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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Can we have focus assist on LCD and NOT on EVF?

B

Barend Onneweer

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Hi,

I don't know what the focus assist will be like, so whether this makes any sense, but I wondered...

Let's say I'm operating the camera using the EVF. The focus puller is looking at the LCD. Would it be possible to enable focus assist on the LCD, and not on the EVF? That way the DP could concentrate on framing, and the assistant on focus. Same way that the operator might want histograms and the focus puller not.
 
Barend Onneweer said:
Hi,

I don't know what the focus assist will be like, so whether this makes any sense, but I wondered...

Let's say I'm operating the camera using the EVF. The focus puller is looking at the LCD. Would it be possible to enable focus assist on the LCD, and not on the EVF? That way the DP could concentrate on framing, and the assistant on focus. Same way that the operator might want histograms and the focus puller not.
Click to expand...

I'm gonna take a hit for this, but what exactly is "focus assist" on the LCD (Or EVF for that matter)

Jay
 
Unless something has surfaced somewhere in the avalanch of posts in the last two days, no one really knows what the focus assist is/does. That will presumably be a NAB apocalypse. I'm not even sure if we know it will be associated with the displays--I assume, butt . . .

Also, I imagine if it is display oriented, it will be display-toggled in some way. i.e., the info is piped out both hdmi's, and hidden/revealed at will by each device.
 
Focus assist

Focus assist

Focus assist is just a magnification of a portion of the picture, so you can see critical focus better.

There are no dumb questions, the key is trying to avoid the dumb answers!

Jay A. Kelley said:
I'm gonna take a hit for this, but what exactly is "focus assist" on the LCD (Or EVF for that matter)

Jay
Click to expand...
 
AquaVideoRed206 said:
Focus assist is just a magnification of a portion of the picture, so you can see critical focus better.

There are no dumb questions, the key is trying to avoid the dumb answers!
Click to expand...

Well - The HVX200 focus assist is just a magnification. Canon and Sony use peaking as a focus assist. The HD-100 uses blue outlines and works pretty darned good for me. Graeme thinks RED's newly designed system will be much better than any of them. Can't wait... as long as you can track moving objects I'm happy. Magnification is not good for that.
 
They haven't released any details of the focus assist other than the odd hint of it being something quite unique. There have been a few guesses though. For the OP, it is an interesting question whether it will be an option or not. The more you think about it the more it becomes obvious that both will be coming from the same output and perhaps this is an option that if it hasn't been thought about might need some attention.
 
Barend Onneweer said:
Hi,

I don't know what the focus assist will be like, so whether this makes any sense, but I wondered...

Let's say I'm operating the camera using the EVF. The focus puller is looking at the LCD. Would it be possible to enable focus assist on the LCD, and not on the EVF? That way the DP could concentrate on framing, and the assistant on focus. Same way that the operator might want histograms and the focus puller not.
Click to expand...

A focus puller should be looking at their marks in relation to what they want in focus and the lens distance markings. If the focus puller try's to focus off of the lcd on any kind of difficult shot it will end up soft. You can not keep up to focusing movement with a monitor. A operator is the one that needs to be able to judge if the shot was in focus or not so he can make the call if there was a focus problem or if they can move on. This is part of the operators job.
 
Finner said:
A operator is the one that needs to be able to judge if the shot was in focus or not so he can make the call if there was a focus problem or if they can move on. This is part of the operators job.
Click to expand...

With new technologies entering the field, I'd rather the operator focus (pun intended) on the framing and responding to the performance, and have the AC worry about focus. I'd probably have the AD check focus on a 30" TFT anyway, but I'd love for the AC to be able to use the focus assist while the operator can have histograms.

Bottom line, there are separate outputs for EVF and LCD. I'd like to be able to configure what info goes on which. You can tell me I shouldn't want this, but I still do :meh:
 
AquaVideoRed206 said:
Focus assist is just a magnification of a portion of the picture, so you can see critical focus better.

There are no dumb questions, the key is trying to avoid the dumb answers!
Click to expand...

I assume you're talking about other camera's? We haven't announced yet how our focus assist works.... except that it's better :)
 
ssshhhhhhh! ;)
 
joelnet said:
In a post-RED world you may set your marks based on the LCD because it's more accurate than a tape measure.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... I don't know, but my spider-sense :spidy: isn't quick enough to always try and follow the action. I think a lot of focus pulls will still have to be done off pre-calculated distances and subjects hitting their mark.
 
"probably have the AD check focus on a 30" TFT anyway"

AD !! ???????????????

you are not going to be popular in that dept or camera dept ... !! AD's have too much to do already - focus is just NOT a AD's thing & i'd lay $$ they want NOTHING to do with checking focus ...
 
I am not quite sure where the experince level is at with people that feel focus pulling can be done with a monitor but in my experience this is just not the case ever. Maybe this is what is tried on new student films but it is not something I have seen in the profesional relm. I have worked in the camera dept for almost 20 years on many films over 150 million budgets and pulled focus for quite a while. In this time I have never seen any focus puller try and use a monitor to focus with. As a DP I would send a focus puller home and find another one real quick if I saw them trying to focus off a monitor. It is just not possible to focus pull properly from a monitor.

Focus pulling from a monitor may be a bad habbit some AC's have formed in an ultra low budget DVX100 indi shoot but It will not fly on a profesional set with any kind of budget.
 
right..

but..

1st.. there are so many different levels of PROfessionals.. we mean.. a PRO is a person who do something for living, right?

isn't professional who "have formed these habbits in an ultra budget DVX100 indi shoot"?.. you said.. DVX100?.. do you mean: DVX?..

only because it is an ultra budget and doesn't come from hollywood?..

or only because the income comes from the art work (but i could add weddings or stuff like that.. i have no complaints against these people..) and not from tough (serious :)) business?..

2nd.. i thought a PRO :innocent: had rehearsals before the shooting.. or do you mean non-fiction probably?.. yeah.. it should be the case..

3rd.. i thought it's promised a magical focus assist.. that said.. what for would we need it?..
 
AppliedVisual said:
Hmmm... I don't know, but my spider-sense :spidy: isn't quick enough to always try and follow the action. I think a lot of focus pulls will still have to be done off pre-calculated distances and subjects hitting their mark.
Click to expand...

I didn't say the moves wouldn't be precalculated. I thought that's what I did say... set focus marks. The difference is instead of measuring with tape you can use the focus assist. Should be faster and possibly more accurate - especially with SLR lenses.
 
Finner said:
I am not quite sure where the experince level is at with people that feel focus pulling can be done with a monitor but in my experience this is just not the case ever.
Click to expand...
Then what does an ENG shooter do for live coverage?
 
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