FS7: Gotchas. quirks, problems & solutions

L

Lenilenapi

Carbonite Member
In an effort to finally put the main FS7 thread to rest and keep the most important issues front and center , here are notes I've taken from couple of previous posts.
All of this one is basically copied and slightly edited from Paul Antico 's blog at "Anticipate Media"

http://www.anticipatemedia.com/blog...-with-the-news-sony-pxw-fs7-4k-super35-camera

I don't want to be ripping you off Paul, so if there is a problem I'll pull all of this , but I figured it was buried in the other thread and its very good information, well organized. Thank you immensely .

BTW - Another good place for info about tech problems and solutions is Alistair Chapman's comment section after his review of the FS7

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2014/10/notes-on-the-production-versions-of-the-pxw-fs7/#comment-46003

Oh yeah - Please no extraneous discussions about Sony vs whatever- keep this technical.

Lenny Levy
------------------------

Missing Waveform Monitor ("Video Signal Monitor"): [UPDATE: SOLVED] Sony says (and this is not in the manual), is to ensure your output video via SDI and HDMI is set to 1080 when recording internally to 4k.
Sony:
"Currently, you do not have a waveform monitor unless you have the video output set to "SDI=1920/HDMI = "----" [you can still record to the cards in 4k when you have the output setting this way -Paul]. It seems to be a limitation in the character generator "pop-up" displays.
This worked for me, and it was repeatable.
That said, some people still have issues. Dan Chung said Only a total reset of the camera eventually worked. So there may be some other issues at play here.


Can't use VF LUT without also burning it into the footage on the card: [UPDATE: SOLVED]
I discovered that having "distortion compensation" ON in the lens menu under System causes the LUTs to be frozen out.


Previous to fix couldn't get LUTs to work in CineEI mode such that it only shows on the viewfinder or SDI2. Right now it's linked to SD1 which is also linked to internal recording Sony is trying to figure out why for me. They claim it should work but it doesn't:
"... about the MLUT is also related to the video output menu. If you drop down to 1080, then you will have independent control of each of the possible LUT destinations.
Well, this did not work for me. but "distortion " did


Metabones EF Smart/Ultra Adapter Woes? [UPDATE: SOLVED, MAYBE] I have one of these and have tested successfully (Iris control/display and IS) on it the Canon 24-105 F4L IS and 70-200 F2.8 IS II and Canon 50 1.4 with the Metabones EF-NEX Smart Adapter Mark IV. Also fine w 3 EF Rokinon Cine lenses,
But apparently older versions (according to many reports) may not work without a firmware update installed in Hong Kong at Metabones, and the Ultra Speedbooster model apparently has some issues. [The IV is user upgradable thankfully; Not sure about Ultra as I don't have one.]
Dan Chung of NewsShooter.com is seeing a myriad of issues with a few Metabones adapters.


My adapter may be in Eco mode as opposed to Advanced. This means the shutter opens wide-open then closes to your selected aperture every time you click the wheel. This can be troublesome for shooting documentary or news as you may see a flash of overexposure on the screen for a moment.
[UPDATE] I re-tested this and I indeed saw the flashes. I even updated to the latest just released 10/31/14 firmware V36.


But there is a solution! (Keep reading)
even after updating the firmware, it dials down fine, but go back up and it flashes.
However, when I put it into Advanced mode:
  1. Mount everything (adapter, then lens) to your camera with the camera OFF
  2. Hold down "Wide Open" button on Metabones adapter as you turn the camera back on
The problem goes away!
If you've had success with this and own a FS7, let me know. But I consider this issue solved at this point.
That said, the iris change while dialing is horribly inconsistent (see below). This is true of almost all my lenses though, even my Sony native E mount glass, so I don't want to assign the dial issue to Metabones just yet.


There's a few big takeaways here.
1- the FS7 can't show waveforms or independent LUTs if your output format is anything but HD.
-You can still record in 4K, and in any framerate,
-but your output via the ports must be in HD.
- If you want to output 4K (to monitor in 4k or record externally in it) you will lose independent (i.e, non-burnable) LUTS and waveforms.


2- Metabones adapters give different results depending on your EF specific lens, and need to be turned to Advanced mode every time it's used.
And the dial issue below compounds the adapter issue. But MY EF glass works fine. I can change the iris, use IS.


3. turning the dials to change iris, gain/ISO, or white balance requires far more turns than it should of the dial. you need to turn that dial a full go around just to effect one change. Essentially, the dial on it and the body is not a one-for-one turn. E.g. If you're changing ISO you need to turn it a full turn to change one stop. Weird. And that isn't even consistent.
This is of course quite annoying and can slow you down during a shoot. And with different lenses it's not consistent.
Gain and WB can be worked around with the three-way switches but the iris is indeed a pain; it's just not predictable- more like "spin and pray"

-----------------------
 
Last edited:
OK Here's another that's double copied from somewhere on the web . Got it on the DVXUser FS7 LUT thread via Josh Becker:

Loading custom LUTs with the SD card is currently semi-broken.

