New Sony FS7 4K XDCAM at IBC 2014

[Dylan Couper]

Originally Posted by Dmitri Zigany

The Sigma 18-35 f1.8 is an APS-C lens, will cause vignetting if used with a speed booster...

You're right of course, mental slip on my part!

[Dylan Couper]

Jean-Philllipe, I'm not sure why, but it let me order. It's possible they'll realize the mistake (if it is one) in a month when it's ready to ship, refund my money (they charged on order, not ship, for international) and dropping me way behind in the lineup to get one. :)

[Bill Pryor]

Does anybody know if that ISO 2000 figure I've seen published is really as low as the FS7 will go in ISO? If that's the case then it would need the ND filter even for indoor shooting. I know the internal filter has a 1.8 as its highest ND, which would be 6 stops. That's not enough for being able to shoot fairly wide open in bright light, so an additional ND would be needed on the lens. I'm hoping that 2000 figure is maybe as low as it goes when using the S-log, sort of like the A7S at its minimum 3200. But does anyone know what the deal is here?

[Erik Wittbusch]

If you use the standard gamma (which I wouldn't) th elowest ISO is 800 (at -3 db).
With the hypergammas you rlowest ISO will be 1600 (at -3db).
SLog3 will give you 2000ISO at -3db.

When using the hypergammas and the 1/64ND (6 stops!) you can record with an
equivalent of 25 ISO...

Maybe not enough to use F 1.4 in the sun, but fine for R+G anyways.
If you like to do controlled shots, you'll use matte box + ND...

[Mat Thompson]

What strikes me about this camera mostly is what a bold marketing move it is.

At this pricepoint and even beyond it is going to capture a huge market. It really makes the likes of the C300 look like an archaic offering. It even trumps off the 'cheaper' brand options like Ursa/Cion imo. Great flexibility in formats and framerates wrapped in a very useable form factor.

A find it really surprising and I'm pretty sure it will become a tv staple !

[Craig Marshall]

Originally Posted by Mat Thompson

...find it really surprising and I'm pretty sure it will become a tv staple !

Before I retired as a Sales Rep in the Broadcast TV market, we had a saying that 'no Chief Engineer ever got the sack for ordering Sony equipment'. Many went off on tangents, with esoteric camera choices like Thompson, Bosch and Ikegami. Some paid the price for poor decisions but Sony was always a safe bet and their After Sales Service was legendary. I wonder if the same is true today?

[Mike Watson]

Will Sony be at DVExpo in Pasadena (now Next | Video conf) next week? They are not on the exhibitor list. I want to see and hold an FS7. I'm in San Diego, and don't know what a good opportunity to hold one would be.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

I would like to get some feedback about the S-Gamut3.cine/S-log3 and other log curves available on the FS7. I understand that when video is shot in these modes, the full 14 stops of dynamic range is available and also the native ISO of the camera is locked at 2,000. I have very little experience with higher end color grading (I use Edius Pro 7) and no experience with software such as Davinci.

My question is this - is basic (I'm not talking about studio quality) color grading that difficult or time consuming to bring the flat images produced by the log curves up to par? I'm also wondering if all of this could be accomplished in the new Catalyst Prepare software being released September 30th:

https://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/catalystprepare

I want to be able to realize the full potential of this camera and not be hindered by my lack of experience and time constraints.

Any comments from the professionals on this forum would be greatly appreciated.

[Chris Medico]

Originally Posted by Barry J. Weckesser

My question is this - is basic (I'm not talking about studio quality) color grading that difficult or time consuming to bring the flat images produced by the log curves up to par? I'm also wondering if all of this could be accomplished in the new Catalyst Prepare software being released September 30th:

Using LOG is a different beast than shooting 709 based curves. You need to understand the correct way to expose it to get all the DR the camera offers. That will require more work in post to create an image that is what your audience expects.

On the plus side - IF you expose your image properly then you can use a LUT to get you in the ball park for a 709 look. This can save you a lot of time but in the end it doesn't replace the work of color correcting to get to the final image you want.

