Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
- Thread starter calito
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Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
The zebras will tell you what your bright areas are doing, and you can use the Marker function to actually use the DVX as if it was a spotmeter.
I rarely ever use an external lightmeter with the DVX.
The zebras will tell you what your bright areas are doing, and you can use the Marker function to actually use the DVX as if it was a spotmeter.
I rarely ever use an external lightmeter with the DVX.
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
Thanks guys,
I'm new in this stuff. I've been reading all your posts. I'm sure you guys already know just how amazing you all are.
Talking about zebra! I think I have an idea of how to use it, but I would like to hear from you guys, exactly how you use it step by step, when you are composing your picture.
Thanks again for your time guys. You are great!!!
Thanks guys,
I'm new in this stuff. I've been reading all your posts. I'm sure you guys already know just how amazing you all are.
Talking about zebra! I think I have an idea of how to use it, but I would like to hear from you guys, exactly how you use it step by step, when you are composing your picture.
Thanks again for your time guys. You are great!!!
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
[quote author=Barry_Green link=board=news;num=1095475389;start=0#2 date=09/18/04 at 00:08:38]The zebras will tell you what your bright areas are doing, and you can use the Marker function to actually use the DVX as if it was a spotmeter.[/quote]
One thing I ask myself is why don't they put some function on the camera so that we can measure our dark areas? Why do we always have to use external tools or even use our eyes to measure that?
One thing I love about professional digital still cameras is the histogram. You can see the whole exposure of your picture. Isn't that lovely? They should add something like that to digital camcorders. Or at least provide an external one the same size as the lcd screen.
All the best
Fidel.
[quote author=Barry_Green link=board=news;num=1095475389;start=0#2 date=09/18/04 at 00:08:38]The zebras will tell you what your bright areas are doing, and you can use the Marker function to actually use the DVX as if it was a spotmeter.[/quote]
One thing I ask myself is why don't they put some function on the camera so that we can measure our dark areas? Why do we always have to use external tools or even use our eyes to measure that?
One thing I love about professional digital still cameras is the histogram. You can see the whole exposure of your picture. Isn't that lovely? They should add something like that to digital camcorders. Or at least provide an external one the same size as the lcd screen.
All the best
Fidel.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
You can use the "marker" to measure the dark areas.
And if you use DV Rack, it has "dark zebras", which will alert you to losing detail in the dark areas.
You can use the "marker" to measure the dark areas.
And if you use DV Rack, it has "dark zebras", which will alert you to losing detail in the dark areas.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
The Marker is an option in the DVX when you use the Zebra. There's Zebra 1, Zebra 2, and Marker. Marker brings up a small box in the center of the LCD, and will give a % readout of the brightness of the area in the center of that box. So you can use it to check the brightness of any spot on your video, getting a readout from 0% to 90% (DVX100) or 0% to 99% (DVX100A).
The Marker is an option in the DVX when you use the Zebra. There's Zebra 1, Zebra 2, and Marker. Marker brings up a small box in the center of the LCD, and will give a % readout of the brightness of the area in the center of that box. So you can use it to check the brightness of any spot on your video, getting a readout from 0% to 90% (DVX100) or 0% to 99% (DVX100A).
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
Good question. I don't know. I'd assume it's the whole box (else why display the box bigger than necessary?) but that's only an assumption...
Good question. I don't know. I'd assume it's the whole box (else why display the box bigger than necessary?) but that's only an assumption...
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
i use the 100a over 200 days a year...mostly in difficult outdoor during winter conditions, where white balance off the snow is misserable, and ive always had a perfectly exposed image with the right white balance just by using in camera exposures and judgement of what looks right
i use the 100a over 200 days a year...mostly in difficult outdoor during winter conditions, where white balance off the snow is misserable, and ive always had a perfectly exposed image with the right white balance just by using in camera exposures and judgement of what looks right
Barry_Green
Moderator
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
[quote author=ddh link=board=news;num=1095475389;start=0#12 date=09/19/04 at 16:45:50]Barry, does the marker act in the same way as a spot meter? I've been using one on green screen shots. Just curious.[/quote]
It does and it doesn't. It works exactly like a spotmeter, except that the readout isn't in f-stops, it's in % of brightness. So in some ways it's a lot more accurate than a spotmeter. But yes, you'd use it just like a spotmeter. For a greenscreen it's ideal, because it'll tell you within 1% how much hotter or darker any given area of the screen is.
