Steve Spencer Offline Upload & Sell: On
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Looking to switch 1 Canon body to an A7RII - Should I? | |
ross.thomas wrote:
I'd like to do some 4k shooting with it. Are you stating that I'll be in super 35 because it's slightly better quality. Because you can definitely shoot in 4k full frame as well.
Yes, Ross I guess I should have been more clear. I am not a fan of the A7rII 4K full frame mode especially if light is low. I think the difference between Super 35 and FF 4K is quite noticeable, as is the difference between the A7rII FF 4K and the A7s full frame 4K. When you can shoot in a mode that produces better output I'm not sure why you would use the mode that doesn't work as well, so yeah I think if you get the A7rII you will end up shooting mostly in Super 35. At least that is my experience. Exceptions would be when you want to shoot very wide or when you need very shallow depth of field, but for me then I reach for the A7s. Actually I typically reach for the A7s first. Perhaps because I typically use an external monitor when shooting so I don't care about internal 4K. I find the external monitor to be helpful in all sorts of ways besides the better 4K recording--mainly it is just so much easier to see what you are doing and keep track of things like sound level. Given that the A7s with an external monitor costs about the same as the A7rII, I think for most work the A7s with the external monitor is the way to go, but if you need a small form factor, then I would consider the A7sII.
Keep in mind, I shoot at least 90 percent of the time from a tripod and I don't typically shoot action. For me the A7s works quite well and I think is superior to the A7rII. It is a great system with one flaw, rolling shutter for action in some instances. Since I rarely shoot action it isn't much of an issue for me.
So, yes there are pros and cons, but if you really want video I think the A7rII is good, but I think the A7s with an external monitor/recorder is better in most if not almost all instances. Of course you want portraits and landscapes as well so I can see the pull of the A7r II. The A7s is a nifty little camera, however. I find it works well for portraits and despite recent trends for high MP cameras, 12MP works very well for portraits. No problem at all printing to 11 X 14 and portraits typically don't need to be printed bigger than that. If you needed bigger than that, then the A7r II would be very helpful. Also for landscapes I can see the clear advantage of the A7r II. So, you will have to balance whether optimizing video is worth sacrifices in other areas or if you a camera that does more things and doesn't do video quite as well.
Also keep in mind, video can suck up a lot of money quick. I like to shoot from a good tripod, with a follow focus system, good manual lenses (I use mostly Zeiss Milvus, Loxia, and Otus lenses), and a good matte box with good ND filters. Such a system costs thousand of dollars. You can start out small, but like most things cheaping out doesn't pay off in the long run. Even if you start small, and you get a simple rig, make sure you budget for ND filters. With video ND filters are typically necessary to get good exposure as you can't modify the shutter speed.
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