New Firmware - usability under changing light conditions

[Dan Brockett]

I'm with Derek, the Singh Ray Vari ND is well worth the money. Even after I have manual control, I will still need ND. It is so much more gratifying to just rotate the filter to adjust the ND value than to have to unscrew it, remove it from the lens, put it away, get a different one out, screw it back on.

Dan

[Mark Hahn]

Originally Posted by Dan Brockett

I'm with Derek, the Singh Ray Vari ND is well worth the money. Even after I have manual control, I will still need ND. It is so much more gratifying to just rotate the filter to adjust the ND value than to have to unscrew it, remove it from the lens, put it away, get a different one out, screw it back on.

Dan

Sliding square filters in and out of a holder is a nice compromise. I got the Cokin system and it is much more reasonably priced.

[Dan Brockett]

I'm selling a pile of my Cokin stuff. All I will say is that you get what you pay for. Cokin ND filters are not even close to neutral gray, they have a brownish tint to the grad. Yuck. I have the glass Cokin ND filters as well. They are not in the same league as the Singh Ray.

Dan

[Mark Hahn]

Originally Posted by Dan Brockett

I'm selling a pile of my Cokin stuff. All I will say is that you get what you pay for. Cokin ND filters are not even close to neutral gray, they have a brownish tint to the grad. Yuck. I have the glass Cokin ND filters as well. They are not in the same league as the Singh Ray.

Dan

I guess I haven't noticed because I always white balance in post. I'll have to check them out.

[Charles W. Hull]

Originally Posted by Jon Fairhurst

I'm wondering if the new manual controls will have a usability issue...

When I put the camera in Manual mode for photos, I can adjust shutter with the top dial, and I can adjust aperture with the big wheel. To adjust ISO, I have to press the ISO button and operate the menu. That might be fine for photos, but is that what we want for video?

In general, I'm going to fix my shutter speed (1/60 or so), and my aperture (as desired for the shot/light), and I will set the ISO between 100 and 1,000, as needed. If I'm smart, I'll add ND filters as needed, so I can shoot at 100 ISO outside and adjust to 1,000 ISO indoors. If I need more range, I'll increase shutter speed outdoors - to a point, or maybe I'll want to change the iris. In any case, ISO is the first on my list.

Not that we've seen the implementation yet, but will we face a situation where we have two knobs for three variables? Maybe the joystick can be used to control ISO. (Tramm?)

And maybe a variable ND setup is the way to go for such wide ranging situations.

Let's hope that Canon nailed the solution. And let's be confident that the 5D Mark Free effort will take care of any rough edges.

So, do others agree that ISO is the first control that you will want to grab to optimize the exposure?

The ability to use "auto ISO" in the M video mode seems to do a good job. At least in my 'wandering around the house video' this evening to try out 1.1.0 the camera does a very nice job of adjusting exposure. I probably won't use this for most scenes but when the light is changing I think it's viable, and better than trying to adjust exposure manually on the fly.

[Chris Barcellos]

Originally Posted by Charles W. Hull

The ability to use "auto ISO" in the M video mode seems to do a good job. At least in my 'wandering around the house video' this evening to try out 1.1.0 the camera does a very nice job of adjusting exposure. I probably won't use this for most scenes but when the light is changing I think it's viable, and better than trying to adjust exposure manually on the fly.

As I indicated in another thread, when you are setting up a scene for a shot, I think best way to go is to have auto ISO engaged. Then select aperature and shutter speed for effect. I will almost always use 1/60th for shutter, and depending on depth of field you want, you adjust aperature. Then push shutter down half way, and you will see what camera has selected for ISO. Then I would got to ISO setting menu and lock in around that ISO, adjust as needed for effect again..

[Charles W. Hull]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

As I indicated in another thread, when you are setting up a scene for a shot, I think best way to go is to have auto ISO engaged. Then select aperature and shutter speed for effect. I will almost always use 1/60th for shutter, and depending on depth of field you want, you adjust aperature. Then push shutter down half way, and you will see what camera has selected for ISO. Then I would got to ISO setting menu and lock in around that ISO, adjust as needed for effect again.

I agree with that Chris. I was addressing the situation where the light is changing rapidly (moving from a dark room to a light room for example); I think auto ISO may be better than trying to adjust the camera manually while shooting. To me this is another gift from Canon that I wasn't expecting.

[Chris Barcellos]

Yes I tried the same thing, and they seem to have a very smooth adjustment. I shot from top of my desk to underneath it in the shadows in Auto ISO, and the adjustments were very nicely handled.

[Jon Fairhurst]

Charles, Chris,

I agree with you both. I just wish that AE lock would operate (and toggle) in manual mode when ISO is set to auto. Rather than having to go into the ISO menu, you'd just set it as auto and lock it when needed. When you walk out of a cave into sunlight, you'd press it again to unlock and yet again to relock. Maybe Tramm could add that feature. It would be a timesaver when setting up a shot, and a scene saver when you unlock/lock for the rare unexpected changes.

I also played with auto ISO, and they really did a great job. It changes smoothly and is damped, so it doesn't bounce around. I wouldn't use it for a professional look. but it's a very nice amateur look. In fact, when you want to show the point of view of some bozo with a camcorder, you could use Auto ISO, shoot in and out of shadows, and add some TV interlace effects in post. If I were to do a casual video for YouTube, I wouldn't hesitate to use auto ISO. It's really nicely implemented. Couple it with ISO lock/unlock and it would be lightning fast to use for a pro look in the field.

[Mark Hahn]

Originally Posted by Chris Barcellos

As I indicated in another thread, when you are setting up a scene for a shot, I think best way to go is to have auto ISO engaged. Then select aperature and shutter speed for effect. I will almost always use 1/60th for shutter, and depending on depth of field you want, you adjust aperature. Then push shutter down half way, and you will see what camera has selected for ISO. Then I would got to ISO setting menu and lock in around that ISO, adjust as needed for effect again..

I'm thinking how great it will be to adjust the aperture and ISO in advance, let the director approve it, and get the settings right from the get-go. I'm planning on tethering to the laptop for all the shots. Directors love that.