I just thought I would try and - with "a little help of our friends" here - put together the pieces, scattered around in a couple of threads, dealing with the EX1 picture settings. And not just those obvious ones (like MATRIX or GAMMA), but also those more difficult to grasp by amateurs like myself, yet very important. Unfortunately, they are not well documented for us, the EX1 users - neither in the camera manual, nor anywhere in the Net as XDCAM EX-dedicated white papers or articles.

In one of the recent threads, starting with a very basic (yet sound) question about the idea behind the KNEE setting - thanks to brilliant replies by Tom Roper and links, provided by Ethan Piliavin - it's been again revealed that there is much, much more possible with the EX1 than just changing gammas and matrices...

As I stated in that other thread, you can find a lot of absolutely priceless information here:

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/mkt-cinematography/mkt-cinematographyvideo/resource.latest.bbsccms-assets-micro-xdcamex-latest-ShootingTipsIndex.shtml

The site is about Creative Shooting Techniques, and is aimed at the full-pro Sony cameras' users. The Knee settings are discussed in one of is many topics, but there are others as well, dealing with things we all have been in need of a firm, authoritative explanation of - ever since we started using our EX1's...

While some of them (like KNEE APERTURE, BLACK GAMMA vs BLACK KEY SATURATION, DETAIL on/off vs CRISPENing) have direct counterparts in the EX1's PP menu, others are not that easily understood - at least, not by amateurs like myself. Therefore, I'd like to invite those using the EX1's "bigger brother" models (like Greg Boston, to name a one) - to join us in this thread, and try to translate settings like Y BLACK GAMMA, or LEVEL DEPEND, into the XDCAM EX language.

I'm positive everyone would benefit, as deeper understanding of those settings would allow us to start using the full potential of the wonderful machines that the EX1/EX3 certainly are!

These pictures demonstrate the use of the manual KNEE in STD3. The matrix was Standard. There is detail in the tree, and foreground shadows. The intent was to capture high contrast images without exaggerated color.

Link to more Shooting Tips:

http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowContent.action?site=biz_en_GB&category=BC&contentId=1193315622008&sectiontype=BC&preserveContext=true

Some more shooting tips here too...

http://www.sony.ca/xdcamex/tips.htm

These pictures demonstrate the use of the manual KNEE in STD3. The matrix was Standard. There is detail in the tree, and foreground shadows. The intent was to capture high contrast images without exaggerated color.

Hi Tom,

can you share these settings with us in detail, would love to try it out! The pictures look absolutely fantastic!

Sami

Hi Tom,

can you share these settings with us in detail, would love to try it out! The pictures look absolutely fantastic!

Sami

Thanks Sami.

The videos were shot at 1080p24, ND2, 1/48th shutter, F5.6-8.0.

Matrix - Standard
Level +2

Gamma Std3
Level 0

Black Gamma
0

Black
-5

Detail
On
Level -13

Knee - on
auto knee - off
Point +65-70 *
Slope +50-60 *
Knee SAT Level 50

* Must be adjusted as the conditions vary. Use Zebra 2 (100%) as an aide.