I have own the Sony F35 for a couple weeks now and I am in love with the images I am producing with it. The only thing that hasn't made me happy is the daylight footage. To my eye the footage looks really crisp and clean HD (something i hate) I am shooting using NDS but is there a trick to get it look like organic film? Macgregor was kind enough to give us a short clip of some of his raw stuff and the footage was so cinematic with just a minor color grade. Amy help would be appreciated
Sony F35: Looks filmish in interiors videoish in daylight
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keithlango
Well-known member
Just some thoughts off the top of my head...
A diffusion filter (ProMist or similar ilk) will help some with the overly HD look and might help the highlights soften & bloom a smidge (depending on the filter you choose). Or low contrast filter will help even out some of the darks and help spread the light values across the dynamic range a little more nicely.
You may also want to look at the character of the light in your scenes, too. ND helps shallow out the focus, but it does nothing to modify the character of the light hitting your subject. Harsh daylight is harsh. Strong shadow lines, bold darks and blown highlights add to the feeling of too-crispy looking footage. You can help your blown highlights a bit by underexposing your subject by a stop pretty safely with the F35 (as long as you're shooting a moderately fat codec like 10 bit 422 or above). This will let the F35 work its image processing magic in helping those highlights roll off nicely. To bring your subject up to proper exposure you can pull up the darks and mids in post, and with a dash of Neat Video noise reduction and you'll walk away relatively unscathed.
If you don't like or want the hard shadow lines of full daylight, they kinda are what they are- there are no post tricks to solve those. To solve those you'll need to fly a butterfly frame diffusion or add in some bounce (or both). That can go a long way towards making daytime exterior shots feel more impressionistic, and will do so in a way that doesn't force you to underexpose or do much in the way of post tricks to save a scene.
A diffusion filter (ProMist or similar ilk) will help some with the overly HD look and might help the highlights soften & bloom a smidge (depending on the filter you choose). Or low contrast filter will help even out some of the darks and help spread the light values across the dynamic range a little more nicely.
You may also want to look at the character of the light in your scenes, too. ND helps shallow out the focus, but it does nothing to modify the character of the light hitting your subject. Harsh daylight is harsh. Strong shadow lines, bold darks and blown highlights add to the feeling of too-crispy looking footage. You can help your blown highlights a bit by underexposing your subject by a stop pretty safely with the F35 (as long as you're shooting a moderately fat codec like 10 bit 422 or above). This will let the F35 work its image processing magic in helping those highlights roll off nicely. To bring your subject up to proper exposure you can pull up the darks and mids in post, and with a dash of Neat Video noise reduction and you'll walk away relatively unscathed.
If you don't like or want the hard shadow lines of full daylight, they kinda are what they are- there are no post tricks to solve those. To solve those you'll need to fly a butterfly frame diffusion or add in some bounce (or both). That can go a long way towards making daytime exterior shots feel more impressionistic, and will do so in a way that doesn't force you to underexpose or do much in the way of post tricks to save a scene.
https://vimeo.com/channels/f35/84563717
this video by keith above was one of the examples which made me love the F35. Perhaps the overcast light is different than direct sunlight for this discussion.
or how about this outdoor spot:
https://vimeo.com/channels/f35/67413204
this video by keith above was one of the examples which made me love the F35. Perhaps the overcast light is different than direct sunlight for this discussion.
or how about this outdoor spot:
https://vimeo.com/channels/f35/67413204
macgregor
Veteran
That's strange, because I think where the F35 really shines is in sunny harsh light conditions.
bill totolo
Veteran
How are you exposing SLog?
I second keithlango and vinceinla. I will say I've noticed in 422 mode if its around noonish, it definitely can help to slightly under expose, otherwise you can get some of the HDness in the sky (even in Slog/Sgamut). That being said the camera isnt magic, so if the light sucks the light is just gonna suck. Maybe do some outdoor tests around 4pm or 5pm and post some stuff?
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
My current favorite filters for taking the edge off are the Black Diffusion FX and the Glimmerglass. The BD adds the least amount of highlight glow while still providing a notable smothing effect overall. I use different strengths depending on various factors but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the 1 strength in both filters.