The aurora borealis (AKA Northern Lights) is high on the bucket list for many travelers and photographers. It’s no surprise so many people want to see this incredible natural light show. Once you’ve seen it, the captivating feeling leaves you wanting more. But what gear is the best for shooting the northern lights? You’d need a wide, fast lens. Wide for framing and fast for getting lots of light in. Unless a miracle happens, you’d usually shoot long exposures for the aurora lights. While this works for photos, how would you film the northern lights? Long exposure is no longer an option. Well, I’ve come up with the ultimate solution.[Read More…]
New firmware brings 8K 4:2:2 10-bit video and lossless compressed raw to the Sony A1
Sony has released a new Version 1.3 firmware update for its flagship Sony Alpha A1 mirrorless camera. The new update brings 8K 4:2:2 10-bit video recording capabilities from 8.6K oversampling. While the Sony A1 did already have 10-bit recording capabilities, it was only 4:2:0, so the new update offers a lot more latitude in post for colour correction and grading as well as for tools like chroma-keying.
The Sony A1 also receives lossless compressed raw format still files, although the A1 isn’t the only camera to see a new firmware update. The Sony A7S III also sees a new Version 2.1 firmware which adds proxy footage recording while operating the camera remotely via computer as well as Eye AF performance improvements.
This detailed comparison shows how the Sony A7 IV stand up to the Sony A7S III for video
People waited a long time for Sony to replace its ageing A7S II body. It finally came mid-2020 in the form of the not surprisingly named Sony A7S III. And despite being no slouch at stills, its video capabilities were its big selling point. It lacked the 8K capabilities of the Canon EOS R5 and it can’t record internal raw video, but it does offer the core of features that many Sony video shooters want.
Last year, we saw the release of the Sony A7 IV, the successor to the popular Sony A7 III. It, too, brought some very impressive video features with it and it offers some distinct advantages over the A7S III when it comes to shooting stills, but how do the two stand up when shooting video is your primary need? Well, in this in-depth comparison video, Caleb Pike answers exactly that question.
Shot on Canon vs. Sony: Can you tell the difference?
Which camera brand is the best? Which one should you choose for your work? But can you really tell which camera was used for a certain photo or video? Parker Walbeck teamed up with seven other YouTubers, including Daniel Schiffer, Peter McKinnon, and Matti Haapoja, to bring you a fun little contest. They try to guess whether videos were filmed with a Canon or a Sony, and the results might surprise you.
Sony releases A7S III V2.00 firmware to add S-Cinetone picture profile
Sony has released the much-anticipated new V2.00 firmware to add the S-Cinetone picture profile preset to the Sony A7S III mirrorless camera. This now basically brings it in line with the Sony FX3, but with a built-in EVF and a significantly lower price point.
The new firmware also adds the Active setting to Steady Shot when shooting with S&Q Frame Rate enabled. There are a few other little fixes in there, too, including FTP transfers as well as USB tethering to the iPhone (although iOS 14 isn’t supported yet).
Your Sony A7S III is now basically an FX3 with EVF thanks to new firmware update
The Sony FX3 hasn’t even begun shipping yet, and Sony’s already giving more reasons for folks not to get one. Sony has released A7S III Firmware Version 2.00 which adds Sony’s S-Cinetone colour profile, first seen in the FX6, coming with the FX3, and included with the recently released Sony A1, to the Sony A7S III.
Sony says that the colour profile “delivers natural mid-tines that are essential to healthy-looking skin colour, plus soft colours and gorgeous highlights”. This can either be applied while monitoring or you can bake it into the footage to make your life go a little quicker when grading.
Reality check – Comparing the Sony A1 vs A7S III vs A9 II
So, Sony has announced a new camera – something they do with some regularity. But this one’s different. The Sony A1 is their first camera that’s truly worthy of the title “flagship”. It certainly seems to beat both the Canon 1DX Mark III and Nikon D6 in almost every aspect, but how does it compare to Sony’s other higher-end models like the A9 II speed demon and the recently released A7S III?
I wanted to take a somewhat objective look at the three cameras and how they compare on-paper – which is all we can really do for sure right now, as the A1 isn’t going to be out in the wild for at least a couple of months.
Sony’s new image stabilisation might actually replace your gimbal – but there’s a catch
Filmmaker, gimbal ninja and YouTuber Brandon Li has been playing around with Sony’s new software for the A7S III mirrorless camera and the ZV-1 vlogging camera to see if can actually let us do away with gimbals for shooting video.
The cameras have an accelerometer inside them that allows the camera to record the orientation data of the camera while shooting video. The software on the desktop then reverses these movements in post.
Sony delays A7S III shipments due to demand that “greatly exceeded our expectations”
Another day, another camera, another “There are delays because we underestimated the demand!” notification from that camera’s manufacturer. This time, it’s Sony. Sony Japan has announced via their website that the Sony A7S III orders have “greatly exceeded our expectations”.
The Sony A7S III will get ProRes RAW over HDMI recording with the Atomos Ninja V
In a not surprising move, Atomos has announced that the Atomos Ninja V will support RAW over HDMI from the Sony A7S III in an update to the recorder next month. It will support ProRes RAW at 4K and up to 60 frames per second, simultaneously bypassing the 30-minute recording limit of 4K60 internal on the A7S III.
It won’t record the native 16-bit linear RAW of the Sony A7S III, as it will compress it down to the 12-bit Log RAW the Atomos Ninja V is famous for. And for when you don’t need RAW, it will also save to 10-Bit 4:2:2 Log or Rec.709 in Apple ProRes or Avid DNx codecs. Phillip Bloom has had a chance to play with the combo and produced a video showing off its capabilities.
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