Sony a1 vs Arri vs Red

[@Xan3ddd]

Really appreciate how in depth you went in on this. Cheers

[@Semper-Fidelity]

As a former Red Epic owner, and now a Sony Alpha 1 owner, this video was very well done . Kudos.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Many thanks! I appreciate that coming from a Red Epic owner. Any insights from your time with both of them? Would you choose one or the other in specific situations? Best--

[@Semper-Fidelity]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia honestly the Red codec is great, and it is a slightly “thicker” file in that I find I can push it farther, if needed in post. But the Sony color science is absolutely no slouch, and I will be using the A1 on a national campaign later this month.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the insight! I think I know what you mean by "thicker," coming from 8-bit cameras. Best of luck on the national campaign--

[@chrissetter]

Great Video! I just started filming with my A1 and found a big difference between 4:2:0 and 4:2:2. Here are my 2 cents: When footage is graded, clips shot with 4:2:0 had literal blocks of solid colors dancing around where colors transition and can create a rainbow effect where the highlights roll off. Clips filmed with 4:2:2 have a much more refined granular transition between colors and highlights.

[@shawn3d]

Top class review. You should definitely do more of these. I love my A1 but it can have some other improvements such as an option to film in 6K 100P which would be a great sweet spot

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Yes, I with it downscaled it's 4K image, too, because frankly my a73 has sharper, nicer 4K footage (because it downscales from 6K). If Sony never upgraded their cameras via firmware I wouldn't grouse so much, but man am I pissed they abandoned this camera. Which I, too, still love.

[@shawn3d]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia interesting. Can I ask you to do a side by side on both cameras in 4K with the same lens and settings applied? I’d say also make sure it’s on the highest quality in camera codec. From what I’m reading there is a bit of a debate that the A1 is not line skipping but bin-ing the pixels which apparently results on better output. Especially when you do the math of the sensor output to 4K. Unfortunately I don’t have a a7siii to do the test, so hoping you can do quick basic one if you could please :)

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

@@shawn3d Hi Shawn, I was actually referring to the a73 (not the 7S3, which I don't own); I don't know if you're still interested in a cam comparison. The a73 is known to downsample its 4K footage internally from 6K, which is why it produces a sharper image. I've got the a7S2 as well, which it beats hands down. It's hard to compare these cameras based on one metric (i.e., 4K sharpness) because the color science varies between each, and it's impossible to know if one model has applied more or less sharpening, which is completely independent. I do consistently notice a sharper image in my 73 footage at 4K. The a1 is a clear cut above in 8K. That said, I never feel like the a1 is soft when I view the footage by itself, it's just when I'm using my 73 as a second camera. In these situations I've done my best to match their settings and color in-camera (though they are using different lenses).

[@XenobraneStudios]

Great channel! The work you put into your videos, and your level of expertise is apparent.

[@guspicture]

Thank you so much for the time to make this video, I really enjoyed it.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for watching!

[@LuizMagana]

Excellent comparison review of these three cameras. The best video I have seen on this subject so far.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@traknologist]

This review was AMAZING! Thank you.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Many thanks! Appreciated.

[@AndyUrtu2]

This is a logical, clear, and fair explanation of issues that usually cause emotional responses. Thank you so much!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hey, thanks for that comment-- much appreciated.

[@CrazylegsKimron_ubdc]

This was amazing... I love it. Thank you for the hard work you've put into this video. You've open my mind and shared so much information ❤

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks CrazyLegs!

[@bradena.1194]

Just stumbled on this video while looking for a1 video info. Your delivery and content is excellent. I'm going to view it a couple of times to take it all in, then probably post again with a few questions. Thank you,

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks-- I'll answer what I can!

