Why I'm Keeping the Sony A7S

dusty, have you gotten the canon/C and the a7s side by side for iso performance? as much as the 400kiso has been touted, im more interested in whose got cleaner 12,800 and under
 
BMPCC vs A7s? .......pretty hard to compare. RAW plus amazing color science is a pretty big win for the pocket but there is just too many other things to consider before taking that plunge regarding HOW you'll use it and HOW MUCH you'll spend to make it more usable. The screen blows so you'll want a z finder (still blows but better) or a viewfinder/monitor. Rigging, adapters, batteries, lenses and if you want to shoot in low light, you'll need to bring better lights with you. Image wise, aside from moire, I'd choose the image out of the BMPCC. Skin tones are beautiful and the rolloff is fantastic.
 
yes the BMPCC has the moire issues but yes the skin tones are better - but if i can find a way maybe with the impulz luts to make sure the skintones are good on the A7S that's great. also motion on the BMPCC seems to be better or is it because it has more resolution? I need to test the A7S with the atomos shogun. it's all a trade off. you lose dynamic range. I need to do another test.
 
I have to say, I didn't have much expectations going into an A7S. I thought, sure typical Sony to boast about a headline feature, but I have to say I shoot more worry free now with the A7S. Having that increased light sensitivity makes me feel less stressed about going into different situations and not having enough light.

The form factor is amazing also, I used to have an FS100, and at the time it was a low light beast, but having to lug that "big" thing around was a big hassle. But the A7S small form factor makes it a joy. Keep in mind I haven't tested it for battery life or heating issues yet (will put it through the grind on Sunday!).

So I went into an A7S with a 30-70 mindset (30% chance of keeping, 70% chance of returning) but now I am 45-55.

I LOVE how we can magnify the image as we are recording video and I love the fact that we can assign that feature to almost any button (except the shutter button). And I love how we can assign ISO to either a toggle button in conjunction with the scroll wheel (like the T2i/T3i) or have it directly assigned to the thumb-wheel.

Just feeling my stress overall, it has come down significantly while shooting on an A7S versus the previous generations of DSLR/Mirrorless.

For the way I shoot, I definitely am missing Canon's implementation of their dual-pixel AF technology (found on the 70D). If the A7S had that, then it would be a 100% keeper.
 
ectobuilder said:
I have to say, I didn't have much expectations going into an A7S. I thought, sure typical Sony to boast about a headline feature, but I have to say I shoot more worry free now with the A7S. Having that increased light sensitivity makes me feel less stressed about going into different situations and not having enough light.

The form factor is amazing also, I used to have an FS100, and at the time it was a low light beast, but having to lug that "big" thing around was a big hassle. But the A7S small form factor makes it a joy. Keep in mind I haven't tested it for battery life or heating issues yet (will put it through the grind on Sunday!).

So I went into an A7S with a 30-70 mindset (30% chance of keeping, 70% chance of returning) but now I am 45-55.

I LOVE how we can magnify the image as we are recording video and I love the fact that we can assign that feature to almost any button (except the shutter button). And I love how we can assign ISO to either a toggle button in conjunction with the scroll wheel (like the T2i/T3i) or have it directly assigned to the thumb-wheel.

Just feeling my stress overall, it has come down significantly while shooting on an A7S versus the previous generations of DSLR/Mirrorless.

For the way I shoot, I definitely am missing Canon's implementation of their dual-pixel AF technology (found on the 70D). If the A7S had that, then it would be a 100% keeper.
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But to be fair, have you shot (using AF) with a native E mount lens?
 
goodgoings said:
If you had to choose only only one camera, which one? A7S or BMPCC?
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This kind of question never has an easy answer because needs vary drastically from one filmmaker to the next.

I owned a BMPCC, which was easily one of my favorite $3K-and-under cameras of all time, but the A7S better suits my needs (slow mo, insane low light performance, shallower DOF, 4K). The BMPCC's advantage as someone mentioned is the raw capability.

