First test with A7S 120fps at DVinfo.net

Ryan Douthit · July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 AM

My A7S arrived yesterday so I shot a quick test with kids in the neighbors pool.

My main intent was to see how well XAVC-S handled the splashes, which have historically caused problems with AVCHD (as have all high-detail, high-motion scenes). With the new codec, blocking was minimal. Overall, a good result and a very useful slow-motion mode. Yes, there is also some aliasing present in the high-contrast areas, but I don't believe it's any more than the FS700 shows in its overcrank mode. Nice that it also records at 120fps with full audio.

This short was shot with AWB (which wasn't completely spot-on as you can tell) and a custom profile using cinema gamma. I did a quick and dirty grade - bumping up saturation and pushed down blacks a bit so the lighter scenes matched the darker ones. This was filmed during sunset in mostly shadows. I didn't shift any colors so you can still see the AWB variations.

Oh, and this was all shot at ISO 2000.

Bryan Cantwell · July 3rd, 2014, 01:43 PM

Looks good! What was the rest of the setup? (i.e. lens, support)

Ryan Douthit · July 3rd, 2014, 03:22 PM

That was shot with the Sony Zeiss FE 24-70 with OSS on (I also wanted to see how it looked) and the camera was handheld without any additional rigging.

Joe Holt · July 7th, 2014, 08:29 AM

So you now have the A7R and the A7S? How would you compare the video from both of these? I know the S is primarily designed for video but is the difference noticeable when shooting 1080P? I don't think I will have a use for 4k for quite some time. You are in a unique position to advise on the differences of these two cameras. Thanks for sharing! Joe

Ryan Douthit · July 7th, 2014, 06:14 PM

I haven't shot much with the A7S yet. However, its picture is much more comparable to the video-only FS100 (which I also own) and is likely even better. I have shot video with the R as a b-camera to the FS100 and the line-skipping sensor makes it a less-than-ideal substitution for the FS100 (and, by extrapolation, the A7S). That said, the A7R is light-years better than any of the VG-series cameras, the A99 or the A77. (all of which I've used.) The moire and aliasing are surprisingly well controlled on the A7R.

If I had to pick just one, I would own just the S since I make my living with video and only occasionally shoot photos for clients. As for the R, the still photos are jaw dropping and it really makes me happy taking photos again. Being able to edit 36MP stills is a mind-blowing experience.

I'll be filming a drift event on the 18th and that will be my first run-and-gun experience with it as a primary camera. Fingers crossed.

Joe Holt · July 7th, 2014, 07:39 PM

Ryan,

Thanks for the input. I truly enjoy your work and look forward to hearing about your experiences using the A7S in a couple weeks. Joe

Phil Goetz · July 8th, 2014, 10:42 AM

Philip Bloom said the video on the Sony A6000 is better than on the A7r.

>>>
I love my A7r for stills and use it a lot, but almost never for video. In fact, the Sony A6000 has better HD video than it, but stills wise…
>>>

The evolving review of the Sony A7s now with extreme low light video. | Philip Bloom

Craig Chartier · July 8th, 2014, 03:02 PM

What was that about the A6000? I couldn't hear you because the A6000 doesn't have any audio input.. And we all know that any good video is more than 50% about good audio ;-)

Dmitri Zigany · July 11th, 2014, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Chartier

What was that about the A6000? I couldn't hear you because the A6000 doesn't have any audio input.. And we all know that any good video is more than 50% about good audio ;-)

But as a b-cam, that might not matter much...

Noa Put · July 12th, 2014, 03:51 AM

And it's pocketcam, surely we can't expect it to have xlr ports as well, all it needs to do is to record audio to sync up with other camera's and if it matches up imagewise then you have a very portable b or c cam.

Phil Goetz · July 16th, 2014, 01:10 PM

Sony audio adapter:

XLR Adapter and Microphone Kit - XLRK1M Review | Sony Store U.S. - Sony US

I am researching to see if the audio adapter works with the A6000.

About the thread topic here, there is only 720 120fps in XAVC mode, right? I couldn't find it on AVCHD or MP4 mode last night...

Christophe Gryspeert · July 23rd, 2014, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryan Douthit

I'll be filming a drift event on the 18th and that will be my first run-and-gun experience with it as a primary camera. Fingers crossed.

so we are the 23rd now :-)
no sign of impatience though...

Ryan Douthit · July 24th, 2014, 11:11 AM

No pressure. :)

I forgot I was scheduled to film the Dodge Hellcat in Portland these past few days - which is pushing back the edit from FD.

As a consolation prize, here's a still frame from the A7S with the Hellcat (their new 707hp production Challenger) yesterday - some minor grading applied:

http://www.drivingsports.com/v2/?attachment_id=1341

Ryan Douthit · July 27th, 2014, 04:18 PM

Drift video posted with comments to the "show your work" forum.

Double-posted here for courtesy: Sideways in Seattle: FD Round 5 | Driving Sports TV

Christophe Gryspeert · July 30th, 2014, 11:34 AM

approved :-)

especially liked the shallow dof shots at the beginning.
and the slomo is perfect for this kind of shooting. very nice..
thks for posting.

Batteries held up a little?

