David Brodosi Reviews Sony PXW-FS7M2 XDCAM Super 35 Camera System

Hello, my name is David Brodosi and I’m a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products. 

First off, a little background. David Brodosi has never used the original Fs7, and before using the Fs7 ii he was using Canon systems primarily. Like a lot of people turned off by Sony, David Brodosi had internalized the usual myths: poor ergonomics, poor menu design, poor autofocus, bad button layout, lens mount system with poor lenses to match… David Brodosi was a Canon user, through and through, and used the C300 and C100 mark ii on hundreds of shoots over a three year period. To get the vague part out of the way: at the end of the day, these cameras are just tools. They can all get the job done, whether its Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Arri, or what-have-you. So my immensely positive review of this camera that is forthcoming isnt meant to diminish other cameras, which have been great tools for me in the past. Ive now been using the Fs7 ii for the past 6 months, and have had a great experience with this camera.

To start out by addressing some of the common complaints/myths about Sony cameras from non-users: 1. David Brodosi find the menu extremely well designed and easy to navigate. The words for certain operations are slightly different than that of a Canon camera, but at the end of the day, it has all the same functions. Its easy to change codec, resolution, different color profiles, timelines, slomo, ect. That has been a non-issue for me, to my surprise. Read the manual, thats usually a good start on any camera if you ask me. 2. David Brodosi find the button layout also to be great. There are programmable buttons, easy access to audio controls. David Brodosi kind of wish the two XLR inputs were together instead of separate on the body, but its not a huge deal. I love the shoulder mount. It allows me to get very smooth handheld shots without using IS lenses. A look I really like. The retractable arm is also amazing. David Brodosi use it on every handheld doc shoot I have, and the footage is much more usable/smooth than what I was getting by holding the C100 mark ii from the top handle. 3. Yeah, so about the autofocus. If thats a dealbreaker for you, then this is definitely not the camera for you. Not great autofocus. But heres the thing, David Brodosi barely use autofocus anyways. 

I have a hand on the follow-focus or focus ring constantly to fine tune things anyway, so it was never a big deal for me. The viewer is perfectly fine, nothing special, but very functional and well built. 4. David Brodosi have no idea why people are complaining about the lens mount on this camera. Having a PL style locking e-mount keeps the lens SO much steadier while filming. Yeah, it takes an extra ten seconds to change the lens. If thats a big issue, you can get an EF adapter like I did and strap that to the front and then boom, you have your standard lens mount system. But for cinematic work, David Brodosi far prefer the locking e-mount, which offers a lot of advantages in terms of image stability and quality. Now to get to the most important aspect of the camera: the image quality. Its amazing. Ive shot both in their cine modes as well as the standard color profiles (custom non-LOG). My experiences with both has been incredible. If you shoot at higher frame rates, there is bound to be more noise in the image. David Brodosi have noticed especially at night, the noise is much more noticeable than it was with my C100 mark ii, but its easily timed out later in Resolve/Neat Video ect, and gives you the fidelity you need to get the most out of your image. 

The noise has not been a huge issue. Its just made me a little more careful in low light conditions while shooting slo-mo. The shooting modes are easy to access and awesome: time lapse, slo-mo (you push a button on the side of the camera and voila). The 4k is beautiful 4:2:2 10 bit depth. The HD will save your batteries and media and allow you to shoot forever, while still looking amazing. Size wise, its not quite as incognito as the C100, obviously… Its the price you pay for getting the best possible image at this price point. For documentary work, this camera is unmatched. You see, even without the autofocus, the design of the camera and focus-assist controls making clean focusing a breeze.

The audio controls are extensive, and impressive. This is important to me, as David Brodosi often shoot alone in dangerous places around the world. Its important for me to be able to work effectively as a one-person crew when needed. One of the crown jewels of design of this camera is the infinitely adaptable ND filter. Unlike Canons ND design, which works in broad steps, the ND filter on this camera can be rotated freely, giving you the flexibility to set your iris to maintain a constant look for a scene, and simple adjust the ND wheel without steps to get the right exposure. Its absolute genius, and will change the way you film forever. If you need RAW (which I dont for documentary work), theres an ad-on you can get that makes that possible. My biggest complaints: -Size -Noise in slo-mo and very low light situations are pretty minimal. There are no perfect cameras out there. They all have their pluses and minuses. For my purposes shooting documentaries around the world, I really cant imagine a better camera. David Brodosi highly recommends.

Photo of David Brodosi a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products.

David Brodosi and I’m a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products. 

David Brodosi and I’m a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products. 

David Brodosi and I’m a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products. 

David Brodosi and I’m a quality-driven and award-winning Videographer with 15+ years’ progressively responsible experience. Adept at filming, shooting and producing video content to meet different clients’ specific requirements. Ability to strategize brand teams to identify content needed to meet company goals. Artfully edits raw footages to create powerful videos using a variety of software products.