As a Camera Operator, I’m constantly chasing the best cameras on the market.
It’s great to geek out over the latest drops and flops but I think I speak for a lot of
us when I say there’s always an element of compromise involved when it comes to choosing
the one for you.
For example, take the Canon C300 Mark II, a great camera which produces some beautiful
4k images, but when filming slow motion…the image is cropped.
In contrast – how about the Sony A7s - this camera also shoots beautiful 4K images AND
full frame slow motion, but it doesn’t have built in ND filters or XLR inputs unlike the
C300.
Of course, there’s never going to be an all singing all dancing camera, but on this
4 Minute Tech episode I’m going to chat about a camera that I use on a daily basis,
one I feel offers the least amount of tech compromise…the Sony FS7.
I shoot a lot of videos in the corporate sector and therefore I’m always working to a budget
so I need to operate quickly and efficiently and create great looking content.
The Sony FS7 gives me so much confidence when it comes to these types of shoots and I’ve
noticed a lot of Camera Operators in this sector are using them.
Here’s several reasons why I love it:
First of all, it shoots 4K Resolution.
This instantly improves the quality of the image & allows for the most amount of flexibility
in post.
If you’re delivering your project in HD for example, shooting 4K gives you more pixels
to play with, allowing you to crop in in post-production whilst still maintaining image quality.
Secondly, it has a High Dynamic Range with a 14-stop latitude.
This is the same dynamic range as top-end Hollywood cameras like the Arri Alexa for
example, in a camera a small fraction of its price.
HDR in my opinion is essential for good quality video production these days once again allowing
more flexibility in post, this time in terms of grade.
The next tick in the box for me is that the camera has built-in neutral density filters.
I love this feature purely for its quick & efficient operating.
There is no messing around with matte boxes & glass filters which often requires a bigger
crew, it’s already there.
Having a native ISO of 2000 is another really big selling point for me on the Sony FS7.
Grainy images do not sit well in corporate video and having such a high ISO threshold
means that shooting doesn’t require powerful lighting kits to compensate.
This gives you flexibility when filming in a variety of locations from well-lit conference
rooms to dingy theatres with minimal kit and crew.
And finally, having professional quality audio inputs is the icing on the cake for me with
the FS7.
Not only does it have all of these amazing features, the option to record professional
sounding audio via its XLR inputs is convenient too.
Now, to bring this back to the what I was saying earlier about compromise – let’s
check out other camera comparisons on the market.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this video, the Sony A7s on paper looks like a good deal
here, it’s affordable with 12 stops of HDR, internal 4K recording and a high native ISO
but it’s a shame that it lacks built in NDs & XLR audio.
The C300 Mark II, a well-known competitor to the Sony FS7 is competitively priced, has
a better HDR latitude of 15 stops, but where it falls down for me is it’s low 4K frame
rates unless filming with a windowed sensor at 120fps which is indeed a compromise.
From this list, I do think one to watch is the Black Magic Ursa Mini Pro which is competitively
priced & has some great features.
Let’s not ignore the incredible features of the Sony F5 but that’s considerably more
expensive in terms of budget.
Of course, this is all part of the fun for us camera nerds when it comes to investing
in technology.
Thanks for watching my review of the Sony FS7.
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