Sony a7iv LOW LIGHT: The ULTIMATE Guide

[@williamalexanderr]

I have a question , what if you have a person ( skin tone obviously ) AND a bright source of light in the same frame like maybe a billboard or some Led light in the back or something. Would you set your zebras to 100% I’m assuming ? Since the light source is brighter ?

[@seandewispelaere]

Excellent question, William. I'm going to pin this one as I think it will help some people and is something that I could have clarified in the video. I'd always prioritize the skin tone in the shot for exposure. The only time I wouldn't do that is if I wanted a silhouette shot or something, but generally, if a person is the subject I'd get their skin tone exposed.

[@williamalexanderr]

@@seandewispelaerethat’s what I meant ! I reversed it by accident always expose for person / skin tones instead of highlights unless you’re going for a silhouette shot or want to preserve highlights for whatever reasoning. But how about if there’s no ( no person ) in the frame and you want to expose for the sunset ? Then that now becomes the subject and you expose for the 100 value ? Since it’s the brightest part of your image ? I’ve shot in slog before just couldn’t get it right I’ve been practicing for a while now trying to dial it in perfectly

[@seandewispelaere]

@@williamalexanderr You got it, I'd expose a sunset to 85-90 as it isn't a pure white, but yea you're getting it. Very curious how this zebra method treats you. It's been a winner for me.

[@williamalexanderr]

@@seandewispelaere I’ll keep you posted brother 🙏 will most likely start testing from today - a month from now to make sure I really get it down pack and come back to update you maybe through Instagram or something

[@seandewispelaere]

@@williamalexanderr My man!

[@cristianbompensieri5774]

Tutorial for the jawline? : - ]

[@coin777]

Be there or be square guy

[@sasha.kr60]

😭

[@davidmassena5687]

I think it’s good to mention that base iso is technically called native iso, and even more importantly, native iso yields the best dynamic range in your image.

[@IamAgrocerybag]

I'm confused about the dual baseline iso. I understand that 800 and 3200 have the lowest noise because they are the baseline. But I am not sure why you highlight 10000 and 20000 as having low noise as well, and how those numbers relate to 800 and 3200 .

[@tkamilj]

@seandewispelaere same question here

[@Daanleite_]

Same question here

[@Sayject]

Hey man great points! Thanks for sharing :) but I’m a little confused, I get we have dual 800 and 3200 but how is it possible to get no noise at 10000 and 20000 when it’s so high compared to the Dual iso? Just a little confused if you can help me that would be amazing!

[@hanliangding]

Yea, I don’t get this as well

[@KoriTV]

Same here

[@IamAgrocerybag]

I asked the same question just now but see that this was never answered 3 months ago.

[@Sayject]

@@IamAgrocerybag yea bro I’m still confused 😂

[@ifoundelijah]

I'm wondering this too lol

[@LukasDiSparrowOfficial]

i do the same but yet, everything grey as hell :(

[@Miguel_2.O]

Brother, you should have a million followers. I'm so impressed with the quality of your video, the produciton, the sound, the edit. Bravo! Most people have no idea how much work goes into what you do. Just subscribed. Keep up the amazing work.

[@seandewispelaere]

That is really cool of you to say, thank you. Happy to have you a part of the channel.

[@Pkramm]

Ive got the exact comment on my video's too... word for word - its fake! Regardless its a great video

[@XINFILMS0505]

greate explanation ! u gained urself a new sub ! one question so lets say if i have to shoot it a really bad light situation even with iso 3200 its not able to see clearly, do we pump 3200 x 4 which is 12800 iso until we able to see it cearly? thanks !

[@DrogueriafarmanorteYt]

Great content, thank you, do you recommend recording with slog3 at night? Complying with the dual base iso or it's better without a profile or hlg3 with the sony a7IV

[@JackSather]

holy crimson chin! amazing! edit: you had me at the jawline, but MAN this video is the highest of quality with great info, SUBBED! You're gonna be big with these types of vids in no time

[@lonthon9798]

I have a question & and i face this Problem all the time 😢.how u correct colour bending problem in low light situation or a dark room? Even when I upload video on KZbin,it's look horrible with colour bending 😢.i always shoot in s-log3 & expose correctly.also maintain zebra lvl. So,please tell me how I fix this problem🙏

[@Pkramm]

I just tried this with my A7iv and I didn't have any luck. My image is grainy and has so much noise. I wish I could show a screen grab of the shot to show what it looked like before lowering the contrast and cranking the shadows.

