How competitve is the FS700 now?
- Thread starter firehawk
- Start date
paulcurtis
Veteran
It's been a while since i've posted here, but i do think the FS700 is a gem amongst the cameras out there. Partnered with the O7Q it's one of the lowest priced 4K RAW cameras there (show me one that does 120fps at 4K RAW...) and with a decent workflow in post can produce excellent results. I've struggled to move to another camera as there isn't much point with the usual suspects. In the end i've gone to the Epic-W and my main reason was ergonomics, workflow and speed. But even so, you can get such good results from the 700, same ball park as FS7, F5, C300 and so on. Choose between C300 and 700+O7Q, i'd go with the 700. In fact buy 3 of them for the cost of a C300 
cheers
Paul
cheers
Paul
Jim Ritscher
Well-known member
I sold mine, but I loved it when I had it. To me, the only real problem with the camera is that you will spend a lot of money to kit it out, and then if you sell it, you won't get that money back. For people who want to hire you who know cameras, they might say, "Oh, you're still using the FS700, huh?" But they'll know that you can produce good images with the camera.
deltoidjohn
Veteran
In terms of IQ/performance/features it's very competitive, but only if you're shooting your own content. If you're a shooter-for-hire, you're not going to compete with people who own an FS7/F55/Red Epic because those are the current "buzzword" cameras with producers - like the C300 before them and the 5DmkII before that. Often the producers don't know what the O7q+ or even the FS700 are.
People who have a Red Scarlet or Sony F5 often have the same battle though - it's not the camera, even if it is very close in performance, so it gets overlooked by producers. Especially in the Red camp, with their constant upgrade cycles, there seems to be this mentality that if you don't own at least an Epic, you might as well not own a Red if you're freelancing. I think producers even use the existence of the Scarlet and now the Raven as a bargaining chip - eg: "If you don't lower your rate I'll just hire this guy with a Scarlet instead". So the rates for the top tier cameras get pulled down close enough to the 2nd tier that nobody would bother hiring the 2nd tier just to save a few dollars. This all concerns freelance owner/ops only though - if you're at a studio or producing content end-to-end the lower tier Reds, and the FS700/O7q+, start to make a lot more sense.
People who have a Red Scarlet or Sony F5 often have the same battle though - it's not the camera, even if it is very close in performance, so it gets overlooked by producers. Especially in the Red camp, with their constant upgrade cycles, there seems to be this mentality that if you don't own at least an Epic, you might as well not own a Red if you're freelancing. I think producers even use the existence of the Scarlet and now the Raven as a bargaining chip - eg: "If you don't lower your rate I'll just hire this guy with a Scarlet instead". So the rates for the top tier cameras get pulled down close enough to the 2nd tier that nobody would bother hiring the 2nd tier just to save a few dollars. This all concerns freelance owner/ops only though - if you're at a studio or producing content end-to-end the lower tier Reds, and the FS700/O7q+, start to make a lot more sense.
If you partner it with a 7Q it is insane the quality you get for the money. Next year I plan to buy a second one to go with my other 7Q+ that is currently powering an A7s on a RONIN-M. If you're after picture quality with maximum Frame rate options for the lowest price, it is the pick in my opinion. Getting away from super compressed codecs makes the biggest difference in itself vs struggling to stay with in camera codecs.
If you are a camera for hire, that is another story because people are obsessed with the latest releases. I make projects from stat to finsih independantly and evey client has been floored when they see the final product. The 7Q makes it a powerhouse.
FS700 with 7Q RAW 4K (12bit)
A7s with 7Q+ ProRes HQ UHD (8bit)
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Ash von Chamier
www.RoughCutProductions.com
If you are a camera for hire, that is another story because people are obsessed with the latest releases. I make projects from stat to finsih independantly and evey client has been floored when they see the final product. The 7Q makes it a powerhouse.
FS700 with 7Q RAW 4K (12bit)
A7s with 7Q+ ProRes HQ UHD (8bit)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ash von Chamier
www.RoughCutProductions.com
deltoidjohn
Veteran
I like your idea of replacing the A7s with another FS700 - it certainly makes a lot of sense if you already own a 2nd 7Q+.
Used FS700 prices are starting to drop below the cost of a new A7sII/A7rII, so it makes more sense to have a matching pair of 700's than get one of the newer mirrorless cams as a B-cam, unless you absolutely must have internal recording.
Used FS700 prices are starting to drop below the cost of a new A7sII/A7rII, so it makes more sense to have a matching pair of 700's than get one of the newer mirrorless cams as a B-cam, unless you absolutely must have internal recording.