Real talk. Every producer I meet asks for this camera by name/ knows about it. I get a good rental rate with it and it makes shooting a breeze with the variable ND on the mark ii.
I'm currently shooting on the fs5 with the upgrade. For about 2yrs now. Big step up from my a7ii and a7iii. I was looking at saving to get the fx3. Then got to thinking about the inbody ND's. Changed up to fx6 you made some valid points. So I think a used fs7ii would suit me fine.
Hi! I'm actually trying to think if to buy the FX9 or FX6 and suddenly came on FS7. I see it has actually great dynamic range tests in CineD. Very interesting. But it does feel you have more electronic noise than FX9 if I must compare. What do you think? Ron
Personal awnser: YES! Bought a showroom model for 4000 euros 3 months ago, earned the money back and rigged it out even more. Can't wait to get myself an easyrig. Because it can be heavy sometimes. Great video as always!
From practice I feel the base Minimax is not meant for operators to walk with, the upgrades Minimax STABIL Light is more suited for that. How has the base EasyRig work for you David?
Dude, I just bought one on eBay for 1200!!! It comes with the kitchen sink. 3 128gb cards, vmount battery adapter, vct system two extra batteries. I’m pretty sure stoked. I know a bunch will say it’s dated but I promise my corporate talking heads won’t tell any difference from my current mirrorless setup. $1200! 🤣 what a steal.
I managed to pick up a brand new FS7 mk1 in the UK for GBP2,900 or USD $3,860 during the last lockdown (few months ago) when the company selling was pretty desperate to get rid of stock. Best purchase ever and it's still a great camera yes.
Auto focus may also be a deal breaker with the Fs7. I have shoot feature film, short and Documentaries on the the FS7 and is amazing the camera. Its so cheap right now that I think could be a perfect camera for gorilla film making right now. And what ppl forget is that 5 years ago these was the cameras, new model come and go but one should not forget that the these camera had produced many show that will love and in the end what really matter is what in the front of the camera. great video!
Is there much of difference between the fs7 and the fs7ii? Was looking at the fs5 and the fs55 but now considering the fs7 want to start practicing my documentary filmmaking
I think you are spot on. The FS7 is a classic these days and an excellent workhorse that gets the job done every time. It's the best purchase I've made really going six years plus now and I have a second FS7 I picked up going ridiculously cheap hardly used at all.
after seing this awesome video about the FS7 I got interested to buy one. I have the panasonic GH5S and DVX200. The GH5S is the better of the 2 and awesome in low light. I still have the powerzoom lens 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 from my old sony FS100. What about the FS7 and that lens? I couldn't find any footage online of that combo.
Just come across this video, well done by the way. In your opinion I shoot on a sony A7siii but really want to get a mini camera, do you think its worth the jump? or should I stick with the A7siii
The FS7, especially together wit with the joel famularo luts is still an amzing camera BUT the new features like catalyst browse, low light and so on simply rock, catalyst browse would have saved many shots back in the fs7 days :D ... i have a a7siii right now and sold my fs7 some weeks ago ... i did some tests that i also put online ... i would not change cameras for the picture qualitly because the fs7 is still amazing. But if you struggle because of the size of the fs7 it is maybe worth switching. I had the fs7 on a gimbal and had trouble using motorized sliders. there the new cameras help a lot. Or low light, it not only low light itself but also when you use high framerates, the amazing performance of the new a7siii helps so much here.
I have done only a little research on this particular camera, so I still don't understand why you wouldn't buy a full frame camera. You could get a camera that is 1/3 of the price of the FS7 and still have performance that is very competitive. I mean, you have a bigger censor for 1/3 of the cost... This video touched on "run and gunning" and I laughed a little when that was said because the best "run and gun" camera is one that is small and compact. Is it the dynamic range or color profile that is somehow different than current mirrorless cameras? I could see how this would be much better than the A7RII or A7SII, but I can't see how it stacks up to the newer versions in todays market. Even if it did, is it worth the thousands of dollars more? I must be missing something.
