Dialing in the AF100
- Thread starter olof
- Start date
Steve Kahn
Well-known member
Then that would imply the banding is due to AVCHD more than 8bit. Maybe this is true because the EX1 looks vastly better than the AF100 in banding.
Again, please confirm. Banding is MUCH LESS via HD-SDI?
EDIT: do you think this is because of noise smoothing by the codec?
Last edited:
Pietro Impagliazzo
Well-known member
And why so clippy? Highlights aren't so classy in this example.
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
You must not overexpose unless you do it on purpose. No overexposure=No clipping.
olof
DVXuser Sponsor
Yes the banding is less when viewed on a HDSDI evaluation monitor. Even the footage from your NLE transferred from your card looks better on an evaluation monitor. But the best image is HDSDI direct out. This is why I think the NF will be of great use with this camera.
Here is my latest NanoFlash bracket rig:
Pietro Impagliazzo
Well-known member
It's not about overexposure, it's about highlight rolloff, it's just not cool from what I can see, detail gets lost in a sudden manner.
In this example the EX1 looks better than AF100 in this regard. The EX1 holds detail until overexposure while the AF100 gives you sudden white blotches.
Is there a setting that gives better results in this regard?
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
Cinelike V does have a lower knee or you can set it to low when using other gamma settings.
The exposure is clearly higher on the AF100.
I was going to leave this one alone, but... Coring is to much, unless something particular calls for it, in general I would stick around +2.
This is a cinelike V setting - need to watch the top end every time, its meant for controlled lighting / shooting. If you want a more EX look use HD norm and use your knee control (is anyone using the knee at all???)
What exactly does the knee do for each setting? It says something like Knee high compresses at 100%, Medium at 80% and so on. Just so I understand the setting correctly.
Knee sets the point on the IRE where the camera begins to roll off highlights, it does it at the following levels - Low / 80 - Mid / 90 - High / 100. So on high for example knee will begin "rolling off" anything at or above 100 ire.
I also want to point out that the cinelike gammas on ALL panasonic cameras that have these same options have never had knee control. Its always been the case that when using a cinelike gamma you must protect the highlights. This is not something new on the AF100.
olof
DVXuser Sponsor
I am not trying to create a beautifully lit scene here, I am setting up a challenge for the camera. Highlights and gradients and some pretty dark areas. There is only a single 8x12 LED panel up to the left and then a window to the outside in the back, a small white reflector on the right and part of it is in the shot.
I am not trying to make it easy on the AF100. These are typical challenges I run into while shooting. You don't always have HMI's, reflectors, flags, scrims and grips on a shoot, at least not in my world. Sometimes I shoot that way but often interviews are rushed and you only have 10 minutes to light and get ready with limited gear.
I really like the AF100, I am just trying to dial it in for my style of shooting. I have multiple EXcams and a 5DmkII, and with this new camera my 7D is relegated to stills for good. I still love the 5dmkII though. I anticipate using the AF100 about 50% of the time. That is pretty good for one out of 7 cameras, it is becoming my favourite in less than a week.
I will be trying very different settings next. I appreciate your input Noel.
I am not trying to make it easy on the AF100. These are typical challenges I run into while shooting. You don't always have HMI's, reflectors, flags, scrims and grips on a shoot, at least not in my world. Sometimes I shoot that way but often interviews are rushed and you only have 10 minutes to light and get ready with limited gear.
I really like the AF100, I am just trying to dial it in for my style of shooting. I have multiple EXcams and a 5DmkII, and with this new camera my 7D is relegated to stills for good. I still love the 5dmkII though. I anticipate using the AF100 about 50% of the time. That is pretty good for one out of 7 cameras, it is becoming my favourite in less than a week.
I will be trying very different settings next. I appreciate your input Noel.
I totally got that when I first read your thread - just some peoples comments lead me to believe they needed some clarification.
Alpha Beta Omega
Veteran
Knee sets the point where it starts to roll off. Lower=earlier.
PaPa
Major Contributor
The reason is because with more sharpening, there is also more noise, with more noise the posterization breaks up and it's less visible. I actually had a hard time seeing it with sharpness all the way up, then i cranked it all the way down with coring. The smoother the image, the more we see it. It's just a game of which is the lesser evil.
So High roll off equates to more dynamic range, or is it just a sharp roll off with a greater chance of clipping? Is this setting best to run auto, or to set manually?
Exactly. But of course with a high roll off you have greater chance of losing part of your image to clipping, so you need to watch your highlights a little closer. As far as manually or auto goes that could depend, though I have never shot something with it on auto because every shot is going to be different. For fast shooting however when not a lot is controllable I usually set at low. Of course much of my shooting is using the cine gammas where its not an option.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Knee is disabled when you choose a DRS setting, or you choose a cinelike gamma.
Shooter
Veteran
Hey Barry
Has anyone including your self got access to "graphical" representations of any of the settings in any of the scene files. eg Curves
The Panny Manuals have always just published vague largely un helpful descriptives of Scene settings and I have never ever seen any curves published.
Just wondering and hoping.