[@Mike-ck3wi]

Why does my Sony a7iv have a range from 70-100+? If I have a darker skin tone in the 40 range what do I do? Thanks.

[@seandewispelaere]

Check the custom options at the bottom of the zebra value options

[@Pirelli7]

I love to record with S-Cinetone, because it’s very practical and fast, otherwise with s-log 3 is not easy to make a perfect exposure every time in different situation… but S-Cinetone on my a7iv have a lot of noise. I’m thinking to switch to a7s iii 😢

[@shayrealestatephotography]

Great vid, thanks. For me, the background music is intensely distracting, I'd vote for no music if your channel was a democracy! ;)

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks for the tip - I'll pull back on it a bit

[@Benwick921]

May I have the link of the music in the background please?

[@seandewispelaere]

Sure thing, I use Audiio (audiio.com/partner?oid=1&affid=931) and used a few different tracks in this edit, but the one in the beginning is: Andriy Mashtalir; BreatheSlow Motion

[@sussamgt10anos]

what do u do when we need to shoot in really low light, like a beach at night, how do u make your focus, manually?

[@seandewispelaere]

Crank the iso and the autofocus should be fine.

[@billwhelan869]

Wow! What a well-paced, clear and exceptionally helpful…really educational…video, Sean! Thank you for all the time, effort and energy you must have put in to this in order to help us all-fans, most of whom you don’t even know. For those of us who may be either photography novices or at the very least, new to the a7 IV (I just bought one!), please consider a tutorial on how best to set up this magnificent machine for photography. That would be well received, I am sure; then you could consider a part two focusing on video. Please think seriously about creating such a photography tutorial because few people have the combination of skills that you do, not to mention your clear and impactful delivery style. Keep up the great work…you are obviously doing something that you were meant to do. Lucky us, eh!. Best regards, Will

[@NewbieFilmMaker]

I love that you covered this! I’m pretty new to all of this but just throwing it out there that slog and rec709 differs by -10. So if you’re light skinned your zebra target in rec709 could be 70 but in slog it would be 60. :)

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks, Travis Ah, yes, I think that is exactly why (for the 70 example) it has worked so well for me to use the same exposure values for both log or non-log profiles. It essentially over-exposes the LOG by 10% which, arguably, is enough to leverage the dynamic range. At lease for me, exposing exactly to the values in the chart via zebras has proven to be consistent regardless of log or non-log

[@TLOverlander]

They say, with the same sensor as the FX30 (which had dial native ISO)the 6700 does as well... Unofficially. Should be no reason to shoot in the higher ISO. If you think ya do, your scene is under lighted. I find it interesting that Dp will go with a LOWER Iso in dark scenes to protect the shadows. Crazy huh? 😅

[@El_VoZzY]

Thanks Sean, helped a lot. Never thought that 12000 iso could look this clean

[@seandewispelaere]

Right?!

[@megapixelcroatia]

did not understand the part where i switch on the second base iso of 3200 and than 10000 or above is mentioned ? 😅

[@emperor.augustus]

I followed your link to your DUAL BASELINE ISO GUIDE and after submitting the data you asked, it sends me to a no existing page (404 NOT FOUND)

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks, did it end up in your inbox? Should have - the 404 shouldn’t affect it, but thank you I fixed it

[@LearnAsUGrow501]

I'm not there yet. Still figuring this thing Called Editing. Plus I was never a Photoshop guy either. So you can Add that to the Mix. My main deal was old School Coding, Web Stuff and Vegas Style Graphic. Other Then that. This is a nice camera. Not there yet. I still use a Note8 (old Ultra22 Lost) WE use what we got.

[@marcuspersley]

Sean this was excellent advice and coaching. Thank you for sharing this information with us.

[@seandewispelaere]

What's up, Marcus?! Thank you, brotha, that means a lot to me.

