Zebras for SLog?

[Mike Krumlauf]

What do you guys set your Zebras to for exposing when shooting SLOG on the F23/35? I recently brought my camera to Telluride, but thanks to the screw brackets on the camera body for the L Handle stripping, i only got about 10min worth of material and a lot of my footage came out underexposed...

 

[Grug]

Set it to a usable reference point. I forget how low they allow you to go, but I don't think you can go all the way down to 38% IRE for a Middle Grey reading. 90% white on SLOG is 65% IRE, and that's a useful measuring point (for a neutral white reference), alternatively say around 50-55% IRE for caucasian skin tones is a useful reference too.

You just want to set it at something that gives you a clear reference point. It's like using the Zone system.

 

[SJX]

But grug with F35 you just used lightmeter right? I remember asking this question and you saying just use lightmeter and shoot. I guess this means not using zebras and just have zebras fall where they may?

 

[SJX]

Or I misunderstood you grug?

 

[Grug]

But grug with F35 you just used lightmeter right? I remember asking this question and you saying just use lightmeter and shoot. I guess this means not using zebras and just have zebras fall where they may?

Good memory! Yep, I've never personally used Zebras for exposure metering with any camera. I much prefer the simplicity of a lightmeter.

But if (for some reason) I didn't have a meter with me, and also had no monitor or EVF with waveforms or false colour built-in (frankly, an unlikely scenario in 2019, but you never know). I don't like zebras, but if they were only exposure method left to me for some reason, that's how I'd use them.

 

[SJX]

Good memory! Yep, I've never personally used Zebras for exposure metering with any camera. I much prefer the simplicity of a lightmeter.

But if (for some reason) I didn't have a meter with me, and also had no monitor or EVF with waveforms or false colour built-in (frankly, an unlikely scenario in 2019, but you never know). I don't like zebras, but if they were only exposure method left to me for some reason, that's how I'd use them.

I see. Thanks. Talking about false color did you use this method for exposing F35? Any considerations with slog?

 

[Mike Krumlauf]

Just as a mention. If any of you get your hands on PanaLog, just put the zebras where the genesis manual tells you, given the PanaLog is using the same input for DR in the 23 and 35 as the genesis sensor had.

 

[Grug]

I see. Thanks. Talking about false color did you use this method for exposing F35? Any considerations with slog?

I'm a big fan of SOME False Colour systems. The more basic white clip/black clip/middle-grey/caucasian-skin versions found on Arri, Sony and Red cameras I find more trouble than they're worth, because you lose your reference points in the frame when everything else turns to different shades of grey.

The 10-step False Colour in the Sound Devices monitors was amazing though, and the Odyssey7Q is one of my favourites as you can manually set your colour to whatever IRE ranges you want (although it'd be great if it offered a full 10-steps of colour to adjust).

I used the Odyssey with my F35, and I had settings for:
- Pure Black
- Faintest visible shadow detail
- Middle Grey
- Caucasian Skin-tone
- Neutral white
- White Clipping

Which meant I could pretty quickly place an exposure in most scenarios.

Having a full 10-step false colour is still the best option though, because it lets you use False Colour like the zone system. And no matter what you're framing up, you'll always have a colour reference as to the exposure range you're in.

With regular false colour, if you're framing up something that's dimly lit (but not near the deep shadows) or something that's brightly lit (but not near the clipping highlights), you often don't get any point of reference from the false colour scale.