12Apr More Sony a7s low light testing, a Hero 4 in the works, and a 4k pocket recorder rumor
At NAB this week I wasn’t able to dismount the a7s from it’s stand or use a memory card in the camera so my low light testing was a little bit crude. This video just released by Sony really gives you a much better idea of how amazing this camera actually is in low light. As I mentioned in my previous post, the Canon 5d mark III starts to break down at around 6400 ISO in video mode, however at 102,400 ISO in this video, the image still looks usable.
A few of you asked about rolling shutter. We were able to do a little bit of fast motion testing on the Sony a7s before we left NAB on friday. The rolling shutter on the a7s is a bit worse than the Canon 6d I had with me. I spoke with the Sony rep about rolling shutter and they said that the firmware on the display cameras still needed a lot of work. They seemed to be confident that rolling shutter would be as good or better than the Canon 5d mark III by the time of the a7s release in the next 3 to 4 months.
As for 4k recording, Atomos announced the Ninja Pocket recorder. While the one on display is only designed for 1080p recording, several reps at multiple booths seem to think that there was a 4k version in the works. One rep even said “I expect to see a 4k version when the new Hero 4 is announced at the end of the year.” The announcement of a 4k capable (at 30 fps) Hero 4 is pretty likely considering Ambarella, the company that makes the current A7 SOC for the hero 3+ has released the new A9 with very good 4k specs.
If a 4k Ninja Pocket was released at around $300 or so, that would really make the Sony a7s an attractive 4k camera, especially with it’s amazing low light performance. Still, it’s a shame Sony’s marketing team wouldn’t allow the a7s to record 4k internally.
I’ll have more updates from our trip to NAB throughout the weekend and into next week as I get a chance to sort through all of my notes. I’ll keep you posted.
June 3rd, 2014 at 8:47 am
I hope and pray that they make a pocket 4K recorder, i really want the a7s to take over the market it has alot of potential and although i wanted the GH4 so bad it may be a better long term investment to go with sony.
June 3rd, 2014 at 10:40 am
The Gh4 can record 4k so a pocket recorder is very possible, it’s just a matter of time. The a7s even has all the parts needed to record 4k internally, sony simply decided to leave it out via firmware. My guess is they are waiting to see what canon does. If canon announces a 4k capable body in the 3k range, sony will simply add the feature via firmware and the a7s will again be the leader.