Surprise! Sony Alpha A6000 video mode huge improvement

[Viet Bach Bui]

Found this video on vimeo, sorry if it is the work of a member here.
 

[A2T2]

No. In european version you can select PAL or NTSC standard in the menu and after reboot is available another modes ;)

OK, thanks didnt know that, what level of reboot, complete reset or just select ntsc, turn off and on? so euro model can shoot 24p! even better than I knew.

[feanorfinwe]

Only turn off and on and then you must format the SD card.

[A2T2]

Only turn off and on and then you must format the SD card.

Cool, like the gh2 with ptool hack ;-)

[toxotis70]

video quality is superb!

 

Much cleaner than older sony hex's ... 

Without any moire - aliasing (very little)  and the colors are nice!

 

Auto focus is very fast and accurate ... and haw many options for tracking .No other camera haw those settings for that purpose in video.

 

If only it was XAVCs ...  ;)

 

[Inazuma]

Why is XAVC-S so essential?

[A2T2]

Why is XAVC-S so essential?

I think he means 4k option! Is possible I guess.

[Prefabsprout]

Philip Bloom liked it a lot..he didnt see mud..but on the other hand..  he didnt go out shoot bushes

 

http://philipbloom.net/2014/05/12/a6000/

[Michael1]

Thanks for the kind words Andrew. And yes, It seems I have done a lot, with at least another 15 that have either never been released (nearly all because the artist didn't like how they looked), taken down some time after they were posted, or never paid for in one or two cases. I don't really charge a lot though, which forces me to work quickly. Normally these days I'll have the edit done in around 4 hours, or more for the more complex videos. And I'm pretty lazy with colour grading. I'll match up the levels of all the clips, and then find preset colour look in any of the plugins I use, and modify that.

I think it's good to stick with just one camera too. And even just one lens. The less decisions you have to make about what gear to use, the easier everything becomes.

Great tips on how to work efficiently.  I like this!  Thanks.

 

Michael

[wobba]

Philip Bloom liked it a lot..he didnt see mud..but on the other hand..  he didnt go out shoot bushes

 

http://philipbloom.net/2014/05/12/a6000/

 

Now here's a very interesting comment from Philip Bloom:

 

"Excellent 1080p image, detailed with few artefacts. Must be one of the best HD images from a stills camera I have seen, apart from the Super 35mm mode on the Canon 1DC"

 

He actually prefers the HD image from the A6000 over the GH4.

[dstilio]

This sample is for grading as requested with trees.

Please let me know if you want some other settings:

10 o"clock in the morning with full bright sun

Portrait mode: -3, -3, -3

24 fps (24 Mbps bitrate)

1080p

white balance: 5000K without any colour filter

Shutter: 1/50

Apperture: f/5.6

ISO: auto (but it must be near the basic)

DR Level: Level 2 (it increases DR but can introduce some noise in night shooting).

Exposure metering: center weighted (and not wide, thats why there are highlights burned at the edges of the screen)

Lens: SEL 50mm f/1.8 OSS

Steadyshot: ON

 

I had the following filters on the lens:

- CPL polarized filter (but forgot !!! to turn it based on the reflections - I had my mind somewhere else)

- ND X2

- ND X4

It was too bright (South Europe) so I preferred to have more filters on the lens and keep ISO in auto mode (easy solution).

 

ok, here we are:

dropbox link

 

Since I am learning now how to grade, if you manage to grade it as you like, please tell me also the workflow you used:

e.g. transcode to specific codec?

what you used to grading?

what effects? (Saturation, Gamma, Red curves, etc.)

 

Thank you.

[Kwstas Poulios]

 Î™ just did a short film with my new a6000, it's all recorded handheld with the 16-50 lens used. It was shot in 1080 60p , in neutral mode -3,0,-1, and then I graded it in post adding color, contrast , and some sharpening. Overall the quality is great , with no moire issues, great low light capabilities, with the continuous focus working perfectly. Just watch it on 1080p , and see for yourselves. 

 

http://youtu.be/Tavirn-2aaI

[dstilio]

Kwsta,

was it in 04:50 a fast panning? cause I can see the image breaking in this point in my PC at least.

 

With what lens?

