Andrew Reid

Metabones have announced a firmware update for their Smart EF Mark IV adapter (E-Mount). This is a must-have update for A7S users who have experienced buggy behaviour with their camera using Canon lenses. The firmware update is available from Metabones here along with full instructions. If you have the earlier Mark III version of the adapter the firmware update must be done back at base. To do this users should contact Metabones to arrange the return. Read the full article here

The current D4S is already an action focussed DSLR though! Makes no sense.

  Yes I asked for 10bit :) A nice big firmware update would make a very good camera a great one and truly take sales of Canon I think.   Would the last one still shooting H.264 on a 5D Mark III please stand up? ;)

On a trip to Pinewood Studios earlier this week I saw for the first time Sony A7S 4K footage projected in a theatre. The surprise was just how well the 1080p held up for cinematic projection. I also had my hands on the Atomos Shogun 4K recorder and field monitor, the new Sony X70 1" 10bit XAVC camcorder and more... Read the full article here

120fps ISO 12,800   IS THAT HARD??

  On those two lenses you have a point and I also think the Canon lens range is the best overall for full frame, but the EF-S APS-C lenses... Hmmm. Not as much choice really. Good job there's a lot of third party manufacturers like Tokina and Sigma.

First obviously you'd need the original S-LOG files not the graded Vimeo clip then try the EOSHD "dynamic" LUT and see how it handles the highlights   http://www.eoshd.com/content/13161/grading-sony-a7s-s-log-2-eoshd-cinematic-looks-download

I'd be fine with that if what you were seeing Duff was actually noise and not compression artefacts from Vimeo.

  They are fake. But easy to spot. lafilm try and do so next time please.

  I 100% agree.   And it is a shame the balance of the forum seems to be tipping in this direction.   I might have to start introducing sub sections for idiots and other sections for non-idiots :)

  The only problem here Homerus is that I have actually SHOWN in my video how S-LOG looks when graded and how it compares to the image developed from raw on the 5D Mark III. You have not. You have a short forum post with no images.   I am being objective in the test. What I saw is what you got in the blog post. No need to be biased to one brand or another. Bit silly, because why would I choose the worst tool for my own filmmaking work!?

  I agree with this tip Erik, histogram is essential I think in S-LOG. Not the way I usually work, prefer to go by eye but too risky in S-LOG mode to do that off the LCD, it is just too flat. Nice even spread in the histogram is what is needed. Prefer it to zebra because I find if I expose S-LOG for the highlights, when I grade it far too much of the image is pushed into the highs. Don't waste the left half of the histogram by exposing too far to the right.

  With all due respect you do not have the full knowledge to make the decisions. You are judging this at surface value. If you want all future conversation on this forum to be drowned out 10-1 by rudeness and trolling, then sure I'll let the people who join only for this reason get away with it!   It isn't about having different opinions. It is really very simply about being polite in the way they are expressed.   Also having a proper track record of constructive posts from the start helps people integrate with the community properly. Those who fall well short of this basic standard at the first hurdle are not welcome here. It is no different to a real life community or a room full of people in a bar.

  Why are you pixel peeping 720p at 120fps, ISO 12,800?   You know full well that the ultimate quality from this camera is 4K out of the HDMI, or even 1080p full frame mode at 24p.   This was only to demonstrate the creative potential / effect of slow-mo at very high ISOs.

PS - The users "Nog" and "Baltic" have been removed from the forum, because the accounts appear to have been setup with the sole intention to cause trouble.

In Premiere right click the clip, select Interpret footage and enter 25fps in the frame rate box.

I shot 'Nomad' with my friend Susanna and the Sony A7S a few days ago, in 120fps slow-mo mode. Light sources were only a candle, iPhone torch and an old industrial German desk lamp with red filter on the front. I am amazed at the clean results. ISO levels were pushing on for 12,800 in most of the shots. Read the full article here

Also, this is not a complete review. Says in the title. "Evolving". And "Part 1". I also clearly admit in the article that GH4 and Blackmagic owners might have a difficult decision on their hands here. Is that my fault? No!   I bought an A7R which I now need to sell. In a perfect would, all the cameras would come out at the same time. They don't.