The FS7 should be looking for user LUTs on the SD card, in this location ... Private > Sony > PRO > CAMERA > PXW-FS7

However, when you put LUTs in that folder, nothing shows up in the file list when you try to use the Load LUT option.

What you need to do is create a "PMWF55_F5" folder next to the "PXW-FS7" folder on the SD card, and put your LUTs in there.

The next thing to be mindful of is that the file list will show copies of your LUT files that start with "._", don't try to load these, it will just fail. You need to scroll down the list and find the files that lack the "._" beginning. I'm not sure if this is an artifact of transferring the files using OS X or if it pops up on Windows, too.

I think the whole F55_F5 folder is just a holdover from the fact that the software is derived from the F55/F5 menu. But just add it to the list of bugs...

I feel like I must be the second person to want custom LUTs (I have the Koji LUT pack.) Here is the issue as it stands:

The FS7 should be looking for user LUTs on the SD card, in this location ... Private > Sony > PRO > CAMERA > PXW-FS7

However, when you put LUTs in that folder, nothing shows up in the file list when you try to use the Load LUT option.

What you need to do is create a "PMWF55_F5" folder next to the "PXW-FS7" folder on the SD card, and put your LUTs in there.

The next thing to be mindful of is that the file list will show copies of your LUT files that start with "._", don't try to load these, it will just fail. You need to scroll down the list and find the files that lack the "._" beginning. I'm not sure if this is an artifact of transferring the files using OS X or if it pops up on Windows, too.

I think the whole F55_F5 folder is just a holdover from the fact that the software is derived from the F55/F5 menu. But just add it to the list of bugs…
 
Thanks for making a topic. I'll post things as I find them. I had my FS7 lock up about 15min into a test shoot (see here, halfway through the post) the other day. Not sure what cause it. Eventually pulled cards/batteries and kept rebooting. It popped out of it on its own.

More gotchas: Waveform only works when not using a LUT. So if you're using Cine EI as a Base Setting and using MLUTs, you'll need to toggle back and forth between MLUT on/off to see the waveform. And there is no simple shortcut to doing this. The fastest I've found is assigning User Menu to one of the shortcuts, then putting MLUT near the top.

Does anyone have a contact at Sony about these things? I've got questions and requests (ability to apply an MLUT toggle would be awesome for me).

A physical thing to check out is the 90-degree 15mm block that the EVF rod is connected to. Notice the rod is grooved? That's because there are spring loaded pieces inside the 15mm clamp to softly "lock" the rod at 90-degree increments. An easy way to sort of fold away the LCD but know you're returning it to horizontal. Now the reason I bring this up is that two other FS7 units I used weren't clicking into the rod grooves. The first one I used, I didn't think much of it, just that the grooves were kind of waste if they didn't lock the rotation of the rod. Then I got my unit and it worked the way I thought it should. And then finally I met up with another guy who bought the FS7 and his wasn't clicking. Upon further inspection the two little spring-loaded pieces weren't actually protruding from their holes the way they were supposed to (imagine the spring-loaded ball in a ratchet handle, not coming out the way it's supposed to). Not sure what he would do to fix it. Just noticed it on a couple cameras and thought people should check their units.
 
Thanks for bringing the posts over here Josh. One question I have is whether you can rotate the viewfinder or the VF screen so that its parallel to the body as you might want to use it in a cramped space like a car (sitting in the passenger seat looking at driver or back seat.) It doesn't look like it and I'm wondering if there is any way to gerry rig that.
 
Lenilenapi said:
Thanks for bringing the posts over here Josh. One question I have is whether you can rotate the viewfinder or the VF screen so that its parallel to the body as you might want to use it in a cramped space like a car (sitting in the passenger seat looking at driver or back seat.) It doesn't look like it and I'm wondering if there is any way to gerry rig that.
Click to expand...

Do you mean something like this?
1adfM+


Ignore the fact that I'm not using the stock handle, it's mounted the same way. You have a lot of rotation and freedom with that 90-degree 15mm block. On top of that, the LCD has a flip/rotate switch, so if you want it almost in an FS700 location, you can do that. Like this:

PBzA+
 
Hey thanks that's great . That's without any 3rd party stuff right? Nice to know SONY actually thought to be that flexible.
 
Lenilenapi said:
Hey thanks that's great . That's without any 3rd party stuff right? Nice to know SONY actually thought to be that flexible.
Click to expand...
Yeah, if you look at my pics, I swapped the handle but it's still essentially a handle with a 15mm rod through it. That's what the stock handle has too (the mic mount is a 15mm rod). Then the 90-degree rod block, grooved rod, and LCD are all the stock Sony parts.