July 3rd, 2014, 11:08 AM	#1
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	First test with A7S 120fps My A7S arrived yesterday so I shot a quick test with kids in the neighbors pool. My main intent was to see how well XAVC-S handled the splashes, which have historically caused problems with AVCHD (as have all high-detail, high-motion scenes). With the new codec, blocking was minimal. Overall, a good result and a very useful slow-motion mode. Yes, there is also some aliasing present in the high-contrast areas, but I don't believe it's any more than the FS700 shows in its overcrank mode. Nice that it also records at 120fps with full audio. This short was shot with AWB (which wasn't completely spot-on as you can tell) and a custom profile using cinema gamma. I did a quick and dirty grade - bumping up saturation and pushed down blacks a bit so the lighter scenes matched the darker ones. This was filmed during sunset in mostly shadows. I didn't shift any colors so you can still see the AWB variations. Oh, and this was all shot at ISO 2000. Sony A7S Test: 720p/120fps Water Splash - YouTube __________________ MediaSpigot LLC http://www.mediaspigot.com

July 3rd, 2014, 01:43 PM	#2
Bryan Cantwell Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Terre Haute, IN Posts: 277	Re: First test with A7S 120fps Looks good! What was the rest of the setup? (i.e. lens, support)

July 3rd, 2014, 03:22 PM	#3
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	Re: First test with A7S 120fps That was shot with the Sony Zeiss FE 24-70 with OSS on (I also wanted to see how it looked) and the camera was handheld without any additional rigging. __________________ MediaSpigot LLC http://www.mediaspigot.com

July 7th, 2014, 08:29 AM	#4
Joe Holt Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Sylva, North Carolina Posts: 153	Re: First test with A7S 120fps So you now have the A7R and the A7S? How would you compare the video from both of these? I know the S is primarily designed for video but is the difference noticeable when shooting 1080P? I don't think I will have a use for 4k for quite some time. You are in a unique position to advise on the differences of these two cameras. Thanks for sharing! Joe

July 7th, 2014, 06:14 PM	#5
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	Re: First test with A7S 120fps I haven't shot much with the A7S yet. However, its picture is much more comparable to the video-only FS100 (which I also own) and is likely even better. I have shot video with the R as a b-camera to the FS100 and the line-skipping sensor makes it a less-than-ideal substitution for the FS100 (and, by extrapolation, the A7S). That said, the A7R is light-years better than any of the VG-series cameras, the A99 or the A77. (all of which I've used.) The moire and aliasing are surprisingly well controlled on the A7R. If I had to pick just one, I would own just the S since I make my living with video and only occasionally shoot photos for clients. As for the R, the still photos are jaw dropping and it really makes me happy taking photos again. Being able to edit 36MP stills is a mind-blowing experience. I'll be filming a drift event on the 18th and that will be my first run-and-gun experience with it as a primary camera. Fingers crossed. __________________ MediaSpigot LLC http://www.mediaspigot.com

July 7th, 2014, 07:39 PM	#6
Joe Holt Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Sylva, North Carolina Posts: 153	Re: First test with A7S 120fps Ryan, Thanks for the input. I truly enjoy your work and look forward to hearing about your experiences using the A7S in a couple weeks. Joe

July 8th, 2014, 10:42 AM	#7
Phil Goetz Austinite Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Austin Posts: 550	Re: First test with A7S 120fps Philip Bloom said the video on the Sony A6000 is better than on the A7r. >>> I love my A7r for stills and use it a lot, but almost never for video. In fact, the Sony A6000 has better HD video than it, but stills wise… >>> The evolving review of the Sony A7s now with extreme low light video. \| Philip Bloom

July 8th, 2014, 03:02 PM	#8
Craig Chartier DVi Contributor Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Austin Texas Posts: 374	Re: First test with A7S 120fps What was that about the A6000? I couldn't hear you because the A6000 doesn't have any audio input.. And we all know that any good video is more than 50% about good audio ;-)

July 12th, 2014, 03:51 AM	#10
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,509	Re: First test with A7S 120fps And it's pocketcam, surely we can't expect it to have xlr ports as well, all it needs to do is to record audio to sync up with other camera's and if it matches up imagewise then you have a very portable b or c cam.

July 16th, 2014, 01:10 PM	#11
Phil Goetz Austinite Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Austin Posts: 550	Re: First test with A7S 120fps Sony audio adapter: XLR Adapter and Microphone Kit - XLRK1M Review \| Sony Store U.S. - Sony US I am researching to see if the audio adapter works with the A6000. About the thread topic here, there is only 720 120fps in XAVC mode, right? I couldn't find it on AVCHD or MP4 mode last night...

July 24th, 2014, 11:11 AM	#13
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	Re: First test with A7S 120fps No pressure. :) I forgot I was scheduled to film the Dodge Hellcat in Portland these past few days - which is pushing back the edit from FD. As a consolation prize, here's a still frame from the A7S with the Hellcat (their new 707hp production Challenger) yesterday - some minor grading applied: http://www.drivingsports.com/v2/?attachment_id=1341 __________________ MediaSpigot LLC http://www.mediaspigot.com Last edited by Ryan Douthit; July 24th, 2014 at 01:39 PM.

July 27th, 2014, 04:18 PM	#14
Ryan Douthit Major Player Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 474	Re: First test with A7S 120fps Drift video posted with comments to the "show your work" forum. Double-posted here for courtesy: Sideways in Seattle: FD Round 5 \| Driving Sports TV __________________ MediaSpigot LLC http://www.mediaspigot.com

July 30th, 2014, 11:34 AM	#15
Christophe Gryspeert Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Antwerp Belgium Posts: 29	Re: First test with A7S 120fps approved :-) especially liked the shallow dof shots at the beginning. and the slomo is perfect for this kind of shooting. very nice.. thks for posting. Batteries held up a little?