[quote author=ddh link=board=news;num=1095475389;start=0#12 date=09/19/04 at 16:45:50]Barry, does the marker act in the same way as a spot meter? I've been using one on green screen shots. Just curious.[/quote]
It does and it doesn't. It works exactly like a spotmeter, except that the readout isn't in f-stops, it's in % of brightness. So in some ways it's a lot more accurate than a spotmeter. But yes, you'd use it just like a spotmeter. For a greenscreen it's ideal, because it'll tell you within 1% how much hotter or darker any given area of the screen is.
taubkin
Veteran
Re: Do we need a lightmeter to work with video?
You just have to learn to read the information they give you. There is no right way to expose the scene.
To give you a step-by-step explanation would be to cover every aspect of cinematography (lighting, measuring, exposing, etc).
Basically, the zebras will tell you when the image is "Too white", and no need to tell you, that too much white in a video (Overexposure) is an ugly bastard (and besides that, you loose all your detail). "Too dark" is a little better, because there are no awful artifacts, but the image also loose detail.
If you don;'t simply want to know what is too white, you use the marker, and when you point your camera to anything (that is framed inside the marker square) you'd simply read the numbers and it will give you a % number on the luminosity level of that thing. 100% is white and 0% is black.
There is one thing to take care: Some things that you shoot actually ARE white and black, so there is no point in trying to expose propperly for them. Exemple: you are shooting a car, it's an external scene. the perfect polishing of the car is reflecting the sun in the chassis, and the reflections appear all blowout in the camera (zebras). You have to let the go and care for the propper exposure on the car.
You, of course can control how much light enters the camera controlling aperture, so you can change the values of the values the marker give you, but once you close your iris to acomodate the bright values, the dark values go underexposed. That happens because of latitude. A Brazilian DP say that latitude is like parking a Ford galaxie in a Beatle's parkling space. There is little you can do about the size of the car and the size of the space, but you can park a little sideways and get by with it.
Basically, you use lighting control to make things fall where you want. (Your bright areqas are ok but your dark are too dark? You throw light in them, that's the only way. ) Eventually, there can be art direction involved, so you can paint a whie wall ligh gray and it will be white when you shoot it, etc...
So there is a whole lot of knowledge to make the propper use of exposure. If you care, read some serious texts and other pieces from this board. And BUY Barrys DVD/Book, because I'm sure all this will be there (he wrote all this stuff here, many times...), and needless to say, he does a better than I...
You just have to learn to read the information they give you. There is no right way to expose the scene.
To give you a step-by-step explanation would be to cover every aspect of cinematography (lighting, measuring, exposing, etc).
Basically, the zebras will tell you when the image is "Too white", and no need to tell you, that too much white in a video (Overexposure) is an ugly bastard (and besides that, you loose all your detail). "Too dark" is a little better, because there are no awful artifacts, but the image also loose detail.
If you don;'t simply want to know what is too white, you use the marker, and when you point your camera to anything (that is framed inside the marker square) you'd simply read the numbers and it will give you a % number on the luminosity level of that thing. 100% is white and 0% is black.
There is one thing to take care: Some things that you shoot actually ARE white and black, so there is no point in trying to expose propperly for them. Exemple: you are shooting a car, it's an external scene. the perfect polishing of the car is reflecting the sun in the chassis, and the reflections appear all blowout in the camera (zebras). You have to let the go and care for the propper exposure on the car.
You, of course can control how much light enters the camera controlling aperture, so you can change the values of the values the marker give you, but once you close your iris to acomodate the bright values, the dark values go underexposed. That happens because of latitude. A Brazilian DP say that latitude is like parking a Ford galaxie in a Beatle's parkling space. There is little you can do about the size of the car and the size of the space, but you can park a little sideways and get by with it.
Basically, you use lighting control to make things fall where you want. (Your bright areqas are ok but your dark are too dark? You throw light in them, that's the only way. ) Eventually, there can be art direction involved, so you can paint a whie wall ligh gray and it will be white when you shoot it, etc...
So there is a whole lot of knowledge to make the propper use of exposure. If you care, read some serious texts and other pieces from this board. And BUY Barrys DVD/Book, because I'm sure all this will be there (he wrote all this stuff here, many times...), and needless to say, he does a better than I...
