Truecolor when mixing XH-G1s / HV40? at DVinfo.net

Peter Adler · August 27th, 2013, 10:41 AM

I have a question concerning presets.

I have an XH-G1s and an HV40, both PAL (I live in Europe). However outdated they are, I will be using them for a project which I am now preparing to shoot. I cannot afford to spend thousands of euros on a new camera, as I am basically just a hobbyist trying to make my footage look as good as possible and hopefully tell an interesting story.

As an alternative to HDV, I plan to use the Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle v2 set to ProRes 422 HQ, but I will probably also use tape as backup.

The project is a documentary. The scenes will be cityscapes, streets, parks and buildings mostly outside in daylight. A few scenes will be interiors, hopefully well-lit. There will be a number of one-on-one interviews.

I will be doing the shooting myself or, if I'm lucky, with a soundperson for boom mic'ing. I will do at least 75% of the shots with the XH-G1s but there might be a few situations where I want to use the HV40 because it is smaller and lighter - for instance for a shot from a scooter where I will sit behind the driver.

Knowing that I might have to blend shots from both cameras, is it a good idea to use the neutral Truecolor preset (discussed in other threads here) in the XH-G1s?

I did read this piece of advice for mixing footage from the two cameras:
Settings to match XH-A1 and HV30 Footage | L.A. Color Pros Blog
- but he is using the OUTSIDEN preset in the XH-A1 and I am not particularly keen on using that. I tried it last weekend and it seemed to me to be somewhat greenish.

I plan to edit in FCP7.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Peter

Bo Sundvall · August 28th, 2013, 06:30 AM

Hi

My experience from my, now non-functioning, HV20 is to NOT use Cinema mode. It degrades resolution and makes red color strange. Perhaps the same for the HV40.

Regards,

/Bo

Peter Adler · August 28th, 2013, 08:59 AM

Thanks, Bo!

I agree. In fact, on the HV40, I am hoping not to use any other settings than the 25p shooting mode, set the shutter to 1/50 in shutter priroty mode and try to prevent auto-gain from being applied by locking the exposure before gain potentially becomes an issue.

However, does this mean I should not use any preset on the XH-G1s or would it be OK to use "Truecolor"?

I suppose some colour correction needs to be applied in post anyway, so there doesn't seem to be much point in trying to get similar-looking footage straight out of both cameras?

Best regards,
Peter

August 27th, 2013, 10:41 AM	#1
Peter Adler Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brussels, Belgium Posts: 34	Truecolor when mixing XH-G1s / HV40? I have a question concerning presets. I have an XH-G1s and an HV40, both PAL (I live in Europe). However outdated they are, I will be using them for a project which I am now preparing to shoot. I cannot afford to spend thousands of euros on a new camera, as I am basically just a hobbyist trying to make my footage look as good as possible and hopefully tell an interesting story. As an alternative to HDV, I plan to use the Blackmagic HyperDeck Shuttle v2 set to ProRes 422 HQ, but I will probably also use tape as backup. The project is a documentary. The scenes will be cityscapes, streets, parks and buildings mostly outside in daylight. A few scenes will be interiors, hopefully well-lit. There will be a number of one-on-one interviews. I will be doing the shooting myself or, if I'm lucky, with a soundperson for boom mic'ing. I will do at least 75% of the shots with the XH-G1s but there might be a few situations where I want to use the HV40 because it is smaller and lighter - for instance for a shot from a scooter where I will sit behind the driver. Knowing that I might have to blend shots from both cameras, is it a good idea to use the neutral Truecolor preset (discussed in other threads here) in the XH-G1s? I did read this piece of advice for mixing footage from the two cameras: Settings to match XH-A1 and HV30 Footage \| L.A. Color Pros Blog - but he is using the OUTSIDEN preset in the XH-A1 and I am not particularly keen on using that. I tried it last weekend and it seemed to me to be somewhat greenish. I plan to edit in FCP7. Thanks in advance for any advice. Peter

August 28th, 2013, 06:30 AM	#2
Bo Sundvall Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sweden Posts: 244	Re: Truecolor when mixing XH-G1s / HV40? Hi My experience from my, now non-functioning, HV20 is to NOT use Cinema mode. It degrades resolution and makes red color strange. Perhaps the same for the HV40. Regards, /Bo

August 28th, 2013, 08:59 AM	#3
Peter Adler Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brussels, Belgium Posts: 34	Re: Truecolor when mixing XH-G1s / HV40? Thanks, Bo! I agree. In fact, on the HV40, I am hoping not to use any other settings than the 25p shooting mode, set the shutter to 1/50 in shutter priroty mode and try to prevent auto-gain from being applied by locking the exposure before gain potentially becomes an issue. However, does this mean I should not use any preset on the XH-G1s or would it be OK to use "Truecolor"? I suppose some colour correction needs to be applied in post anyway, so there doesn't seem to be much point in trying to get similar-looking footage straight out of both cameras? Best regards, Peter