There’s still a lot of productions worldwide that request the FS7 (Discovery, Oxygen, HGTV, reality doc or true crime shows to name a few). Not all of them have updated their workflow to the FX9 just yet. And for some owner ops the FS7 fits their own workflow 💯 and the extra money saved could go towards other upgrades they need. At the end of the day just buy what works for you 🙏
you forgot to mention the FS7 needs the ridicules back adapter just to get timecode IO. I would say its still worth buying an FS7 if it comes with that as timecode is pretty essential these days? otherwise great video :)
Hey David, I have a short documentary shoot coming up this weekend. I'm trying to figure out a way to save up on space to be able to shoot a few hours of content and keep the quality good. I have 2 128GB cards, but the media eats up fast especially in 4k XAVC-I. Do you shoot in 4k XAVC-I in general or do you ever switch to 1080p 24fps/60fps on the FS7 or in the other codecs like XAVC-L to save space on cards ? I haven't shot a lot in 1080p on the Fs7 and I was wondering on your take on this. Some of the smaller Sony cameras get very soft once you switch to 1080p and the image starts falling apart if you mix 1080p and slog2. (I know the a7iii is an 8bit camera and that once you switch to 24 or 60 you have lower data rates).
Hey Julia always great hearing from you! I use 1080P XAVC-I a lot for client work, most of them don't need 4K. For the clients that do require 4K I add on rental rates for additional cards or will offload footage during the day and let them know ahead of time that I will be doing that. The 1080P is solid when it comes to image quality, it holds up really well in the grade. The only thing with 1080P is the HFR when going up to 180FPS there is moire and aliasing but if you're just using 24/60fps you will definitely be happy with the quality.
Great video! And this is what I have been looking for for quite a while---- I feel like the FX6 is more in competition with the FS7 mark 2 more than the Fx9 --- love your comparison and break down because I was wondering if the Fx6 was meant to replace the Fs7 since it's closer to it in price than the Fx9 and the A7s 3
I have two different ones I use if it’s on sticks for most of the shoot I use a magic arm from small rig but if I’m operating handheld I’ll use a small rig cold shot Mount
Great post. Used gear is underated. Bought a new fs7 about 5 years ago but this year purchased a used one for £2400 sterling for interviews and matching shots. An A6500 is also a great match when hypergamma (particularly HG8) settings are used on the FS7.
Used gear is super under rated! Yeah I’ve seen another FS7 owner use the A6500 next to the FS7 With really good results. I have an A7III and they’re fairly close as well 🙏
It's the volvo estate of low end cameras. - I picked one up in lockdown for £4k - that was with a zoom and various accessories. Can't go wrong for that really.
Thanks dood! JAN 2021 and noticed an FS7 on FB Marketplace for $4k comes with a bunch of rigging and only 20hrs on it.. weird / but very intrigued. One of the main reasons I’m hesitant to go FS7 is the super slow menu and unreliable Auto Focus. How do you all find the FS7 AF?
AF isn’t a huge need for my work but when I need it I just use my A7III. Menus are a bit slow but it’s the same on the FX6 and FX9 so you aren’t losing much when it comes to menus. There’s a User menu at the top where you can keep all your most used menu items which makes things very fast
@@atdavidlee awesome! Huge help. Thanks.... so... next question. I have an A7RIII already. We just received a grant for a 20 min documentary. Should I scoop up this FS7 (with 20 hrs on it) for $4000 Canadian? Hehe. Silly question I know.. but would love to hear ur instinctual thoughts.
I am interested in picking up a used FS7 Mark i to replace my GH5 (I will keep it as a b or gimbal cam). Do you think it is worth the upgrade? I would pick it up for 2600 euro wich would be 3100 dollar. Do you have the FS7 mark i or mark ii?
