Hi everyone, I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask about this, but having trouble finding a good youtube video with suggestions for color and contrast settings for the I2 w/ Zenmuse x5s.  I am shooting h264 and doing some testing myself, but wondering if anyone here has suggestions or can refer to a link with suggestions about recording .mov vs .mp4, d-log vs d-cine, altering contrast and saturation, etc.  If anyone has a suggestion for a set of LUTs that would also be amazing!

.Mov seems to be the preferred and sensible file format, there are lots of sites on the internet which explain the difference between the two.

Hi,

MOV and MP4 are just a data container. There are not any difference in terms of quality of the content. If you work with Mac, prefer MOV, if you work with Windows, prefer MP4.

Avoid automatic white balance, prefer a fixed (with preset or manually) white balance and correct in post production.

D-Log should be the flattest profile and the better if you manage well your post-production ;-)

Im sure we could write volumes on best settings.  However I suppose that's not what you are after.

Since you are using H264, you are recording to the SD card.

D-cine is great as is dlog.  You will have more post work in dlog.  Normal is not bad either, although it appears over-saturated at times.

To add to what has already been stated, I suggest you set the sharpness to +1or even +2 unless you want to sharpen in post.  Adding sharpening in the camera reduces the muddiness of the video due to DJI automatic noise rejection that comes into play at 0 or -1.

I would not add saturation or contrast in the camera.

It's easy to learn to color correct in post, yet if you are looking for the least color correction work in post, get the best exposure possible (it's worth using the histogram).

Dlog takes extra work, and certainly expands the latitude (range from darkest to lightest).  The exposure is more critical,  Depending on how close you are looking and what you expect, it may be worth the extra post work.  There are numerous LUTS available - mostly for log.  I have several collections, but highly recommend Falcon LUTS as a starter,  I have no relationship to the company.

Frankly, methodical testing has taught me a great deal about the X5S, both for H264 and CineSSD using Prores.

If you wish to experiment, consider starting by establishing a testing routine each day for 3-4 days.  Day 1 - vary the sharpness setting.  Choose the best and proceed to day 2.  On day 2 - vary the histogram.  Choose the best and proceed to day 3.  On day 3 - shoot dlog, dcine, and normal.  Label your files and play with them in post.

There's a lot to learn.  The fun is in the journey.  hope this helps.

Barry

A search of the character of log encoded footage will reveal  pretty common fact about log gamma. It's not recommended for use with 8-bit encoded formats. All h.264 recorded on the SD is 8-bit format. The reason for this recommendation lies in the fact that log gammas push the number of recorded bits of data towards the hilites, at the expense of shadow data bits. The "resolution" of these data bits rely on 10-bit data values to be able to numerically describe the variations. trying to decode log data when encoded with 8-bit data depths is impossible because the data depth isn't significant to the variations you're trying to record.

Seachronicity Posted at 2017-5-16 04:45
Im sure we could write volumes on best settings.  However I suppose that's not what you are after.

Since you are using H264, you are recording to the SD card.

This for the advice.  Any recommendation in terms of LUTs?  When I had the Inspire 1 I used the Neumann films LUTs. I have been trying the Neumann films LUTs for X5 but they are looking a bit strange and I am wondering how much of a difference there is between X5 and X5S