F900R and film print

Colm Whelan · January 23, 2009

I am about to shoot a feature with the f900R. I am comfortable with this camera and its menus but the transfer to a film print is a new departure for me and I'm trying to avoid the pitfalls. I am reading on here that there are various settings that I would normally play with that will adversely affect any transfer (like the black levels). So I have a few questions.

Can anyone tell me what I should not change if I want the optimum result for a film print. I wanna create a particular look as the movie is set in spain and has a western feel to it so I'd like to go some way down the road of the look in 3.10 to Yuma. But I know I can get what I want in camera grading (obviously not as good as the movie but in the right direction) but I dont wanna do it if the film transfer is then going to suffer

also I normally operate in 25fps. (pal) Is it a major advantage to shoot 24p when transferring to film or should I stick with 25 and alter it in post. should I shoot 24 and let the post house sort it out?

also I am using a set of zeiss digiprimes. I've heard people on here talking about dof adaptors. can anyone explain? is this just a system for using 35mm lenses?

thanks

Stuart Brereton · January 23, 2009

Jack,

I shot a semi-western in Nevada in '07 on the 900R. We didn't go to film out (at least not yet), but I was very happy with 'film look' setting from a BBC resource HERE.

If you're shooting for film, I would set the camera to 23.98fps, which is easily converted to both 24fps for film, and PAL/NTSC tv standards

DoF adapters let you use PL mount lenses, and give you 35mm DoF. Frankly, if your production can afford Digiprimes, then stick with them and shoot a couple of stops wider than you would usually. DoF adapters are a pain the ass

Stephen Williams · January 23, 2009

DoF adapters are a pain the ass

Hi Stuart,

I couldn't agree more.

Stephen

Colm Whelan · January 24, 2009

Jack,

I shot a semi-western in Nevada in '07 on the 900R. We didn't go to film out (at least not yet), but I was very happy with 'film look' setting from a BBC resource HERE.

If you're shooting for film, I would set the camera to 23.98fps, which is easily converted to both 24fps for film, and PAL/NTSC tv standards

DoF adapters let you use PL mount lenses, and give you 35mm DoF. Frankly, if your production can afford Digiprimes, then stick with them and shoot a couple of stops wider than you would usually. DoF adapters are a pain the ass

Thanks Stuart. yeah I have the link for the bbc settings but appreciate it again. I was just kind of wondering if people had run into issues with other settings. I tend to go a bit heavy on things so it looks good while I'm shooting it but I have not gone to print with anything to date. Its been tv docudrama. I have a feeling I need to pull stuff back cos a print will bring up issues. but I dont know for sure. just picking up bits here. the production cant really afford digiprimes and I'm looking for alternatives so hence the enquiry about dof adaptors and how they work

Stuart Brereton · January 26, 2009

A DoF adaptor like the Pro35 will cost you about somewhere between 2 and 3 stops of light. That is significant if you have any night scenes. It could also have an impact on day interiors, unless your lighting package is fairly substantial. In my experience, if you close the iris (on the taking lens) more than about t2.8, you can start to see the ground glass in the adaptor. This means you're committing to 35mm DoF at a wide stop. This puts extra pressure on your focus puller, who may or may not be used to 35mm DoF. The adaptors can be heavy, and if used with a zoom, will alter the balance of the camera to a degree that handheld work becomes very difficult. They also soften the image slightly, which is not necessarily desirable if you plan on a filmout. They are also prone to back-focus problems. Lastly, they are not cheap to rent. I would have thought that there wouldn't be too much of a difference in cost between a Pro35 with a set of superspeeds, and a decent set of B4 mount primes.

As I said before, you'll find it much easier to shoot B4 mount lenses at a wide stop. If you can't afford Digiprimes, then try the Canon HD-EC range.

Colm Whelan · January 26, 2009

thanks for that Stuart. great info

Jaron Berman · January 27, 2009

I would also recommend looking at the Fujinon HD Primes. There are to my knowledge on 2 series of them, and they vary only mechanically. About 2 weeks ago I had the opportunity to see them on a lens projector next to the "king" of HD-Primes, the zeiss digis...and go figure - the Fujinon primes resolved more detail across the entire frame, did not color fringe at the edges as the zeiss did (we're talking miniscule here, but still), and held geometry to the edge better. All-in-all my jaw was on the floor after seeing just how good the Fujinons were in a test scenario. The good news is that they're more readily available, cheaper and lighter than the zeiss. They are T/1.5 wide open as opposed to the digiprime T/1.6...not a huge deal.

Anyways, I haven't see the Canon's but I can heartily recommend the fujinons!

Brian Drysdale · January 28, 2009

Thanks Stuart. yeah I have the link for the bbc settings but appreciate it again. I was just kind of wondering if people had run into issues with other settings.

I'd also check with whoever is doing your transfer to film about settings and if possible run a test.

Colm Whelan · January 29, 2009

I've been offered a set of canon primes at a great price (B4 mount). anyone used these before. would appreciate any feedback as I cant test them til they are in and thats a couple of days before my shoot