I have the Mark I and still get a lot of work for it. I think it depends what route you’re taking in your career. If you’re doing a lot of one man band type shoots, direct to client I don’t know if the FS7 would make a lot of sense although for 2600 euro you’re getting a camera that does everything you need compared to newer cameras that cost more. It’s definitely worth considering in my opinion
@@atdavidlee Thank you for your reply. For now I do mostly do one man band shoots, maybe with one assistant but want to build my way up to bigger shots. I don't want to rig my new camera up like I do with my GH5 but also want a big camera because my clients give me a lot of positive feedback for my "big setup". It is so difficult to find a good replacement for my GH5, wich I still love. I will check some more prices and if I a get a good deal i will probably picke one up. Thanks and you produce great content!
It depends on your market, if you’re still only making $500 day rates or less than I would only get an FS7 if you’re looking at buying it cash and wanting to go the owner/op route for documentary type shoots that are looking for FS7 owner/ops.
I’m the Los Angeles market a lot of jobs require specific camera systems that’s the nature of clients and agencies. Some require FS7, others require Alexa Mini etc. The point is if you’re doing one man band shoots the camera doesn’t the matter because a lot of those jobs typically don’t have a camera requirement which is why I said to the OP who was looking at replacing their GH5 with an FS7. For some people having a smaller camera makes more sense, for others the FS7 would be a better fit. Does it make sense to spend $3000 on a used FS7? Again if you’re looking at doing business as an owner/op for FS7 jobs sure, or you could spend that $3000 on upgrading lights, or lenses etc. and day rates do matter otherwise you’re just a guy with a camera that the client can negotiate down your rate. This all depends on your goals and the market you’re in as well.
That is true but in my productions I rarely use AF unless I’m doing solo gimbal work. I’m usually on the easyrig, sticks or a slider but I can certainly see the need for AF for some people
@@atdavidlee I want the FX6 so bad. Just because of the lowlight performance and Autofocus but I could get a FS7 and some great glass and lights for the same price. Damnit man. Lol
I totally hear ya man 👍👍, anything I need AF for I just use my A7III but it all depends on your workflow too. The FX6 is a great lil camera from everything I’ve seen
I've made 120 000 dollars with my FS7 so far this year. So yeah, it's worth it.
Real talk. Every producer I meet asks for this camera by name/ knows about it. I get a good rental rate with it and it makes shooting a breeze with the variable ND on the mark ii.
How? What kind of work?
@@smann7236 How? By working! :) I produce music videos, corporate videos, commercials and so on.
@@sa.t.2507 ah cool...looking for advice..do you approach them or they approach you?
wow😳
I'm currently shooting on the fs5 with the upgrade. For about 2yrs now. Big step up from my a7ii and a7iii. I was looking at saving to get the fx3. Then got to thinking about the inbody ND's. Changed up to fx6 you made some valid points. So I think a used fs7ii would suit me fine.
Hi! I'm actually trying to think if to buy the FX9 or FX6 and suddenly came on FS7. I see it has actually great dynamic range tests in CineD. Very interesting.
But it does feel you have more electronic noise than FX9 if I must compare. What do you think?
Ron
Personal awnser: YES! Bought a showroom model for 4000 euros 3 months ago, earned the money back and rigged it out even more. Can't wait to get myself an easyrig. Because it can be heavy sometimes. Great video as always!
Great investment there! The easyrig will definitely make your handheld shoots SO MUCH easier haha! Thank you for watching!
From practice I feel the base Minimax is not meant for operators to walk with, the upgrades Minimax STABIL Light is more suited for that. How has the base EasyRig work for you David?
Dude, I just bought one on eBay for 1200!!! It comes with the kitchen sink. 3 128gb cards, vmount battery adapter, vct system two extra batteries. I’m pretty sure stoked. I know a bunch will say it’s dated but I promise my corporate talking heads won’t tell any difference from my current mirrorless setup. $1200! 🤣 what a steal.
