Over the past few weeks I have been touting the Sony a6300's video performance. This past week I decided to take the camera to the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course to film a track day. Oddly I ended up not using the auto focus, as the fences were proving to be a challenge with adapted EF mount Sigma lenses. On native lenses like the 70-200mm f/4 or the 70-300 f/4-5.6, this likely wouldn't have been an issue. Aside from that, the camera continued to impress me and exceeded my expectations.
I will preface the rest of this mini review by saying that this edit isn't profound in any way. I took the camera out to test the 120fps frame rate and the new Atomos Ninja Flame. This is a collection of clips illustrating the camera's potential, and had I been a tad bit more prepared for the wind and fence issue, better footage would be easily achievable. Shooting motorcycles isn't particularly easy, as they're very, very fast. I went a little outside of my normal workflow as I shoot a significant portion of the footage in the a6300's 120fps frame rate. This ended up providing some lovely results for the slow motion sequences. Most cameras in the under $5000 price range only allow for 60fps shooting, which is not awful as far as slow motion is concerned, but nothing like 120 fps. Considering that the a6300 only costs $1000, that's a huge bonus for those creating a lot of documentary and advertising work.
As usual, I used the S-Log3 gamma during shooting for better dynamic range and more flexibility during color grading. While S-Log3 can be tricky at first, the results are really beautiful once you understand how the gamma curve affects your footage. Here's a side by side of a frame before and after grading.
I was also fortunate enough to try the new Atomos Ninja Flame. For those that are unfamiliar with the Atomos products, they are devices that allow any camera to record the virtually lossless Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD formats. The Ninja Flame is their newest HDMI recorder, featuring an incredibly bright 7" IPS screen. With 8-bit (I know, the a6300 won't output 10-bit via its HDMI) 4:2:2 color and the ProRes 422 codec, the footage is clean and beautiful. I will say that the XAVC-s codec found in the camera is not bad. I watched a few clips where I recorded it on the Atomos in ProRes and XAVC-s in camera simultaneously, and was really impressed by what I was getting. That being said, if you can afford to shoot in ProRes, do it, the difference is noticeable. If you don't want to shell out for the Ninja Flame, buy the Ninja 2 for $1,000 less and shoot ProRes out of whatever camera you'd like.
I used three different lenses throughout the day, the Sigma 18-35mm, 50-100mm, and 150-600mm. This combination allowed for some wide shots like the rider leaving the garage, to some extreme long shots where the camera was seeing clear down the 1/4 mile straight away. These are all Canon mount lenses, so the adapter was causing a lapse in the autofocus speed one would want for a situation like this. Wind also played a factor into the lens shake you see in a few of the ultra long shots. At 600mm (effectively 900mm on the a6300 sensor), the slightest shakes look like an earthquake. Aside from that, the lenses all performed wonderfully. The wide apertures of the 18-35mm f/1.8 and 50-100mm f/1.8 offered some nice creative opportunities. And as expected from these Sigma Global Vision lenses, they're sharp as a tack.
I really do think that the a6300 is the best "video" camera for its price. I say that, because it's versatile. Yes, the Black Magic Pocket Cinema Camera shoots ProRes and Raw internally, but it doesn't shoot 120fps, the ISO sensitivity limits it a bit in terms of available light shooting, the battery life is abysmal, and the super 16 sensor size can be frustrating. That being said, for what it's meant for, the BMPCC is amazing. I have seen incredible footage come from that camera, and in the hands of a working professional, it will come through. The a6300 is still more versatile. Of course, you may not need that versatility but if you shoot a variety of genres in a variety of situations, the Sony will offer you more options. When the price rises, the Black Magic vs Sony vs Canon argument can get murky as they certainly start to differentiate themselves more. The options are endless for and endless amount of possibilities, pick the best tool for you and run with it. What camera do you shoot with and why?
Did you grade from scratch, or did you use a LUT? And if a LUT, which one?
I rarely grade S-Log3 footage from scratch. For this video I used the S-Log3 LUT that is built into Premiere CC's Lumetri Color panel. I don't often use "creative" LUTs but I have been toying with that a bit lately. If I shoot in one of the Cine profiles on the Sony cameras that isn't log, I'll grade those from scratch usually as they're much closer to the final product.
I like the guy that bonks the pylon at 1:52
Curious about the inconsistency of the color grading. Sometimes the footage is relatively neutral, other times it's cyanish-blue, and sometimes heavily so. Were you applying different curves as you went along?