Simon Bailey

Keep up the good work Andrew. I hadn't realised that about those groups of youtubers that review cameras being selected by the companies but your right. They all tend to be glowing reviews now that I think about it whatever the camera was. I've seen more than a few by iPhondo for example and always very positive reviews with some token comment here and there to appear unbiased. As for Trolls and Brawley dont loose sleep over that lot. The launch sample footage was total crap (not the cameras fault). I have my Pocket 4K and absolutely love it. A very capable camera that fits the spot for those of us that want DSLR size but want a pro camera. Cheers, Simon Bailey Colourberry.com

​Where did you get the idea that everyone is shooting feature films?? Feature films are a small part of the production industry. The majority of cameras are used in commercial and corporate projects. Areas where slow-motion and 4K are very desired (not necessarily for 4K delivery). It doesn't make us morons or amateurs.

​I can't imagine how they could limit a 5D4 more than a 1DC already is.

Thanks for the link but I'll keep the $1500 I'm not keen on adding more adaptors than absolutely necessary as they can add chromatic aberration, softness etc. The comparison shots of the woman are a bit misleading because the majority of the background being the cityscape is so far away its going to have much the same blur no matter what its shot on. The railing thats closer the difference is more apparent. I agree with what your saying but I love my A7s more than my F5. I can't believe I would ever say that after 18 months with the F5 and about 8 months with the A7s. Friday I had a shoot in the city and I'd lent out the A7s and I remember thinking "I'll have to use the F5" Have to!! as if its a sad thing to have to use the F5.. How interesting is that. To me the F5 was about the most perfect camera I could imagine and bam along comes this little A7s and the F5 gets left behind. Its not full frame vs super 35 why I like the A7s. Its the speed I can work with it. How customisable its menus, buttons and the function page are. How small it is. How well the Shogun works with it. And how beautiful its photos are. How I can remove it from its cage, put a 20mm pancake lens on it and slip it in my pocket. How accessible the SD cards are compared to SXS. The F5 is technically better (although visually indifferent to me) but the A7s is more fun to use. Faster, less menus to dig through to change anything.

Full frame simply because its prettier. On the A7s my T1.5 24mm is a wide shot and shallow enough to isolate a subject. On the F5 that same lens the wides I can be is 35mm. Wide and shallow if why I prefer FF.

How about a new title if one really is needed?? Photographer works so well for for stills (sometimes used for motion) because it refers to the act of making a photo, not what the photo was made on film or digital. Its timeless because it refers to the act rather than the medium. So something like that is needed for motion.... If stills translates to photographer - Still is to Photo as Motion is to ??... Video? Whats another word for a video file that would work with ographer at the end...

​Film, music video or commercial dont automatically equal cinematic. There are plenty of those that look more video than filmic. And on the other side there are plenty of corporate films, weddings etc that look cinematic. There are no rules and no need to even have titles. Cinematographer sounds sounds wanky and videographer doesnt quite cut it. Its easier just not to bother with titles.

Hi Paperbag, Thank you for not taking offence or misunderstanding what I meant. I think its a great place to start. With broadcasters downsizing seemingly all around the world its harder and harder to start that way, and back in the day you couldnt even break into weddings without spending serious money on gear. So things are pretty good now gear wise. I agree with everything you say. I love and prefer DSLR. Admittedly I switched to DSLR for the aesthetics/the look but when digital cameras went super35 and semi affordable like the F5 I went away from DSLR (partially because I was sick of using a loupe/zfinder and I wanted better audio options but mostly for slow-motion and an excellent viewfinder). But in the past 4-5 months I have barely touched the F5 and keep reaching for the A7s so back to loving DSLR. But I have trouble seeing the A7s as a DSLR. That sounds silly but I have to remind myself that it takes stills too because it offers so many video features, even 2 types of colour bars!! Knee control etc The 30 min limit you could use a Atamos Ninja Star which should keep rolling. The Shogun can record past 30 min but the batteries wont last that long unless via vlock or AC? Also I hope nobody thinks I was saying everyone in weddings is entry level, just that its where a lot of people start.

​That was the first personal comment I've made "DP" Why is it that I'm the one that needs to take a break? Have you been reading? This is a kindergarten.

Again I was being level headed and you respond with that... Your even more arrogant than people say. I've heard a few podcasts ripping on you but now I see why. Sad little child in his digital castle. The only people your impressing are the noobs. I don't need an unbiased anything from you, your transparent to me. Tell us again how you bought a 3 year old camera that can't output 4K, can only record m-jpeg, no peaking etc and you made it No.1 on your list???

Why would I want you to regret it? Re-read my few posts here. I've been level headed the whole time. I would never want someone to not enjoy their camera. But your position needs to be unbiased.. Actually I take that back, your site is called EOShd so I guess EOS means its a Canon zone here. Fair enough.

