FS7: Thinking about purchasing an FS7 for an upcoming project

Tilta products are low end and functional. I suspect the battery adapter will be fine-- haven't heard anything negative about it. There have been some favorable comments about the Tilta baseplate plus front cage, and others that needed some adjustment to fit properly to camera.

Just make certain your Speedbooster has latest firmware update and is in advanced mode.

Since you are local, consult with knowledgeable VARs in the area including Abel, BandPro and EC ProVideo. They will listen to your needs and help you configure the appropriate system.

Ned Soltz
 
I'd be real concerned about support. Notice that Ikan hardly ever shows a profile photo of it actually connected to a camera. And I've never seen a single photo with a brick battery actually on it. Why? Because there's nothing under the adapter to keep all that weight from bouncing around. Will it snap off? Probbaly not, but I don't see how it can be stable. You don't want any extra motion on the back of the camera from something that is not rock solid.
 
As far as the high-end production worthiness of the Fs7, I heard from several individuals that the tv show "NCIS- New Orleans" has acquired several Sony Fs7's for the next season's production.

To be honest, that surprised me. Being that a show like that is going to have a healthy camera dept. budget I thought they would have gone with F5's over the Fs7. If for no other reason than to have a more sturdy lens mount for PL glass. Someone familiar with the production speculated that the Fs7's will serve as the production's super-lightweight specialty cameras, not as the primary cameras. It will be interesting to see how the show rigs them up.
 
I've said it before, but I'll say it again: the images coming off the FS7 are very good. In the hands of someone that knows what they are doing, it will easily match the image quality of a MUCH more expensive camera. Plus spending less money on a camera means you have more money to spend on lenses...
 
egproductions said:
Has anyone used this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...era_mounted_v_mount_battery.html/prm/alsVwDtl
Click to expand...

I have it and love it. It's sturdy. The V mount batteries lock on securely. I moves the center of gravity of the camera back to a much better position, even compared to brick batteries. Also, the V mount batteries are usable on my LED panels if I need light in some obscure place.

The cable from this battery mount to the camera is too long, but it can be shortened, or gathered in the space in the space where a brick battery goes. It hasn't been an issue for me.

Someone mentioned that they thought the battery release sticks out too far. With my Switronix 95wh V mount batteries its is in just the right place. Maybe they have smaller batteries.

I bought these batteries and charger.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1013652-REG/switronix_4x_xp_l90s_v_mount.html
 
I'm exactly halfway through my shooting schedule on my feature, and I can say that the FS7 is definitely making my job easier. Cine EI /SLOG3 and monitor LUTS are where its at. When i open the footage in catalyst and it automatically drops in the same LUT I monitored with, it's a magic moment. The Sony LUTS look great, and I couldn't be happier with the camera, other than a few annoying quirks that I quickly got used to.
 
I dont do cheap knock off lions. Too much risk. It is not always about what is cheapest. A proper kit requires investment. The camera is only one component. Rant coming-- I am honestly quite tired of figuring out how to chase the bottom. Get to a VAR and configure the right kit for your needs. End rant

Ned Soltz
 
I agree with your sentiment, however, I would say that it depends. Some would argue that the FS7 would seem like a cheap knock off of a higher end cinema or ENG camera and that if you want those kind of specs/resolution/frame rate, you should be investing in a red or other system.

That being said, I woudln't buy a battery on specs alone, which is why I'm asking if anyone has used it before and can compare to other batteries. I've been using wasabi batteries for my DSLRs for years and they are just as good as Canon originals, lasting just as long at a fraction of the price.

If you don't have time to put in the research, or want the least risk possible, then yes, go to a VAR who knows the best products, however, you will spend more than neccassary sometimes.
 
Var's can also sometimes deliver low cost solutions too... It's not always about the money. If you have a camera failure will the huge box house or internet seller loan you a demo camera while yours is in service? Sometimes cheap means much less quality control and testing before shipment from manufacturer. It may mean you get the luck of the draw on your purchase.

Just don't toss VAR's over the side in assumptions. Other thought... Purchase the technical product you want from VAR and go where you find the cheapest for the batteries if that is your budget.
 
