Sony A6700 - 6 Things I Wish I Knew

[@barbarianslab]

David, thank you for your review. I just recently purchased the A6700 and I'm still learning, since this is my first Sony camera.

[@davebcn87]

Take it easy, at the beginning it could be overwhelming to learn all the things that the camera can do.

[@ArphelC]

Same here! Thank you for your review man! Great vid I have a 2015 mac book… seems like I might need to figure that out next lol😅

[@brunofdgoncalves]

Hey David! Let me help you with some things :) You have an option in camera to record proxys, that will save you time instead of doing that in Final Cut. If you want more performance with the videos you might want to choose 10 bit 420 but NOT 422. 422 is super heavy even on fast machines. M1 and M2 macs read 422 without problems. Try to record HS (H265) at 10 bit 420 and see if you have performance issues. If true go back to recording at H264. About S-Log3: Assign the wheel to the ISO, that way you can switch very fast. Use the base ISO's like you said, you can go 2 or 3 stops above base ISO's and still have a clean image. Keep an eye at the exposure meter to be at 1.7 or 2.0. If it starts blinking there's too much light.

[@davebcn87]

Thanks for all the tips Bruno, really appreciate it! I don't mind having to create the proxies afterwards, this way I can save some space in the SD card and some intense process in the camera that could lead to faster overheating. But yeah, in some cases this can save you some time in post-production. I wonder if 420 is worth it, as you might have not the best quality you can get. Have you seen any comparison between 422 and 420? HS 10 bit 422 is great with my mac, even with 50fps. The only downside is that in PAL I cannot record on 25p, it's only 50p or 100p. But I use that codec for slow-mo footage already. The ISO setting to the wheel is a great tip, I'll try that. I am now in the making of a SLOG3 exposure guide, I will use your input as well, really appreciate it.

[@brunofdgoncalves]

@@davebcn87 The proxys are really small, in my usual workflow - unless it's a wedding - it's really hard to fill a 128GB card. Test it ;) The difference between 8bit and 10 bit is bigger than 420 VS 422. The usage of 422 is usually for green screens where you need extra information for chroma key. You can also test that and see if you can tell the difference. If you can't tell I bet your clients won't either, and you gain speed/performance in editing. This something Sony could improve, but you can record in 25fps HS if you are in NTSC mode...

[@fofopho]

Also, stop shooting in h.265 if you are editing on an older Mac. Your problems seem to largely be stemming from your old machine. H.264 should play back smoothly on your intel machine in Final Cut Pro.

[@davebcn87]

Actually that is not the problem. H264 files are the ones that are slow, and that's because of the 422 10-bit more than the video format.

[@philippurban4459]

I thought h265 is not a Format, it’s a codec?

[@ivanshokha7395]

If you are cold at home, get your a 6700 and turn on 120 fps and 10bit 4.2.2. And you will be pleasantly surprised how in 10 minutes the room will become warmer =) But to be honest, I really like this camera.

[@davebcn87]

Camera and heater all in one 🤣

[@paulmitchellphoto]

Nice video. I wished I'd had known about some of those quirks too. I did get a v90 SD card to try out though, and use VLC player on my PC to view videos. Love the a6700 though. I upgraded from the a6000.

[@davebcn87]

Yeah, I may end up getting a V90 card eventually for those super slow motion shots.

[@FastCutFilms713]

Excellent reveiw! Please make the exposure recommendations video you mentioned. It will be very helpful for those of us switching to the a6700.

[@davebcn87]

Yeah, I plan to do that!

[@Element5films]

Really good information about the SD card. Thanks mate. ❤

[@davebcn87]

happy to help!

[@20111111jorg]

Wow, some really good information. It doesn't apply to me as I don't shoot video, but to others...

[@GiorgiAptsiauriX]

Just curious, I see there is no 30fps option. Only 24, 60, and 120. Why no 30? How can I find that option?

[@davebcn87]

@@GiorgiAptsiauriX That's only with the HS codec (h265), which is weird anyway. In PAL you don't have 25p either. If you use the S codec you'll see 30p.

