Zebra pattern
varius
28 Jun 2008 12:03
Well, if you set your zebras to 100% and see all your display full of zebras... Then you're most likely overexposing badly. ;-)
skylightpictures
28 Jun 2008 15:44
Hey dapoota,
Invest a bit of time to learn the tools. You'll be much happier with your results.
Very simply...the video exposure signal is measured in percentage units.
100% - full white
7% - full black
Above and below these percentages the signal will not exhibit color or contrast information. The zebra lines simply tell you which part of the image is being exposed at that level. So if you have them set at 100%, it is
very easy to use your aperture together with the ND filter to set the zebra lines to only display at the brightest part of the image and therefore achieve a good exposure.
Otherwise "shoot in the dark" so to speak by using the auto function and accept what the machine "thinks" is right. But if it's an out of the ordinary circumstance be ready to be disappointed.
Using the LCD screen to gauge exposure is a rough guess at best, due to it's inexact nature and highly variable viewing conditions.
In any case, have fun!
Will
Invest a bit of time to learn the tools. You'll be much happier with your results.
Very simply...the video exposure signal is measured in percentage units.
100% - full white
7% - full black
Above and below these percentages the signal will not exhibit color or contrast information. The zebra lines simply tell you which part of the image is being exposed at that level. So if you have them set at 100%, it is
very easy to use your aperture together with the ND filter to set the zebra lines to only display at the brightest part of the image and therefore achieve a good exposure.
Otherwise "shoot in the dark" so to speak by using the auto function and accept what the machine "thinks" is right. But if it's an out of the ordinary circumstance be ready to be disappointed.
Using the LCD screen to gauge exposure is a rough guess at best, due to it's inexact nature and highly variable viewing conditions.
In any case, have fun!
Will
dapoopta
28 Jun 2008 16:58
And fun is what I have :-). Alright... I will learn the zebra control. It does seem to be a very powerful tool. I normally do set the auto expose, lock it in, then peek throught the viewfinder if it is very bright to gauge where I am at. Then adjust from there. So far I have decent results. I wish adjusting levels was a little more forgiving in premiere than it is in photoshop.
vadervideo
28 Jun 2008 17:05
There is one more important thing to remember when using zebra - what is the lowest LUX level of the cam or its lowest LUX capability. For example on my TRV-950 it goes as low as 3 LUX, the HVR-A1U (HD) only goes down to 7 LUX - this makes quite a difference on how sensitive the sensor acts and portrays the zebras. One of the simplest things to do is expiriment at dusk and/or dawn and manually set the exposure/aperture in steps to get a feel for your cam. It is different for each cam. Now here is the worst part of it all - you need to read the user's manual. Bummer. :)