World's First Sony F3 S-Log Test on Vimeo

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17. World's First Sony F3 S-Log Test - Behind the Scenes

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16. World's First Sony F3 S-Log Test

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2. Sony F3 Test

by Next Level Pictures

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1. Next Level Pictures Kessler Demo Reel

by Next Level Pictures

10 months ago

New York City, NY (April 18, 2011) Next Level Pictures in association with Tstop Cinema teamed up with Abel Cine, Kessler Crane, Wide Open Camera, Angenieux, Carl Zeiss, Cooke, Tyler Mounts, and Miller to unveil the worlds first ever camera test using the Sony F3 with S-Log. S-Log isn’t scheduled for official release until late summer 2011 so we are proud to get our hands on the camera and put it through several latitude tests to include helicopter aerials by Vincent Laforet, vibrant Vegas city lights, and skin tone tests of two models in ten different locations throughout Las Vegas at NAB 2011. The crew of twelve had only ten hours with the camera to produce and film the entire project. The purpose of this test is to compare the latitude and image quality of the new S-Log firmware to native EX codec.

Check out the behind the scenes video:
vimeo.com/22576231

Next Level Pictures:
Jonathan Bregel
Khalid Mohtaseb

Executive Producers:
Eric Kessler
Jarred Abrams
Carl Zeiss Lenses
Vincent Laforet

Sponsors:
Kessler Crane KesslerCrane.com
Wide Open Camera wideopencamera.com
AbelCine abelcine.com
Tyler Mounts tylermount.com
Zeiss zeiss.com/cine
Angenieux angenieux.com
Cooke cookeoptics.com
Miller Tripod millertripods.com

For a list of all crew and additional details go to:
nextlevelpictures.com/blog/2011/4/19/nlp-shoots-the-worlds-first-footage-with-the-sony-f3-s-log.html

Pretty Lights - “Gold Coast Hustle” - Final Comparison Video
prettylightsmusic.com

Nat Kendall Presents: Songbird Sing - “On Again” - BTS Video
songbirdsing.com

twitter.com/nextlevelpics
flickr.com/photos/nextlevelpics
facebook.com/nextlevelpictures

Credits

Next Level Pictures
Production Company
Vincent Laforet
Executive Producer
Tyler Ginter
Associate Producer/1st AD
AbelCine
Sponsor

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Tags

Tyler Ginter 10 months ago

So proud of everyone for pulling this off! NGAF :)
Tom Lowe 10 months ago

Love the 8R footage on the street!
Karen Abad 10 months ago

Holy S-Log. <3 Great job guys!
Levi Thornton 10 months ago

Great. Now I want one. (not the girl, the camera)
Boncrek 10 months ago

lol
David La Roche 9 months ago

I'll have one of each :3
Khalid Mohtaseb 10 months ago

Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen!!!
Pimp Your Production 10 months ago

Great work as always, guys!
Motion Minded 10 months ago

Thanks for sharing this information...
Clint Milby 10 months ago

Beautiful Work!
Eamonn McManus 10 months ago

The goal posts always change but it just means the cameras are getting better and better and hopefully we get to see this reflected in more accessible setups
Kessler Crane 10 months ago

Beautyfull work guys!! great BTS
Trevor Macdonald 10 months ago

The footage looks great, but I have one huge problem with the video: Why would you compare graded S-Log footage to ungraded xdcam footage? Obviously the graded footage is going to look better. It would make a LOT more sense to compare the graded S-Log footage to GRADED xdcam footage.

Just my two cents…

But, like I said, the footage looks great. The F3 is pretty impressive.
Timur Civan 10 months ago

Because Slog is not ment to be viewed in its raw state. The point is that you apply a "contrast" curve in post to make the footage look natural.
Trevor Macdonald 10 months ago

Yes, this is obvious. I never said I wanted to see the raw S-Log footage. I said that a comparison between GRADED S-Log footage and GRADED xdcam footage would be a better (and more fair) comparison.
Vincent Laforet 10 months ago

I asked the same question and was told that the XDCAM footage did have a light grade applied to it. When you think about it - it's a very difficult issue to address. S-Log looks terrible w/o a grade... you'd have to show all 4 to be "scientific" if you will - but I think the point it gets across is pretty clear.
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Well said Vince. We are going to upload a couple versions of the test over the next few days which will hopefully clear up any questions on the grading.
-J
23 Pictures 10 months ago

Great job at pulling the resources together ... I dig it. Vincent & Khalid - I second it, be kool to Graded XDCAM vs Graded S-Log.

Thanks for sharing guys.

'J-dog
Alexandros Maragos 10 months ago

Stylish, high quality work.
Footage is great, congrats to all.
Richard van den Boogaard 10 months ago

Spectacular results!