[@dusnoki]

Thnx i almost bought a 128gb v90. Bought 1 64gb one just for the s&q mode if I need it. Bought 2 128gb v30s and they work perfect. 4k 10bit 4.2.2 200mbps no prob.

[@davebcn87]

yay! glad this was helpful!

[@Pfagnan]

Good video except that NONE of those things apply to me so I was worried but these are issues very specific to certain situations and software-hardware.

[@davebcn87]

Thanks! Yeah, you are right that those things do not apply to everyone getting the camera, but I would have wanted somebody told me those things. If you have other question I'll be happy to help :)

[@Pfagnan]

Thanks for the quick reply! I understand your concerns. I am probably going to buy it but all these overheating reviews on KZbin are really scaring me… I only would use 30p though not generally 60 or never 120. I need to shoot in 10 bit though but NOT h265. I only shoot in h264

[@davebcn87]

@@Pfagnan Yes, I understand that as I wa having the same concerns before getting it. I watched every single durability test out there only the get even more worried. The thing is that some of those tests were done before the 1.01 firmware update. In my 5 months with the camera I've never had even an overheating warning. Most of the times I shoot in 25p but I also use 50/60p frequently. I also got the Ulanzi fan just in case but never had to use it so far.

[@Pfagnan]

Thanks Dave that’s good to know!! I do event filming though so this camera needs to record for an hour and a half usually not just 20 minutes at a time. 👍🏻

[@davebcn87]

@@Pfagnan If that will be your main usage of it I would be considering the fx30 instead. I recorded for about 1h with no issue, but you may need this regularly and with reliability.

[@jdmCrush2]

Fantastic info about the SD card. I have been tearing my hair out deciding if paying so much money for v60/90 is worth it (I landed on 1x v90 64gb for occasional slowmo, but will get a 512gb v30 now for day-to-day when I go on some upcoming vacations without wanting to bring a backup hard drive).

[@davebcn87]

I'm glad it was useful. :) Yep I was also thinking to get some 128gb V30 as these are quite cheap. 512gb is for sure more than enough for a whole trip, but I've been always worried on card failure or losing it, otherwise this would be the most convenient.

[@maggnet4829]

I have two issues one might encounter when using tje camera as a webcam. a) If you want to use USB-C 4k, you need at least an USB 3.2 port. b) If you then want to use HDMI instead and be smart by providing power via USB, you'll realize that the camera will quickly overheat in this setup.

[@davebcn87]

haven't used it as a webcam but could be a use case to have the external fan. I think if I'd use it as a webcam I wouldn't need the 4k either, most of the video call software will compress the image and you wouldn't notice the difference. Unless you want it for live streaming a video.

[@maggnet4829]

​@davebcn87_ It's indeed true that many people will not care. Then again, that's true for so many things we are doing around film and photography. It's a form of flexing some muscles, though. 😅 PS: Since I'm lazy, I stopped using the A6700 as a webcam pretty fast for a different reason. I have to climb on my table every time I want to remove it to shoot pictures. So I ended up using my a5100 again via HDMI and proxy battery. I'm shooting now 1080p, automatically cropping in via my PC to get the right framing.

[@davebcn87]

@@maggnet4829 yeah this cameras have that many features that ones use case might not be close to others'. Loved the principle of minimum effort there haha. But even with the 5100 your webcam will be better than 95% of webcams out there.

[@maggnet4829]

@@davebcn87 From my observation you can increase that number to 99%.

[@AlonsoArayaAudiovisual]

Thank you for the video. Im a Sony user since 2014, with a a6000. I still use it, I love the image. Want to upgrade, deciding between a6700 or FX30.

[@davebcn87]

Thanks! Whatever camera you choose is going to be a massive upgrade from the A6000. I shared a video with my reasons why I picked the A6700 and not the FX30, maybe that can help you with your decision.

[@fpvdelnoroeste]

this video is a golden nugget! - Accurate information and above all, based on own experience.... Good video!

[@davebcn87]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for you comment Octavio.