​But not once did I refer to it in the post you quoted me 7 times. I didn't get personal first you did when you made a remark about experience. In your subsequent posts there was a lot I could have commented on but then you compared the 1DC to an Alexa... That combined with you thinking you don't need more than 12 stops... Not really any point in discussing this stuff with you. I don't particularly have an issue with the 1DC, I think its 3 years old and 4 times the price it should be. But what I object to is you using this site to mislead people who want to learn into solely your thinking. When you ranked the 1DC as No.1 you were quick to find flaws in other cameras but not the 1DC which you just bought. Not being able to output 4K on HDMI is something people would want to know about. You may not be a journalist but if your going to run a site like this which can affect peoples opinions at least be unbiased.

​Buying a 4K camera that can't feed out 4K is the same as back in the day buying a HD camera that can only output SD. Why would anyone spend $8,000 today on a 3 year old camera that has no high frame rate, can't be recorded externally, soft HD. Even if you don't have a need for 4K over HDMI today for that price don't you want, don't you expect, to have it as an option should you want to do it next year or the year after?

​There is no aliasing in 4K on the A7s. Where are you getting your info?? Its a 1:1 pixel to pixel. No pixel or line skipping. It only has a little aliasing in 720P 120fps.

Your 1DC looks mushy. Can it even output 4K over HDMI? My post never mentioned the 1DC but in all your quotes you just replied with 7 mentions of the 1DC... There was nothing in what I wrote that was a pissing contest but you just made it into an intelligence contest..

Andrew you posted your ranked list of cameras with the camera you just bought at the very top..... Whats that about?

I think it should have good dynamic range and with a good white balance when shot, in the edit it should look exactly as you remembered it. Basically reproducing what your eye saw. Good dynamic range is needed there because our eyes are so good. If a camera has that then from there you can make the footage into anything you like in the grade. With a good data rate of course. To me SLOG2 does that nicely with beautiful highlights. The reason I dont like Canon DSLR colour (not including magic lantern here) is because you can see so often when they've used a 5D to shoot for example. It jumps out at you, has a certain look. Redish faces, a slight glow maybe which I'm not sure could come from in cam noise reduction or just the codec? Most cameras are getting so good now they are much the same in image quality but still big differences in handling. The F5 for example, beautiful image but slow menu navigation. A7s is a much faster camera to work with. Fast menus with heaps of software assignable buttons that the F5 could only dream of. Crazy for a $2500 camera. You cant really judge by price anymore. You can perhaps grade any camera to look like anything but if the camera has poor dynamic range then that will be the limiting factor. Good dynamic range above 13 stops. I do actually have one piece of advice which I was taught a long time ago. CUT ON MOTION by that I mean if someone is lifting a glass of water dont cut when the glass reaches the face to another angle, but before when its in mid motion. Shutting a car door, cut mid motion not after the door shuts.. That sort of thing.

Hi Sam, To me experience doesnt equal good advice so my thoughts are just mine. I started in broadcast in 92 well before digital anything. Shooting sport in Ikigami that needed its own tape machine on a shoulder strap. Worked for several networks. switched from camera to editing (one inch tape then) then switched to commercial directing and control room switching. Then jumped sideways to my hobby which was 3D graphics (in 1998) and did that for 6 years full time as senior graphics specialist for Seven network. Then went out on my own in 2004 and stayed there ever since returning to shooting, editing and maintaining 3D. Used about every Sony camera in that time. Canons etc. Edited on about everything. Went full circle in the 3D world from 3DS Max for years to Maya for 10 years and back to 3DS Max years ago. In non-linear kind of did the same thing Premiere to Final Cut (classic) back to Premiere. As for content its a mixture of everything, TVCs to docs, comedy, corporate, dont think I've ever done a music video tho. Usually work as small team, occasionally one man band. Grading I use Resolve like most I guess. This I cut in Premiere, graded in Resolve and shot on the F5. Thats the broad version sorry. Cheers, Simon

Canons “Colour science” looks great but is bad. Its not accurate, its a look, a grade embedded in your footage. Yes its a pleasing look but that doesn't make for good colour science, its good marketing. Good colour science is one that gives you the most REAL result, not the most pleasing. Wedding photographers and videographers like it because it looks pretty and frankly they are wedding photographers. They are the entry level of the photography industry. Same for wedding videographers. Theres nothing wrong with that and a great place to start. The only way to get decent colour from a Canon DSLR is Magic Lantern. Andrew I’m not lacking experience. I’ve been in this game a lot longer than most and yourself. I’ve worked with 1DC and was underwhelmed and thats why I’m asking what seemingly rational people see in this camera. So far the only feature I’ve seen that its better is battery life. To HMCINDIE’s comments. SLOG2 takes some learning, both in shooting and grading. Saying the A7s’s usability is “piss poor”. In what way?? Seriously… If its in a cage its the same as everything else. If its not in a cage then add the battery grip and it feels great (and doubles the battery life) it also has an eyepiece that actually works and that OLED viewfinder is beautiful. I’m never using my z-finder again. I can't comment on issues you had shooting your tv intro but it wasn't the cameras fault. Either a weird setup or lensing. Buried in the cameras settings theres knee, black detail etc extremely customisable and I’m guessing someone mucked up your settings. Shogun is a dream and needed even more by something like a 1DC than an A7s for low shots, directors monitor etc not having an articulating screen,. But does the 1DC even have the capability to output 4K externally to record? or does its HDMI only do HD? That would be a deal breaker right there. I just don't find the 1DC’s 4K to be that sharp but then I’m not overly interested in 4K for output. And with the F5 and A7s 4K is ridiculously detailed and no aliasing.