 

Also it was 60p or 50p as you say in the youtube description?

I am sure that in 24/25p the image will be much better (without the slow motion though).

[Kwstas Poulios]

Kwsta,

was it in 04:50 a fast panning? cause I can see the image breaking in this point in my PC at least.

 

With what lens?

 

Also it was 60p or 50p as you say in the youtube description?

I am sure that in 24/25p the image will be much better (without the slow motion though).

 

It was shot in 1080 28Mbps 50p , with the 16-50mm kit lens, with auto afc, and yes in that scene I did a very fast panning, and as a result when I slowed it down at half speed it cracked! ;) But overall even handheld the stabilization lets you do decent clips, good pans and tilts without the use of a video head.

[utsira]

This sample is for grading as requested with trees.

Please let me know if you want some other settings:

10 o"clock in the morning with full bright sun

Portrait mode: -3, -3, -3

24 fps (24 Mbps bitrate)

1080p

white balance: 5000K without any colour filter

Shutter: 1/50

Apperture: f/5.6

ISO: auto (but it must be near the basic)

DR Level: Level 2 (it increases DR but can introduce some noise in night shooting).

Exposure metering: center weighted (and not wide, thats why there are highlights burned at the edges of the screen)

Lens: SEL 50mm f/1.8 OSS

Steadyshot: ON

 

I had the following filters on the lens:

- CPL polarized filter (but forgot !!! to turn it based on the reflections - I had my mind somewhere else)

- ND X2

- ND X4

It was too bright (South Europe) so I preferred to have more filters on the lens and keep ISO in auto mode (easy solution).

 

ok, here we are:

dropbox link

 

Since I am learning now how to grade, if you manage to grade it as you like, please tell me also the workflow you used:

e.g. transcode to specific codec?

what you used to grading?

what effects? (Saturation, Gamma, Red curves, etc.)

 

Thank you.

It seems like there is very little rolling shutter. The pan at around 38 secs, very quick, the verticals stay pretty much vertical.

 

It does seem a shame that the last 2 cameras Sony announced have XAVC-S (the RX100 Mk 3 and the A7S). The A7S os obviously a lot more expensive and high-end, but the RX100 III is $800. It's as if the A6000 just missed out, or perhaps Sony think that a really high-end APSC camera could cannibalise A7 sales. I wouldn't hold my breath for an XAVC-S firmware upgrade from Sony. I am tempted to trade in my NEX-6 for this though, rather than wait a generation for an a7000 or whatever. I don't know how much of a difference 50 mbps would make. Would you only notice it in busy, deep focus shots?

[Guest]

a6000 vs D5300: colour science. 

 

They seem to have the same or very similar sensor. But colour science for compressed formats occurs at the processing stage I assume? Or perhaps not entirely?

 

The reason I ask is I love the colours I'm getting from my D5300, and it grades nicely. I'd love the benefits of mirrorless with the same image, but I don't want to give up the colours I can get from the D5300.

[powderific]

I'm wondering the same thing. I've been looking for a camera to act as a second/third to my D800 for video that could also be a compact everyday camera. The A6000 looks like it could be a great option, but for whatever stupid reason Nikon seems to always get better video out of Sony sensors than Sony does. It makes no sense that a company with so much experience in the video world wouldn't be able to make their own sensors perform better than a company with minimal video experience that treats its as a total afterthought.

I've been thinking it might make the most sense to stop trying to find something that fills both roles and just pickup a D5300 for video and a Ricoh GR or Fuji something for stills. No EVF for video and stupid aperture stuff, but at least I'd be getting the best possible quality out of the sensor.

[Andrew Reid]

What's the point of slightly better image quality if you miss a shot entirely due to having to quit movie mode simply to set the required aperture?

[Nikkor]

Because you might not be a street videographer ;) but yes, it's terrible. Anyway, it's a nikon and there are so many lenses with aperture ring (most of my lenses do) so it has never a real bummer for me when using the d7000.

[powderific]

Yeah, that's a good point. When I'm shooting sit down interviews with three cameras it's not an issue, but it'd make it pretty annoying to use in anything even remotely run and gun. Which I do a ton of.

 

Has anyone used the 16-70 F4? It's $300 off with the A6000 right now.