Hi all, I wanted to share a fix I've found for a problem some people have brought up with shooting SD 30F and 24F with the A1.
PROBLEM:
The A1 image flickers and stairsteps in fine lines and diagonals when shooting SD 30F or 24F. The problem is not evident when shooting SD 60i or HDV.
DISCUSSION:
It is known that with the A1 shooting in HDV and then downconverting to SD in post fixes this problem, and indeed may be the overall best way to generate SD images from the A1. However, this is a cumbersome workflow if SD is the intended output.
People have claimed the DVX100 doesn't flicker like this, and I would agree with them. So the claim has been that the A1 is actually inferior to the DVX in shooting native SD progressive formats. And up until now, I would agree with them.
I think the problem arises simply because the A1 lens is SO INCREDIBLY SHARP. Far sharper than the DVX. Sharper, in fact, than any other comparable 3 chip SD lens I've ever seen. This stands to reason; it's actually first and foremost an HD lens.
The flickering and stairstepping seems to happen only on the finest of lines and patterns, which are what I will unscientifically call "subpixel" lines. These seem to wreak havoc on an SD monitor, which apparently doesn't have the resolution to cope with what the A1 lens is capturing.
Like many A1 users I love and use Disjecta's VIVIDRGB preset almost exclusively, because its color rendition is awesome. But here's the catch: It ain't optimized for SD progressive shooting.
SOLUTION:
Simply dial down the "DHV" setting, otherwise known as "Horizontal/Vertical Detail Balance." Bring it down to the -6 to -9 range, and see what happens.
Yes, it softens the image a little, but mainly where it needs softening: on the flickers and diagonal stairsteps. In VIVIDRGB this value is at 0, but I find that a value of -7 or -8 is best.
Because the A1 lens has a ton of sharpness to spare, the image holds together, and to my eye is more gorgeous and filmic than before. I still find the image sharper than the DVX.
Maybe a new preset based on VIVIDRGB should be created, for shooting in SD 24F and 30F. It should be called VIVIDSDF or somesuch.
Thoughts? Agree/disagree with my findings?
PROBLEM:
The A1 image flickers and stairsteps in fine lines and diagonals when shooting SD 30F or 24F. The problem is not evident when shooting SD 60i or HDV.
DISCUSSION:
It is known that with the A1 shooting in HDV and then downconverting to SD in post fixes this problem, and indeed may be the overall best way to generate SD images from the A1. However, this is a cumbersome workflow if SD is the intended output.
People have claimed the DVX100 doesn't flicker like this, and I would agree with them. So the claim has been that the A1 is actually inferior to the DVX in shooting native SD progressive formats. And up until now, I would agree with them.
I think the problem arises simply because the A1 lens is SO INCREDIBLY SHARP. Far sharper than the DVX. Sharper, in fact, than any other comparable 3 chip SD lens I've ever seen. This stands to reason; it's actually first and foremost an HD lens.
The flickering and stairstepping seems to happen only on the finest of lines and patterns, which are what I will unscientifically call "subpixel" lines. These seem to wreak havoc on an SD monitor, which apparently doesn't have the resolution to cope with what the A1 lens is capturing.
Like many A1 users I love and use Disjecta's VIVIDRGB preset almost exclusively, because its color rendition is awesome. But here's the catch: It ain't optimized for SD progressive shooting.
SOLUTION:
Simply dial down the "DHV" setting, otherwise known as "Horizontal/Vertical Detail Balance." Bring it down to the -6 to -9 range, and see what happens.
Yes, it softens the image a little, but mainly where it needs softening: on the flickers and diagonal stairsteps. In VIVIDRGB this value is at 0, but I find that a value of -7 or -8 is best.
Because the A1 lens has a ton of sharpness to spare, the image holds together, and to my eye is more gorgeous and filmic than before. I still find the image sharper than the DVX.
Maybe a new preset based on VIVIDRGB should be created, for shooting in SD 24F and 30F. It should be called VIVIDSDF or somesuch.
Thoughts? Agree/disagree with my findings?
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