If I was starting from scratch with a $5K budget however, I would probably opt for a BMPCC @ $500 along with a Speedbooster, rig, accessories, glass, cheapo DSLR for overcranking, etc.
 
I am on the fence about the A7s as well, I wanted to rent one to try it out but they are hard to find. The things going against it are the RS, battery life and that stupid record button on the side. I shoot handheld enough to worry about the RS, it also irks me that I can't shoot 4K internally or output 10 bit. That bothers me because my GH4 can do all these things. I love the GH4 for all of its useability and features, I do not however LOVE the image.

I LOVE the image I get from my pocketcam and so far I love the stuff that Kholi has done on the A7's. I also shoot in lounges and dark venues a lot and the low-light capability has me seriously considering it.
If they can release a firmware to allow me to press the shutter to record (silly I know) that might be just enough for me to take the plunge. I am used to short battery life with the blackmagic cams and can work around that, although I would love to not have to. Any thoughts on this?
 
Dafilman21 said:
I am on the fence about the A7s as well, I wanted to rent one to try it out but they are hard to find. The things going against it are the RS, battery life and that stupid record button on the side. I shoot handheld enough to worry about the RS, it also irks me that I can't shoot 4K internally or output 10 bit. That bothers me because my GH4 can do all these things. I love the GH4 for all of its useability and features, I do not however LOVE the image.

I LOVE the image I get from my pocketcam and so far I love the stuff that Kholi has done on the A7's. I also shoot in lounges and dark venues a lot and the low-light capability has me seriously considering it.
If they can release a firmware to allow me to press the shutter to record (silly I know) that might be just enough for me to take the plunge. I am used to short battery life with the blackmagic cams and can work around that, although I would love to not have to. Any thoughts on this?
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The record button thing may sound silly to anyone that hasn't used the camera, but it's a serious design flaw. The side of my thumb is actually still red from it. u_u Why the shutter isn't record in movie mode is... well it's a straight-up Sony move. Your request is valid.

Here's where I'm at right now...

The A7S is a 3K buy in if you're an EF or Nikon owner. That's 2500 for the body, 400 for a MB Active adapter, and 100 for either a card or a fistful of batteries, take your pick. The camera is worth it in a lot of ways because it's a pretty unique image (reminds me more of EPIC, but full frame) with quite a bit of usable DR. And, of course, great lowlight performance. Flags and bounce, small lighting packages, separation in tight areas? Yes.

On the other hand... the slow mo IMO isn't very usable in any mode, the RS is wild, and 4K is another 2K expense, the Shogun SEEMS like a good excuse to replace my TVLOgic, though.

If the A7S were about 800.00 cheaper, I would consider it a no brainer. I also believe that we're finally looking at a 5D replacement (I really hope so..) for rental houses etc.

I'm really torn between moving some gear around to bring an A7S home or modifying my 4K Blackmagic's face with an E-to-EF Speedbooster for 4K RAW almost-full-frame shooting.

The A7S is actually winning out in my mind.
 
Well said, I keep trying to forget about it, but it keeps gnawing at me! That's interesting you said it reminds you of the EPIC and the Shogun has already been pre-ordered. Its the damn record button and RS that still truly holds me up and the price as well.
 
^DaFilman21, our team has had the Blackmagics and the a7s. I feel that the biggest pain with the a7s is the side placement of the video record button. There is simply no way to push multiple buttons, say toggle from AF for quick rough focus and then MF for the shot, while pushing that side button. And I may be a klutz but the side placement always results in uncontrolled camera jerk as I press it, while a top mount does not since my grip can counter that much smaller movement. It is so bad that I am considering returning the camera. Of course on a rig it is fine, and I wonder if this camera was really designed to be used on a rig.

My experience is that the a7s is actually a more difficult camera to shoot with than the simple ETTR of the Blackmagics. That could be inexperience at using these picture profiles.

