Sony A7S full frame mirrorless DSLR

I

IndiePaul

The specs are pretty stunning:

  • 12.2MP Full-Frame Exmor CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor
  • Gapless On-Chip Lens Design
  • Full HD Recording in XAVC S
  • 4:2:2 UHD 4K Output via HDMI
  • Full Pixel Read-Out, S-Log2 Gamma
  • Expandable Sensitivity: ISO 50-409600
  • Fast Intelligent 25-Point AF System
  • 3.0" 921.6k-Dot Tilting LCD Monitor
  • XGA 2.36M-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
Cost: $2,500

At B&H
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1044728-REG/sony_ilce7s_b_alpha_a7s_mirrorless_digital.html

Review
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/sony-a7s/sony-a7sA.HTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgbUgNiHfXM

A big miss by Sony though is that you need an external recorder to record in 4k. Atmos have said they will offer one with their new Shogun but the cost will be "around $2,000".

Atmos Shogun
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/video/news/unveiled-atomos-shogun-4k-hdmi-monitorrecorder

Yet you can buy a Blackmagic Design Production Camera 4K for $3k which can record 4k directly to an SSD - no $2k external recorder required.

The BMPC4k also offers RAW which the Sony does not.

The Sony though has a full frame sensor, not so the BMPC4k. Low light filming is important to me so the Sony has a big advantage there.

I'm not a codec expert at all, and don't fully understand this on the Sony's spec sheet:

It is able to output uncompressed 4:2:2 UHD 4K video to an optional external recorder over HDMI, as well as record full HD 1080p video in the high-quality XAVC S format at 50 Mbps in multiple frame rates. Extending the video recording capabilities is support for S-Log2 gamma, which helps to expand the effective dynamic range during recording, as well as picture profile options, time code, and zebra marker display aids
Click to expand...

Can anyone tell me how the above codecs compare to Apple ProRes or RAW?

My present camera is a Canon 6D. I like it but its output format (H.264) gives little flexibility in post.
 
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XAVC is still h.264, but it's a much more complex & efficient version than that used by Canon. I'm sure it will be better than your 6D, but it won't be as good as prores or raw. XAVC can support 4:2:2 but sony doesn't specify what the color sampling is except for the hdmi out, which makes me think they're still using 4:2:0 on board.

They also don't mention that while it can do 4k 4:2:2 out, it's still limited to 8bit - the Gh4 can do 10bit externally, and the BM cameras is doing it internally with prores. I'm assuming that means it's also limited to 8bit XAVC on board.

I played around with the camera a bit at NAB and it's definitely a nice, compact, and well made piece of equipment. The low-light performance is truly impressive, and it appears to have very good dynamic range. Personally I find the tilt screens little more than an annoyance, and prefer a fully articulated one like the GH4. Overall it didn't feel like the camera was really optimized much for videography, but if you want to shoot full frame it's probably the best current option.
 
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