Any of you own (or owned) a XHA1 & a GL-2? at DVinfo.net

Bruce Pelley · February 25th, 2010, 12:51 PM

IMHO, the unit right of the box looks a touch flat visually which includes greys & blacks......a rather neutral look as directly compared to the stock GL-2 settings which is vibrant,warm and more pleasing, at least to my eye.

The basic question is:

Is there a setting/preset on the XH-A1 that will closely replicate the "warmth" that comes from the GL-2?

Have any of you in the past successfully color matched 1 or more Canon GL-2's to the XH-A1 and used them together in a shoot?

I would really be appreciate if anyone would be willing to share any A1 presets they have come up with to up-"warmth" the unit so that it's output colorwise, has the same vibrancy as the GL-2.

Thanks for your help.

Looking forward to connecting with you!

Mark Fry · February 26th, 2010, 10:19 AM

I know what you mean. I had an XM1 (PAL version) before the XH-A1. The simplest thing you can do, which makes a big difference IMHO, is to set up a Custom Preset that uses Cine Gamma 1. This has the effect of darkening the mid and bright areas just a little, which richens the colour. It loses about 1/2 stop of exposure compared to standard, but that's a small price to pay.

On dull days, or when there are a lot of dark objects in the scene, you might try adding "black stretch" which will lighten the darkest areas a little and give more detail there. I have set up CP1 as Cine Gamma 1, and CP2 as Cine Gamma 1 plus Black Stretch.

Another thing you can try is white balancing on a "warm card". You can buy professionally printed cards that are a very pale blue. This fools the camera that the light is "colder" than it really is, and so it adds a slight yellow/orange bias. You could make your own, of course, but you might spend quite a lot of time, and use a lot of printer ink, before you got exactly the right shade of pale blue.

Even without any of these "tweaks", the Canon is still a little warmer and certainly no flatter than the Sony FX1/Z1. I often combine footage from the two, and the Sony is much bluer. A bit like the difference between Kodachrome (Canon) and Ektachrome (Sony)...

HTH

February 25th, 2010, 12:51 PM	#1
Bruce Pelley Major Player Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 339	Any of you own (or owned) a XHA1 & a GL-2? IMHO, the unit right of the box looks a touch flat visually which includes greys & blacks......a rather neutral look as directly compared to the stock GL-2 settings which is vibrant,warm and more pleasing, at least to my eye. The basic question is: Is there a setting/preset on the XH-A1 that will closely replicate the "warmth" that comes from the GL-2? Have any of you in the past successfully color matched 1 or more Canon GL-2's to the XH-A1 and used them together in a shoot? I would really be appreciate if anyone would be willing to share any A1 presets they have come up with to up-"warmth" the unit so that it's output colorwise, has the same vibrancy as the GL-2. Thanks for your help. Looking forward to connecting with you!

February 26th, 2010, 10:19 AM	#2
Mark Fry Major Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 425	I know what you mean. I had an XM1 (PAL version) before the XH-A1. The simplest thing you can do, which makes a big difference IMHO, is to set up a Custom Preset that uses Cine Gamma 1. This has the effect of darkening the mid and bright areas just a little, which richens the colour. It loses about 1/2 stop of exposure compared to standard, but that's a small price to pay. On dull days, or when there are a lot of dark objects in the scene, you might try adding "black stretch" which will lighten the darkest areas a little and give more detail there. I have set up CP1 as Cine Gamma 1, and CP2 as Cine Gamma 1 plus Black Stretch. Another thing you can try is white balancing on a "warm card". You can buy professionally printed cards that are a very pale blue. This fools the camera that the light is "colder" than it really is, and so it adds a slight yellow/orange bias. You could make your own, of course, but you might spend quite a lot of time, and use a lot of printer ink, before you got exactly the right shade of pale blue. Even without any of these "tweaks", the Canon is still a little warmer and certainly no flatter than the Sony FX1/Z1. I often combine footage from the two, and the Sony is much bluer. A bit like the difference between Kodachrome (Canon) and Ektachrome (Sony)... HTH __________________ Steam Age Pictures - videos in aid of railway preservation societies.