XR 520 Needs Zebras at DVinfo.net

Robert Young · August 4th, 2009, 06:23 PM

It always bothered me that the XR did not have a zebra setting like the SR-12.
But over time, the auto exposure/auto scene functions seemed to be so clever that I quit worrying about it.
This weekend I was shooting some very light colored wildlife against dark rocks. The rocks look great, but the bird is completely blown out & the footage is unusable. The exposure on the LCD looked O.K., but there was glare on the monitor from bright sunlight, and casual overconfidence on my part. However, I do believe I would have instantly spotted the problem if the cam had a zebra setting. I can't imagine why Sony left it off of the XR & can only hope that they reintroduce it in the next generation of AVCHD cams.
I'm curious if anyone else has had exposure snafus with the XR??

Dave Blackhurst · August 5th, 2009, 12:39 PM

I've not had a problem thus far, but I haven't shot a lot in very bright conditions - when I do, I use the VF over the LCD, so I can see better.

I'm feeling that setting the AE between -2 and -4 is a good idea (has always been in the past with other Sonys too, so I guess you sort of have to expect a slight over-exposure bias). I recently found when shooting in dusk conditions the cam wanted to overly brighten the scene and using the button/knob to pull exposure back a bit was necessary, but I hadn't preset the AE, so that might have taken care of it.

Zebras are nice to have, and it would be nice to see them return, but I haven't "missed" them that much.

August 4th, 2009, 06:23 PM	#1
Robert Young Trustee Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Coronado Island Posts: 1,472	XR 520 Needs Zebras It always bothered me that the XR did not have a zebra setting like the SR-12. But over time, the auto exposure/auto scene functions seemed to be so clever that I quit worrying about it. This weekend I was shooting some very light colored wildlife against dark rocks. The rocks look great, but the bird is completely blown out & the footage is unusable. The exposure on the LCD looked O.K., but there was glare on the monitor from bright sunlight, and casual overconfidence on my part. However, I do believe I would have instantly spotted the problem if the cam had a zebra setting. I can't imagine why Sony left it off of the XR & can only hope that they reintroduce it in the next generation of AVCHD cams. I'm curious if anyone else has had exposure snafus with the XR?? __________________ Bob

August 5th, 2009, 12:39 PM	#2
Dave Blackhurst Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Apple Valley CA Posts: 4,874	I've not had a problem thus far, but I haven't shot a lot in very bright conditions - when I do, I use the VF over the LCD, so I can see better. I'm feeling that setting the AE between -2 and -4 is a good idea (has always been in the past with other Sonys too, so I guess you sort of have to expect a slight over-exposure bias). I recently found when shooting in dusk conditions the cam wanted to overly brighten the scene and using the button/knob to pull exposure back a bit was necessary, but I hadn't preset the AE, so that might have taken care of it. Zebras are nice to have, and it would be nice to see them return, but I haven't "missed" them that much.