[@VictorMatsunaga]

Thank you for the guide!! Don't mind the square face jokes below (although hilarious), your content is bomb.

[@lefou5850]

Hey Sean just got myself an A7iv and rushed straight to this video to learn more about the low light performance. I understood 90% of the video except for at 5:15 where you showcased that 10000 ISO has more noise than 20000 ISO. Why is this the case and is there a similar equation (like how the duo native iso's are multiples of 4x)?

[@mustang2005]

You mentioned using slog3, but I've read that log isn't meant for low light? So I'm a little confused on that aspect.

[@GutzandGunz]

Hey Sean, Great video! Im wondering if you would think this would apply to the A7rV as well? I know it has much larger sensor at 61mp, you think that would effect the Video?

[@mproviser]

If I understand correctly, Zebra settings should be different between slog3 and cineStone. Because the clipping point on Slog 3 (95) is different than it is on a standard picture profile (100)

[@EETSTHECREATOR]

Maintain base iso if you can by manipulating your lighting

[@seandewispelaere]

Agreed but I don’t know if that is always possible?

[@Daanleite_]

Did not get the part when you highlight 10000 and 20000 ISO. What do you mean by that?

[@1990Redline]

So when using zebras, should we ignore the Manual Meter when it blinks and shows this is way over exposed but zebras don't show is it still fine? That's what's confusing me ATM as I'm just starting out.

[@tonyskyviews]

Loved It! Even after 1 year, it´s still up to date! Keep them comin`! ❤

[@photobatya]

Oh my god) I have never tried to add Liquify jawline in photoshop +1000 percents. And now I can see why

[@naotejasmedo]

With a jaw line like yours noise just runs away you forgot to mention that

[@seandewispelaere]

That is a good point, I always wondered why my low light videos looked so good ha

[@zaiddagamseh]

what metering mode are you using with the zebra method? Excellent video!

[@crank6508]

Thank you first , and secondöy thanks youtube for recomendin me this video 🤣👍

[@adrianedery6502]

would this apply to the first sony a7?

[@seandewispelaere]

Maybe some of it?

[@__BlakeLove__]

Yes Sean! Can you do a video on how to get a moody/dark look. I used to think it was down to the edit/grading (which I’m sure it is; however, I recently took some shot in an extremely bright gym and accidentally increased my shutter speed, instead of dropping my ISO (I’d just re-mapped my custom buttons 😅😒), and the image was this dark, moody, grungy look - I loved it. I’ve tried it since, but by dropping the ISO & keeping my shutter speed double my frame rate & I can’t re-create it. On TOP of this, I saw a video on Instagram of footage looking just how I’d like mine to, in a gym, and I don’t get it 😂 please help. If it helps, I can DM you the videos. Sorry about the long comment!

[@seandewispelaere]

Hey Reise, send me over an example and I'll take a look

[@randallcartwright7886]

I’ve watched so many video to wrap my head around this subject. And THIS is the one that clicked for me! Thank you so much!

[@madscientistbullies2529]

Do you have issues with overheating

[@seandewispelaere]

Nope, I haven't but typically just film in 4k 24. I've heard some issues at 4k 60 for extended record times.

[@lil_dishu]

please add a desser next time its irritating as hell 😢

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks for the tip

[@mustafabahsheemy]

I don't have the camera, but I am always enjoying watching your videos, keep it up bro 👏🎬

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks for the note and glad you like the videos

[@steelehousephotography8524]

Man is the CEO of jawline!

[@seandewispelaere]

I should start a new company...?

[@drsuarezneuro]

How you can put the red bar when you récord video?

[@seandewispelaere]

Love that feature Here is how to do it: MENU → (Shooting) → [Shooting Display] → [Emphasized REC Display]

[@drsuarezneuro]

@@seandewispelaere thanks friend very usefull for me

[@alexdimov8091]

bros been mewing since before the trend

[@xElectricblaze]

Recently bought the A7IV for real estate photography, cant freakin wait to use it

[@seandewispelaere]

Let’s go!

[@DNGMaestro]

Use it! Why don’t you use it??.

