Lattitude this, lattitude that....What the heck IS lattitude???
 

I keep hearing.. "Z1U has less 'Lattitude' then the DVX/XL2/etc..."

What on earth does that mean??? I probably already know, but probably calling it something else. Remember, I'm yound AND old and can't keep up with ALL the latest slang. *smile*

- Shannon W. Rawls

Exposure Latitude- (from film photography terminology) The ability to record as broad a range from light to dark and everything in between.

Sometimes referred to as dynamic range as well.
that's one thing this camera has lots of.

In practical terms, detailed highlights AND detailed shadows at the same time. Many digital cameras don't have enough lattitude to do both, and you must compromise on one or the other. Or fill light your shadows to lower the overall contrast of the scene.

Latitude refers to the total range of exposure that the camera can resolve. The more highlights the camera can resolve, and the deeper into the shadows it can see, the more latitude it has.

Cameras with more latitude have a softer overall look to them, whereas cameras with less latitude have a harder, contrastier look. Think about it: if the camera could only resolve black and white, that would be about the contrastiest picture you could imagine, and would also be the least latitude. The more shades of gray it can resolve before ultimate black and ultimate white, the more latitude it has. CinemaTone gamma crushes the black section of the picture, which results in a punchier, harsher-contrast picture -- less latitude, but some people really like that look. On the other hand, on a DVX using CineGamma, you get about another half-stop of latitude, but the overall picture looks "grayer" -- almost like someone overlayed a sheet of gray on it. That's because the contrast is softened.

Low-con film has the most latitude: 16mm resolves around 11 stops, and 35mm resolves around 13 stops. Most video is around 7 stops. The FX1 looks like it resolves around 5.5 stops. Reversal film like Kodachrome 40 resolves the least, somewhere around 3 stops.

<<<-- Originally posted by Barry Green :The FX1 looks like it resolves around 5.5 stops. -->>>

<<<-- Originally posted by Douglas Spotted Eagle :Sometimes referred to as dynamic range as well.
that's one thing this camera has lots of. -->>>

So what's the deal, or do you guys just disagree?
Has there been an good test already of the dynamic range of the fx1/z1?

Steven

I have to agree with Barry on this one, lattitude on FX1 is not its strong point.

What of the lattitute of the Z1U? I heard from several people it is better than FX1. Although I think to use it at it best, you need to use one of the cinegamma modes or shoot 1/2 stop lower to not blow out highlights. Then in an edit app, you can raise the mid-level to increase apparent brightness yet maintain definition in whites. I know that is how I works with my footages.