LETS GOOOOOOOOO
I managed to pick up a brand new FS7 mk1 in the UK for GBP2,900 or USD $3,860 during the last lockdown (few months ago) when the company selling was pretty desperate to get rid of stock. Best purchase ever and it's still a great camera yes.
It’s a great investment!
Auto focus may also be a deal breaker with the Fs7. I have shoot feature film, short and Documentaries on the the FS7 and is amazing the camera. Its so cheap right now that I think could be a perfect camera for gorilla film making right now. And what ppl forget is that 5 years ago these was the cameras, new model come and go but one should not forget that the these camera had produced many show that will love and in the end what really matter is what in the front of the camera. great video!
Is there much of difference between the fs7 and the fs7ii? Was looking at the fs5 and the fs55 but now considering the fs7 want to start practicing my documentary filmmaking
Is autofocus good on FS7?
I think you are spot on. The FS7 is a classic these days and an excellent workhorse that gets the job done every time. It's the best purchase I've made really going six years plus now and I have a second FS7 I picked up going ridiculously cheap hardly used at all.
It’s an amazing camera and especially for the price now a days!
after seing this awesome video about the FS7 I got interested to buy one. I have the panasonic GH5S and DVX200. The GH5S is the better of the 2 and awesome in low light. I still have the powerzoom lens 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 from my old sony FS100. What about the FS7 and that lens? I couldn't find any footage online of that combo.
I pre ordered the fx6 🎥👍🏻😉 best cinematic greetings from germany
Awesome choice and greetings from the USA!
As someone who don't want to color grading every project, especially for live streaming, the cinetone alone is well worth the $ for FX6 over used FS7
That’s a great point for those productions 👍👍
There is a way to bake in your standard LUT’s on the FS7 so you won’t have to grade every shot.
Just come across this video, well done by the way.
In your opinion I shoot on a sony A7siii but really want to get a mini camera, do you think its worth the jump? or should I stick with the A7siii
The FS7, especially together wit with the joel famularo luts is still an amzing camera BUT the new features like catalyst browse, low light and so on simply rock, catalyst browse would have saved many shots back in the fs7 days :D ... i have a a7siii right now and sold my fs7 some weeks ago ... i did some tests that i also put online ... i would not change cameras for the picture qualitly because the fs7 is still amazing. But if you struggle because of the size of the fs7 it is maybe worth switching. I had the fs7 on a gimbal and had trouble using motorized sliders. there the new cameras help a lot. Or low light, it not only low light itself but also when you use high framerates, the amazing performance of the new a7siii helps so much here.
I very much will! All great points as well 🤣
@@atdavidlee thanks for the answer man! In short the fs7 is still great but the features of the new cameras are good enough to upgrade for me ^^
I have done only a little research on this particular camera, so I still don't understand why you wouldn't buy a full frame camera. You could get a camera that is 1/3 of the price of the FS7 and still have performance that is very competitive. I mean, you have a bigger censor for 1/3 of the cost... This video touched on "run and gunning" and I laughed a little when that was said because the best "run and gun" camera is one that is small and compact. Is it the dynamic range or color profile that is somehow different than current mirrorless cameras? I could see how this would be much better than the A7RII or A7SII, but I can't see how it stacks up to the newer versions in todays market. Even if it did, is it worth the thousands of dollars more? I must be missing something.
There’s still a lot of productions worldwide that request the FS7 (Discovery, Oxygen, HGTV, reality doc or true crime shows to name a few). Not all of them have updated their workflow to the FX9 just yet. And for some owner ops the FS7 fits their own workflow 💯 and the extra money saved could go towards other upgrades they need. At the end of the day just buy what works for you 🙏
you forgot to mention the FS7 needs the ridicules back adapter just to get timecode IO. I would say its still worth buying an FS7 if it comes with that as timecode is pretty essential these days? otherwise great video :)
you can plug tc into audio channel and convert in post
What's better sony fs7 or Sony a7iii? For a short film narrative...I want the "film" look.
