When I export the colors on the file don't match that of the timeline

There's several things could be an issue. Those cameras often allow the users to set the files to full range ... which is always wrong.

It does not get any more levels recorded in the file, it just encodes them differently. And the Rec.709 YUV (technially Y/Cb-Cr) files by the standards are to be encoded in limited/legal range, 16-235. And only 12-bit RGB files (which that camera cannot produce) are expected to be in full range.

Correct app and monitor settings always display both at 0-255.

However, if you encode Rec.709 YUV files to full in the camera, then you will have issues working with those files in post. Including difficulties getting the monitor to display the files correctly.

In Premiere,  a Rec.709 YUV file encoded to full range should have the full-to-legal Lumetri Preset dumped on the file in the project panel. Then you will be working with a correct limited range Rec.709 YUV file.

Also ... if your monitor or OS settings have been incorrectly set to use full range for Rec.709, again, you will get an improper display of a Rec.709 image. Especially, any actually correct 12 bit RGB files will have crushed blacks and clipped whites. 

So the camera and monitor settings should be auto or limited for Rec.709.

Next, monitor brightness is often a problem ... as so many monitors these days are way above the specified 100 nits brightness ... but then, if they're in a normally bright room, they probably should be somewhat lighter than 100 nits. But it does make working color/tonal corrections more difficult.

The last thing I will not ... no camera made, not even the $70,000 RED and Sony 'cinema' cameras, have an accurate monitor on the camera. Period. No. None.

For accurate on-set work, one would always need to have a professionally calibrated monitor setup in a light-controlled viewing space. The monitor on your A7 does not show accurate brightness or color ... it is useful to check composition and with built-in histogram, basic exposure. That's it.

Premiere has the most highly encoded color management of anything outside of Resolve or Baselight. It will be more accurate than any video player. Period. But you can only know your images are correctly set if you have a fully calibrated monitor with puck/software and/or use a professional calibration service.

The only monitors I have ever heard actually coming outta the box correct, no matter the fancy certificate they come with!!!!!! are the grade 1 profesional monitors from Flanders Scientific, Eizo, and the high-end Sony ones. But those cost typically upwards of $7,500, often well over $10,000.

Just understand, that's a workaround that only "works" on Macs that don't have monitors with Reference modes.

It will not look like it does on your system on any non-Mac or any Mac using Reference mode HDTV.

So it's fine within your system, and, if the only people that ever view your stuff are on non-reference mode Macs.

The problem again was caused by Apple. It's the chosen display transform Apple uses in non-reference mode Retina monitors ... equivalent to gamma 1.96. Against the rest of the universe, which uses 2.4 or 2.2.

From what I can gather talking with a lot of users on forums and at NAB, and some conversations with the devs, I think Apple may have tweaked their color setups.

As things that once gave X behavior repeatedly simply do Y at this point. One of the engineers at NAB had a long conversation with me about this. He's trying to sort out what changed in his Macs, and what changes the devs might do to get users better options.

So still trying to puzzle out a temporary workaround.

Neil

The great joy of using the 'conversion' LUT that Adobe provides & is used here is that you just change who sees the problem. Well, and what problem they see.

Because the underlying problem isn't solvable until either Apple changes their Rec.709 settings in ColorSync or the rest of the world changes the Rec.709 standards. I don't see either happening anytime ... ever, sadly.

Applying this LUT does the same thing that using the "Rec.709-A" export option does in Resolve. Though they do it differently.

This LUT modifies the image to make it darker in the shadows and a bit more saturated. So when ColorSync does it's thang ... the odd 1.96 gamma and no display tranform function applied ... it ends up looking mostly like you saw it in PrPro.

If you're watching it on a Mac in Chrome, Safari, or QuickTime player.

But if you're on a PC or on a system with a fully calibrated monitor for broadcast-standard Rec.709, it will be a bit dark especially in the shadows and over-saturated.

The Resolve Rec.709-A export option tags the file with the NLC tags of 1-2-1, rather than the 1-1-1 of 'normal' Rec.709. The '2 in the middle is officially "unstated" in the Rec.709 standards. But BlackMagic realized that if a file had that 2 in the middle, QuickTime would for some unknown reason apply the 2.4 gamma and display transform.

So the file 'looks' correct on a Mac in the same situations as noted above.

But on most other systems, it ... gee ... looks too dark and oversaturated.

At which point I go back to the fact that all pro material is graded for Rec.709 broadcast standards. All the stuff you're watching on your Mac has the 1-1-1 file tagging. Did you think it's all washed out and desaturated?

No ... because you didn't know you were watching it with lightened shadows and less saturation.

You don't have a comparison to the 'real' image, do you? And neither does anyone who ever sees your stuff.

Neil