With new mirrorless low-light cameras, the camera crew of Deadliest Catch are able to capture footage like never before.
When it comes to studio productions, camera crews have the benefit of using controllable light sources to help them capture the best footage possible. For reality television and documentary style shows, shooters have to rely on available light sources and minimal light kits. That means there’s high demand for low-light cameras on these fast-paced productions.
One show that’s constantly putting cameras to the test is the hit Discovery Channel series, Deadliest Catch. In this promotional piece for the twelfth season, narrator Mike Rowe talks about the “new state-of-the-art mirrorless cameras” used in production. Granted, the latest season of the show was actually filmed in 2015, so Rowe is referring to the Sony a7S — which has since been upgraded to the Sony a7S II.
In this behind-the-scenes video, you will see the Sony a7S is action — as well as many of the other cameras and rigs debuting in season 12.
The Sony a7S was chosen because of the stunning footage in can capture in seemingly pitch black conditions.
Kusyk is referring to all the previous seasons in which viewers got a look into the captain’s control room. Here’s a comparison from seasons 11 and 12.
The show’s director of photography, David Reichert, talks about his decision to use the Sony a7S in this interview with Variety.
He goes on to describe the difficulty of shooting the series,
You can see the whole interview here, as well as more insight into shooting and editing the series.
The Sony a7S and a7SII
Anyone curious to learn more about the Sony a7S (and how it compares to the a7S II) should check out this camera review from PremiumBeat. You’ll see how Sony made some improvements to the mirrorless camera’s design and build and learn how the company addressed issues with the rolling shutter.
The a7S used in Deadliest Catch has an ISO range of 50-409600. The full-frame CMOS sensor can capture 1080p footage up to 60fps internally, and can capture 4K footage with an external recorder. The a7S II allows for internal 4K recording up to 30fps.
With such high definition and outrageous ISO levels, the a7S and a7S II have become some of the most popular video cameras on the market. The technology within has also added better low-light capabilities to other Sony cameras, like the recently announced Sony a6500 — which has a max ISO of 51200 for stills and 25600 for video.
A new a7S II will set you back $2998 USD, and the new a6500 will start at $1400 USD.
Top image by Jeffrey T. Kreulen