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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 :)

Focusing, or Image Sharpness, using Canon stills and LCD screen.

If you process the footage with a red rocket card, it will look slightly sharper.
For me, when I first saw the Scarlet frames in RXC, it looked as if I had applied a 0.5 Gaussian blur in Photoshop to the image. Even the sensor noise was soft. A lens does not soften noise !
Indeed, taking a red rocket image and applying a 0.5 photoshop blur to it makes it look like the RCX image !
Many of us are very accustomed to RAW DSLR processing and are not worried if we see some gritty noise in the image. Gritty 'sharp' pixel noise is a natural thing, and can be removed remarkably well with denoiser tools like 'neat video'. Blurring the noise makes it harder for the filters to discriminate between true electronic noise and picture details.

I am still hoping that they will offer some more options on RCX debayer styles soon.
 
I have to say, I shot with Canon 24-70 today, used the image magnifier, and the images are looking great. Now I need to figure out, the best post workflow to process the footage, so that I can use it in combination with the EX1 footage, in the fcp7. I'm shooting a documentary with both cameras, and don't want to switch to the Premiere Pro in the middle of the project, because I'm not familiar with it. Any good threads on the fcp workflow, and getting the best images using RCX to FCP? Thank you, for helping me, to be able to use the Scarlet better, and getting the most out of the camera.
 
Patrik Kisucky said:
I have to say, I shot with Canon 24-70 today, used the image magnifier, and the images are looking great. Now I need to figure out, the best post workflow to process the footage, so that I can use it in combination with the EX1 footage, in the fcp7. I'm shooting a documentary with both cameras, and don't want to switch to the Premiere Pro in the middle of the project, because I'm not familiar with it. Any good threads on the fcp workflow, and getting the best images using RCX to FCP? Thank you, for helping me, to be able to use the Scarlet better, and getting the most out of the camera.
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http://www.reduser.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?20-Apple-Workflow
 
Scott Crawley said:
If the lens were not up to the task, to you think they would have chosen to use it here: http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?74845-EPIC-Pulling-7G-s-Mach-0-95-via-a-F-16-Fighter-Jet that looks like a 24-70.
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I assume it's a little awkward to change prime lenses at a high and fast altitude, I was hoping to demonstrate actual shots but unfortunately my Scarlet had to be returned for some issues. Just to clarify, I'm not stating that the 24-70mm is a such a bad lens, I use one myself but for pure crisp images undistorted images, and the full quality Scarlet can offer, there's better options out there, more so for wide angles, CU's are quite ok. Stay tuned. :)
 
I just ran into the exact same problem with the 24L. After shooting some test footage today on my 1 day old Scarlet I was most disappointed to find all my footage was soft. I even had focus assist turned on and I could tell on the LCD I was nailing focus yet all my footage was soft, even with unsharpen mask applied it was not enough to bring back the details. I've no idea why but on my 5D2 it's pretty sharp (and that's with sharpening in camera turned OFF) yet on the Scarlet as soft as butter. Threw on my 50mm 1.4 and nice and sharp, well not as sharp as I liked but sharper than the 24L. I tried all focal lengths on the 24L and same softness as a result. Most disappointing as I liked this lens on my 5D2 but now will have to trade it for something better on the Scarlet.
 
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Although there are myriad discussions about the somewhat confusing reality of Red footage sharpness, there have yet to be any objective and definitive responses from Red that I can find. Obviously these cameras are excellent, but it would still be nice to know why an image is soft at 100%. More important than why, even, is IF everyone achieves the same relatively soft results.

Thus far, the sharpest results I have obtained is with my Canon EF 50mm 1.4. That said, it does not approach the sharpness of images from my comparatively lame T2i DSLR (still photos). There is obviously an explanation for it, but on the most basic level it just doesn't sit well with most people who expect razor sharp focus.

By the way, I have worked with Red footage for a number of years in post, and everything I have seen to date is slightly soft at 100%. As for glass, the footage was shot with Red primes. It is never fun to have the client ask why the footage is out of focus, but they always do!

The reason I went with Scarlet is because everything I do is delivered as 1080p, so the footage looks PERFECT when debayered and scaled down, but I knew that from the beginning. This is a concern that people have now because they didn't know about this unique phenomenon when purchasing their cam, so I hope that the question will be answered in the coming months by a Red tech.
 
