The Sony FS7 has been probably the most popular 4K professional camera used in broadcast and corporate films in the past two years – and rightfully so; it produces lovely images with its large Super35 sensor capable of astonishing dynamic range coupled with a very robust 10bit codec and a form factor that lends itself to quick-style shooting from the shoulder. However, many FS7 users, especially those who are renting the camera for the first time or new, first time buyers often struggle with getting solid images out of the camera.
The Sony FS7 is a subtle beast – one that possesses a highly customizable Custom mode enabling users to dial in a suitable in-camera look or alternatively a more cinematic/flat/ready for post image from its CineEI mode.
Either way, one has to spend some time with the camera to get the setting right. Spending time with a camera however is not a luxury that many have nowadays, as productions are often rushed and camera operators have to scramble to get the image right.
This is where new FS7 Primes – the Equinox Edition can be quite helpful. You may recall we covered the Sony A7s Primers from Omeneo some time ago here, and now they’ve created new 3D LUTs for both in-camera preview and post-production specifically tailored towards the colour science of the Sony FS7.
Primers Equinox Edition are specifically designed for professional cameras and 10bit+ log workflow. The Sony FS7 Primers are designed specifically for this sensor, S-Log3 gamma and S-Gamut3.Cine colour space as a shooting basis.
Benefits of the Sony FS7 Primers
- Increased colour performance > accuracy, separation, harmony, consistency
- More natural image aesthetics
- More practical shooting, ability to choose optimised profiles for the scene (standard Primers for 8 bit cameras)
- More informative on-set monitoring, ability to perceive the outcome after primary colour correction
- Reduced unpleasant surprises in post production
- Speeding up post-production
- Reduced deterioration of footage with lower colour sampling
- Maximum utilisation of sensor DR (Primers EQX for 10 bit+ cameras)
- Eliminate the “Sony video look”
Sony FS7 Primers EQX package contains:
- 4 x 64x64x64 S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine > rec.709 LUT files for post production
- 4 x 33x33x33 S-Log3/S-Gamut3.Cine > rec.709 LUT files for camera preview
- Primers info document
The FS7 Primers package is priced at $55 and can be purchased directly from Omeneo.
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Are there any samples of these LUTs anywhere?
sadly at the moment there’s only the before/after slider from their website. If I come across any samples will share here.
purchased because of this post fyi 🙂
What are you thoughts after using the primer LUTs? I haven’t found any information anywhere outside the paid placements.
my article wasn’t a “paid placement” but whatever
Please let us know what you think? Been having a hard time finding some 3rd party reviews. 🙂
I bought the a7s ‘primers’. The custom picture profile they recommended had saturation thrown way up and when I applied the ‘primer’/LUT the whole image looked really crushed and crunchy and like a 5d shot 5 years odd ago you’d find on Vimeo. And skin tones were pretty much orange. Didn’t use it ever again. I just use the arri rec709 lut on my A7s footage, tweaking the exposure before applying, etc and it seems to come out pretty well.
From the same company? Damn. So they suck then? It’s too bad, they looked great on the website. Scam?
I did some test shots with my fs7 in slog3 and applied the luts and they actually look pretty good. Colors seem pretty accurate (I am by no means an expert). I will try to upload some before and after and include skin tones in the next few days so yall can judge for yourself
definitely not a scam. I have them and they work well.
@ Ed – you did something wrong in the image chain. 🙂
Did you use AS71 Primers of A7S2 Primers ? They are not the same.
Make sure you use the camera, gamma and color space and apply Primers for what they are designed, otherwise you’ll get a mess. Also any color modifications and creative grade should come AFTER the Primers correct the signal.
Set any one of your PPs in compact cameras and just leave it at that. Once you apply the Primers you should get improved colorimetry and more natural image.
FS7 shooters don’t have many variables, just shoot in CineEI with S-Log3 and S-Gamut3.Cine, use Primers EQX designed for that sensor and 10 bit + codec and get improved colorimetry and full DR.
On the Primers web one example is with Generic 709A Lut applied compared to per-sensor designed Primers. No other color modifications were done to FS7 footage.
No BS, no fluff. I use these in our post house.
I may have a different approach that works for me. I’m not an editor but a colourist.
I use DaVinci Color Management and this is what I do:
1. I set the camera to CineEI – S.gamut3.cine/S-Log3
2. I set DaVinci Colour Science to YRGB Color Managed
3. In Color Management tab I set the input profile as S.gamut3.cine/S-Log3, and working space and output to Rec.709
4. You can optionally set the output to HDR if you have the right monitoring.
You’re done! You may have to adjust your gain (don’t panic, just dial it down) since now you’re working on an HDR image, and you’ll see it reacts differently. Colors look natural, there’s no struggle to get them right. Light behaves ‘film like’ you’re not working with colored pixels, you’re working with light, like when we used scanned film.
You’ll see highlights are blown, but that’s the high dynamic range right there. Just add another node, switch to LOG primaries and dial down your LOG Gain for taming those highlights.
In my experience, LUTs don’t work on HDR and they tend to clip information. They’re color transformations, not light transformations so to speak.
Oh and by the way, this also works great with our A7s II. No more pain trying to match both cameras.
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If you’re going for film (P3 delivery), you can use another approach:
1. Set you camera to CineEI with S.gamut3/S-Log3 (you see we ditched the .cine right?) This way the color gamut spectrum is aligned with the P3 Colour space.
2. Set DaVinci Resolve’s Colour Science to DaVinvi Aces
3. Go to Color Management tab and set your input profile to S.gamut3/S-Log3 and don’t remember this part exactly but you should be able to set your output to P3
4. You’ll need a P3 calibrated monitor, otherwise colors will look greenish.
Good to go!
Try and move the Offset wheel on Primaries and instead of the traditional offset, you’ll see you’re not offsetting your image, you’re changing exposure like if opening and closing your lens’s diaphragm.
Hey Jose,
The first example you mentioned will not get you there. It may seem “natural” if you have not other reference and until you see how it can actually look.
On the Primers web you have the example of generic transformation and what happens when someone actually measures a sensor.
In the second example you are suggesting ditching the color route which is actually superior. It doesn’t matter what it is aligned to, it also matters how it treats the sensor signal. Primers accurately transform the signal to 709 while correcting the sensor and color mapping imperfections.
And no, these don’t clip information. That is one of the points in making and using them. Generic LUTs clip information. Primers don’t.
Interesting stuff. I couldn’t find any information on how the sensor was measured. Did they use color charts? A Spectrophotometer or any measuring device? What software did they use? What monitoring did they use and how was it calibrated? Did they test the RAW signal or the internal recording? What was the Delta-E value? Did they test across multiple sensors to ensure a certain range of consistency?
We have our own methodology for analysis and signal optimization and I cannot share the details. But yes there are various measuring instruments used and calibrated professional Sony OLED monitoring.
I’m new to Resolve, but under the Color Management tab, the input field is greyed out, so I can’t change anything. Is there another setting in the main settings that’s causing this? Thanks!
Before that, in your Master Project Settings, select DaVinci YRGB Color managed as the color science.