It's honestly almost exactly what I used for a long time on the FS700, which I made out of Berkey rods+blocks.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the FS7's distance from base to center-of-lens is almost identical to the C300. My matte box isn't height adjustable so it requires the LWS standard 85mm distance between center-of-lens and center-of-rods, which is right where it is with this Berkey System C300 plate. In the picture is a plate+shoulder pad that Berkey set up for me as a tester. He is working on a baseplate solution for the FS7 which will be similar to what I have in those pics. It's a great baseplate system, with rosettes on the sides, quick release low-profile shoulder pad.

Berkey is also working on an FS7 top plate. It's sounding like it will be a much better solution that the Vocas plate, which is just a block and a replacement handle. Berkey's plate will have a horse-shoe shape that goes around the stock handle and uses the same mounting bolts. Since I swap out my handle for the NATO rail handle, I would prefer a flat cheese plate on top of the camera... well, I brought up the thought of offering an inset plate that would fill the inside if the horse-shoe shape when the stock handle is removed from the camera. I think this top plate would be a great compromise for offering mount points while accommodating the top handle for those who want to use the handle's controls+hot shoe, while still offering a flat cheese-plate version for those of us who want more flexibility.
 
Thanks Josh,
Actually without having the camera in hand its hard to visualize yet. If you have time , could you be more specific about how you gerry rigged the viewfinder mount ? I can't really see much from your pics.

lenny
 
Thanks for this thread. My question would be has there been a definitive answer about which 3rd party batteries work and which ones don't?

I know for example CVP carries the Sony BPUs, the Swits, the Powerlok and the Hawks Wood BPU battery options and I'm sure there are others, especially once you fire up ebay.

I imagine I'll mostly be using V-mounts with the extension unit but would be great to have a stash of inexpensive batteries when going super light and recording internally.
 
jshbckr said:
In the picture is a plate+shoulder pad that Berkey set up for me as a tester. He is working on a baseplate solution for the FS7 which will be similar to what I have in those pics. It's a great baseplate system, with rosettes on the sides, quick release low-profile shoulder pad.
Click to expand...

Although I plan on using an older Shape Shoulder baseplate (I don't run MB often) that I have around It would be great to see other options for this camera. I hope Berkley doesn't go with a design that curves with the body like Vocas. It seems to me that would very much limit the forward back adjustment to centre the weight on shoulder.
 
Ben Scott said:
Thanks for this thread. My question would be has there been a definitive answer about which 3rd party batteries work and which ones don't?

I know for example CVP carries the Sony BPUs, the Swits, the Powerlok and the Hawks Wood BPU battery options and I'm sure there are others, especially once you fire up ebay.

I imagine I'll mostly be using V-mounts with the extension unit but would be great to have a stash of inexpensive batteries when going super light and recording internally.
Click to expand...

From what I have gathered from web chatter the new Swits are supposed to have the Sony chip in them and work. The old 3rd party batteries without the chip don't work unless they have a dtap out to the cameras 12v supply to bypass chip.
 
I ordered some S-8U63 SWITs from Texas Media System that have USB and Dtap... didn't work. Must be the old model. I'll follow up with Terry there and see if they are releasing new ones. I was really bummed to see that they didn't work.
 
I don't quite understand the issue with the Swit batteries etc. I'm heavily invested in older Swit and Switronix batts on my F3 and Ex-1 but they are the kind that have the extra wire that plugs into the Sony ext power jack. On the F3 I use a Sony plug to XLR 4 pin adapter. They work fine and I expect they will work fine on the FS7 also right? I hope so.

Frankly I prefer those batteries as the extra wire can be very useful in other situations - I power my SxS card reader with one and use them for LED lights and monitors as well. With the right adapter cables you can power anything and those batteries all have D-taps as well. Its a slight negative that they don't talk to the camera so you don't see a level indicator in the viewfinder , but that's turned out to be no bog issue.

Am I missing something here or is it just that you guys want to avoid the wire and want to see your batt level in the eyepiece.
 
Lenilenapi said:
I don't quite understand the issue with the Swit batteries etc. I'm heavily invested in older Swit and Switronix batts on my F3 and Ex-1 but they are the kind that have the extra wire that plugs into the Sony ext power jack. On the F3 I use a Sony plug to XLR 4 pin adapter. They work fine and I expect they will work fine on the FS7 also right? I hope so.
Click to expand...

Dan Chung got his to work this way. As long as you plug into the cam power you bypass the sony chip detection same as EX1
 
My Swits all have 4 lights on the battery itself, so that's helpful and I always get a "low voltage" warning flashing in the viewfinder that gives me enough time. As I recall the F3 also displays the voltage itself and if you spend time checking it out you can learn when the voltage readout is low. I did that but forgot to write it down. All in all its a small price to pay IMHO.
 
Yeah I have the same voltage readout with my Red, but basically I want to have my cake and eat it too, especially as I might not be the only person using it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top