For a limited time, we’re making an offer that will undoubtedly set off creative explosions: the chance to rent our top-of-the-range equipment for a week at the cost of just ONE day’s rental!

That’s right – starting this week, you can get your hands on our wide range of premium cameras, lenses, lighting equipment, and more, for seven days of uninterrupted use, while only paying for a single day. This deal offers creatives colossal savings, allowing you to channel more of your budget into other crucial areas of your film project.

Whether you’re shooting a suspenseful drama, an action-packed blockbuster, or a poignant documentary, our Oppenheimer Deal provides you with the means to realize your most ambitious visions without having to worry about high equipment costs.

With Stray Angel Films, we are more than just a production rental house; we’re a partner in your journey of storytelling, and we can’t wait to see the amazing projects you’ll create with the help of our Oppenheimer Deals! Shoot us an email at rentals@strayangel.com with your rental dates and we’ll make this Summer Deal happen for your production.

Here’s to a week up to a whopping six months of creative explosions and cinematic breakthroughs!

The post Summer Deals Dropping at Stray Angel appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The Rialto is a lightweight and easy to use tethered extension system for the Sony VENICE that allows the camera body to detach from the image sensor block with no degradation in image quality.  The Rialto is compatible with both existing and new VENICE cameras. Users can quickly configure and freely use VENICE’s image sensor block to capture uncompromising imagery, customizing the camera for specific scenarios in under 3 minutes via a single 3mm Allen Wrench.

The image sensor block weighs 4 lbs with PL mount and 3 lbs using the native E-mount, and the cable system can extend from 9 or 18 feet, offering a highly configurable, flexible and portable method of operation.  The Rialto enables to VENICE to be suitable for many mounting configurations and filming scenarios, including use with gimbals, handheld stabilizers, underwater & helicopter housings, 3D/VR rigs, and tight or unconventional spaces (such as inside vehicles, on cranes or Russian arms).  In fact, the tether extension system was requested by James Cameron and Lightstorm producer Jon Landau for use on the current Avatar production with their 3D rigs.

For more information on how to rent the Sony VENICE, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

And check out the photos below in case you missed this awesome event!

The post Introducing the Sony VENICE Rialto Tethered Extension System appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The FS7 II Has an Electronic Vari ND Filter

Sony first introduced the electronic Vari ND Filter technology on their X180 and X160 cameras in 2015, but the feature received more attention when it was implemented in the Sony FS5.  Besides the added convenience, it also made the step-less adjustment of ND filters possible. Users report they find this feature handy and adds to the ergonomics of the camera.

The new filter is an LCD layer placed between the sensor and the lens-mount. The strength of the filter can be assigned to presets or dialed in via the “Variable” wheel on the side of the camera. This allows you to keep the same aesthetics while changing the amount of light that hits the sensor during a scene.

E-Mount Lever Lock

E-Mount is a great lens mount. The sensor distance makes it possible to use a variety of third-party lenses via adapters, and it is so popular that almost all lens manufacturers produce specifically for this kind of mount by now. What is not so great about it, however, is that it was made for stills photography lenses, and thus lacks stability and a rotation-less locking mechanism. Sony addressed both issues with the new E-Mount Lever Lock.

The innovation of the E-Mount Lever Lock mechanism makes it very similar to the PL mount system used in cinema productions: instead of turning the lens you now turn the collar. This helps lock lenses more tightly and is ideal for large camera setups such as when you have a matte box and follow focus setup, as you don’t need to twist the lens.

This mount is ideal for cinema, large lens setups, or when the camera is on a tripod. For everyone else — and I assume this will be 90% of FS7 II handheld users — this new mount will probably be a huge problem. It’s nice that we don’t have to twist the lens, but twisting the lens mount and pressing the lock release while holding the lens is an almost impossible task to perform for any single-operator shooter.

Enhanced Ergonomics

The number of assign buttons has been increased from six to ten, all extra-large, while the LCD monitor arm and mic holder can be swapped for left-eye shooting. The telescoping arm offers even more settings, allowing the camcorder to be mounted closer to your body and you no longer need a tool for adjustments.  The XQD cards now stick out 4.3mm more on the FS7 II meaning you can grab them more easily.