So far this is what you guys have said are the benefits of the 1DC that warrant $8,000 18MP stills Low light (Nope) Super compact Long battery Uses EF lenses (So does A7s) Extremely light (Nope) Canons colour science (Nope) Internal 4K vs Shogun/O7Q Metal body (A7s is more than strong enough) So After ruling out the features that the A7s matches or excels at your left with these 18MP stills (Meh nice but not worth an additional $6,000 also I have a D800 with 36MP stills which has better dynamic range than a 1DC yet I prefer the stills from the A7s because its dynamic range more than makes up for pixels) Long battery (Meh nice but not worth an additional $6,000) Internal 4K vs Shogun/O7Q (granted but a shogun isnt a burden, its a fantastic monitor with excellent exposure tools) P.s. Just my opinion but I crossed out Canon colour science because its a myth and I dont know where that saying started. I dont call redish skin tones good colour science. C100, C300 and C500 are fine but their DSLRs like 5d's have contrasty unrealistic colour.

I'm not trying to be a protagonist but I cant see a single area/feature where the 1DC is better than the A7s. But I can see many areas where it exceeds the 1DC. Dynamic range, detail, codecs and menu customisation features, OLED viewfinder, full frame etc. But if the 1DC was $12,000 now $8,000 and still $6,000 more than an A7s I'm genuinely trying to understand why? cheers, Simon

The metal plate is a Manfrotto base plate. The smaller one found on stills tripods. I like using those a lot. I have it there because I have a small Manfrotto ball head mounted on the top handle of the F5 when I use the Shogun with the F5 it just clips on. It was the Noga style arm that was holding the Shogun flat like that. Also I saw a Manfrotto arm today and it was AU$340!!! Crazy price. I bought mine from eBay for about $20 noname brand. Works perfectly. The colour difference between the A7s and F5 I posted are due to me having slightly different colour temps set between the two cameras. My mistake. A slight grade tweak of either would correct it. Also anyone with an A7s notice on my tripod handle the little black thing with buttons? Its a Sony shutter release with cable and it has movie record button. I really recommend it. Doesn't cost much and means with velcro (yes velcro!) you have a repositionable record button from tripod to top handle to front of camera wherever you want or the shot ergonomics dictate. I will have to update more pics tomorrow.

Agree on the 720p unfortunately when I was shooting I didnt have a comparison in mind so I didnt ensure both were 1080p or even 4K. But if its not immediately obvious that one is 720 without me mentioning it then its a testament to how nice the 720p in on the A7s. ​The cage is from Motion9 called the A7s Cube cage. I can honestly say this cage is AMAZING!! Sounds silly to say about a cage but this cage is so well thought out and so well machined and finished. I have a Movcam top plate on the F5 and it was very poorly machined with sharp edges. Machining aside the Motion9 cage is precision and a very snug fit around the A7s and the thumb rest is excellent. They also have rails and their own battery option. The Shogun was positioned with a Noga style arm. Easy to reposition. The box to the left of the cage is actually part of the cage. It is an ingenious way to clamp the HDMI and other cables exiting the camera. And its a handle!!

Just on the A7s and Shogun I can definitely recommend them both. I cant tell the difference between shots from my F5 or my A7s as you can see here. http://www.overseafilms.com/overseafilms-gear-tech.html Cheers, Simon

A very random list. 1DC has a garbage picture yet you made it number one because you just bought one. You didn't mention its second biggest con (second to soft version of 4K) being its storage media being ridiculously expensive. Another con a useless eyepiece making the 1DC have poor ergonomics. The A7s has a gorgeous eyepiece with OLED screen making ergonomics a dream being able to hold it to your face as DSLRs were designed. It doesn't get any more comfortable than that. No more need for a z-finder. Another conn 1.3 crop.... No 120fps. No XLRs, the A7s with the KLM1 audio module I have dual XLRs, to the shogun sharp 4K 4:2:2 uncompressed to be saved as ProresHQ with LUTS coming. Also SLOG2 is dead easy to hand grade, you don't need LUTS. They are a bonus should you want. Your list has many non DSLRs yet no Sony F5 or C100, C300 or C500. I don't have one but the FS7 clearly has far more bang for buck than anything on your list. Cheers, Simon