F55: exposure tools?

[jm.gardiner]

Hey guys, I'm working with a client who's just upgraded to F55's. They picked up the kits with the sony monitors. I can't seem to find any useful exposure tools like false colors or a waveform. Do those exist and I'm just lost in the menus? Or are they not built into the camera at all?

 

[Run&Gun]

False color is possible with the OLED VF and the Sony 7" monitor, but only on SLOG2.

​From the Sony manual:You can perform the false color display on theviewfinder by pressing the SPARE button of theviewfinder (DVF-EL100, DVF-L700) that isattached to the camcorder.
For details about the false color display, refer to theoperating instructions of the DVF-EL100 or DVF-L700.
The false color display is available only when the“Gamma” setting for the video signal that is output to theviewfinder is set to “S-Log2.”


Waveform is sorta hidden in the VF menu: VF>Display On/Off>VIDEO SIGNAL MONITOR.

Here is a link to the manual with v7 firmware.
https://community.sony.com/sony/att...5/31031/3/F55_F5_V7.0_operation_Manual_GB.pdf


I never use the built-in Sony tools. My on-board monitor is a smallHD DP7Pro OLED and it has excellent exposure tools that are easier to use and available whenever you need them. Zebra, waveform, false color, RGB Parade...

 

[cameramanben]

Hi John,

here is a brief list:

Zebras: set with MENU->VF->Zebra. The default Zebra1 aperture is 10%; I generally set that to 3% (sometimes 1%) for a narrow exposure band, and so that I don't have zebras all over the shot distracting me ;-) ! Zebras work from the viewfinder's levels, i.e. if you have an MLUT applied, set your zebras for that MLUT. Due to the nature of CineEI compared to say LogC (metadata ISO adjustment vs variable log parameters), this is sensible as you don't have to figure out and change zebras when you change CineEI ISO.

Waveform: the setting itself is in MENU->VF->Display->Video Signal Monitor, but the better idea is to set one of the assignable buttons to 'Video Signal Monitor' using MENU->System->Assignable Button. If you set a button to Video Signal Monitor, then each button press will go through the sequence Waveform->Vectorscope->Histogram->Clear. An important note is that the Viewfinder and 'Sub & HDMI' (NOT Main & Internal) MLUT settings have to match to see the waveform, either both off or both on. I only mention 'Main & Internal' as this bakes in the LUT to the recording, but that can only be set via MENU->Video->Monitor LUT. Best to have a quick check of that if someone else has been playing with the camera! You can set Viewfinder and Sub&HDMI on the side menu. As with zebras, this displays the post-MLUT levels, for the same reasons (you can actually set MLUT to S-Log3 or S-Log2, if you are desperately keen to work to a milky, low contrast image but want to change CineEI ISO ;-) ).

High/Low Key: not sure how many people use this (or even know about it), but can be very handy. Set to an assignable button - MENU->System->Assignable Button and then set to High/Low Key. When you press this the first time, the image in the viewfinder darkens to show the detail being recorded in the highlights near white clip. Press it again and the shadows are brought up to show you the shadow details around black clip. Press a third time and you return to normal picture. The waveform / vectorscope will not show whilst High/Low Key is active.

False Colour: as has been mentioned, this is only available with the OLED viewfinder or Sony monitor options, and in S-Log2. I did come up with a way of creating an accurate False Colour MLUT, to overlay false colours on whatever base look you want and tuned to either S-Log2 or S-Log3, but to be honest it's not something I use myself (as mentioned above I get grumpy just seeing too many zebras splurged across my frame , so it's really for others to say if it's helpful.

I shoot log with an MLUT I'm comfortable with and whilst I've got tools galore on my external monitors and laptop and I do make use of them for convenience (e.g. I can have a nice big waveform on my laptop using Scopebox), basically I use the zebras and built-in waveform all the way, flicking them on and off as the mood takes me,

Ben

 

[moldcad]

Ben - thanks for the great hints on the toggle functionality of an assignable button with Video Signal Monitor and/or the High/Low Key functionalities; never occurred to my to try it out actually. I would think the assignable button would only turn the option, preselected within the Menu system, on and off ...

Piotr

 

[abreu-canedo]

I love the High/Low feature. Mostly the high, though. Super helpful to see what exactly you are clipping or not. Specially in RAW as it is a linear signal. If shooting to a compressed codec in slog2, that becomes a bit more tricky (but still useful) since there is higher compression happening at the top of that curve so it's mostly just for checking specular highlights or using it with false colors where you know which color corresponds to which part of that log curve.

The reason why I find high/low feature mostly useful for the highs, is because the limited resolution of the viewfinder or 720p monitors do not acurate reproduce noise. In other words, they give a false sense of how clean the shadows are. For that I mostly use false colors and knowledge of what IRE or CV the sensor gets noisy at a given EI.

I also love false colors. Nowadays I only use my light meter for location scouting. On set, false color is my go to tool. the Sony OLED EVF is really nice. Not perfect, but you'll enjoy using it.
-All the best on your production!

 

[jm.gardiner]

Thanks Ben, greatly appreciated. Next time I'm on set I'll dial in those waveform assignable buttons.

Another question that came up just last night about the raw recording. If I'm recording just to the R5 recorder, does my MLUT or anything effect that recording or what's being piped out of the SDI. I come from working with Arris and Canons, all I want is a rec709 image to light to while everyone else gets Slog3.

Our setup is this:
F55 recording raw/Slog3 to R5 recorder for archival and backup
Our main primary workflow is the SDI signal piping out slog3 to external switcher board that's also recording prores files with a lut added at that external recorder.