In conclusion, the biggest differences between the FS7 and the FS7 II are the addition of the E-Mount Lever Lock and the Electronic Vari ND filter.

Otherwise, these cameras are virtually the same internally.

For more information on how to rent the FS7 or the FS7 II for your next project, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Sony introduces the new FS7 II Cinema Camera:

The post The FS7 VS. The FS7 II: What’s The Difference? appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Interchangeable Lens Mount and Lever Lock

The highlight of this camera for many will be the ability to accept your existing PL lenses on an E-Mount camera. Sony designed VENICE to easily attach a PL Mount on top of the native E-Mount with connection points via 6 screws. VENICE comes with the specialized adapter PL mount.

The E-Mount features a lever lock so you can change lenses by rotating the locking collar, rather than the lens itself. That means that your lens support won’t need to be removed so you can save valuable time on set.

Overhauled Color Science and VENICE’S Look

Sony revamped its color science when creating VENICE. The camera features S-Log3 gamma curve and offers both Auto White Balance (AWB) and White Balance 2000~15,000 Kelvin with Green/Magenta adjust possible. It also exceeds BT.2020 color space. Sony states that this means the color range is wider than DCI-P3 to produce true color and reflect accurately what you see.

VENICE performs well in bright sun ranging down to incredibly low light. VENICE produces soft imagery without the sometimes harsh quality many digital cameras realize. The image processing in the VENICE CineAlta produces deep darks yet retains highlights and colors.

Creative Freedom

Sony states that in Full Frame, you can use the full 6048-pixel width of the sensor for widescreen spherical 2.39: 1 or Large Format Scope. Full-Frame can be used creatively in a number of ways, such as allowing for extra shallow depth of field or super-wide shots.

VENICE also supports Anamorphic shooting and production with Super35 full height 2x squeeze Anamorphic.

Built-In Filters

VENICE streamlines your workflow by providing the first film industry 8-step servo-controlled Mechanical ND filter system. The 8-stage glass internal filters include a dual turret format (each circular turret holds 3 high-quality optical filters). The full list includes: ND0.3, ND.6, ND.9, ND1.2, ND1.5, ND1.8, ND2.1, ND2.4 in 1-stop increments (1/2 – 1/256). You can either dial in the filter selection directly on the camera or via remote control, with appropriate accessories.

This new workflow with filters on-board will help those using VENICE CineAlta on a gimbal, aerial device, or underwater housing when you can’t swap filters quickly.

Sony VENICE Features/Specs:

• New Full-Frame 36 x 24mm CMOS Sensor
• 15+ stops Dynamic Range
• 6K Full-Frame 3:2 mode (6048 x 4032)
• 4K Anamorphic 4:3 and 6:5 (4096 x 3432)
• 4K Super 35 mode (window)
• Support for FF & S35 spherical lenses
• Support for FF & S35 Anamorphic lenses
• 8-step Mechanical Built-in ND filter (8 Stops ND)
• PL mount (Cooke i technology supported)

Recording Codecs/Formats:

• X-OCN Compressed Raw onto AXS-R7 Raw Recorder
• 4K XAVC – Class480/300
• ProRes HQ/422/LT
• MPEG HD

For more information on how to rent the Sony VENICE Cinema Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Shot with the VENICE: La Serenissima:

The post The VENICE: Sony’s New Full-Frame 6K CineAlta Camera appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The Sony RX0 weighs just 0.24 pounds and measures 2.38 x 1.63 x 1.19 inches. It is a pure action camera in that it is waterproof up to 33 feet (or 330 feet with a case), and can shoot in the rain or snowy, dusty and sandy environments. The camera is extremely durable. It’s crushproof for weights up to 440 pounds, and shockproof up to 6.5 feet.

The Sony RX0 can be used on its own or as part of a multi-camera set-up to shoot still images, film video, and super slow-motion footage at up to 960 frames per second. The camera’s 1-inch, 15.3 megapixel CMOS image sensor is more prominent than those available on GoPro, including a wide 24mm Zeiss lens fixed at F4.

