BUYING USED
MIRRORLESS: SONY A7S III
The full-frame mirrorless Sony A7S III has firmly established itself as the go-to machine for a great many indie filmmakers, despite initially voicing disappointment that it doesn’t offer 6K or 8K shooting. It captures 4K at 60p full-frame with no crop, recorded internally in 10-bit 4:2:2 with no limitations on recording time. With all the advanced AF functions working, it also shoots 120fps 4K internally, as well as 240fps in HD for up to 10x super slow-motion. Find a huge range of HD and 4K options, in 10-bit and 8-bit 4:2:2 and 4:2:0 versions, with little or no sensor cropping. There is customisable AF with hybrid phase and contrast detection. The A7S III is designed for full-frame 4K shooting, which only needs 12 megapixels. So the larger pixels on the full-frame give huge sensitivity at higher ISO and are read much faster by the in-camera processor.
S CLASS This Sony mirrorless might only pack a 4K sensor, but it is an incredible performer – especially in low light
This means rolling shutter is virtually zero and there are no recording time limits due to heat. It’s still very much a current camera, but since it has been quite so popular with consumers, pre-loved models are plentiful for around £2700/$2800.
“Since it has been quite so popular, pre-loved models are plentiful”
Sigma’s AF Art lenses have been a hit with filmmakers. They are so good, Sigma rehoused the glass in metal bodies with geared manual focusing as real cine lenses. The company then built its first specific manual focus cinema lens for the ultimate optical quality, fitting this glass into an Art-style AF lens body. That model is the full-frame 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art – and Sigma has the charts to prove that it’s the firm’s highest-resolving lens ever. It’s stunningly sharp, producing very detailed, crisp images with lots of contrast. And they remain sharp right across the whole frame, only losing out slightly at very wide apertures. There is hardly any distortion – and coma is totally absent. Chromatic aberration is almost completely absent, although vignetting does rear its head at the widest apertures, disappearing by f/2. Flare is well controlled thanks to the lens hood and lens coatings, and looks OK when you provoke it enough with a very bright highlight. All that from £450/$500 used. AF LENS: SIGMA 40MM F/1.4 DG HSM ART
GET ART OF HERE! Sigma’s 40mm AF is based on the cine prime design, but is a significantly cheaper purchase
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