F3: Sony F3 Resurrection - The New Chapter

I know this is incredibly subjective, but how would you describe the image compared to the F55? That's my current rig. I have the PIX-E7 and if the F3 offers something different to the image, it might be nice to have it as an option.
 
Gizmosgadget said:
I know this is incredibly subjective, but how would you describe the image compared to the F55? That's my current rig. I have the PIX-E7 and if the F3 offers something different to the image, it might be nice to have it as an option.
Click to expand...

I've always found the overall feel of the images very similar between the F55, F5 and F3 (recording at their highest colour resolutions possible). The F5(5) are a bit more resolute (thanks to the higher-res sensors), but the general colour response, skintones and highlight rolloff is very similar between them.

The big (general IQ) advantages that the F55 has is in the global shutter, and it's wider colour gamut which can hold onto extreme colours (things like saturated RGB LED sources, and weird sodium street lights) MUCH better without clipping out colour channels.
 
Grug said:
I've always found the overall feel of the images very similar between the F55, F5 and F3 (recording at their highest colour resolutions possible). The F5(5) are a bit more resolute (thanks to the higher-res sensors), but the general colour response, skintones and highlight rolloff is very similar between them.

The big (general IQ) advantages that the F55 has is in the global shutter, and it's wider colour gamut which can hold onto extreme colours (things like saturated RGB LED sources, and weird sodium street lights) MUCH better without clipping out colour channels.
Click to expand...

Agree totally.

The F3 sensor doesn't have quite as much dynamic range as the F55, and as Grug mentions not as wide a color gamut -- but the overall image is still absolutely beautiful.
Of course the big question is whether you're ok being limited to HD. The F3 sensor resolution is between HD and 4k (so it gets excellent HD sharpness through oversampling, and can blow up a bit and still look great.)
Mine sits on the shelf most of the time now - not because I'm tired of it or think that the image is inferior (for HD I certainly prefer it to an FS7 or C300) - but because 75% of my clients want all their footage in 4k.
 
Thanks guys. I was thinking of personal projects, maybe for stock footage if the F3 had a slightly different look to the 55. After 7 years, I still don't get a lot of requests for 4K.
 
Grug said:
I've always found the overall feel of the images very similar between the F55, F5 and F3 (recording at their highest colour resolutions possible). The F5(5) are a bit more resolute (thanks to the higher-res sensors), but the general colour response, skintones and highlight rolloff is very similar between them.

The big (general IQ) advantages that the F55 has is in the global shutter, and it's wider colour gamut which can hold onto extreme colours (things like saturated RGB LED sources, and weird sodium street lights) MUCH better without clipping out colour channels.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I love the F3 image and was interested in the F5, but someone told me the FS7 was the same sensor. I've never liked the FS7 so I was turned off.

At this point, I think I would go with C300 Mk3 or even a used C300 Mk2 over the F5 though.
 
Gizmosgadget said:
Thanks guys. I was thinking of personal projects, maybe for stock footage if the F3 had a slightly different look to the 55. After 7 years, I still don't get a lot of requests for 4K.
Click to expand...

For look? I wouldn’t bother. And ergonomically, the F3 is a pain to work with (compared to the F55 with the v8 firmware quick menus). V-mount batteries, internal recording, proper EVF, the F55 is better in every way.

If it’s changing up the look that you want to do, better to play around with filtration (nets and glass filters) or lensing.
 
Ben_Ericson said:
Interesting. I love the F3 image and was interested in the F5, but someone told me the FS7 was the same sensor. I've never liked the FS7 so I was turned off.

At this point, I think I would go with C300 Mk3 or even a used C300 Mk2 over the F5 though.
Click to expand...

I’ve always wondered a bit about the F5/FS7 comparison myself. I had an F5 for several years, and have shot my fair share on the FS7, and have always found the FS7 files rather “thin” by comparison to its big brother. I’ve always just put it down to cheaper processing components in the cheaper camera.

If I were buying new today, the C500ii has the most draw (and if the C300iii is what I expect, a s35mm C500ii, that’d be on the cards too). That said, here in Australia at least, Sony dominates the corporate/content arena, so you’re asked much more often for a Sony camera for those day-here-day-there jobs. So having whatever people are asking for (even if it’s older) may be more useful depending on your market.
 
Grug said:
If I were buying new today, the C500ii has the most draw (and if the C300iii is what I expect, a s35mm C500ii, that’d be on the cards too). That said, here in Australia at least, Sony dominates the corporate/content arena, so you’re asked much more often for a Sony camera for those day-here-day-there jobs. So having whatever people are asking for (even if it’s older) may be more useful depending on your market.
Click to expand...

This.

I know of a guy here in NZ who through a series of circumstances ended up selling his FS7 package (as he thought he had a full time in house salary job to go to, but then that fell through) and ended up then getting a C300mk2. (as when he realized he needed his own camera package again, he happened to come across a really good deal on a C300mk2)

He says in hindsight, would have been smarter to have gone FS7 again. As definitely the demand in NZ is much higher for the FS7, so he finds himself that he has to keep on renting / borrowing a FS7 all the time anyway.
 
