Tim Naylor

This will be huge. Everything I bitch about in the C300 is addressed here. I like that it can be used without in/out adaptor and keep it somewhat small. This will be vital for gimbal work. Best is that it will be rigless. No more stupid Frankencameras. C300's will be all over Craig's List in the coming months. It'll be all over the doc world. Time to start saving.

Thanks for the tech tip. Just got this camera last week and have been tinkering with it between gigs. The M mode over movie mode is great advice.

Who are these people? They probably don't have to work with one. I've spent all Summer with a C300 for an NBC show, and I hate the camera more and more each day. We've destroyed a couple top handles, three DC ports, created more Franken rigs than I care to remember, etc. Canon's problem isn't having young designers, it's having clueless designers who probably never had to earn a living with a camera. Otherwise, they'd never come out with such ass backwards stuff. They got it more twisted than Red, and that takes some effort. They still have one foot in photography and haven't fully committed to video. EVF in the rear, external 4k for 25k, XLR inseparable from their LCD in the most inane place, top heavy.......crack and work don't mix. I'll give a hall pass on DSLR's or mirror less because of the small size and all the good things that entails. But for dedicated video cams, ergonomics and simple use is king. Please Sony, get it right.

When using it on a shoulder rig, releasing the right hand to adjust iris on handgrip is slightly more a POA than reaching around your right ear to adjust it. The solution is using a handgrip relocator. Not a standard rental item and 400.00 dollars US plus for decent one (not Zacuto).

Canon/Nikon need to make a phone.

A 30k camera that records 4k only to an external recorder is dead.

When someone comes out with a fully featured FF pro camera, that's a wrap. Not sure why nobody (except Phantom 65, way out of my pocket) has decided to do it. Sony's prosumer FF camcorder attempt doesn't count.

My guess it'll be a super 35 chip. I'm hoping it gets a real 10 bit 422 codec internally and delivers at least 120 fps 1080p. I personally don't care if it's not 4k. I'd rather get a fuller color gamut and amazing sensitivity over a resolution no client has yet to request. But if it must be 4k, give us a codec that doesn't spread the butter too thin so to speak. Another plus is that it appears to use internal batteries instead of V mount. For gimbal owners this is a big deal. If they keep it small and light it'll be a hit with 3 axis. And please, let's hope the iris adjustment for ringless lenses is in the front. Nothing bugs me more than the C300's iris ring placement. When it's on my shoulder (which is often), I have to reach around by my ear to adjust iris. POA. Go Sony.

I hear you on the revolution. The tech is there, unfortunately, I don't see it coming from the big boys. I'm hoping some outside player not beholden to their "pro-line" gives us these features. My priorities would be: - High ASA's low noise - Full Frame/Croppable to S 35 - LCD screen bright enough for sunny days, sharp enough for critical focus and articulating - 10 bit 422 internal recording - 1-120 FPS - 3/8" plus 1/4" screw mount - Reinforced Lens mountf To name a few

Not sure how long you've been shooting for a living, but Canon never had a brand appeal in the pro market except in ENG lenses. Regarding hype, the image on the C300, if you know how to shoot it, is excellent, especially in low light or night shooting. It also delivers a file size that's broadcaster and doc friendly. Most of us who use C300's for a living didn't choose it because we loved the 5D. It had the right features for the job. I'll agree on one thing - it had no competition when it came out. And to this day, the competition is slim. While overall, I prefer F5 and it meets Canon on price, too many production companies are still trying to make a ROI on their Canons. Also, for run/gun, shoulder V mount batt cameras aren't always ideal.

Where this new Sony will get a lot of play is with 3 Axis gimbals. Even though the weight of an F5/55 is well within the specs of your full size gimbals, they're too long with battery and raw module. This camera looks small and should be a hit with what's fast becoming a set standard. I may get one for that reason alone.

"Sony have the best technology and best specs on the market right now." Andrew not sure how you draw that conclusion. Of all the testing I've done, Sony still has deficient color accuracy compared to the leading players. In short, to look good it requires more work in post. There's a reason why in feature and episodic, Arri dominates, followed by Red's slim market share. I'd have expected F5/55 to take over the unscripted market from Canon having better ergo and a relatively slim power draw. But again I believe the the baked in color profiles don't make for as quick from camera to deliverable as Canon (despite its 8bit and clipping). I'll be going out on a branded content campaign for three weeks with an F55. I know we'll pull a better image than Canon (not Arri) but we have the time in post. This week I was working a major broadcast show with C300's. They need to turn around massive amounts of footage to air a few days later. They don't have time to deal with funny color science.

Both of which have 11 stop DR and native ISO of 400 or so. I think design wise, the Cion looks amazing. Specwise, it seems to be using the same chip as the URSA. As someone who has fully embraced the advantages of high ISO's and available light (subsequently smaller lighting packages), these camera as an owner / op are dead to me. There's a reason the C300 despite all its shortcomings is everywhere.

