OTHER: I shot this on a supercharged 19 year old Sony HDW-F900R in 2024

M

M. Windon

Member
I bought a trashed Sony F900R for $150 in Ukraine. The camera's in bad physical shape but still works and delivers a pristine image over HD-SDI for ProRes 422 HQ recording.

Here's the first video I shot with it last week. Will post more:


This cinematic short was filmed with: HDW-F900R cinema camera in 24p (using HyperGamma4), Canon J20ax8 zoom lens, Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G 5", Apple ProRes 422 HQ in HD and upressed to 4K.

Color graded in DaVinci Resolve 19 using Cineon Film Looks (Rec709 Kodak 2383 D55).

The F900 is the precursor to Sony's entire CineAlta line-up, it paved the way for the F23, F35, F55, F65, Venice and Burano. Without it, we wouldn't have digital cinema.

It has the following specifications:
- Global Shutter
- CCD sensor for cinema, film-like quality
- Uncompressed HD 10-bit 422 via HD-SDI
- S-Log gamma and HyperGamma4
- True 24p recording (not 23.98p)
- Native ISO 320
- Native Tungsten balance 3200K
- 12-13 Stops dynamic range
- Internal NDs
- Internal colour temperature filters (not digital or white balance)
- Internal OLPF to eliminate moire-
4-channel internal audio
- TC input and output
- Genlock
- Weighs less than 4KG
- $80,000 purchase price in 2006
- $150 purchase price in 2024 :)
 
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Glad you are enjoying your purchase, the material out on the street looks good! Watching that, based on the DoF you got, I wouldn't have guessed a 2/3" sensor. It's been a long time since I've shot on one!

The F900 was the first camera Sony badged as a CineAlta, not a precursor. Certainly that along with the original Varicam represented a big step forward for digital cinema acquisition. I first worked with it in 2000, on the feature "Session 9", and later later shot a film noir feature with it in 2005, seen below. By that time the industry had caught up to it and there were a number of purpose-built cine-style lens offerings for the 2/3 chips, I tested various 1.5x anamorphic adaptors for that feature. We did a test film-out compare cropped spherical 2:39 to the anamorphics, and much to our surprise the difference was so slight as to be hard to detect, so I went with the Zeiss DigiPrimes and a couple of Fujinon zooms on that show.

Those were the last of the glory days for the F900, as the Panavision Genesis was about to emerge and once S35 sensors arrived, few wanted to shoot 2/3" any more. They had a good run on sitcoms for years afterwards though.
 

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Thanks Charles. Session 9 was a favourite reference of mine when I first started using the Panavised F900 in Sydney almost 20 years ago. Nice steadicam! What's the name of the film noir you shot? I shot a bunch of movies myself with the F900/3 and F23, all with Panavision Digital Primos and one with DigiPrimes. I'm looking to grab a set of DigiPrimes to add to this vintage F900R. The Canon J20 zoom I used for the above video is surprisingly sharp and consistent. I filmed the whole thing with full ND at T1.7 and mostly at very tight focal lengths to increase the paralax and reduce the DOF. Here's another video I shot yesterday (experimenting with the native Tungsten balance, then correcting in post):


Damn fine camera.
 
The film noir was called "The Perfect Sleep". It shows up on streaming platforms occasionally, but inexplicably, it's stretched vertically to fit 16:9 (it's a 2:39 master). Sigh. I've been trying to get hold of an HD copy so I can cut a clip reel to no avail. The trailer doesn't really showcase the best looking material, but here it is:

I think in this day and age, the lack of ability to shoot log would for me make working with the F900 a tough experience. I did it for many years with Betacam/DigiBeta etc and up through the F900, but once you have that flexiblity it's tough to go back. I used a paintbox with the camera on set, adjusting the knee and other parameters that I can't even remember any more (!)
 
I have to admit I've got a soft spot for the F900 look. If you haven't already seen Miranda July's Me and You and Everyone We Know it's another example of the F900 being used to beautiful effect. And of course Michael Mann's Collateral or Miami Vice.

It's also fun to read some of the old articles from cinematographers working with them in the early 2000s. So much of what we take for granted with regard to digital cinematography today (or that's been rendered moot by vastly improved tech) was still totally new. It was probably a fun time to be working, Charles!
 
drboffa said:
It's also fun to read some of the old articles from cinematographers working with them in the early 2000s. So much of what we take for granted with regard to digital cinematography today (or that's been rendered moot by vastly improved tech) was still totally new. It was probably a fun time to be working, Charles!
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It's interesting to think back to everything going on 2000-2005, honestly. I was working on TV shows like Scrubs and Gilmore Girls, working on features with Shane Hurlbut (Crazy/Beautiful, Mr. 3000). Most of my operating work was with film cameras, my DP work was either on film or various flavors of digital from DV up to HD on F900's and Varicam. I was also running the 48 hr film festival Instant Films and directing shorts through that. Got a Mini35 for the XL1 and later DVX100 and having fun with the smaller projects. Probably my only regret was that was the first of several times where I thought strongly about focusing my energy on directing, but postponed the dream for various reasons.

