Oliver Daniel Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Don't be expecting an Andrew Reid review here! These are my quick thoughts.... An FS7 landed on my desk yesterday for a music video shoot. The camera is built like a rock and the grip is very comfortable. Shoulder mounting was pretty nifty. I had a brief go of shooting things round the office - yep, got it! We set up the band performance scene in a derelict swimming baths inside a lunatic asylum estate. The roof had fallen in, so plenty of light. 2 inches of water was on the surface and it was slippy. Ideal day for a new camera! ;) I started shooting with Canon FD L Series lenses, the mount I had was shit as it didn't click into place on the mount but it stayed on solid. No gulpy moments! I came into an issue straight away. When I turned the camera on, it would just freeze when loading the image. It was set to 4k 50fps, so to unfreeze I had to set it back to 25fps then back to 50fps. This started to become a major issue as every time the camera was switched off I would have to do this over and over again. Needs a fix fast!!! Another issue was the responsiveness of the buttons. It felt like the buttons didn't work properly combined with slow software. This was tedious because the menus are ridiculously complicated. To change from 4k to 1080p 180fps feels like a lifetime!! They definitely need to work on this!!! I filmed in Slog3, dynamic range is superb. You can also view footage with a LUT. I did in 709. Images looked great on the monitor, very clear and sharp. Peaking is very good too. I held the camera for around 25 angles of a 3:30min song. All handheld for a frantic feel. My right arm was dead by the end of the shoot, and my back was punished. Expected really. Shooting felt right though. ;) To get the most out of this camera, you need a lot of hard drive space. A 64gb card lasts 15 minutes at 4k 50fps. I filled 6 cards and dumped them throughout the day. As an owner, you will definitely need to factor in hard drives into the cost. You will need many. I really loved this little feature with a light meter on the display to tell you if parts of the image were too high in exposure or too low. The function of a histogram but different. Quite nifty. The footage looks great, very impressive. Very low noise. Clear and sharp. Dynamic range is fabulous. I can't release any images or footage due to confidentiality yet, but very pleased with the results. Will share on release. My overall thoughts on first use is that the camera is a great piece of kit, but let down by some shoddy firmware which ruins the user experience. Sony really need to update it fast. This is a serious production camera and it covers so many bases. You can shoot in lower bit rates at 1080 if you wish, but to use the best features - you need a crapload of hard drives. Once Sony sort out the firmware, this will be an excellent camera! tosvus, nahua, Cinegain and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxotics Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Thanks for the report! Sometimes in firmware the manufacturer has to make a tough choice. Allow the user to "forget" he changed a critical setting and shoot in something that may be unusable to him/her, or remember every setting. For example, I've been shooting with the Ricoh GR. It remembers if I have it set to "crop" but NOT where I set my focus point. So a friend set it to crop and I ended up with a bunch of low-res images. Though I sensed something was wrong, while shooting, it never reached consciousness until I was processing them. Then on the focus point, it means I can't set up my focus in a cafe say, turn the camera off, then turn it on when my subject was in the exact position I wanted to shoot them in. I feel Ricoh should have set the defaults the other way around. Forget crop mode, but remember focus point. Again, thanks for the update! Next time take some photos with your phone, of you and camera in dirty-water, so we can see you how you got hepatitis ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted December 17, 2014 Author Share Posted December 17, 2014 Thanks Maxotics, there should be some behind the scenes stuff on the company Instagram account - we had a DJI Phantom too coming through the roof! That was the best shot of the day. I'm used to DSLR size cameras having also operated everything from a RED to BM Pocket, and the FS7 has a great balance for features and quality. It's just the firmware performance - simply unforgivable for a camera this price. It should just "work." This is Sony! It does make the FS700 a wimp in comparison. I've shot so much on that camera yet I've always disliked the image. It's horrendous. It does that slo-mo though that the music vids crave.... The video is out Jan 29th. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxotics Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Sounds like the FS7 may have caught a bug from their consumer cameras. My a7 and a6000 are very slow to start-up sometimes and do hiccup. You might check to see if the FS7 has wireless, or apps that can be deleted. Wireless and apss slow down the a7/a6000. Oliver, did you work on this video, and if so, how did you, or the editor, get all the way through it without laughing yourself into a coma? Cosimo murgolo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 Yes I did work on that video above. I was both the DOP and Editor for this piece - I went for a very comical, cartoony look with grunge and cheap effects to balance the tone. I shot on the FS700 with just a Canon 24-70L 2.8. Did the job! You are right - the shoot was hysterical in many ways. I never had a straight face. It's always like that on our sets, always really fun and humoured - none of this military shouty stuff. The FS7 is completely different to the FS700. The FS7 is a very serious tool, built to last for years. I'll miss the FS700 but times are changin'. ;) Cosimo murgolo and Hitfabryk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxotics Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Great piece of filmmaking Oliver. The girls' "porno" look detracted from the great comic ideas you put across. I mean, if it was shot with the cast of SNL, for example (and boy could they use your talent) it would have been a huge hit. As I have time, I will watch more! (and I encourage all readers here at EOSHD to check out Oliver's stuff!) Cosimo murgolo and Oliver Daniel 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted December 19, 2014 Author Share Posted December 19, 2014 Thanks for the positive comments Maxotics. I made many suggestions on the day for comic effect, such as the girls pulling their faces and going cross eyed - the Director certainly has a zest for flesh! In the edit I did my best to offset the "porno" look even more by the repetitive edits and over-the-top effects. Also thanks for recommending me to other readers. I'm more of an ideas man with a love of the latest technology, so it all works hand in hand. Got LOADS to learn, and sites like this help me understand nitty gritty aspects I previously would fall asleep listening to. Here is one teaser image of the shooting location and setup on the FS7 shoot... rdouthit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brecht Vanhoenacker Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Oliver, you seem to be the first mentioning motion cadense. I have a similar view on camera's. I believe the cadense is something important. I was wandering about the Fs7. having graded the footage, has your view changed on the fs7? How does it hold up compared to the red one mx or the c300? