Since the release of its 4K XDCAM camera the PXW-FS7, Sony managed to stay ahead of the pack again giving independent filmmakers and DP’s a very aggressively priced camera with high-end features like internal 4K recording at 60p as well as a myriad of codecs, log profiles, colour spaces and professional features usually associated with much higher priced cameras. No wonder the FS7 became an instant hit right after hitting the market in limited quantities towards the end of last year.
Among the truly impressive features for the price such as XAVC (up to 4K at 60p), MPEG2 422(HD) and the recently added ProRes HQ & 422 (HD) recording, camera operators have the ability to shoot some stunning continuous slow-motion footage up to 180fps in HD as well, a feature that is another big selling point for the camera. With the support of Cheesycam and SatoStudios, the Gear Addix team decided to test out the slow-motion functionality of the FS7 and have a little fun with it.
Below you can see the results of this collaborative work.
The video was shot using the S-Log 2 gamma profile and later was colour corrected in DaVinci Resolve. As mentioned before, the camera can capture footage to optional on board XQD media cards in either UHD at up to 60 FPS or HD at up to 180 FPS. However, if you want even more quality and higher frame rates, you can mount up the optional Sony XDCA-FS7 Extension Unit for 12-bit 4K/2K RAW Data Output that will give you up to 240fps of raw recording to an external recording like the Sony’s own AXS-R5 (with the HXR-IFR5 interface) or third party recorders like the Convergent Design Odyssey7Q+. The super-slow motion functionality puts the camera into a unique marketplace position, especially in this sub-$10 000 price range.
Shooting a slow-motion video with the FS7 may be a great fun, yet if you haven’t used the Cine EI mode on Sony’s cameras like the F5 and F55 before, or you’re not familiar with log colour profiles the camera provides, you’ll definitely need to invest some time upfront in testing before you’re ready to get the most out of it.
All in all, the Sony FS7 is definitely not an expose-to-the-right camera by any means, especially when you’re using the log profiles as this is something you definitely need to consider before buying or renting an FS7 package. As for the video and the given circumstances it was shot in, the 180fps slow-motion footage can be truly entertaining not only to shoot but to watch as well.
[via Cheesycam]
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