Need help setting Zebra ranges

[Steve Sweitzer]

My JVC gives me the option to set two Zebra ranges with upper and lower limits for each. I'm used to having to choose between 70% or 100%. I can see the benefit of having two different visual references with 70% for the top of one and 100% for the top of the other, but I'm confused about what to use for the bottom limits.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[Shootblue]

70 is the average caucasian skin tone brightness, so 70 is a good reference to have. You will find a variety of normal things average around 70, such as concrete sidewalks, etc and you can use that outside if need be. Honestly, learning your viewfinder's correlation to what it actually records becomes so second nature after awhile that you find you don't need zebras as often as you used to in the BW viewfinder days. It's usually only the really tough situations that you need them or just as a reference/confidence on occasion.

 

[Steve Sweitzer]

Thanks. I know what you mean and I usually expose with my eye. I started shooting video long before there were any zebra bars. I just like to think I'm using my camera to its fullest capabilities.

 

[Run&Gun]

70%-75% for "caucasian skin tones" is kind of an old wives tale. One of the stories I've heard about how they arrived at that number goes back to the B&W days and involved an attractive female subject on camera. "Yeah, that looks good".

When I'm doing sit-downs, I usually have skin tones in the 50's-60's. I MIGHT have a tick of zebras(70%) just barely on the brightest part of the subjects face. MAYBE… And I usually don't expose by zebras. My monitors have been calibrated at Abel so I know what 'm really looking at in critical/important situations and I'll punch up the waveform to really know where I am, IRE wise. Or false color sometimes. I look at Zebras now as more of an exposure warning than an exposure guide.

SB is right about your cams VF, learn it so you can trust it to judge exposure by it. Take your cam and hook it up to a real monitor and look at what the image really looks like and dial your VF in so that you know what the VF image correlates to with the real image.

 

[Douglas]

Setting exposure by judging the perceived brightness of someone's skin color is just flat out wrong. Anyone who says that's how they set exposure is just guessing, whether they care to admit it or not. And exposing by how things look in the viewfinder comes in a close second for poor practices. There are just too many instances where your eyes can be fooled, such as when coming indoors from being outside in bright daylight. Or simply shooting outdoors on sunny day. You can't trust the image in the viewfinder for exposure or white balance. This is why we have powerful tools like zebras (when used properly), light meters, and waveform monitors, so guessing is not necessary and our exposures have consistency and accuracy.

 

[cameragod]

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Oh well, I like to shoot without zebras but I do like to flick them on and off now and then to check. In fact I constantly check everything, I know that sounds a bit CDO... (like OCD but with the letters in the correct alphabetical order!!!)

 

[The Thing on The Sticks]

Im in the histogram camp but I will caveat that with the warning that there are many situations where you don't want to fly exclusively by controls so to speak. Actually for what its worth I tend to leave my zebras turned on but after all these years I tend to ignore them unless I specifically want the information they are giving me.

 

[Steve Sweitzer]

Sorry this has turned into a "use zebra" vs "don't use zebra" discussion. I'm with cameragod, "I like to shoot without zebras but I do like to flick them on and off now and then to check." I'm also OCD (or CDO) and like to be able to use all the features on my camera. I know the difference between 70% and 100%. What I'm trying to get my head around is the concept of using a range. I guess I'll try 65%-70% for the left slanting bars and 95%-100% for the right slants.

This has turned into the joke about "How many photographers does it take to screw in a light bulb?" ANSWER: "100. One to screw in the bulb and 99 to tell them how they could do it better."

Thanks for all the feedback!

 

[cameragod]

I though it was "How many photographers does it take to screw in a light bulb?" ANSWER: "100. One to screw in the bulb and 99 to argue over what colour temp it is."

 

[Necktie Boy]

It depends

I know plenty of veteran shooters that don't use zebras. I have my VF setup to know what I am getting exposure wise. I do use zebras, too. It depends what I am doing. As for color, just remember to white balance. Or if you are lucky, check the LCD on the camera, but make sure the colors are true.

In a control shooting situation, a calibrated monitor is the best tool for lighting, exposure, and overall framing, but out in the field, you usually have a tiny VF. So many learned to use it.

I found out that most Sony cameras shoot 2 shots hot when using auto iris. Shot down. Panny are closer to the correct exposure. Maybe a stop or so. I haven't used a newer JVC camera, so I can comment on those.

As long as you come back with good, usable video, you must be doing it right.

 

[Teddy]

I thought the joke was, "How many photographers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two, the hard part is getting them in there."

 

[Paul Anderegg]

Those damn double zebras just confuse me..........like rings of zebra stripes. Didn't say which JVC you use? I set mine to 100IRE upper 95IRE lower. Basically, this shows me broadcast clipping and superwhites as zebra. My HM790 will still show detail up to around 105IRE, a bit into zebra, but i do a ot of live shots in SD so it is nice to know that zebra = no detail live, or need to broadcast safe filter in post.

Paul

 

[Robin]

I thought the joke was, "How many photographers does it take to screw in a light bulb? Two, the hard part is getting them in there."

isn't it.. 100.. 1 to change the bulb and 99 to say they were the first to ever actually do that ..