[@fpvdelnoroeste]

@@davebcn87 Yeah, look, let me tell you about my experience. I have had a Canon 6D MII for 6 years, excellent for photos and video but it has become heavy. I have evolved as a content creator for social networks, you know, Facebook, Yt, IG, Tiktok, now I spend more time recording with an iPhone 14 pro Max than with my Fullframe, So now I have to get to the point of wondering. Does the content I make for my clients really require a full frame? At this point I have decided to switch to Sony and go for an APS-C for the reason you mention, mainly because of the cheaper lenses. So I advise everyone who can read me is that if your content is not for cinema, broadcasting or television, you do not need a full frame.

[@pf4773]

The silly and overly detailed memory card reviews are really a blur and awful. Your video is great! I'll try the cards you recommend, thanks :)!

[@davebcn87]

I'm glad this was useful!

[@TommyK_047]

When you pay so much for the camera why bothering with sd card price unless you need several cards?

[@davebcn87]

In my case I already owned these cards, but all adds up. You can have cards with more space for the same price or decide to spend that money in other stuff: batteries, filters, accessories...

[@alexgoriatchenkov]

As user ZVe10 was one step from buying A6700. Did not. Very happy with ZVe10.

[@davebcn87]

Haven't tried the ZV-E10 but I'd say it's great quality for the price. For me 10-bit color and IBIS were a must to upgrade my a6300 and even of the issues that I mention in the video I'm very happy with the decision.

[@davidtomasgaitanrodriguez1356]

Super useful video David, thank you. Just got my A6700 and I am a bit worried about the SD to choose. I was inclined to get a sandisk extreme pro v60 128GB, but I am a sucker for 4K 120fps (or 100fps). Should I get the v90 to be able to get that? Once again, thank you!

[@davebcn87]

Thanks! I still only shoot with V30 at 50/60 tops. If you want 120p you'll need the v90. If it's only occassional you can have a small v90 (64gb) and a big v30 (256gb) for the rest of the footage.

[@flightographist]

Interesting, every body has its quirks and I am learning of many with the 6700. I like/love my sony apsc but the full frame god is drawing me ever nearer.

[@davebcn87]

haha yeah full frame is nice but 🤑

[@jettreels]

Nice video! I use proxy’s to view footage in files and then refer to the file name on the original. Not the most efficient but it’s what I’m used to 😂

[@davebcn87]

Yes I do the same while working on a project, but for old footage I don't want to save also proxies to avoid taking extra space. Do you do that?

[@floatingrabbit3556]

Love me some unbiased product reviews. I was considering upgrading from my 6300 but now I have doubts. Either this os the FX30. I think the later is a more viable option now.

[@davebcn87]

I'd say whichever you chose the change will be massive. I have a video stating the reasons why I chose the A6700 and not the FX30, may be useful for you to decide.

[@toddysurcharge771]

Honestly you only need the FX30 if you need the fan/will have overheating issues due to longer recording times. If you are a vlogger or short film maker who records just segments at a time then the A6700's savings over the FX30 can get you some good anamorphic lenses.

[@GrantSR]

Sounds to me like most of these problems have to do with your Macintosh computer not being able to handle new file formats. That's the fault of the computer not the camera. All newer cameras are going to have these newer file formats.

[@davebcn87]

You are right, most of the issues are because of the incompatibility, and will be the same with all the new cameras. I considered worth mentioning as it is still a pretty common setup - we are talking about a 3-year-old laptop - and this are things that I would've known before getting the camera.

[@sglivetv7886]

Thanks for the enlightening video! More questions that no reviewer has mentioned. Does the HDMI black out during 4K recording? Does AF work if both HDMI and 4K are used?

[@davebcn87]

Thanks your kind words. Let me try to answer the best I can your questions: > Does the HDMI black out during 4K recording? It depends. There is a setting that you can show the menus in the HDMI monitor. If that is ON you are going to get the screen black, even without recording. If this setting is OFF and the HDMI monitor sees a clean video image, you see the regular screen in the camera screen, both in stand by and record mode. > Does AF work if both HDMI and 4K are used? Yes!

