Zebra question at DVinfo.net

Vincent Oliver · June 16th, 2009, 02:01 AM

The EX3 has two zebra options, I have set Zebra 1 to 75% and then set Zebra 2 to 98%. The problem is that when I change the settings on either one then both show the last value entered. How can I set Zebra x to a set value and Zebra x to another value?

Alister Chapman · June 16th, 2009, 03:04 AM

IGNOR WHAT'S IN THIS POST... I got it wrong... see my post below.

You've found one of those mysterious EX3 menu peculiarities. If you set Zebra 0ne to say 60 and then go to Zebra 2 and set it to 90 then select BOTH you will find that both zebras will operate at the levels you set them to.

The thing is that going back to Zebra 1 (or zebra 2) and making any changes selects Zebra 1 (or 2) only, ie a single zebra and in doing so sets the level to the last level set. It's only by going to BOTH that you enable both zebras together.

It's not the most logical way to lay out the menu as it does not show you both settings together at any point, hence the understandable confusion, but you will find that both zebras will work at the independent levels you set.

Vincent Oliver · June 16th, 2009, 04:20 AM

Thank you Alister, it was confusing me. I did find out that by using the Both setting that I would display the two values as stripes, but this can leave the display looking messy. I guess I was looking for a way to switch between Zebra 1 and 2 in the same way that I can switch between the White Balance settings.

Omar Idris · June 16th, 2009, 04:31 AM

If the EX3 is anything like the EX1 then you can't actually set Zebra 2 to any value. This is a fact missed by many.
Zebra 2 only displays parts of the luminance signal that are 100% and over and can only be turned on and off. The entered values are for Zebra 1 only.

Alister Chapman · June 16th, 2009, 12:36 PM

On the EX you can set both zebras to any value between 50 and 109%

Vincent Oliver · June 16th, 2009, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alister Chapman

On the EX you can set both zebras to any value between 50 and 109%

But surely when you set one value, the other setting also takes on the same value. I have been experimenting with this today, and you are right that Zebra 2 is fixed at 100%, even though you are given the option to set it to any value.

I have now set my Zebra 1 to 80 and I am pretending that there isn't a Zebra 2. Maybe I will just dust off my old Weston V meter and use that.

Alister Chapman · June 16th, 2009, 02:36 PM

OK Folks, I've got this wrong, thanks to Omar and Jay Gladwell for pointing out to me that zebra 2 is in fact fixed at 100% (I had to go and check this as the menu gives the impression that it is adjustable). So Zebra 1 is adjustable and Zebra 2 fixed at 100. Selecting both gives you zebra 2 at 100 plus zebra 1 at whatever you set it to, changing the zebra 2 setting dosn't actually do anything.

To be honest I've never used zebra 2 and I rarely use any zebras. I have been looking very closely at how the cinegammas work, and for those I will be using zebra 1 at 60% to get skin tones in the sweet spot that should allow for optimum grading, which actually produces images that tend to look a little underexposed.

Simon Denny · July 31st, 2009, 12:02 AM

I thought I was going mad thinking that you could adjust both Zebra settings.
So just to make sure.
Zebra 2 is fixed at 100% and Zebra 1 is adjustable?
So the only way to see Zebra 1, is to turn it on in the menu, this is the sama for Zebra 2?
And just to get through my thick head, to see both Zebras, turn it on in the menu, to both.

This is very odd.
Oh well, I'll live with it.

Piotr Wozniacki · July 31st, 2009, 02:32 AM

This is not odd at all; it's all in the manual.

Zebra 1 is adjustable, and displays within the range of the level set plus/minus 10 IRE (or is it 5; don't remember).

Zebra 2 is either on or off, and displays starting at 100 and up.

Vincent Oliver · July 31st, 2009, 02:50 AM

The odd bit is that you think you are adjusting the level with zebra two, whereas you are actually readjusting the level of zebra one. To make things easier, Sony could have disabled the level adjustment when the Zebra two is highlighted.

Just a simple confusion

Piotr Wozniacki · July 31st, 2009, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vincent Oliver

The odd bit is that you think you are adjusting the level with zebra two, whereas you are actually readjusting the level of zebra one. To make things easier, Sony could have disabled the level adjustment when the Zebra two is highlighted.

Just a simple confusion

Agreed, Vincent - the menu setting procedure can be confusing. But not if you've RTFM :)

Vincent Oliver · July 31st, 2009, 03:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr Wozniacki

Agreed, Vincent - the menu setting procedure can be confusing. But not if you've RTFM :)

Read The Full Manual, you must be joking - too busy making mistakes. :-)

Piotr Wozniacki · July 31st, 2009, 03:08 AM

This is a good one, ha ha :)

Simon Denny · July 31st, 2009, 10:44 AM

Oh, the manual. Well I guess I should read the thing one day.
Why then do they have a setting for the second zebra if you can't change the thing.
I was thinking that this was going to be an upgrade at some point and Sony have forgot to do it.

Leonard Levy · July 31st, 2009, 11:00 AM

Vincent, why have you set you zebra 1 to 80%. Most people set it for caucasian flesh tone at 70% or 60% which i prefer for HD.
Nice thing about the Zebra 1 is that it is so light , that it is not annoying to shoot with it on.

