FS7: Custom Mode

Liam Hall

Liam Hall

Veteran
Who shoots in Custom Mode? Who only shoots in Cine EI?

100% of my FS7 Shoots are in Cine EI mode, at least they were. Now, it's more like 99.999%. Recently, a client requested Custom Mode to help post-production go a little quicker. Despite my protestations I relented and shot two short docs in Custom mode.

Before the shoot, I spent an afternoon fiddling and testing various settings before finding something I was happy enough with. After using Cine EI for nearly five years it took a little getting used to shooting in a normal video style, but it wasn't too bad.

This is a low res upload, just a little saturation boost I'm told. Clearly, it could do with a proper grade, but it's not horrendous considering it's pretty much straight out of camera.

https://vimeo.com/324365634

PASSWORD:Lebanon

 
It looks fine. I put together a profile on my FS5 to look nice straight out of camera. A few times I baked slog3 Lut on my FS7 which works also.
 
For many of my clients who have little time for post turn around or when shooting multi-cam with a number of say PDW-XDcam cameras a good custom setup with a well adjusted manual knee will give you a pretty decent picture. I do the skins At around 60-65 IRE with a gate of 3 and my peak whites around 90 or no more than a max of 95IRE Unless it's something like direct light source. Nobody has commented in the negative on the results. If it's for TV news, sports and current affairs where it is shoot now and on air tonight they would shoot me if I gave them Cine EI. Cine EI sure for something with a bit more time and budget and editors who know what they are doing is the best options for sure.

Chris Young
 
I've shot custom mode with other Sony cameras, but when I first tested the FS7, I really didn't like it compared to EI mode. Genuinely wondering if something changed with one of the firmware releases or whether I just got better (or lucky) at setting the camera up.
 
I'd say probably between 80%-90%(maybe more) of what I shoot on my F55 is custom/baked-in. Most of what I hand-off to clients can run as-is and look great. I guess part of it is the 'old-schooler' in me, since "fix it in post" was only said in jest, in my world, until just recently(relatively speaking).
 
Run&Gun said:
I'd say probably between 80%-90%(maybe more) of what I shoot on my F55 is custom/baked-in. Most of what I hand-off to clients can run as-is and look great. I guess part of it is the 'old-schooler' in me, since "fix it in post" was only said in jest, in my world, until just recently(relatively speaking).
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+1. Again another oh so true!

Chris Young
 
That looks good, Care to share the settings with us? I shoot Cine EI too but have struggled to get a good baked in custom mode for clients.
 
When using a second camera (Lumix) I use Custom mode slog2 or slog3 to be able to do a White Balance on both camera's. This makes leveling the colors between the camera's a lot easier.
 
Only ever tried auto white once and made a big mental note never again. When tested further I found it will look for the brightest object in frame and consider that to be white. If it isn't and then something white does appear in scene the resulting shift in white balance is something to behold. Reinforcing my mental note never again.

Chris Young
 
In cine EI white balance is not possible. But the normal white balance is possible in Custom Log. It has the benefits of slog and made it a lot easier to use slog in combination with a G7 camera (both with the same WB on the same sheet.) Before it took me a lot longer to get the images leveled.

I like custom slog, I have the idea it makes grading a bit easier.

But I was told Custom SLOG2 or SLOG3 differs in more ways with Cine IE. But I use it when used with a B-cam.
 
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I know a lot of shooters turn their noses up at it but I use Custom S-Log2 quite often with a home rolled matrix when I want to grab as much range as possible and need a quick turn around with minimal grade. The other benefits are white balance and increased gain adjustment if required. Also makes for a pretty simple grade that even novice editors can come to grips with.

Chris Young
 
cyvideo said:
I know a lot of shooters turn their noses up at it but I use Custom S-Log2 quite often with a home rolled matrix when I want to grab as much range as possible and need a quick turn around with minimal grade. The other benefits are white balance and increased gain adjustment if required. Also makes for a pretty simple grade that even novice editors can come to grips with.

Chris Young
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Same here, I have it in my book and video. But my scene file uses S-LOG3, even though I prefer S-LOG2 when I'm in the CINE EI mode. I just have to make sure the client is willing to do SOME grading because it's not a finished look with that scene file. But it can be graded in an NLE without going to the time and effort of running it through Resolve.
 
Doug Jensen said:
To save people from themselves. There is never a good reason to use ATW in any mode, but especially in CINE EI it would be mess.
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Traditionally Sony ENG cameras were very good at this function.
If I'm shooting follow doc style with transitions from daylight to tungsten to whatever, what else can I do? (shooting rec709, not log, btw).
 
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