F3: A tough one... Amira or F3/FS7

this thread just got me interested in the ursa mini again, weird!
i shot a lot with the fs7 over the last two weeks and i can't say i'm loving the colours... it does have a "Sony" look to it. Watching Philip Blooms shots from the CNN doc series that were shot on the fs7/f55 didn't convince me either. To me it's a camera that is amazing on the spec sheet but not super exciting once you review the footage.

I think for our company it will be the C300 Mk2 or the ursa mini. We're shooting in -25 to +40C and that's where the c300 was always reliable. The colours on the ursa look damn amazing though, and it's much cheaper than the c300 mk2. the real question for me is really, do you want to pay $8,000 premium for internal NDs?
 
mrchirster said:
this thread just got me interested in the ursa mini again, weird!
i shot a lot with the fs7 over the last two weeks and i can't say i'm loving the colours... it does have a "Sony" look to it. Watching Philip Blooms shots from the CNN doc series that were shot on the fs7/f55 didn't convince me either. To me it's a camera that is amazing on the spec sheet but not super exciting once you review the footage.

I think for our company it will be the C300 Mk2 or the ursa mini. We're shooting in -25 to +40C and that's where the c300 was always reliable. The colours on the ursa look damn amazing though, and it's much cheaper than the c300 mk2. the real question for me is really, do you want to pay $8,000 premium for internal NDs?
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+1 Canon C300mk2 - always worth the premium too.
Sony doesn't sound like a good option for you.
Ursa would frustrate you everytime you built the camera and the audio inputs are not as good as options 1&2. It's also untested in tough climates and I couldn't imagine doing any serious work in remote locations by simply hoping for the best. Maybe buy a two backup Ursa minis? Ends up costing close to the same as option #1
A submit that a descent colorist can color grade any of these cameras to look damn good - unless you want the look of an Arri camera. You'll need a couple Amiras to get an arri look without having to work so hard at grading a C300 camera to look anything like an Amira. Buying two Amiras is a far better investment in the long run for only a little more money than the C300mk2's. Cameras are so cheap these days. Though for the price of two Amira's you could easily get a third backup C300mk2 and still come out ahead. But then again, you could buy 4 Ursa minis and peace of mind and save lots of money. Imagine the fun of carrying all that backup gear though.
 
Man up and go retro with a dvx100 :-) Seriously, I would go with a c300 being that it's a run and gun doc. Good low light, sharp image at 1080p and about as easy as it gets in post. My .2 cents
 
I've been shooting SLOG 2 with the rec709a MLUT baked in for quick jobs ( or jobs I hand over to a client who I know wont grade ) and I am loving the colours and look out of my fs7. I don't buy that the "sony look" is an issue any more.
 
ryaninoz said:
I've been shooting SLOG 2 with the rec709a MLUT baked in for quick jobs ( or jobs I hand over to a client who I know wont grade ) and I am loving the colours and look out of my fs7. I don't buy that the "sony look" is an issue any more.
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+1 on that, especially the whole dated "Sony Look" thing. I'm using CineEI and getting great looking colors and looks with very little effort. If you can't make the FS7 look good, you are not skilled.
 
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mrchirster said:
i shot a lot with the fs7 over the last two weeks and i can't say i'm loving the colours... it does have a "Sony" look to it. Watching Philip Blooms shots from the CNN doc series that were shot on the fs7/f55 didn't convince me either. To me it's a camera that is amazing on the spec sheet but not super exciting once you review the footage.
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Not to pile on... But does The Blacklist not convince you either?!? That show is shot with F55s.

i mean, at some point I think we have to step back and say, if you can't get good footage out of these proven cameras... There's something wrong.
 
Recently picked up an FS7 primarily because I can cram it into an international travel sized carry-on case (much of my work is abroad) & manage solo when need be. Rentals have already paid back almost half it's cost & should be turning a profit before the C300 II, or Ursa Mini 4.6k, are readily available. When those cameras are field proven I'll decide whether to adopt or continue on with the FS7.

Last week we shot a multi-day commercial mostly on two Amira(s) but portions on the FS7. The project was entirely handheld at 60 fps slomo & the bare-bone FS7 shined during a documentary section at a Farmer's Market where it's relatively small form factor allowed more intimate, & less intimidating interaction, especially as we were shooting first & chasing down releases after.

Didn't shoot many scenes with both camera types, but did a few (mostly as a test), & will be comparing the footage when practical. The DIT thought the FS7 (CineEI) looked good but felt it hard clipped the highlights in comparison to the Amira, which I guess was to be expected. The camera is so new to me that part of this may be user error. The FS7 small waveform isn't the most useful & I'm more comfortable with False Color, especially when moving fast. Found myself reaching for the incident meter more than I've done in years.

We tried to get Alexa Mini(s) instead of the Amira(s) but it wasn't possible. I'm excited to try the Mini & imagine choosing it over the Amira for my style of work. On the other hand our Steadicam Operator likes the extra weight of the Amira & said it's become his most used camera, preferring it over the standard Alexa(s).

I understand Vincent desire to use an Arri on his documentary, but if I read correctly, won't have an AC. I'll assume he's also wrangling data. In such circumstances I'd be hard pressed to choose an Amira, & rather a C300, or FS7.
 
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