FS700 in 2019?

dmitrizigany said:
I’ve been working quite a lot over the years with my FS700/7Q and A7S, and more recently also in combination with A7RIII, A7III. I have to say that the image of the FS700 (raw output to ProRes in the Odyssey7Q) smokes the A7 cameras. There just something much more organic about it.
Also the A7S (have never used the newer ones personally, as operator), while it can look absolutely amazing, is more prone to look bad. While the FS700 seems more solid... so seems to be a smaller margin of error on the A7S...

I really long for the improved AF of the newer A7 cameras though...

My (half realistic) dream camera would be an FS5 with a newer sensor (maybe even FF), IBIS and the AF of the new A7 cameras. And raw out to a Ninja V-sized recorder. Until the next generation of FS cameras come along I’m holding on to my FS700/7Q!
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Problem I have with FS700 and 7Q is size. I don't mind big cameras if Image is fantastic. This is why I have F35. But I already have a big camera. So not sure I want another.
 
SJX said:
What is advantage for FS700 today over the new Fuji or a Sony A series camera? I think only ND, XLR, buttons and slow Motion? Because it seems the new cameras do everything else, are cheaper and lighter smaller. Maybe even better image quality than FS700?
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For me, the reason I still find myself using the FS700, other than already having it, is the 12bit RAW and the 10bit ProRes. Even when recording to an external recorder, I believe the cameras you mentioned still output an 8bit signal, despite the recorder recording it in a 10bit "bucket", so to speak. And yeah, the internal NDs and XLR...not to mention a locking BNC connection, as opposed to just an HDMI.

I don't have a picture of this set-up, but if I think of it next time I use it in this configuration, I'll try to snap a pic for ya. But pretty self explanatory, really.

Not that the cameras you mentioned don't have their own merits. I can see how one might prefer them over the FS700. :)
 
The FS700 and Odyssey7Q image is noticeably better than any of the Sony A cameras by a large margin. When it comes to low light the Sony A cameras will obviously be the better choice but image wise the FS700 output to a external recorder is better. The image out of the new A7III is actually sharper due to the 6k sensor downsampling but as others have mentioned the FS700 image is more organic and the A7III image falls apart pretty quickly as soon as you start grading it where as the FS700/Odyssey image holds up really well. It's amazing how good the image is considering the age of the camera and the price point. I honesty think Sony let it slip through the net without really understanding the true quality thats capable through the Raw output. Even compared to the FS5 with an external recorder or an FS7, the image still seems superior to me.
 
Also I believe FS700 with recorder is cheapest 4k large sensor camcorder set up? By camcorder I mean camera with sound, XLR, ND etc.
 
boosh said:
I honesty think Sony let it slip through the net without really understanding the true quality thats capable through the Raw output. Even compared to the FS5 with an external recorder or an FS7, the image still seems superior to me.
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I've always said this. The FS700 was before its time.....but also before we had
a lot of cameras we now have. Few or no 4K cameras. The big sensor cameras of
the time were the Canon C100/300 and then there was the Panasonic AF100. And
Sony's own FS100. That was pretty much it other than the DSLRs and RED.
So it was almost like Sony made this one camera to really get interest and 'beat'
the competition by including not only unheard of slow motion capabilities but
also a future 4K upgrade ability. As well as adding ND and such. No one seemed
to know much about the future 4K ability. And I think that Odyssey and Atomos
get some credit here as well (for making great recorders for the FS700.)
But that additional 'expansion' has really been something for FS700 owners.....much
better than expected. If you really think about it....one supporting detail for Sony
almost 'giving more than they intended' with the FS700 is this. The FS7 and FS5 use
the same sensor as the FS700. It was a 4K sensor which was ahead of its time.
 
On a side note, I emailed Convergent Design yesterday about implementing Prores Raw for the Odyssey7Q now that the 1 year exclusive with Atomos is up and they said they are testing it along with other RAW recording options to work out if they're suitable. This would bring another leap in quality for the FS700 in a codec that can easily be handled in FCPX. If people are keen on seeing Prores RAW on the Odyssey7Q it might be worth emailing them directly to let them know Odyssey7Q owners want this option....
 
Ok. But is FS700 with recorder indeed cheapest 4k large sensor camcorder set up?
 
Hard question to answer? Maybe offensive for FS700 owners? Just because is cheapest doesn't mean it sucks. But I can't think of cheaper one. So this is good point to buy FS700. Or is there cheaper option?
 
SJX said:
Ok. But is FS700 with recorder indeed cheapest 4k large sensor camcorder set up?
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Kinda hard question to answer because the FS700 isn’t
sold anymore, it’s been discontinued. So now we are talking
used prices vs. new on other cameras. For what it’s worth, the
FS5 (which pretty much replaced the FS700) is as cheap as the
FS700 ever was when it was sold new.
 
Yes. But I'm talking used or new. Including everything. Is used FS700 with recorder cheapest 4k large sensor camcorder set up at moment?
 
SJX said:
Yes. But I'm talking used or new. Including everything. Is used FS700 with recorder cheapest 4k large sensor camcorder set up at moment?
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idk, do some research. Just because we own the camera doesn't mean we know how inexpensive it is vs other options. I own o7q + fs700 and other bells and whistles and don't really care about price anymore, why would I?

That other comment about being large I used to understand until I started shooting tonnes with the amira and alexa - those are tanks - my shoulder rig, 7q, batts, fs700 is light in comparison.

for what it's worth, I still think my camera produces better images than the fs7, c300, c200, fs5 ...
 
Well I took the plunge and picked up a 2nd Shogun inferno on sale to allow 4K on my other FS700R. So I have 2 FS700R and 2 Infernos which I plan to use as my main cams as long as I can. Decided they are good enough for me. Also have A7Sii and A7Riii for additional large sensor 4K cams if needed (though limited to 4K 30P).

Hopefully 8K won't be required for some time as I don't want to buy any more cameras for several years.

The FS700R 4K footage isn't as sharp as the newer cams but seems to have a nice organic look to it and of course lots of room to grade with that heavy codec. Plus 4K slow motion.
I really like S35 DOF and all the physical buttons on the FS700R and of course built-in ND.
 
I love the look of the FS700 with my O7Q+, it does indeed look almost organic. Now the trouble is matching my B-cam (A6300) to it, which I feel has more of a "video" look.
 
Boosh - BTW the way I wanted to tell you that I got adapter plates and weights and got the FS100 on a ronin M. I think I can get the fs700 on as well did not try yet as I have to strip it down. Like you said, It is heavy as I also mounted the 7Q+ on it I am looking to buy A7iii just for B roll and ronin work. Hope I can get it to match with FS700 and 7Q+ footage.
Also great work
 
boosh said:
New work shot on FS700/Odyssey7Q:

https://vimeo.com/316054255
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you shoot most of this on a ronin? my guess would be w/ a lightweight lens and ronin + easy-rig... I tried doing a shoot on the ronin without an easy rig, plus a heavy-ish lens (sigma 16-35 cine zoom) and it was sort of a nightmare. Some of your shots look like a straight up slider. Those clothing pieces you do always have a nice earthy/warm look that really works.
 
Thanks Fatman, it was all shot on gimbal as we have such limited time to shoot these, no easyrig though. It's a horribly heavy setup but just about manageable with an assistant. I yearn for a lighter setup though.....hopefully we'll be graced with some decent new cameras this year
 
Its the original DJI-Ronin. I had to add on some extension arms which I bought from China on eBay. Really made the gimbal work much smoother.

GIMBAL.jpg
 
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