Marie Turock said:
Although there are myriad discussions about the somewhat confusing reality of Red footage sharpness, there have yet to be any objective and definitive responses from Red that I can find. Obviously these cameras are excellent, but it would still be nice to know why an image is soft at 100%. More important than why, even, is IF everyone achieves the same relatively soft results.
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I don't remember the context of the thread, but I'm fairly certain Graeme has addressed this directly. As I recall the point was this: While no camera system is perfect for all types of jobs, The goal at Red is to make a system that is the best tool for the most types of jobs. Not everyone wants a razor sharp edge, so they leave sharpening to post where it can be dialed in to taste. It is consistent with the philosophy at the heart of RAW so it rings true enough. Oversampling has also been part of the approach from the beginning.

I understand why some clients would be confused initially, but expect that a quick demonstration of sharpening technique should quiet them pretty quickly. That doesn't seem to be your experience and I am curious why that is.
 
Al Lougher said:
I think this is the problem I'm seeing and it might not be my lens at fault after all. http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?70884-SCARLET-X-Shoot-Field-Report

Like I said still new to this so learning all these little nuances.
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Monitors and display... That is what I was thinking about as well.

Graeme Nattress said:
That's just it. Let's not burn in anything to the image that we can avoid burning in.

Graeme
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Graeme isn't talking about sharpening specifically here, but this sums it up.
 
After shooting a bunch of tests, interviews, hockey practice (Boston Bruins), concert (opera) with Scarlet, I understand, there is a learning curve to get the best images in various situations, out of this camera, and probably any RED camera out there. I almost feel, that my EX1 is like point and shoot camera, and that you need more knowledge and experience with RED. AND THAT'S A GOOD THING. That was exactly the reason, I decided to invest in RED. So that I'll learn more, get better, at what I love, and that I'll push myself another step closer.
With the same breath, I want to add, have a little patience with us RED newborns, as sometimes it takes time to find the right info, for what you need.
 
Just wanted to report back that my softness and noise issues are pretty much resolved. The footage I captured yesterday was gorgeous. Lack of noise (after long warm up->black shade) and sharp images even without sharpening in post! I'm putting this down to first use jitters and high expectations. Yesterday I was a lot more careful of my exposure and settings, and close attention to the histogram and traffic lights. Stunning imagery. I'll post some footage when I'm done with my edit. Thanks to all for the tips.
 
Good news Al, now rock that bitch!

Al Lougher said:
Just wanted to report back that my softness and noise issues are pretty much resolved. The footage I captured yesterday was gorgeous. Lack of noise (after long warm up->black shade) and sharp images even without sharpening in post! I'm putting this down to first use jitters and high expectations. Yesterday I was a lot more careful of my exposure and settings, and close attention to the histogram and traffic lights. Stunning imagery. I'll post some footage when I'm done with my edit. Thanks to all for the tips.
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Hi guys, chiming in too...

I have two "issues":
1st my tokina 11-16mm doesn't autofocus as perfect as my canon lenses. While it pulls focus it attains the fully sharp position and right in the end moves just a tiny bit out of focus again. Pulling sharp focus manually is not a problem. Anyone noticing something similar?

2nd is unrelated to focus but to rolling shutter. Is there a tip to yielding better results during a fast pan? I thought rolling shutter wouldn't be too noticeable but maybe I'm just panning too fast. Any hints on where to start on that, or settings I should try to get the best results?

Thanks!
 
Maybe you are really panning too fast, if it's so obvious. But RS in a pan is pretty easy to fix with the current tools from The Foundry or in After Effects (soon Premiere too). It get's more difficult with objects moving in various directions…
 
Uli Plank said:
Maybe you are really panning too fast, if it's so obvious. But RS in a pan is pretty easy to fix with the current tools from The Foundry or in After Effects (soon Premiere too). It get's more difficult with objects moving in various directions…
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Thanks Uli. I figured it will end up like this. Although it of course is no comparison to the RS in a 7D, I might have just been expecting too much. But maybe my whip pans just whip too much ;)
 
Scott Crawley said:
How important is it to you to have the cleanest images the camera can produce with a minimum amount of noise? There is your answer.
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If your black shading with a lens cap cover, isn't the value always the same? This value isn't stored within the Camera?
 
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