[@bradena.1194]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia Hi again and thank you. I had a look at your website and blogs. It's refreshing to see an industry professional sharing their experiences and knowlege on this platform. My background goes way back to being a school board audio visual technician and 120 film wedding photographer. These days, it's lifelong learning with a hybrid concoction of digital stills and video. I love the a1 because it can shoot silent with flash, doesn't have high speed distortion or banding, and has the zoom out EVF feature as I wear glasses. As you say, in video, it can hold it's own with industry standard cinema cameras. For video, I'm creating local video histories and keeping the original camera hi-res files for long term applications. A couple of projects have been completed in 4k with S-Cinetone. I'm experimenting with slog3 and colour grading. It's not quite ready for prime time yet, but it's coming along. Here's a couple of questions. In downsampling 8k to 4k, are Catalyst Browse and Handbrake good options? The other question involves shooting super35 or cropped 4k to get 6x oversampling. A 17-28 Tamron lens could be used so the 1.5 crop factor shouldn't be an obstacle (although the bokeh full frame look would be changed). Is there a way of telling that the material is oversampled instead of pixel binned (ordinary 4k) through metata or increased file size. Your expertise will help me develop a consistent work flow. Any suggestions that you can offer would be appreciated. Thank you and best wishes, Braden

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Braden, great questions. My answers will probably disappoint. For downsampling, I used the simplest method possible: I put the 8K footage into a 4K timeline in Davinci, rendered to 4K, and looked at it on a 4K monitor. Catalyst Browse and Handbrake seem like great options for downsampling, but I didn't try any alternatives because it seems like all of these programs would use the same method of downsampling (averaging the pixel info). As for the super 35 footage, you might shoot two clips of a white wall and then look at the total bitrate in the file details. I'm not sure there would be a difference, but it would be the easiest way to tell. Keep in mind that compression works in two ways-- by either combining like pixels over multiple frames or by throwing out color info. If you shoot in All-Intra, you'll eliminate the first compression, and a white wall should take care of the second type.

[@bradena.1194]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia Hi, Thank you for your reply and expertise. I'll try the 8k footage onto a 4k timeline. As a simpler option, that would be an advantage too. This should trump the super 35 footage, because there's a loss with the crop factor and bokeh. Then for long term storage, the original 8k would be the files to keep. I'll practice with the 8k to 4k timeline and get it into a workflow. Much appreciated. Braden

[@KeatonMcCalip]

Great video, I learned a lot about things I did not understand before, seriously amazing work. Thank you!

[@abhiramg7899]

Hi Sir, can you please make a review on fx3, a9iii and a1 ii

[@AndriyTabachuk]

Thank you. Even KZbinrs like having millions followers haven’t don’t such job like you ! Gig bless you

[@jeffhampton6972]

This was extremely informative, thank you for making it! :D

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the props! And for watching.

[@Mattithias]

I love the A1! I'm still learning things about it. I will probably be using this camera for at least another 5 years.

[@jmfrokka2354]

18:51 I haven't seen it in any of the documentation from Sony, but I see it again here. Sony A1 in Slog3 has dual native ISO - 800 and 4000. If you use Cinetone on the Sony A1 the dual gain ISOs demand a lot more light as they are 125 and 640.

[@BharathVikhram]

Excellent review... I would love to see more simple videography review of sony a1.

[@mickymack1230]

Back for the third time , this video is so full of interesting information and considerations, I'll probably return for a fifth and sixth time.Thanks for such a great Video:)

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks! It was one of those projects where I kept on finding new ways to think about quality and performance.

[@albertcurielx]

Damn.. one of the BEST overviews of Cinema camera technology. VERY impressive. Incredibly great details and your insight is at a professional level. Sir I would LOVE to hear more of your thoughts on this. I look forward to a 2nd and 3rd part of this. However I'm curious as to why you keep saying that the A1 has 13.8 stops of DR when CineD has it at 11.9 (SNR2) or 13.2(SNR1)? None the less I really enjoyed this video and appreciate just how much work and research you've put in! You're incredibly knowledgeable AND enjoyable to listen to!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks-- that compliment is greatly appreciated. It may be a few weeks before I return to my a1 tests; I've got a few products waiting for review and this original one took weeks to mull through. As for the DR (good eye), the 11.9/13.2 are when shooting 8K. In the "Downsampled 4K (UHD)" section they reached that higher number of 13.8. Since I was looking for the "highest quality possible" comparisons-- and the other two cameras don't shoot 8K-- I went with that number. Though I should have put some text up onscreen to clarify.

[@BharathVikhram]

Thank you 😊

[@andersistbesser]

Its crazy to see how good the mft gh6 compares in dynamic range. 12.2/7 is really not bad for such an affordable camera

[@patrickwilliam8060]

This was incredible. I’m in the process of selling my Komodo kit for an A1 and your information helped easy my thoughts.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Glad to hear! Please, send a follow up comment and let me know your thoughts on how it compares. I've started to get better at color grading the SLOG 3, which has eased some of my frustrations with that profile. It takes a bit of tweaking, even after a color transform, to get the colors to pop and the image to take shape. But there's plenty of data to work with.

