Because I've just joined on as the DoP to shoot a feature on a BMCC, but given the nature of the film (shooting most of the time late at night), am wondering if a Sony A7s is better.

Am curious about some direct comparisons between an A7S and a BMCC at night, and how they'd be able to grade, and how they'd be used in practise with lighting set ups (as if we can use a smaller lighting kit, that might help mitigate some of the cost of an A7S), their look, etc.

As if so, I might then recommend to the director trying to find space in the tiny budget to switch to a Sony A7S instead.

What I really wish Sony would do is make something like an A7S version of the Sony A5100. So perhaps an APS-C version with merely a 5 megapixel sensor and the same amazing low light performance as the A7S but with the cheap price of the A5100!

As I don't need a "full frame" sensor, neither do I need more than 5 megapixels so as to have enough for 4K video. I'm content with 1080p.(after all, even with the A7s, most are not shooting 4K because it doesn't do internal 4K)

Unfortunately I don't think a 5 megapixel camera would go down well at all with the typical 2014 consumer, even though I've shot plenty with my old Nikon D50 which was only 6 megapixels. So I think 5 megapixels would do just fine for casual photography, especially as it would be a very very good 5 megapixels. (plus of course I wouldn't be getting it for photography, but video)

Having had the original Cinema Camera EF for about a year now (since before its public release), I’ve had the opportunity to use the camera in countless situations; jibs, dollies, cranes, sliders, glidecams, various interior/exterior car mounts, and of course, handheld and shoulder mount. The latter has been a little tricky to develop, but with a little ingenuity, a few components, and a drill, I have what I feel is a very capable ENG style rig for the Cinema Camera.

Using this rig I built for shooting our BMW documentary film is incredibly functional. I’m able to combine the powerful image quality the Cinema Camera delivers (12-bit RAW, ProRes HQ, and DNxHD), along with the flexibility an ENG camera provides.

http://www.onerivermedia.com/blog/?p=984

I've been looking all over the web for forums on how to use my cam (which happens to be a GH3, so ... what mostly) AND to do something with it ... and either there are esoteric and pointedly detailed discussions on the technical bits of shooting OR a highly detailed esoteric discussions of say, specific tasks in DV Resolve ... I'm sure at some point I might find interest in this, but it's not helpful now. It's handy to see that say, several here feel the .MOV on the GH3 is great at lower ISO, but the AVCHD better at higher ISO. Practical and handy.

That said, when I get into Premiere Pro and Speedgrade, where I've been totally lost at the settings to actually make the end result meet what my monitor shows ... I'm not finding a lot of help. I've tried (in SG) various settings from "no calibration" to about everything on that long list ... most things chosen in rendering make for an output that is harshly contrasty/saturated and a lot darker ... except for a couple of the gamma/MOV ones that result in a "thin", bright and washed-out final. No one on the SG forum even responds to requests on things like that, and I can't find any info that isn't contradicted by every other article out there.

I'd just love a practical discussion of what settings, practices, and patterns seem to work smoothly and consistently. Not just shooting or just post, but ... when combined ... make for a smooth workflow from planning through delivery. What kind of rendering settings work best for the files created by this camera? What LUT's or protocols or whatever to look for, what to avoid ... clearly, there are some good folks here at doing this stuff.

ANY comments would be so appreciated!

R. Neil Haugen

Is it a way to hack the GX1 firmware and able a function that would let make tethered shootings ? I know that a lot of people out there are waiting for that kind of stuff and Panasonic just doesn't care about its customers needs…

Cheers!