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Overview

CineEI is Sony’s cinema-style log shooting system. The camera records S-Log3 footage at a fixed Base ISO, and you control the monitoring brightness via Exposure Index (EI) — a virtual ISO that shifts the LUT preview without changing the recorded signal. This gives maximum dynamic range and full post-production flexibility.
CineEI modes are available on cinema-line and select Alpha cameras — including FX3, FX3A, FX30, FX2, A7S III, A7C II, A7CR, A9 III, A1 II, A7 V, A6700, FR7, and others. Not all cameras support every mode — the camera reports which modes it offers via available_values in the movie-shooting-mode property. Cameras without CineEI (e.g. A7R V, A7 IV, ZV-E1) only return Off (0x1).

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Shooting Modes

ModeHexISO ControlUse Case
Off0x1Normal ISOStandard video, no log
CineEI0x0301Exposure Index (EI)Full cinema workflow, locked base ISO
CineEI Quick0x0302Exposure Index (EI)Simplified CineEI, auto base ISO
Flexible ISO0x0501Normal ISO rangeLog recording with variable ISO
Records S-Log3 footage at a fixed Base ISO. You choose High or Low base sensitivity, then adjust the Exposure Index to preview how the final graded image will look. The EI value only affects the monitoring LUT — the recorded S-Log3 data is identical regardless of EI setting.Key properties:
  • base-iso — High or Low base sensitivity (determines noise floor and latitude balance)
  • exposure-index — EI value reflected on the monitor (e.g. 800 EI). Range is +/-2EV from Base ISO.
  • base-look-value — Active monitoring LUT
  • movie-shooting-mode-color-gamut — S-Gamut3.Cine or S-Gamut3
Same S-Log3 recording as CineEI, but the camera auto-selects Base ISO based on your EI setting. Fewer manual controls, faster to set up. Good for run-and-gun log shooting where you want CineEI latitude without managing Base ISO yourself.Key properties:
  • exposure-index — Available, auto-adjusts base sensitivity
  • base-look-value — Active monitoring LUT
  • movie-shooting-mode-color-gamut — Color gamut selection
In CineEI Quick, be careful when changing EI — it may affect the base sensitivity, unlike full CineEI where Base ISO is locked.
Records in S-Log3 but lets you change ISO freely like normal shooting — no fixed base ISO or EI offset. You get log footage with full ISO range, but without the controlled latitude management of CineEI.Key properties:
  • Standard iso property — full ISO range available
  • base-look-value — Active monitoring LUT
  • movie-shooting-mode-color-gamut — Color gamut selection
base-iso and exposure-index are not available in Flexible ISO mode. Use the normal iso property instead.

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Switching modes

# Enable CineEI
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode \
  -d '{"value": "0x0301"}'

# Enable CineEI Quick
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode \
  -d '{"value": "0x0302"}'

# Enable Flexible ISO
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode \
  -d '{"value": "0x0501"}'

# Disable (back to normal)
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode \
  -d '{"value": "0x1"}'
The camera must be in a movie exposure mode (e.g. Movie Manual 0x8055) before switching movie-shooting-mode. Set exposure-program-mode first.

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Exposure Index vs ISO

In normal shooting, ISO directly controls the sensor’s gain — higher ISO = brighter image but more noise. In CineEI mode, the camera locks the sensor to a fixed Base ISO and introduces Exposure Index (EI) as a separate concept.
Normal ISOExposure Index (EI)
What it controlsSensor gain — changes recorded brightnessMonitoring LUT brightness only
Affects recordingYes — higher ISO = brighter + noisierNo — S-Log3 data is unchanged
RangeCamera’s full ISO range+/-2EV from Base ISO
Noise impactDirect — higher ISO = more noiseNone — noise is fixed at Base ISO
PurposeExpose the imagePreview post-production exposure adjustments

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How EI works in practice

When you set EI to a value lower than Base ISO (e.g. 400 EI on Base ISO 800), the LUT preview gets darker — simulating underexposure. The actual S-Log3 recording hasn’t changed, but you can see that you have extra headroom in the highlights. Conversely, setting EI higher than Base ISO brightens the preview, showing you’re pushing into the shadows. This lets you make exposure decisions during shooting that you’d otherwise make in post. The recorded file always has the same S-Log3 data at the Base ISO.

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API workflow

# 1. Set Base ISO (Low or High)
curl -X PUT .../properties/base-iso \
  -d '{"value": "0x2"}'  # Low

# 2. Set Exposure Index
curl -X PUT .../properties/exposure-index \
  -d '{"value": "0x320"}'  # 800 EI

# 3. Read current EI and available values
curl .../properties/exposure-index
Response
{
  "data": {
    "value": "0x320",
    "formatted": "800 EI",
    "writable": "true",
    "available_values": [
      { "value": "0xc8", "formatted": "200 EI" },
      { "value": "0xfa", "formatted": "250 EI" },
      { "value": "0x140", "formatted": "320 EI" },
      { "value": "0x190", "formatted": "400 EI" },
      { "value": "0x320", "formatted": "800 EI" },
      { "value": "0x640", "formatted": "1600 EI" },
      { "value": "0xc80", "formatted": "3200 EI" }
    ]
  }
}
The available EI values change when you switch base-iso between High and Low. Always re-read exposure-index after changing base-iso to get the updated range.

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Full CineEI Workflow

1

Switch to movie mode

Set exposure-program-mode to a movie mode (e.g. 0x8055 for Movie Manual).
2

Enable CineEI

Set movie-shooting-mode to 0x0301 (CineEI).
3

Set color gamut

Set movie-shooting-mode-color-gamut to 0x1 (S-Gamut3.Cine).
4

Choose Base ISO

Set base-iso to High (0x1) or Low (0x2) based on your lighting environment.
5

Set Exposure Index

Set exposure-index to your desired EI value to preview the graded look on the monitor.
6

Select monitoring LUT

Set base-look-value to your preferred LUT. Import a .cube file first via POST /lut/import if needed.
7

Enable LUT embedding (optional)

Set embed-lut-file to 0x2 (On) to write LUT metadata into the recorded file for post reference.
8

Start recording

POST /api/cameras/{id}/actions/movie-rec
# 1. Set CineEI mode
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode \
  -d '{"value": "0x0301"}'

# 2. Set color gamut
curl -X PUT .../properties/movie-shooting-mode-color-gamut \
  -d '{"value": "0x1"}'

# 3. Set Base ISO
curl -X PUT .../properties/base-iso \
  -d '{"value": "0x2"}'

# 4. Set Exposure Index
curl -X PUT .../properties/exposure-index \
  -d '{"value": "0x320"}'

# 5. Select monitoring LUT
curl -X PUT .../properties/base-look-value \
  -d '{"value": "0x2"}'  # s709

# 6. Start recording
curl -X POST .../actions/movie-rec

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Properties Reference

PropertyTypeModesDescription
movie-shooting-modeR/WAllOff / CineEI / CineEI Quick / Flexible ISO
movie-shooting-mode-color-gamutR/WAll CineEIS-Gamut3.Cine or S-Gamut3
base-isoR/WCineEIHigh or Low base sensitivity
exposure-indexR/WCineEI, CineEI QuickEI value for monitoring preview
base-look-valueR/WAll CineEIActive monitoring LUT with real names
embed-lut-fileR/WAll CineEIEmbed LUT metadata in recording