Sony FS100 review
Now that Canon hasn’t released a $6,000 EOS mount camera that produces 5D footage without the moiré and mud, I can finally write my thoughts on the FS100 without any buyer’s remorse…
Picture Quality: The clarity and colors you can achieve with this camera are astounding. The picture quality is much better than the Sony EX1 or Canon DSLRs I have used in the past. I will say that sometimes the motion looks a little less ‘film-like” than DSLRs or even the AF100. But, if I turn the detail down, I can get a fairly cinematic look. Below is a reel of footage I have taken exclusively with the FS100…
Ergonomics: I have been blessed with fingers that don’t look like bratwurst covered with knuckles. That being said, I still don’t love the main control wheel on the left side of the camera. A simple solution is to use the arrows on top of the camera instead. Other than that one single, but prominent button, I don’t have any issues with any of the other controls.
The viewfinder screen is great. The resolution is high and, when you adjust the setting to “bright”, it is very accurate. I like how the tube tricks bystanders into thinking the camera larger and, presumably, more expensive. But I hate how it puts your eye 4 feet from the screen with very little noticeable magnification. Using the viewfinder also makes handheld use without a rig very difficult. If it was sturdier and closer to the camera, the small size of the camera would allow you to get some very steady handheld shots. As is, you need to have some good precision with your hand/head movements or a $500+ rig.
Picture Profiles: Like all Sonys, the FS100’s picture profile functions really give you a nice variety of looks. I have several presets I use for different circumstances. For a good starting point, I highly recommend the Abel Cine settings. Although, I’ll say that those settings don’t leave much room for color grading. For a flatter setting, you’ll want to raise the blacks or check out the profiles from MMFilm or Frank Glencairn.
Grading: The Codec holds up exceptionally well. When grading my old EX1 footage, I would get a lot of extra noise in the footage. I haven’t noticed any ill-effects when grading Sony’s AVCHD footage. Graded or not, this camera is incredibly clean, even at high-gain settings.
Other Features: The ability to shoot 60 fps slow-mo at 1080p opens up a lot of possibilities. While many will revert to DSLRs / stills for timlapses, I think this camera can do a wicked timelapses as well. You can record 1 frame a second and then lower the shutter speed to 1 second, producing great motion blur and even better low-light ability.
Versatility: The FS100 was obviously built to provide film-like images but I believe it also works well as a run-and-gun camera. When shuffling around filming things on the fly, many folks want a camera with a large depth of field that is easy to keep in focus. Even though this camera has a shallow depth of field, you can stop down the kit lens and compensate with gain when necessary.
More importantly, the kit lens autofocus is excellent, as are the instant focus and instant exposure buttons. Great work by the Sony team on these features. The only thing I wish they did on this cam was make the lens mount an Alpha mount. There are not enough lens options without using an adaptor. I would love to mount Rokinon or Tokina lenses to this directly.
Overall: The capabilities of this camera are everything I could have wanted in a sub-$10,000 camera. The images are less muddy and don’t have the moiré of a DSLR. They also look more organic and less noisy than a broadcast camcorder. 80% of the time, I love this camera. Occasionally, a situation arises when the camera requires a new mindset. Generally, you need much less lighting in interior situations. I wanted to achieve a flat commercial/sitcom look and had a difficult time making the footage look somewhat natural. It takes some getting used to in those rare circumstances. But, for the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised with the FS100.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to email or comment if you have any questions regarding my experiences with the FS100.
Ruben/Sheri
December 6, 2011 at 11:54 am //
So is it better to get ur colors in on camera or in post? what pp would you use to color grade with ease and no noise or degradation of pic? I luv the fs100 looks very film at times, how good is the auto focus, good enough to not get a follow focus? thanks bro also can u post a vid of your pros and cons for this cam, color lenses, post work,wich is the best and fastet, etc.. would luv to see it before I buy or if I can vid chat with u somehow so I can just ask you face to faceI hate typing lol really would luv a friend on the inside track with fs100 luv ue vid great work sorry 4 all the stupid questions
Ruben/Sheri
December 6, 2011 at 11:55 am //
Ur work is awesome!
Kyle
December 6, 2011 at 4:29 pm //
Thanks, Rueben/Sheri! I used to be a fan of achieving a ‘look’ in camera, but I think I’m getting better results with the FS100 using a flatter profile and then grading in post. The internal codec is excellent and holds up VERY when grading. My last camera, the SONY EX1, would get noisier and degrade in post. But this doesn’t happen with the FS100.
My workflow is generally: convert to Proress via Clipwrap or Final Cut Log & Transfer > Final Cut Pro > Magic Bullet Looks > Apple Compressor. It works very well.
If you use the kit lens, the autofocus is good. I don’t use it very often, though, and would never use it for a film or commercial. Let me know if you have any more questions and good luck with your purchasing decision
cw
December 6, 2011 at 8:29 pm //
Good stuff! I am also an fs100 owner and am still not sure of what frame rate I like best. What frame rate was this shot at? Did you convert at all in your timeline or keep it the same as original? I really like the look and feel of the shots.
Thanks!
Kyle
December 7, 2011 at 9:24 pm //
Thanks, CW! I almost always film in 24p. A lot of these shots were overcranked to 30p or 60p. But they all end up being 24p in my timeline. Enjoy your FS100!