How important field monitors with waveform, vectorscope,.. for your work?

E

E6Loers

New member
Hello,
i am a newbie in the video world. How important are field monitors with scopes like Waveform, Vectorscope, RGB Parade for the work in an interview setting. I thought about buying an Atomos shogun for this, i don't need the recording with my G7. Is the Aotmos hype or a an important tool on the set?
 
Scopes are not essential, but they are a valuable asset for monitoring exposure and white balance if you learn to use them. If you want to exercise manual control over your exposures, they are worthwhile.
 
If you don't need the recording aspect, there are a number of monitors that can fit your requirements for less that can give you the scopes you mentioned such as the SmallHD 701 Lite for $699.

I personally am not a fan of trying to read the scopes on a monitor that small, other than broadest of strokes. Another option is to use a laptop with the Blackmagic Ultrastudio Mini Recorder and Scopebox software (around $250 combined) which will give you much bigger display of all including live video, so you could use as an ad hoc monitor as well. Obviously less wieldy for run and gun but for a sitdown interview, could work fine.
 
E6Loers said:
How important are field monitors with scopes like Waveform, Vectorscope, RGB Parade for the work in an interview setting? I thought about buying an Atomos shogun for this; I don't need the recording with my G7. Is the Atomos hype or a an important tool on the set?
Click to expand...

Both Canon and Panasonic make cameras called G7, both are entry level DSLR-like cameras. That implies a lack of manual controls, and a lack of dynamic range. That said, I've never used either one, and don't know for sure if either of these is the camera you are using.

The usefulness of tools like the waveform monitor and the vectorscope should not be underestimated. But using them on small screens that may be difficult to see can be somewhat frustrating, and therefore prone to error.

In your shoes (and we were all in your shoes once) I suspect you'll get better bang for your buck by investing in lighting and lighting controls. That, and a decent sized (not the smallest one) gray target that you use to set manual white balances with.

Think about it -- what good is it to see that your lighting is questionable on a waveform monitor when you don't have a way to improve it? What good is graphical knowledge of a color cast if you can't then correct it?
 
You certainly should not get the Atmos just for monitoring. As a newbie, you will find yourself buying items and then buying again to get what you really need once you've learned something. So I recommend small steps and small purchases to learn what works for you.

The most useful tool is a monitor to see what you are shooting. Starting out, I would want a minimum of zebras or waveform monitoring. Then a focus assist. Later, the other tools will become useful. I like Charles' second suggestion which gets you the most bang for you dollars.
 
I rely on the histogram and decent monitor accuracy for exposure and have never blown a shot - for me the #1 feature is blue-only so you can setup the screen properly. Two of my cameras don't generate bars, but I check the screen at my NLE regularly and it's very stable.

Especially since going to 4K, I use the monitor for shot setup and for client and makeup to approve the setup (if there's space and time I usually bring a 22" HDMI for clients). From there, I leave the camera's screen as-is for framing, and set the monitor for 1:1 pixels and peaking (so the camera screen is for framing an the monitor is for focus). I can get really, really accurate focus this way (generally I look for skin pores around the eyes, eyelashes, or eye makeup texture on the peaking screen) and use a follow focus with a whip. These days, it's pretty easy to fix minor exposure or color errors and I find they're rare if your monitor is good and you understand exposure, your lights and matching set lights to ambient light and practicals. So for me, the dual setup and blue-only, 1:1 and peaking are the big features I use.

100% frame grab - I like sharp focus!!
focus.jpg
 
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