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25 ways the Sony A7S trumps the Canon 1D C


Andrew Reid
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A7S would be beautiful with the Canon 50mm F1.2L

This began as a 10 point list. It grew...

The 1D C when it was introduced offered an absolutely lovely image and still does. The price for me was a total joke but the sensor inside was capable of very nice 4K. Now the playing field has changed somewhat.

Exactly how does the Sony A7S compare on paper to the 1D C?

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EOSHD Pro Color 5 for Sony cameras EOSHD Z LOG for Nikon CamerasEOSHD C-LOG and Film Profiles for All Canon DSLRs

Feel free to add ways the 1D C trumps over the A7S...

 

:)

 

It has internal 4K recording...

 

Anyway, I don't think anyone in their right mind would doubt between the 1D C and the A7S. When announced the 1D C was already a bit silly, now it's ridiculous.... compared to the competition.

 

How is the rolling shutter on the A7S?

 

/edit: oh wait, you don't have the A7S yet. That picture fooled me... haha, nice hiding.

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I don't know which camera has the worst rolling shutter.
Sony promised an improvement of that with the definitive firmware but at the moment the A7s rolling shutter takes 30.5ms.
I hope in a quick firmware update!
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I'm personally thrilled at what's happening in the consumer level marketplace with imaging.  Many of us have been waiting for this to happen for about 20 years and it's more than arrived.

 

I've paid more for handle grips on old video cam-corders than I would for an entire camera body these days.

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I've used the 1DC before on a pro shoot and its definitely the 'worst' camera I've used because of the ergonomics. It's got a bolted on 4k option....and that's about it. Nothing that makes recording video an easier experience. The image was ok, the file sizes were not. I made a poor decision to use the camera. 

 

Canon on the other hand will be working on their next 'C' line of cameras and blow the water out of everything, besides the affordability. The low end will remain almost the same for video and photography features will improve. 

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Canon on the other hand will be working on their next 'C' line of cameras and blow the water out of everything

 

I don't know.  Their corporate culture might get in the way of that assumption.  I think in the future they're going to be positioned pretty much the same place as they were in the past (late 90's early 00's) when it comes to video features: behind Sony and Panasonic; certainly in price.

 

Keep in mind that the 5DII camera which was the first serious vanguard of the DSLR video wave, was sort of a random thing, not really an asserted strategy from them.  They got lucky, I think.

 

I don't have confidence they can sell video effectively in the new/next market.

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Canon will replace most of the C line more than likely, only they won't be so irrelevant in context to what else is available so quickly. The prices will remain astronomical though and the low end will still have to rely on magic lantern. I wish they'd let ML jail break the 1DX if they discontinue the 1DC now. That would be a beast.

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I've decided to go for FS700 but now, after reading your post I realised how many great things A7S has in such a small package. What would be advantages to go for FS700 now? (besides obvious super slow motion).

Andrew, can I ask you, what would you chose at this particular moment in time? (I've got FS700 budget, maybe a bit more).

Many thanks!

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What would be advantages to go for FS700 now?

 

 

The 700 is lots of fun for slow-mo and can elevate pretty standard productions somewhat.  Here's examples of basic shooting/editing I've done awhile back that got a nice production-value bump from slow-mo:

 

 

It really is a great tool...for the right project.  But slow-mo is kinda niche.  Great to have, but not critical, IMHO.  If you love it though, the 700 is the cam for you.

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IF you're willing to spend the dough to take the FS700 up to what it can really achieve - that means upgrading the firmware, buying a 7Q, and the media and codecs, buying a speedbooster for it, shooting RAW 4k (or 2K) on it and spending the time to process the image, it really is a killer killer camera with amazing versatility and quality for the price and there really isn't anything comparable (continuous 2k 240p RAW) at the price point (I think about $12k or a bit under after you factor in the 7Q media, etc.)

 

For me it's more than I want to spend and a fairly big package - I'm willing to lose quality and versatility to have a smaller camera.  But if you covet an F5, it's getting very very close for much less money. 

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Have not used the A7s yet, but I have used the 1D C. Yes, it's heavy, cumbersome, and does not have peaking/zebras…and file sizes are huge.

 

However, the image (Canon Log) is stunning. I've seen it on 75 foot screens in Hollywood. It's brilliant with very little color correction needed. The 1D C image will hold up 50 years from now. It's really that good. No exaggeration.  A lot of 'regular' people in the audience thought they were watching a film that had been shot on 35mm film.

 

We can bitch about the price of the cam $ all we want, but the puppy delivers the goods when you view it. Somehow Canon engineers sold their souls to the devil. They're just the best at color science. (skin tones/that 'x' factor) Period. It's voodoo man.

 

That being sad, Andrew is correct, the A7s is lighter, has more video functions, and will be much easier to use. Better in low light, yes, although I shot 12,800 on buddy's short film on the 1D C and it looked amazing. (with minor noise reduction). The image from A7s will not look as good as the 1D C right out of the gate. It will require much more post work. 

 

The 1D C is all built like a tank (you can shoot with it in a hurricane) and is the best stills camera that has ever been made (still is). Over 80% of photogs at the Olympics were using it. (or the 1D X). The Super 35 mode on 1D C looks ZERO difference from the Canon C300. Try and figure that on a side to side test. Impossible.

 

If the 1D C had been sold for $5 grand out of the gate, every indie filmmaker would already own one. (indie films from last 2 years would look better) And they would not have complained at all. The price is what soured the community on the 1D C, not the image.

 

If you shoot at least 50% stills for a living, or you shoot films with a small crew, than the 1D C is still your best bet for DSLR video. If you are budget strapped, are basically a 1 man show, than of course the A7 s will work - even though the rolling shutter is the worst I think I've ever seen from any cam. 

 

I will say this: Canon is absolutely ridiculous for not putting basic video functions on the 1D C from its inception, however. You can bet the 1D C part 2 will have that - and will still have that 'voodoo'. 

 

My 2 cents.

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Is that firmware update for real?  And how much could it really improve, given FF and especially in 4k?  I ask because the rolling shutter is the main deal breaker for me as I mostly shoot dance films.  If they could bring it down to GH2 levels (my current camera) that would make my decision between the A7S and the GH4 much more difficult.  

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