Sony F3 with 65mm Lens/Mattebox/Follow FocusSony, in a move that will either please or anger some F3 owners, is releasing S-Log for free in a new firmware update. While they had decided to make it free with all new F3 cameras back in March, it still cost money for those who hadn't purchased it yet. Now it's going to be free to anyone that wants it. Before you send angry emails to Sony, they've limited the free S-Log to 4:2:2, so you'll still need to purchase it if you want the full 4:4:4. If you've been thinking about an F3 purchase, there has never been a better time than the present. Here is AbelCine's Andy Shipsides with a video discussing the new update and how it affects the overall camera system:


It's great that we can get S-Log on any F3 camera we want now -- and there isn't a huge difference between 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 if you're worried about that. I'm planning on helping on a shoot later in the summer with an F3 and AJA Ki Pro, so it's great that we'll be able to get 4:2:2 ProRes without having to spend any more money. Early adopters, as always, will be a bit upset by Sony for doing this, and it goes along with what I've said about companies crippling cameras on purpose in order to separate their product lines. While we might not like this as consumers, they are running a business, and part of the reason to make these upgrades start out as paid-only is to help recoup R&D costs. Either way, it's great that they are adding this to all of the cameras now, whether they've been upgraded or not.

If you're interested in downloading the Scene Files and camera settings that Andy has created, you can download those as well as the new F3 firmware version 1.4 from the links below.

Links: Andy Shipsides F3 Camera Settings & Sony F3 Firmware Version 1.4

[via AbelCine - CineTechnica]