F3: PMW F3 NCD! Now how to use it...

T

thejrace

Member
Hey all! Once upon a time, some 6/7 years ago, I got the bug to shoot some videos and bought a Canon SL1. Shot some music videos and skate vids for friends, but super casual, nothing good, no idea what I was doing, and almost always on af. Fun 6 months, lolol. Well with quarantine and everything going on as a result, that same bug hit again. Decided I wanted to actually learn how to properly shoot and at actually understand the process. Fast forward to getting lost in so many threads and amazing info on here. Definitely want to say thank you to everyone on the forum that replies, contributes excellent info, and helpful advice. Well I committed to making use of my time and got an F3 (along with a 7Q+ and lens lolol). Super psyched!

First things first, trying to figure out how to properly set up recording 444(it has the upgrade) to the 7q+. Also want to pop off that busted vf immediately. Any recs for shoulder mount setup? There's obviously a budget, but also don't want something I'd have to replace in a year or two. Was looking at these below along with some rods off amazon(30cm vs 40cm?), but not sure if anyone on here has any experience or suggestions.

http://store.berkeysystem.com/sony-pmw-f3-panasonic-ag-af100-baseplate-assembly/
http://store.berkeysystem.com/import-shoulder-pad/

Thanks for checking in and any feedback. Looking forward to having fun with it and sharing this journey!

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It could be that the F3 has the same lens height as the F5/55. Look into should rigs for those as well.

Vocas has the best machining and is dirt cheap on Ebay. Not a lot of people know the brand on Ebay or the US. They are up there with Arri in quality. Just less industry standardized.
 
Don't worry about the busted up rear viewfinder. I've owned three F3s, and still use two of them. I've never once looked in the rear viewfinder. If your Alphatron still works and isn't burned too badly, you're just going to use that anyway.

I put the Zacuto universal VCT baseplate on both my F3s. You can slide the camera back a forth a bit for weight distribution, pretty comfortable shoulder pad, front and rear 15mm rod holders. I would suggest getting the Berkey cheeseplate for the top of the F3 instead of what you've got on there now.
 
Congrats on the upgrade �� it’s a beastly little camera paired with the 7Q.

For 4:4:4 recording you need to have both the camera and recorder set to RGB 4:4:4 modes. On the F3 it’s in the SDI menu. You need to set it to RGB mode within that.

If you need some extra accessories, I’m pretty sure I have a 15mm LWS baseplate (that also acts as a riser to get the camera to normal studio baseplate heights), and the Berkey System top plate both sitting in the cupboard somewhere. Happy to bundle them together cheap if it’s of any help.
 
Great camera and recorder. With the slog 444 upgrade it's a killer HD camera. I still have mine

I have the Berkey F3 baseplate and have been very happy with it. It is very versatile since you can adjust the height of the 15mm rod holders. The versatility comes from its simplicity. It really is just a cheese plate, custom top plate and two Quad Blocks with spacers. You can buy other components from Berkey and modify it for all sorts of uses. I've used it on everything from my F3 to a BMPC4k and think I may have even had an Alexa Mini on it at one point.
 
Thanks yall!! Think I got the settings set. Been swamped with work, but had some fun the day messing with all the settings and taking it to the backyard to shoot some. Sure its awful, but I'll take whatever fun I can get now lolol. Only used it with the silly camcorder grip, but can't wait to get it on my shoulder. Wish i could mount a handle on the right in place of the camcorder one to tuck it into my arm, but ohh well. Time to learn some color grading!!
 
Grug said:
Congrats on the upgrade �� it’s a beastly little camera paired with the 7Q.

For 4:4:4 recording you need to have both the camera and recorder set to RGB 4:4:4 modes. On the F3 it’s in the SDI menu. You need to set it to RGB mode within that.

If you need some extra accessories, I’m pretty sure I have a 15mm LWS baseplate (that also acts as a riser to get the camera to normal studio baseplate heights), and the Berkey System top plate both sitting in the cupboard somewhere. Happy to bundle them together cheap if it’s of any help.
Click to expand...

Have tried a couple of cables and not getting an input signal on the 7Q+. Not exactly sure what the issue is, think all settings are set correctly. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?
 
So here are my settings for both the f3 and 7q+. Does this look right to you all? Have the SDI A out from the f3 connected to my SDI A input on the Odyssey. Thanks for any help!
 

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Harry Lime said:
Great camera and recorder. With the slog 444 upgrade it's a killer HD camera. I still have mine

I have the Berkey F3 baseplate and have been very happy with it. It is very versatile since you can adjust the height of the 15mm rod holders. The versatility comes from its simplicity. It really is just a cheese plate, custom top plate and two Quad Blocks with spacers. You can buy other components from Berkey and modify it for all sorts of uses. I've used it on everything from my F3 to a BMPC4k and think I may have even had an Alexa Mini on it at one point.
Click to expand...

Does the slog 444 upgrade require dual link 1.5 to be enabled? I thought that 444 upgrade enabled the sdi A port to function as 3g thus bypassing dual link to record slog 444.
 
thejrace said:
Does the slog 444 upgrade require dual link 1.5 to be enabled? I thought that 444 upgrade enabled the sdi A port to function as 3g thus bypassing dual link to record slog 444.
Click to expand...

Should work just fine with sdi A at 3G. That's how I run mine all the time. I've used both 7Q and Pix-E5. Not sure if this is the problem, but could it be set to 59.94 as a frame rate which can't do 444? Frame rates are in a completely different menu so it's possible it got unnoticed.
 
I will very soon find myself in the exact same position. Would you mind sharing your settings? That would be a great help and relief. Thanks!
 
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