Sony F3: First S-Log Test!

"What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas"

Photos by: Chris Dowsett

Well, not this time.  I attended the 2011 NAB conference in Las Vegas Nevada this past week.  Seeing as i never attended a NAB before, my good friends Khalid Mohtaseb and Jon Bregel saw to it that i joined them on this trip.  Its great that i did.  We got ourselves in to an adventure that could only be described as a digital cinematographers dream.  While visiting the Abel Cine Tech booth, our good friend Andy Shipsides was more than happy to point us in the direction of the newest addition to the Abel family of cameras.  A Sony F3 with a spectacular improvement; a blue Element Technica top handle replacement.... but that was the least of what made this particular Sony F3 great.....

Now you may be asking yourself, "Why, in that photo above, it sure doesn't look like the Abel Cine Tech's booth....?"  Well it isn't; let me tell you why.  That camera you see above, is one of only two Sony F3's in the world with the now infamous S-Log 444 Dual link firmware update.  Andy, was so kind as to let Khalid, Jon and I borrow the camera for the night.  With less than 12 hours, to plan, coordinate, and shoot, we called in the big guns, our friends Brad Burke, Steve Birne, Tyler Ginter, Jeff Levine, Chris Dowsett and last but not least the amazing Vincent Laforet to help create a proper, effective, and true to real working conditions camera test.  This crack team of some of the most talented individuals on this earth, all pooled their collective resources to come up with an attack plan for this once in a long while opportunity to test a new piece of revolutionary equipment.  When presented with this fantastic camera out of the blue, the reality hit us that in order to test a camera, you need certain things.  The fact is we had a room full of DP's and not a tripod, lens or matte-box between the three of us....

First, before i finish the story allow me to explain what S-Log is, and why its so darn significant.  The Sony F3, a phenomenal 1080p HD camera already, records 8 bit 35mbps XDcam to SXS media cards.    This is the standard recording media for all mid range professional Sony cameras working right now.  When Sony created the F35 Camera a few years ago, they built a full super 35mm Sized CCD sensor capable of producing some of the best images in the digital cinematography world.  This was a camera designed from the ground up to be a full cinema style system that records to the highest quality footage to HDcam SR Tape. ( it also costs about $250,000) The standard XD cam recording format would not cut the mustard with such a high end camera. The problem being that video systems in general are not able to capture the wide latitude of exposure that film can.  Sony thought of a clever solution.  They created S-Log.  Its a way of compressing a wide latitude of visual information into a video signal by flattening the contrast, and recording it all onto the pristine quality of HDcam SR....  What all that means in English its that the final product looks A LOT BETTER in the end...  Much more like film, and much more natural to the human eye.  This feature was only available in the world of super high end motion picture cameras.... Until now....   For the first time, we the common film maker, have access to the tools Hollywood uses.

Ok, back to the story...

The ideas started flowing, and we settled on a few situations that we wanted to put the camera through, and see how S-Log footage came out the other side.  We decided we wanted aerial shots at twilight, night exteriors, different skin tones and sunny skies to really push the camera to its limits.   Like the resourceful magicians we all are, we all split up to the different vendors at NAB, and explained to them the unique situation we had before us and asked for their support...   These vendors are the real heroes behind this collaboration.  Without people like, Eric Kessler of Kessler Crane and Jared Abrams of wideopencamera.com, providing us with monetary support to make the realities of a helicopter shoot happen and the simple necessity of a crew van and driver.  In addition to monetary support, we received unwaivering and generous support from brands like Cooke Optics, Angenieux, Carl Zeiss, Miller, Element Technica, O'Connor, ARRI, Tyler Camera Systems, Lite Panel and last but not least Anton Bauer.  

Our gear list could only be dreamed about!!!!!

Imagine if you will, a Sony F3 with S-Log, recording dual link 444, into a Cinedeck, mounted to a prototype Element Technica top handle conversion for the F3, sitting on a Element Technica, 19mm Rod setup, supporting a set of O'connor Orgips and Obox, next to a brand new ARRI FF5 follow focus, connected to any number of ARRI Master Primes, Ultra Primes, Cooke Panchros, AND the biggest surprise of all, the one of a kind prototype Angenieux Optimo 45-120....  Yes, thats right, not only are we the first to use the F3 with S-Log, but we are the first DP's to EVER shoot on an Optimo 45-120!!!! 

We had the privilege to use on this project:

Arri Master Prime: 25mm T1.3

Arri Ultra Prime: 8R 8mm T2.8 

Cooke Panchro 18mm T2.8

Cooke Panchro 100mm T2.8

Angenieux DP Rouge 16-42 T2.8

Angenieux DP Rouge 30-80 T2.8

Angenieux Optimo 45-120 T2.8

This is a dizzying array of optics.  All the major players, all the major glass.....

