Dynamic Range For 7D & 5D MKll

I found this very interesting about dynamic range and


post processing

Funny, I was just reading this blog on the same subject.

http://prolost.com/blog/2009/8/3/flatten-your-5d.html

Certainly makes sense for high contrast subjects, or mid day shooting outdoors. I was reading http://www.freshdv.com/category/tutorials

taking it into AE and decreasing the contrast to -5 should do about the same thing.

Doing in camera means you have information in the highlights and shadows which you can them color grade and adjust in an NLE, just doing in post wont bring back blown highlights, there is no information to bring back.

I never said to over expose it, Ive always heard its better to underexpose than overexpose.

Assuming you underexpose you can decrease the contrast in AE and it works. Then use the exposure effect in AE to up the exposure if you want. You still have all the data.

Under exposing will only protect your highlights, you will lose your shadow detail. In still photography you get around this by putting your camera on a tripod and taking 3 frames at different exposure, then combine them in photoshop with masks.

This technique that is in the video is doing the same for video. Using a curves adjustment to protect highlights and shadows.

Your suggestion will only be able to protect one not both and it is going to do it in 8 bits not 12 or 16.

I think you are right about that... Like HDRI photography, but with the user definition.

But... the 5ds dynamic range is already very large because of the big ole sensor, so its hard to lose shadow detail, it has to be really dark I guess. Ive never had a problem with it.

So I guess it is best to lower the contrast all the way down on the 5d.

However im thinking the saturation shouldn't be lowered, because thats color data is harder to get back. Its probably best to crank it all the way up and decrease it to whatever in AE.

So many of the examples are not true representation of the scene. In stock photo world over contrast and over saturation sells better than reality in many cases. All I see in his example is like Ironstrike says, control the exposure to begin with. With photo RAW collects the most data so why not use it, after all almost every photo needs additional processing too. In the Vimeo clip indeed the before is very flat but the after is not true to reality in color or saturation. I'm not totally sold on letting the camera do the processing for me.

These clips are filmed "flat" to protect shadow and highlight detail in the same manner as the Red raw file. Then you are expected to grade the footage in the manner best to reflect it's usage. Whatever you do to the footage to color it, you will have good shadow and highlight detail.

The best selling stock photos and footage have no reality in them according to their color, i.e. Yuri Acurs and Spotmatic. That's the whole point of stock vivid colors and even tones.