Contrast too high
 

Recently, I've combined clips from the 5D mkII with clips from a Sony XDCAM-HD. Both camera's deliver crisp, superb images, but he biggest difference - too big to be acceptable in one movie - is the enormous contrast of the 5D. Has anyone found a suitable solution for this, other than lowering the contrast in post-production?

A contrast value of -4 in the camera's picture profile settings is a good place to start (-4 is the lowest that you can set the contrast). I was working with a value of 0 (the default value for the 'neutral' profile) but have just shot some new material with contrast at -4 and am very happy with the results. You can, of course, bring in a bit of contrast in post if you've gone to far. But particularly for sunlit scenes the -4 value seems to work well.

OK, thanks for the info, Ben. I'll give that a try.

Your question inspired me to do a quick test to see the difference between 0 and -4 contrast (you change these settings by editing in the "picture styles" menu). So I shot some still images. The problem with anything above the minimum setting for bright out-door shooting is that not only do you lose detail in shadow areas, you also blow-out the highlights. If you do your adjustments in post you can tweak just one end (highlights or shadows) rather than pushing both.

Luc,

Choose Faithful or Neutral as the picture style. (I prefer Neutral.) After that, set contrast and sharpness to the minimum level. You can drop saturation by one or two ticks as well. This is a good starting place. And, of course, do your best to expose properly. My favorite methods are Zebras (available in Magic Lantern) and false colors (available in some monitors.)

Another trick is to use a slight diffusion filter. I like Tiffen's Glimmerglass #1. It takes the edge off the highlights and lifts the blacks a bit.

With a diffusion filter on an overcast day or with flat lighting, you can bump the contrast setting up in the camera. (I need to do some tests to find some go-to levels.) With no filter on a sunny day or with high-contrast lighting, definitely set contrast all the way down.

My personal preference is to have the contrast a bit too low and adjust in post. That provides a slight safety margin if the exposure isn't perfect.