June 16th, 2009, 02:01 AM	#1
Vincent Oliver Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chislehurst, London Posts: 1,724	Zebra question The EX3 has two zebra options, I have set Zebra 1 to 75% and then set Zebra 2 to 98%. The problem is that when I change the settings on either one then both show the last value entered. How can I set Zebra x to a set value and Zebra x to another value? __________________ Eyes are a deaf man’s ears. Ears are a blind man’s eyes

June 16th, 2009, 03:04 AM	#2
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	IGNOR WHAT'S IN THIS POST... I got it wrong... see my post below. You've found one of those mysterious EX3 menu peculiarities. If you set Zebra 0ne to say 60 and then go to Zebra 2 and set it to 90 then select BOTH you will find that both zebras will operate at the levels you set them to. The thing is that going back to Zebra 1 (or zebra 2) and making any changes selects Zebra 1 (or 2) only, ie a single zebra and in doing so sets the level to the last level set. It's only by going to BOTH that you enable both zebras together. It's not the most logical way to lay out the menu as it does not show you both settings together at any point, hence the understandable confusion, but you will find that both zebras will work at the independent levels you set. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com Last edited by Alister Chapman; June 16th, 2009 at 02:37 PM. Reason: Made a mistake

June 16th, 2009, 04:20 AM	#3
Vincent Oliver Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chislehurst, London Posts: 1,724	Thank you Alister, it was confusing me. I did find out that by using the Both setting that I would display the two values as stripes, but this can leave the display looking messy. I guess I was looking for a way to switch between Zebra 1 and 2 in the same way that I can switch between the White Balance settings. __________________ Eyes are a deaf man’s ears. Ears are a blind man’s eyes

June 16th, 2009, 12:36 PM	#5
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	On the EX you can set both zebras to any value between 50 and 109% __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

June 16th, 2009, 02:36 PM	#7
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	OK Folks, I've got this wrong, thanks to Omar and Jay Gladwell for pointing out to me that zebra 2 is in fact fixed at 100% (I had to go and check this as the menu gives the impression that it is adjustable). So Zebra 1 is adjustable and Zebra 2 fixed at 100. Selecting both gives you zebra 2 at 100 plus zebra 1 at whatever you set it to, changing the zebra 2 setting dosn't actually do anything. To be honest I've never used zebra 2 and I rarely use any zebras. I have been looking very closely at how the cinegammas work, and for those I will be using zebra 1 at 60% to get skin tones in the sweet spot that should allow for optimum grading, which actually produces images that tend to look a little underexposed. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

June 16th, 2009, 04:31 AM	#4
Omar Idris Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Middlesex, UK Posts: 28	If the EX3 is anything like the EX1 then you can't actually set Zebra 2 to any value. This is a fact missed by many. Zebra 2 only displays parts of the luminance signal that are 100% and over and can only be turned on and off. The entered values are for Zebra 1 only.

July 31st, 2009, 12:02 AM	#8
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	I thought I was going mad thinking that you could adjust both Zebra settings. So just to make sure. Zebra 2 is fixed at 100% and Zebra 1 is adjustable? So the only way to see Zebra 1, is to turn it on in the menu, this is the sama for Zebra 2? And just to get through my thick head, to see both Zebras, turn it on in the menu, to both. This is very odd. Oh well, I'll live with it.

July 31st, 2009, 02:32 AM	#9
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	This is not odd at all; it's all in the manual. Zebra 1 is adjustable, and displays within the range of the level set plus/minus 10 IRE (or is it 5; don't remember). Zebra 2 is either on or off, and displays starting at 100 and up. __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

July 31st, 2009, 02:50 AM	#10
Vincent Oliver Trustee Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chislehurst, London Posts: 1,724	The odd bit is that you think you are adjusting the level with zebra two, whereas you are actually readjusting the level of zebra one. To make things easier, Sony could have disabled the level adjustment when the Zebra two is highlighted. Just a simple confusion __________________ Eyes are a deaf man’s ears. Ears are a blind man’s eyes

July 31st, 2009, 03:08 AM	#13
Piotr Wozniacki Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Poland Posts: 4,086	This is a good one, ha ha :) __________________ Sony PXW-FS7 \| DaVinci Resolve Studio; Magix Vegas Pro; i7-5960X CPU; 64 GB RAM; 2x GTX 1080 8GB GPU; Decklink 4K Extreme 12G; 4x 3TB WD Black in RAID 0; 1TB M.2 NVMe cache drive

July 31st, 2009, 10:44 AM	#14
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Oh, the manual. Well I guess I should read the thing one day. Why then do they have a setting for the second zebra if you can't change the thing. I was thinking that this was going to be an upgrade at some point and Sony have forgot to do it.

July 31st, 2009, 11:00 AM	#15
Leonard Levy Trustee Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: USA Posts: 1,684	Vincent, why have you set you zebra 1 to 80%. Most people set it for caucasian flesh tone at 70% or 60% which i prefer for HD. Nice thing about the Zebra 1 is that it is so light , that it is not annoying to shoot with it on.