[@AlpacoFilms]

Hey great video! The A1 is definitely a powerhouse. But I don’t think I’d find it in larger sets primarily because of no SDI. On set the camera is fed to the DIT station via SDI to monitor everything. Also, the cinema camera typically dissipates heat better for the really long shoots. Typically cameras stay on longer than the duration of the shoot itself (this is all only regarding larger shoots, small indie shoots are much more different) so I’m sure the A1 wouldn’t be able to stay on during a 12-14 hour shoot. Also the Arri Alexa Mini is a Super 35 camera. The Alexa Mini LF is the Full Frame equivalent. The stats you stated apply to both though except the price is closer to $35k where the LF is at the price point you stated. All still way more expensive than the A1 though. Not sure if you knew this but the Venice mark II 8K will actually have the A1 sensor. That says a LOT about that sensor! Great videos subbed!!!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the knowledgeable reply! I can't believe I confused the sensors of the Arri (I'd debated which to use as my comparison); thanks for clearing that up. The SDI output isn't something I considered, and you're right-- it's worth considering. Though it is a bit of a workflow decision. HDMI has it's quirks and downsides, and HDMI to SDI conversion is also a workflow/gear issue. I don't know if the A1 would have an issue staying on that long. It has some over-heating issues when in use, but sitting dormant? Of course, you're more likely to own the A1, which means you're less likely to leave it on when not in use (versus a rental unit). But an interesting consideration.

[@TheGreatAmphibian]

Cinema cameras stay on for entire shooting days because booting is very, very slow. The a1 is almost instant, so this isn’t actually a disqualifier.

[@_Graf.]

Wow, that is a great explanation and comparison of RAW vs 10 bit 4:2:2 👌

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Many thanks!

[@DropItStudio]

why not exporting the video in 4k?

[@elevatemindset]

Thanks for the video. However, it would have been nice to see the actual video quality. Why did you upload in 1080p and not 4k?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Yeah, sorry, I know it's frustrating. I just wasn't up for dealing with the huge file size-- the video was so darn long. And it's a bit like chasing smoke. After you accept that KZbin has dumbed down your 4K, you have to come to peace with the fact that you dumbed down your own video on export. It's certainly not exporting at 100 or 240MB a second. I know watching in 4K would be better, but you really need the raw footage if you're going to analyze the nuances.

[@TheJ_G]

I think this is the first video that got me to “smash” the subscribe button. Haha. Great work!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@JerseyQ]

Great video, I learned so much about many things I didn't even consider, thank you.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks-- and appreciated. A lot of amazing cameras coming on the market right now.

[@ajalbetjr]

...And now Sony's Firrmware Update 1.3 has added 8K 4:2:2 10 bit video, in both Full Frame AND APS-C mode! Would love to hear/see an update on your opinion of the A1 now!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Yes! A nice addition. I'm glad to see that Sony didn't just "move on" to the a2 or whatever. I don't think we'll really be able to see a difference in the footage with 4:2:2 (after all, it's the least important parameter compared to bits and resolution), but it's reassuring to have it collecting the additional data. And it's nice that no one can say, "but Sony only has... blah, blah, blah." The file size, of course, goes up (along with higher bit rates), but I've already got mine set for 8K 422.

[@daycreek]

Very well done. The A1 is often overlooked for video work and I much prefer it over the Sony A7SIII.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks, Alan! And for your thoughts on the a7siii. I've been wondering if I need to get one as a B cam, since the a7iii is in a very different color space.

[@net200777]

Can you elaborate? Why do you prefer it. On paper the sIII should outperform the a1 in low light.. but I feel like the sensors might be the same.

[@daycreek]

@@net200777 The A7SIII is technically better in low-light but Sony bakes in some very heavy-handed noise reduction at higher ISO's that can't be turned off. The only way to get around this is to record externally with a Ninja and then reduce noise using the editor. If I use the A1 and record in 8k, then down-res the footage to 4k in post, the quality is damn near as good as the A7SIII and I do not need to use an external recorder. If Sony would allow users to turn off noise reduction on the A7SIII, it would be a much better camera for low light recording.

