XL-2 custom preset
 

hi all I'm doing a lot of work in the outback of Australia and I'm finding that the reds,blues are looking washed out even on the global preset .I know the camera is seeing whats there any advice in getting the colors more vivid would be great

Ian, my own Canon XL2 "GLOBETROTTER" Preset will provide the sort of deep colours and good tonal range that you are after. To find the settings, open Tim Bickford's Zip File in this link on DVi Forum, where you'll also view many other very good XL2 Presets:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=48293

Another tip is to slightly lower the brightness and up the contrast of some of your video clips during post editing.

Note: I've just tried to open Tim's zip file in the above post and had trouble opening it, so if you have the same problem, here are my settings for "A" preset:

Main dial on 50i
16:9 Mode
AV or M on dial.
-3dB gain
White Balance: on Outdoor sunlight (daylight temperature)
Gamma: Cine
Knee: Low
Black: Press
Colour Matrix: Cine
Colour gain: +4
Colour phase: Middle
R-Gain: Middle
G-Gain: Middle
Blue-gain: Middle
V-detail: Normal
Sharpness: Middle or +1
Coring: Middle
Setup level: Middle
Master Ped: -1
NR: Off
Skin detail : Off

Filter: A Circular Polarizer B+W F-Pro 72mm filter is used most of the time, although it is sometimes removed during extremely low light conditions and exchanged for a Hoya Super HMC Pro 1 UV(0), or removed altogether when I sometimes use my selection of Grad filters for dramatic landscapes.


I also have two different settings logged in on my 'B' & 'C' pesets for when I need to shoot different subjects.
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Hi Tony,
thanks for the reply just cheaked the camera same settings ,different filters. I'm using a Hoya cir-polarizing as the general all purpose filter that works fine in low light hence explains the need for a darker filter in that light I'm shooting under. Sounds to me you may have had the red dirt on your boots before.

Re the white balance set you still white balance regularly if so color of card ?

No, strange as it may seem, I never white balance when doing outdoor shooting, because I'm more often trying to provide the vivid colours of nature as seen or remembered by the eye rather than setting a grey-card reading.
The 'outdoor' (daylight temperature) light setting on the XL2 tends to provide a more natural warmer setting anyway.

Yes, I've been to Australia several times...and many other 'red-soil' countries

I also use the Hoya Pol filters as well (There's not much difference between Hoya, B+W and Tiffen).

A huh ! Well thats a major difference I'm white balancing all the time .Shall try your way Tony in the near future, many thanks Ian

I'm getting a polarizer for XL2. Hama polarizers are less expensive than others. What's the difference, if any, in quality?

DV doesn't have the image quality of stills cameras, so buying the very best is not always so important, although I tend to because I swap and change between both systems continually.

The Hama range are quite good, so you should be OK.

There is a slight difference in the colour temperature of each make of PL filter, so this may bother you - with some having a 'cold-blue' and others a 'warm-blue', although some makes, such as one of the B/W PL range, provides a changeable cool blue to very warm, depending which way it is twisted in the mount.

Thank you Tony for reminding me of something I keep on forgetting ....

.... come to think of it there's an increasing number of bloody things I keep on forgetting!

Tony Thanks, works well that one Cheers Ian