A quick word on batteries- they don't last forever- you can only recharge them so many times. They are also a piece of gear you can potentially own much longer than any particular camera body. I own Anton Bauer 1) out of habit and 2) because they can usually be recelled, many times. Several companies recell, and I've been told AB cases are the only ones that are physically durable enough to be recelled repeatedly. Some of my Dionics are on their second recell. (episodic TV does that to gear)

Also the Gold Mount is significantly more secure than the V-mount. Red may be a bad example to point out, but I'm not sure how many times a Red brick was knocked off the camera by accident. Just a lot.
 
egproductions said:
Has anyone used these v-mount batteries? They are cheap, come with a charger and the specs say they have very high capacity:

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-...e=UTF8&qid=1430495032&sr=8-3&keywords=v-mount
Click to expand...

That battery has tremendous specs, and excellent price and might be exactly as advertised, but I found it very odd that most 'reviews' had exactly the same language as the advertisement or were written by someone speaking English as a second language (and from word order probably Chinese.) I'd be curious to know if they are actually the power that they say they are.
 
Doug Jensen said:
I'd be real concerned about support. Notice that Ikan hardly ever shows a profile photo of it actually connected to a camera. And I've never seen a single photo with a brick battery actually on it. Why? Because there's nothing under the adapter to keep all that weight from bouncing around. Will it snap off? Probbaly not, but I don't see how it can be stable. You don't want any extra motion on the back of the camera from something that is not rock solid.
Click to expand...

Assuming the Ikan is the same unit as the Tilta, I can say it's absolutely fine and as rock solid as anything else on the FS7.

How do I know? Because I've got one, I've used it pretty intensively and I'm not idly speculating about something I have no experience of.

So far, it has survived a week in the roughest conditions I've ever encountered on a shoot, getting up and down multiple mountains at up to 10,000 feet in the back of a bouncing 4x4 (http://www.matobo.co.uk/?p=1184), 2 European trips and numerous UK-based corporate shoots. It's as good as new and the mounting point continues to be very secure and uncompromised.

The only thing I would suggest is you may need a small nylon washer at each of the mounting screws, just to lift it a millimetre or so. I've had 2 FS7 units, as the first was returned under warranty. The Tilta battery plate fitted one of them fine and the other, it just dug into the body a tiny bit when torqued up, so the nylon washers give it the tiny extra bit of clearance it may need.

Other than that, I think it's a very credible alternative to the Sony extension, which - if you don't need the ProRes and Timecode/RAW options - is way over-specced for a battery plate.

Batteries - I really recommend the SWIT 8082S V-locks and their SC-302S charger. I have 3 of the batteries and I rarely use up more than one in a shooting day.

Ben.
 
Ben, does the plate contact the camera at the lower end of the unit for stability, or does is just hang out there in mid-air as I've seen in the photos? If so, don't you get any bounce during handheld when there is a heavy battery attached?
 
Doesnt the extention unit attach in the same way, with the bottom lacking support? Seems like the tilta is the only battery plate that was actually designed with the fs7 in mind. Once i get mine i'll double confirm if its solid or precarious.

What are people using for offloading cards? As far as i can tell there are only four options on the market:

Using the camera as a card reader (usb 2.0)
Sony XQD reader
Lexar XQD reader
Sony XQD ExpressCard adapter

Which one seems to be the fastest?
 
An alternative option might be to record on an odyssey 7q and forget about xqd. I know that you can use one to record raw or prores with the extention unit, but can you use it without the extention unit? If so, what codec would it support?
 
egproductions said:
An alternative option might be to record on an odyssey 7q and forget about xqd. I know that you can use one to record raw or prores with the extention unit, but can you use it without the extention unit? If so, what codec would it support?
Click to expand...

Without the extension unit you would be able to record everything that comes out of HDMI or SDI. The SDI output is only 1080 while the HDMI supports UHD/4k. But I can't see anyone exclusively shooting external on this camera without the extension unit - the XQD cards are vital for high speed 180fps stuff, and they're cheaper than an Odyssey package.
 
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