For years, videographers shooting in dark situations frequently ran into the issue of a ton of noise in darks and shadows that would oftentimes make some footage difficult or impossible to use. Many have heralded the release of the a7S II with applause due to its power for video in low-light situations and even to record bursts of high frame rates in HD, so we took one into the deep recesses of an abandoned power plant in New Orleans to see how it did.
When most people think of going to New Orleans, they think Bourbon Street, Hand Grenades (the drinks!), the Quarter, beignets, and seafood. However, my intrepid colleagues and I, were about to enter into a power plant that had been decommissioned in the 70s and left to decay at its own rate — which in New Orleans means, rain, humidity, and in a few instances recently, hurricanes. Our purpose for this trip was to document the workings of Kevin R Whitley, the amazing landscape and urban exploration photographer that we had previously interviewed on the Nino Batista's, The Backyard. Normally for video work we would turn to our trusty Canon DSLRs, ranging from a 5D, a couple of 7Ds, and a couple of 6Ds, or I’d break out the big guns and get out the FS700, which is a large and bulky setup, which you’ll see below. Photos courtesy of Syed Hasan.
Bring on the Sony a7S II
Our alternative for this particular trip, was to look into getting our hands on a Sony a7S II and pairing it with a good lens, which we were able to do through a local rental company here in Houston. The lens we got was a Zeiss Distagon 35mm 1.4 ZA, a phenomenal lens that was easy to use and interestingly enough, featured a manual aperture ring built onto the lens itself, which lent very well to adjusting exposure on the fly such as walking in or out of different rooms with different lighting conditions. We knew/assumed that we’d be walking into some areas of extremely, or potentially no light that would still be important to document. Thinking ahead, we thought this would be an ideal setup and also would provide a good scenario to give the camera a good field test. To capture the audio, we rounded out the ensemble with a Rode microphone, not wanting to leave to chance, gambling on the built-in microphone on the camera. I only had few days with this camera but what I discovered is it's an amazing tool.
This is the point where many articles will go into a lot of the in-depth techno jargon describing the various nuances and subtleties and listing every feature available on the camera, in case you can’t read the description on the box or the retailer’s website. Here’s what you really need to know about the Sony a7S II: It works. Now let me clarify exactly what I mean by that.
Shooting Stills
For stills, it’s a great camera; it has amazing dynamic range and fantastic clarity. The live preview capability is a nice tool to have for shooting on the fly, or even on projects just using natural light. The low megapixel count is not a detriment to the picture quality, but you will certainly not capture as much detail as a full-frame 5D Mark III, or in a more extreme comparison, its pixel big brother, the a7R II. However stills are far from why I wanted to use this camera, and as such be considered a footnote in this camera’s capabilities.
Shooting Video
Where this camera shines is in video. Bright sun to almost pitch black, this camera could do it, crystal clear, with very little heavy noise until you really start to push it into the upper sensitivity levels (ISO). I would assume that due to some compression, when filming in 1080 there’s a little more noise in shadows and darks than filming in 4K, but even then, it’s hardly noticeable unless you're really looking for it. Especially if you take advantage of Sony’s flat Slog profiles, Slog2 or, available on this camera, Slog3, which after color correcting for those that are so inclined, produces an amazingly dynamic and crisp image.
Steady Hands
Now, one thing that this camera advertises vehemently is its 5-axis internal stabilization, and for good reason. It works really well for simple corrections. For stills, it definitely is a powerful tool for slower exposures, even at extended focal lengths, and for video it works great for handheld motion and simple pans but for quicker movements or even brisk walking a stabilizer of any sort would be beneficial, especially if you’re going for a very commercial smooth look.
How Small Is It?
Now another thing that many people have praised it for is its compact nature, and it is very compact, which is fantastic, and terrible, all in one handheld device. To its advantage, it is very small and light, which means that it is easy to carry, and easy to maneuver, whether handheld or even on a gimbal. I was even part of a production very recently where we had one strapped to the hood of a C6 Corvette as we zoomed around a track (more info on that experiment at a later date). Its small size and light weight make this camera one to contend with. However, those same advantages also bring about a few disadvantages as well. If you’re anything like me, over six feet, chances are you have bigger hands, which means a small device with a myriad of small controls will be awkward using until you get a feel for the buttons, or until you get the custom function buttons dialed in to your liking, which I highly recommend, as I’m not a huge fan of where they placed the record button.
Small Things Also Come In Small Packages
Additionally, the small space required a compromise on power, in the form of smaller batteries, which means less charge, and less time to record. The unit I was using was a rental unit, and the rental company was kind enough to provide two batteries. However, as I soon found out these would definitely not last the course of the full day of filming we had originally planned, I was forced to find power sources to alternate batteries during the course of the day. We also borrowed an additional battery from Whitley himself, who was using the a7R II which conveniently uses the same batteries as the a7S II. So for extended filming, definitely be mindful to turn the camera off while not recording to conserve batteries, and stock up on as many batteries as you might think you'll need.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, the a7S II is a great tool for professional and aspiring filmmakers alike. Priced at just a tick under $3,000, it's within reach and a much less expensive option than some of the other 4K-ready cameras on the market. Its small size and compact design make it ideal for mounting on camera rigs and for filmmakers who have a premium on space in their kit, and require something that can fit into their carry-on baggage. It has its disadvantages, but overall I think the advantages definitely overshadow them substantially with the possibilities and capabilities this camera brings to the table. Will this camera take the place of cameras like the RED series? No, of course not, but at a fifth of the price for some of the less expensive RED cameras, I'd definitely say it's worth its weight. Additionally, stay tuned for the final video from that adventure in New Orleans, it'll be dropping soon enough!