Sony’s wireless radio commander can be used to trigger up to 15 RX0 cameras simultaneously to film unique content like time-slice and bullet-time shooting. Users can also use the PlayMemories Mobile app to connect up to five RX0 cameras wirelessly.

For more information on how to rent Sony’s competitor GoPro, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out the video showcasing the versatility of the Sony RX0:

The post Sony is taking on the GoPro with the Sony RX0 appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The modular body of the FS5 may remind you of the Canon C300. You can strip the camera down, taking things like the top and side handles off. This lets the FS5 become a little cube, perfect for gimbal stabilizer or drone work.

The Sony FS5 will shoot slow-motion, however, it is somewhat limited. You can record up to 8 seconds at 240fps at 1080HD, or 19 seconds at 960fps at 720. If a short burst of slow-motion won’t work for you, the FS7 might be a better choice (though it is more expensive).

It records up to 100 Mb/s 4K XAVC internally at 8 bit 4:2:0 at 24, 25, or 30 fps. It can also record 1080HD at 4:2:2 internally up to 60 fps. You can also choose to record in AVCHD format. The FS5 also has HDMI and 3G SDI outputs for external recording.

Here are the current specs we know for the Sony FS5:

• Super 35-Sized CMOS Sensor
• 14 Stops of Dynamic Range
• Sony E-Mount
• UHD 4K at 24/30 FPS, HD Up to 240 FPS
• Base ISO: 3200
• Electronic ND Filter System
• XAVC Long, AVCHD Recording Codecs
• Weight (Body Only): 1.8 lbs
• Price: $5600 (Body Only)

For more information on how to rent the Sony FS5 Cinema Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

In this video, cinema5D answers more of your FS5 questions:

The post New Sony FS5 Is A 4K Camera Priced Under $6K appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

If you’re thinking about buying or renting the C300 Mark II or FS7, you’re exactly who we made this post and video for!

Both the Canon C300 Mark II and Sony FS7 have Super 35mm sensors, slow-motion capabilities, and record 4K internally.

There are, however, some differences between the two worth highlighting.

The C300 Mark II is the clear winner win it comes to internal recording. It shoots 12 bit 2K in 4:4:4, as well as 10 bit 4K in 4:2:2, both at a bit rate of 410 Mbps per second. The FS7 shoots 4K at 10 bit 4:2:2 as well as 1080p, both of those at 240 Mbps. You’re probably not going to see a huge difference for most applications, but if you are doing something like green screen work, the C300 Mark II is going to be a better choice.

One of the big considerations when thinking about the usability of the camera is how it responds to different lighting situations. The C300 Mark II has extra internal ND filters that the FS7 does not have. This means when you are shooting outside, the C300 will give you more flexibility in harsh daylight.

The C300 Mark II also has additional stops of dynamic range. On paper, it has 1 extra stop (15 stops), in our test we measured that it had closer to 2 extra, as compared to the FS7 (14 stops).

The Sony FS7 is superior to the C300 Mark II when it comes to slow-motion recording. The FS7 can shoot up to 60 fps at 4K and 180 fps at 1080p, without cropping the sensor. On the other hand, the C300 Mark II can only shoot 60 fps at 2K and 180 fps at 1080p. It’s also important to note that when shooting at higher frame rates on the C300 Mark II, the sensor is considerably cropped.

The two cameras use two different lens mounts. The C300 Mark II obviously uses the standard Canon EF mount (supposedly there is a PL mount coming soon and they can be interchanged), and the FS7 is equipped with Sony’s E-mount. The E-mount has a very short flange distance, it is easy to adapt it to both EF and PL. Of course, adapters add cost, and can sometimes be troublesome. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s still something to think about.

No doubt one of the biggest considerations between cameras is cost. The C300 Mark II is $16,000, the Sony FS7 comes in at about half the price ($8,000). You may need to buy a lens adapter for the FS7 so you can use popular lenses, but it still makes the camera considerably cheaper than the C300 Mark II.

