My 2014 camera shootout: a7s, GH4, 5D3+RAW, BMC, pocket...

Samuel H

Samuel H

Major Contributor
I managed to get a few very interesting cameras together for a shootout. I looked at sharpness, color, and dynamic range.

First set of results: sharpness.

* The GH4 in 4K is just out of this world. Amazing.
* My a7s and the cameras that can shoot RAW (5D3, BMC, pocket): pretty good. Nice... if you haven't seen the results from the GH4, and if you can live with the aliasing (which at least only happens in the highlights in my a7s).
* These cameras that can shoot RAW, when not shooting RAW: but why are you not shooting RAW? If you can't cope with the workflow, look for the a7s (or the GH4, of course, but wait till we get to the DR results...).
* My old NEX-5N: thanks, old friend, we had some good times together... (and I must say once again: it was clearly a step forward when I moved from the T2i to the 5N).

See for yourselves:
http://www.similaar.com/foto/shootout_2014/sharpness.html



edit: second set of results, dynamic range!!

http://www.similaar.com/foto/shootout_2014/dynamicrange.html

Just looking at the table can be misleading (the a7s looks better than it is, the 5D3+RAW may be better to you than what I put in the table), so read the post to get the full picture.

dynamicrange.jpg
 
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Finally, i was looking forward to your tests Samuel!

What surprised me was bmpcc raw vs prores...never shooting prores again lol, thou i'm kinda scared that raw has more moire, in other people tests, thou i never got horrible moire problems.

Can't wait for dynamic range tests! When can i expect dynamic range results?
 
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* As usual, I shot this for myself (we have to choose camera for an upcoming project), but you are welcome, y'all :)

* GH4: it's not just 4K res, it's amazingly sharp 4K res!! But as I said: wait for the DR results...

* Aliasing: I chose the target trying to stress the cameras as much as possible. Since I avoid blow-up highlights, I've never seen aliasing in my a7s images in actual footage. Those silver things are really hard to render for any camera. Look at the normal stuff in the image (the lower half of the crop set, basically) for more "regular use" results.

* I was very surprised by the prores results too, particularly in the BMC. I had already found earlier that it was softer than RAW, but this time... those color splotches are nasty! Maybe I'm doing something wrong with the files, I don't know. I just loaded them into AE (win7) and adjusted levels, gamma and saturation, just like I did with every other clip.

* BM frames without the 200% (plus, 5D3 RAW frame as bonus): here. Note to self: update the page to show BMC vs pocket RAW comparison.
 
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I did A+B tests with A7s 1080P internal and UHD Recording and saw similar results in terms of resolution increase.

Personally I used a GH4 and A7s, and bought the A7s because the DR was not very controlable in outdoor situations on the GH4. I just couldn't like their gamma curve.
 
So, you're saying, the 4K from the a7s can be that much sharper too? The GH4 results really blew me over...
 
All my testing has shown the 5D MK3 raw to be a little sharper than the A7s, but it's the highlight aliasing and less post flexibility that's relegated the A7s to b-cam status. Look forward to seeing the dynamic range test.
 
Well, that's what I found too, in general terms: the lack of compression in the 5D3+RAW keeps the fine textures alive, whereas the a7s muds them a bit (not as much as other H.264 cameras, the XAVC-S codec is relatively good; but it can't match uncompressed RAW).

The DR results will take a few days to process, now I have to edit a paid project.
 
samuel h-

thank you for taking the time to perform the testing and posting your thoughts.

coming from the fs100/fs700 (non 4k), i continue to be impressed by the capabilities of the gh4.

ymmv.

be well.

rob
smalltalk productions/nyc
 
As a past GH4 owner & current A7S owner, I have to say the GH4 had a more cinematic image; closer to Red (as long as you can light your shots).

Obviously I haven't shot 4K with the A7S, so that could change my opinion, but overall the aesthetic of the GH4 was incredible once you figure out a profile that works for you. I'll definitely be buying another one down the road.

I'm currently shooting a feature that demands stellar low light, so for right now the A7S is a much better choice for me.
 
Samuel H said:
So, you're saying, the 4K from the a7s can be that much sharper too? The GH4 results really blew me over...
Click to expand...

Yes, and the noise is much easier to see in slog2. There are tradeoffs when going 1:1 pixel mapping. I never compared it to the GH4 though so it may be a wash.

Still external recorder vs internal is a huge deal, and so is the price.
 
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