Z7U/ contrast issues

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Kris Simmons on Jun 23, 2009 at 3:12:29 pm I had a similar problem this morning while shooting aerials of a large construction project (with my Z7U). I had my ND set to 4 and the iris was just above closing down in order for me to get an acceptable shot. Everything else was just too bright. There is a lot of grain in the shot so I'm having to mess with a lot of filters in FCP in order to get something usable. Pretty frustrating considering that we spent almost $3,000 for helicopter and gyro mount rental. On a previous project when shooting with the Z1U, I had the same problem when shooting outdoors on a golf course. It was extremely bright and everything I came back with was very grainy. I was told that I must have hit the Auto Gain control button which made it auto iris. I wasn't buying this prognosis but I went with it. However, I KNOW I didn't hit such a button on the Z7U but I ended up with the same results. Is this operator error or is there really an issue here with Sony's cameras while shooting in extremely bright conditions? Kris Kristopher G. Simmons Video Business Marketing & Growth Expert http://www.MindYourVideoBusiness.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Michael Palmer on Jun 23, 2009 at 3:43:50 pm Operator error, I made a mistake long ago with my Z1U thinking I had set the gain (grain) control to the lowest setting and what I found was that the only way to know for sure what it was set to was to always keep the setting display on on the LCD monitor, other wise it was doing an auto setting, my biggest mistake was not reviewing the first few takes and stopping to take the time to make sure I had the proper settings. Good Luck Michael Palmer Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Kris Simmons on Jun 26, 2009 at 8:41:28 pm Lou & Michael, Thanks for taking the time to reply. Lou, although I hope you are correct in that its the camera's fault, I believe Michael is on to something as well with his "operator error" theory. It's possible that its a little or a lot of both. Michael, after posting this message the other day, I spoke with one of my shooters and he also indicated that it may be because of the weird auto setting that the camera goes into if you can't see the gain numbers in the viewfinder. My question is, why the hell would Sony do this on such an excellent camera? If you are in manual mode, it should stay in manual mode! Anyway, it's pretty hard to think about this when you are hanging half way out of a helicopter trying to get great shots in as little time as possible. (The helo cost $900/hr....ouch!) Plus, it's hard to see grain in a small viewfinder when everything around you is super bright. Everything looked great in the air but I think a portable monitor to review the first take on would have been the smartest approach. The problem is that in 15 years of shooting, I've never had to use a monitor to come back with great looking footage from the air or from anywhere for that matter. I've only had the camera for about a month but this was my 15th shoot day using it so I thought I had it pretty much licked. I've shot mostly outdoor stuff too and haven't had any gain issues. The only thing I did notice is that the camera appears to shoot a bit hotter than what you see in the viewfinder. I'm sure I can adjust the viewfinder to better match but anyway... I did notice on one of our shoots that when the shutter speed wasn't visible in the viewfinder that it was automatically reducing it to 500. That has to be a glitch in the factory settings. When in the world would you need an auto setting of 500 for shutter speed? Anyway, at this point, I'm trying to figure out the best way to minimize the grain in post at least to the point where my audience won't notice it. I think I have it almost looking like film grain and if I cut in and out of the shots at the right time, the main focal point is on the building itself instead of the dark areas of forest around it which are incredibly grainy. Thanks again guys for your comments. I appreciate the help! Kris Kristopher G. Simmons Video Business Marketing & Growth Expert http://www.MindYourVideoBusiness.com Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Darren Edwards on Jul 2, 2009 at 11:59:19 am Been using S270E and Z7 alongside XDCAM HD for over a year now. Don't like them. Alas, one reason was the bundled Zeiss, which is getting replaced, but too late for us. When we discovered the CMOS had problems with florescent lighting we were told by Sony Support that noticeable scrolling black bars on the screen were a 'feature of the camera'. They later retracted that and suggested shutter tweaks -- which worked for some office lighting but not all. Darren. youtube.com/darrenpce Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Darren Edwards on Jul 3, 2009 at 11:04:43 am If your filmmaking's evolving for the better, I'm really happy for you, and I think if one can find a small Z7 for the same price as a Z1, then they've got a bargain -- but the/ our S270E is fraught with fundamental issues -- technical and design. It isn't a bad-looking camera with some gubbins stuck on it, but... - Eye cushions haven't been made yet to fit the large eyepiece. - The servo is fitted too close to the end of the lens. The design on the Zeiss (in most cases) requires an extension (we paid £50/$90) to fit a matte box. - It feels cheap. - The 'rolling bars'/office lighting/CMOS chip issue occurs near flourescent tube and black lights, and not all of them oscillate and buzz at the same frequency. The brown bars on monitor screens is an easy fix, of course, by dailing in the corresponding frequency into the camera. Sony's phonecall professing the interference to be a 'feature of the camera' was as farcical as it was patronising. - Even though 'progessive' is stamped all over the camera, it's not progessive! The image is that silly pseudo-progressive 'look' which breaks apart and requires deinterlacing as soon as one applies effects, particularly speed duration and/or camera flash effects. On the plus side the bundled Zeiss has been dumped, the little Z7 is still a cute replacement for the Z1, and I'm sure properly lit uncompressed HDV tapped out via HD/SDI (and then up-rez'd to 1080p via an AJA box for example) will look reasonable good. It's got some nice/novelty features buried in the menu, but for our low end stuff, I wished we'd saved some more money now and bought an HVX300 or one of the new 422 XDCAMs. Darren. youtube.com/darrenpce Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Eric Jurgenson on Jul 20, 2009 at 1:45:30 pm Darren, Are you sure about the lack of true progressive? All HDV cameras record progressive as interlace to tape (PsF) at 29.97 fps regarsless of scan mode and frame rate, but I notice that you have the MRC1K record module, which should recored true progressive and true 24 FPS. It is true that the Z1U had a 'simulated" progressive look (deinterlacing the native interlaced output of the imager), but the latest cameras (V1U, Z5U, Z7U, etc.) are supposed to be true progressive. Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index

	Re: Z7U/ contrast issues by Darren Edwards on Jul 20, 2009 at 2:09:11 pm We got the first gen 25FPS PAL Z7s so no 24fps mode for us, unfortunately. The faux-prog look is a weird one, really. It looks prog, it smells prog, but like I said, as soon as time mapping (and a few other effects we've tried) is applied to it, it breaks apart and becomes interlaced. For something fast moving like a trailer of music video, where lots of time mapping is used, it's quite easy to miss a few frames which require deinterlacing (until they pop out on the monitor later on down the line). D. youtube.com/darrenpce Respond to this post   •   Return to posts index