FS7 & Football

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
At last I had an opportunity to shoot high school football with the FS7 and the 28-135 lens.

I knew going into the game that the lens wasn't long enough, so sideline shooting was the way to go. Surprising, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Sure, it was just a tad short, but it did the coverage. The zoom speed could keep up with the plays. I didn't have a problem following the action. Another surprise was the deep DOF. I didn't expect that.

I did setup a tripod at the end zone. I used a lanc Varizoom controller. Using the Varizoom, I was able to follow the action. I did play with the speed knob. It seem near the fast setting.

Exposure was around 5.6 with gain at 12 dbs. No noise in the picture. Exposure varied about a half a stop.

The only funny thing that came out of this testing was color. The reds would vary a bit. It seems all other colors were good. Unsure if it was an user error? I was testing the HG1 setting under the HG Gamma menu? Shooting HD. The field is evenly lit. Rare for a football field. Also the lights are not 56k. More in the 44k area.

I have shot with an ENG camera and the colors were fine. Shooting from a press box and from the sidelines.

My FS7 is setup with a Zacuto camera plate and a Switronix AB plate for power. I have the Sony arm straight out, similar to an ENG lens, but shorter. I could rest my elbow against my body. Balance is great with the plate and an brick.

Overall, the camera did good. The 2x crop would have come in handy. I did notice that trying to set focus on a moving target was a pain, but a still player was a piece of cake. The camera only used .4 volts during about 2 hours plus the camera was on.

Depending how far the sport action is and how tight of a shot is required, the 28-135 might be okay with the 2x crop.
 

Robin

Well-known member
Yes big difference in color between 3CCD and s35 Bayer sensor.. I have found alot more green in florries .. that at 4300 was easy to deal with in an ENG camera , is a nightmare with s35 bayer sensor ..
For the last year or so I now pretty much use the Cine EI mode and bake in a LUT.. you are stuck with the pre set WB.. but even so Ive found that better than custom 709..

12 db.. was that ok..? is that because the lens is only 5.6 max aperture ???
 

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
Thanks for jumping in. Some reds were good, while some were off a bit.

The Sony lens is only a f/4. I like to have spare stop if I point into the crowd. The 9dbs looked a bit dark. No matter what you do, the green field sits around 50 IRE or a bit higher. I set my zebras to 90 and shot around 80-85 IRE. I haven't scoped it in Premiere to see what that reads.

A few days before, I shot some outdoor parade footage which came out very nice. Used the HG8 for testing. Colors were rich. It may have been something to do with the HG1 setting. First time testing it.
 

Robin

Well-known member
I have an F5.. but pretty much the same camera.. sensor and menu wise.. the centre crop is a big advantage.. coming your way.. apparently :)..
I would recommend studying up on the Cine EI mode.. LUTs/Slog etc and all that stuff.. I didnt know anything about them at all about a year ago.. but have really got into it.. its pretty interesting and really the way to get the best from the camera.. even at maybe its most rudimentary level of burning in LUT,s..
 

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
Thanks for the suggestion. I have a notebook with tips and cheats to shoot in Cine mode. I have shot Cine mode and very much liked the look. Just testing the other setting when I don't want to bake-in a look or have to match a non Sony camera. Also wanting to learn what the camera can do. You can read so much.

Yes, I have come across your postings on other boards. Always on the mark.

Thanks
 

Robin

Well-known member
Ok thanks.. another gotcha with the Fs7.. which you may not have read about is over 60fps the sensor reads as 2k.. pixel binning to get the data out fast enough.. so quite prone to moire etc.. as the OLPF is designed for the 4K sensor.. on the F5/55 you can actually change the filter itself.. or put it into CC.. then you will be "matching" your OLPF with sensor.. just reading off the centre..of a 4K sensor.. if that makes sense.. but the Fs7 has neither as yet.. but when you have CC thats a safer bet for anything over 60fps.. if you have a shot that could give you moire in the first place..
Another thing I have really only learnt recently is that Cine EI/Slog... great as it is for any high DR scenes.. is actually not good for low light .. green screen .. or just not high DR shots.. as your throwing away alot of data values.. Alister Chapmans site is very useful for learning stuff.. check his video lecture on the Fs5.. about an hour in.. he gets into Slog curves .. tons of good info..

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2015/11/want-to-learn-more-about-the-fs5/

I believe HG1 is clipped at 100% white.. cant quite remember exactly.. but in the HG description itself.. if there is a 9..the curves goes to 109%.. a 0 is up to 100% broadcast safe.. pretty much for direct to air shooting..
 

Necktie Boy

Well-known member
Thanks Robin for all the advice. I have reading Chapman's site for years. Very good information. He has done a few videos for the FS7.

Good point about the filter for 2k. I remember reading about changing it on the F5. No one has bought that up. I wonder how that is going to work with the center crop?

Correct on HG1 settings. I have been testing HG7 and HG8 with good results. Going Cine is the best for this camera. I have baked 709 and looked very good.

I have a few other sites that talk about slog and how to use them. You should see my messy notes!

Thanks!
 

Robin

Well-known member
The 4K OLPF will be fine for CC.. thats what you want to use over 60fps.. as you cant change to a 2K OLPF anyway with the Fs7.. the problem is not having the CC function as yet.. so over 60fps you have a 4K filter for a 2K sensor.. with CC.. you have a 4K filter with a 4K sensor.. you are just reading off the centre of that 4K sensor..
Thats why people have been having banding/artifacts/moire with HFR with the Fs7.. well and that you need a lot more light in the first place.. it can be ok ofcourse .. but safer is to shoot in CC mode.. when you guys get it in V3..over 60fps..
 
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