I think if someone used to today's gear was catapulted back to those days, they might be a bit shocked at how much gear cost, and far fewer vendors were making it. That bracket, cables or accessory you can order today off Amazon for $30 would have been $175 then, if it even existed at all. A cheap mattebox was $3500. Video transmitters were standard-def, operated on UHF TV bands and were kind of illegal. One lugged around Arri kits and constantly calculated how many heads you could put on a given circuit, while wielding scrims, gels and dimmers.

Mostly though, I was in my mid to late 30's and life was pretty awesome!

Some more stills with the F900 from The Perfect Sleep, 2005.

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M. Windon said:
I bought a trashed Sony F900R for $150 in Ukraine. The camera's in bad physical shape but still works and delivers a pristine image over HD-SDI for ProRes 422 HQ recording.

Here's the first video I shot with it last week. Will post more:


This cinematic short was filmed with: HDW-F900R cinema camera in 24p (using HyperGamma4), Canon J20ax8 zoom lens, Blackmagic Design Video Assist 12G 5", Apple ProRes 422 HQ in HD and upressed to 4K.

Color graded in DaVinci Resolve 19 using Cineon Film Looks (Rec709 Kodak 2383 D55).

The F900 is the precursor to Sony's entire CineAlta line-up, it paved the way for the F23, F35, F55, F65, Venice and Burano. Without it, we wouldn't have digital cinema.

It has the following specifications:
- Global Shutter
- CCD sensor for cinema, film-like quality
- Uncompressed HD 10-bit 422 via HD-SDI
- S-Log gamma and HyperGamma4
- True 24p recording (not 23.98p)
- Native ISO 320
- Native Tungsten balance 3200K
- 12-13 Stops dynamic range
- Internal NDs
- Internal colour temperature filters (not digital or white balance)
- Internal OLPF to eliminate moire-
4-channel internal audio
- TC input and output
- Genlock
- Weighs less than 4KG
- $80,000 purchase price in 2006
- $150 purchase price in 2024 :)
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I like the Tube catchlight in the makeup sequence.
 
Stephen Coates said:
I just watched your F900 films and really enjoyed them :). Looks like you did well for $150. Just out of curiosity, does the tape drive work OK?
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Hi, thanks for watching! The tape drive is toast and doesn't close. I gaffer taped it shut
:) I've been recording via HD-SDI to ProRes 422 HQ on a Blackmagic Video Assist 12G. I shoot HyperGamm4.
 
Here's my latest short film shot with a Panavised version of the Sony HDW-F900/3 (this was one of the units used on Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones), and Panavision Digital Primo Zooms:

 
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Is this a diff version of the 900 than you shot the other one on? How did you manage to get your hands on Panavision gear aftermarket?
 
CharlesPapert said:
Is this a diff version of the 900 than you shot the other one on? How did you manage to get your hands on Panavision gear aftermarket?
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Yes it’s Panavision’s modified version from Panavision rental in Sydney where Attack of the Clones was shot. The cameras lived there after that movie was made. This short was shot 15 years ago but never completed. I was able to get a hold of the original footage and had it mastered with contemporary post technology. It was originally recorded in Panasonic AVC Intra 10-bit 422 using a P2 recorder. I’ll be posting another short film shot around the same time (and with the same camera) soon.
 
My latest Sony HDW-F900 video (also shot 15 years ago with the Panavised version and Panavision Digital Primos). I remastered this in Resolve with a 4K upres.

 
Really special camera, has a very similar IQ to the Classic; both are soft, beautifully, but so rich with character (in a camera world where that is long gone).
 
NorBro said:
Really special camera, has a very similar IQ to the Classic; both are soft, beautifully, but so rich with character (in a camera world where that is long gone).
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I 100% agree, which is why I picked it up again after a 14 year break and started making these YouTube films. I'm loving the character so much, I'm seriously considering shooting my next movie with it. Special camera!
 
Nice clip!

I dunno man, I logged many hours behind an Arri 3 and nothing like that ever happened to me on set--I must have done something wrong (maybe my loop was too long!?)


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