Wow. I´m seriously considering shooting a feature-length TV documentary on the X70.

N

nareik

New member
So guys, I´m doing a feature-length documentary for TV this summer wich requires me to bike for five weeks carrying all the camera gear with me, no support what so ever. It´s a lot of run and gun, where the kit needs to be ready to shoot at all times, but also the landscape and scenery is a big factor.

I have really rounded the internet in finding the best camera. At one point I was even considering the Fs7 with a bunch of Canon glass. Then I realised I also need a kick-ass tripod, a laptop, a bunch of harddrives, radio mics, a zoom h6, extra batteries, a solar-cell based system for charging etc etc. So the kit would easily be 15 kg wich is just completely ridiculous. I also have to bring general camping gear, tent, sleeping bag and mat, cooking equipment, service gear for the bike and most importantly a fishing rod. Obviously weight is the main issue, but my ambitions for the image quality are high. I have considered the A7s, but there is a lot of issues with this, the main is the battery life-time. So now I am seriously considering the PXW-X70 as the A cam and a A7II (wich I already have) as a B-cam. My questions for you guys here are:

1) How much can I shoot pr battery with the X70?
2) What would you reccomend for a solid, yet light tripod?

I have been shooting a bunch of documentaries the last years mainly on FS700, Ex1r, C300 and HVX170. So the notion of a small camera like the x70 is both appealing and terrifying.

My other option is X200, wich is more then double the weight in just the camera. The plus is three rings, better zoom and better codec. For this I was tinking to bring along the Sactler FSB4 wich I already have for this, but maybe put on some lighter telescope sticks for it. I was hoping that if I go for the x70 I could bring a lighter tripod.

Any inputs?
 
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If you must do audio the gear is the same regardless of camera used so take that out of the equation first.

I do have to travel light fro some jobs so a small camera with good IQ and an integrated lens would be perfect. If you like the IQ and lens range of the X70 why not go for that? Another option might be a GH3/4 with a few lenses if audio is of little concern. A PMW-200 is another option but if you must purchase a new camera I would look at something more up to date.

You could do without a tripod if you don't need a locked down camera and use good lenses with IS.

When it comes to landscapes I like it really wide and very few integrated lenses are wide enough.
 
Sounds like a fun project -- all the best with it!

nareik said:
1) How much can I shoot pr battery with the X70?
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I ran a very dumb test (camera recording itself in a mirror) and got 2 hours 46 minutes of just straight recording with the NP-FV70 battery (in XAVC mode).

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...-cards&p=1986493427&highlight=#post1986493427

nareik said:
2) What would you reccomend for a solid, yet light tripod?
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I'm happy with Manfrotto (my standards are not super-high), and I use the 190CXPRO4 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with the MVH500AH head. The MB MBAG70N bag fits nicely. This seems a pretty decent rig -- the tripod + head is 25" long collapsed, and the whole thing is about 6 lb including bag. It seems pretty solid for a lightweight tripod, and the head is nice -- it has the quick insert/release feature which is handy. The leg clamps are pretty nasty finger-pinchers, but they work well. The biggest issue I have is that the tripod plate overlaps the battery, so I have to take it off the camera to change batteries.

Personally I really like the pictures from the X70; I would think it would be great for a project like this. I'm coming from the FS700, and I find that it does close to everything -- the main issue is I can't put a wide lens on there (I was using the Touit 12mm on the 700). And only 2.5x slo-mo. But the picture is way better to my eye than the FS700, and more gradable.
 
Osslund said:
If you must do audio the gear is the same regardless of camera used so take that out of the equation first.

I do have to travel light fro some jobs so a small camera with good IQ and an integrated lens would be perfect. If you like the IQ and lens range of the X70 why not go for that? Another option might be a GH3/4 with a few lenses if audio is of little concern. A PMW-200 is another option but if you must purchase a new camera I would look at something more up to date.

You could do without a tripod if you don't need a locked down camera and use good lenses with IS.

When it comes to landscapes I like it really wide and very few integrated lenses are wide enough.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply!

I must do audio myself, and here the main issue is that I want the option to have two xlr directly in the camera. But I also will have some situations where I need two or three radio mics so I need an external recorder for this. But most of the footage will be one radio mic and one mic on the camera.

I have personally never used the X70, but some of the footage I see seems good enough. As there are a lot of landscapes and some interviews in this film, a tripod is a must.

I do a lot of landscapes both video and stills, and I rarely if ever use anything wider then 24mm (full format). I will bring the a7II with 24-70, so I have this covered if the 29mm (equivalent) on the x70 is not good enough.
 
AtticusLake said:
Sounds like a fun project -- all the best with it!



I ran a very dumb test (camera recording itself in a mirror) and got 2 hours 46 minutes of just straight recording with the NP-FV70 battery (in XAVC mode).

http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...-cards&p=1986493427&highlight=#post1986493427



I'm happy with Manfrotto (my standards are not super-high), and I use the 190CXPRO4 4-Section Carbon Fiber Tripod with the MVH500AH head. The MB MBAG70N bag fits nicely. This seems a pretty decent rig -- the tripod + head is 25" long collapsed, and the whole thing is about 6 lb including bag. It seems pretty solid for a lightweight tripod, and the head is nice -- it has the quick insert/release feature which is handy. The leg clamps are pretty nasty finger-pinchers, but they work well. The biggest issue I have is that the tripod plate overlaps the battery, so I have to take it off the camera to change batteries.

