Digi Beta setup card

[Michael Shubitz]

Hi

I am working the last five years only with Digital Betacam DVW 709 and the 790.Of course there is a lot of knowledge I gained about the possibilities the setup card gives but all I know is a result of tests and experiments I have done. Is there any literature summing up all the possibilities? Very often I find myself in a situation where light,colors,contrast ect are not satisfying and I need a kind of a book with me that will shortcut the way to the wishful results.

Thanks

Michael Shubitz

[Michael Nash]

When you get right down to it, there are really only three things you can control via the menus in a video camera: contrast, color, and detail. That's pretty much it. I suppose you could consider gain and/or noise as another aspect.

 

You can shape the gamma or contrast curve with the master gamma, black level, black stretch, and knee functions. You control the color with the matrix and other RGB controls. You control the detail with the detail/skintone detail controls.

 

In any case, a book or even pre-programmed cards will not "shortcut" you to a look that you want; it will only shortcut you to a look that somebody else has decided upon. You have to learn how the image control works to be able to dial in your own custom look.

 

I've whittled it down to a few basic "looks" that I can save as scene files, and modify them as need be to the situation. One is a basic, best-of "overall" look that looks fairly "normal" and natural to the eye, and one that is set up for challenging high-contrast situations like day exteriors in bright sunlight. For the latter I basically raise the gamma and black stretch (black gamma) a bit, then close down the iris a little bit. Since adding gain to the mids and black in this way adds noise to the picture, I usually also switch to -3db in this situation.

 

I also like to have one for fluorescent-lit environments that raises the red gamma a bit to restore better color reproduction under that lighting.

 

Otherwise, for specific situautions I'm afraid you just have to spend the time figuring out what aspects of the color and contrast you want to modify, then manipulate the right menu items to get there. Also, don't underestimate the power of filters to aid you in getting a custom look, in conjuntion with the menu controls.