HDcam and Black and White

[Guest Stephen Murphy]

Im testing on a Sony 750P at the moment and im interested in creating a black an white look in camera for some flashbacks. Has anyone successfully shot B&W in camera in HD? I know i could pull the colour out in post with more precision but im reluctant to let that happen for various political reasons; besides wheres the fun in that? Ive been playing around with the cameras matrix but im not getting anything near what im after. Isnt there a master saturation menu that i could play with that would get me started - or is that missing from the 750? - or maybe im thinking of photoshop:)

[David Mullen ASC]

The F900/3 has a Saturation function but I don't know if the 750 does. You're probably better off recording in color though because you'll have more control manipulating contrast in the final color-correction -- for example, you can make a blue sky darker (as if you had shot with a red filter on b&w film) if you had recorded in color, and then change the image to b&w after you changed the brightness of the blue area in the frame.

[Brian Drysdale]

You can get B & W in the F900 using a vectorscope and adjusting the multi matrix settings. You basically bring the HUE and SAT into a little bundle in the centre of the vectorscope by doing lots of small adjustments. I suspect you could do the same in the HDW 750.

[Brian Drysdale]

I was going to add that using this method you need a test chart eg a DSC CamAlign.

 

Might be easier to do in post if you don't have the kit.

[Guest Stephen Murphy]

thanks guys - ive been through the menus again and there isnt a saturation menu in the 750, and its not do-able with the matrix alone so i guess i will have to do it in post - ah well:(

 

S