VG900 which I use in full manual for projects that need very shallow dof, workable in very low light and potentially tight working conditions. To that end it looks like the A7s can replace it. I don't think I'd bother using it for 4k though, just not a fan of external recorders since it's more stuff to manage/fail and I'm an army of one hence I don't need the extra headache. The AX100 has me covered for my 4k needs anyways. Given the speed that 4k gear seems to be evolving at though I figure I can sell the A7s in a year and get it's replacement, so could be fun to play with it for a year.