Video settings, in depth
What are the right video settings on the a7C II — formats, profiles, and the 4K 60p crop?
Choose the format by what happens after
XAVC HS 4K — smallest files, hardest on the editing computer. XAVC S 4K — the balanced default: 10-bit 4:2:2, edits cleanly, card-friendly. XAVC S-I 4K — every frame stored whole; the biggest files and the easiest edit. Default to XAVC S 4K and change only with a reason.
Log lives in its own menu here
Unlike the a7 IV, log on this body is not a picture-profile preset. It is a switch: Log Shooting → On (Flexible ISO), which records S-Log3 for a LUT workflow; there is no Cine EI mode on this body. While Log is on, Picture Profile is fixed to Off. For footage that ships as-is, use PP11 — S-Cinetone.
4K 60p: faster frames, tighter frame
There is no 4K 120p on this body — 4K tops out at 60p (Full HD reaches 120p). At 4K 60p the APS-C/Super 35 setting is locked on, so the angle of view tightens to ≈1.5× the lens marking: a 24mm frames like roughly a 36mm. At 24p, 25p and 30p you get the full frame.
Buy recording time in Setup
Set Auto Power OFF Temp. → High and the camera tolerates more heat before protecting itself: Sony's guide rates roughly 60 minutes of continuous 4K at 25°C on High — double the a6700's figure. Set it on setup day, not during the shoot, and work on a tripod rather than hand-holding for long stretches on High.
Shoot the same 20-second scene three ways — PP11 S-Cinetone, Log Shooting On, and 4K 60p — and compare what each decision asks of you.