However, we sold our Blackmagics because Blackmagic simiply cannot deliver on promised features, the audio is horrible, do not like the aliasing and moire, and hated the size of the files. For our purposes, doc run and run, it was not a usable package even though we loved using our legacy PL glass.

Still wondering how much a7s RS and jello will impact us. Our plan is to use the 16-35 OSS in APC mode when we are doing handheld walking shots. But have not yet tested that since the lens has not shipped. Very early tests show FF jello controllable with FF at wide angles but not normal to telephoto. Just looking at the EVF, jello seems to be drastically lessened by a rig but we cannot use that when doing deep guerrilla filming where "pro"cameras are not allowed. Again, I wonder if this camera was designed to work best in a rig. I know it spend most of its time with us on a rig.

So, neither is perfect.

Our thinking is that this sensor will soon show up in an e mount successor to the FS100/700. We really like the color contrast of the Zeiss lenses (even the 24-70 but went through three copies to get a good one - two were decentered and had exceptional corner falloff) and so we will simply use those lenses on the new higher end model, and the a7s will become our B camera. That will not help people who can only afford a single camera. We are a nonprofit that does events, docs, and narratives.

One thing that is is not mentioned enough is that the internal audio on the a7s is amazing. It is PCM, and so will be the equal of the C100/300s we used, and the preamps seem to be equally silent. Last weekend we were doing silent stock footage and happened on something that was so compelling that we needed to mic it for good audio. We had no mics with us, so we simply went to 35mm and used the internal mics in the camera. To our shock the sound was usable. It did not handle wind well, but other than that it was surprising. I am not saying that you should choose to use the internal stereo mics, but it was nice that they were there. Much better than I have experienced with any DSLR, and similar to the internal mics on our NEX30s (but no actual test to confirm that) with a touch more camera noise.

As far as battery life, neither is a Pannie GH or Canon C, but the a7s is certainly better than the Blackmagics.

So, to answer your question we feel that neither is perfect but we sold the Blackmagics and kept the a7s.
 
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Dafilman21 said:
Well said, I keep trying to forget about it, but it keeps gnawing at me! That's interesting you said it reminds you of the EPIC and the Shogun has already been pre-ordered. Its the damn record button and RS that still truly holds me up and the price as well.
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While packing up the camera last night (with a tear in mine eye), during a color session, the director recognized the camera. I think it's going to be a pretty big deal despite the RS, 8-bit, etc. I mean... to be honest, yeah it has the 8-bit DSLR sort of aesthetic but has moved far away from it at the same time. I just realized 8-bit wasn't actually a concern in my list of cons!

On Blackmagics... 4K DNG RAW is one of the most unique images I've ever had in my hands. At first I thought it reminded me of MX, and then F35 (so far off lol) but the more I use it, the more it stands on its own as something completely different. For better or worse, everyone won't like it, but I absolutely love it and I've shot almost everything 4K RAW since having it (some of you know even in beta stages). All of the BMD cameras will suffer a makeover that's already started as of yesterday -- which was recording ProRes, LT, Proxy right in camera.

They're paying attention, the camera teams just small and they had to work through some stuff.

All that murmured, it's stupid hard to ignore the A7S... I wish the image was more like the GH4's =P Then it wouldn't be hard at all.
 
It's a great little stills camera. Thats why I'll keep it. All the video functions are just a plus for me. I really like the size and functionality of the A7s with the 24-70 FE Zeiss. Battery life sucks bad but big deal.


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This pano is shot at 12,800 ISO.

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I don't give two craps about S-log as I will await a 4K recorder to implement it. It's just too much for an 8-bit compressed codec. The cine profiles work just fine and the image looks great and clean.
 
Switronix is working on a dummy-battery to P-tap cable for this camera, which will help those who are good with building out via cage and external components like full-size batteries (which I would think necessary to help stabilize handheld given the rolling shutter complaints). Perhaps there will be a custom cage with a relocated trigger as well.
 
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