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 Yes, I find pleasing motion cadence very important. I've recently completed a pop music video which is out tomorrow, and the cadence is very nice. Will post a new topic when the video is out. Im also working on my own personal website which wil include a blog section. It won't be exactly technical but more focused on actual shooting experience and creative approaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brecht Vanhoenacker Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'm curious! I'll check it out as soon it is online. Most of the footage online of the FS7 makes me desperate.. i looks really bad. (i'v ordered the camera myself 3 months ago, still waiting.) The charlie chicken short on vimeo is one of the exceptions.. in your opinion the FS7 is equally cinematic as the red one mx or c300? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brecht Vanhoenacker Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I mean shooting 25fps of course.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted February 16, 2015 Author Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'm curious! I'll check it out as soon it is online. Most of the footage online of the FS7 makes me desperate.. i looks really bad. (i'v ordered the camera myself 3 months ago, still waiting.) The charlie chicken short on vimeo is one of the exceptions.. in your opinion the FS7 is equally cinematic as the red one mx or c300?That's a tough question to answer. Cinematic depends on a lot of things, from grading, lenses, composition, lighting... And also personal taste. One persons cinematic could be another persons cheap TV look. If I was to say, the FS7 is very capable of "cinematic""quality, and can contend with much higher priced cameras. It's not as easy to get a "look" out of the box then a C300, you need to do a lot of work in post really. The Slog3 can look a bit plastic if you don't do your homework. but it can look very organic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brecht Vanhoenacker Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Ok, I'll guess I'll have to practise and see. Any tips using certain LUTs ? I know there is a Alexa lut.. could make it more easy in post perhaps? I heard the slog3 is not easy to handle..I gues the best shutter angle is 180 while shooting 25fps? shutterspeed 1/50? Won't bother you with other tech questions after this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalEd Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Oliver can you say what kind of lights you used for this video and others.I have been reading a lot about lights and it is such a wide range to pick from. Are you using LED lighting?So far i am leaning to a Ikan led kit to get started. something like thishttp://ikancorp.com/productdetail.php?id=1003or some Flolightshttp://www.flolight.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Luce Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 The FS7 is completely different to the FS700. The FS7 is a very serious tool, built to last for years. I'll miss the FS700 but times are changin'. Nutshelling it, what are the big differences? The shouldermount must be one right? I don't like the ergos of the fs700. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Hughes Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Nutshelling it, what are the big differences? The shouldermount must be one right? I don't like the ergos of the fs700. FS700 is absolutely not a camera to use without rigging it up IMO. It can be very usable once you get a decent riser (+shoulder pad) and some good handles on it. Difference is that the FS7 already has that built in. I haven't used the FS7, but I do love shooting a kitted up FS700 with a 7Q right in front of my face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Luce Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 FS700 is absolutely not a camera to use without rigging it up IMO. It can be very usable once you get a decent riser (+shoulder pad) and some good handles on it. Difference is that the FS7 already has that built in. I haven't used the FS7, but I do love shooting a kitted up FS700 with a 7Q right in front of my face.Yeah, I've used the fs700 with the movcam rig and all kinds of zacuto crap hanging on it with the Oddysey. It's nice but takes some time to assemble. and it tends to be front heavy. Maybe the F7 is more convenient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Ok, I'll guess I'll have to practise and see. Any tips using certain LUTs ? I know there is a Alexa lut.. could make it more easy in post perhaps? I heard the slog3 is not easy to handle..I gues the best shutter angle is 180 while shooting 25fps? shutterspeed 1/50? Won't bother you with other tech questions after this I don't have enough experience with the camera yet to recommend LUTs. The best shutter angle/speed depends on what you are shooting. A lot of my work is fast paced so I tend to increase when I need to. But 1/50 is recommended for narrative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Oliver can you say what kind of lights you used for this video and others.I have been reading a lot about lights and it is such a wide range to pick from. Are you using LED lighting?So far i am leaning to a Ikan led kit to get started. something like thishttp://ikancorp.com/productdetail.php?id=1003or some Flolightshttp://www.flolight.com/ Hi Ed, nice to see you are thinking about lights. Lighting is almost everything!I pretty much use the same lighting kit on every shoot - 2 Kino Flo Diva 401s, 3 Arri Juniors (650w) with diffuser and Tecpro Felloni Bi-Colour LEDs. I want to get some Scorpion Lights, they may be of interest ; nice, flexible and battery powered : http://www.blindspotgear.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Daniel Posted February 18, 2015 Author Share Posted February 18, 2015 Nutshelling it, what are the big differences? The shouldermount must be one right? I don't like the ergos of the fs700. The FS700 is very annoying to use bare bones - the placement of the screen is very stupid.The FS7 is simply superior, you don't need a rig. It has a grip, shoulder pad and side monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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