QPFIELD 02

Sony α7R V — Field Card

Video for the still shooter
QUIET PURSUITS · REV A · JUL 2026
FULL-FRAME 61 MP · E-MOUNT · NP-FZ100 · 2× CFe-A/UHS-II
PRINT: LETTER · LANDSCAPE · 100%
180°SHUTTER RULE

Shutter = 2× frame rate. Set it once per frame rate, then leave it. That blur is the film look — in video the shutter controls motion, not brightness. Exposure gets solved below.

Nearest Sony steps shown. Faster shutter reads staccato and crunchy; slower reads dreamy. Deviate on purpose only.

24 FPS
1/50
25 FPS
1/50
30 FPS
1/60
50 FPS
1/100
60 FPS
1/125
120 FPS
1/250

Exposure, in order

Exposure/Color
  1. Shutter — already locked by fps, above.It is no longer an exposure lever.
  2. Aperture — sets the look, not the level.Depth of field first; brightness is a side effect.
  3. ISO — snap to a base, don't creep.Between bases, fix it with ND or aperture instead.
  4. ND — your new exposure dial.Variable ND on the lens; trim to the meter, ride it as light shifts.
Never ride shutter for brightness
800
Low base · S-Log3
2500
High base · S-Log3

Community-measured — Sony doesn't publish Alpha bases. One exposure, no brackets. Protect highlights — log lifts shadows far better than it recovers clips.

Profile pick & log targets

Exposure/Color
  • S-Cinetone (PP11) — deliver-tonight look, gentle grade, forgiving skin. FAST TURNAROUND
  • S-Log3 (Picture Profile → PP8/PP9) — max latitude for the grade. LUT view / Gamma Display Assist ON so you judge a picture, not gray soup. GRADED WORK
41 · GRAY 61 · WHITE 94 · CLIP

Expose log fat: +1.3 to +2 EV via ND/aperture, zebra 94%+ as the hard ceiling. Pull down in the grade — never let zebras crawl on anything you care about.

One sensor, four readouts

Shooting
ModeRegionSource
4K ≤30pFull width ×1.0subsampled
4K ≤30p S35×1.56.2K oversample
4K 50/60p×1.248K region
8K 24/25p×1.24native 7680
  • The sharpest 4K on this body is the S35 crop — oversampled from 6.2K. Full-width 4K is the wide option, not the detail option.
  • 8K is for occasions. Storage, heat, and edit weight — make it a decision, not a default.

61 MP reads slow: whip pans and fast subjects wobble. This sensor rewards deliberate moves — tripod, slider, slow push.

Formats & cards

Shooting
ModeGOPColorMaxCard
XAVC HS 4KLong10-bit 422200 Mb/sU3
XAVC HS 8KLong10-bit 420400 Mb/sCFe-A · V60
XAVC S-I 4KAll-I10-bit 422600 Mb/sCFe-A · V90
  • Travel default: XAVC HS 4K · 10-bit 4:2:2 · 24p. Go All-I when the edit will punch, warp, or grade hard.
  • Both slots take CFe-A or UHS-II SD. Set Slot 2 to simultaneous backup — this body can afford what the a6700 can't.
  • Storage math: 8K ≈ 3 GB/min · S-I 4K60 ≈ 4.5 GB/min. Count cards before you leave.
  • Proxies ON (Px) — edit-ready proxies for the timeline. FHD 120p lives in XAVC S HD; 4K S&Q tops out at 60 fps.

AF & monitoring

Focus
  • Subject Recognition ON. Human as default; Animal/Bird/Insect/Car·Train/Airplane on a custom key for the day's subject.
  • AF Transition Speed 1–3 for cinematic pulls; Shift Sensitivity: Locked-on so busy frames don't steal focus.
  • Breathing compensation ON — compatible E glass only; costs a sliver of view. Still glass breathes; video shows it.
  • Focus Map = live depth-of-field read. Peaking Mid for manual glass.
  • Zebras + level display always on. The EVF lies about exposure; instruments don't.
  • SUGGESTED KEYS — C1 ZEBRA · C2 FOCUS MAP · C3 SUBJECT SEL · C4 STEADYSHOT

Stabilization

Shooting
SituationSteadyShot
Tripod / locked offOFF
Handheld, static frameStandard
Handheld, walkingActive (small crop)
GimbalOFF
Gyro stab in post (Catalyst)OFF

One system stabilizes. Stacking IBIS on a gimbal or gyro pass fights itself — pick the layer, commit. And no stabilizer fixes rolling-shutter jello: move slower than you would on the a6700.

Still shooter → filmmaker

Field
  1. One exposure. No brackets, no do-overs. Protect highlights and move on.
  2. Hold ten. Count it. Static shots feel long behind the camera and short in the edit.
  3. Shoot handles. Roll 3 s before the action and 3 s after. Cuts need meat.
  4. Sequences, not singles. Wide → medium → tight → detail. Four shots make a scene.
  5. Move on purpose. A slow motivated push beats a wander. Otherwise lock it off.
  6. Lock white balance. Kelvin presets. AWB drift mid-shot is baked in forever.
  7. Level is law. Motion amplifies tilt — keep the level display on and trust it.
  8. Audio is half the film. A plain frame with great sound survives; the reverse doesn't.
  9. Shoot for the edit. If you can't name the cut a shot serves, skip the shot.
  10. Light is still king. Video clips highlights faster than your RAWs ever did — keep the golden-hour discipline.

Audio

Audio CH1/2
−18 AVG −12 PEAK HOT
  • Peaks ≈ −12 dB, average ≈ −18. Headphones on the first take, spot-check after.
  • Deadcat outdoors, always. Wind ruins more clips than focus does.
  • S&Q records no audio. Need sound with slow-mo? Shoot 120p in movie mode, conform in post.
  • MI-shoe mic = digital in, no cable, no gain-stage fuss. Deliver at −14 LUFS in post.

Field gotchas

Setup
  • Crop creep: 8K and 4K60 both crop ×1.24 — a 24 mm frames like a 30. Active SteadyShot crops further. Plan the wide end.
  • 8K runs hot. Auto Power OFF Temp → High; treat long takes as 4K's job.
  • Rolling shutter is the 61 MP tax. Propellers, whip pans, passing traffic — expect wobble; shoot around it.
  • Cold halves batteries. NP-FZ100 spares in an inside pocket; rotate warm. USB-C PD runs the camera for interviews and timelapse.
  • Offload and verify nightly — then Slot 2's backup card is your insurance, not your excuse.

Pre-roll — six seconds, every time

Field
  1. FPS
  2. Shutter = 2×FPS
  3. Base ISO
  4. ND set
  5. WB in Kelvin
  6. Meters moving
  7. Level
  8. REC

Same order, every take — out loud if no one's around. Ninety percent of ruined clips die in these six seconds.