Fireworks - a short orig. footage from XF100

[Pavel Sedlak]

http://www.videoproduce.cz/images/ukazka_ohnostroj.mxf (80MB)

a short orig. footage from XF100 (50Mbps, 422, 1/50, +3dB, cinegama1, manual focus).

Prague fireworks ( 1. 1. 2012) on Vimeo

[Pavel Sedlak]

The last test of my new XF100:

Walk to the Prague Castle around the St. Vitus Cathedral at Christmas 2011
(Mourners honor V. Havel)

Walk to the Prague Castle around the St. Vitus Cathedral at Christmas 2011 (Mourners honor V. Havel) on Vimeo

[David Dixon]

Pavel, beautiful videos!

Would you mind sharing more of your settings other than cinegamma1? I especially love the color saturation and sharpness. Is that one of the built-in custom picture files? If not, could you share sharpness, black gamma, color matrix, etc. settings?

[Pavel Sedlak]

Thanks.

I use usually these three settings (at this video only cine1):
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xf...ml#post1696977

Cinegamma1
- gamma Cine1
- black (master PED 0)
- black gamma (level 23, range 4, point 29)
- knee (automatic)
- SHP (level -1, HDF 0, COR 3, HVD 0, limit 0)
- NR (automatic)
- color matrix (select - Normal3, Gain 11, PH 0, R-G -8 but sometimes I used color corr. with red color)
- setup level (level 0, press off)

Normal gamma for the extrem lowlight (less sharpnes)
- gamma normal3
- black (master PED -2, but better is -1 or 0)
- black gamma (all 0)
- sharpness (level -2, HDF 0, COR +12, HVD 0)
- NR automatic
- color matrix (select - Normal3, gain 20, PH 0, R-G -10 but better is -9)

and normal gamma for the lowlight - the same setting except:
- SHP (level -1, HDF 0, COR 3, HVD 0, limit 0)

I set WB in Kelvin (K), color matrix R-G from -7 to -10 (you need to try this level), saturation (color matrix - gain ) I set from 8 - 12 (cine1) or 17 - 22 (normal gamma), you can try these levels.

[Tim Bakland]

Very impressive outcome with the XF100. Definitely gives it a different look. I use it as a long-view camera at weddings and I have not explored enough of the preset options. But you've inspired me.

[David Dixon]

Pavel, thanks for posting these settings. I'm studying a number of Custom Picture settings I've found online in an effort to get a better handle on how these work. The manual is pretty useless (believe me, I've worn out pages 102-106) unless you already understand things like knee, coring, and all the various gammas and black settings. For example, here's the manual's explanation of the Phase setting (under Color Matrix): "Adjusts the color phase" - really?

So, how can I learn more about these concepts? The online articles I've found so far are very poor. Can anyone recommend a good resource for studying this?

Thanks

[Pavel Sedlak]

hi David,
I found a good source of information in the description of professional cameras, during the time I found a summary description of the Sony cameras, etc.
Canon camcorders are very similar, the custom profiles are not easy to understand, but you can turn on camcorder and look on the (HD) TV screen, what is happened when you are changing levels in the CP.
Try record this testing pictures and look for the waveform monitor and vectorsscope in the editing sw and you will see, what was happend.
It is better, if you can use test charts - B&H Photo Video Pro Video-Video Camcorder Accessories for Image Management.

It takes time, after one or two years it will be more easy to understand.

[David Dixon]

Pavel, those Sony resources are excellent - brief yet very informative. They have a good introduction, sample photos, and then more technical details if you want to delve in more - very good, and thanks for sending those along.

My assumption is that what the XF manual calls Sharpness, Sony calls Detail, and Canon's Coring is Sony's Crispening. After I've studied these more, I may have a few questions, but here are a couple of observations about your CineGamma1 settings.

For example, one thing I noticed in my study of CP files posted online - most have custom, manual Knee settings. Your settings are unique in that you leave Knee on Auto. My understanding is that Knee controls the gamma curve (and at what point it begins rolling off) for highlights only, so by using Auto it would suggest that for your work Auto adequately controls the highlights and keeps them from blowing out. I'm not making an artistic judgment here, just asking if I'm understanding the reasoning.