[@denysurdiale9575]

Hi Sean, thanks for the content! I'm Brazilian and I have an A7IV. I can't find the Creators' App in the Brazilian Apple Store on my iPhone 14 pro. Do you know if this app is not compatible with 14 pro?

[@seandewispelaere]

Hey thank you and I'm not sure on that one...

[@aguschar1]

Dont get it, i had the a7iii and the native iso was 5000 and the a7iv 3200??

[@FrenchwithAmeliePreply]

What are the settings for low light videos please?

[@xsparik]

Bro straight outta Minecraft

[@camerasandcoffee3466]

Wow! Another BANGER! Thanks for sharing this great video Sean! So helpful!

[@seandewispelaere]

Love to hear it, thank you

[@KevinHermanns.]

Do u have a baseline iso chart for the a6700?

[@seandewispelaere]

Hey Kevin, I'm working on an a6700 low light video for the near future that will have a guide - stay tuned

[@KevinHermanns.]

Omg cant wait! Ty!

[@ianjannink8993]

Hi question, i shoot on s-log3 and the 2nd base iso is 3200. If i want to use zebras and have to change the iso it wont be at its base anymore which makes the footage grainy again?

[@seandewispelaere]

Send me an email: [e-mail] If you're interested, we can link up on a Zoom and go over this

[@chordnificent]

Amazing video bro, How do you screenrecord your camera like that?

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks, that means a lot. I use the Atomos Ninja V

[@backyardjunkie]

Dude, nice one, you just earned a sub, can I ask, those SD Custom LUTs, do the work on Davinci?.... Cheers man.

[@seandewispelaere]

Thank you, much appreciated. I am not sure on that, but let's do this...send me an email ([e-mail]) and I'll send you the LUTs on the house and then if you could let me know about Davinci that'd be great so that I know for future requests. They should work though ad they are .cube files. Look forward to hearing from you

[@sajjadal-lawati3133]

thank you for the video wonderful stuff , i personally think you should elaborate on zone system / zebra method practically in the field on the sky and land (subject ) please ... too many stuff in one video

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks and I have an update video on that method planned. Have you seen this one? kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2aoiombZ62YndE

[@0LucasP]

I just come here to say one thing for read the comment, the A73 have better low light options :° larger pixels :D

[@seandewispelaere]

It is certainly a strong performer

[@zadirector]

Which lens you use to get this low light footage?

[@seandewispelaere]

For this video it was either the Tamron 17-28 2.8 or the 28-75 2.8 ii

[@zadirector]

@@seandewispelaere thanks for your nice videos as well 👍🏼

[@rolithesecond]

Man, false color on bmpcc is just such a game changer compared to the zebras.

[@seandewispelaere]

Can't say I disagree with the value of false color

[@o0OmrmusicO0o]

what if im outside? and the sun is changing

[@paulcain548]

Great advice. Will definitely give this a try on my A7iv. Subscribed 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@seandewispelaere]

Love to hear it, Paul, thank you

[@sikanokon3851]

i forgive you Shawn for using adobe

[@seandewispelaere]

You’re a gem 🤙

[@sikanokon3851]

@@seandewispelaere nice video. Colour tutorial was nice

[@christopher_q8071]

Love your stuff. If you explain the colors more on your next video like in premier pro that’ll be fantastic ❤

[@seandewispelaere]

Some of my SLOG3 videos on the channel might help you a bit with that. I will also be doing some on the ZV-E1 shortly and will be getting into color a fair amount.

[@christopher_q8071]

@@seandewispelaere thank you 🥹

[@djcova6235]

Great video & I’m seeing you get great traction! We’ll deserved! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 the a7iv & zv-e10 are my 2 main cameras! 😃🙌🏼

[@seandewispelaere]

I appreciate that and always nice to see the channel getting some love. We have the same setup (until that ZV-E1 comes in of course... :))

[@hassaanzahoor4650]

Green beret from commandos

[@conspire260]

less than 13secs, im callin u out. lol

[@Clapiiin]

This is by far the best video I’ve seen on low light, cheers for this!! (Side note) where can I find the best low light settings for an fx3? Can you make a video on this?

