GH1 picture profile for night shoot - how to get the most latitude for post?

Essami

Essami

Well-known member
Hi everyone,

I'm shooting a music video soon that takes place at night. I'm testing for an optimal picture profile setting for this night shoot. What I want is as much latitude and room to manipulate in post. We will have proper lighs for the shoots, 2x 2.5KW HMI's and a few smaller tungstens.

Here's a few screen shots I did. For now I'm liking the Nostalgic best. It seems to have the most latitude and the rims around overblown light sources seem to gradient nicer, what do you think? Am I reading the images correctly to assume this?

My settings:

Nostalgic
Contrast -2
Sharpness 0
Saturation -2
NR -2

Smooth
Contrast -2
Sharpness 0
Saturation -1
NR -2

Standard
Contrast 0
Sharpness 0
Saturation 0
NR 0

All are 320 asa, 3200 WB. Shot with 50mm Canon FD f1.4.
 

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I always used to shoot Smooth but on a recent shoot in a dark bar, the Nostalgic setting really seemed to work better for me, and I've been using it for most things since...
 
Kellar42 said:
I always used to shoot Smooth but on a recent shoot in a dark bar, the Nostalgic setting really seemed to work better for me, and I've been using it for most things since...
Click to expand...

Cool! Would you happen to have any footage online or screen shots? Have you been using nostalgic for daylight shoots as well?
 
Further tests. I was already set on using Nostalgic but I read this thread by Barry Green http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=187624 who recommended Smooth a little more (thats how I read it) and decided to do a few more tests.

Here's one with nostalgic and one with smooth. I used color curves to get shadows and highlights to the same level. To my eye the Smooth setting still has too much saturation on the reds although its set to -1 on the picture profile whereas Nostalgic seems much more natural and it's saturation setting was set to 0.

Nostalgic
Contrast -2
Sharpness 0
Saturation 0
NR -2

Smooth
Contrast -2
Sharpness 0
Saturation -1
NR -2

So based on this Im still choosing Nostalgic over Smooth.
 

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Man thats great, I always thought that the red in gh1 is too much, but using your sittings for nostalgic seems to change that, and improves the quality.

Thaks a lot man.
 
For what it's worth, if you like the Canon FD 24mm f/1.4, I have a feeling you'd also like the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 pancake - I know I seem to be the only person on the planet who likes this lens, but I'm finding it INCREDIBLY useful and is one of my go-to lenses...I'm using it even more than my Canon 24mm f/1.4 L

One of these shots has a little after-effects applied - still playing with it and learning it, but anyways, there it is.
 

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thisisapocalypse said:
For what it's worth, if you like the Canon FD 24mm f/1.4, I have a feeling you'd also like the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 pancake
Click to expand...

Im sure Id like the lens but I'm hesitant to go from f1.4 to f2.8, seems like you loose a lot of sensitivity for just a slight widening of FOV.
 
thisisapocalypse said:
One of these shots has a little after-effects applied - still playing with it and learning it, but anyways, there it is.
Click to expand...

The second image looks very nice to my taste. Suits the mood of the people and the objects - having a slightly washed out 60's feel. The first images flare extendind outside the picture frame into the black bars on top and bottom look a little unnatural to me and that much vignetting would look very apparent if the image moves.
 
Essami said:
Im sure Id like the lens but I'm hesitant to go from f1.4 to f2.8, seems like you loose a lot of sensitivity for just a slight widening of FOV.
Click to expand...

Totally, I'm not giving up my fast lenses, no question about that - it's a cool little lens though for when f/2.8 is fast enough - got mine for $200 "used" on eBay :) The FOV though is significantly wider than my 24/1.4, in my opinion - just depends on the situation :)
 
thisisapocalypse said:
Totally, I'm not giving up my fast lenses, no question about that - it's a cool little lens though for when f/2.8 is fast enough - got mine for $200 "used" on eBay :) The FOV though is significantly wider than my 24/1.4, in my opinion - just depends on the situation :)
Click to expand...

Cool! I thought it was way more expensive! For 200 Id get.. to ebay then ;)
 
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