How to obtain the proper exposure

M

MEDIA101

Member
Well, I'm kind of new to filming with a DSLR. Not new to filming but have always done run and gun with a 'real' videocamera ;-)

So now I'm after that magical movie look. But I'm struggling. I've read through tons of boards and blogs and picked up as much as I could. But I'm still struggling to get the right exposure. At 24p I understand I am sort of stuck with the 1/50 shutterspeed.

I like a nice bokeh as well so try to stay below 5.6. But by now I've spent a small fortune on ND filters. Which don't really work in variable circumstances like sunny outside and then going in. So I bought the variable ND from Heliopan. But that doesn't cut in sunny summer conditions unless I close the aperture. A lot. There is no iso100 or iso50 on the GH4 so I should do... what? ;-)
 
Stack the Heliopan on top of one of your other ND filters.

Multiple ND filter stacks are done all the time.

Try one of the softer ND filters - like a 2 or 3 stop if you have it, then stack the Heliopan on top of that and do a test run.
That should do it.

If that leaves a minimum that is still too dark when you move to inside - then you've hit the issue everyone else hits: The Variable ND's are great, but their range is usually not great enough, like they don't go to 8-stops at the darkest and 1 at the lightest.

Those XUME magnetic rings really are a fantastic little tool. Not very expensive and they allow you to add or subtract from your ND filter stack in just a matter of a couple of seconds.
 
Heliopan is 1-6 stops vs Genustech Eclipse, which is 2-8 (supposedly). You can at least shoot wide open at f/2 with the eclipse. Sell the Heliopan then buy the Eclipse with $$ to spare.
 
Thank you all. I was fearing I overlooked a key ingredient, but it seems everybody is negotiating kind of the same challenge. Wouldn't Iso50 or even Iso100 be great? ;-)
Weird though, lot's of talk about low light performance but very little about the other end of the dial. I'll test some stacking and will look for those XUME rings in Europe. Looks like a nice 'workaround', didn't know they existed!
 
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