Some Sony A7R Ungraded Footage

[Ryan Douthit]

When shopping the A7R, I couldn't find much ungraded footage online. I still picked one up a few days ago.

Today, I took it on a corporate shoot and got a few short clips for others to view using the Sony DT16-50 f/2.8 I had with me so it's running APS-C crop. This was shot using the Standard Profile adjusted to -2-1-1. Be sure to download the ProRes HQ original file to view it correctly.

I picked it to be a B-Camera for video (plus outstanding stills) and I'm very happy with the results.

https://vimeo.com/drivingsports/revi...613/6408538d19

[Ryan Douthit]

A few days ago I did some tests at home with the A7R and they looked pretty good. That was with FF lenses, however. On further reflection it occurred to me that the softness in the video above wasn't in my original tests at home. As it turns out, you don't want to shoot APS-C video with this camera.

I put together this quick test from my hotel room: APS-C vs. FF (both at f/5.6) and roughly 50mm on the A7R.

This is unscientific, but the results are obvious enough. There's a significant improvement in video shooting with FF lenses. Which, makes sense and should probably be obvious, but it just never occurred to me until today. So if you want to pick up an A7 or A7R for video uses (among other things) and you only have DT lenses... you might want to think twice before making the purchase.

https://vimeo.com/drivingsports/revi...916/cda2fed956

[Joe Holt]

Ryan,

I am considering pulling the trigger on an A7 to replace my NEX 7 as my B camera for my FS100. What made you choose the A7R over the A7? For video, it seems to me the A7 has everything the 7R has with a slightly better auto focus. Were you wanting the higher quality still images and the no low pass filter? Just curious and wondering if I was missing something. Have you shot any video using vintage 35mm lenses? Joe

[Ryan Douthit]

I have a collection of FD lenses, but I just received a new adaptor that works with FF a couple days ago, so I haven't shot much with them yet. However, just toying with my FD 1.4 50mm, it felt amazing in-hand on the A7R.

I picked the A7R because it appeared to have less video moire issues than the A7, but more importantly, even when its video is no longer useful, it will still be an amazing stills camera. Basically, I wanted this to be a stills camera I could use for a long, long, long time. And, since it's replacing my A77 for that job, I wanted to also feel I was "moving up" - the A7 just didn't seem to be enough of a jump for that.

Oh, and I rarely use AF with video, so that wasn't a consideration when looking at the A7 vs. A7R for me. If I wanted real AF, I can always attach my LEA4 and the A7R will be faster than the A7's native AF, fwiw.