Dark Hexagonal Spots (not lens flare)

J

jdkhanlian

Active member
Can anybody help me understand what might be causing several dark spots to show up in my HPX170 footage? They are especially pronounce in bright shot. They look hexagonal in shape, like they're are somehow related to the iris, but they aren't lens flare. Any thoughts? They are driving me crazy!

https://vimeo.com/315110646
 
Looks like dust particles in the image path. Could just be on the front element, but otherwise may be on the sensor, an interior lens element, or on an internal ND filter. You don't say but I assume this is on your HPX170 camera. If it's not dust on the front element you may have to have the camera sent in for cleaning.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Looks like dust particles in the image path. Could just be on the front element, but otherwise may be on the sensor, an interior lens element, or on an internal ND filter. You don't say but I assume this is on your HPX170 camera. If it's not dust on the front element you may have to have the camera sent in for cleaning.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply. I was worried I was going to need to get it serviced. I assume I can't do this myself? I have never sent my camera away to get cleaned. Seems like a pain and probably expensive to do for an "old" camera. Do you know if I can take it to a local electronic repair place, or does it need to be a Panasonic place?
 
I have no idea if any local shop could handle it, and they almost certainly would not be able to get the backfocus reset on the lens once it was reassembled. This would need to be done electronically, and for that you need Panasonic knowledge and possibly specialized tools. I honestly don't know the details of what can and cannot be done by outside entities.
 
I'm going to guess you see these when shooting F/16-22.
See if it clears up by adding ND and shooting your day ext's at F/4-5.6
 
Nevermind... I think the spots may be the result of some inner element in my letus 35mm adapter... maybe on the mirror...
 
Didn't realize you were using an optical adapter. Odds are very high that the issue is in there somewhere. Pretty hard for stuff to get inside the camera.

Time to move into 2019 and consider some new camera gear! Can I interest you in an EVA1? It will be like lifting a veil from your eyes.
 
I know, I'm old fashion, like in the unhip 2007 kind of way... Nobody likes my setup, but I still feel like shooting at 720, 24p, on a 3 CCD camera, with some old Nikons going through a lens adapter is somehow the best way to get an old film look without actually shooting on film... and that's the look I love, even though soft shots aren't in vogue in the 16K world in which we live. Plus new equipment is expensive, and independent filmmaking does not pay the bills, so I got to really believe the old adage that craft > tools. Speaking of filmmaking not paying the bills, I decided to give away 100 minutes of cinematic art on Amazon Prime, just to get some people to watch and review my feature, so if you want to see "Pi meets Napoleon Dynamite", check out "Digital Physics" while it's still free on Prime... And see if you can spot those horrible dark spots in one or two shots!
 
Nice! Still kickin it old school. I still have an HVX200 and an M2e adapter. Got some Rokinon cinema lenses, looks great. Keep using that cam till it don’t work no more. That might take awhile. And yes, indie filmmaking does not pay the bills. I shot an indie feature 10 years ago on an HVX with the older M2 adapter. Still unseen by the public. Although, I just recently was contacted by an American producer who bought it and looks like he is going to finish the edit and release it. Will wonders never cease.
 
jdkhanlian said:
I know, I'm old fashion, like in the unhip 2007 kind of way... Nobody likes my setup, but I still feel like shooting at 720, 24p, on a 3 CCD camera, with some old Nikons going through a lens adapter is somehow the best way to get an old film look without actually shooting on film... and that's the look I love, even though soft shots aren't in vogue in the 16K world in which we live. Plus new equipment is expensive, and independent filmmaking does not pay the bills, so I got to really believe the old adage that craft > tools. Speaking of filmmaking not paying the bills, I decided to give away 100 minutes of cinematic art on Amazon Prime, just to get some people to watch and review my feature, so if you want to see "Pi meets Napoleon Dynamite", check out "Digital Physics" while it's still free on Prime... And see if you can spot those horrible dark spots in one or two shots!
Click to expand...

It can easily pass for a movie shot on film in the early 90s.

And film acquisition is imperfect (which is what some love)...the dark spots and many more make it more convincing!
 
MDKfilms said:
Nice! Still kickin it old school. I still have an HVX200 and an M2e adapter. Got some Rokinon cinema lenses, looks great. Keep using that cam till it don’t work no more. That might take awhile. And yes, indie filmmaking does not pay the bills. I shot an indie feature 10 years ago on an HVX with the older M2 adapter. Still unseen by the public. Although, I just recently was contacted by an American producer who bought it and looks like he is going to finish the edit and release it. Will wonders never cease.
Click to expand...

Encouraging and exciting! Do you have any stills or clips to share?
 
NorBro said:
It can easily pass for a movie shot on film in the early 90s.
Click to expand...

Yes!! Makes perfect sense... it looks like it was shot right after my cousin Khatchig's story takes place :)

NorBro said:
And film acquisition is imperfect (which is what some love)...the dark spots and many more make it more convincing!
Click to expand...

That's probably the best way to think about it, but I don't know if I can put it in the category of "classic" imperfections I actually enjoy like grain, dirt, lens flare, soft shots, etc.
 
I use to have all the raw footage! But I eventually let it go. I don’t work in the industry anymore but it would be nice to see this film finished and shown. It was a hell of a shoot! Long days leading into long nights. I got a lot of compliments on the footage when people saw it so I’m a little excited. The only footage I have that made it through the purge is my old Steadicam reel, which I also used on the shoot. Back then I had a Flyer LE which worked with the HVX/M2e beautifully. All it is is a guy running through a forest carrying a bag. That was a crazy day. Running full tilt through a slick slippery forest having no time to check for gopher or rabbit holes. Kind of a Hail Mary moment. It was fun at times.
I really wish I could watch that film of yours on Prime but I can’t get it here in Canada.

I will say that when lit properly the footage really looked good. Almost comparable visually to 16mm. The grain structure of the spinning disc I guess. But the teeny tiny dynamic range of the camera was hard to light for, but we managed to pull off something that looked pretty good.
 
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