Sony SLOG3 vs. S-CINETONE

Sony SLOG3 vs. S-CINETONE. Color grading is the bane of a lot of filmmaker’s existence. It can be tedious and time consuming. Time that could be better used towards making the next project. Here is a breakdown and comparison between Sony’s most popular picture profiles and if CINETONE can solve some problems.

WHAT IS SLOG3 AND S-CINETONE?

SLOG3 AND S-CINETONE are just picture profiles available to Sony camera users and they are made for the purposes of recording video with a flat image to be color graded more effectively in post.

SLOG2 and SLOG3 have been around for years and are considered the professional standard in the Sony lineup. They offer the flattest profile and the most dynamic range with up to 14 or 15 stops of light. The problem is that they can be extremely difficult to shoot and edit and especially for beginning filmmakers.

S-CINETONE was first released in the Sony FX9. A high end video camera and was created to model the colors from a Sony VENICE which is Sony’s premiere cinema camera. It has less dynamic range than the SLOG variants but also comes with a much lower noise floor, stranger contrast in the shadows with a more forgiving curve in the highlights. S-CINETONE is designed to be a perfect happy medium.

NO MORE COLORGRADING?

It is really up to the user whether or not they want to color grade S-CINETONE footage. While it does have more contrast and looks very clean right out of camera it still can be enhanced with a big of fine-tuning in your editing platform of choice. All of the footage in our video is left ungraded just to show you what is possible right out of camera.

REASONS TO STILL SHOOT WITH SONY SLOG3

Don’t worry. SLOG2 and SLOG3 are not going anywhere because when shooting on larger productions, series projects, etc, you will want the most flexibility over your image. Even if that means spending the needed extra hours dealing with noise, massaging colors in place, and creating a “look” rather than the built in Sony Venice look and feel.

SLOG3 is still king as of writing this blog when it comes to Sony’s most professional video picture profile.

CONCLUSION

There really is no clear winner when it comes to Sony SLOG3 vs. S-CINETONE. It’s up to the user and what the shooter is after for their creative process. S-CINETONE for a faster and more efficient experience, and SLOG3 for the best results possible.