Fs700 + 7q -or- gh4 + shogun

Chris Langer

Chris Langer

Well-known member
I have been having an interesting debate about which setup I should keep and build upon in the future. I currently have the FS700 with the Movcam rig all decked out. Saving up for the 7Q at the moment. My parents just bought a GH4 and I got the chance to play with it and love it. Shoots some really nice video. I am taking it to a wedding this weekend to try out the internal 4K for some detail shots. Already shot some GH4 footage and I am really impressed by it.

I am curious what are your thoughts going forward. I will explain a bit what I do and if you have any insights that would be greatly appreciate. Obviously the biggest factor is the overall price, one if 1/4 the amount of the other. But, let me dive into what I want to do.

I have owned the FS700 for almost a year now - shoot all my corporate/wedding stuff on it. All of my current footage is through the SD card and I have been happy with it so far. I got into independent filmmaking as a DP and did 7 short films last year using various cameras - F55, FS700, RED, and various DSLRs. I really like the size of the GH4 and the price as well. For weddings, it would significantly cut down on my costs if I went all GH4's. If I kept my FS700, I would continue to rent another FS700 to accommodate all my weddings. I have a few feature films where I am DPing on this year and they all were interested in the 7Q option of the FS700. If I was to get the 7Q in the near future for basically the price of a new GH4 plus some more, would I be better off? Obviously I would love to use my FS700 on films but really they have enough money to rent their own cameras, so I have no obligations. I feel the 7Q really outshines anything the GH4 could do, but don't know enough about it. Also want something that will stick around for a few years. I know I can't plan for the future with technology moving as quick as it is but I like to think if I put another few grand into the FS700, it can have a bit more life to it.

I guess I am curious what everyone would think in this situation. I want to play around the GH4 some more, but still have my doubts about it. They all have their pro's and con's.

Thanks for reading and letting me know your thoughts!
Chris
 
The only thing that would concern me while shooting weddings with the GH4 is the low light abilities which is why the C100 is the go to camcorder these days for a lot of the wedding guys/gals.

I also didn't think many people are shooting weddings on a FS700 with an Odyssey 7Q.

Personally if I was in the wedding business I'd sell the FS700 & 7Q and buy 2 C100s.
 
I shoot weddings with the internal codec. I don't plan to bring the 7Q along to weddings, it would be purely for corporate/ad and film projects.
 
For me it all comes down to the demand of your work. If a piece of gear will pay for itself many times over then its an easy choice. If not then its a harder choice (cause we all want new toys) but a clear one.
 
RatLabProductions said:
The only thing that would concern me while shooting weddings with the GH4 is the low light abilities which is why the C100 is the go to camcorder these days for a lot of the wedding guys/gals.

I also didn't think many people are shooting weddings on a FS700 with an Odyssey 7Q.

Personally if I was in the wedding business I'd sell the FS700 & 7Q and buy 2 C100s.
Click to expand...

If you already own the FS700, the 7Q is really the way to go. Just the fact that the FS7Q is 10 bit Pro-res 422, RAW with between 1 to 2 stops more dynamic range than the C100 or GH4, puts it in a different league than both those cameras. FS7Q is a legit lower / mid end cinema camera now. Don't forget the slow motion. Saw some slow-mo wedding footage and it looked epic. So much emotion when used correctly.

You can sell you FS700 and all it's rigging, take a big loss and get the GH4 or C100, but then you have a camera that's quite not as capable. I think in the long run you would regret your decision.
 
Don't forget that the Odyssey7Q is a useful accessory item for many cameras. So even if in the future you decide to switch away from the FS700, the Odyssey7Q will continue to function as a worthwhile device for you. It expands the use of all of the cameras mentioned on this thread.
 
That is why I am leaning more towards the FS700 route. 7Q is future proof like no other plus I can tell future productions, I have the recorder you just get the Alexa :D

As for the FS100 and C100, and everything like that. I never really liked that line of quality. FS700 has a certain feel and look to it, the FS700 vs. the FS100 is pretty different. I chose the FS700 as I didn't have to do more to the image. The FS100 just was a bit too compressed for my liking.

Probably keep the FS700 and get the 7Q this summer. I have a short film in 2 weeks I am shooting on the 7Q so I plan to do extensive tests before the weekend starts. Should be a good time :D
 
I can't say anything more than what others on here have already shown us. The fs700 odyssey 7q is a fantastic combo. I just used it yesterday for the first time and I'm blown away. There's nothing out there in that price range or lower that can compare to the footage you get using that combo. I thought the 8 bit internal codec was pretty good until I hooked up the odyssey, save your money, you'll be happy you did. The Gh4 seems like real nice camera but image wise it can't compete with a decked out fs700. Gene said it best don't sell your fs700, I think if you did you'd regret that decision big time.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Don't forget that the Odyssey7Q is a useful accessory item for many cameras. So even if in the future you decide to switch away from the FS700, the Odyssey7Q will continue to function as a worthwhile device for you. It expands the use of all of the cameras mentioned on this thread.
Click to expand...


Mitch, will the A7s 4k be able to be recorded on the 7Q?
 
dapoopta said:
Mitch, will the A7s 4k be able to be recorded on the 7Q?
Click to expand...

Mitch has stated on this forum that CD is working on an Odyssey 7Q solution which will allow users to record 4k from the GH4 (without the YAGH) through the HDMI connection. I can't remember if that included working with the A7s but it would likely be possible on a technical level if it can record 4k from an HDMI output. No dates yet on when it will be available.
 
after i've played with a7S and Shogun at Sony Japan headquarters few weeks ago, one thing i know about a7S is that little monster camera has totally different level of Dynamic Range. no one can't beat her. period.

that ultra low light sensitivity with crazy level of DR, it might gives us whole new idea for shooting without lighting gear.

so it's pointless to compare this camera with the other by 1080P, 4K, 10bit/8bit kinda stuff...because a7S is different category almost.

i'm 2 years FS700 user and now work with 4Kraw, very happy. but a7S is definitely worth to get. not for image size nor color bit depth...the image ONLY a7S can capture, that's i want.

