The Sony F65 had a number of innovations over previous Sony cameras: Raw recording, 8K horizontal resolution, and a mechanical spinning shutter. Another innovation that was added in a later firmware upgrade was the inclusion of a new Sony Log mode, S-Log2. This Log curve offers more dynamic range then the original S-Log curve, which is required with Sony’s new line of sensors. The good news for anyone interested in the Sony F5 or F55 is that S-Log2 is included in those cameras as well. Since these cameras claim up to 14 stops of dynamic range, this is a great option; S-Log2 is said to have 1300% dynamic range, versus the 1000% of the original S-Log. Here is a chart comparing the two curves:

If you are asking yourself what those input percentages mean, you’re not alone – here’s a brief explanation: 

…continue reading Sony’s S-Log2 and Dynamic Range Percentages

Sony recently dropped off the FS700 for us to do some tests. At AbelCine, we’re always trying to see how a camera performs so we can give the best recommendations to our clients. We reached out via Twitter to see what you all wanted to know, and I tried to get in as many tests as I could in the short period of time we had the camera in-house. 

With so much to cover, we broke down our tests in to three different sections – Low Light Performance, Dynamic Range, and Slow-Motion. Each piece includes some video from the camera, which also gives you some idea of its performance. Check out the videos in the full FS700 article, over on the Resource section of our website. Make sure to scroll to the bottom, where I answer more questions about the camera. 

We hope you found these useful. Were there other tests that you wanted to see? Let us know in the comments!

A couple of weeks ago we tested a pre-production model of the Sony FS100 camera for both ISO ratings and dynamic range. We came up with some impressive results, but decided to do some more tests with the full production version of the camera. The ISO ratings stayed the same but I found that the production version of the camera actually had improved dynamic range overall. In my video above, I show the results of my tests at the four different gamma modes of the camera.

Here are my settings for each gamma mode to maximize range:  Standard Gamma (Knee Point 80% / Slope -1), CineTone1 (Knee Point 90% / Slope +2), CineTone2 (Knee Point 90% / Slope +2),  ITU709 (Knee Point 80% / Slope -2).

Sony stopped by the office with the FS100 the other day, and we were able to do some quick tests. The first thing I wanted to know was how the camera rated in terms of ISO, so we repeated the same tests we did for the F3 ISO. Here are our findings:

We were amazed by the results, especially the ISO 8000 and 16000 results. My light meter couldn’t even go above 8000. Click on the 24 db image (above) and 30 db image (below) to see the output of the camera. This should help you get an idea of the noise associated with these high gain values. The low light capabilities of the camera are amazing.

…continue reading Sony FS100 Ratings and Dynamic Range