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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 :)

Mysterium-X better color, not just low light

R

Rob Ruffo

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Everyone talks about shooting at 10 000 000 ISO and so on, and that is exciting, but it also seems to me that the Mysterium has better color definition and color saturation.

Is that just me? Is it true?
 
Thank you for you rreplies - I guess it is real.

How would you guys rate the old Mysterium vs. other HD cams? Better color? A different look? I have direct experince, but other knowledgeable opinions are always great.

I ask because I am going to have to match some Ex1s to a Red M1 in an upcoming shoot, and I'm just a tad worried, wondering if I ought to rent an MX (despite ample light) for this to work better. The EX1s are for weight - not enough crew to haul more than 1 Red at the speed we will be working at.
 
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Rob Ruffo said:
Thank you for you rreplies - I guess it is real.
Click to expand...

Is it? I'd really like to see 2 properly exposed shots side by side and processed using the latest color science. I think a lot of people are feeling like old RED footage looks new again with the new Color Science. Most MX tests have been low light - we know it's 2 stops better into the shadows. But are skin tones better under proper lighting? I kinda doubt that.
 
The benefits of the M-X low noise extend throughout the image, even if they're most noticeable in the shadows. I matched the colorimetry as best as I could, but the M-X is just plain better....

Graeme
 
Graeme Nattress said:
I matched the colorimetry as best as I could, but the M-X is just plain better....

Graeme
Click to expand...

So what are you working on these days Graeme? Have you found ways to improve the REDCODE imaging algorithms more or are you researching something else?
 
Rob Ruffo said:
Thank you for you rreplies - I guess it is real.

How would you guys rate the old Mysterium vs. other HD cams? Better color? A different look? I have direct experince, but other knowledgeable opinions are always great.

I ask because I am going to have to match some Ex1s to a Red M1 in an upcoming shoot, and I'm just a tad worried, wondering if I ought to rent an MX (despite ample light) for this to work better. The EX1s are for weight - not enough crew to haul more than 1 Red at the speed we will be working at.
Click to expand...

Well, that's a tough question because with the old sensor and old color science, I felt that there was a "CMOS single-sensor Bayer CFA" look that was different from the 3-CCD look, different in that it seemed more muted with a lot of color crosstalk in the first example, less color differentiation. I felt the same way about Phantom and D20 images.

But now with the better sensor and/or conversion software, I think color-wise, they can be matched more easily, but that may be mostly due to the better color science.

But I'm taking about comparing a single-sensor Bayer CFA camera to a 3-CCD 4:4:4 camera like the F23. With the EX, you have the 4:2:0 chroma limitations of the XDCAM recording format, whereas you can achieve 4:4:4 with any Red camera.

So it's all a bit apples and oranges, color-wise -- however, I used the EX3 (CineGamma 4 maybe) for some shots on the "Ride-Along" FOX pilot mixed with the M-X Red One shot in 4K HD mode and converted to 1080P 4:4:4 in RedGamma and was able to color-correct them all to match. Color-wise, I didn't have much problems matching, it's just that the EX3 image is softer and noisier than the M-X image even only at 1080P. Plus has a lot more depth of field.
 
The proxies look slightly green but the R3D seems to be ok.

Shooting at ISO 800, AutoWB and @ T 2
 
What I haven't heard anybody mention but the MX footage offers a lot more room for grading as well!
 
David Mullen ASC said:
*snip*
Well, that's a tough question because with the old sensor and old color science, I felt that there was a "CMOS single-sensor Bayer CFA" look that was different from the 3-CCD look, different in that it seemed more muted with a lot of color crosstalk in the first example, less color differentiation. I felt the same way about Phantom and D20 images.
Click to expand...

Its true. I feel that this may promote the use of RGB lighting sources like RGB LEDs and RGB umbrellas for colour *enhanced* or colour critical subjects (like product shots). Certainly, its worth testing and experimenting.
I was playing with Zylight's is3 recently (http://www.zylight.com/servlet/Page?template=p_i_is3) and I'd love to do some tests when Epic rolls out. I particularly like the saturated hue controller for colour effects and the Magenta/Green controller, always a plus for LED lighting. Too bad you cant incorporate that into HMI's and Fluorescents too.
 
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