[@scottclark1455]

Great assessment with valuable information.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@garythomas7050]

how do you feel about the 8k being only 4:2:0 ...do you just record it thru a ninja to get the 422?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Gary, one of the firmware updates increased the 8K to 422 (this was after my video). I've been surprised that so few websites updated their info. It's hard to see the difference with the work I do-- 10 vs 8 bit is more obvious-- but it's comforting that its there. Unfortunately, the Ninja doesn't record 8K from the a1 (unlike Canon). Sony's neglect of the a1 has been a bit infuriating.

[@antonioduarte5527]

Great video! Thank you so much!

[@paulgero]

Well done!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Appreciated!

[@mickymack1230]

Fantastic Video, I need to watch it several times , there is so much to take in. I didn't realize i owned such a powerful beast maybe I should consider it my A camera and the FX6 and my B !!! I use the Fx6 more because of that Variable ND. I've had strange problem with variable ND's on the A1 even using a B&W Filter , considered to be one of the better variable ND's? It seems to interfere and shift the Autofocus for some reason beyond my comprehension. I now use Fixed ND's from Lee Filters which work perfectly.

[@macruise]

Great look at some interesting questions. I would love to hear an update now Sony has released Firmware 1.30 with 10 Bit 4:2:2 in 8K and how that changes or adds to this. Thanks for a well considered and insightful video.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Patrick-- I'm definitely happy that Sony didn't just "move on" to the a2 or whatever the next iteration will be. And that 8K 4:2:0 always felt like a little hole in the system, so it's nice to have all of the boxes checked. Of course, I don't think we're likely to see a difference-- unless you're a colorist or FX artist AND working in 8K, but perhaps it'll make someone's work a little easier for a tricky piece of editing. It did remind me that there are a number of firmware upgrades I'd love to see: dual audio for a safety track, the ability to rate video clips (not just stills), and in camera desqueeze for anamorphics, to name a few. But this update keeps the a1 running in the front tier even after a year....

[@admworldent]

Great video

[@kennethwilliamsinc]

You did a very well done review! Regarding your A1 raw section, 4k raw DOES roll off the highlights better than internal 8k. I've been testing this in multiple test situations as well. Also, ETTR with 4k raw helps SO much with the noise that's it's not even a concern anymore. I agree with pretty much everything else you said about the 8k vs raw. 8k is so good and easy to record with internally but it heats up the camera quite a bit for long use in southern US heat (literally hot to the touch) and chews up the battery much faster than internal 4k. It sucks that 4k raw is binned instead of truly downsampled from 8k. I'm trying to keep this short as possible but for anyone on the fence about a Ninja V with this camera, do it. $399 for a Ninja now and the advantage of a bigger screen and the exposure tools plus optional 4k raw is too good to pass up. A1 LCD is the worst part about the camera and having to pull it away from the body to avoid overheating.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for all the additional insight, KW. I didn't consider highlights with raw vs 8k, so now I've got some testing to do. Overheating on longer shoots is definitely an 8K problem if you don't pull out the screen... even my moderate CA weather. Thanks for adding to conversation.

[@Fish2Eat]

Watched this on an Eizo cg247x and the image of the log looked bright but not clipped, it's on the edge but details can be seen through the highlights.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Andrew, thanks for checking it out on the Eizo. On my monitor, the log isn't blown out in the scopes, but if I try to adjust the exposure to pull out more detail, the log just looks grey, as if there's no information there. I feel like I should be able lower the exposure without that happening.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Though, in retrospect the lack of information could also relate to the shoddy 35mm lens I mentioned. The lens itself might not have the line resolution to put additional detail into that small area.

[@aaron2476]

Do you have any issues with overheating with tha a1 ?

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

I have a couple of times. In both cases the situation wasn't extreme (it wasn't blazing hot nor had I been filming for an hour), but in both cases I had left the LCD flat against the body, trapping more heat. I've never had it overheat when the screen was lifted out.

I was aghast when I saw the 4K 10bit has moiré artefacts, This is still a £4000 camera in the UK. The RX1ii had a variable OLPF around NINE years ago, and yet they're releasing top of the range cameras with no OLPF still. Madness...

