A7s Testing starts by Olof 1-PPs
- Thread starter olof
- Start date
olof
DVXuser Sponsor
My initial PP I will now try out in various locations.
I used PP2 as this was my least favorite of the bunch of factory settings.
These are my settings:
Blacl level 0
Gamma ITU708(800)
Black Gamma Wide -2
Knee Auto
Color Mode Movie
Sat +4
Color Phase +2
Detail -3
Shot at ISO 3200, I will try many more settings, but this is my starting point.
Seeing how this is only an 8bit cam, I don't think I will use Slog other than for extremely contrasty scenes.
I will also record in the O7Q, my initial tests HDMI to O7Q worked fine with 30p.
It will be interesting to see how audio is recorded both in the O7Q and internally.
My main lens and the one used here is the 24-70 f4 Sony Zeiss. This was shot at f7.1 1/60.
Off to do more testing, including ND variable filters.
I used PP2 as this was my least favorite of the bunch of factory settings.
These are my settings:
Blacl level 0
Gamma ITU708(800)
Black Gamma Wide -2
Knee Auto
Color Mode Movie
Sat +4
Color Phase +2
Detail -3
Shot at ISO 3200, I will try many more settings, but this is my starting point.
Seeing how this is only an 8bit cam, I don't think I will use Slog other than for extremely contrasty scenes.
I will also record in the O7Q, my initial tests HDMI to O7Q worked fine with 30p.
It will be interesting to see how audio is recorded both in the O7Q and internally.
My main lens and the one used here is the 24-70 f4 Sony Zeiss. This was shot at f7.1 1/60.
Off to do more testing, including ND variable filters.
olof
DVXuser Sponsor
Yes I will do that and put it up here later today. Light is a bit different today though, bright sun. This scene is lit from a north facing window, yesterday was cloudy with breaks of blue sky.
The first PP I customized (Post 4) I was trying to get the colors and contrast to look exactly like what my eyes see. I am using a Pro monitor and multiple scopes to analyze the image. I also view it at a consumer LCD at the same time.
I clicked through all the settings playing with each, and this was the closest to reality I came up with. White point was custom set to white card.
Today I plan to try this PP outside with vary ND. But I will also shoot a bunch using the O7Q as scopes outside and trying different settings with lower ISO.
I will probably end up with 3-4 PP's I use. Something like the first one for controlled light and studio shoots.
A general bright daylight PP. And of course a Low light, and probably a HDR for contrasty shots. With 8 bit I really think you need to be close to your final look in the cam, so this is how I set my cams up. It is a look all my clients look. If I was working on a specific project with a look in mind I would do a bunch of testing to find the closest settings in the camera to what I need to end up with.
So far I am really impressed with this tiny camera. It will mix with my FS700 and C100 very well, and it probably spells the end of using my 5DmkII for video, I will keep it and my 7D for stills though.
I am working on a sensible kit for it. I have the remote and it works well. I really like the EVF, so the trick is to make a kit that takes advantage of the EVF and still can house the O7Q or the Shogun (on order), I have also heard rumors of much smaller 4K recorders coming soon, this is very interesting. I think by next summer there will be several HDMI 4K recorders out in the wild. And that is fine with me. Right now I really only need HD. 4K is just icing on the cake.
So my initial impression of the A7s is it is a keeper. And it may become one of my all time favs, time will tell. I always go through a longish period of getting to know a new cam, finding a few PPs that work for me. The most important (p)art for me is to match my other cams. Like I said this will be a B or C cam to my FS700. But it also can do things the larger cams can't. And the low light is just astounding. This will probably also become my location scouting cam and all around carry cam. With a Pancake lens it will fit anywhere and may take the place of my GoPros, the pic quality blows them right out of the water. I also see it a a great drone cam, more on this soon.
liondor1969
Well-known member
Hallo,I preferred a color curve that does not require post editing,I finally chose a combination of range and gama MOVIE color mode PRO,color is very natural and perfectly seen on TV HD,I'll try and color profile of Olof proposed for indoor shooting at 3200 ISO
olof
DVXuser Sponsor
Long boring maybe. But it does show the A7s as I am testing it.
My setup is I am recording ProRes HQ in an Odyssey 7Q, and using its scopes to set the exposure. I have zebra on in the O7Q as well set to 105 IRE. It matches the A7s pretty well set to 100+ I believe.
I like setting shots up this way, it is easy to make sure no clipping occurs, I also use the waveform and histograms as well. The O7Q is great at this.
One thing I found was a lot of banding in a gradient, look at the ceiling and listen to my comments when I discover it.
The A7s is pretty amazing for its size. It will make a great B-cam to the FS700.
The cheap variable ND filter really does add some green, but WB should take care of that. I think solid NDs will be much better, I notice some loss of sharpness as well. But for convenience the variable ND is great. I also don’t care for the way polarizers change the image at times, less glare and lost refections.
You can download the original (still compressed by Vimeo of course). When the rain stops I will be back outside shooting.
At this point I am leaning towards always shooting the Slog with a bit of saturation and cinema color. You will see why in the video.
But if it is a well lighted scene or just low contrast I will probably use my PP or something close to it as I fine tune things:
Blacl level 0
Gamma ITU708(800)
Black Gamma Wide -2
Knee Auto
Color Mode Movie
Sat +4
Color Phase +2
Detail -3
It may avoid the banding I found in lighter areas in Slog.
These files are completely ungraded straight out of FCPX, recorded as ProResHQ on the O7Q HDMI out from the A7s.
https://vimeo.com/103367314
Vimeo is still creating HD version as of now. But you can download the one I sent up as well.
My setup is I am recording ProRes HQ in an Odyssey 7Q, and using its scopes to set the exposure. I have zebra on in the O7Q as well set to 105 IRE. It matches the A7s pretty well set to 100+ I believe.
I like setting shots up this way, it is easy to make sure no clipping occurs, I also use the waveform and histograms as well. The O7Q is great at this.
One thing I found was a lot of banding in a gradient, look at the ceiling and listen to my comments when I discover it.
The A7s is pretty amazing for its size. It will make a great B-cam to the FS700.
The cheap variable ND filter really does add some green, but WB should take care of that. I think solid NDs will be much better, I notice some loss of sharpness as well. But for convenience the variable ND is great. I also don’t care for the way polarizers change the image at times, less glare and lost refections.
You can download the original (still compressed by Vimeo of course). When the rain stops I will be back outside shooting.
At this point I am leaning towards always shooting the Slog with a bit of saturation and cinema color. You will see why in the video.
But if it is a well lighted scene or just low contrast I will probably use my PP or something close to it as I fine tune things:
Blacl level 0
Gamma ITU708(800)
Black Gamma Wide -2
Knee Auto
Color Mode Movie
Sat +4
Color Phase +2
Detail -3
It may avoid the banding I found in lighter areas in Slog.
These files are completely ungraded straight out of FCPX, recorded as ProResHQ on the O7Q HDMI out from the A7s.
https://vimeo.com/103367314
Vimeo is still creating HD version as of now. But you can download the one I sent up as well.