5D raw vs Epic raw

[Dolph van Stapele]

I got a question which really interests me. Epic is RAW. 5D mark3 photo is also raw. I put a RED still and a 5D image next to each other. If I compare these to each other I expect to get sort of same ranges of latitude. Both camera's are exposed the same, iso 250, f16, 24mm.
Next is what I did. I imported the 5D image in iphoto and I played with exposure. I show 2 situations, one with exposure as shot and one with exposure fully down with the exposure slider. What you see is enormous range in the sky. If I do the same with a RED image in REDCINE-x with the exposure slider there's no room at all. Does that mean the EPIC has another raw interpretation then 5D raw?

 

[Björn Benckert]

Yes, I think you need to be around 800 iso on the MX to use the full range, or expose the MX so it's just about to clip in the sensor, i.e right before the stoplights goes on, and do the same with the 5D and then compare the DR of the two.

 

[paul schefz]

i would set the epic at whatever iso you did the black shade at (i shoot mine at 320)....then set your exposure according to histogram and goalposts....
the 5DIII's maxDR is at iso 100, so base your exposure at that....be careful when you use the histogram on the back, it reflects the current curve of the jpeg processing chosen (look,...) even if you are shooting raw (and raw only)...there is no raw histogram (for all DSLR)....canon's DR goes down about 1/3 stop for each stop higher ISO....and it gets worse as you get up there....go to DXOmarks for exact numbers....
i am mentioning this because the max DR with the 5DIII is at base iso (about 100) whereas epic is quite a bit higher (although i would rate the iso 800 on epic more a 640 or 400 but that is a different story)

so you can compare the 2 cameras at their best possible iso/DR settings or at the same iso setting but you will have to adjust exposure and probably won't get the best results for both at the same time (at those settings)....

my experience with canon is that it is much easier to recover highlights, whereas epic lets you dig deeper into the shadows....so again, keep that in mind when looking for best possible results....
the other thing to keep in mind is that with epic you can set the compression of your raw file....in my experience not only do files get a lot noise but DR in general suffers quite a bit....i really never shoot at higher then 5:1 compression for those reasons....i can tell the difference between 6:1 and 5:1, especially when comparing stills....

having used 5D (all generations) and most other DSLRs and exporting stills from pretty much every shoot with my epic, i have to say that i easily prefer the epic files, they show better DR, are cleaner, sharpen better and up res much better....but all that is pretty personal and a matter of taste....

 

[Dolph van Stapele]

Thanks Bjorn going to test that. Heard that before yes but 250 or 800 shouldn't be big of difference I see between the 2 raw images. Did an extensive test lately and concluded a sensibly of 500 iso on the sensor. Could be me but that what came out, strange enough.

 

[D Fuller]

Thanks Bjorn going to test that. Heard that before yes but 250 or 800 shouldn't be big of difference I see between the 2 raw images. Did an extensive test lately and concluded a sensibly of 500 iso on the sensor. Could be me but that what came out, strange enough.

The pics you posted are really tiny, so it's hard to see what the settings in both are, but the histogram is visible, and what it shows is that the sky in the R3D image is overexposed. It's not in the 5D image.

So.. they're both RAW, why is that the case? Because they are different sensors, with different sensitivities, treated by the electronics that surround them in different ways, and with different definitions of ehat RAW means. For Canon, RAW means sensor data with ISO amplification baked in. For R3D, it means sensor data with nothing baked in. So to answer your original question: Yes, EPIC has another raw interpretation then 5D raw.

Since you are trying to compare dynamic range, really, you want to equalize the histograms of the cameras, rather than the exposure metrics, ensuring that neither is over or under-exposed, And for Red, that means looking at the histogram in RAW mode, rather than at any particular ISO.