Sony Fs7 Owners Manual

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G. Slow Motion, Time-lapse and picture cache
G2.1 Recommendation: Set the Interval Time to 1 second 
and the Number of Frames to 1. Increasing the number 
of frames beyond 1 typically results in jerky motion. A 1 
second interval works well for scenes up to 30 minutes 
long, footage can always be sped up further in post 
production if required. For longer shooting periods use a 
longer interval.
Tip: Consider setting the shutter to 1/3 of a second or 
to 360 degrees, especially when shooting night scenes 
to add a pleasing blur to movement (If shooting during 
daylight you may need addition ND filters to control the 
exposure). 
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G. Slow Motion, Time-lapse and picture cache
G3. Picture Cache Record
Picture cache record can be used to make the camera 
include a few seconds of video from the period 
immediately prior to the press of the record button in 
each clip. This can be very useful for recording unexpected 
events. The maximum cache recording period is 
dependent on the frame size, frame rate and recording 
codec. Only the XAVC-I, XAVC-L and Mpeg2 HD422 codecs 
can be used (XAVC-I 59.94p and 50p are not supported). 
The cache duration is shorter in UHD/4K than in HD, so 
if you need a long cache period consider shooting in HD 
rather than UHD/4K 
(MENU: Recording – Picture Cache Rec)
For a comprehensive list of the available cache durations 
for each record mode please refer to the user manual. 
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G. Slow Motion, Time-lapse and picture cache
G4. Imager Scan Mode
When recording 4K or UHD the full camera sensor is 
always used. However when shooting in HD it is possible 
to choose whether to use the full sensor or just the center 
2K portion of the sensor. Using just the center portion of 
the sensor will have the effect of reducing the field of view 
of the image shot, in effect enlarging the recorded image 
by a factor of 2 compared to full sensor scan. It also allows 
the use of lenses designed for use with 16mm film camera 
(a lens mounting adapter may be required). 
The imager scan size can be set in the menu 
(MENU: System – Base Settings – Imager Scan Mode) 
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G. Slow Motion, Time-lapse and picture cache
When 2K Full Scan is selected 
an “F” is added to the frame size 
indication.When 2K Center Scan is selected 
a “C” is added to the frame 
size indication. Note also how 
compared to Normal Scan or 2K 
Full Scan the image now appears 
enlarged in by 2x.
G4.1 Recommendation: Use Normal Scan when possible 
as it normally provides the best image quality. Use Center 
Scan if you need to extend the effective focal length of  
the lens. 
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H. Audio Recording
H1. Audio Recording
An external microphone should be connected to one or 
both of the XLR inputs for the best results. However if 
an external microphone is unavailable there is a small 
microphone built in to the camera body. This Internal MIC 
can be selected in the menu and recorded on to any of 
the 4 audio channels
(MENU: Audio – Input Select).
H1.1 If you need to connect more than 2 external 
microphones to the camera this can be achieved through 
the use of a Multi-Interface (MI) input adapter or wireless 
receiver connected to the MI Shoe (the front shoe on the 
handle). Adapters to add extra XLR inputs as well as single 
and dual channel wireless microphone receivers  
are available. 
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H. Audio Recording
H1.2 The correct input reference levels for the type 
of external audio source you are using is selected by 
switches on the right side of the camera body. In addition 
if using an external microphone that requires +48V 
Phantom Power this is enabled by selecting “Mic+48v”. 
H1.3 The recording levels for audio channels 1 and 2 can 
be controlled either automatically or manually using the 
level control knobs on the left side of the camera body. 
The recording levels for channels 3 and 4 can be set to 
automatic or manual in the menu 
(MENU: Audio – CH3 Level Control/Ch4 Level Control) 
and (Audio – CH3 Input Level/CH4 Input Level). 
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H. Audio Recording
H1.4 To view the audio level meters for all 4 audio 
channels press the “Status” button and use the scroll 
wheel to select the Audio display page. Press the status 
button once more to turn off the status display pages.
If using manual audio control do not allow the audio levels 
to go into the red part of the audio level meters, this will 
result in distortion. 
The Audio STATUS page allows you to view the levels of all 
4 audio channels. 
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I.  Recording, media and troubleshooting
 1. Recording, Recording Media and Backups  79
  2. Error messages and common problems  81
Section Index 
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I.  Recording, media and troubleshooting
I1. Recording, Recording Media and File Backup
Always use approved XQD cards. Store unused media in a 
case to prevent dust and debris from accumulating inside 
the connector slot.
It is recommended that cards are formatted periodically to 
maintain the best performance. 
(MENU: Media – Format Media).
Never remove a card from the camera when the Red led 
adjacent to the card slot is illuminated.
For additional security it is possible to record to  
both XQD slots simultaneously 
(MENU: Recording – Simul Rec). 
Recording for both slots can be controlled by a single 
record button or independently by the record button on 
the camera body and the record button on the handle
(MENU: Recording – Simul Rec – Rec Button Set). 
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I.  Recording, media and troubleshooting
When backing up media from the XQD cards to a 
computer, hard drive or other storage it is important that 
the entire contents of the card are copied retaining the 
original file structure. The additional “sidecar” files on the 
cards contain important metadata and other information 
important for the correct decoding of the video clips. Use 
a new folder to store the contents of each card backed up. 
Do not attempt to merge files from multiple cards into one 
folder (unless using Sony’s Catalyst Browse application to 
manage your content). 
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