1080P Camera Shootout: ARRI ALEXA vs Sony F3 (S-Log) vs Canon 7D
I’m always up for a demo of the Sony F3‘s S-Log mode, especially when compared to the much more expensive but similar ARRI ALEXA. The F3 has been called a “mini ALEXA” in S-Log mode, and I suppose you could call the Canon 7D a “mini F3,” though no one’s claiming the 7D can hold up to the big boys — it’s here as a reference for HDSLR shooters. Here’s the test, carried out by Hello World Communications using Cooke Panchro lenses:
Hit the Vimeo page for a download of the 1080p source Quicktime.
To my eye, the ALEXA’s skin tones look better than all the other digital cameras I’ve seen to date. It’s not something you measure with charts, just as an emotional response. Both the ALEX and S-Log F3 both look much smoother and sharper than the 7D, which looks very video-y and a lot softer. But while the 7D gets blown out in several shots in which the F3 and ALEXA retain background highlight details, as with every test we’ve seen over the past of years, the cheap DSLR holds up very well when considered in terms of price:performance ratio. What did you guys think while watching?
[thanks, Ron]
Related Posts
- NAB Video: Sony F65 >4K Camera and New ARRI ALEXA Models
- What's the Difference Between the ARRI ALEXA and RED Cameras? One Humorous Explanation
- Zacuto's 'Great Camera Shootout 2011' Evaluates Dynamic Range of Eleven Cameras
48 COMMENTS
-
Zhenjie on 10.27.11 @ 11:35PM
It’d be great to have the 1D X as a benchmark comparison instead for DSLR video now, since it boasts a new dual digic sensor which could possibly help resolve more highlight detail on the video side.
-
Eugene on 10.28.11 @ 1:03AM
The difference is very small between all of them, just here & there, no wonder that’s why 5d & 7d are so popular. And now days with all latest software/color correction & styles, you can bring your dslr footage to a very close cinematic look, that the average person will not feel much difference. In terms of price to value ratio 7d is a winner here. if Canon will bring their new 5d III, for under 3k I would say forget about all these lexias and F3s.
-
Martijn L. on 10.28.11 @ 3:02AM
Although DSLR’s like the 7D are crazy insane value for money and I love to worked with them …. tests like these show that the DSLR’s are pretty good for alot of things, but will probably never ever get the quality results like the Alexa’s, RED’s and F3′s in terms of detail, sharpness & dynamic range.
The sharpness and detail of the Alexa is amazing, next to the fact that the Alexa is a true “cameraman’s camera” with everything in the place you want it to be. ( Listen and learn, RED?)
Personallly I have some doubts about the 7D footage, as some of the shots look a little too “‘un-sharp’ to me as they should be. And I wonder why there ‘s no pan in the 75mm shot from the 7D?I haven’t yet worked with the F3, but it looks like the s-log is very interesting.
Nice test!!
-
Heiko on 10.28.11 @ 4:26AM
The 7D video (even the ungraded version) looks awfully soft – and I don’t think just in comparison. I have seen sharper footage from the 7D, even with much less expensive lenses.
Of course the Alexa is a way better video camera than the 7D, no doubt about that.
It’s nice to see how close the F3 can come to the Alexa.In my case I own a 7D mainly for shooting stills – so the video function comes “for free”. I really can’t complain about that ;)
-
Lucas Adamson on 10.29.11 @ 3:52PM
The 7D is clipping all over the place. If you’re an amateur and never colour correct, it might be fine.
The Alexa is a camera with intentionally extremely low contrast and saturation for the specific intention of ALWAYS colour correcting, and getting the most post-produceable image possible. Awesome! Nice job Arri!
The Sony falls somewhere inbetween. You can’t fault it on clipping in any of these examples, because it simply didn’t, and so after CC, it was just as nice as the Arri ( I guess adjusting settings could get them really close.) It had a more acceptably contrasty out-of-camera image for most people.
Give me the Arri any day!
-
the 7D could have had better results with a more CC friendly shooting style. If you\re going to use the 7d for video the factory settings are your worst enemy. There are lots of custom picture styles that flatten the image and increase the dynamic range to give more information for post production.
if you can\t get your hands on an Alexa customize your 7d to get the most out of it!
It will be interesting to see how the new camera Canon has announced with perform. It sounds like it brings a lot of improvements to the table, including a much improved recording format (formats), improved dynamic range, very little moire or “jello” issues, and more. It’s good to note also that when telling a story, it’s often true that “size matters”. That is, there are shots that are near impossible to get with the larger cameras that can be captured with HDSLR’s, making it possible to tell your story in ways you simply couldn’t otherwise, or that would be prohiitive to even attempt otherwise – and you could well dump money down that black hole trying to get the shots you need with the “better” cameras and not necessarily have any guarantee that it’s going to work ultimately… and THEN perhaps end up turning to an HDSLR to capture what wasn’t feasible to capture with the larger cameras. Once again, I think it will be interesting to see how the new Canon EOS 1D X performs. I’ll be looking forward to that. And if it doesn’t quite match the higher-priced cameras, it will nonetheless produce better results that previous generations of HDSLR’s and certainly of a quality that will lend itself well to inclusion in sophisticated productions, while retaining a size that will allow it to go where the “big boys” can’t realistically go.