[@sglivetv7886]

Thanks very much for your detailed explanation, David. the A6700 certainly is a professional tool!

[@fofopho]

You definitely should shoot at the native ISO’s whenever possible and adjust your exposure using aperture, and ambient light management. If you can’t manage to expose your image without using noisier ISO’s then you should probably be shooting in an easier PP like S-Cinetone. I appreciate your video, watched the whole thing, but it seems that your apparent inexperience (sorry if that is harsh) has led to slightly misleading conclusions on several of your points. Not necessarily your fault, but virtually all of these points have had great educational resources available for years before you purchased this camera as virtually none of your points are exclusive to this camera or even this generation of cameras (2020’s a7s iii being Sony’s first 10-BIT with H.265 and and the same codecs and bit rates - data about exposing S-LOG 3 has been around even longer). I hope my comments don’t come across as too rough, but I feel you’ve done a disservice to your viewers who might be considering this camera by not giving them an actual view of the benefits and drawbacks of this camera. Thus you see comments about “sticking with my a6300 after watching this” which is silly if that person ever shoots video or fast moving photography and has the money to upgrade comfortably (I imagine you would agree the a6700 is a massive upgrade over the a6300).

[@davebcn87]

It is indeed a massive upgrade. Even all the things I mention in the video I consider it a great upgrade, maybe it does not get through the video. I don't know if I mention in this or the video I created about the a6700. I haven't yet seen comments saying that they would stay with the a6300. If that's the case I'll properly address it. About the base ISO of course you have the option to go to easier PPs, but I want to use it to have consistency across shots. I'm curious on what wouldn't you not use higher ISOs values if the result is good? Knowing its drawbacks: less dynamic range, more noise... Again, not an expert here, I just share my point of view as I am learning stuff and hope it helps someone. Thanks for taking the time to write this comment and I am not taking it harhsly, always open to other thoughts and points of view.

[@iraklijokhadze9196]

Camera is Great, but i expected more noise free videos when shooting with Slog 3, i am trying to find out the best way to eliminate noise in the camera

[@davebcn87]

The key is to overexpose it until the point you don't clip any highlights and bring it back down to normal exposure in post.

[@philippurban4459]

But then it’s automaticly noisy or not ?

[@NtYourNormalGeek]

I have a M1 pro. Did you see that would be a problem or just with the previous model?

[@davebcn87]

The M1 Pro works super smooth. No frames drop, previews available...

[@michaelanderson4916]

The M1 pro has ProRes hardware acceleration, so should work very well to work with if you transcode to that. Proxy or regular higher profiles.

[@davebcn87]

Yes, that's true! But it also works really well with the non transcoded codecs as well, even with 10-bit 422.

[@trivacker]

For XAVC HS 4K, 60p, 10bit 4:2:2 and below 200Mbps, do I need a V60 or V90 card?

[@davebcn87]

For that specific one V30 cards (at least the ones that I own and mention in the video) are enough. I just double checked in the camera.

[@captainwyoutube]

Is there a way to use s-log without LUTs? My editing program doesn't do luts. I've tried Da Vinci several times but have difficulty loving it.

[@davebcn87]

@captainwyoutube What do you edit with?

[@captainwyoutube]

You'll laugh at this - Serif Movieplus X6 - the final version from a company that went out of business in 2012. It's so user-friendly and fast. I've tried da vinci, openshot, shotcut and many more.

[@davebcn87]

First time I hear about that software. 😅 I edited long time ago in Pinnacle Studio, I learned the basics on that one. If your software doesn't support LUTs I'd recommend using S-Cinetone, as the videos looks great out of the camera. You can also tweak the contrast and saturation manually but I think the results won't be as good, as it is more complicated to achive the same that the LUT already do for you.

[@INFOXlive]

Use S-Cintone instead. You will get nice colours out of box, which you can fine tune in edit. Also you can use in camera LUTs to bake these into video at recording time. But in general, you don’t need any LUT’s for s-log, you can grade it without any LUT’s. But S-Log is made for grading!!

[@davegoldsmith2588]

Really useful review thank you.

