FS7: Any way to get an amazing Redraw image from FS7?

M

Martin.G

Well-known member
So the title might be more aggressive than it needs to be. I am writing on a documentary series and contemplating my choice of camera and lenses for the budget. What i want is that high end look with tons of dynamic range and sharpness. The film is about landscapes, and a static one at that: glaciers. I want tons of texture and color. Hopefully i will get to shoot in the golden hours a lot too. The whole point of these shots is to have people go wow. And not just from my compositions (they are probably the weakest link here after all).

So i am thinking about getting a new main camera. The Scarlet Weapon with base kit for mountain filming in Redraw codec and Canon tiltshift lenses to get that awesome view from top of the mountains.

Is there any thoughts against this? I will probably have the tv-series pay off the whole camera, or almost all of it, vs. renting. But then again i already own a paid down FS7 so if i use that, i get the whole enchilada of rental cash right in my own pocket. Could buy a boat or something instead, i live by a fjord after all.
 
Scarlet Weapon will outgun an FS7. Sorry for the pun.

That said, you can get decent images out of the FS7 when shooting snowscapes, maybe not full on jaw drop you're after, but not too shabby and will clients/viewers notice the difference? It's tricky decision, new boat v new camera.

There are a few snowy landscapes in this one, which I shot last year on my FS7 - it might help you decide:

https://vimeo.com/209651992
 
+1 with Chris. Use your FS7 and spend extra dough on other goodies (or hire expert colorist) that can also improve your productions going forward.
 
Ive googled a few Scarlet-W vids and theres so much trash being made with that camera. Im thinking when watching, is this shot on a7s or redraw? Not a good sign. I guess there is a good point in that the more expensive cameras are used by more talented and professional crews with bigger budgets. The composition, grading, and light is more often than not spot on when shot on Red Epic or better. Thats not the codecs doing. So my mind is definetly getting fooled by that.

But i did also notice that my FS700+O7Q footage looked much better than the FS7 internal when compared. That is also the reason why i dismissed the FS7 the first whole year of its launch. That launch video with magenta skin tones and soft look was appalling for my taste. So the notion that FS7 is a great workhorse, but not a timeless cinematic camera has stuck with me.

I really love the opening sequence in this film: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/damnation/87712662

And the detail in the forest shots are amazing. But the grade and composition is also spot on. So i reckon i need to do some serious testing with my FS7 before going forward. Hopefully i will also get a good side by side demo with the two cameras in the store.

Im still young enough that i can get even more jobs and projects the next 30-40 years and still get a boat or five down the road based on the results from this series. I am also not touching anything in the post-production. All that will be taken care of by real professionals, and i will work to have budget for shooting in good light as well. So the camera is more "icing on the cake", and the last piece to come together.
 
Getting a 14' Jon Boat with a 4-stroke Mercury 15. Haul it up on the shore with one hand.

Sleep on the beach and make it
Throw down the jam till the girls say when
Lay down the law and break it
When Josie comes home

No Boat.jpg
 
Martin.G said:
So the title might be more aggressive than it needs to be. I am writing on a documentary series and contemplating my choice of camera and lenses for the budget. What i want is that high end look with tons of dynamic range and sharpness. The film is about landscapes, and a static one at that: glaciers. I want tons of texture and color. Hopefully i will get to shoot in the golden hours a lot too. The whole point of these shots is to have people go wow. And not just from my compositions (they are probably the weakest link here after all).

So i am thinking about getting a new main camera. The Scarlet Weapon with base kit for mountain filming in Redraw codec and Canon tiltshift lenses to get that awesome view from top of the mountains.

Is there any thoughts against this? I will probably have the tv-series pay off the whole camera, or almost all of it, vs. renting. But then again i already own a paid down FS7 so if i use that, i get the whole enchilada of rental cash right in my own pocket. Could buy a boat or something instead, i live by a fjord after all.
Click to expand...

As with everything you need to test and draw your own conclusions. Red allowed me to test their camera at no cost - I didnt buy one.

The FS7 is reliable simple, data lean, low mass, low power and produces an image up to 60p that is OK to good.

Get your Scarlet
You are going to glaciers. Your hands are freezing batteries last 10mins, you are flipping external ND filters all the time - they get covered in snow, you miss shots, miss moments.. chuck the thing in the water, cry and wish for an FS7.

Then you get home and have 15tb to back up and wade through. You cry more.

OR

You get your Scarlet and shoot something wonderful and know that the FS7 was a good dog while you had it but now it is passed.\


--

Only you know this.

But be boring and grown up.
Consider ND
Consider Data Rates
Consider battery life
Consider mass of the system

Also consider the BMC which has built in ND and is a cheap raw option but would you take it to a glacier?
 
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LOL! I have heard its crazy expensive too.

Im more of a packraft kind of guy though, so i dont know. Could get both.
 
What you need is an F55/F5 with an R5 RAW recorder. You will love that 16-bit footage in Resolve. Love it.
In fact, I'll make you a great deal on my R5 since I've upgraded to an R7.
 
Amazing example, it is always the artist. Proof the FS7 can still shine in the right hands, and of course the right subject.

The RED in 8K is amazing, and as Doug says the F55 in RAW is also amazing. But don't cut the FS7 handled properly out of the equation. We might see the difference, but 98% of the world will not until viewing goes above 4K.

Clermond said:
Thierry Donard is shooting with FS7. In the heli the camera is fixed with a bungee rope.

https://www.pro.sony.eu/pro/lang/en/eu/article/broadcast-products-camcorders-nuit-de-la-glisse


Click to expand...
 
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Yeah, the FS7 is an amazing camera and should be more than up to the task of shooting any nature videos. I don't know what Martin does to "break" XAVC (or even what the hell that means) but if he doesn't think XAVC is good enough to meet his needs, then 16-bit RAW ought to provide total satisfaction. Almost everything I shoot is 4K Sony RAW and that future proofs all of my footage for anything anyone needs until the day 8K becomes mainstream.
 
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