So you’ve got the camera but how do I get the best out of it?
Similar to the 5D back in it’s day, we all know how revolutionary these cameras have been since their introduction in 2013, the Sony A7 series has dominated the small camera market for filming.
But with a “Movie” mode which doesn’t seem to change much and an extensive menu system, sometimes it’s hard to know how to get the best images out of this camera for filming.
If you follow these 3 simple steps everything will be looking peachy 😉
Picture Profile & SLOG
In my opinion THE most important thing with this camera or any mirrorless camera is to get the picture profile right. What is SLOG you ask?
A log profile is a shooting profile, or gamma curve, that gives a wide dynamic and tonal range, allowing more latitude to apply colour and style choices. The resulting image appears washed out, requiring color grading in post-production, but retains shadow and highlight detail that would otherwise be lost if a regular linear profile had been used that clipped shadow and highlight detail.
While on Camera Settings 1, go to Page 12 (Color/WB/Img. Processing), and at the bottom of the menu select Picture Profile. Here you’ll find 10 presets for picture profile which you can edit.
The first six in my option will not get you the best image from the camera, you’ll get a slightly crushed looking image. Although if you need a super quick turnaround and have no time to do a LUT or a grade then this might be the way forward.
- PP1: [Movie] Gamma
- PP2: [Still] Gamma
- PP3: Natural colour tone using the [ITU709] gamma
- PP4: Colour tone faithful to the ITU709 standard
- PP5: [Cine1] Gamma
- PP6: [Cine2] Gamma
But if you love that loggy look and have some great LUT’s up your sleeve this is where you want to be. These settings will make the most of the latitude of the sensor, preserving the darkest black and the top highlights.
- PP7: [S-Log2] Gamma
- PP8: [S-Log3] Gamma and the [S-Gamut3.Cine] under [Color Mode].
- PP9: [S-Log3] Gamma and the [S-Gamut3] under [Color Mode].
- PP10: [HLG2] Gamma and the [BT.2020] under [Color Mode].
Also if you are working for TV/Broadcast clients they will expect you to deliver the footage in LOG as this will give them the most flexibility later in the grade.
Resolution & Frame Rate
This is an easy one, it’s all about flavours. Chocolate chip? Strawberry? Salted Caramel?
These settings are purely down to what you want to shoot for, if you’re shooting just for YouTube or online with fast turnaround then maybe 1080p is for you. Creating content to go to a live screen or broadcast then you might need interlaced.
But with the Sony A7III my advice would be to stick to 4K and use the full potential of the camera.
First set your Exposure Mode to Manual Exposure in the Movie 2 on Page 9. You’ll also want to set your shutter speed usually at double the frame rate for the most pleasing mix of motion blur to sharpness.
So for example if you are in a PAL zone and you were shooting 25fps you would set the Shutter Speed to 1/50.
Next you should set the internal recording format, I’d recommend the XAVC S 4K making the most of the cameras quality. Then choose 25p 100M below to match.
If you’re shooting with an external recorder like the Ninja V from Atomos, you’re settings here will effect and automatically influence your settings on the recorder.
Display Settings
To shoot effectively on a camera like this it’s best to use an external monitor so you can see more clearly your image, settings and focus. But for those shooting off the back on the camera you will want a few settings turned on our off to help see what you are doing.
Head to Movie 2 and Page 2 you might want to turn off the Audio Level Display this won’t disable the audio but will make more room on the screen for seeing the image.
Also you’ll definitely want help pulling focus on that little screen. To do this head to Page 13 of the Movie 1 menu, select Peaking Settings > Peaking Display > On. Also you’ll want to change the peaking level to low.
Finally some screen guides come in handy when shooting certain things, head to Movie 2 and Page 3 to select Marker Display on plus adjust the settings below. For example you might want the use of a safety area or aspect ratio lines if you plan to crop the footage down later.
That’s it! Happy shooting!
There are plenty of other settings that you can play with and adjust and all are important in their own way, but if you get these basics right then you’re off to a great start for some awesome shots.
Here’s another great example of what’s possible with this unassuming little camera.
