Jannard
Red Leader
- Joined
- Dec 28, 2006
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with Build 15 and before... was missed exposure. We have seen so much footage that had to be fixed in post from this that it motivated us to fix this in Build 16. Missed exposure happened both ways. Over-exposed footage clipped the highlights and lost latitude. Under-exposed footage was pulled up in post and noise was introduced. How did this happen?
In pre-16 builds, when you had correct exposure (really correct), the monitor looked darker than it should have. Many got to understand this and adjust for it. If not, the tendency was to open up the exposure until the mids on the monitor looked right. That led to over-exposure. Conversely, some users got comfortable with the "pull it up out of the dirt" concept, thinking that erring on the side of under-exposure could always be saved in post with no chance of clipping. While a little of this was OK, a lot was not (as with most things...). The disparity between an exposure meter, the image on the LCD, the histogram and "Stop Lights" made for tricky business. Those that used "False Color" and got to know the system have had the best results.
So in Build 16, we wanted to align everything (as much as possible). Now... they all line up. What looks right on your LCD, is what you see when you open your file in RED Alert! (and REDCINE). When the histogram says you are clipping and the "Stop Lights" go on, you are clipping. A correctly metered ISO will match what you are seeing on the LCD and histogram. Exposure was never so easy. And while you still might miss exposure once in awhile, you should be well within the range of the RAW file to save you.
I can't stress enough how important this is going forward. I have shot quite a bit myself and got to know the ins and outs of pre-16 builds. I am so relieved over this improvement... I'm sure you will be too.
As for picking ISOs. After ISO 500, ONLY use a higher ISO on an as-need basis. You are not using the sweet spot of the sensor. This sounds rather obvious. But the difference between shooting ISO 500 at T2.8 is incredible compared to shooting ISO 1000 at T4. And not just the DOF. Make sure you exhaust all lens and lighting options before going up in ISO. Then, if necessary, shoot the higher ISO with confidence. Just know the shot would have been better at ISO 500. If you find yourself exposing ISO 1000 at T5.6 or T8, an alarm bell should go off in your head. Certainly there may be exceptions to this rule, but other than a couple, I don't know what they would be.
A lot of this will sound remedial to the trained professional. But there are many here who quietly want some help.
Jim
In pre-16 builds, when you had correct exposure (really correct), the monitor looked darker than it should have. Many got to understand this and adjust for it. If not, the tendency was to open up the exposure until the mids on the monitor looked right. That led to over-exposure. Conversely, some users got comfortable with the "pull it up out of the dirt" concept, thinking that erring on the side of under-exposure could always be saved in post with no chance of clipping. While a little of this was OK, a lot was not (as with most things...). The disparity between an exposure meter, the image on the LCD, the histogram and "Stop Lights" made for tricky business. Those that used "False Color" and got to know the system have had the best results.
So in Build 16, we wanted to align everything (as much as possible). Now... they all line up. What looks right on your LCD, is what you see when you open your file in RED Alert! (and REDCINE). When the histogram says you are clipping and the "Stop Lights" go on, you are clipping. A correctly metered ISO will match what you are seeing on the LCD and histogram. Exposure was never so easy. And while you still might miss exposure once in awhile, you should be well within the range of the RAW file to save you.
I can't stress enough how important this is going forward. I have shot quite a bit myself and got to know the ins and outs of pre-16 builds. I am so relieved over this improvement... I'm sure you will be too.
As for picking ISOs. After ISO 500, ONLY use a higher ISO on an as-need basis. You are not using the sweet spot of the sensor. This sounds rather obvious. But the difference between shooting ISO 500 at T2.8 is incredible compared to shooting ISO 1000 at T4. And not just the DOF. Make sure you exhaust all lens and lighting options before going up in ISO. Then, if necessary, shoot the higher ISO with confidence. Just know the shot would have been better at ISO 500. If you find yourself exposing ISO 1000 at T5.6 or T8, an alarm bell should go off in your head. Certainly there may be exceptions to this rule, but other than a couple, I don't know what they would be.
A lot of this will sound remedial to the trained professional. But there are many here who quietly want some help.
Jim
