FS7: Another FS7 convert.

traviswears

traviswears

Well-known member
C300/C100 shooter here. I love my Canon cameras but was looking to step up to the C300II for 10bit 4k/HD and just couldn't swallow the $20k entry fee incl/batteries and media.

Pulled the trigger on an FS7 last week. Grabbed the FS7 Zfinder, Vocas viewfinder bracket, WC top plate, Swit batteries and both Metabones to start with.

Thanks for everyone's posts. They really helped me get up and running super quickly as I'm not super familiar with Sony cameras.

Started Doug Jensen's FS7 Masterclass last night and it's awesome! Very efficient blend of short, informative videos with zero filler. Loving them.


Debating between the FS5 and the A7SII for a possible B-cam. Going to keep the C100 for now and see how it plays out during the next couple of months.

When is the FW 3.0 going to be released? Does anyone have information on whether it will bump up menu or iris speeds? Having shot FS7 (not my own) several times over the past 2 months, this (and not being able to move the focus mag) were the two things that stood out to me as the most frustrating.
 
Welcome aboard Travis.

I'm sure the C300 II is a great camera, & will sell, but wonder how many more of us would have snatched them up if only Canon had included better HFR, &/or just lowered the price a few thousand. Instead Sony continues to have a runaway success with the FS7, & their FS5 appears ready to repeat it.
 
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Bern Caughey said:
Welcome aboard Travis.

I'm sure the C300 II is a great camera, & will sell, but wonder how many more of us would have snatched them up if only Canon had included better HFR, &/or just lowered the price a few thousand. Instead Sony continues to have a runaway success with the FS7, & their FS5 appears ready to repeat it.
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I was almost sure C300II will be my next camera but price tag and lack of 4K60P stopped me from buying it. I think a lot of people were holding on till NAB15 with a purchase (including me) and till the moment when C300II will be rolling out. Having hopes that maybe they will lower the price and add more features with a firmware update. They didn't and here you go- they've lost it and FS7 became a standard taking place of C300 mark I. Shame :(
 
traviswears said:
Debating between the FS5 and the A7SII for a possible B-cam. Going to keep the C100 for now and see how it plays out during the next couple of months.
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FS5 expensive for what it is, but if you need the form factor specifically it might be worth it for you. Regarding the amazing A7Sii the only thing is the 30 minute limit on record time to consider, also I read about some reported sun spot (magenta or black disc) issue which may be fixed in future firmware.. or not.
 
starcentral said:
FS5 expensive for what it is, but if you need the form factor specifically it might be worth it for you. Regarding the amazing A7Sii the only thing is the 30 minute limit on record time to consider, also I read about some reported sun spot (magenta or black disc) issue which may be fixed in future firmware.. or not.
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Yes, but I think the other and probably most important issue remain the slow rolling shutter. This is pretty much the bugaboo of all the DSLR's out there.
 
Its hard to say the FS5 is overpriced when there's absolutely nothing that is directly comparable to it. There's no other camera in the price range which has internal 4K, 10-bit 1080p, s35 sensor, XLR audio, & 240p @ 1080p. It only seems expensive when compared to the FS7, which shows just how ridiculously competitively priced that camera is.
 
The URSA Mini 4K has 4K/60p, 1080/120p (windowed/crop), RAW recording, 10-bit 4:2:2 (4:4:4 coming in firmware), XLRs, s35 sensor and it's $3,000. Pretty crazy too.
 
Yes it looks great but serves a slightly different purpose, I think. By the time you add batteries, media & the viewfinder it starts to be close to FS7 territory price wise, so it comes down to which suits your needs best. For my type of work it'd be Sony 90% of the time.
 
deltoidjohn said:
Yes it looks great but serves a slightly different purpose, I think. By the time you add batteries, media & the viewfinder it starts to be close to FS7 territory price wise, so it comes down to which suits your needs best. For my type of work it'd be Sony 90% of the time.
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Plus the media is more expensive (important for budget-minded folks) and the URSA lacks things like internal ND filters. So you're going to *need* a matte box and filters or screw-on filters. Minor inconvenience but in certain types of shooting there just isn't time to send an AC (if there is an AC!) to grab an ND filter for your matte box.
 
jshbckr said:
Plus the media is more expensive (important for budget-minded folks) and the URSA lacks things like internal ND filters. So you're going to *need* a matte box and filters or screw-on filters. Minor inconvenience but in certain types of shooting there just isn't time to send an AC (if there is an AC!) to grab an ND filter for your matte box.
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The FS7 is way more versatile. Real cinematographers will roll their eyes but auto focus can be a helpful tool in one man run&gun shots. Also you get real long recordings with the XAVC-L on events and dokus. What I saw from the USRA mini up to now really looked beautiful though
 
There's a small Production House nearby that's gone all BlackMagic, & if I decide to work with them regularly I'll consider adding a Mini 4.6k, but the FS7 will remain my primary workhorse. Either way I hope the best for BlackMagic for no other reason then to hold the other manufacturer's feet to the fire.
 
Welcome Travis. A lot of the DPs I work with have also transitioned from the C300 to FS7. It is an amazing camera.
 
In addition to his tutorials I also rcommend picking up Doug's FS7 Field Guide. It's a great resource & small enough to slide into most any camera case.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Thanks for the feedback! It's always good to hear that the training has made a difference.
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The Master Class is fantastic. Got me up and running fast. Had my first shoot today and used your Universal setting. Loved the results. Editing now. Here is a frame grab from rough cut with quick grade. Shooting in UHD and editing in HD is so flexible. I can resize this for the graphics to get it just right.

FS7 Slog3.jpg
 
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