Was it difficult to operate the camera? I just read this PDF from Sony and it sounded pretty cumbersome: aipcinema.com/ficheiros/Conteudos/SRW_ITG_S-Log_001_IO_EN.pdf
Vincent Laforet 10 months ago

Relative to other cameras in this league (w/ the exception of the Epic of course) definitely not difficult to handle...
Richard van den Boogaard 10 months ago

But did you have to calculate and adjust your light meters, as this document states?
Vincent Laforet 10 months ago

I used the scopes 100% - not my eye. Especially w/ slog... very hard to tell. Scope / math is your friend.
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

One of the easiest cameras to use. I DP'ed/Operated this video not knowing how to turn the camera on at the start of the day: vimeo.com/22066331

Kessler Crane shipped the camera to us, it showed up on our doorstep, we took the camera not knowing anything about it, and shot this...If you have used the EX1 or EX3 this camera is cake walk.

-J
Andrew Kurchinski 10 months ago

AmaZing work guys!!!
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Thanks Andrew! When are we getting together for beers next man? Dubai round 2? haha
LifeVideos.co.uk 10 months ago

Sensational.
STUDIO 10 months ago

great stuff...putting gear into real world action...that's the name of the game
Travis Guerra 10 months ago

I would of liked to see the same grading effort put into both types of footage so we could really see the difference. To me it was clear that the Xdcam footy was not really graded or had little to no effort put in it to give it a good comparison. But sill enjoyed the video. Thanks
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Travis. Completely understood. However the grade on the S-Log footage was very, very basic. The footage directly off of the SSD cards has to be slightly graded because the uncompressed files a pretty flat. We figured that a very basic grade would make the 2 images match better color-wise. none of the highlights were touched.
-J
Aaron Mendez (Ahwahnee Films) 10 months ago

wow. Beautiful!!!
Paul Stone 10 months ago

You guys were either drunk or had too much coffee before this test.
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

I'm not sure exactly what that means, clarify and I'll let you know haha.
Derek Street 7 months ago

I believe he is referring to the untraditional format. It would be nice to see a few static shots side by side. But this video was a whole lot more fun to watch.
Timur Civan 7 months ago

Well... we were in vegas.....
Andy Shipsides 10 months ago

I think all the comparison you need is in the highlight information, graded or ungraded. In S-Log their is just more information to play with.
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Well said Andy. If you guys want any of the uncompressed files to play with, shoot us an e-mail. would be more than happy to send some over your way.
Andre Bonner 10 months ago

beautiful footage, now could someone lend me 25K?
jared abrams 10 months ago

Great job fellas. You truly killed it. Go east coast!
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Thanks Jared! You are the f'in man!
Jim Froom 10 months ago

NICE! Congrats on getting it together and pulling this test off. Can't wait for the Log-based picture profile for Canon DSLRs coming April 30. Makes me wonder if a 5D Mark III might be a poor mans F3 when it comes out. No reason latitude and new chip won't climb the ladder for quality.
Martin Oller 10 months ago

Geif. Raw. File. To. Play. With. Nao!
Doug Spice 10 months ago

Cool stuff, and awesome job throwing this together in a hurry! Question, though: what's up with the very noticeable red edge ghosting? You can see it very obviously at 0:24, and I think I may be perceiving a similar effect elsewhere (although I can't actually "see" it, if that makes sense).
Tom Guilmette 10 months ago

this video just sold a sh*tload of sony F3s. you guys are too good. killer job on the BTS as well.
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

haha! That would be awesome. Thanks for the kind words Tom. Tyler straight up murdered the BTS. I dont think he slept for 2 days getting that done. well worth it. Take care man!
Ryan Koo 10 months ago

Awesome work, guys -- so glad to see this.

Blogged it here with a framegrab highlight comparison:

nofilmschool.com/2011/04/sony-f3-uncompressed-s-log-footage-hits/
Tyler Ginter 10 months ago

Great comparison Koo! Thanks for your awesome blog post :)
Next Level Pictures 10 months ago

Thanks for the post Koo. It looks fantastic.
Dale Kamp 10 months ago

Awesome stuff.
Harmless Pictures 10 months ago

Thanks boys! Again another fantastic production for the good of all us indie producers.
Santiago A 10 months ago

edited in Premiere Pro?
Tyler Ginter 10 months ago

Yup! CS5.5 has really come a long way.
Santiago A 10 months ago

CS5.5 vs FCPX...is going to be an interesting year in post.
Matthew Bennett 10 months ago

The F3 is blessed with the most passionate talent again!
This camera has the best karma imaginable...
Alchemy Films 10 months ago

Pure filth. Keep it up. Catch you soon hopefully!
Joe Spiteri 10 months ago

Amazing tonal range! Looking forward to seeing more.
andrew clemson 10 months ago

You boys are easily the most talented people that I got horrendously drunk with in Vegas. I demand more beers soon. What do you reckon the total cost is on that setup? 13K for camera, 3.5K for upgrade 10K for cinedeck? that puts it in at roughly $26500, versus $22500 for a (old school?) RED MX body. comparison?
Andrew Burhoe 10 months ago

RED MX alone is 25,000. After the accessories and lenses and gear it's about 50K or more.
andrew clemson 9 months ago

The shooting kit the boys had in this video would be way more than $50K if you added it all up, trust me.