[@johnsilk7349]

Your video saved me money. I’ve been shooting with my a1. It made me not buy the fx9. Your movie. I never need a variable ND. You also put that forward to me. Thank you. This a1 I have. Is the perfect camera. Full frame 8k. Thanks for the thoughtful message in your video. Gear. It’s a bunch of bullshit

[@denizahmet2299]

Great summary. I gave up using RAW on the A1 as it is a line skipped output - (just chopped 8.6k native to 4.3k) - so not really RAW at all. You can clearly see artefacts on edges (shoot a barcode for example and compare). I'm sure you know that if you set to 8k internally and output 4k to a NinjaV you get the most beautiful oversampled 4k in usable codec not otherwise available. I shoot like this most of the time and just hit record on the camera too if a need a 8K backup. Best of both worlds. Not recording internally also gives you longer run time without overheating.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the message Deniz. I didn't try this myself (at least I don't remember trying), but can't you shoot 8K internally and get the better 4K image in RAW on the NinjaV? All the conversions, extra files, and storage waste makes RAW unattractive for me as a PC user, but maybe if there was a delivery requirement I'd suffer the hassle.

[@denizahmet2299]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia You can't shoot 8k internally and use RAW out at the same time.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

@@denizahmet2299 Ah, yeah. I remember trying that now-- and wishing it was possible. Thanks for nudging my memory.

[@BharathVikhram]

can you please make a video on how to shoot in Slog3 with A1? thank you

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Bharath, sure thing, though it will take me a few weeks. I've got a backlog on some videos here, and work shoots are getting in the way of those....

[@scottmcv994]

I think the camera you are talking about is pronounced "Air-EE", short for Arriflex. It's a small point but I thought you might want to know. Great video by the way, thanks.

[@1337Avi80R]

Actually its correct pronunciation is in german, as "ARRI" is an abbreviation for "Arnold & Richter", the two founders of the company. So from a language perspective would someone from scotland saying ARRI, be the best approximation of the correct pronunciation in english.

[@pedrocarzolio]

Thanks for sharing man! Congrats! I think when you talk about full frame vs cropped sensors, trying to clarify some misconceptions out there you are only contributing to that "caos". A lot of things that you mentioned there are pretty wrong. The distortion in faces using wide angles are more related to perspective than are to barrel distortions, you need to get closer to the subject with a wider lens to get the same face framing, and the perspective is not affected by the lens itself, is only related with te dsitance between the sensor to the subject. Also the influence of an speedbooster in DOF is very unaccurate too... and even the compared images are not taken from the exact same spot... you are adding much more confusion to an already confusing subject!

[@drafeirha]

Despite owning the a7siii and not the a1 this is was very entertaining and interesting to watch

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks! I think these two cameras are close enough that much of this basically applies. Certainly, 10 bit recording, S-Cinetone and the improved quality of the a7siii (compared to earlier a7 models) are big steps they share.

[@leighmosley7873]

Excellent review. I have the a7siii and now considering the a1.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Hi Leigh, I hear that the a7siii and the a1 make a great two camera team. Though I say that unless you're especially interested in upping your photographic camera-- or you're planning a video for a larger platform then KZbin or a corporate website-- the a1 is a bit of a pricey upgrade for extra benefits (compared to the a7siii). I upgraded from an a7iii (and I needed to replace my still camera, which was getting quirky), so the difference was pretty big. I'd expect subtler improvements from your camera. I'm also curious to see whether Sony provides firmware upgrades to the a1 to keep it's edge over Nikon and Canon, or produces... a1-b? Omega 1? How do they rename from here?

[@daycreek]

I had the A7SIII but after getting the A1, I sold it. I found that it was just sitting on the shelf gathering dust. The colors out of the A1 are better in my opinion that the A7SIII and the low light capability out of 8k downsampled to 4k come really close to the A7SIII. The A7SIII also really adds a lot of NR to high ISO's and you can't turn it off unless you record externally to a Ninja. The only thing I miss from the A7SIII is the flippy screen.

[@harishankarstills4182]

sir very useful... more comparisons.... lot of info... thank u so much.... live long...

[@furkonige]

Finally a great review from an experienced film maker and not just another paid content, cheers!

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks!

