FS5: FS5 709 LUT for SLOG 2 on field monitor

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Ivor C

Active member
I recently purchased a SmallHD 501 field monitor that loads/displays LUTs. In a few days I have to shoot a project in SLOG 2 on a FS5. But I'll need to do a fair bit of complex lighting preferably keeping the camera in SLOG2 the whole time.

Can anyone recommend a downloadable LUT for my 501 monitor to give me the equivalent of rec709 for lighting purposes? I don't mind paying if that's the better route?
 
I'm pretty sure if you're on the latest firmware there should be LUTs like these pre-installed (in the 'internal' folder). There certainly is on the 702. What it won't have is exposure compensated LUTs, so if you're rating the camera at anything but 2000 ISO (and you're in CineEI mode) the LUT won't reflect that.

I've had some issues with certain LUTs on the 702 that won't load, and somewhere a while back the guy who designed the LUTCalc software built in some presets for Small HD monitors. Get to know LUTCalc, it will teach you more about your camera and the whole concept of LUTs, and I have been on set with my laptop generating LUTs as we shoot - it takes very little time especially for a simple conversion LUT.
 
I don't know where you're at in terms of your experience with S-Log2 on the FS5, but unless everything is well lit and your lenses are fast, you might want to reconsider S-Log2 in lowlight if you're shooting in UHD. There's a useful post below. The author, Allister Chapman, obviously wrote it in a state of frustration, but there's some good info in there that may or may not be applicable.

http://www.xdcam-user.com/2016/01/my-response-to-all-the-fs5-artefact-issue-complainers/
 
From my own experiences, Chapman was off the mark in that article when first written. Early firmware FS5 cameras DID have excessive bad artifacts in certain picture profiles. Sony has since fixed the issue. However S-Log2 in UHD 8-bit can be a touuch delicate if you're not careful.

This last week I used LUTcalc to make some exposure compensated S-Log2 to Rex709 LUTS in half stop intervals for both my 501 and for FCPX. I used the Alexa X-2 color gamut and really like the way it looks. It's actually quite an easy process. First choose your camera, then select your inputs (S-Log2 + sgamut3.cine) and your outputs (REC709 + X-2) and that's pretty much it! The app allows you to preview the LUT on a screenshot so you can create just the look you want.
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I don't have much experience with Slog, but the client is very comfortable with it and they'll be editing. That said I've read articles/watched videos relating to the whole 1.5-2 stops over, don't shoot low light, UHD/8-bit issues. And fortunately the whole project is 1080, so the full 4:2:2 10-bit.

But re the SmallHD/lighting LUT scenario, I guess the challenge is trying to read the screen if everything is the recommended 1.5-2 stops over. But I suspect I'll light with the LUT applied at the correct exposure and then crank things up afterwards. Benjamin, I'll definitely look into the LUTCalc. My problem (which I'm happy to have) is that I've had so much work the last 2 months I've had absolutely no time to even learn the full capability of the SmallHD 501 which only arrived a couple of weeks back.
 
I think you're making it more complicated than it needs to be.

First, send any LUT you want out to the SmallHD and/or the client monitor just so you have a prettier picture to look at. (I recommend Look Profile LC709 TypeA). Does it need to look perfect? No, it just needs to give everyone a ballpark idea of what the final picture will look like and to assist you with lighting ratios. But don't set your exposure by the LUT. You could set your exposure by the LUT, but don't. Instead, keep the LUT turned off in your viewfinder and set your exposure there using Zebra2 set for 75%. Use a white card to set exposure so you see just a hint of zebra on the card . . . and you're done. The LC709TypeA LUT to the client monitor and the SmallHD will look fine and your underlying S-LOG exposure will be right on the money. Grading in Resolve will be a breeze.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/resolve


That's how I do it.
 
Ivor C said:
Thanks everyone for the advice. I don't have much experience with Slog, but the client is very comfortable with it and they'll be editing. That said I've read articles/watched videos relating to the whole 1.5-2 stops over, don't shoot low light, UHD/8-bit issues. And fortunately the whole project is 1080, so the full 4:2:2 10-bit.

But re the SmallHD/lighting LUT scenario, I guess the challenge is trying to read the screen if everything is the recommended 1.5-2 stops over. But I suspect I'll light with the LUT applied at the correct exposure and then crank things up afterwards. Benjamin, I'll definitely look into the LUTCalc. My problem (which I'm happy to have) is that I've had so much work the last 2 months I've had absolutely no time to even learn the full capability of the SmallHD 501 which only arrived a couple of weeks back.
Click to expand...

if you take one of those LUTs I gave you links for and load it into the online LUTCALC it will export a set of compensated luts for you do a MONITORING option for the SMALLHD and a GRADING option to give to the editor). I do this on my SMALLHD 702, using the -1 so if I overexpose by a stop it will all look great on the monitor.
 
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