GH13 Low Contrast Look

[leckel1996]

Who knows how to get this sort of look with the gh1.

I realize part of the reason it looks so well is because it is shot with the alexa, but is there anyway to mimic this with a camera that has a lot less dynamic range?

 

[bitcrusher]

Try some vintage glass. Something like canon FD's will kind of get you there. But the alexa helps.....

 

[leckel1996]

Yeah, I'm getting some fd's for my birthday. What about a contrast filter?

 

[Will Turner]

Bump up blacks/dark grays in post and expose with highlights as priority (to a certain extent).

 

[leckel1996]

Bump up blacks/dark grays in post and expose with highlights as priority (to a certain extent).

So would an ultra contrast filter help do this? From my understanding it boosts the shadows allowing the camera to be able to encode that detail.

 

[DPStewart]

Try LOWERING all your black levels and lowering contrast.
There's not a single bit of black in that top video - all shades of grey.
I agree about exposing with highlights as priority.

 

[Andor]

Honestly, my footage looks pretty close to that after running it through 5DtoRGB, haha. Try that as the first import step, it may slow down your grading process.

 

[Matthew P]

It's not too hard to achieve. Try and use a high-contrast lens (like one of the Panasonic lenses), to squeeze the most dynamic range out of the camera (using old low-contrast lenses only limits the dynamic range, merely giving a perceptively lower contrast image - something that can be mimicked by smearing something on a normal lens). Use cine mode, and expose for the highlights - do not let them clip! Then, in post, use colour cuves to boost the shadows, and bring down the highlights, and perhaps add a slight tint (the video you linked to seemed to have a slight greenish hue).

 

[leckel1996]

It's not too hard to achieve. Try and use a high-contrast lens (like one of the Panasonic lenses), to squeeze the most dynamic range out of the camera (using old low-contrast lenses only limits the dynamic range, merely giving a perceptively lower contrast image - something that can be mimicked by smearing something on a normal lens). Use cine mode, and expose for the highlights - do not let them clip! Then, in post, use colour cuves to boost the shadows, and bring down the highlights, and perhaps add a slight tint (the video you linked to seemed to have a slight greenish hue).

View attachment 51429View attachment 51428View attachment 51433

Well the problem is that I have a gh1, so I don't have access to those clean shadows and cinema film mode. It's extremely hard to expose for the highlights with a gh1, even with the max latitude patch.

 

[Danielvilliers]

Well the problem is that I have a gh1, so I don't have access to those clean shadows and cinema film mode. It's extremely hard to expose for the highlights with a gh1, even with the max latitude patch.

Unfortunately the example above is a rather low contrast scene. So if the DR/contrast ration is not more than what the sensor can capture you can do a lot manipulation with it. But if the sun wash shinning it would have been a completely different scenario. I don't know about the gh1, but the hacked intra gh2 has a lot of detail in the shadows that are not perceivable at first site. You can raise quite a lot from it. The second thing is the use of the low-con/ultra-con filter to try a maximize the DR. But you have to be a bit careful because a flare a lot more. So you have to be a bit mode careful when you shoot and lower contarst (vintage) lens. This I think the best bet we can expect to come a bit closer to this look with the gh line.

 

[leckel1996]

Unfortunately the example above is a rather low contrast scene. So if the DR/contrast ration is not more than what the sensor can capture you can do a lot manipulation with it. But if the sun wash shinning it would have been a completely different scenario. I don't know about the gh1, but the hacked intra gh2 has a lot of detail in the shadows that are not perceivable at first site. You can raise quite a lot from it. The second thing is the use of the low-con/ultra-con filter to try a maximize the DR. But you have to be a bit careful because a flare a lot more. So you have to be a bit mode careful when you shoot and lower contarst (vintage) lens. This I think the best bet we can expect to come a bit closer to this look with the gh line.

Yeah, the gh1 has much muddier shadows than the gh2. Here is my attempt at this with the nostalgic picture profile. Standard ungraded on the right, and nostalgic graded on the left. Same exposure.

 

[leckel1996]

My most recent attempt at this, and overall it turned out very good!! This is with the 14-42mm lens, I wonder what i could get from a nice fd lens.