Look guys. A blog is chronological. I will give you my objective opinion. I will inform. I will give you the facts. It is up to you to figure out what decisions to make based on your research of my site and of many others. The A7S wasn't available when I was reviewing the GH4. Everything positive and negative I pointed out about the GH4 has not changed. What has changed is that the competition has stepped up and offered something that is in many ways even more appealing. It will happen again, to the A7S. That's life! Enjoy your cameras. Enjoy shooting. And invest the most funds in lenses not cameras. There is always eBay for those who want to stay on the treadmill.

I think the low price was to clear stock and if they have more orders than stock, I have no idea how they will handle that.... each dealer probably has their own policy on it. Beyond Blackmagic's control.

  Talked to the Sony guys in Berlin today and they seemed surprised it wasn't already in stock, I think definitely before the end of July.

  I agree with almost all of Erik's point in his blog, and some other points not... when will people realise on the internet that it's ok to differ! Different opinions do not need so much hatred attached.   Thanks Erik for coming on here and defending your views.   As Erik said in his article it wasn't a review but a look at the shortcomings and quirks. I have a similar article in the works as well.   It isn't a honeymoon period for me, the camera is delivering on the fundamentals in a big way, for my uses.   Agree on the battery life Erik. You really need the vertical grip to improve that. The ergonomics of that are quite nice but not ideal. The lenses are indeed too expensive and there are not enough fast primes. Sony seem to have compromised aperture size to get the size of the lenses down which is why there's no F2.8 zoom. They need to introduce one, and quick, and get the prices to a more reasonable level to compete with Sigma.   I have bought the Zeiss FE 55mm F1.8 for when I need AF. It is true that the other glass on the camera is a manual focus only affair which suits me just fine for video but not so much for stills.   I am having the same problem as Erik with the Metabones adapter and blank screen occasionally, it is an incompatibility with the adapter and Metabones are working hard to fix it.   Don't share the same view of Erik who prefers S35 to full frame. I love the look of the larger sensor for almost everything, especially 24-50mm range of focal lengths. For me it is about shallow DOF yet, but not how extreme you can get it, but that you can get any control over it at all at wider focal lengths or when your subject is further away from the lens. To have a little bit of subject / background separation when they are 5m away is wonderful. I can't get that with a smaller sensor unless I use a longer focal length and that changes the rendering of the whole scene.   Obviously the low light is a big attraction for me as that's just how I work creatively. I love using minimal light and natural light sources. I am not a broadcast guy like Erik or a studio shooter. I can absolutely appreciate why some people would not need ISO 12,800!!   As Erik and I both said in our articles, grading S-LOG 2 is indeed rather tricky. But the camera has extensive pro FS700-like control over the image. Switching colour mode to ITU709 for instance with S-LOG gamma makes it easier to get the correct hue in post.   It's definitely a valid observation that auto white balance and the exposure meter aren't really to be trusted a whole lot when shooting S-LOG. Do it manually though and you will end up with a stronger image, at the expense of maybe working a bit slower, which to some will be a deal breaker, to others not. There's no ONE way is right here!   Disagree Erik actually about the 120fps. I am really enjoying it! Good bonus feature and creative. I was just shooting 120fps by candle light at 1/200, getting a usable S-LOG image at ISO 12,800. How many other cameras can you name that can do that let alone for $2500?

I don't get it, sorry. If it is being withdrawn by Blackmagic, then how is it going to rise back to £558 after the 6 they have in the warehouse sell out? Kind of contradictory no? Where is that new £558 going to come from exactly?

  Well... obvious things first :) 5D Mark III is toast

  Same depth of field as a super 35mm sensor yes, as it is the crop itself that changes depth of field because you have to reframe the shot to compensate for the narrower field of view.