Cine4, Slog2, Slog3 and and Dynamic Range

[stanw]

I'm pretty new to video and Sony cameras.

1. What types of shooting scenarios require more dynamic range from Slog2 and Slog3 VS. Cine4? Can someone please provide some examples?
2. Using Slog2 or Slog3 would I be able to capture details in a daytime sky while also capturing details of a subject in the foreground? Would Cine4 be able to do this also?
3. If you shoot in the default color profile, what happens if you try to grade it? Does it make the footage look bad?

Thank you.

 

[Imamacuser]

Here's an old thread that has a lot of good information on Cine4 and S-Log2. Don't forget old tricks of the trade like polarizer and graduated ND filters.

 

[Samuel H]

Slog3 has about one stop more DR than slog2 (maybe just half a stop, it depends on how much you dislike noisy shadows), and slog2 has about one more stop of DR than cine4.

The distribution is also very different: slog has a lot of headroom in the highlights, cine4 allows you to bring up your shadows a lot more.

The usual case scenario where I'm screaming for more DR is when I'm shooting outside without a crew. Unless it's magic hour, I like to place the talent in the shadows so they will look good (no hard shadows), and then slog allows me to have my talent properly exposed and the sunlit background not blown up (ok, with slog2, which is the one I can use, I struggle a bit more than I'd like, an extra stop or two would still be welcome).

And yes, you can still grade footage that was shot with a standard profile (not log, not flat) but it already has a baked-in contrast curve and you're going to have to fight it. You can still get good results, but it's much easier to just get garbage, you really have to know what you're doing if you're going to push a lot on an image taken with a standard profile.

 

[abreu-canedo]

I'm pretty new to video and Sony cameras.

1. What types of shooting scenarios require more dynamic range from Slog2 and Slog3 VS. Cine4? Can someone please provide some examples?
2. Using Slog2 or Slog3 would I be able to capture details in a daytime sky while also capturing details of a subject in the foreground? Would Cine4 be able to do this also?
3. If you shoot in the default color profile, what happens if you try to grade it? Does it make the footage look bad?

Thank you.

What specs and camera are you hoping to shoot?

There is a lot of info already out there, and this type of very technical info can lead to confusing conclusions. Sony puts out their official gamma curves as it relates to distribution of dynamic range and bit depth, so the only subjective element to plug into their info is where you determine an acceptable noise floor is for you, beyond which you throw information away (limiting the DR), as well as your ability to get the looks you want given a gamma curve. As these elements are subjective, it would really require you to test for yourself.