Soft images on PDW-335L at DVinfo.net

Stephen Curtis · January 6th, 2011, 08:14 PM

All footage on my PDW-335L appear to be really soft. Can anyone please direct me to applying a setting to sharpen this up. Also I am using a really nice downloaded scene file but it requires a slight tweak to reduce the saturation.

Any help will be very much apprecaited.

Alister Chapman · January 7th, 2011, 02:18 AM

More information needed.

Soft compared to what? Under what circumstances, viewed on what, what lens do you have, what noise reduction are you using?

You can crank up the detail level to make it appear less soft, but that won't change the resolution or true image sharpness and will increase noise and grain. First you need to address whether there is some other underlying problem that's making it look soft or if it's just the difference between a camera design that's 6 years old and a more recent one.

Stephen Curtis · January 7th, 2011, 06:22 AM

Hi Alister

I am using a Fujinon xs17x5.5brm-m38 lens. I have been using the peaking level of the viewfinder to high in order to make sure I have everything that is in focus. When viewed back in FCP all footage looks as though it has something like a .1 blur added to it? Due to the age Is the 335l common to producing soft images?

Please see below my settings.

Low Noise mode is on 2.

In my paint settings are:-

Detail level 0
DTL H/V Ratio 0
Master Black -14

Detail settings:-

Detail on
crispening 0
Level depend on
detail frequency 0
Aperture on
Aperture level 0
Knee apt level 0
detail limit 0

Many thanks for your advice.

Kind regards

Steve Phillipps · January 7th, 2011, 09:08 AM

Have you looked at it connected directly via HD SDI to a monitor / HD TV? Often computer monitors through software won't give a decent image.
Steve

Alister Chapman · January 7th, 2011, 11:53 AM

What sort of aperture are you working at? You need to be more open than F8 to avoid diffraction effects.

Have you checked your backfocus/flange back? If this is out then the camera will still appear to go in/out of focus but the focus won't be sharp.

Is this something that has suddenly started happening or is it always like this. As Steve suggests you should have a look at the cameras direct output on a component (no HDSDi on F335) decent monitor to eliminate FCP and the edit suite from the equation. You haven't got the FCP output set to High or Dynamic and not something else.

Daniel Larson · January 8th, 2011, 10:18 AM

Stephen,

I struggled with some image softness issues when first using the F335. I had read where some people used negative detail settings successfully and was quite hesitant to increase the detail. When I shoot HD 30P I use a detail level of +25, master black -3, Cine 3, and master gamma -2 with HISAT selected. My lens is a Fuji XS 13x3.3 and I find that even if I shoot wide open with the above settings with an interview frame composition the lens will go a little soft and that I should be at 2.0 or better to keep the talent nicely focussed. If I'm at f2 or better all is good and I get great looking video. There are a lot of variables and what works for me might not work for you so keep testing. The F335 makes some very nice pictures. I also found the HandsOn F335 DVD from Vortex Media to be very helpful in getting the most out the F335.

Dan

Luc De Wandel · January 8th, 2011, 05:53 PM

Footage viewed back in FCP - I presume on your computer monitor then - never looks really sharp. Connect the camera to a full-HD tv-screen and see what happens. Probably everything will be crisp & sharp.

Uli Mors · January 14th, 2011, 02:18 AM

Please check the footage directly played out via HD SDI or HD component out to a full HD screen - how does the footage look?

Recently a friend used Premiere Pro play out to a Panasonic BT-LH1710 - PDW700 footage.

He wondered why the footage looks THAT noisy. We found out that the footage was ok, but the way Premiere Out (preview??) + downscaling to 1280x768 (BT-LH native resolution) caused a noisier image.

To be 100% sure there is no better way than playing the footage directly from cam or deck to screen.

Regards

ULI

January 6th, 2011, 08:14 PM	#1
Stephen Curtis Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Beccles, United Kingdom Posts: 4	Soft images on PDW-335L All footage on my PDW-335L appear to be really soft. Can anyone please direct me to applying a setting to sharpen this up. Also I am using a really nice downloaded scene file but it requires a slight tweak to reduce the saturation. Any help will be very much apprecaited.