Hey David,
I have a short documentary shoot coming up this weekend.
I'm trying to figure out a way to save up on space to be able to shoot a few hours of content and keep the quality good. I have 2 128GB cards, but the media eats up fast especially in 4k XAVC-I.
Do you shoot in 4k XAVC-I in general or do you ever switch to 1080p 24fps/60fps on the FS7 or in the other codecs like XAVC-L to save space on cards ?
I haven't shot a lot in 1080p on the Fs7 and I was wondering on your take on this.
Some of the smaller Sony cameras get very soft once you switch to 1080p and the image starts falling apart if you mix 1080p and slog2. (I know the a7iii is an 8bit camera and that once you switch to 24 or 60 you have lower data rates).
Hey Julia always great hearing from you! I use 1080P XAVC-I a lot for client work, most of them don't need 4K. For the clients that do require 4K I add on rental rates for additional cards or will offload footage during the day and let them know ahead of time that I will be doing that. The 1080P is solid when it comes to image quality, it holds up really well in the grade. The only thing with 1080P is the HFR when going up to 180FPS there is moire and aliasing but if you're just using 24/60fps you will definitely be happy with the quality.
@@atdavidlee Yes thank you so much on your intake, really appreciate it !
You’re welcome!
Great video! And this is what I have been looking for for quite a while---- I feel like the FX6 is more in competition with the FS7 mark 2 more than the Fx9 --- love your comparison and break down because I was wondering if the Fx6 was meant to replace the Fs7 since it's closer to it in price than the Fx9 and the A7s 3
So glad the video helped you out!
Great stuff David! I was wondering what rigging you’re using to mount the 702 to your FS7 that you show in the background of your talking head shot.
I have two different ones I use if it’s on sticks for most of the shoot I use a magic arm from small rig but if I’m operating handheld I’ll use a small rig cold shot Mount
Great post. Used gear is underated. Bought a new fs7 about 5 years ago but this year purchased a used one for £2400 sterling for interviews and matching shots. An A6500 is also a great match when hypergamma (particularly HG8) settings are used on the FS7.
Used gear is super under rated! Yeah I’ve seen another FS7 owner use the A6500 next to the FS7 With really good results. I have an A7III and they’re fairly close as well 🙏
Where in England are you based?
It's the volvo estate of low end cameras. - I picked one up in lockdown for £4k - that was with a zoom and various accessories. Can't go wrong for that really.
The FS7 is a beautiful camera - I have an FS5
Sony really did a fantastic job with the FS7 👍👍
Not any more. Older technology. And it is losing its value because people want better cameras. It was great in its time.
Great analysis. I smashed the subscribe button.
Appreciate it!!! Hope the video helped out! 🙌
Thanks dood! JAN 2021 and noticed an FS7 on FB Marketplace for $4k comes with a bunch of rigging and only 20hrs on it.. weird / but very intrigued. One of the main reasons I’m hesitant to go FS7 is the super slow menu and unreliable Auto Focus. How do you all find the FS7 AF?
AF isn’t a huge need for my work but when I need it I just use my A7III. Menus are a bit slow but it’s the same on the FX6 and FX9 so you aren’t losing much when it comes to menus. There’s a User menu at the top where you can keep all your most used menu items which makes things very fast
@@atdavidlee awesome! Huge help. Thanks.... so... next question. I have an A7RIII already. We just received a grant for a 20 min documentary. Should I scoop up this FS7 (with 20 hrs on it) for $4000 Canadian? Hehe. Silly question I know.. but would love to hear ur instinctual thoughts.
I would only get it if it’s going to be used for more than just one doc, but I will say you’ll have a much easier time with the FS7 over the A7RIII 👍
@@atdavidlee great advice. Thank you for helping with my decision :)
You got it! 🙌
I am interested in picking up a used FS7 Mark i to replace my GH5 (I will keep it as a b or gimbal cam). Do you think it is worth the upgrade? I would pick it up for 2600 euro wich would be 3100 dollar. Do you have the FS7 mark i or mark ii?