The 8R is simple a marvel of engineering.  It literally sees almost 180 degrees with as little distortion as you can have on a lens with a focal length like that.  What was really interesting, was seeing all the different glass being used at the same time.   Its SO rare to have Zeiss, next to Angenieux, next to Cooke....  What I did find, was that there is a marked difference in the performance of the lenses.  However, it wasn't a matter, oh this lens is better... its more like, "Wow, thats beautiful....." ( change lens) "Wow... Thats beautiful" but this time, for a completely different reason.  There is no denying the sterile slick sharp perfection of the Master Primes, but the warm, golden Cookes just bring the image to  life, while the Angenieux's bring out a nostalgic, cinematic look that beckons to a different time. 

Once we actually got down to it, the night was a mad dash of helicopter shots as the sun was setting, shooting with our wonderful model Mallory Sherrill on a hotel balcony, and in the streets of Vegas, rigging a makeshift carmount for the 8R time laspe shots, Going to a wedding.... Seriously.... and then finally as the sun was rising we shot our other wonderful model, Linda Carriel at the uber-modern Cosmopolitan Hotel.  Our producers and Production coordinators Brad Burke, Steve Birne and Tyler Ginter put their talents into overdrive to keep this production running smoothly, and without any major hiccups.  I must stress, productions would not happen without producers, PA's, AC's and production coordinators.  These individuals are equally important to the shoot as the camera is.

All of this work led up to this.  The final product from all our collective labor.

I intended to go to NAB to have some fun and maybe oogle some lenses.  Never did i think i would be part of something this much fun and ground breaking.

I wish to extend my thanks to my good friends at Next Level Pictures, Khalid Mohtaseb and Jon Bregel for joining forces with Tstop Cinema and creating something that will help grow the film making community.  I wish to especially thank Eric Kessler and Jared Abrams for giving us the boost to get off the ground, and make this whole thing happen.  Thanks to Vincent Laforet for lending us his talent and expertise in aerial photography, and helping us secure the necessary equipment for the shoot.  Finally, and with every bit of importance as the names that have gone before, i wish to thank the tireless efforts of Brad Burke, Stephen Birne, Tyler Ginter for producing the living hell out of this production, and to the Crew of FreshDV, Matt Jeppsen and Kendal Miller, and last but not least, the phenomenal Chis Dowsett who took all of the beautiful photos you see above.  

Thank You for reading, and please feel free to comment, and ask any questions. I will answer to the best of my ability.

-Timur Civan

www.timurcivan.com

Timurcivan @twitter

Tstopcinema @twitter

Examination of Lenses Part II: Cooke iPanchros

Picking up where i left off with the Cooke Varotal 18-100 T3, i figured it was only fair to continue with the Cooke line.   The beauty of lenses in the digital age is that they are the last organic component in the image path.  We used to have the wonderful magic of photo chemical emulsion film, to conclude the path of the light rays, but in the future, the film production world for the most part will be all digital, and most likely RAW, meaning the capture is absolute and consistent.  No happy accidents in the chemical conversion of light to silver crystals.( or unhappy accidents for that matter...)  As we have seen from the Varotal, some vintage lenses impart a lot of character, while some of the newer high end lens manufacturers aspire to optical perfection.  This is fantastic because we can choose lenses specifically for their optical character.

Personally, i'm a Cooke guy. (In case you cant tell already.....)  Their warmth, contrast, and the smooth roll in and out of focus really makes warm and fuzzy inside.  Thankfully, these beautiful attributes translate to digital quite well. 

Cooke iPanchro Prime lenses:

iPanchros are an interesting set of 6 lenses, 18mm 25mm 32mm 50mm 75mm and the 100mm.  They are for the most part a brand new line for Cooke.  Released in 2009, with the 18mm only added to the set this year, and a 135mm planned for next year.  In this case, new is good, VERY good.  They are designed from the ground up with an pedigree unlike any other, an inherent consideration for digital workflow and robust quality in mind.  iPanchros are tiny dynamos of optical power.  Not the fastest lenses in the world, the entire set is T2.8, but that compromise enabled some interesting by products.  Cooke prides itself on creating lenses that match ( as far as physics allows) as closely as possible.  The iPanchros are no exception.  Using a Panchro, is like using a S4 that opens up to a T2.8.  Literally.  Its the same aperture components from the S4 series, transplanted into the optical chain of the newer smaller lenses.  What this means is, that for half the price, you can have lenses that match S4's optically in every way except a T2.0 aperture.  Sharpness, contrast, flare, bokeh, build quality* and color.  They match so closely, that my friend and fellow DP Ryan Patrick O'Hara, when comparing the iPachros to the S4's, found that they matched so well that the differences were akin to the difference between different sets of S4's.... not a completely different product line.  That says a lot when talking about the quality of the design, and the stance behind these lenses.  The choice of a T2.8 aperture enabled the engineers to focus on consistency and performance.  Far more important factors than speed when using cine caliber glass.  

