Exposure issues with ND switching

gco

gco

Veteran
Did a shoot last weekend with overcast skies. I noticed in the tapes that several times the exposure in a particular shot looked really great and then it went dark because I switched the ND from 1/8 to 1/64 trusting the flashing ND indicator. My iris setting was set to -2, 80% Zebra ON. Question is, does programming the iris + or - affect the point at which the ND indicator starts flashing? Clearly, it was flashing for me to change it when in fact the exposure was right where I would have wanted it. So right now, I'm uncertain as to whether or not I can trust the ND indicator on an overcast day and/or using an offset programmed into the iris.
Any input appreciated.
 
Use manual iris. Adjusting the nd filter doesn't 'fix' the problem. It's just a recommendation. Once you switch, you then need to adjust your iris appropriately. And, you can't always trust the nd recommendation. Sometimes it might be basing it off of something in your frame that is not the focus of what you are shooting.
 
HorseFilms said:
Dude. Don't do that to yourself. It leads to nothing but frustration.:)
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Man, do i ever get the point. I really pooched a beautiful shot by doing that. Felt like getting off the couch and smacking myself.

Jason, your comment on not trusting the ND recommendation is well taken. It seems to make sense that it was responding to something other than the main subject. There actually was a tiny bit of cloudy sky in the frame. Even though it wasnt blown out to begin with, that must have been what the ND sensor was responding to.

Ok, so when going manual Iris, I would be riding the Zebras --staying just under or at the Zebra trigger point. Is that correct?
 
It's not that you can't trust it, you just have to be aware that it might not be thinking what you are thinking...

Concerning zebras... I have mine set at like 80 and 105. 80 is for the 'body' of the shot, so to speak. 105 is for highlights. I try to keep my highlights just below the 105 zebras. Just a suggestion, though. It is similar to what I think barry suggested in either the book or the bootcamp dvd.

Just use your ND's as a broad tool, not a fine tuning one. I use my ND to try to keep my exposure range from the iris all the way open, to not more closed than 5.6ish. That is a good range to work within, to get optimal picture quality. You start going more closed than the f6 (ish) range, things start softening up, etc. Again, not necessarily the rule, but a good guideline to follow.

Jason
 
Jason Ramsey said:
It's not that you can't trust it, you just have to be aware that it might not be thinking what you are thinking...

Concerning zebras... I have mine set at like 80 and 105. 80 is for the 'body' of the shot, so to speak. 105 is for highlights. I try to keep my highlights just below the 105 zebras. Just a suggestion, though. It is similar to what I think barry suggested in either the book or the bootcamp dvd.

Just use your ND's as a broad tool, not a fine tuning one. I use my ND to try to keep my exposure range from the iris all the way open, to not more closed than 5.6ish. That is a good range to work within, to get optimal picture quality. You start going more closed than the f6 (ish) range, things start softening up, etc. Again, not necessarily the rule, but a good guideline to follow.
Jason
Click to expand...
Maybe trust was a poor choice of words on my part. I definitely see your point. It describes exactly what I see in the shot I mentioned.

Regarding zebras, are you switching between 80 and 105 to check the exposure in a given scene or are you using them simultaneously?
When using 80 for your primary subject are you staying just under the trigger point? just on it?, one or two "ticks" under?

Keeping the iris between Open and F5.6 sounds like a plan. There were definitely times when the F-stop went over 5.6. Given the pace of the action and auto-iris, I wasnt so vigilant as I should have been. That would explain some image softening I noticed. Now that you mention it, I remember this optimal range somewhere in the book. Time to reread it. Its still helpful to hear it repeated though.
 
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