Watch my new video clip - what is this strange flair line thing form Sony Z1 camera?
 

Great shots, but there is this dumb flare line thing from the Sony z1 camera I was shooting with. Its at about 1.06-1.07 in the video.

I don't remember having this before much. Suggestions?

http://www.silasbarker.com/demo.html?joyjason

I would guess that shooting right with the sun in the lens like that might have something to do with it - How many hours on your Z1? I replaced mine last year with a newer camera as the Z1 was starting to give me weird digital artifacts in the footage - Mine had about 250 hrs on it...

I have about 1000 hours on mine.

I also have a newer Z5 and I don't have anything like that on that camera.

ITs also that way in the LCD screen, so its not a digital thing, its a lens thing. I cleaned it really good and its still that way. Pretty annoying otherwise those shots would have been even better

Z1U and Z5U
 

Silas,

Just wondering, since you were talking about 2 cams I own, if you have ever shot an event with the Z1U interlaced and the Z5U 30P Progressive, say, in a multi-cam shoot?

If you have, how far apart are the images...is it as far off as say, a 3 chipper vs. a single CCD camera?

Hope you resolve the "flare" issue...

John Reilly

Nice film Silas, just love your s-m-o-o-t-h camera movements. The vertical line you see is (normal) CCD smear, and it gets worse the higher the shutter speed you use. Not a lens thing at all.

But it looked like you were on the default 1/60th and the gross over-exposure of the sun has just been too much for those chips. Not to worry - at least the electronic flashes as the couple come towards us haven't caused flash banding as they would have done if you'd used the (CMOS) Z5.

All cameras have their compromises and limitations. Your artwork behind the camera transcends any CCD smear you may get in your filmmaking, and I'm pretty sure the couple won't see it as a fault in the slightest.

tom.

Tom,
Glad you like the shots!

I was using it in manual at about 2000 shutter speed, with an iris of 1.6.
Do you think adjusting the shutter speed or iris would help? I have not tried that yet.

When I first got the camera about 2 years ago I dont remember anything like those smears, but I also used to use everything on auto more.

Also, the whiteness of the background is more white because I added contrast in post, not because the scene was overlit. I like everything to have a contrasty sharp look.

Whooooh! Oh yes, CCD smear is VERY dependant on shutter speed, and with my Z1 on it's default 1/50th it's very difficult indeed to get smear whatever the lighting. The higher the shutter speed the worse the smear (not flare, note).

You talk of not getting the smear when used on auto and you're perfectly correct - auto would never go for max aperture and very high shutter speeds - it will always call for the NDs to be inserted and stop down the lens.

Adjusting the iris has no effect on CCD smear, though of course does affect lens flare.

Yes, I could see where you'd played with contrast and brightness and vignetted the image. All good stuff, and I wouldn't worry too much about not aiming for 100% pictorial accuracy. Picasso wasn't renowned for the realism of his portraiture, but it didn't harm his career any.

tom.

You mean the lens flare that has the vertical white line below it? It might be the HDV codec breaking down. I posted something similar a few years back with reference to camera flashes. Take a look:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/general-...oto-flash.html

It makes me wonder if it's the same issue.

That looks like classic CCD banding.

Agreed, it's a CCD artifact. Google CCD Smear and you'll find a lot of examples exactly like yours. (BTW - great shots.)

I think more auto like settings help, but CMOS has better image!

Maybe so, but CMOS has other issues that result in significantly more noticeable artifacts.

I use both CCD and CMOS cameras and so far only complaint with cmos is the slow auto focus, which I like using with the glidecam.

Try a whip pan.

Why would I do that?
For my work that's not a problem and for something moving that fast no one cares much anyways.