[@davebcn87]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doruaed09]

my pc is a Lenovo Legion with 16 ram, intel core i7 10thgen and nvidia gtx1660 ti, could it work to edit videos from this camera?

[@davebcn87]

I have no idea, maybe someone else can help you!

[@igorvuk4454]

Yes you can

[@SyedNaseerHere]

you deserve subscribe

[@orvvro]

You do need a V90 SD Card to record 4K 60p 4:2:2 with Intraframe compression, though. (XAVC S-I 4K opposed to just XAVC S 4K)

[@davebcn87]

Yes, but for now I don't plan of using that codec because it takes so much space. I'd rather buy one to be able to do 120p.

[@orvvro]

@@davebcn87 True, I get less than 30 minutes of recording time with 128GB.

[@davebcn87]

@@orvvro oh wow, and v90 128gb is not cheap at all.

[@orvvro]

@@davebcn87 Yes I paid 86 euros for the SD card, from Kingston

[@brunoriffaldi]

if I'm not wrong you can do 4k 60p 422 xcvc s even with the v60 card, if you want the 4k 120p you need a v90. for this reason I bought a 256gb v60 and a 64gb v90 only for occasional slomo120p at 4k.

[@Nithin_Mohan.]

Can I recored 4k 120 with v30?

[@davebcn87]

No, you need V90 for 120p.

[@Nithin_Mohan.]

@@davebcn87 thank you, will 4k 60 work fine with v30?

[@philippurban4459]

Nope

[@kinsa2919]

Please give me file slog3 sony a6700 original to gdrive🙏

[@davebcn87]

I am working on a expose/grading tutorial, I'll see if I can include some original footage in there.

[@Hum4yaar]

Very good analysis. Love from Karachi Pakistan

[@davebcn87]

Thanks mate! Love from Barcelona

[@arjumandvillagelife]

Me from GB Pak, Should i buy this camera ?

[@Hum4yaar]

This is good camera but in this price you have lot of full frame cameras options available ​@@arjumandvillagelife

[@user-premkumar198]

Please tell me full hd frame rate?

[@davebcn87]

up to 240 fps

[@user-premkumar198]

@@davebcn87 thanks 😊

[@philippurban4459]

Where can i find this in the settings ?

[@orczville9258]

any overheating issues?

[@davebcn87]

Not so far. Even no warning while recording during 1h at 33 degrees (4k25p 10bit 422).

[@orczville9258]

@@davebcn87 Wow. did you try 4k60?

[@davebcn87]

@@orczville9258 Some 4k50p here and there. No problems either, but I only use it for 30s-1 min clips tops.

[@maxivy3299]

What lense is on your camera..

[@davebcn87]

It's the Sony 10-18 f4

[@maggnet4829]

Anyone reading this: Sigma is now publishing a new 10-18mm f2.8. For many that will be the better choice. A pity I already have the Sony 10-20 f4. Then again, for 300€ extra in bundle with the camera it's still a good deal. Great lens by the way.

[@rictar_rat]

I rented one for a convention where I was one of the official photographers to see if was going to be a buy for me, and I will not be buying it. Battery life was terrible felt like using my a6500 again I was going through 4 z batteries a day doing 90% photos 10% video which is about what I go though on my a6500 with Np-FW50's when ever I rented the a6600 under the same conditions I only ever when through 2 a day! That thumb grip on the back was hurting my hand and rubbing my skin raw on my thumb. My thumb was missing a layer of skin and was sore and raw by then end of the 3 day convention never had that issue with my a6500 or a rented a6600 The upsides were the focusing and the flip screen it made shooting high or low a breeze especially in portrait orientation

[@davebcn87]

Ceirtainly you did a more intense use of it that I ever did or may do in the future. Good thing you rented it out to notice this was not for you. My experience with the batteries has been different, compared to the a6300 that I needed 2 or 3 batteries every day, now I can finish the day with a single battery.

[@ihmintz]

what do you like shooting on?

[@sergioianni5349]

Muy buen video, gracias

[@davebcn87]

Gracias por tu comentario Sergio!