F3: need setup suggestions for F3

F

forbyfiev

Active member
I've started playing with an F3 and would like to find some basic menu setup suggestions. I've googled and there's plenty, but nothing that concise and encompassing. Can anyone point me to some links?
 
AbleCine, have some nice Picture Profiles for the Sony F3. And Able have a video on how to load the Picture Profiles onto the card and then copy to the camera. I like to use the F3 with an external recorder to get the 10bit S Log out! Able has a lot on this as well. The F3 is still a great 1080p camera, the colors it produces are very nice, and more filimic than a lot of the modern cameras out there today. Macie Video on the East Coast, had some good Picture Profiles for the F3 as well. The Optitek Nikon or Canon, lens mount is great for this camera, supper snug without any play.
 
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If you get a copy of Doug Jensen's F3 manual, he has a great WYSIWYG profile. Our colorist is a big fan of the Abel-cine F3 "range" profile when matching multiple cameras together. +2 on the Optitek Prolock lens mount. I have two of them for Nikon glass. Super solid, cinevized iris.
 
Thanks. I have installed the abelcine profiles. The first thing I noticed is that all of my other menu settings reset when I installed them. I have a PL, and Nikon adapters.
Is there anything I should be careful about, or watch for?
I’m using an Ikan vl35 through the HDMI with it, and I’m having trouble getting a signal to it depending upon the SDI output options
 
My suggestion would be to set it to SLOG, turn off any kind of internal matrix or processing, then record in 10-bit via the SDIs. Middle grey at 38% IRE.

Colour in post, and you'll have lovely footage to work with.
 
I'm not familiar with the Ikan vl35, but if you're shooting in 24p you might want to change your output menu settings to 59.94i (3:2 pulldown) instead of 23.98psf for hdmi compatibility. (This doesn't change your record mode or the outputs from the dual link A-B BNC ports)

Also - here's a small trick -- While pressing the Cancel button, press the button in the center of the 'S/Q Dial' -- this changes the function of the rotary S/Q dial to a jog dial for menus, etc. Faster to use than the little thumbwheel on the back. (Same button combo turns it back to a S/Q selector.)

When you load settings from a card the camera will read all the settings! I'd recommend that once you figure out what settings you like, save them to a small card (such as an 8GB one) and then write protect the card and just keep it for settings.

Remember that you can "delete all the clips" from a card without losing any settings saved to the card -- but that if you format a card it erases any settings saved on it.

And ALWAYS write protect your cards as soon as you take them out of the camera -- BEFORE inserting them into a card reader or computer.
 
Well thanks for all the tips. I do plan on using an external recorder in the future. At the moment I need to use this with internal recording for a short film that will require and carrying gear into remote locations.

Is there anywhere to get a printed copy of Doug Jensen’s book? I can only find the DVD
 
Doug is on this board frequently. You might message him directly. I've always used the SDI connections for monitors. I seem to remember you can't mix SDI and HDMI outs at the same time, but I could totally be blowing smoke at you. In any event, SDI is much more reliable than the HDMI, if you can go that way with your external recorder.
 
forbyfiev said:
Is there anywhere to get a printed copy of Doug Jensen’s book? I can only find the DVD
Click to expand...

Thanks for your interest my F3 training, and thank you to captslomo for the plug. I only produced a training video for the F3 so there is no manual or hard copy for sale. The video, however, is available via on-demand streaming at Vimeo or or on DVD. https://www.vortexmediastore.com/pages/vortex-media-training-videos-and-books

Other than the information in my video I don't really have any advice to share. I sold my F3 about 5 years ago and sadly it is a distant memory now. But I still think it is one of the best looking HD cameras ever sold if you add an external recorder.
 
I have one question, if anyone knows..

I just bought used F3 with installed RGB. It have firmware ver. 1.4 .. I want to upgrade to latest / 1.45 ver.

Should I remove RGB first?

(the problem is: I don't have RGB password).. Is it safe to upgrade with installed RGB?
 
Well there is a good question also.
My firmware is 1.37, I don’t know how that affects my installed RGB upgrade (which I don’t have the password for either )


My EVF also has a 3.5mm component in. I tried it with a BNC adapter cable into the video out, but I get no picture at all from that. Any ideas?
 
That’s a great question, I’m in the same boat with firmware 1.37 not sure how that may affect the abelcine PP‘s

Also, my EVF has a 3.5 mm composite video in. I tried it from the video out of the camera, with a BNC adapter cable. I get no picture at all. Any ideas why?
 
So I have the current firmware installed now. The Abelcine profiles remains, I kind of thought they would get overwritten. Is the Sony S log picture profile available anywhere?
 
forbyfiev said:
So I have the current firmware installed now. The Abelcine profiles remains, I kind of thought they would get overwritten. Is the Sony S log picture profile available anywhere?
Click to expand...

I was under the impression it was included for free with the post recent firmware update. PP7?
 
And if I remeber reading somwhere, you should use the SDI outputs for 10 bit, because the HDMI is only 8 bit, so If you have to use an HDMI recorder use an SDI to HDMI covertor to keep the 10 bit ! I don't remember there being a version 1.45. Only on cameras with the RGB already installed maybe? My f3 cameras are all version 1.40 with the RGB card installed S Log. The Slog with the latest version firmware was included, it's in the PP settings! as a S Log profile in the PP (Picture Profile setting)

Still a great camera.
 
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