LCD finder showing different results than Vegas?

BEENYWEENIES

BEENYWEENIES

Active member
Hey everyone, finally got the dvx100a and my first impressions are VERY positive. I love this camera. We did some rough screen tests last night, importing 24Pa footage into Vegas and the first thing I noticed is the massive difference between what I saw through the LCD finder (or eyecup) and the final result in Vegas. Things looked much brighter and vivid through the finder, and my waveform in Vegas confirms this isn't just a monitor calibration issue, the upper 30-40% of IRE isn't even being touched. I double checked, and all the settings for the LCD in the camera are mid-lined, so the camera isn't set up funky as far as I can tell.

Is this just the result of DV compression or something else I'm missing? I realize the finder is monitoring pre-compression, but I didn't think it would have such a dramatic effect.
I really need to know if I should calibrate the LCD to more closely match what I am seeing in Vegas or what, because it was very misleading, especially in terms of highlights and overall lattitude available. I don't think screenshots would help much, basically things just lost a lot of saturation, vibrancy, brightness and contrast from what we saw in the LCD...

Any ideas would be much appreciated!
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Check your settings on the LCD/VF brightness level. Try and have your monitor (which I assume is properly calibrated) the LCD/VF on the same page in terms of looking for 'WYSIWYG'; consider getting an LCD Hood as well for those EXT days.
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Definitely calibrate the LCD to match what you're seeing on a properly-calibrated NTSC monitor (not just the monitor preview window in Vegas). Computers always display a much darker/flatter/less saturated picture than what a television or properly-calibrated NTSC reference monitor would show. You want your VF to match what a television/NTSC monitor would show.

Use the Vegas files like "pluge & porches" and the SMPTE color bars to try to properly calibrate your viewfinder.
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

[quote author=John Hudson link=board=Events;num=1103656022;start=0#1 date=12/21/04 at 11:19:09]Check your settings on the LCD/VF brightness level.  Try and have your monitor (which I assume is properly calibrated) the LCD/VF on the same page in terms of looking for 'WYSIWYG'; consider getting an LCD Hood as well for those EXT days.[/quote]

Thanks for the feedback. The settings on the LCD/VF are all normalized, that is all settings are at their midline, non-compensating positions so I am pretty sure this isn't the issue, and I do have an LCD hood (although our tests were shot indoors at night with a light kit, no glare issues there).

The problem thus far is knowing whether to recalibrate the LCD or my monitor, and the reason will solicit groans. I don't have an NTSC monitor yet, getting that before the year is up, and I realize that my computer monitor will show things a little flatter than ntsc monitoring would. However, like I said if the waveform is to be trusted it confirmed more what was on my computer screen than what the LCD was showing - flat, slightly dull images with low contrast and poor utilization of the upper 30-40%. Our lighting setup was pretty punchy, a 600watt softBox and a 600watt key. Through the viewfinder things looked really well lit, even on various shutter/aperature settings.
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

[quote author=Barry_Green link=board=Events;num=1103656022;start=0#2 date=12/21/04 at 11:26:44]Use the Vegas files like "pluge & porches" and the SMPTE color bars to try to properly calibrate your viewfinder.[/quote]

THANKS FOR THE INFO! So, forgive my newbness, but how do I use these files to calibrate the finder? I've never had a decent enough camera that I felt compelled to get things like this ironed out...
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

ok so I finally broke down and purchased an NTSC monitor, now I just have to wait a few days for my ADVC-100 to arrive and I will be able to compare the LCD issue more clearly.

I'm still curious if anyone else out there has had a similar problem, seems to me this one transcends NTSC/computer monitoring issues since the waveform and vectorscope readings more closely match what I am seeing on my computer monitor than what was on the LCD screen.
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

When I first got my DVX, I went through the same thing. I find the dvx's lcd at normal settings will always display images brighter and more saturated than on an NTSC tv.

You can try and calibrate the lcd/viewfinder, but I had little luck. It inherintly displays more saturated and brighter images than it should.

Use your zebras to check exposure. Don't rely on your subjective impression of a crappy little lcd screen that's wacky any ways.

Infact, what I do is press auto iris to get a ballpark for my exposure, then fine tune with zebras.
 
Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

Re: LCD finder showing different results than Vega

So true.

Learn to love the Zebra's and trust what your camera tells you. Getting a field monitor or professional LCD display would be the obvious solution but

MO $ $ $ $ $ $ !
 
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