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks that means a lot to me I believe the FX3 and the ZV-E1 have the same sensor which would make this video and overall settings helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXjFmJeGgK2jZ6c

[@AexoeroV]

0:31 hey, how did you do that overlay?

[@ThanuGenix]

Nooo way.. What a High end Content Brother. Thank you for sharing your hard work !

[@seandewispelaere]

Much appreciated 🤙

[@elicottle]

Thank you for the advice about using Zebras.

[@seandewispelaere]

No doubt - game changer for sure

[@CaleMcCollough]

For SLog3 you want to look at a histogram and either expose to the left/for the shadows, for the highlights, or for the shadows or highlights. The problem is that you can move shadows into the noise with log profiles. This means that it's log, so it's more compressed, and this means your blacks are closer to the noise floor, and when you uncompressed the log the noise turns into the 10s and 20s of the Ansel Adams exposure chart.

[@ScramBaLamb]

Does the Zebra method work in daytime settings as well? That seems like a pretty east method to remember.

[@seandewispelaere]

Absolutely it does, Sammy. I use it all of the time.

[@Ionutble]

Or you buy the 1.2 f lens

[@eddierodz]

Sean what app are you using to control menu from your phone on camera? ty.

[@seandewispelaere]

The Sony Creator app works well

[@jacksp8de]

I just got my a7iv a couple of weeks ago. Got a lot to learn, keep these vids coming!

[@seandewispelaere]

My man! Got your back, more to come

[@felipefenton]

You had me at “let’s refer to Ansel Adams”. Subscribed.

[@seandewispelaere]

Boom and welcome to the channel!

[@MisterCharles]

you have a new fan!!! great thought processing and explanations...

[@seandewispelaere]

Made my day - glad you like it

[@AStCG1989]

Great video can’t wait to try it

[@seandewispelaere]

Boom - thank you

[@maurolimaok]

Nice video, man!

[@Solopoplanecie]

Great videos you are making Bro! 🎉 Thank you.

[@seandewispelaere]

Made my day, thanks for taking the time to say that

[@treytucker4701]

This is the kind of information I’ve been looking for. I’ve learned something new.

[@seandewispelaere]

Love to hear it, Trey

[@deliremichail]

Came for the impressive gigachad jawline, stayed for the content. Love the explanation !

[@seandewispelaere]

Ha, I've heard that one a lot more recently...maybe it's my lighting angle. Anyways, thank you and glad this one landed for you.

[@deliremichail]

@@seandewispelaere Could be haha ! With pleasure, and keep up the good work 😉

[@maybejensen]

Woah. Never thought about using the zone system like this. Saved to favorites 🎉

[@seandewispelaere]

Love to hear that, Jensen - glad you liked it

[@makybeats]

I see a high-end production, I subscribe.

[@seandewispelaere]

Welcome to the channel

[@mattp9029]

I'm a noob, but I'm going to try this. Thanks!

[@seandewispelaere]

Let me know how you get on with it

[@FBIs]

ur very helpful man i needed a low light photo quick! 🎉

[@seandewispelaere]

Boom - happy to help

[@JeffBourke]

you are 100% spot on regarding all that exposure advice. Don't even look at the meter!

[@seandewispelaere]

Certainly a game changer for me

[@willgentile]

Hey Sean! I have been an A7IV user for one year now. I shoot a lot of sports and hate the lowlight performance, are you saying 12,800 ISO is just as good as 3200??? how does your Image look perfect at 12800???

[@seandewispelaere]

Hey Will, were you in SLOG3? Nah 3,200 is better than 12,800 technically. What did you expose to? What did you do in post for grading?

[@willgentile]

@@seandewispelaere is there a better way to talk about this? In all your videos and shorts you say to use 12,800 ISO..... but I thought that was the base ISO for the a7siii........ what color are you shooting in?

[@seandewispelaere]

@@willgentile Hey Will, I am working on a membership site where I'll be able to expand on some of these things directly with y'all. Are you on my email list for info on that? I expect to have it LIVE in July. Ahhh for the s3, yes, 12,800 is the 2nd base iso which should be very clean from a noise perspective as long as the exposure is nailed. For color, I'm in 422 10-bit SLOG 3 s.gamut3.cine

[@Yasi_rocks]

Which is your mic?