1800224_639645546114065_5901317129909498779_n.jpg
 
freiheit said:
after i've played with a7S and Shogun at Sony Japan headquarters few weeks ago, one thing i know about a7S is that little monster camera has totally different level of Dynamic Range. no one can't beat her. period.

that ultra low light sensitivity with crazy level of DR, it might gives us whole new idea for shooting without lighting gear.

so it's pointless to compare this camera with the other by 1080P, 4K, 10bit/8bit kinda stuff...because a7S is different category almost.

i'm 2 years FS700 user and now work with 4Kraw, very happy. but a7S is definitely worth to get. not for image size nor color bit depth...the image ONLY a7S can capture, that's i want.

View attachment 85735
Click to expand...

Sound impressive. Got any footage record from a7s with you? Up to 10k ISO noise still pretty clean? if let you compare with fs700 noise performance a7s iso 10k+= fs700 how many iso?
 
If I shot mainly corporate/weddings, the fs700 would probably be the last thing on my list of wants(god bless you for making it work). For corp and weddings it's hard to beat a c300/c100 combined with dslr's for running around. Have shot a number of other projects in 4k and aside from an establishing or wide shot, myself and clients included often cannot distinguishing between which was shot @ 1080 and which was shot @ 4k.

Personally I am not a fan of external recorders(especially with small cameras) but the O7Q really does transform the fs700 into another camera altogether. If you can deal with the bulkiness, power and extra point of failure, its more than worth it. I have been in a lot of situations where using an external recorder wasn't a realistic option(personally would never use one for a wedding). The gh4 captures good 4k in a tiny and reliable package, hard to beat(if you can get past the mediocre 1080p and smaller sensor).

I think the most important question is, will ANY of your customers notice(or pay for) the difference?
 
freiheit said:
after i've played with a7S and Shogun at Sony Japan headquarters few weeks ago, one thing i know about a7S is that little monster camera has totally different level of Dynamic Range. no one can beat her. period.
Click to expand...

This camera really has captured my attention. Not so much for the 4k feature, but the fact that it can shoot A QUALITY 1080P image with a great codec AND be an awesome still camera. The sensitivity, dynamic range, portability and 4k are all icing on the cake :)
 
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Chris Langer said:
I have been having an interesting debate about which setup I should keep and build upon in the future. I currently have the FS700 with the Movcam rig all decked out. Saving up for the 7Q at the moment. My parents just bought a GH4 and I got the chance to play with it and love it. Shoots some really nice video. I am taking it to a wedding this weekend to try out the internal 4K for some detail shots. Already shot some GH4 footage and I am really impressed by it.

I am curious what are your thoughts going forward. I will explain a bit what I do and if you have any insights that would be greatly appreciate. Obviously the biggest factor is the overall price, one if 1/4 the amount of the other. But, let me dive into what I want to do.

I have owned the FS700 for almost a year now - shoot all my corporate/wedding stuff on it. All of my current footage is through the SD card and I have been happy with it so far. I got into independent filmmaking as a DP and did 7 short films last year using various cameras - F55, FS700, RED, and various DSLRs. I really like the size of the GH4 and the price as well. For weddings, it would significantly cut down on my costs if I went all GH4's. If I kept my FS700, I would continue to rent another FS700 to accommodate all my weddings. I have a few feature films where I am DPing on this year and they all were interested in the 7Q option of the FS700. If I was to get the 7Q in the near future for basically the price of a new GH4 plus some more, would I be better off? Obviously I would love to use my FS700 on films but really they have enough money to rent their own cameras, so I have no obligations. I feel the 7Q really outshines anything the GH4 could do, but don't know enough about it. Also want something that will stick around for a few years. I know I can't plan for the future with technology moving as quick as it is but I like to think if I put another few grand into the FS700, it can have a bit more life to it.

I guess I am curious what everyone would think in this situation. I want to play around the GH4 some more, but still have my doubts about it. They all have their pro's and con's.

Thanks for reading and letting me know your thoughts!
Chris
Click to expand...

Do you really need 4K? I've been shooting the fs700 as main cam and a 5D 3 as a bcam in a corporate/interview setting... but every since the 5D 3 raw hack came around, i've been favouring the camera A LOT. Granted, I'm already heavily invested into canon glass, so going to the gh4 makes little sense to me. Now though I have the 7Q with 4k... and although its great... I keep finding myself grabbing the 5D on a slider way more than the Fs700+7Q. I basically dedicted the 4k to just wide shots, but the rest is looking great on a 5D3.

That said... I'm looking forward to the a7s to see how it compares... cuz I'm in love with the size and design of it. Having worked with the a7... if there was a bit of a bump in the image, i'd grab one instantly. (and have it as my dedicated travel cam... the 5D has gotten heavy over the years). Now if only we had more compelling e-mount FF lenses.
 
4K is strictly for films. I don't plan to use 4K at weddings or corporate. The GH4 4K video is compressed, so it takes up the same space as if I was to shoot 1080p. So we shot with it and liked it.
 
True North said:
Mitch has stated on this forum that CD is working on an Odyssey 7Q solution which will allow users to record 4k from the GH4 (without the YAGH) through the HDMI connection. I can't remember if that included working with the A7s but it would likely be possible on a technical level if it can record 4k from an HDMI output. No dates yet on when it will be available.
Click to expand...
Yes, our upcoming solution will work for both the GH4 and the A7S.
 
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