My point is that the two prices of the two shooting kits (Pimped F3 VS Basic RedMX) aren't totally dissimilar and offer different advantages.
Evan C. King 10 months ago

The latitude of this camera with S-Log is awesome. Damn.
Fixinmytie 10 months ago

is that Chris Bosh?
Andrew Burhoe 10 months ago

It looks pretty, but it just seems flashy. Either way it's just a tool. However, the Red is it for me.
Andrew Reid 10 months ago

Very pretty. I prefer a less pristine and clinical look to my video however. Digital / HD is getting cleaner and cleaner and that isn't like film. It needs the life putting back into it if anything.

I'd have also gone for a punchier more contrasty look to the grade. Also very hard to tell the footage apart from DSLR because it is delivered down the web to an LCD. If you are going to get a $15k camera probably best to have everyone who watches your footage spend the same on a display as well.

I can understand wanting better image quality and more latitude to grade with, but I am not excited about the F3 in the same way I am about the EPIC, or the forthcoming 5D Mark 3.

I also much prefer the way the Alexa looks to the F3. Smoother highlight fall off and generally richer and more cinematic colour. It looks like film. The F3 still looks digital.

Why do the skin tones of the actress look so yellow and flat, no tonality? Was that just because the available light was flat on the actress or is it because of S-LOG?
Ed David 10 months ago

Andrew you can add film grain to the image later. also this isn't a heavy grading - I'm sure the talented folks at Next Level will give you a more graded version soon - this is more a test to show off the latitude and DR of slog on the Sony F3. I'm loving the F3 and find it brings out a very pleasing image. Also please remember to view the video in full screen.
Derek Lawrey 10 months ago

I find myself agreeing with Andrew and some of the other comments. It's really hard to judge from the posts here with the quality of play back being what it is. As stated before about seeing raw s-log; Is this for the average person or for people who have worked with film and see lots of it in it's raw state and would know what they are looking at? I think the only way to really know is to be lucky enough to get to play with the s-log on your own.
Val Hill 10 months ago

Music makes at least 60% of this video. I was hardly able to find out who's music it is (and I believe you didn't mention music at all in video itself at the end).
Tyler Ginter 10 months ago

Yeah the music is incredible and we had a full page credit to the band at the end.

The music is: Pretty Lights - “Gold Coast Hustle” - Final Comparison Video prettylightsmusic.com

The BTS music is: Nat Kendall Presents: Songbird Sing - “On Again” - BTS Video
songbirdsing.com
Toze Soares 10 months ago

Thanks for the amazing test.

I was wondering if it's at all possible to make the original 1920x1080, 486.24MB uploaded file available for download.
Dan Carr 10 months ago

Very very impressive. Great job guys.
Oli Kember 10 months ago

I'm not blown away by the look of the camera itself, but the way it's dealing with highlights is incredible. I appreciate you had to keep the grades flat to show a true comparison, so thanks for that. Great test.
Kristof Deak 10 months ago

Question: have you guys used any Rolling Shutter removal / post processing to get rid of any jello effect?

Just asking because these are generally pretty wobbly shots and there's even a fast moving girl-walks-by-rails-in-profile shot - on the EX1 or EX3 those would have been completely jello! Not to mention DSLRs or the RED.

I personally like the S-Log highlight handling a lot, but to me as a director the real biggie of this camera is how well it handles the rolling shutter problem.
Thomas Wong 10 months ago

only thing altered in the image was the color and luminance for the s-log. essentially just to de-log it so you can see what it looks like with a look set onto it.

the jello is very good on the f3, the flash banding from strobes doesn't look as bad as a dslr or ex1 either. It can even record police lights with no issues.
jiberish 10 months ago

so is supposed to look better with s-log?
Jason Wingrove 10 months ago

Quite quite impressive. I thought the original images i got last year with a pre prod camera were pretty good..

but what the final production cameras, this impressive test and the Zacuto '11 shootout results show is that the F3 is now the 'camera for the rest of us' that Red no longer makes.
Tyler Ginter 10 months ago

Well said Mr. Wingrove!
Jason Wingrove 10 months ago

Thanks for helping put this together mate! great stuff
Miles Wilkerson 10 months ago

The future is turning out to be even cooler than I thought. I would trade an F3 for the flying car any day. Good job guys.
Joel Godin 10 months ago

I kind of liked the XDCAM better. Some of the blown out parts is what I would expect in real life. The S-Log just seemed too flattened out to me. But we all don't have the same retinas, do we? Maybe a truer test would be impressions from a group of young humans, and with a group of over 40 humans. I'm serious here.
Thomas Wong 10 months ago

the point is that you'll have finer control over the image. I could have easily made the highlights in post look blown out in the grade if that was the desired look. but can dial it in the way you want, or bring it back if you ever changed your mind.

