SEATTLE—As a freelance lighting cameraman who works on live broadcasts and pre-recorded pieces for network news, events, corporate and sports clients, I need powerful and reliable equipment to help me do my job. For me, those tools include a variety of Sony’s cameras.
I started my network shooting career in 1998 when I got my first Sony, a BVW-D600 Betacam. From there, I progressed to other cameras but came back to Sony with the HD PDW-700 XDCAM and then the Super35mm F5 and F55.
Since then, I’ve incorporated additional Sony models as the marketplace demanded including a mirrorless a7S III, the FX6 and FX9 with a full complement of Sony’s G Master lenses, as well as the PXW-Z450 and Z750 for ENG. I’ve favored Sony’s cameras due to their consistency and reliance on quality, and superior image.
S-Cinetone Gamma
Working with a Sony ecosystem makes everything easy and gives me peace of mind. The Alpha and FX cameras all have the S-Cinetone Gamma option which looks fantastic straight out of the camera and makes for easy color matching among cameras—without needing an engineer to set up my cameras to match. Sony’s taken care of that at the factory within the cameras and the lenses. The content looks great together and the process is streamlined. When there’s one less thing to worry about on-set, I’m able to focus my full attention on the setup and the story.
Regardless of what a production needs, I typically have a Sony camera that can get the job done—from putting the a7S III on a gimbal to capture b-roll and then a Z750 for an interview, I know that they’re going to have a very similar look to the sit-down material. Having the flexibility to use different Sony cameras allows me to get creative with my options and angles. I can even achieve high-frame rate easily with the slow and quick motion functions.
G Master Lenses
There are so many features related to Sony’s imaging portfolio that I value. The G Master lenses are so clean and optically consistent, eliminating the need for color correction between lenses. When I use SxS media, I don’t have to worry about handing off discs to clients; I can dump the material to a drive from the SxS card and keep the media with me. The FX9 has great eye tracking and face recognition, which is a life saver especially with prime lenses and subjects that move around during interviews.
With the Z750, I find the menu system to be extremely intuitive and settings are easy to find. Additionally, its three-chip 4K global shutter provides real quality depth of field. If you know how to use gain and ND you can achieve that crisp focal plane look that really makes your shots stand out. The camera is such a gorgeous piece of equipment, and it produces a consistently beautiful picture whenever I need it to, whether early in the morning with low light or even in bright daylight.
For someone who makes a living creating images, you want to use the best technology because the greatest honor in this business is repeat clients—Sony has been consistent in making that happen for me. Just as I was raised on Sony, my son Jack, who has access to my cameras, has a familiarity with the brand and a preference for it—so I’m helping to usher in the next-generation Sony user.
For more information visit www.pro.sony/ue_US/.
