FS5: FS5 vs A7SII

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liondor1969

Well-known member
I am in a dilemma :-) for fil wedding is bether Sony FS5 or A7SII ? it is clear that in dim light A7SII It is the winner.From reasons pro FS5 is safe, shooting on two cards..the only thing that bothers me to FS5 is low light performance :-(
but still think that if you use a lens opening 1.8 18-35 sigma is ok on 6400 ISO,I have no where to rent and see them both,if you can help me with some reviews, tests.
It is a difference of money but it's not a problem :-) and I hope that Sony has to solve problems to FS5,
Do not know if a7sII,Do not know if a7sii,in 4k have the problem with sensor warms.

Thanks
 
If you insist on shooting in low light environments without adding your own light, then the A7SII might be better for you. Personally, I'm a fan of larger cameras with dedicated buttons, and XLR inputs. I don't have to worry about overheating, or short battery life, or focus confirmation...but you have to decide what features are most important for your working style.
 
If you don't mind waiting for the A7sII to cool down every 4 minutes (gives you time to change the wimpy battery) and dealing with poor codec it will work better in low light.
Also the 1080P120 is so poor in low light, it is not even worth using because of the 2.2 crop.

A better solution if extra lighting is not allowed for a FS7, is to get the A7s + external 4k recorder and an external battery pack.

I sent my A7sII back and use my A7s while I wait for a superior low light CamCorder.
It is just a matter of time before a release as all the parts are on the shelf and better ones are being developed every year.
 
liondor1969 said:
I am in a dilemma :-)
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Weddings move fast from white dress in bright sun to dark church - yank in that ND, the speeches go on for ages - you roll for ages - you need a video camera to cover weddings, probably three video cameras actually.

I cannot see a situation where I would less like to be using an A7 style camera.

As for recording to a recorder.. you mess one wedding you lose something important to the couple and smash your reputation. You would stake that all on a skinny HDMI - it will break first time you jump in the brides mums car for a lift from her hotel to the church.

S
 
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morgan_moore said:
Weddings move fast from white dress in bright sun to dark church - yank in that ND, the speeches go on for ages - you roll for ages - you need a video camera to cover weddings, probably three video cameras actually.

I cannot see a situation where I would less like to be using an A7 style camera.

As for recording to a recorder.. you mess one wedding you lose something important to the couple and smash your reputation. You would stake that all on a skinny HDMI - it will break first time you jump in the brides mums car for a lift from her hotel to the church.

S
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I do not like the A7s and lke the A7sII less, but it does shoot in the dark.
I will be shooting my son's wedding in April and using 4 cameras including Video with the A7s.
The A7s will be mounted on a TriPod as will the GH4.
The GH4 needs no help 3 hrs stand alone but may not be able to handle the lack of light.
I will be manning the A7s with recorder and camera battery pack also mounted on a more sturdy TriPod that can extend high into the air.
Someone else will be taking stills with the Nikon Cameras although I could set up the D5300 for 30 minute Video from a third TriPod.

I would like to use a JVC LS300 but it does not meet my current low light needs even with a f/1.5 lens.
I doubt it would do much better with a SpeedBooster and f/2.8 FX lens?
The FS7 would be better but out of budget and still needs Neat Video in really low light.
 
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From a 'doing it for money' perspective I think the FS5 is way the choice over a stills cam.

Camera 3 could be an A7 for slider or maybe the odd lowlight shot.

As for all this lack of light business? Part of the skill of wedding videography is to own and negotiate with family and hosts the position of subtle lighting if you have to - a super-clamped dedo dimmed down but spotted on the action will work wonders even from far back - pre positioned it wont hinder the event (for the guests) but actually add a little sparkle on the 'stars'

Audio should also be a major consideration.

S
 
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RRRoger said:
extra lighting is not an option for me
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For wedding, no doubt A7s or A7sII since we don't have control of the light, plus much smaller for destination wedding, I can pack 2 a7s and a bunch of lens and audio into a carry on bag, can't do that with bigger camera, make my life so much easier than before. The only thing is my a7sII could over heat in the summer heat in 4K if you have an outdoor wedding.
 
Fs5 and a Metabones Speedbooster, you can remove the wider angle with clear image zoom and just benefit from the one stop jump in exposure and also correct back focus so you're 18-35 is parfocal, I think that's a much better setup, I can't see a church needing 12500 ISO at F1.8?
 
morgan_moore said:
The thread is about the OPs needs not yours.
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Then I suggest he rent a FS7 + lighting rig and hire some experienced help.

If he cannot do that, he needs to buy a dummy battery for his A7sII so it will run much longer and cooler.
He can velcro the battery pack to his rig
 
Thank you for advice,i order FS5 and a Metabones Speedbooster Nikon,i have nikon lens 35 mm 1.4, 50 mm 1.4 ,85mm 1.4 ..I FS5 offers safety, filming on two cards..batery life ok. Does anyone managed to make a color profile nearest Canon WDR ?
 
XSVpro said:
Fs5 and a Metabones Speedbooster, you can remove the wider angle with clear image zoom and just benefit from the one stop jump in exposure and also correct back focus so you're 18-35 is parfocal, I think that's a much better setup, I can't see a church needing 12500 ISO at F1.8?
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I believe the Sigma Art 18-35 is a crop sensor so not sure if that would work with a speedbooster without vignetting. However a 24-70 ff like a Tamron 2.8 or Canon works great in this situation and has image stabilization (though good luck if you want to autofocus)
 
liondor1969 said:
Thank you for advice,i order FS5 and a Metabones Speedbooster Nikon,i have nikon lens 35 mm 1.4, 50 mm 1.4 ,85mm 1.4 ..I FS5 offers safety, filming on two cards..batery life ok. Does anyone managed to make a color profile nearest Canon WDR ?
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Without knowing specifics about how you like to work and any specific projects you might be thinking about (other than they being weddings) I think you made a good choice out of the two cameras.

I shoot with the FS700R to Oddyssey 7Q at 10bit with a Speedbooster and a nikkors 1.8 and I am able to still film in the dark at 3200 ISO. Of course, I need some noise reduction, but wedding clients tend to like that look on their skin. Specially if you apply noise reduction only to the chroma channel, then the luminance noise just looks like film grain. Of course, it does help to have a few lights when possible, but I think you will be able to work around it. Congrats and post some examples when you can!
 
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