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Sony FS7


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I did my first shoot on one of these today.  A few things to note:

 

1) There's some kind of internal level setting, from 0 to 99, that seems to override the pots on the side.  Presumably it's so the operator can fiddle with levels with his thumb (I didn't have time to check).  You can disable it in the audio input menu, from memory it's something like "LVL + SIDE 1" and "LVL + SIDE 2".  I switched it to SIDE 1 and 2 only (this disables the level control).

 

2) As with the F5 and F55, it forgets if the headphones are mono or stereo.  So you have to go back into the menu and change it from one to the other to get it to "remember".

 

3) I couldn't find a timecode socket, I think this comes on some kind of extension accessory.

 

It's a nice little camera though, more or less the same menu setup as the F5/F55 (no screen on the side though).  The XLR sockets are in a decent position, although the headphone socket has once again been placed entirely randomly, somewhere around the back on the opposite side.

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Tested one today. It's a mess for sound (and shooter) that you have to look into the viewfinder to change audio settings. Even changing monitor volume demands working yourself through some menus. I miss the display on the side - no chance to have a look at the audio levels when the cameraman makes his pictures. Sony says they have constructed the FS7 for one man shooters ...

 

But good audio choices in the menu, no accidental changing of values possible.

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A three FS7 day! None with the backs, so sync will be on the backs of the editors in their caves. Got TOD close enough in each camera, smart slate with numbers from the 633. Levels set, checked things easily (but not deeply--no time): it's an amalgam of analog and digital controls, d 'n d news or more elaborate stuff. Not one of the beautiful machines of yesteryear but one for the times.

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It looks to me like the shooter-thumb dial can be assigned to control audio levels,. This means that even if it's set to "LVL + Side", the dial only controls audio levels if it's assigned that way. But the result is the same when sound is on the scene - I'm going to disable "LVL + Side" to avoid any snafus.

From the FS7 Manual:

Adjusting the audio recording level manuallyUse the following procedure to adjust the audio recording level.1 Set the CH1/CH2 (AUTO/MAN) switches for the channels to adjust manually to “MAN.”2 During shooting or standby, turn the AUDIO LEVEL (CH1)/(CH2) dials of the corresponding channels to adjust the audio level.You can also adjust the recording level using the assignable dial (page 42) if assigned with the Audio Input Level function, or from the setup menu.Notes• IfAudioInput>CH1LevelandCH2Levelinthe Audio menu are both set to “Side,” Audio Input Level in the menu is disabled as there is no target for the Audio Input Level setting. In this case, an assignable dial with Audio Input Level assigned also cannot be used to adjust the audio level.• If Audio Input >CH1 Level or CH2 Level in the Audio menu is set to “Lvl + Side,” the adjustment value is the product of the Audio Input Level setting and the level set by the AUDIO LEVEL dial. If either level is set to the minimum value, the audio is muted. If both levels are set to the maximum value, the maximum level is selected.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I worked with the FS7 for the firstime this week. Sit down interview recording direct to camera. Audio menu pretty good and easy to set up.One useful thing I noticed that I didn't see in the manual is that the "status" button on the side of the camera allows you to expand the audio meters in the viewfinder to show the numbers, with -20 clearly labelled. this is identical to other cameras in Sony's lineup. The line level input setting in the menu was set to +4. other options were (I believe) -10 and 0. Useful. I used the +4 and it was fine, although the output from my 633 and other SD units is nominally 0 (dbu?). didn't want to push my luck too much with messing with the menus this time around. Checked playback and all was good. Made backups anyway (non-TC synced as no add-on box on camera), but didn't need them. This camera is going to be the  multi market leader for sure. Great price, well thought out, small and relatively lightweight. We are going to see a lot of these cameras in our work, which is fine with me

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4k, prores and 4channel audio coming soon:

http://community.sony.com/sony/attachments/sony/FS7/2825/1/PXW-FS7%20Firmware%20Release%20notes.pdf

 

"new firmware also ups the audio-recording capability of the FS7 from two to four 24-bit 48 kHz audio channels. Two of the channels are associated with the camera's built-in XLR connectors, while the other two are accessed via the camera's multi-interface (MI) shoe."
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• Built-in Multi-Interface (MI) Shoe

 

The PXW-FS7 is equipped with a Multi-Interface (MI) Shoe that supports connection to wireless microphone packages such as the UWP-D11 or UWP-D12 (sold separately). When connected to the shoe, the HVL-LBPC light (optional) can be turned on or off from the camera, and power and audio connections are provided to the UWP-D11 or UWP-D12 without cables.

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I can get you a shoe with a USB 3 port. What size?

Ah..butt seriously:

http://blog.abelcine.com/2015/02/26/new-fs7-firmware-enables-more-recording-and-audio-options/

 

I tried to copy/paste audio specific bits but was not allowed..strange.

 

 

the new firmware 2.0 allows a Sony XLR-K2M Multi-Interface shoe XLR module to now be added to the FS7’s multi-interface shoe position. The XLR-K2M has individual level controls for each XLR channel, and it even has the ability to provide phantom power to both jacks, allowing four separate mics to be powered off a single FS7 camera.

This module will also allow for multiple isolated tracks or mix track audio channels from a sound mixer to be recorded directly onto the XQD card via a ENG audio snake cable, or even four channels of wireless audio camera hop channels.

For those who want to keep things simple, it is now possible to have the built-in camera scratch mic selected to record all the time voice memos from the operator, while the other three channels can be used for the UWP-D receiver’s two channels and a single channel for an on camera shotgun microphone. This great array of choices in audio will fulfill the needs of a one-person operator all the way to a complex multi talent interview panel.

- See more at: http://blog.abelcine.com/2015/02/26/new-fs7-firmware-enables-more-recording-and-audio-options/#sthash.YrRd7OFE.dpuf
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Made a test recently with FS7 and UWP-D connected to a 633 via X3X4:

Quite high noise floor, some strange digital noise appearing in interval and being recorded. All in all disappointing.

Something plugged into the XLRs will sound much better.

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