FS100 Lighting Question

Noah Blackwell

Noah Blackwell

Active member
Just purchased a FS100, and I've been lurking around the threads to get a better understanding on how to make this camera sing. I've noticed a few posts that mention something around, "We've had to learn to light differently with this camera." Etc...

I'm curious on how people are adjusting and making changes to their lighting setup/style to fit the needs of the camera. Sorry if I'm off base in this question, I would like to get my feet wet, and start from the bottom up the right way. I'm currently waiting on the camera in the mail at the moment.


I didn't find a thread dedicated to this specifically, so if anyone could point me in the right direction, that would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I shoot with the FS-100, and the biggest change in they way I light is that I find that with the sensitivity and dynamic range of the camera, and the controls available in the picture profiles, I can use less quantity of light in many circumstances. I regularly shoot interiors with an ISO of 1000 and am able to use smaller units. I also am able to utilize available practical lighting more often than I could with previous cameras that I have used. I have also found that due to the dynamic range of the camera, and the picture profile controls, I am usually able to use less fill light than I have in the past, in many situations.

If you are getting a FS-100, I would really study up on the picture profile threads and get an understanding of the control that you have with the camera.

I am very pleased with the camera and it can make some great pictures.
 
Probably the biggest change for us in the corporate sector is that you're 'keying with ambient fill'.

In other words, your key light in talking heads or hero shots, is popping an extra stop into a scene, but you need to match its colour balance with the ambient, which is your fill.

You can then drop a rim/kicker/back light to separate it, perhaps adding a little contrasting colour to put some non-brightness separation into the shot.

I'd love to be lighting with Kinos but most of the time it's Chinese knock-off 'sort of daylight'LED panels... The biggest challenge in this scenario is matching the ambient colour temperature. Everything is a mix of daylight and tungsten, so you'll have acres of half and quarter CTO and CTB (specifically, Colour Temperature Orange and Colour Temperature Blue) to hand, plus the 1/8 Magenta or thereabouts to help the cheap LEDs. All that filtration and diff would be a disaster with older cameras, but you only need a stop or two over ambient and modern cameras can almost see in the dark.

The two biggest challenges you'd face with this setup are firstly to compensate for the LED panels - everyone looks like freshly dug-up zombies that have had the best cosmetic makeover known to zombiedom. There's still a bit of deathly pall to the skin, and the FS100 sees it all too well. You can compensate, but it's still there (clients may not notice but editors do). It's why Kinos and Tungsten kits still have a job.

Second issue is highlight handling. It really doesn't like high contrast scenes and shooting against 'whiteout' conditions. That's the one 'SOL' situation that you have to take on the chin, so to speak. But enjoy the lit scenes!
 
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MattDavis said:
Probably the biggest change for us in the corporate sector is that you're 'keying with ambient fill'.

In other words, your key light in talking heads or hero shots, is popping an extra stop into a scene, but you need to match its colour balance with the ambient, which is your fill.

You can then drop a rim/kicker/back light to separate it, perhaps adding a little contrasting colour to put some non-brightness separation into the shot.

I'd love to be lighting with Kinos but most of the time it's Chinese knock-off 'sort of daylight'LED panels... The biggest challenge in this scenario is matching the ambient colour temperature. Everything is a mix of daylight and tungsten, so you'll have acres of half and quarter CTO and CTB (specifically, Colour Temperature Orange and Colour Temperature Blue) to hand, plus the 1/8 Magenta or thereabouts to help the cheap LEDs. All that filtration and diff would be a disaster with older cameras, but you only need a stop or two over ambient and modern cameras can almost see in the dark.

The two biggest challenges you'd face with this setup are firstly to compensate for the LED panels - everyone looks like freshly dug-up zombies that have had the best cosmetic makeover known to zombiedom. There's still a bit of deathly pall to the skin, and the FS100 sees it all too well. You can compensate, but it's still there (clients may not notice but editors do). It's why Kinos and Tungsten kits still have a job.

Second issue is highlight handling. It really doesn't like high contrast scenes and shooting against 'whiteout' conditions. That's the one 'SOL' situation that you have to take on the chin, so to speak. But enjoy the lit scenes!
Click to expand...

+1.

You really do have to protect your highlights, and try to avoid peaking at all costs. The good news is like MattDavis says... The FS-100 does dang near see in the dark and, if you protect your highlights, you will usually have enough shadow detail to save the bottom end.
 
This is great information everyone, Thanks! Question, I've been looking at different profile pictures for this camera, and are either of you bringing the sharpness all the way down? Or is there a middle ground you are finding yourself working with, like a talking heads for example?
 
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I would need to pull out my notes, but I keep the detail setting in the minus, like between -3 to -7. I am not a fan of tack sharp footage. When you get your FS-100 play with the settings and see where you like them.
 
Definitely, I plan on bringing the softness down. Thanks David. Is there a color that the fs100 likes/dislikes? I've seen some shifts to more red in the image on some comparisons. Or has anyone found that daylight or tungsten, etc.. really works well with the sensor?
 
Sharpness (Detail) MUST be brought all the way down for chromakey - otherwise you get black lines around your subjects.

You can add it back in post - and it will do a very good job, better than in-camera.

But then every shot needs a little bit of work, a little bit of grading, a little bit of sharpness, and it all adds to the time in post. It's no longer 'laundry' - it's pre-soak, pre-treat, wash, spin, air, tumble dry, press, steam, de-humidify, fluff - is there no end?

So, yes, I cheat on Event stuff - I creep a little Detail back in (0 on the FS100) and add a little simple sharpening (in FCPX, the Sharpen filter at its default 0.2 setting) and that seems to 'put enough lipstick' on most shots. Tonalizer can do a little 'DSLR Raw' magic in terms of contrast and sharpness working together - I do like it a lot (and there's a free version to get you addicted).

The bottom line is that, in the corporate world, people like sharp colourful video. Sharpening is best done in post, where it doesn't need to happen in real time. But your mileage may vary.
 
Key stuff Matt, thank you. I just received my fs100 yesterday, and I was just going over profiles for event/corporate vs the more soft profiles to assist in a more organic look. Definitely working around the look right out of the box, but I am seeing much potential in it.

For corporate work, are you using different glass to give you the look they want or are you using older glass, for instance canon fd's, etc..?
 
I started out with FDs, and loved their look for non Corporate, but the corporate stuff is now done exclusively on Canon glass, mostly L series.

Don't get me wrong - a colleague did the same thing (started out with older lenses) and now he's specialised in Nikkors because there's no 'Metabones' for the F3 - he has the MTS adaptor, but it's not quite like working with just a lens.

The issue I found is that there's quite a bit of character to the FD glass. Used amongst themselves, they're great. As soon as you add a modern lens like the Tokina 11-16, it tends to leap out like a boy band at a punk rock event. Now I've got a good working set of EF lenses, I'm letting the FD set go sadly.They're great lenses, sharp and relatively artifact free. It's just that the contrast, flare and colour don't really match the newer stuff - it's like changing channels.
 
I have a set of FD glass that I intend to use for my own projects. I also have a few Nikkors, so I may do some a b tests between the lenses to see if the nikkors can hold up for corporate spots. I definitely agree with you about changing the channel, makes you do a double take for sure.

This is a different question than lighting, but have you tried different shutter speeds with 24p that help with the way the fs100 captures motion? I've done only a little testing, and it didn't bother me that much, but I can recognize it being there however.
 
I have a few FD's and love them, but they are a look unto their own.

I still need to break down & buy the metabones so I can use my EF lenses properly.
 
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