I have the Mark I and still get a lot of work for it. I think it depends what route you’re taking in your career. If you’re doing a lot of one man band type shoots, direct to client I don’t know if the FS7 would make a lot of sense although for 2600 euro you’re getting a camera that does everything you need compared to newer cameras that cost more. It’s definitely worth considering in my opinion
@@atdavidlee Thank you for your reply. For now I do mostly do one man band shoots, maybe with one assistant but want to build my way up to bigger shots.
I don't want to rig my new camera up like I do with my GH5 but also want a big camera because my clients give me a lot of positive feedback for my "big setup".
It is so difficult to find a good replacement for my GH5, wich I still love. I will check some more prices and if I a get a good deal i will probably picke one up.
Thanks and you produce great content!
Absolutely man I’m glad the video could help! 🙏
It depends on your market, if you’re still only making $500 day rates or less than I would only get an FS7 if you’re looking at buying it cash and wanting to go the owner/op route for documentary type shoots that are looking for FS7 owner/ops.
I’m the Los Angeles market a lot of jobs require specific camera systems that’s the nature of clients and agencies. Some require FS7, others require Alexa Mini etc. The point is if you’re doing one man band shoots the camera doesn’t the matter because a lot of those jobs typically don’t have a camera requirement which is why I said to the OP who was looking at replacing their GH5 with an FS7. For some people having a smaller camera makes more sense, for others the FS7 would be a better fit. Does it make sense to spend $3000 on a used FS7? Again if you’re looking at doing business as an owner/op for FS7 jobs sure, or you could spend that $3000 on upgrading lights, or lenses etc. and day rates do matter otherwise you’re just a guy with a camera that the client can negotiate down your rate. This all depends on your goals and the market you’re in as well.
Very nice footage, thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching! 🙏
That was super helpful, thanks David!
Super happy it helped friend!
You didn’t mention that the Fx6 and Fx9 have far superior auto focus to the Fs7
That is true but in my productions I rarely use AF unless I’m doing solo gimbal work. I’m usually on the easyrig, sticks or a slider but I can certainly see the need for AF for some people
And that the FX6 is full frame and can do RAW without an extension unit.
Good points as well if RAW is an absolute necessity
And the variable ND in the fx's wich is totally f ing awesome! we use it at work nobody shades with their aputure anymore.
@@atdavidlee sadly enough for some clyents thats the case, i dont like raw cuz F raw editing lol....
2023 and currently shooting a documentary fro broadcast with an fs7.
LETS GOOOOOO!
Fx6 dual iso????
Im I missing something, I dont see 4k 120p, Is this with the extension unit?
The FS7 only goes up to 60fps in 4K
What camera was that shot with at 5:58?
That was the FS7 with the SLR Magic 85mm APO Microprime
@@atdavidlee Damn. That looked so good. Thought it was a RED camera at first
Don’t sleep on the FS7 with high quality glass bro!
@@atdavidlee I want the FX6 so bad. Just because of the lowlight performance and Autofocus but I could get a FS7 and some great glass and lights for the same price. Damnit man. Lol
I totally hear ya man 👍👍, anything I need AF for I just use my A7III but it all depends on your workflow too. The FX6 is a great lil camera from everything I’ve seen
There are now fx3
Man i gave up 😅
HAHAHA! There are so many cameras out it’s honestly too much now unless you just have thousands of dollars lying around
All i wanted is a good camcoder. Even this market is as convuluted as dslr.
😂 couldn’t have said it better!
i buy fs7 in brazil (2024)
I learned nothing from this video… I’m capable of reading the spec sheets myself 🥲
Feed the machine man, we’re all doing it come join the cult that is RUclips 👍👍
@@atdavidlee thanks for being able to take a criticism positively! you gonna do great 👍🏼
It’s the truth too and everyone has their own opinion 👍