So the question you need to ask yourself is this - Do I need 14 stops of DR to capture the image I'm trying to convey?

If the answer is yes then you should read up on LOG and how to shoot it correctly first. Then you'll need to put time into learning how to grade it to get the most out of it. It will be more work but worth it if you really need it.

And additionally if you are looking for a plug-in drop and go solution then I would not recommend shooting LOG. Its not likely going to help you over shooting one of the CINE curves.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Originally Posted by Chris Medico

And additionally if you are looking for a plug-in drop and go solution then I would not recommend shooting LOG. Its not likely going to help you over shooting one of the CINE curves.

Chris - I appreciate your comments. The last sentence hit the mark - I was looking for a plug-in drop and go. I'll stick with the CINE curves and am sure I'll be happy with them considering the capabilities of this camera. I just don't have the time (and energy) to devote to all the complexities of color grading.

[Alister Chapman]

One of the nice things about this camera, like the F5/F55 is that when you use the CineEI mode you can if you wish choose to bake in the LUT. Shoot some simple test S-Log3 clips and then take these into you're preferred grading package. Grade the clips until you get the look or style that you want. Then save the LUT as a 3D Cube LUT. Then load the LUT into the FS7 as a user LUT.

Normally you will have the LUT's set so that they are added to the viewfinder output, HDMI out and one of the two HDSDI outs. The recordings remain LUT free, so they are S-log3. Then normally you would bring the Slog3 footage in to the grading suite and apply the same LUT either globally (as an output LUT) or on a clip by clip basis. The footage will then have the look you created when you did you test shots. This is actually a VERY simple workflow. If you edit with Adobe Premiere CC you can use the Lumetri plugin to add the LUT very quickly.... job done... no need to grade, the LUT will do all the work. This workflow has the benefit of allowing you to change your mind. If you decide you don't like the look it's just a case of creating a new LUT or grading the underlying S-Log3 material.

The less conventional approach is to turn on the LUT's for the internal recordings. When you do this the LUT is applied to the recordings. This way the footage will have your desired look baked in, so there is no need to do any grading. In effect you are grading as you shoot. But the downside is that once the LUT is baked in you won't have the same degree of adjustability if you change your mind as your recordings are no longer S-log3.

[Alister Chapman]

I have written a review and posted some footage from the FS7. Sony’s new PXW-FS7. First Impressions. | XDCAM-USER.COM

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Alister - I know this is off topic but it still concerns the upcoming FS7. How do you go about previewing 4K 60p on a calibrated preview monitor? I have a Dell 32" 4K monitor that is capable of 4k 60p but only through displayport 1.2. - through HDMI it is capable of 4k 30p. The new Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 4K 12G cards handle 4K 60p and pass it through 12G SDI or HDMI but I can't find a monitor that will work with that (with SDI inputs) unless you are in the $15-20K range. What do you use for the F55 to preview 4K 60p?

[Alister Chapman]

The short answer is you can't. There are very, very few 4K 60P pro monitors. The Sony X300 is one and very nice but very expensive. Normally I would use a 4K HDMI consumer TV with HDMI 2.0 or down convert to HD if I want to make color critical assessments and use an HD 60P monitor. Not ideal, but affordable at least.

[Barry J. Weckesser]

Originally Posted by Alister Chapman

The short answer is you can't. There are very, very few 4K 60P pro monitors. The Sony X300 is one and very nice but very expensive. Normally I would use a 4K HDMI consumer TV with HDMI 2.0 or down convert to HD if I want to make color critical assessments and use an HD 60P monitor. Not ideal, but affordable at least.

Here is one that costs $1900 and uses 12G SDI from the Blackmagic Extreme 4K 12G preview card for connections - will do UHD60p at 4:2:2 and 4:4:4.Arrives in December. The kicker is that it is only 15.6". At least this is a start hopefully there will be others on the way.

Blackmagic Smartview 4K : https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/smartview4k

Blackmagic Decklink Extreme 4K 12G: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/pro...ink/techspecs/