Which Sony for slightly unusual use-case?

[Dazzer123]

Hi folks,

 

I'll looking for some advice on which is the best Sony camera for my (slightly unusual) use-case.

 

Firstly, i should explain that I'm exclusively doing analog studio photography with a Sinar P2 camera.

 

But for setting up shots and experimenting with lighting and other stuff, i want to supplement my set-up with a digital camera.

 

I'll output this to a large 4K monitor, and will mostly view the HDMI output (which will pass live through Davinci Resolve for some color correction), although i might also do some tethered shooting as well.

 

So just to be clear, this will all purely be for monitoring my composition. The final shot will always be done with the Sinar camera.

 

Obviously i'm aware that my digital monitor and final analog shot won't match perfectly in terms of lens, DOF and also there will be additional swing / tilt / shift on the Sinar, but it'll be good enough for what i need to do.

 

I should also mention i only use continuous lighting, and mostly very low powered, with very long (1 second?) shutter times. I do this so i can use all sorts of small lights, like LED strips.

 

So my question is, which Sony camera will be best suited to all of this? I guess the A7 IV is a pretty safe choice, but i'm curious if anyway has other suggestions and what the reasoning might be behind it?

 

Thanks in advance!

Edited October 8, 2023 by Dazzer123

[XKAES]

I can't speak to all of Sony's (and Minolta's) digital SLR cameras, but as a 4x5 user myself, I suspect that pretty much all of them will meet your need to show composition and lighting on a video screen.  As far as I know, most have a PC connection and a VIDEO-OUT.  If that's your goal, there's no need for a high end camera or lenses.  And using a lower-res APS camera with e-mount DT lenses will save you lots in $$$$.  Just get the lens(es) that match (as close as possible) to your 4x5 lens(es).  You can get a good camera for under $100 -- and probably lenses for the same.

Edited October 8, 2023 by XKAES

[XKAES]

In my last message, I meant A-mount DT lenses, not E-mount DT lenses.

[Dazzer123]

Thanks for the input.

I have a first generation Sony A7 and i already tried using that, but it only has 1080 HDMI output, and i found that quite unsatisfactory on a monitor large enough to view from 2+ meters away. 

Also, because of the low light i'm using, i'm wondering if an A7Siii or ZV-E1 might be a good choice (large pixel size, low megapixel count).

For a lens, I'm thinking about  Sony FE Vario-Tessar T* 24-70mm F4.

I totally hear what you're saying about just getting something very cheap & not full frame, but i'm worried that the video quality of these cameras is much less, because of the smaller sensor and higher ISOs. With a good camera i'm hoping (via some live grading in Resolve) to get a nice image on the 4k monitor that might be even inspiring, not just workable.

Also i fear that tethering features of cheaper cameras might not be up to much.

Edited October 8, 2023 by Dazzer123

[XKAES]

Maybe somewhere there is a list of Sony cameras that have better HDMI output, but I have no idea.  I had been thinking you wanted simple test shots to get the lighting & composition right -- not video. 

I hope others jump in.  Good luck.

Edited October 8, 2023 by XKAES

[Wally The Confused]

The first release , Sony A 9 should cover everything you want . AFAIK , Sony A 9 is on version 3 ???? So, a second hand version 1 , shouldn’t cost a lot . Good luck 

[Dazzer123]

Thanks, in the end i got a ZV-E10, very happy with it, excellent 4k video quality.

I'm actually pointing it at my 4x5 ground glass, and monitoring that on the screen.

It's a pretty cool set-up, i'm planning to make a video showing it in a week or so, in case anyone's interested.

It's been quite a job getting it working as i had to make a custom fitting for my Sinar camera. 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Dazzer123