Flash banding?

[Steve Browne]

Does the new canon have a fix for flash banding like the xdcam clip browser does? I was filming a wedding the other day where the photographer was going nuts with the flash. I'd like to get a xf305 as the codec might hold up to panning a bit more than the ex3. And of course push auto focus might work.

[Doug Jensen]

I wasn't aware the EX3 has any problems with panning. What issues have you seen?

I owned an EX3 for couple of years and had zero complaints. I never saw any issues at all with panning.

[Steve Browne]

When the EX camera is still, the level of detail and sharpness is amazing. When I pan it goes much softer and then when it is still again it snaps back into crystal clear focus.

I'm thinking that this is due to the limitations of the codec and that the 50Mbps of the Canon would perform better. Not having tried a Nano to test this, I could of course be wrong!

[Doug Jensen]

Yes, I know you are wrong.

There are no panning problems with the EX camcorders. Your camera is either broken. Or you're using the wrong settings. Or you're not monitoring the output properly and the "problem" does not even exist at all. The 35Mbps codec is just fine.

Here's quite a few examples of fast panning with my EX3 at 35 Mbps. No grading or special processing has been applied.

2009 Rhode Island Air Show Highlights on Vimeo

[Rob Katz]

doug-

you have a great eye and your footage always allows the ex1 to shine.

i really liked the two p51 mustangs (i think?) at :50sec.

thanks for taking the time to make your point.

be well

rob

[Doug Jensen]

Rob, thank you very much for the compliments. I shot it just for fun. In fact, as you can tell from the footage it was all shot from one spot in the middle of the crowd. One of these year's I'll have to request VIP access to a better location. A nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

[Alister Chapman]

Take a look at this explanation of detail correction and how it works for the most likely reason as to why your pictures go soft when you pan.

XDCAM-USER.com Why do my pictures go soft when I pan? Camera Detail Correction in depth.

[Steve Browne]

Thanks Alister

Happy New year!

[Mike Ayotte]

I am looking at buying a Canon XF 100 but am also concerned about the flash banding problems with the rolling shutter. This post answered the panning question but no one seemed to reply to the flash banding part. Are there settings or other methods to solve this?
Thanks
Mike

[Mike Ayotte]

A 100 looks & no info????

[Renny Hayes]

I too was wondering why this topic just dropped off. No one really knows about the banding of a camera that hasn't been released yet, though. It's the same sensor as the XF300, which has a relatively fast scan rate, and still has problems. Considering that the CPU/DSP in the XF100 will probably be roughly the same as the XF300, or any CMOS camera, for that matter. Sony cameras use a multi-scan system where the sensor is read 5 times per frame, and even they have flash banding. Don't expect a solution until someone figures out how to cheaply implement a global-shutter CMOS.

[Mike Ayotte]

Renny
Thanks for the reply, Is it just cost or are there technical reasons they dont have Global shutters on cmos cameras? I have to shoot when flashes are going off all the time. This seems to be a problem that needs to be solved.
Regards
Mike

[Alister Chapman]

Slowest possible shutter speed will reduce the amount of Flash Banding as it increases the integration period which decreases the amount of times the flash will go off during the scan period. So shooting progressive with no shutter will almost certainly produce less flash banding than interlace. BUT 25P or 30P with no shutter tends to be a bit soft during any camera motion, so there are pro's and con's to be considered.

When I shoot lightning with an EX I when possible I use a 2 frame shutter and get perfect results almost every time, but that's not going to work with any camera motion.