Jimmy Jib

To me, the DSLR look is kind of "artificial" whereas the look of a proper cinema camera is more "organic" and beautiful. You want your story to get noticed? You want it to look great? Use a proper cinema camera, with real cinema lenses if you can. It's hard enough to make a movie even using real production gear...

Yep! That one worked. Thanks Brian! Looks pretty informative

Did that. Got a "Page Not Found" warning ( 404 ). Tried two different browsers.

FS7 is awesome... but I chose to go with the F3. At $5000 AU it's less than half the cost of a FS7, although you do need to add the external recorder to get that nice 10 bit 422 ProRes / DNxHD quality.

Got this when I tried to open that link

Wow. Seems like you might be right! I must have gotten mixed up with the dual link option listed as 1.5G RGB on the F3 Menus. Fortunately I do have the RGB 444 upgrade on the F3. I shall reconsider my options now, however I remember reading about frequent reliability issues other users were having with the PIX240, which is typical of a first generation product. I assume that Sound Devices try or managed to fix those issues with firmware updates but it's probably a safer bet to go with the 240i. The Odyssey 7Q is worth a look as well, as I plan to use the FS700 alongside the F3 ( for the slow mo )

Anyone know what the broadcast requirements are for BBC? Also wondering about Discovery, MTV and ESPN I know the Panasonic P2 AG-HPX370 ( 10-bit, 4:2:2 AVC-Intra 100 1920 x 1080 ) was certified Gold Standard by Discovery when it first came out... but things have changed a little since then.

I am pretty sure the 444 is exclusive to the 240i version. To accomplish this it needs a dual SDI feed ( A and B ) which is built into it and the F3 can provide. The only other devices that I know of that can get 444 out of the F3 are : Convergent Design Gemini 4:2:2 / 4:4:4 HD Video Recorder and Sony SR-R1 HD-SDI 4:4:4 RGB SR Recorder

Administrators: Don't assume my name isn't real because it sounds funny. <_<

I guess the F3 has kind of fallen behind the times with the advent of these new 4K cameras on the market. Meanwhile, I often find myself watching YouTube content in 480p ( even 240p sometimes ! ) :P Never actually tried 4K yet... ( I think my monitor only does 2K )

Does anybody know how "windows friendly" ProRes .mov files are? Heard other people say ProRes is more suited for Final cut Pro on Macs and Avid systems on Windows. Using Premiere and After Effects here ( and looking to get into DaVinci Resolve soon )

It records 8 bit 420 internally, but it's capable of much more than that Sony refers to a 14 bit DSP : ( taken from an F3 workshop )

Thanks Mark. Definitely see myself using 10 bit 422 for most projects... but I always like to squeeze every last pixel out of my cameras so I think I will be trying to get the PIX240i for its proRes 444 capabilities ( the PIX240 only does 422 ) Fantastic tool, but will cost almost as much as the camera!

With the PIX 240i you can get 10 bit ProRes 444 1080p out of the F3... though most people agree the 10 bit 422 from this camera is competitive enough against the more expensive cameras. In 1080 at least.

Wow, thanks for the informative responses people! I guess the F3 is a camera in desperate need of a good hack? :P I really want to stay @ 1080 for now. Here in Australia, most of the programs on TV are still compressed to SD. During prime time, some programs are now shown on 720p and others in 1080i... good to see this now, although it's still a minority of the programming. VHS tapes are still being sold in supermarkets, and DVDs are still more popular than Blu Rays. Of course you always want the most modern camera possible, but given that my previous cam was the Panasonic HPX172 ( still well regarded for 720p ) I think the leap to the Sony F3 will be sufficient for me. I know the internal codec is not great, so I plan to add an external recorder soon ( probably the PIX240i ) Can't really comment on 10 bit RGB 444 yet, but will definitely be experimenting with it in post, especially with DaVinci Resolve.

Hey people, Just got my Sony F3L with Slog and RGB 444 enabled. Wondering whether I should save up for a Gemini recorder or an Odyssey 7Q to get the 444 color output. I've read some posts claiming the F3 really isn't capable of true 444 output also, not sure where they get this from, as the Cinealta Sensor on the F3 is built for Cinema ( 14 bit DSP -- not 8 bit DSP like the Canon C100 ) Could it be that they are comparing it to other, much more expensive 444 capable cameras? ( 12 bit and higher cams, with 4K and 5K RAW capable sensors ) At the 10 bit 1080p level all I expect and want from the 444 signal is to be a little more robust than the 10 bit 422 signal ( especially for grading ). Let's face it... many workflows now need to rely on DaVinci Resolve for proper grading, and a 444 signal SHOULD offer more flexibility than a 422 signal. If it does... that might translate into better results, and worth the trouble and expense.

Has anyone checked these out? http://www.ultimateexposureguides.com/ I'm a relative newcomer to the Sony F3 and I am wondering if some of this material could be of use to me. Maybe the FS5 would share enough in common with the F3 to make it worthwhile for me to get the FS5 Guide? I do plan on hiring the FS7 so that too.

I've seen the F3 used for documentary work and the images are superb, however, I would add a set of portable lights to your kit. For interviews in remote places where power options might be limited a good set of battery powered LED lights might make all the difference.

I wonder if RED users are also trying to soften their images when doing short films and features. From what I've heard and seen the RED Epic is significantly sharper than the F3 ( and most other cameras out there )

Great link Dennis! Will definitely check it out...

Of course! Didn't you ever hear of Ms. Fiddle Joy , the violin teacher? :P

Okay, at least now I know you guys have a sense of humor... :P

Hello, Can any picture be used as a profile pic? Or does it have to be one's face? I think I've already seen a couple of profile pictures that weren't a face JJ