[@judasjoe7599]

That jawline so sharp I can cut cheese off of it .

[@seandewispelaere]

You just gave me a video idea..

[@WeFilmThings]

This is SUCH an excellent video, thank you!

[@seandewispelaere]

Glad you liked it - thanks for the note

[@khalidalkaabi5506]

Incredible resolution I’m a owner sony a7 iv and i love it

[@seandewispelaere]

Glad to hear that, Khalid

[@KuldeepGhadiali]

Perfect video no BS. Can you please also make a video showing how to shoot in custom white balance to get proper colours?

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks, glad you liked it. I should be able to get to that shortly, yes. In short, I just use the AWB lock if I don't know the exact WB and use 5600K when I have a 5600K key light

[@KuldeepGhadiali]

@@seandewispelaere Okay thanks for your reply. Will keep an eye on your videos

[@Squidpaws-]

Hey man thanks for these tips! I'll definitely be trying this. Do you make the color adjustmens after you converted your Slog3 to rec709, and do you use a LUT conversion? Thanks again brah. I'll definitely be checking out your other videos🦑✌️

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks, glad that these landed well for you. I do, yes (see the link below for my conversion process) and the color adjustments are applied after kzbin.info4piNtbey9HQ?feature=share

[@Squidpaws-]

@@seandewispelaere thank you! I'll check it out now...

[@jamescohen]

First, thank you for this. It is an excellent video. In part because it's short and therefore condensed. So I have a question please: If shooting S log 3, do NOT change exposure comp, right? Leave it at zero and shoot at a native ISO like 800 or 3200. So adjust aperture to get one of those two ISOs, with camera set in M mode, meaning that its auto-ISO. Do I understand you correctly? Because I have been struggling with S log 3 a LOT. VERY mixed results even in great light with exp. comp at .7 or 1. Also the footage all seems kinda soft and I rarely get focus peaking lines this way. Hoping for any kind of clarity on these issues please, and again, excellent and very helpful video!

[@seandewispelaere]

Hey James, thanks glad you liked it I happen to have just posted a (long :)) video that will help you a ton with your exact question: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5q7ZKqNfqqth5I Enjoy, let me know if this helps

[@jamescohen]

@@seandewispelaere Ok working through it. Lemme say that using the old method of +.7 or +1 on Esp. comp. dial has given me exceptional results on photos. Really good. But on video, hit and miss at best. So I am working through your method but I think I need a video on how exactly to find the Zebra settings you use and how to map the button that way and how to use it in a kind of practice session so I can get a grip on that without minutes and minutes of frustrating menu searches to get to the settings each and every time I take video. In the field, that isn't a luxury I have to spend a lot of time on settings before I hit record. Again, any help is appreciated and I appreciate the work you have done already. As a long time music teacher, I fully agree that there is a point where you don't get better until you teach, because you need to solve other people's problems before you can understand your subject more deeply. Thanks again.

[@jamescohen]

@@seandewispelaere OK so I watched the long video, and while there is a lot of wisdom in it on a lot of subjects, (as a long time Music teacher I can concur that one doesn't move forward until one teaches as students tend to ask questions we may never have done) but it didn't address my issues I'm afraid. I have found the using S log 3 with a +1 esp. comp my photos are better than ever. I use On1 to grade them. But video is REALLY hit and miss. I need to understand your zebra method and how to rapidly find the controls I need in menus to access the zebras to do as you explain as its still cryptic to me in your videos. I have the A7 IV and will get the A7 V if it ever appears or the A1-2 maybe but for now, just the A7 IV. ANY help appreciated. Do you have a step by step video on HOW to use zebras your way and map them or find them to buttons?

[@dinbali]

What a nicely done video and a helpful chart thank you

[@seandewispelaere]

Thank you, Din, glad you liked it

[@TheCharlycroki]

Bro what an amazing channel you have 😎😎😎 new sub

[@seandewispelaere]

Thanks and welcome to the channel 🤙

[@clemmironneau8466]

Mate, that video is lit..! Great content as well. Thanks

[@seandewispelaere]

Thank you I appreciate that 🤙