Hi everyone,
New F3 owner here. I just wanted to say thank you for this thread and the useful information :-)
I'm a sound engineer for the most part but have been toying around with images since Video8 and SLR pellicule, and I'd like to get into moving images more.
I'm also trying to finish editing a pre-Covid documentary...
This whole LUTs/color correction topic looks pretty daunting I must say!
 
starcentral said:
• Download MacGregors slog to cineon LUT: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/13362047/F35 slog to cineon.zip
• Download Juan Melara's Print Film (Kodak and Fuji) emulation LUTs: http://juanmelara.com.au/downloads/log2hd_cube_luts.zip
• Dennis Hingsber's slog->LC709A experimental LUT version1. (LC709A was originally developed by Sony to emulate the look of the ARRI Alexa) Here is the LUT: slog-to-LC709-A LUT (The actual file is named F35-slog-to-LC709 LUT but it works the same for F3. Feel free to rename it to avoid confusion if you like)
(For Davinci Resolve copy these LUTs to your LUT folder. On MAC: Libarary -> Application Support -> Blackmagic Design -> Davinci Resolve -> LUTS)

• Feel free to download the slog clip used in my example plus the final graded videos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/iec0ib0hoqprfpc/zUuGcHqXY0

[size=+2]Resources:[/size]
• Juan Melara's Print Film (Kodak and Fuji) emulation LUTs page for reading: http://juanmelara.com.au/print-film-emulation-luts-for-download/
Click to expand...

Would someone be so kind as to make the MacGregor Slog to Cineon LUT available again, please?
Unless this isn't the best current way to go with Resolve 16+ ?
 
pask74 said:
Hi everyone,
New F3 owner here. I just wanted to say thank you for this thread and the useful information :-)
I'm a sound engineer for the most part but have been toying around with images since Video8 and SLR pellicule, and I'd like to get into moving images more.
I'm also trying to finish editing a pre-Covid documentary...
This whole LUTs/color correction topic looks pretty daunting I must say!
Click to expand...

Congratulations on the F3. It is still one of the best looking HD cameras ever.
Do you have an external recorder? Because if not, then you shouldn't shoot S-LOG because the camera only records 8-bit 4:2:0 internally and that is not good enough for LOG.
With the right paint menu choices and careful attention to exposure and white balance, the camera is perfectly capable of producing great WYSIWYG images onboard the camera, and then you don't need to worry about LUTS or mastering the use of Resolve for color grading.

If you do have an external SDI recorder, then S-LOG is a more viable option. But to get decent results you'll need to learn Resolve. You can't color grade LOG in Premiere, FCP, etc. and expect to get the best results. If you don't want to learn Resolve then don't shoot LOG. That is my advice and it will make your life so much easier and you'll probably come out the other end with a superior product.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Doug!

I definitely want to learn Resolve and I'm even currently editing this 50' doc using it.

Thanks for the Slog recommendations. Actually, yes, shooting internal Slog made me realize that these 8-bit files don't leave that much latitude for grading. I have an SDI Blade that I will hook to the F3 for sure (even though I like the more run&gun self-contained form factor of the bare camera).
I'm not sure if that's even possible (can we export/import picture profiles?), but if anyone would have an healthy neutral picture profile to share, having a starting point would help a lot!

One of my F3s has the RGB option, the other doesn't. I'd like to transfer the option to the other cam but the functions are greyed out in the menu --- does anyone know why it is so?

Overall, I like the image texture of the F3. I'm not sure it would cut it in 2021's super-hygienic/Insta-sugar-coated aesthetics but it reminds me a bit of film, which I like.
 
pask74 said:
One of my F3s has the RGB option, the other doesn't. I'd like to transfer the option to the other cam but the functions are greyed out in the menu --- does anyone know why it is so?
Click to expand...

I don't have mine here, but I'm recalling that if you want to transfer the option you need the original install password to uninstall it from one camera onto an SxS card, then use that SxS card to bring the install to the other camera.

I absolutely agree with Doug about not recording s-log internally. Back when the camera was new I had the opportunity to shoot a theatrical feature film with the F3/s-log recording 4:4:4 with the CD Gemini 444 recorder and the results were very Alexa-like. I've held onto my F3 because I still think it looks great - whenever my clients are happy with 1080 as opposed to 4k. Unfortunately I haven't used the 444 output in years because none of my current clients are willing to deal with that much data (or transfer time). But even in WYSIWYG mode the F3 looks great!
 
OnSet said:
But even in WYSIWYG mode the F3 looks great!
Click to expand...

Absolutely true. If someone doesn't need 4K or high frame rates it is hard to beat the WYSIWYG look of the F3. When I got mine 10 years ago it was during a drab, dreary, and gray New England winter so grabbed the wife and flew down to Key West for a little R&R and shooting. I think this video holds up pretty well. Nothing has been graded in post. I'd probably do some touch-ups if I was to edit it again today, but I haven't owned a camera since then (including F55, FS7, FS5, FX6, etc.) that looked so nice in the WYSIWYG mode.
https://vimeo.com/20747726
 
Very good images, Doug!
Let me dive into these picture profiles.

60p is not available in 1080, even externally, right?
 
pask74 said:
60p is not available in 1080, even externally, right?
Click to expand...

It's been a long time since I tried, but as I recall -- if the SDI output was set to 1080i, it was possible to get 1080 60p output via the dual link BNC's. I don't recall if there were any other special settings, but it did work. Not sure if it was 444 or 422, though.
 
OnSet said:
It's been a long time since I tried, but as I recall -- if the SDI output was set to 1080i, it was possible to get 1080 60p output via the dual link BNC's. I don't recall if there were any other special settings, but it did work. Not sure if it was 444 or 422, though.
Click to expand...

I'll have to try this - thanks!
 
Hi everyone,

I went out street shooting yesterday, just to test out the Standard PP and I was pleasantly surprised how much I could recover in the highlights for 8-bit files (no miracles, though).
So, here are a few Resolve stills.
Reds seem to saturate way more than the rest of the image, though... anything I am missing here?

Lens: vintage Helios 55mm f2.

Straight out of cam:
Kids - F3 PP standard by pask74, sur Flickr

Pushed in Resolve:
Kids - F3 push by pask74, sur Flickr
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top