Using the light meter in video

David Edward Keen · July 25, 2016

I was told that the exposure latitude for my Rebel T3i is "about 5 stops under middle grey and 4 stops above"

To check my understanding, this means that highlights and shadow areas beyond this range will include loss of detail?

I want to learn how best to use the light meter

Also I am unsure which setting on the "Quality" menu to choose. The photo won't upload which sucks as there are icons....so the menu is:

[pie-wedge shape] L

[stepped version of the pie wedge] L

[pie-wedge icon] M

[stepped version of the pie wedge] M

[pie-wedge shape] S1

[stepped version of the pie wedge] S1

S2

S3

RAW+[pie-wedge shape] L

RAW

Is this the same RAW people are always talking about, like with professional cinema cams and BMCC?

Is the L LOG?

I THINK the camera records in H.264 and is converted in FCPX to ProRes for smoother editing and playback...then converted back to H.264 as that is preferred for a deliverable

Thanks, it's important for me to get the terms and concepts straight. Please lemee know if there is a mention of this in another place here on cinematography.com. i didnt see it

I want to get the most out of my little camera.

Edited July 25, 2016 by David Edward Keen

Nathan Walters · July 25, 2016

I started on a T3i but haven't used it in quite a bit. I may be COMPLETELY wrong, but I think those settings are in reference to taking photographs and not video. Video, you pretty much have 720p or 1080p. All of it is recorded to H264 which unfortunately, doesn't leave you much to work with in color grading, though you can still do a good bit in practice. The t3i cannot record Raw. Although I think if you install Magic Lantern, you can record raw as well as have numerous more frame rate options. Plus more option in audio. But installing Magic Lantern voids any warranties you may have.

The biggest thing I can recommend is to install a flat picture profile. I always used Technicolor's Cinestyle, though there are a few others out there. It records a much flatter image and increases the dynamic range significantly. It definitely saved me in being able to get enough detail in situations that would have been unacceptably dark otherwise.

David Mullen ASC · July 25, 2016

The specs for the Canon T3i Rebel are here:

https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/slrs/canon_eos600d/specifications

In still mode, many digital cameras record in JPEG's in different dimensions and with a choice of compression -- the spec sheet above says that the JPEG compression choices are "Fine" and "Normal". So I'm guess the L, M, S choices you mention are Large, Medium, and Small frame dimensions, not compression amounts. Anyway, that's all for doing still photos.

The choices for video seem to be:

HD 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps)

HD 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps)

SD 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps)

In either MPEG-4 or H.264

There is no raw recording option for video, nor a log gamma option, so your best bet is to create a flatter picture profile (when I shoot in JPEG on my still cameras, I often modify the Portrait picture profile, which is a bit softer and flatter than Normal or Standard, and I lower the contrast even more.)

This article explains the L, M, S1, and S2 choices:

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/choosing-resolution-size-on-a-canon-eos-rebel-t3-s.html