C300: Wide DR vs. Canon Log

Finnegan

Finnegan

Well-known member
When I got my C300, Wide DR wasn't a thing. C100 users raved about its flat look and high dynamic range (equivalent to Canon Log, if I remember correctly) but now that I've updated firmware and have the option available, I'm wondering when I'd even use it.

If I'm shooting something that's going to be color graded, why would I want to use Wide DR instead of Canon Log? Is it simply that I wouldn't have to grade Wide DR as much as I would Canon Log? Or is there some other element that I'm missing?
 
The Wide DR profile isn't nearly as flat as Canon Log. It's just a nice saturated profile that you can deliver in scenarios where post coloring isn't possible. I shoot a lot of projects that won't be colored and they ask me to paint in camera. Most profiles outside log will only give you around 6-9 stops, Wide DR gets you a little closer to the camera's potential dynamic range of 12.5 stops.

I would suggest black balancing often when using Wide DR profile as it does seem to reveal some noise in the image. The color tones in Wide DR are really pleasant as well.
 
Here are two cropped pictures which show differences between cine1 and wdr gamma in dynamic range.
 

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  • C100_CINE1_gamma.jpg
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I would say bottom is cine1 because of the blown highlights below each window, and the top image is WDR since the mids seems about the same as the other image, but you can see the detail in the bricks below the windows.
 
I dislike the way c-log looks on people when they are strongly backlit and the face is in low-contrast soft light. C-log in 8bit does not have enough gradation to grade back in a pleasing tonality. However, normal picture style/modes lose some of the dynamic range, and the rim light becomes a bit too blown out.

Test out Wide DR in varying lighting situations. I like c-log, but I find it makes me only want to shoot front lit.
 
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Doesn't the canon specs list Clog and WideDR as both having the same dynamic range?

From the white papers I've read on the canon site, the WideDR is basically clog but pre-graded. Idea for run and gunners like us wedding folk who need the image on screen to be close to the final product for speed of delivery and getting exposure right in the field. This can be hard with clog, even with view assist.
 
drummondb said:
I would say bottom is cine1 because of the blown highlights below each window, and the top image is WDR since the mids seems about the same as the other image, but you can see the detail in the bricks below the windows.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are right, exactly.

If you log out from dvxuser or if you download pictures, you will see the names of files. Both pictures have a very similar colors, but WDR has better dynamic range.
 
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