View Full Version : Need Advice on settings for PDW700


Mike Marriage
August 12th, 2009, 02:25 AM
Hi guys,

I've shot with the 700 in the past but never had much time to really play with the settings.

I always thought the detail level is too high out of the box. However tomorrow I was planning some slow-mo (720p50 converted to 720p24) and was looking for advice, particularly in regards detail. Final output is 35mm prints and digital projection.

I'll have an EX3 as the B cam so also need to match that....?

The shoot is in a theatre with quite a high contrast lighting setup and predominantly black set. Any ideas on gamma settings would also be of use. The footage will be graded in post.

Thanks!

Steve Phillipps
August 12th, 2009, 04:30 AM
A lot of people seem to like Detail ON, at -20. The BBC settings doc has it much lower but it seems a little soft. If it was me I'd put in the BBC settings and just change the detail, as the rest of the BBC settings look good.
Steve

Mike Marriage
August 12th, 2009, 07:07 AM
Thanks Steve,

Is that for 1080p and 720p?

Steve Phillipps
August 12th, 2009, 11:27 AM
I used the same settings for both. The only problem I could see with the 720 was having to transcode it to be able to conform it in Cinema Tools. It takes ages, but also seems to degrade it a bit. That's why I sold it and bought a Varicam!
Steve

Eugene Kosarovich
August 12th, 2009, 09:32 PM
Which BBC settings doc did you guys mean, this one?

BBC - R&D - Publications - WHP034 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp034.shtml)

I was looking in that for settings for the F335 or F700, but only found them for the old XDCAM SD cameras and the EX cameras.

Thanks.

Alister Chapman
August 13th, 2009, 01:54 AM
I tend to set detail to around -12 depending on the gamma curve etc on my 700. I also set frequency to +35. The BBC settings that are doing the rounds were created to make the 700 look like film and give a pretty soft look. It should also be considered that apparent image shapness is also a function of contrast and not just detail settings.

Steve Phillipps
August 13th, 2009, 09:52 AM
Which BBC settings doc did you guys mean, this one?

BBC - R&D - Publications - WHP034 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp034.shtml)

I was looking in that for settings for the F335 or F700, but only found them for the old XDCAM SD cameras and the EX cameras.

Thanks.

Eugene, Alan Roberts sent me the settings for the 700 directly, and I must say I couldn't find them on the |R&D site either. You can get a link to them here BBC - Commissioning - Producing High-Definition TV (http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/production/hd.shtml) Down the right hand edge there is a list of cameras including the 700.
Steve

David H. Brown
August 14th, 2009, 03:27 PM
http://www.bbc.co.uk/commissioning/production/docs/hd_sony_pdw700.pdf