The S-Log in general is ultra flat, the de log process was just to make the picture look "normal" it would look better if I really dialed in a cinematic look for it.
Joel Godin 10 months ago

I see. Good point.
Graeme Phillips 10 months ago

Impressive!!!
nettleton 10 months ago

Impressive images with limited time and resources.

I would love to see a flat ungraded S-Log clip to see how much data is in the blacks and highlights.
Matt Bucy 10 months ago

great to see what s-log looks like. thanks for putting this together.

can you really expose for s-log and xdcam simultaneously? i ask because the XDCAM footage looks more overexposed than i'm used to seeing in similar conditions.

i'd be curious to see how S-Log compares to 4:2:2 10-bit. how much of the improvement comes from bit depth and better color resolution alone?
Marc Van Osdale 9 months ago

I can't see how anyone actually takes this seriously. I'm having a very difficult time believing that Native XDCAM footage has been untampered with...whether it be on set or in the editing suite....i've seen better footage from my HMC150 than the F3 XDCAM footage....and I know that the F3 would perform better than that without the 422...I mean really the noticable difference will only come when you start pushing the footage a few stops or with intense motion....the slight gained dynamic range in S-Log does not explain this disconnect to me
Next Level Pictures 9 months ago

Marc,
I am going to quote you on that comment. You probably just sold 5,000 s-log upgrades. The XDCAM footage is untouched, shot in REC709. If you saw the XDCAM footage alone without seeing the s-log, your eye wouldnt really have much else to compare it too, so it would look good most likely...unless of course you have been shooting a lot with RED/ALEXA/F23.
Owen Deveney 9 months ago

Hey Marc, Next Level,
Hoping for a bit of clarity:
earlier in this comments section you explained that the XDCAM footage had a 'slight grade' but here your stating that it's ungraded. Did I misunderstand something in the process?
-o
Floris Liesker 8 months ago

Marc, I completely agree with you. See my comment below.
Sittipong Kongtong 9 months ago

It was a really fantastic camera. I had tested F-3 with XDCAM EX codec it was OK. When I had seen this S-Log test, it could be a good choice for me to choose between RED one or F-3 with S-Log.
Jonathan Payne 9 months ago

Amazing difference and some really nice looking footage. Anyone else put off by the fact that they're charging for a firmware update like this? Especially charging this much???
Kevin Jan William Wansa 9 months ago

oh good, the camera isnt that great... Whew! Story still matters
OTLmedia 9 months ago

Are there gonna be any lower cost options than the cinedeck extreme, with the firmware update thats 26,000 the price of a redone with ssd mount.
Philip Bloom 6 months ago

Just a KiPro will give you the 14 stops and 422. Not 444 but still pretty damn good.
ChristopherJManess 9 months ago

$16,000 compared to $60,000? Yeah, that does turn some heads!
Floris Liesker 8 months ago

I don't believe Sony clips this much in REC 709 XDCAM. I think this test mainly shows a lack of skills in post production; if someone had taken the effort to convert the XDCAM's superwhite material correctly into legal territory the difference between that and s-log would be much less visible.
Timur Civan 7 months ago

Its not just on the top, its on the bottom as well.

ITs difficult to get the point across in a few minutes of video, considering Tom did a full days work on this. The long and short of this whole thing is that the camera can now record what it actually sees. 13.5-14 stops of latitude. That 1.5-2 stops from the native 12 is is the difference between, exposing for skin tone in a over cast sky, or exposing for the texture in the clouds. yes you can expose for the clouds and boost the skin tone back up, but why not have it correct the first time in camera? plus it will look more natural, and a major component of "cinematic" images is the natural rendition of the tones in a scene. Over all i find my self far more lenient on digital images lately, and blown out skies and windows are the norm in so much we see. What stands out to me now is images that retain that image detail, whether they are shot on film or Epic or F3 w/ sLog.
Peliculeras Vimeo 2 months ago

SI OS GUSTA EL CINE, AQUÍ TENEIS UN PROGRAMA QUE HEMOS REALIZADO PARA LA UNIVERSIDAD SOBRE CINE Y “HUMOR”. vimeo.com/32662475 ESPERAMOS QUE OS GUSTE!