over-exposure and then???

O

Ogrus

Well-known member
So you're out in the sun and the zebras are all over and its totally exposed and manualiris cant get any smaller... is popping on ND filters and playing with iris a option... thing might be properly exposed but the ND gives it that darklook (maybe fix in post?

This is for shooting on the spot!

Thanxs!
 
If you're in the sun or have a bright day then you usually need to use the ND filter.

If you have reduced the Iris all the way (not closing it totally), without having used the ND filter, and it's still overexposed, use the ND filter and then adjust the IRIS again (up or down) to fix the exposure. If you use the ND filter and it gets really dark then increase the IRIS again.
 
I suggest that you use ND filters as needed to keep your exposure settings somewhere between f 2 and f 6. You will get better images from your lens that way.
 
The whole point of Neutral Density filters is to block out light intensty without effecting anything else. Just consider it a way to cut the amount of light coming into your lens as a kind of opposite to using lights to add to the amount of light coming into your lens.

Really the main priority should be to have proper exposure with the aperture set somewhere between f 2 and f 6 if possible.

The ND filter is just a tool to help you set the proper exposure at the proper f stop.
 
John Froton said:
I suggest that you use ND filters as needed to keep your exposure settings somewhere between f 2 and f 6. You will get better images from your lens that way.
Click to expand...


what if f2-f6 isnt good enough and its still too bright/dark?
fiddle with nd's until find the proper balance?
 
Which camera are you talking about? Are you using built-in ND filters or external ones? Quite a few cameras have more than one built-in ND filter level, and that in combination with iris control should give you properly exposed images in all but the brightest conditions.

Another thing you can do to reduce the amount of light that hits the lens is change the shutter speed. Obviously that will also change how your video looks, but doubling the shutter speed cuts the light hitting the CCDs in half.
 
Shooting between f2 to f6 is not carved in stone as a rule, but is generally acurate for most cameras as being the mid to mid open point of the lens, which is typically where you get the sharpest and least distorted images from.

Logically you would use your built in ND filter(s) first and if still too bright, add an external ND on the lens. If still too bright, you are probably shooting footage on the sun :)

If it's too dark to get to the mid to mid open range of your lens and you have no lighting or extra lighting to add, just make sure to try and not open the iris up so much that you are adding gain. Go to fully open but any further into the +db territory and you will most likely have a lot of noise in your footage.

Good point about the shutter speed. That is another way to change your exposure too but you might want to remember that it will alter the amount of motion blur and in extremes will alter the temporal movement of your footage. Having the shutter speed set close to double the framerate is usually best for filmlike motion blur.

EDIT -- The important thing is to check your zebra patterns and make sure that you are not overexposed or underexposed once you get into that sweet spot on your lens. If you want to go a step further beyond using the zebras, you can use a light meter and find out the ISO rating of your camcorder and light the way film pros do. The HVX200 has an ISO rating of 320 so you would essentially light a set until levels reached near 320 at whatever f stop you choose to set the camera and light meter at.
 
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