FS5: Judging exposure?

RayB said:
Maybe carry a 5x7 white/grey card or even a little fold out white reflector ? they are also great for setting accurate WB
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I think everyone is missing the point towards Run N Gun - Observational documentary. When filming this we really can only rely on skin tones, as following someone indoors to outdoors in unexpected scenarios.

I would never carry a white/grey card and put it in the scene to break it up and say "wait i just need to get my exposure".
 
BeeHop said:
I think everyone is missing the point towards Run N Gun - Observational documentary. When filming this we really can only rely on skin tones, as following someone indoors to outdoors in unexpected scenarios.

I would never carry a white/grey card and put it in the scene to break it up and say "wait i just need to get my exposure".
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I agree, the zebras should always be set for the datum that corresponds to your subject and recording format.

The FS5 seems to be light on the tools that make exposure so easy on the FS7, i.e. 2 zebras, a waveform and VF LUTs which could be false colour if you wanted it to be.

I also make use of the ALL Files settings so I can load complete camera setups which include different zebra settings for the type of recording I'm doing. If I were an FS5 user I would be canvassing my Sony rep or dealer to send back up the chain that as many of these function should be included in FW updates. Maybe Sony will do this over the lifetime of the camera or simply announce at NAB the FS8 which will take the best bits of the FS7 and FS5 and you'll be SOL.
 
BeeHop said:
I would never carry a white/grey card and put it in the scene to break it up and say "wait i just need to get my exposure".
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Why do you think it needs to be an "official" white card? I only pull out a card for interviews, product shots, and things like that. For run & gun, news, documentary, wildlife, etc. there is always something white to judge exposure on. Okay, maybe not always, but 95% of the time there is something white. This shouldn't be a difficult technique to master. Shooting 101.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Why do you think it needs to be an "official" white card? I only pull out a card for interviews, product shots, and things like that. For run & gun, news, documentary, wildlife, etc. there is always something white to judge exposure on. Okay, maybe not always, but 95% of the time there is something white. This shouldn't be a difficult technique to master. Shooting 101.
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Ive got a handy little trio of grey, black, and white cards hanging around my neck. They are great, except if the sun shines.

Because of the plastic material they are made of, the sun reflects on the white making exposure almost impossible to judge off it.

Theres also little white to expose in the wildlife, so its great to have little nifty cards.

If anyone knows about non-reflective small nifty cards that fit into most pockets with ease, give me a tip :-) These reflective that i have was rather expensive off Amazon.
 
This might be what you are looking for: http://www.warmcards.com/WC_ORDER.html

The white and gray cards are calibrated to match the industry standard Kodak cards, but they are made of virtually indestructible plastic and have a matte finish. Although the main purpose is white balancing, they work great for exposure too.
 
I remember a news cameraman in Tampa nicknamed blue shoes - as his work shoes were always blue - this cameraman garnered his department with many awards, his photography was warm and vibrant. After asking him what his secret was he confides that he always points the camera down to the ground & white balances off his feet.
 
ChristianMoriarty said:
I remember a news cameraman in Tampa nicknamed blue shoes - as his work shoes were always blue - this cameraman garnered his department with many awards, his photography was warm and vibrant. After asking him what his secret was he confides that he always points the camera down to the ground & white balances off his feet.
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Man this story made my day, long time ago a forum gave me such a good laugh! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)

When it comes to exposure, I have found a way that works for me every time (I am yet to come home and find a clip that it ruined by over or underexposure): Monitoring bare S log image, I open up the iris until I hit the highlight warning, then I start closing down and looking at the WFM. Many times the correct exposure is just a bit under the highlight warning. I try to get a nice fat chunk in the middle of the WFM (with the understanding that blown out highlights will peak over the middle but that's nothing you can do anything about anyway if it isn't a controlled situation). Some say that this is totally wrong, but as I say I have never had a clip that's been bad, sure some minor adjustments in brightness here or there but that's no problem when shooting in S log.

This method is a combined one that two people on this forum has talked about (one recommending to have a big chunk of data on the WFM in the middle and the other one using the highlight warning).
 
thanks for the info!

thanks for the info!

Lots of great info in this thread. Thanks to all, as I am on the verge of buying the FS5, and the comments and links will all come in handy very shortly.
 
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