CameraA softer image than CameraB at DVinfo.net

Chris Harding · March 10th, 2015, 11:46 PM

Hi Guys

I still seem to get a slightly softer image on my one EA-50 when shooting wedding ceremonies in bright sunshine compared to my second camera .... both are manually focussed and I'm actually extra careful with the ceremony main camera and use expanded focus etc etc to get it perfect!! I end up always having to put a light unsharp mask on that footage and it doesn't seem to matter whether I shoot at a slightly higher shutter or not so it doesn't seem to be an aperture issue ....

Any bright ideas ... the sensor seems clean with no splotches on it if I shoot the sky BUT could it have a film on it that might not show up on a dust test??

I guess the next stage is to interchange bodies with the same lens and lighting and see if I can spot any differences there ?? I use the same camera for speeches under lights and the image looks pretty normal

Can the sensor get a haze coating on it at all that would make a softer image when it's really bright???

Chris

Christopher Young · March 13th, 2015, 05:32 AM

Daft question but I guess the detail settings are the same on both cameras? Just a thought!

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

Noa Put · March 13th, 2015, 05:38 AM

The only 2 things I can think of that can cause a difference in detail between 2 identical camera's is because different brands of lenses where used, I for instance have a vintage tamron lens that looks noticeable softer then my new panasonic and olympus lenses.

Second is that the f-stop is different between both camera where one is suffering from diffraction because the iris is almost completely closed while the other camera the lens is wider open?

Chris Harding · March 13th, 2015, 06:40 AM

Thanks Guys

The idiot is me!! I decided in my infinite wisdom, to use an unsharp mask in Sony Vegas on the A-Cam track and it eats up CPU resources so much that the preview was actually lagging so much it looked blurry! I get these weird ideas sometimes and it screws with my head! I normally just add a touch of sharpening with the Sharpen plugin before rendering down to MPEG2. I wonder why an unsharp mark uses so much CPU?? the preview just grinds to a halt and lags really badly!!!

Just for interest I tested both camera bodies with the same lens both at 1/50 and 1/400 (at the higher speed iris was full open) and all results are identical. The PP3 profile used outdoors does give a slightly softer looking image and it boosts shadows and often overdoes the high lights. I really must find a better "bright sunshine profile" ...PP3 works really well indoors or in deep shade but isn't that good in bright sun!

When the season slows down (we are in our busiest month now) I really need to try some FS100 profiles!!

Chris

March 10th, 2015, 11:46 PM	#1
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	CameraA softer image than CameraB Hi Guys I still seem to get a slightly softer image on my one EA-50 when shooting wedding ceremonies in bright sunshine compared to my second camera .... both are manually focussed and I'm actually extra careful with the ceremony main camera and use expanded focus etc etc to get it perfect!! I end up always having to put a light unsharp mask on that footage and it doesn't seem to matter whether I shoot at a slightly higher shutter or not so it doesn't seem to be an aperture issue .... Any bright ideas ... the sensor seems clean with no splotches on it if I shoot the sky BUT could it have a film on it that might not show up on a dust test?? I guess the next stage is to interchange bodies with the same lens and lighting and see if I can spot any differences there ?? I use the same camera for speeches under lights and the image looks pretty normal Can the sensor get a haze coating on it at all that would make a softer image when it's really bright??? Chris

March 13th, 2015, 05:32 AM	#2
Christopher Young Trustee Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sydney Australia Posts: 1,572	Re: CameraA softer image than CameraB Daft question but I guess the detail settings are the same on both cameras? Just a thought! Chris Young CYV Productions Sydney

March 13th, 2015, 05:38 AM	#3
Noa Put Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 9,510	Re: CameraA softer image than CameraB The only 2 things I can think of that can cause a difference in detail between 2 identical camera's is because different brands of lenses where used, I for instance have a vintage tamron lens that looks noticeable softer then my new panasonic and olympus lenses. Second is that the f-stop is different between both camera where one is suffering from diffraction because the iris is almost completely closed while the other camera the lens is wider open?

March 13th, 2015, 06:40 AM	#4
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: CameraA softer image than CameraB Thanks Guys The idiot is me!! I decided in my infinite wisdom, to use an unsharp mask in Sony Vegas on the A-Cam track and it eats up CPU resources so much that the preview was actually lagging so much it looked blurry! I get these weird ideas sometimes and it screws with my head! I normally just add a touch of sharpening with the Sharpen plugin before rendering down to MPEG2. I wonder why an unsharp mark uses so much CPU?? the preview just grinds to a halt and lags really badly!!! Just for interest I tested both camera bodies with the same lens both at 1/50 and 1/400 (at the higher speed iris was full open) and all results are identical. The PP3 profile used outdoors does give a slightly softer looking image and it boosts shadows and often overdoes the high lights. I really must find a better "bright sunshine profile" ...PP3 works really well indoors or in deep shade but isn't that good in bright sun! When the season slows down (we are in our busiest month now) I really need to try some FS100 profiles!! Chris