And, yours is one of the few CP files I've seen that has a Coring value higher than 0 (other than specialty ones for high-gain use, like your low light settings). My understanding is that higher Coring prevents sharpening of tiny details, so your +3 Coring combined with -1 Sharpness may be a clue to the beautiful, creamy, film-like quality of your Prague Castle video. Yet, it still seems very sharp to me. Maybe I'm over sharpening to the point that detail noise is negating the sharpening.

So, I'm going to do more testing with various combinations of high and low Sharpness and Coring. Thanks again for the help with this.

[Pavel Sedlak]

Hi David,
Knee is set to auto because I don't have time for better adjustment (with big testing). There can be a problem with saturation around the highlights, if you set a bad value (it can solve the knee saturation adjustment). Cinegamma1 is also "knee", with normal gamma this is more critical. I use zebra patterns (100pct) when I need a correct exposure without overexposure.

Yes, coring is the denoiser of the surface (places with small contrast) and sharpness is about sharpening edges (places with middle or big amount of the contrast). If you set coring too high (this is very easy visible) you have no texture on the surface. If you set sharpness too high, you get "electronic edges" (it's easy visible too).
Sharpness -1 don't mean no electronic sharpenning, it is still present. It is the only prevention against excessive edge sharpening. And coring is set to level, where is minimal loss of the surface texture. (If you use only the gain -6dB, you can try set a coring to the 0, you give a better texture with more detail with the very small level of noise).

The creamy quality has the one more reason - setting of the black gamma (and of course using of the cinegamma1) . A less contrast in black with a very smooth gradient to the middle gray, it is a very different level of the smoothing than adjustment with the PED or press black.
If you try make a linear gradient (from black to white) test chart, you can see the differences between these settings on the (Y)waveform oscilloscope in your editing sw.

I hope this help.

[David Dixon]

Again, thanks for this info Pavel. Excellent details that I've not seen explained that well anywhere. This gives me some stuff to really dig into. Thanks for taking the time to answer! In your honor, I'm going to make a CP file based on your settings and name it Pavel. :-)

[Pavel Sedlak]

Thanks. The cine1 can be a better name .-).

[Andrew Purcell]

Hi Guys,

Thank you for your willingness to share you personalised settings Pavel. I am in a bad habit of letting my cameras do the work and not exploring its customisable features. I can see the value in using these features more fully after having seen your videos. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Ian Thomas]

Iam new to the XF100 only got it yesterday but iam finding the results mixed, just to be clear i also have the sony pmw 320+ nano so i might be expecting too much, my outgoing camera (just sold on ebay) was a Panasonic SD900 and I have replaced it with the XF100 because of the 50mbs

the first thing when adjusting the iris with the Knob under were it says custom i find it sometimes is slow to react ie the value doesn't move and then moves 2or 3 stops all at once, wide shots abit soft, color is not as rich as i would like i have the alan roberts bbc profile i know it easly could be me but I just wondered if any of you could help

The camera was bought so i could be abit mobile instead of lugging the sony around all the time

Thankyou

[David Dixon]

First, you may already know most of this, but I'm also posting this for others new to the camera. I'm not an expert, but this is all info I wish I'd had a year ago when I got my XF100...and feel free to correct any of this that I just have wrong.

I do not use the custom wheel much, but have also found that its adjustments are so subtle that it does seem like it's not doing much at first. I just need to practice more with it to learn the "touch."

On the sharpness and color - that's a very subjective thing. I personally find the Alan Roberts profile to be very flat. It would be good if you wanted to do a lot of adjustment in post. I recommend diving in with custom picture settings. If you want richer color, try the Cine1 gamma. You can lower the Master Pedestal (under Black) to deepen the blacks. Then explore Gain and Gamma under Color Matrix - you can make the color as washed out or as Technicolor as you wish.

Sharpness - try out various settings of Level and Coring. Higher Level increases overall sharpness. Higher Coring softens tiny details and textures. I like a look that some would call over sharpened but to each his own. Just be careful that higher sharpness doesn't lead to video noise being exaggerated. And most folks seem to prefer keeping Gain at no more than 6-9 db. There is a limiter in the menus for that.

[Ian Thomas]

Thanks David

How do you find focusing the rear finder is not so good and the LCD is good but not in bright sunshine this is were i struggle