January 7th, 2011, 02:18 AM	#2
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	More information needed. Soft compared to what? Under what circumstances, viewed on what, what lens do you have, what noise reduction are you using? You can crank up the detail level to make it appear less soft, but that won't change the resolution or true image sharpness and will increase noise and grain. First you need to address whether there is some other underlying problem that's making it look soft or if it's just the difference between a camera design that's 6 years old and a more recent one. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

January 7th, 2011, 06:22 AM	#3
Stephen Curtis Tourist Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Beccles, United Kingdom Posts: 4	Hi Alister I am using a Fujinon xs17x5.5brm-m38 lens. I have been using the peaking level of the viewfinder to high in order to make sure I have everything that is in focus. When viewed back in FCP all footage looks as though it has something like a .1 blur added to it? Due to the age Is the 335l common to producing soft images? Please see below my settings. Low Noise mode is on 2. In my paint settings are:- Detail level 0 DTL H/V Ratio 0 Master Black -14 Detail settings:- Detail on crispening 0 Level depend on detail frequency 0 Aperture on Aperture level 0 Knee apt level 0 detail limit 0 Many thanks for your advice. Kind regards Last edited by Stephen Curtis; January 7th, 2011 at 06:53 AM.

January 7th, 2011, 11:53 AM	#5
Alister Chapman Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bracknell, Berkshire, UK Posts: 4,957	What sort of aperture are you working at? You need to be more open than F8 to avoid diffraction effects. Have you checked your backfocus/flange back? If this is out then the camera will still appear to go in/out of focus but the focus won't be sharp. Is this something that has suddenly started happening or is it always like this. As Steve suggests you should have a look at the cameras direct output on a component (no HDSDi on F335) decent monitor to eliminate FCP and the edit suite from the equation. You haven't got the FCP output set to High or Dynamic and not something else. __________________ Alister Chapman, Film-Maker/Stormchaser http://www.xdcam-user.com/alisters-blog/ My XDCAM site and blog. http://www.hurricane-rig.com

January 7th, 2011, 09:08 AM	#4
Steve Phillipps Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Wales Posts: 2,130	Have you looked at it connected directly via HD SDI to a monitor / HD TV? Often computer monitors through software won't give a decent image. Steve

January 8th, 2011, 10:18 AM	#6
Daniel Larson Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: De Pere, WI Posts: 47	Stephen, I struggled with some image softness issues when first using the F335. I had read where some people used negative detail settings successfully and was quite hesitant to increase the detail. When I shoot HD 30P I use a detail level of +25, master black -3, Cine 3, and master gamma -2 with HISAT selected. My lens is a Fuji XS 13x3.3 and I find that even if I shoot wide open with the above settings with an interview frame composition the lens will go a little soft and that I should be at 2.0 or better to keep the talent nicely focussed. If I'm at f2 or better all is good and I get great looking video. There are a lot of variables and what works for me might not work for you so keep testing. The F335 makes some very nice pictures. I also found the HandsOn F335 DVD from Vortex Media to be very helpful in getting the most out the F335. Dan

January 8th, 2011, 05:53 PM	#7
Luc De Wandel Major Player Join Date: May 2008 Location: Knokke-Heist, Belgium Posts: 963	Footage viewed back in FCP - I presume on your computer monitor then - never looks really sharp. Connect the camera to a full-HD tv-screen and see what happens. Probably everything will be crisp & sharp.

January 14th, 2011, 02:18 AM	#8
Uli Mors Major Player Join Date: May 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 565	Please check the footage directly played out via HD SDI or HD component out to a full HD screen - how does the footage look? Recently a friend used Premiere Pro play out to a Panasonic BT-LH1710 - PDW700 footage. He wondered why the footage looks THAT noisy. We found out that the footage was ok, but the way Premiere Out (preview??) + downscaling to 1280x768 (BT-LH native resolution) caused a noisier image. To be 100% sure there is no better way than playing the footage directly from cam or deck to screen. Regards ULI