*( about build quality, you get the same exceptional S4 build quality and award winning focus design) 

The image itself is warm, contrasty and sharp.... but with a certain.... intangible quality that just gives the sense of richness that defines the "Cooke Look".  The lenses specifically have built in a subtle warming filter that is targeted at the skin tone ranges.  ( i swear the Cooke tech told me this in person)  ( Cooke look, is printed on the box the lenses come in.... awesome) This video is shot on Sony F3, with Cooke iPanchros and the Duclos 11-16mm Zoom.    Immediately below is the extended ungraded version to show off the natural look of the lenses.

Ungraded:

The Panchros are fantastic to work with.  As a DP, the T2.8 stop is no bother whatsoever.  I light to a T2.8 - T4 when shooting anyhow, as i feel an aperture wider than that looks somewhat awkward, and is difficult for many 1st AC's to pull focus with.  The modern crop of digital cinema cameras all seem to run a base ISO of 800, and if you turn on practically any lamp on set you are hitting your exposure.

My AC's love the lenses because the focus and aperture rings are smooth as butter, the witness marks are accurate to the inch, and the finish of the lenses just ooze quality.  My AC was so impressed with the feel of the lenses that he said he wished he could pull focus on them every day.  The reason for this glowing review is that the focus design is such that, unlike helicoil lenses, where the focus marks get closer and closer together as the lens nears infinity, the Cookes use a "eliptical" design, that makes the focus marks far more linear, and thus pulling focus is far easier and more accurate. ( i don't really understand the focus design, all i know is that my AC's love them...)

Strengths and flaws:
This is some lowlight testing footage which shows a few interesting things....

These scenes were shot with the Sony F3 at max ISO, in river side park w/ sodium vapor lamps.  (The black and white testing is for a film i'm shooting this week, and i need to see how the color image translates to black and white.)

Aperture/bokeh:
This was for the most part shot completely wide open.   This is the cool thing about Panchros, they are designed from the ground up to be shot wide open.  Where as most lenses need to be stopped down for peak performance, understanding the T2.8 aperture is a working stop the engineers designed the lens to perform identically to a S4 stopped down to a T2.8.  The only difference being that there is a small round matte behind the iris giving you the option of round bokeh wide open, as seen in this video below, or if you so choose the classic Cooke "flower" bokeh.  Technically the Panchros seem to open up past T2.8, but the round matte gives you an option for round bokeh or not, while maintaining a T2.8 aperture.  As you see below, the distinctive Cooke bokeh in effect.

Flare:

The Panchros do flare a tiny bit, but not nearly as bad as Super Speeds or the Cooke Varotal ( mind you "bad" is purely subjective, in a rock music video situation, huge flares are eagerly welcomed... in a narrative film, not so much.) you can see some flares from the street lamps, and car headlights.  I feel however that shooting at such a high ISO was more the culprit.    I've been using the cookes for several weeks now, and i have distinctly noticed that they are pretty much flare free.

Color:

Color rendition is a bit warm, but freakishly consistent within the set, and matches the color tone of the 18-100 very closely.  They look, better than real life in that everything has a "glow" to it.....  If you need absolute optical precision that represents the real world exactly..... Master primes or Ultra primes are a better choice, but if you need beauty or drama.  This is the place to be.

So in wrapping up, this look at the Cooke Panchros, a few things come to mind.  They are small, light, built to last, and perform like a lens three times the price.  However, the Panchros do something that the S4's can't, which is important in the upcoming future.  The whole Panchro set covers RED S35 5K.  From the 100mm all the way down to the 18mm, they offer full coverage up to 33.1mm.  Also, while we are on the subject of digital cine cameras, the "i" in iPanchro.... thats the idata protocol.   Its a way for the digital camera to record in the meta data, what focal length, focus distance, and aperture setting the lens is set to.  this is mission critical when doing digital composite work, where the 3D effects artist has to account for the lens information when creating the effects.  Instead of relying on script notes, he can just read the metadata.  The iData can also be used in the 3D steroscopic world, to help sync 3D rigged cameras together.  The tight standards that cooke builds their lenses to with regard to color, contrast and sharpness, means they are an excellent choice for 3D film productions.

Ever since i got these lenses i have felt like i won the lottery.  Every time they come up on the camera, and i look at the monitor, i go to heaven just a little bit, and hopefully continue to do so for many more years to come.  

Feel free to comment, follow me on Twitter or visit my website, www.timurcivan.com

Next up.... Duclos 11-16mm T2.8.....
"It goes to 11...."

-T