Nick Hughes

Especially considering that the FS5 is much more a successor to the FS700 than a step-down from the FS7.

Just got one myself. I wouldn't call the EVF useless - it's not amazing, but definitely usable. SmallHD 501/502 with sidefinder are definitely nice to have, but in a lot of situations I'm finding I prefer to use the camera with no accessories whatsoever. There's a top plate kit by shape that lets you push the EVF further out which looks interesting. I'll probably end up shoulder-mounting the camera from time to time, so I'll likely get that (although you could do pretty much the same thing with a rod and a couple 90 degree rod connectors)

I believe there's absolutely a middle ground where one can be prolific while still producing quality content.

It's like trying to cut together a film where every shot was filmed on a different camera. Recording your own Foley will give a consistency that using pre-recorded sounds won't. With that being said, many filmmakers are pretty weak when it comes to the incredibly complicated world of sound and may do better just to grab sounds from a library. For sounds that aren't necessarily supposed to come from the real world (musical ambience, pads, whooshes, etc) using libraries can yield perfectly fine results. I've used pond5 for corporate stuff, plenty of good sounds for transitions, etc.

I've been working on a show with the zacuto recoil and z-drive. I also use this lanparte v-mount plate and a wooden camera d-tap cable. Very nice setup- the recoil plate makes it easy to precisely balance the camera depending on which lens you use (I'm usually on a 70-200- there's a nice little lens support built into the plate). We also have the VCT quick-release plate for easy tripod mounting. I don't like the stock sony monitor, I use a SmallHD 501 that I basically attach to a long rod coming from the handle.

I would guess framerate or ISO restrictions.

It's not going to impact to IQ in any significant way if it's just once or twice in prores. Export h.264 five times in a row? Yeah, you'll probably see some generation loss.

I find that Neat Video 4 performs much faster than the previous version (on my macbook pro). Still not lightning fast, but I don't find myself getting too frustrated at the waiting times.

Could it be simply be that Sony color science tends to lean towards blue/cool, therefore exaggerating blue and purple fringing?

The Video Devices PIX lineup manages to record 4k ProRes to USB 3 hard drive enclosures. Integrating such a system into a camera could be pretty revolutionary.

Not unless you throw on a couple promist filters to remove any aliasing... and any discernible detail.

Love me some OM lenses. I have the 24mm/2.8, 35mm/2, 50mm/1.4 and 1.8, and 135mm/2.8. I've probably spent under $700 for the whole set so far.

If you sold your a7s because you couldn't use it, it sounds like LOG shouldn't be a feature that really matters to you. I use Sony cameras a lot (a7s, a7sii, FS7), and while I love the possibilities they offer (log, great low-light, tons of features), they can be an absolute pain in the ass to use, whether its due to awful menus, poor ergonomics, short battery life, lack of customization, or whatever other weird Sony thing happens to be getting in the way of shooting. Whenever I use my own gear (GH4 + GX7), I always have a really nice shooting experience. Panasonic cameras and easy and enjoyable to use, and that's a big reason why I haven't invested into any Sony gear. I rent it when I need it. I only own one M43 lens, and that's so I can have a small lens with fast AF when I want to take low-profile stills. Otherwise, with a speedbooster and some moderately fast canon lenses, I'm able to get really good low light performance in most situations. If you use third-party lenses and adapters, then you'll only need to replace the adapters if/when you switch. So yes, I think M43 is definitely worth investing into, but it's certainly not the only option. It sounds like you've already got a grasp on the advantages of other systems. The only way you can learn whats best for you is to try all the options out. Renting is a great way to get a lot of experience with different cameras for relatively cheap.

Hey well this camera lets you shoot in either.

I've played around with the OSMO a fair bit as well. Very fun and simple to use. It's extreme lightness is a double-edges sword - you can shoot forever without getting tired, but it makes the vertical bounce even harder to get rid of. This isn't a new issue, however, as steadicam operators spend years perfecting the technique of eliminating vertical bounce. Good technique and practice will always be necessary. While it's nice being able to monitor off the phone, the quality of the image is very hard to judge. Insane macro-blocking and other issues arise from streaming real-time 4k video to a smartphone. This issue won't be news to drone users. The integrated cell-phone holder is nice, but doesn't work well with bulkier cases. I have a mophie case (built in-battery backup), and I've had the phone slip out of the holder a few times. I have to take my phone out of the case for it to fit snugly in the holder, which is a little worrisome.

Especially for cameras such as the FS5, which has 10 bit 422 in 1080, but only 8 bit 420 in 4k.

You could get a HDMI to SDI (4k) converter. At $295, it's over half the price of the video assist itself, but it's a solution if you absolutely need the downsampling.

I wasn't saying that any 4k cam can beat out any HD cam. I was saying that as a company expands into higher-resolution territory, the lower resolutions get upgrades. That's true for Blackmagic as well.

The people complaining about getting higher resolution instead of more options / better quality at lower resolutions seem to forget that one typically begets the other. Also, any statement that begins with almost always becomes laughable after a short amount of time.

Really? The a7s' abysmal battery life seems pretty universally known in my mind.

Might be a clever way to sell some of these.

My girlfriend's and my rental insurance (we both have our own) cover our belongings outside of the house. If you do get it as part of your renters/homeowners insurance, look very carefully over your terms to make sure they can't screw you out of payment over something little.

It's worth pointing out that XAVC-L is still better than XAVC-S of the a7s. While it seems obvious now, I didn't exactly realize that until watching the presentation. I think Alistair does a pretty good job of explaining what this camera is, and more importantly, what it isn't.

Strange issue. I've been shooting a concert series and we recently picked up two A7s IIs- as far as I know, the sunspots haven't made an appearance and that's with us shooting at high ISOs with tons of bright LEDs and par cans in the shot. Maybe our AEs just haven't picked up on it yet...