I didn't say oversized pig that's too high for standard matte boxes, requires a record box and that defeats the whole purpose of a small camera. If I'm going to put YAGH on a GH4, I'd rather just get a C100 with an Atomos Blade. YAGH is dead to me. All I want is one SDI out. Not the four plus dual XLR's.

Erik or Andrew or anyone else who uses the A7s, Do any of you use the A7s with EF Glass. If so, pros/cons. Also, do you have a product/method for locking the micro hdmi to camera and hdmi to Atomos? I plan to use the A7s for pro applications but if I can't secure the connections, then it's a no go. In my line of work, everybody needs to see what you're doing - all the time. So I'd definitely be using it with an onboard monitor or Paralinx Transmitter on a handheld rig or 3 axis gimbal (just got my Ronin!). thanks, TIm

While some may not be a fan of Andrew's clips content, I truly appreciate what it shows us. The high ASA possibilities of the A7s have my mind reeling. And as someone who started on film for several years, I'm not nostalgic for it at all. I don't miss ten minute rolls. I don't miss the time it takes to thread a Panavision. I don't miss the lousy monitoring from a film camera. I don't miss not being able to see how it's going to look on set. Most of all, I don't miss the expense. Independents can put more money and time towards talent, locations, art, etc. Keep up the footage coming Andrew. Only question I have is: When you record to your Atomos, are u going through a 4k down convert box first?

Thanks for a most informative test. Confirmed my purchase of SFX filters.

One day someone will come to their senses and build an SDI out on a DSLR. As much as I'm excited about the A7s, I dread micro HDMI.

You said it. Much of it comes down to taste, what you shoot and not numbers. I absolutely love the image with the BMC 4k yet other DP's I know think it's shiite. Some love the GH4's image. I don't. It reminds a bit of film stock debates of yore. We all had our favorite and secret ways of making it do tricks for us. But with the A7s or any DLSR, I usually throw it on this little rig: Gini Baseplate, 18" 15mm rods from ET, Wooden Camera HH Grips (no extensions) and mount a DP6 monitor off the grip's cross bar. It's tight. But something as small as a virtually failsafe way of locking down your HDMI (especially if recording) is the difference between taking your new toy out to make money or not. I shoot a lot of doc these days, and you can't re-stage a shot that got blown because of a connection. That's the one thing that scares me about the Atomos route. Last job I did, we rented C300's with Zacuto EVF's. Swear to God if that EVF disconnected one more time I was going to smash the Z EVF hunk of junk (useless for many other reasons). Anyway, I'm sure Tilta or someone will come up with an A7s cage with a decent lock, like what they did with their BMPCC cage, but Atomos is another story. I contacted them about this only to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps we can start a mass write in campaign to Atomos to develop an HDMI lock. Small HD has a great one but only for their rigs.

At the end of the day, look at the footage it makes. Test one out if you've the opportunity and then pull the trigger or not. You have to take much of the gushing here with a grain of salt and go straight to the footage. My favorite footage on this site is still from the the 5d Mk3 Raw. Despite the praises I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm for any of the footage I saw from the GH4. It reminded me of my experience with the GH2 and the GH3 - Clipped and contrasty, dubious color accuracy. While some can afford to be camera fickle, most cannot. Do due diligence, weigh your options and pocket book and don't believe the hype.

Hopefully, the footage is distinguishable or what's the point?

Erik, I follow your blog. I buy much of what you say from the perspective of a fellow working cameraman who pays his mortgage with TV work. Many of the user unfriendly features become a deal breaker on field. While acceptable for the personal art project, when the meter's running high, delays with gear futzing or failure loses you clients fast. I'll probably end up getting an A7s but won't use it for work until it's rigged right. I use on board monitors with DSLR's because I'm expected to get virtually everything in focus. So I'd go the Shogun route. Now if I can find a reliable way to secure HDMI.

Nice tests. I personally felt the 5d3 raw had the richer colors. There seems to be a magenta shift on the A7s. When I tested f55 I noticed this as well which lead to either faces timed nicely to the expense of other colors being off or vice a versa or lots of windowing in the grade. I know good tests are time consuming, but it'd be great to see a similar shoot out with a face and a color chart. Grade to the face and see what happens to your chart and grade to the chart and see what happens to the face. This reveals a lot about a camera's color accuracy. Of all the camera's I've tested, the Alexa by far won this test while the F55 was a fail. I'd love to see how the A7s stacks up in this regard.

I think this downscaler is great news. Anyone have any pics of how the camera is rigged? I notice the downscaled has no 1/4" 30 holes. Curious to see how it's mounted and powered.

Also, could you verify: was that shot 1080p in camera or 4k to recorder? Is the 1080 in camera 422? I thought it was 420.