Personally I really like the pictures from the X70; I would think it would be great for a project like this. I'm coming from the FS700, and I find that it does close to everything -- the main issue is I can't put a wide lens on there (I was using the Touit 12mm on the 700). And only 2.5x slo-mo. But the picture is way better to my eye than the FS700, and more gradable.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this information. 2h 46min is good enough.

I have also used FS700 a lot, lately mostly with the O7Q, and that footage is highly gradable, but I see what you mean with AVCHD. I think my biggest issue with the X70 will be dynamic range and highlight handling, how do you find this?

As I said earlier, extreme wide angle is not something I use a lot so this will be no issue. Decent telephoto is more important to me.
 
Gweilo66 said:
FZ1000 with Tascam DR60 when needed?
Click to expand...

Thank you for reply.

Interesting camera, what would you say about battery life?

Also, focus peaking and zebra? How is it working?

Three main issues would be no top handle (would need a rig for that), no built in ND filters and no proper viewfinder.
 
buy original batteries only.. my friend just had lost 2 hours of material..filming simuntaniously on X70, when quatrary battery drops from 40% to zero in seconds..there was nothing recorded on card since loosing voltage..
 
nareik said:
I have also used FS700 a lot, lately mostly with the O7Q, and that footage is highly gradable, but I see what you mean with AVCHD.
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Yup, I haven't used the O7Q, but XAVC really shines over the AVCHD. Don't ge tme wrong, I loved my FS700 -- I only downgraded because I absolutely needed something more portable -- but the X70's XAVC image is really awesome in my eyes.

nareik said:
I think my biggest issue with the X70 will be dynamic range and highlight handling, how do you find this?
Click to expand...

I haven't done any scientific tests -- like measuring DR etc -- but it looks really good to me. I find histograms fairly useless, so on the X70 I set zebra to 95 or 100, and adjust exposure to take out all zebras (except on super-highlights that aren't worth saving, like direct reflections). It's a pretty crude formula but the results seem very nice. Here's some daylight tests:



You can download camera clips from that last one. Low-light test:



nareik said:
As I said earlier, extreme wide angle is not something I use a lot so this will be no issue. Decent telephoto is more important to me.
Click to expand...

The digital extender works pretty well -- it digitally adds a 2x zoom, but the result is surprisingly good. So I wouldn't rule it out (as I normally would), and that gives you a pretty long tele -- like 700mm equivalent.
 
I have considered the same thing myself a few times. Rather than carrying around my F5 and CN7 lens and kit - the X70 would feel like a toy! But great too. My biggest issue is I can't work straight away with the XAVC codec which is a real shame. You definitely needs a couple of spare batteries as the running time is very short. I am just using my for capturing family moments at the moments but I would like to use it more.
 
Sparky874 said:
I have considered the same thing myself a few times. Rather than carrying around my F5 and CN7 lens and kit - the X70 would feel like a toy! But great too. My biggest issue is I can't work straight away with the XAVC codec which is a real shame. You definitely needs a couple of spare batteries as the running time is very short. I am just using my for capturing family moments at the moments but I would like to use it more.
Click to expand...


Thank you Sparky, which editing platform are you using?

I am using Premiere CC, I have no issues with XAVC from my A7II.
 
Nareik, have you considered renting an X70? Lensrentals.com rents the camera. You can rent it for a few days to try it out and see if it will fit your needs. Or you can rent it for the whole project, which should still be cheaper than buying one outright, if you only need it for 5 weeks. 45 days rental is about $616, according to their website.

What's an X200? I'm not familiar with that camera.
 
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nareik said:
Thank you Sparky, which editing platform are you using?

I am using Premiere CC, I have no issues with XAVC from my A7II.
Click to expand...

Sorry for delay in response, I am using the latest version of Sony Vegas. I have no issues using any other sony codec's, XAVC from my F5 (2k and 4K) - XMF files from my PDW_700 - but the XAVC files from the X70 can't be read which is a real shame.
 
Sony Vegas adding XAVC L support this month.
Price drop probably due to disappointment over 4k upgrade.
Turn your 10bit 4:2:2 pro camera into a consumer 8bit 4:2:0 4K camera
at twice the price.
 
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Here is some footage I grabbed today with the X70 when I arrived in Mumbai. Always pop it in the bag now. All shot in AVCHD:



x70 india 7.jpgx70 india 8.jpgx70 india 1.jpg
best, Sparky
 
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Well thank you guys, after weeks of research and testing I foun out that X70 with A7s as a B cam is the perfet solution for me.

Thanks for all the helpful tips.
 
A quick comment on X70 batteries- In the rundown tests I did with mine, the FV70 battery that comes with the camera gets about 2.5-3 hours of record time with the screen on. I have been using, and had excellent experiences now with the 3rd party FV100 copies by Watson from B&H (http://goo.gl/Huivtu). They run 5-6 hours on a charge, have been totally predictable with the battery meter (going from 100% down to 0% evenly with no surprises), and cost $40. I just wanted to throw that recommendation out there.
 
@nareik - Glad you decided to get the X70 for your documentary!
I also just picked up the x70 and am really looking forward to using it as a B cam to my F3 in a couple weeks. Great looking pictures, respectable sensor size and pro features make this a great little package you can always take with you. Here's a couple screengrabs from one of my first test shoots. With the new 2.0 firmware release xavc files now work natively in fcpx - so workflow is a snap.
Cheers,
 

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