Seeking Custom Picture File for XF300 at DVinfo.net

Dan Kozminski · November 11th, 2014, 03:20 PM

I recently purchased the XF300 and have watched Doug Jensen's excellent videos several times so I feel I know how to get started on solid ground. However, I would like to experiment with various Custom Picture Files. The camera comes with a few, Doug shared his settings in his videos, and I installed the BBC recommended settings. That said, I would like to experiment with others, especially, but not limited to, those that give me more of a film look.

I know how to modify the CPF but I do not know enough to understand what each of the settings actually do. I've searched this site and others, but I can't find links to any CPFs that others wish to share. The one link I did find on this site was broken, it lead nowhere.

If you have links to sites that have CPFs that one can download or at least view the settings, I would appreciate it. I called Canon but they had no such resource.

Thanks,

Dan

David Dixon · November 12th, 2014, 09:42 AM

I've had the XF100 since 2011 - by film look do you mean just something with cine gammas and softer rolloff of Blacks and Knee, or do you mean a super flat look for grading in post?

There were some posted CP files when the 300/100 series first came out, but I found most of them not vivid enough for a finished look, nor flat enough for a flat look so I've made my own.

The general consensus seems to be to use one of the Cine gammas, and keep Black-->Master Pedestal around 0. If that's not a contrasty enough look for you in-camera, then use a minus number for the Master Ped. Keep exposure gain low, because these can be noisy cameras - the Gain starts at -6 so keep it between -6 and +6 if possible, +9 is a stretch and higher than that only if an emergency. Make sure the Color Matrix chosen matches the Gamma you've chosen or you'll get weird skin tones even if manually white balanced. Color Gain (Saturation) is up to you. I can't decide if there's really much difference in adding Saturation in-camera or in post, but if you want you can go anywhere from 0 to 25 in-camera without running into trouble.

Sharpness is also a personal thing, and there is a Coring feature that softens tiny details. I keep Sharpness at 0 or just above, but you just have to test the Coring. Higher values soften the details, so +5 is softer than -5. Too low and you get artifacts and over sharpening (and noise and moire are exacerbated), too high and things get really soft.

Try these Black Gamma settings for a nicer shadow rolloff:
Level 29
Range 3
Point 25

This should give you a pretty nice image that should only need minor tweaking in post if desired. I usually shoot very flat, then adjust highs, mids, lows, saturation, sometimes sharpness in post. So for that flatter look I raise Master Ped a lot, dial down Sharpness, and raise Coring to +2 or +3. There are custom Knee settings, but if you're using a Cine1 or Cine2 gamma those don't have any effect because the Gamma is controlled by the Cine setting. Then when shooting I use the waveform to make sure all the lows are above 0 IRE and all important highlights are below 100.

Oh yeah, since these are small chip cameras, don't use a small iris - keep it at 4.0 or wider if possible. NDs are built in on the 300 series - you'll need them in bright sun.

Hopefully this helps get you started.

November 11th, 2014, 03:20 PM	#1
Dan Kozminski Tourist Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Clevelnd, OH Posts: 3	Seeking Custom Picture File for XF300 I recently purchased the XF300 and have watched Doug Jensen's excellent videos several times so I feel I know how to get started on solid ground. However, I would like to experiment with various Custom Picture Files. The camera comes with a few, Doug shared his settings in his videos, and I installed the BBC recommended settings. That said, I would like to experiment with others, especially, but not limited to, those that give me more of a film look. I know how to modify the CPF but I do not know enough to understand what each of the settings actually do. I've searched this site and others, but I can't find links to any CPFs that others wish to share. The one link I did find on this site was broken, it lead nowhere. If you have links to sites that have CPFs that one can download or at least view the settings, I would appreciate it. I called Canon but they had no such resource. Thanks, Dan Last edited by Dan Kozminski; November 11th, 2014 at 03:30 PM. Reason: spelling errors

November 12th, 2014, 09:42 AM	#2
David Dixon Major Player Join Date: May 2011 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 495	Re: Seeking Custom Picture File for XF300 I've had the XF100 since 2011 - by film look do you mean just something with cine gammas and softer rolloff of Blacks and Knee, or do you mean a super flat look for grading in post? There were some posted CP files when the 300/100 series first came out, but I found most of them not vivid enough for a finished look, nor flat enough for a flat look so I've made my own. The general consensus seems to be to use one of the Cine gammas, and keep Black-->Master Pedestal around 0. If that's not a contrasty enough look for you in-camera, then use a minus number for the Master Ped. Keep exposure gain low, because these can be noisy cameras - the Gain starts at -6 so keep it between -6 and +6 if possible, +9 is a stretch and higher than that only if an emergency. Make sure the Color Matrix chosen matches the Gamma you've chosen or you'll get weird skin tones even if manually white balanced. Color Gain (Saturation) is up to you. I can't decide if there's really much difference in adding Saturation in-camera or in post, but if you want you can go anywhere from 0 to 25 in-camera without running into trouble. Sharpness is also a personal thing, and there is a Coring feature that softens tiny details. I keep Sharpness at 0 or just above, but you just have to test the Coring. Higher values soften the details, so +5 is softer than -5. Too low and you get artifacts and over sharpening (and noise and moire are exacerbated), too high and things get really soft. Try these Black Gamma settings for a nicer shadow rolloff: Level 29 Range 3 Point 25 This should give you a pretty nice image that should only need minor tweaking in post if desired. I usually shoot very flat, then adjust highs, mids, lows, saturation, sometimes sharpness in post. So for that flatter look I raise Master Ped a lot, dial down Sharpness, and raise Coring to +2 or +3. There are custom Knee settings, but if you're using a Cine1 or Cine2 gamma those don't have any effect because the Gamma is controlled by the Cine setting. Then when shooting I use the waveform to make sure all the lows are above 0 IRE and all important highlights are below 100. Oh yeah, since these are small chip cameras, don't use a small iris - keep it at 4.0 or wider if possible. NDs are built in on the 300 series - you'll need them in bright sun. Hopefully this helps get you started.