Waveform and in Field Vectorscope?

[Peter Moretti]

I'm interested in checking waveforms and a vectorscope in the field. My idea is to use a DSC color chip and grey scale charts to check the waveforms and vectors before shooting.

Is anyone doing this and have monitor recommendations? I'm considering having a computer on location, onto which I can load with Vegas &/or Avid AXP/MC.

Thanks much!

[James Brill]

My boss uses a Leader 5750 I believe in the field and we use it for color correction back in our suites when he isn't using it. It monitors audio also.

[Peter Moretti]

That's one expensive monitor, but I'm sure worth it.

I'm considering having a computer on location on which I could run Vegas. (I'd also be using the computer for on location capturing.)

Vegas has scopes and waveform. This should work okay, right?

[Glenn Chan]

I don't believe those scopes are real-time. DVRack / Onlocation is.

2- Personally, I don't really believe in using scopes during production (unless you need to do something like camera matching).

If you learn your gear, you're just not really going to need it. Shoot a test with multiple bracketed exposures, color correct/grade it, and see what exposure is the ideal exposure. Figure out how that corresponds to what you see on the camera viewfinder/LCD or on a broadcast monitor.

[Peter Moretti]

Glenn, as for your first point, I was thinking of recording and actually capturing some footage into Vegas while on location. That should work.

For point two, I've heard that lattitude is not uniform across F stops. So with same fps and shutter speed but different iris openings, some exposures have more lattitude while others less.

And for some compositions you actually want less camera lattitude (not more). The idea being if less lattitude is in the composition, you try to shoot using an exposure with less lattitude. This way color bits aren't being wasted on intensities that are outside of the range of what's being recorded.

Is that accurate? (I'm not saying that means I need on location waveform and vector scopes.)

Thanks much.

[Glenn Chan]

Originally Posted by Peter Moretti

Glenn, as for your first point, I was thinking of recording and actually capturing some footage into Vegas while on location. That should work.

That sounds tedious.

For point two, I've heard that lattitude is not uniform across F stops. So with same fps and shutter speed but different iris openings, some exposures have more lattitude while others less.

This might be due to some sort of auto-knee circuit?? e.g. where the knee parameters are varied dynamically.

And for some compositions you actually want less camera lattitude (not more). The idea being if less lattitude is in the composition, you try to shoot using an exposure with less lattitude. This way color bits aren't being wasted on intensities that are outside of the range of what's being recorded.

They are wasted or not wasted depending on how you look at it. In any case, I doubt it will ever be a problem. Because most/all cameras have noise, it effectively dithers the image and you don't really have to worry about insufficient bit depth (except maybe on some of the higher end cameras with lower noise).

In any case I think you'd learn a lot from doing a test.

Bracket exposures, color correct/grade your footage, see what you like best.

[Peter Moretti]

Originally Posted by Glenn Chan

... They are wasted or not wasted depending on how you look at it. In any case, I doubt it will ever be a problem. Because most/all cameras have noise, it effectively dithers the image and you don't really have to worry about insufficient bit depth (except maybe on some of the higher end cameras with lower noise)...

Glenn, I guess to an extent. I mean taken to an extreme, 10-bit color does look better than 8-bit color.

I will do a test. Promise :). Thanks for your help.