You can get superb images from both cameras, so which is best for you is basically going to come down to the needs of your production. We always welcome people to ask us questions or come check out the cameras in person at our location in Los Angeles.

For more information on how to rent the Canon C300 Mark II or the Sony FS7, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

The post Canon C300 Mark II vs Sony FS7 appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The biggest difference between the Sony FS700 and FS7 is that the FS7 shoots 4K internally. The FS700 does have a 4K capable sensor, however, to shoot in 4K you would need an expensive external recorder and possibly a hardware upgrade. Straight out of the box the FS7 can start shooting 4K. While it appears the FS700 may have an advantage over the FS7 because it can shoot 240fps (the FS7 maxes out at 180fps), there is a difference in the way these two cameras shoot slow-motion.

The FS700 relies on a buffer system when the camera is in S&Q mode, as it is constantly recording & erasing (buffering) to its internal memory. When you’re using the camera in start trigger mode, you press the record button and it immediately starts to fill that buffer up. Once it’s full or you press the record button again, the camera records what’s saved from internal memory to the SD card. This buffering system can be useful, and especially with the End Trigger mode setting. Because the camera is constantly recording and erasing, End Trigger mode allows you to press record after the event you wanted to record just happened. Specifically, the FS700 will record the last 8 seconds of video that it was buffering to your SD Card.

On the other hand, the FS7 records slow motion as soon as you hit that record button: no internal buffering, no recording the event after the fact. The advantage of this system is unlike the FS700, the FS7 will allow you to record slow motion for longer, which is dependent on the size of that SD card.

For more information on how to rent the latest Sony Cinema Cameras, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out the video we shot comparing the two cameras:

The post Sony FS7 vs FS700 appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

If you’ve forgotten the Sony FS7’s specs or are just unfamiliar, here’s a refresher to get you interested:

• Super 35mm Sensor
• UHD 3840 x 2160 (DCI 4K update is coming this month)
• Dynamic Range: 14 Stops
• Base Sensitivity: ISO 2000
• Internal 4K XAVC 10-bit 4:2:2 (Intra/Long GOP) up to 60fps
• 1080p up to 180fps
• MPEG HD, 4:2:2, 50 Mbps (HD only)
• Supports S-Gamut3Cine/S-Log 3 encoding

For more information on how to rent the Sony FS7 Cinema Camera, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

Check out our very own Sony FS7 Video for more details!

The post Now Renting: the Sony FS7 appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

Here’s the full list of what the FS7 firmware 2.0 will include:

1. DCI compliant 4096 x 2160 XAVC-Intra-frame recording up to 60 fps.

2. HD Apple ProRes codecs to enable progressive and interlaced HQ and 422 recordings.

3. Expanded audio recording to four channels audio at 24-bit, 48 kHz.

4. Will now retain “Paint Menu” settings after being turned off

You can learn more about the FS7’s latest firmware updates right here:

For more information on how to rent the Sony FS7, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

The post FS7 To Get ProRes & DCI 4K Support In Firmware Update appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

The post SAF’s 2013 Halloween Party Slow Motion Video Booth appeared first on Stray Angel Films.

If you are interested in recording 2K or 4K RAW with the FS700R, you will also need an external recorder. Generally, in pro-level cameras the SDI output is 10-bit, but the FS700R outputs a 12-bit signal via 3G-SDI. This 12-bit signal is proprietary, and Sony has not let third-parties capture it at 4K, only 2K or HD. This means if you want to use 4K RAW you will have to use Sony’s 4K recorder and interface, the AXS-R5.

Check out Sony’s Promo Video for the new FS700R:

While there is not an official release date at the time of writing, we should be seeing the FS700R released by the end of this year. The FS700R is expected to cost $8,100. There is also an FS700RH being released that includes the SELP-18200 lens. It is expected to retail for $9,050.

For more information on how to rent the latest Sony Cinema Cameras, email rentals@strayangel.com, give us a call or stop in for a demo. We’d love to see you!

The post Sony Announces The FS700R 4K RAW Camera appeared first on Stray Angel Films.