[@oleschreiterdopac696]

First of all: a nice comparison. You seem to be a very nice guy and I appreciate that you are doing this. Here are some thoughts of an ARRI SXT owner and regular user of the LF/Mini LF. In terms of dynamic range the song isn’t even close even though the tests suggest that. Sonys SLOG 3 isn’t as highlight focused as the ARRI. You might get more detail in the shadows but imo highlights are more in need in terms of retaining a organic image. All-I is such a garbage codec compared to 4444 Xq which is the highest offers prores option in the arris. Nobody except feature films and the maybe some of the highest end commercials are using ARRI. From a workflow perspective it is similar to Cinema DNG and most of the time not worth the extra hard drives. Adding to your point. ProRes Raw which is the codec that is available to the A1 and E2 is just 🗑. I’ve used it ones on the fs5 II and noise was horrible. Also this not a real raw codec like ARRI Raw or REDCODE Raw. It’s more like blackmagic raw as RED holds the patents for compressed raw. ARRI 4444 4K or even 2k will rival the in professional settings unusable 8k 4:2:0. Timecode on ARRI is suuuper easy. Just need a Timecode device like a tentacle. Jam the time code once in the dedicated port an the the time code clock will run for you me shooting day. This is as easy as it gets. ARRI and Panavision are the top brands in the industry. Handsdown. Sonys Venice is slowly climbing to their level although they seem to be mainly used for content that has a minimum resolution requirement. Red is (I know atleast one will argue against that) the budget option. Most directors that use REDs in features are paid by red or supplied by them with special versions of their cameras. If I was them I would probably go for it too. Who would not like to have a camera custom made for your specific needs. Red is known for being notoriously unreliable. Till today. Komodo is actually a prime example. RED told their loyal that : 12g sDI iS mUcH eaSieR tO damAGe wiTh dTaP POwEr. ThIs iS a IssUE oF SDi iT SelF. I have never heard of any FS7 port going down due to wrong connection. Never heard of any Sony, Canon or ARRI. Seem to be a RED problem! This out of the way. Even if the Sony A1 can or cannot hold up to ARRI and Panavision or even their own Venice it is not relevant. I think there is a horror feature film shot on the now legendary A7s II but that was done just for marketing purposes. The wrong/missing IO ports on the A1 make it a much harder sell when you are talking cinema cameras. Also missing False Color and complicated menus make it just not usable from a cinema standpoint IMO. Keep up with your channel buddy. ✌️OS

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the comment, Zero Eight, it's greatly appreciated-- and I was hoping to hear from folks with Arri (or Red) experience. One of concepts I've been grappling with is how LOG can translate into better highlights. Since each stop of light has an identical amount of information in LOG, it seems like it's the dynamic range that gives the Arri superior roll-offs. If the Arri and Sony had the same dynamic range, they should look the same if the same color transform/LUT/grade is applied, shouldn't they? Now if you've got two additional stops (and 16 bits), you can make all kinds of choices about where to put that extra color information. One of the tricky aspects of Sony is that the native ISO changes based on the profile (and from camera to camera). With the a1, if you move away from the native ISO in SLOG3, noise builds up quickly, and that's doubly true in RAW. But I was truly surprised by how clean the SLOG3 image was in the lower native ISO with the "required" 1.7 stop over-exposure; I was definitely prejudiced against LOG from my time in the 8-bit world. You might want to take another foray into SLOG3 and Sony with a newer camera. I think Sony has taken a massive step forward in color science with this latest generation. The lack of proper assists like False Color are definitely an annoyance (I think Sony may have intentionally crippled the a1 on this front), but the timecode issue is a bit of a pickle. Because you can jam the Sony with a Tentacle Sync as well (if you're on a professional set why are you capturing audio in camera at all? and if you like the sense of safety, does it need to be stereo? and why not record externally to get all the wires off the camera?). The solutions aren't quite a "clean" as with Arri or Red, but maybe the real issue is that stereo port is flimsy compared to a dedicated timecode port. On a side note, Greig Fraser (Dune, Batman) recently said he was going to shoot his next film on the Sony fx3 (due to its size and the nature of the feature film-- he also said it's not right for any/every movie, but was the right choice for this one). Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Ian

[@liibaandaahir4844]

Ilove 1A ❤

[@net200777]

What's your opinion on the line skipping at 4k 120/60?

