A7Rii vs FS700R low light?

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firehawk

Veteran
The best low light camera I have is FS700R, so I'm trying to understand the low light relative to the A7Rii. Is it significantly better than the FS700?
My guess is in crop mode with the same lens it's a lot better?
Then of course there is 1080, 4K, internal and external possibilities.

Since 1080 apparently is not good on the 7Rii I guess I would be most interested in 4k internal (scaled down or crop zoomed to 1080 in post) vs 1080 internal with the FS.
I'm thinking about low light weddings / churches / receptions.
 
I've got an FS700 and A7s and, in any sort of realistic shooting scenario, I've never reached for the A7s in favour of the FS700 purely for better low-light. I don't know how the A7rII compares to the A7s though. Basically if it is so dark that the A7s will look better than my FS700, it's probably too dark to get any sort of worthwhile image anyway.

For all the sing-songing about the low-light ability of the A7s, the fact is there is a point where you need to add light or the images will be flat and lifeless anyway. And that point usually comes in to play before you hit the upper limits of the A7s', or even the FS700's usable ISO range.
 
Yes, even though the A7S has saved me shooting at low light events on some occasions, the low light capabilities are a bit overrated if you are trying to do something that actually looks good. Also have a FS700 and a A7S and feel the same way as Deltoidjohn.
 
This is an event shot on the FS700/O7Q, ProRes 422 HQ in 2k. It was very noisy, so I had to apply noise reduction. To be fair, the O7Q bypasses NR in camera, so it is left to be done in post when needed. Still, I think acceptable results. And to be clear, this was very dark!!

https://vimeo.com/124663980

I also use the a7sII, which is nice in low-light as well. But I still have to say that I just shot a music video last week, all low-light night shots, and still, I went for FS700. Like, I never considered even using the a7sII. It was a very low budget thing and so no real frills and we just did the best we could with little resources...what are friends for, right?! Here it is:
http://vimeo.com/abreucanedo/forever
Password: forever

I know you are asking about a7r, but I figured since I still reach for the FS700/O7Q before the a7sII. Ofcourse, if it had to be shot internally, as opposed to the O7Q, I'd go a7s for low-light without a doubt.
 
Hmmm, that video (FS700 one) showcased why I think high ISO capability is rather pointless: if you have any light sources in the frame the just blow out and look horrible... and also colours are washed out...
Where it's useful is that you can light a scene with less powerful lights...
 
dmitrizigany said:
Hmmm, that video (FS700 one) showcased why I think high ISO capability is rather pointless: if you have any light sources in the frame the just blow out and look horrible... and also colours are washed out...
Where it's useful is that you can light a scene with less powerful lights...
Click to expand...

They are both FS700 videos. But yeah, with low-light and high-ISO light sources blow-out. But when you think for event coverage where you are not allowed to augment lighting, you can still get acceptable results in what are really dark locations...and I mean, really dark. In such lowlight environments, you have less chromatic information so you don't get rich colors. My approach is to go for a vintage look...making the best of a less than ideal situation. It is also a matter of environment. When you have to get the shot, and you cannot augment the lighting in a given location, you either can get an acceptable image, or you can't. High ISO means getting the shot, even though it has the obvious drawbacks, you can still give the client something they want.
 
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Thank you, everyone.
Those FS700 videos are impressive considering the darkness they were shot in.

Yeah I know shooting high iso in darkness ends up flat and with blown out light sources, but in some low budget situations where you can't add light, a low light camera still allows you to get usuable footage. Sometimes people want to have a dark wedding ceremony or event with almost no light and you have to deal with it.

I'm trying to determine a camera for such low light situations, that also can get me some 4K ability until I can later work out something better. And also some stills.

I want the A7Sii but it seems the A7rii has faster focus, can use APS-C lenses better and obviously higher-res stills.

Interesting to hear people using the FS700 over the low light A7S. Seems the O7Q is a big factor.

BTW I think that high iso flat look worked for that 1st FS700 video since it gave it that vintage look.
And that opening street/balcony shot into the room was cool!
 
firehawk said:
Thank you, everyone.
Those FS700 videos are impressive considering the darkness they were shot in.

Yeah I know shooting high iso in darkness ends up flat and with blown out light sources, but in some low budget situations where you can't add light, a low light camera still allows you to get usuable footage. Sometimes people want to have a dark wedding ceremony or event with almost no light and you have to deal with it.

I'm trying to determine a camera for such low light situations, that also can get me some 4K ability until I can later work out something better. And also some stills.

I want the A7Sii but it seems the A7rii has faster focus, can use APS-C lenses better and obviously higher-res stills.

Interesting to hear people using the FS700 over the low light A7S. Seems the O7Q is a big factor.

BTW I think that high iso flat look worked for that 1st FS700 video since it gave it that vintage look.
And that opening street/balcony shot into the room was cool!
Click to expand...

Thanks, firehawk.

I can't be much more help since I've never used the a7r, nor do I do still photography. I just thought I could show some examples of what is possible with the FS700/O7Q in low-light. Yeah, the Odyssey is a huge part of the low-light ability, which I believe is due to the more flexible and deeper recording format...so that is also something to keep in mind. Maybe some a7rII users may chime in to help you in your choice.

In any case, best of luck!
 
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I only watched the first FS700 video. The first shot is beautiful, almost surreal. I love it, because it's very different from what we usually see, and it works. From then on, I would have allowed for a much lower exposure: if it's dark, it can look dark, there's no problem with that, it doesn't need to look as if it was daylight. Or maybe it does, if the clients want their guests to see themselves well and recognize all the faces. But in general, for shots in dark places, I tendo to go low-key instead.

Regarding the cameras, it's just spectacular what they can do nowadays: much more than most people would ever need.

And a reminder: if you're going to use it for video in APS-C mode, an a7R II is no better than an a6500, and it costs more than twice as much.
 
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