using zebras

R

Ruby Gold

Member
I have a DVX100b and in interviews that I've shot with studio lighting, I have typically set the zebras for 80% when shooting people with Caucasian skin and 85% for those with darker skin, and then used the barest appearance of zebras on face highlights as a guide for exposure settings.

Sometimes it seems that these settings leave the footage a little tiny bit too hot (or 'yellowish" looking). So, my first question is--are these the settings that you all wd use for these skin types?

Second question is about using the "marker" function to monitor exposure. I'm not entirely clear about how the marker is meant to be used. Because the 100b doesn't allow you to set zebras below 80%, and the marker, if I understand it correctly, will give you the percentage of whatever area in your shot you focus it on--theoretically you could point it at the lit face of your subject and get a more complete sense of the exposure on highlights and shadows--above and below 80 or 85%.

Is this right? Can anyone explain this to me a little more? Thanks for any help here.
 
Yes that's what the marker does. There are two boxes that show up on the screen; the bigger box is a framing guide, the smaller box is the area that the marker is sampling.

And yes, 80% is a bit hot for caucasian skin under normal lighting conditions...
 
zebras and marker continued

zebras and marker continued

Hi Barry-thanks for the response.

So, if 80% is hot for Caucasian skin and the 100b doesn't allow you to set zebras at a lower percentage, then how do you use the zebras to monitor correct exposure?

Also--is 85% good for AA skin?

thanks-
Ruby
 
I suppose you could find the 80% trigger point on the face then roll your iris down about 1 tick or two. Marker might be a better way to go. In either case, a monitor would let you see exactly what you are getting.

Here is a basic lighting tutorial that gets into lighting subjects with dark skin.
http://www.digitaljuice.com/djtv/segment_detail.asp?sid=73&sortby=&page=10&kwid=0&show=all_videos
Watch it through to Tip #4 "Hard to light subjects". It doesnt address zebras but it may be of some interest.
 
Last edited:
call me crazy, but I always shoot with zebras at 100. I make sure that there is no more than just a few little highlights. For example if you have a little zebra on the edge of a person's nose or top of a shoulder but they look nice aside from that you should be safe. Test this out so you are comfortable with the results before using my advice on an important shoot. Or disregard my advice completely. Either way, Good luck.
 
I got mine on a 80 / 100 split.

I let the faces go a bit hot, i light them hot, so that in post it can be brought down, to make the faces cleaner, and make sure the bakcground is equally well exposed.

Im not saying 90% here.... like 80 -83 IRE.
 
You dont and you cant. At least not with the dvx.
You switch between the two thresholds: 80% zebra for facial exposures and 100% zebra for blown out highlight areas. If Timur is targeting 80-83 IRE on faces then he is obviously seeing some 80% zebras over and above the 80% trigger point, i.e. up to 3% above the point at which you just begin to see a blip or two.
Using both zebra thresholds helps give you a better idea of where your overall exposure is.
 
use the marker for the face, and the zebras for you blown out backgound if it exists, then compensate for what you consider an acceptable image
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top