[@jlramos3d]

After playing with the A1 for a couple of months, I have to say that my preferred recording mode is the super35. Looks amazing and it allows you to go 60fps, very useful for wildlife (kids included 😅)

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

I consider my kids wildlife, too :)

[@contentm3893]

Man let's grade that footage correctly. Check the pipeline and use the Pro Res RAW in another program. Dynamic range data from each camera doesn't tell the whole story. Compare some grade footage. You can only tell what a cameras dynamic range is doing if you compare side by side footage.

[@thismisunderstoodlonerguy]

👀

[@BonemysterFPV]

Red komodo does not have image stabilization.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Thanks for the note. I thought I saw a review that talked about the stabilization feature, but now I can't find it. And I'm pretty sure you're right!

[@contentm3893]

You didn't just say that Arri and RED only look better because they have specific LUTS did you? Sorry but you are wrong and colorist in Hollywood will tell you that when they have to match A1 vs Arri vs Komodo footage. Colorist don;t just throw a special LUT on their footage and that's they do. That would also mean that you are saying that only RED and Arri are getting the most out of their cameras because of the special LUT. If that was tru Sony would do the same-thing and Sony A1 would look as good as RED and Arri.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

Nope, I didn't. If we're talking about the same section, I'm referring to color science, which is how the cameras interpret color and luminous data from their sensors.

[@contentm3893]

@@hurricaneimagesmedia You said that Arri and Red look better because they have a LUT made to match that sensor. If that was the case then Sony would make a custom LUT that made their image look superior. Arri and RED have deep rich color in the mid tones and shadows. When you grade properly this is what you get. If you don't want that look Red and Arri images can be raised without dark shadows and you still get a rich color full image. You are also wrong because colorist usually don't use RED or Arri LUTS because they open up the footage and use scopes and other tools to get the look they want. Most You Tubers don't know how to color grade and know what a proper image should or could look like.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

@@contentm3893 Hi content3893, sorry that wasn't what I was trying to communicate (communication in short form is hard). A LUT applies specific color and luminosity values to captured footage; color science applies specific color and luminosity values to data from the sensor-- a step earlier. But they're essentially the same. Sony does have a custom LUT... as do Arri and Red... we simply call it a "color space transform node" in Davinci Resolve. But it operates exactly the same as what people consider a "LUT." Sony also has S Cinetone and other color profiles... or ways of interpreting the color and luminosity data from the sensor. Every pro colorist I know utilizes the color space transform node (usually with their own tweaks later in the chain, plus actual color grading which is entirely different from color correction), and in doing so they apply a "LUT" to footage; you can achieve the same look manually by adjust the contrast, saturation, and pivot points (more or less). Sony cameras look different than Nikon cameras, even when the Nikon model uses a Sony sensor because Nikon uses its own color science. a LUT is different from color science in that it happens after the footage leaves the camera. Why does Arri and Red footage look better? Well, it's debatable that it does. After all, Hollywood blockbusters are shot on the Sony Venice as well, and the cost of the camera in a Hollywood budget is miniscule.

[@walidtaj]

Respectfully, your review is pointless. You did nothing but compare specs that you read online. You, again, respectfully made the same exact mistake that everyone else continues to make, and that is concluding that a certain camera is better simply because of its capabilities. I shot a 3-hour feature film on the Sony fs100 that you wouldn't believe it was shot on that. Lightning, sound, angles, editing, acting, etc. have to be on point. If you wish to see a sample of my work, I can provide it as evidence.

[@hurricaneimagesmedia]

I remember when DSLR's first started to capture video. Vincent Laforet's promo for Canon (technically the second DSLR to capture video, though they wanted us to believe it was the first) was brilliant. The message was, "see what you can do with our new $3,000 camera!" Canon, of course, didn't mention the $40K in lights, stabilizers, actors, and crew that made it watchable. Yes, you can produce amazing results with less capable cameras combined with more capable support... but that doesn't mean you should perform a tooth extraction with a screwdriver and salad tong. Our tools do matter to some extent, and eventually they lead to greater forms of creativity. My video was meant to reframe the discussion somewhat, dissect what separates an "exceptional" cinema camera from simply a capable tool, and hopefully inspire those with similar cameras to post their footage and thoughts. After 120 or so comments on the vid, I'm a little disappointed no one has written-- "yeah, here's my Red up against the Sony," but also pleasantly surprised at the amount of interest in re-thinking what makes a cinema camera today.

[@CliftonAlexander.]

Great video