Sony A1 Field Test Results

I haven't had a chance to do a full review of the camera from my trip, but I'll give some quick information related to issues that have already been raised.

All my shooting was done without lights in a Bluefin housing.

White Balance

Camera seemed to white balance just fine. I felt I got the best results using the filter early. I started using it at about 20-25 feet.

Deepest shots were at 80 feet in a swim through. I did not have any WB problems at that depth.

Only issue I really had was that WB was VERY sensitive. I found even minor differences in depth or shot distance made a noticeable difference. I white balanced before most shots.

Low Light

As others have reported, low light performance left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, I shot everything with black stretch on. Definitely got a lot of noise in low light, although I did not see the problems with badly off color pixels that I saw on the frogfish shot.

Field of View

With the narrow field of view on the A1, even with a .55x lens the field of view was not very wide. Did not get any of the good panoramic feel that is being seen with the 90 degree lenses on the FX1.

The biggest problem this caused was that the color and contrast on reefscape type shots were not as good as they could be. Just shooting through too much water. A wide angle lens is top of my list to buy next.

Exposure

The camera on auto exposure does overexpose. I found I used –2 as my starting point most of the time.

Overall

In spite of the FOV and low light issues, for shots of medium distance to close-up subjects in moderate to good light, I thought the results were great! A wider lens and some type of fill lights would fix the only issues I had.

Here is an example that shows WB at 80 feet in a swim through (fairly dark).

It also gives some idea of the noise issues.

This was without lights.

Swim Through (7meg)

Here's another clip just to show a better example of performance with better light. Taken at about 40 feet.

Please excuse the camera movement. This was my first dive shooting video

Wrasse

WB was done just using the sand.

The wrasse link also point to the swimthrough link. Here's the correct link:

http://www.hdvunderwater.com/uploads/wrasseshort.wmv

Colour balance on the swimthrough clip looks great, but I'm seeing noise about 3/4 of the way through on the red rocks bottom left. Is that on the original footage or has it happened in the encoding?

Wrasse clip looks a bit dark to me. Were you on manual or auto exposure? Colour balance is pretty good too but perhaps a bit on the warm side. Mind you I don't have the benefit of a proper broadcast monitor to judge properly and different software players are rendering the same clip differently.

Nick

Great input guys! The swimthrough shot looks like there was a lot of light in the foreground. My A1 would take a similar shot if I had WB'd earlier. My take is that I would not have been able to WB under those conditions but there is enough light there for there not to be too much grain. Inside the tunnel would have been different tho. Did you keep shooting and was there any grain then?

The idea of WB being assisted by the CC filter is intriguing. Catch 22 is that a filter cuts down the light, and deeper is where I'm having issues. I wonder if diving in Asia is affected with all the inherent plankton absorbing more light? <_< Hmmm

Nick - I do try and WB before any shot where I have changed depth or position relative to the light, but that fact that I could not WB off the sun in several circumstances in Tioman really puzzles me. Interestingly I did not have that issue (apparently) in Bali. Scubadru's comments about testing like with like (implying impossible to actually measure the lumens and other factors etc) are very relevant. It's hard to determine what the ACTUAL relative conditions are/were, as the human eye allows us to see 'everything' as clear (well my eyes are probably a bit different vs. you youngsters! )

Need to do more testing. Off to Donsol this w/e and 30-40 whalesharks hopefully - but that is mostly snorkeling and nothing deep. May try with/without the CC filter though and compare again ...

This little A1 bugger is a pain in many respects, much more to learn than the simple and reliable old 950 - which i am still using as a tape deck for SD projects.

Waiting for a mini-FX1 in 12 months

Nick

I have found sometimes the FX1 at depth in the Phenom will not MWB even with the filter in if I am on manual shutter/exposure with the gain boost locked off at zero. If I let the camera go to auto it will MWB then I lock the gain boost (db)back to zero along with locking the shutter again.

However with the EWB method it will even without a filter in but offcouse cannot get the colour I truly want. Thoughs lovely blues.........

The camera definitely white balanced under those conditions without any problem.

This site was a crevice with the floor about 80 feet deep, with the top in about 30 feet. It was about 50 percent covered. There was some light making it down in the foreground, but not all that much. The right hand side was very dark. If you look at the right, especially near the end, that is about as much grain as I saw in any shot. That was part of why I picked that clip.

I reviewed the tape, and that segment was at 1/60, f1.8 and varied between +9 & +12 db gain. That should be as bad as it gets.

Wow - and there was I holding up the FX1 as a picture of perfection Wags! Bit like Ningaloo from a distance huh? (You don't really have dull days do you? )

Well this WB lark is certainly a minefield. With the basic refit 950 housing I'm using for the A1, I don't have any control over switching back and forth though its modes. It's either manual WB or auto when I seal the door.

Thing is I'm now reluctant to spend a lot more on this or a new housing since one thing is certain and that is even with the best will in the world the low light capability of this little chap is pretty sucky.

Good feedback though, and the good news is that when it all comes together the A1 can shoot some really spectacular material. My batting average has taken a dive however which is good and bad. When the captured stuff pays back well it's like Christmas all over again

No, it's a F900...Drew

Hey I bet it would not WB if the db was set to 0 at that depth. +9 & +12 db gain is high, the most I ever go is +3. Any higher and it gets grainy, but as I said will let it go high just to to get a WB if having trouble.

Ningaloo...water is a dirty still and there is another LOW comming down...Im just sittnig here waiting for the Blue water to turn up, if it ever does.

No, it's a F900...Drew

What? That piece of crap? F950 is already out and the F1001 will be out next year. It never ends and they are never perfect.

Waiting for a mini-FX1 in 12 months 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

LOL me too!!

Well take a look here at this 2 meg video clip.

This is the new housing for my Sony A1

New Housing for the Sony A1/HC1

Funny clip....just what housing is that?

Steve B)

It has a Sony HD F900 in it.

It was custom made out of a rolled up sheet of Titanium and built by a guy who makes Rockets. The Electronics were custom built by a retired Sony head of tech in Japan.

Cost$$$$ well the lens was like 20,000 + US alone.

SomeAssembly, love those clips. This is the kind of video I've been waiting to see!

It was kinda a bummer around here for awhile with all the confusion of housings, white balance, noise, etc, etc, etc....

This is what I was hoping to see on return. I'd be perfectly happy with those results!

Love the Keystone cops cameraman Wags! Did he manage to get the housing/rocket case on the airline as hand luggage and if so what backpack did he use

Hi Nick

He shipped it over in a big plastic tub...Funny...

I have some video of it somewhere of it being opened etc.

Those Whale Sharks of Donsol sound alright. I think there will be more and more places that will offer the trips as time goes on.

Wags,

Keep us posted on your doco potential. having some brain storms etc for possible subjects etc.

Mark.

If anyone would like about 18 one pass Panasonic tapes, I have them and they're yours. They were donated to me but I only use the Sony's.

Steve B)