Hey! I'm Sidney! I teach people about photography & cinematography! I like to make travel videos, give people business tips, and give away lots of free tips and resources for photographers and cinematographers!
Hey Sidney, great stuff as always, specific question for you. I can’t seem to set up the banks separately for video and photo, specifically the shooting mode (P,A,S,M). If I have bank A set up for Aperture priority for photo, when I switch to video, bank A is in aperture priority for video. If I switch back to M, then both photo and video for bank a goes to M. Can I completely separate these banks for photo and video?
Just a small note, that you or others might find interesting: the Nikkor Z85/1.2 is THE heaviest of all lenses regardless of brand, then again it does NOT weigh 1.730g (your video @ 3'09s) but 1.160grams. ;-)
Hey, interesting video. I would say that the common approach when shooting log is to expose to the right. I know that because of photography some people have the tendency to expose to the left (even if even there some people debate) but if you look at the nlog curve specifications and how it saves data exposing towards the right makes sense. Without burning the highlights of course
The depth, perspective and relevance of this explanation for a z9 shooter was incredibly helpful. Have come to a few similar conclusions, but was helped by the clear, concise reinforcement and new information. You hit a home run IMO.
Hello Sidney, what is your preferred audio setup for doing documentary style of shoots? And speaking of audio, what is the easiest way to record environmental audio when you're shooting at 120fps in case you want to add it to your clip over say music? Thanks, amazing content!
I have one question. If i shoot 12 bit raw in sdr and switch it to rec 2020 - nikon log in the raw panel of resolve And If i shoot 12 bit nraw, n log in camera and use it as n log in resolve What is the difference between the two two methods? Are the colours exactly the same or are they different?
@@sidneybakergreen if i leave the colour management to default in the project settings and from the raw panel set the colour management to clip then resolve allows changing of gamma and colour
Beautiful video one thing I would just buy a monitor that can use EL zone instead of false colors! Once you learn EL zone and what that is for cinematography, there is no going back. It’s just so much more accurate than false colors.
I dont like how the nlog view assist shows nraw/nlog…for the cleanest results i need to ettr hard, but then the view assisted image looks absolutely ridiculously overexposed…but in post it comes out perfect (eg seemingly „white blown out skintones“ turn to perfect smooth hl-rolloff)…would love to see custom luts…
If you are in a high contrast scenario that is pushing your z8 past its limits, would you typically choose to protect the highlights at all cost, or lose some info in exchange for cleaner shadows? I run into this occasionally, and typically I protect and then clean up, but curious your thoughts
@@joshkiddfilms1295 I always protect the highlights when ETTR. I just let them get as hot as possible without clipping knowing theyll come back in post
Very helpful video, Sidney. I am glad to see that Nikon included waveforms (apparently they added them to the Z6 III as well), but continue to be baffled by NOT using IRE values for the zebras. Also, just for a slightly different take regarding expousre... my understanding is that N-RAW / N-LOG clean up very well when using noise reduction in Resolve, so if the highlights / brights ARE important, it might be worthwhile to exposre more "normally" and later on just "fix it in post." Another suggestion is that possibly on the Z8 / Z9 / Z6 III, it might not be best to use JUST the base ISOs of 800 and 4000. I know on Panasonic full frame cameras, which have similar base ISOs of 800 and 4000 for V-LOG profiles, the noise is lower and dynamic range is better at up to about ISO 1600 than it is at ISO 4000. So ISO is only better at ISO 4000 than ISO 2000, 2500, and ISO 3200. I confirmed this with Sean Robinson of Lumix marketing and he said (paraphrasing here) that the main reason for having a seond native ISO is so that HIGHER ISOs than 4000 are not so far away from a native ISO that they become riddled with noise. So I would suggest everyone test their cameras to see if it makes sense to jump from ISO 800 to ISO 4000 instead of using ISOs values between, say, ISO 800 and ISO 2000. Slightly off topic: One Sony feature that I am envious of is the Cine EI exposure tools. My understanding is that if you overexpose S-LOG3 (as cinematographers often do in order to lower noise levels), the EI will allow you to PREVIEW what the footage will look like once you bring the levels down in post. Also, I believe it writes metadata in the footage that tells (certain) editing programs what the "proper" exposure is supposed to be. (That might only work with something like Sony catalyst though... not sure if Resolve reads the EI metadata or not). Anyway, it would be a good feature for all cameras to have.
I am asking because some of the things that you're saying seem like things you've heard or read, while what I am saying comes from over 2.5 years with the cameras and my experience as a cinematographer and a colorist, especially when it comes to exposure. When the noise reduction gets so intense that it bogs down a 5950X + RTX 3080 system, I know the noise signature is super strong. Temporal and spatial noise reduction (NR) were applied to the clips that were anamorphic, even the ones outside, that's how strong the noise signature is DX. Plus, the noise was still there, you just can't see it on RU-vid because of the compression. Further exposing to the right (ETTR) will also require you to fix it in post. When we expose to the right, we aren't just blowing the highlights to smithereens. As long as you don't clip them, the information can be brought back in post. The goal is to not clip either the highlights or the shadows. But if you do expose normally, and your scene is darker, you'll have fun fighting that noise in post, especially in DX. If I risk noise, and have to fix it in post, not only am I fixing it in post, but I am also using a tool that slows down the performance overall. NR always has and always will slow down performance. The statements regarding ISO are based on my use of the camera and come from learning lessons the hard way. With respect to Cine EI, I don't get too caught up in tools from other manufactures. I look at each camera by each manufacturer as a tool that could fit the needs of a project.
Great! Thanks for this very helpful information. Can you please also share your best NLOG grading method in Davinci? Do you use Color Space Transform? Cheers!
Sydney has done a couple of videos on how to edit NLOG in Resolve. One of the methods he mentioned actually ended up in the Z6 IIi's NLOG Technical Guide. Check out his earlier videos.
I am more modern glass person. I have a question for you record video internally or externally? Also do you consider the internal recording limit an issue?
@@sidneybakergreen yes it looks to be 125 minute continuous record limit. I’ve seen people complain about that but I don’t understand why anyone would want to record for 125 minutes unless you’re streaming.
@@marqman05 Well, if you are recording a lecture / seminar or doing a documentary interview. Now, it is unlikely there won't be a break in there somewhere that someone can stop the recording and start it again, but if you have a multi cam setup, it becomes a hassle. Imagine that you are shooting a seminar and you have three cameras set up across the room, with one near to the stage / presentation area, and you only have 15 seconds or so to run to each camera, stop the recording and then restart it. So while it wouldn't be a COMMON situation for most, it can be a hassle for certain situations.
@@marqman05125 minutes is about how long a battery lasts anyway. Unless you plug in external power. And even a 512Gb card will fill up after 2 hours of 4K 24p 10 bit SDR. Sooner in Log or RAW.
I have been using the irix cini line for about a year and love it. It comes out clean and I can add post processing after to get a dirty look out of them.
New to making videos. I shoot with an fx30 iPhone 15 and DJI mini 3 I’d like to shoot raw/log and want it to be easy as possible. Would I use cinematch to match the 3 different cameras and then could I use premiere’s Ai/auto color grade feature on top of cinematch? Or is this redundant/not necessary?
@@christianperezcap you can try it. I generally use the tools and Cine match that let me match certain colors. There's some source/target tools that work nice. You'd just have to figure out which camera is your lead camera for color. Then go from there?
Nice tutorial. Im curious, why key when there are other non destructive ways to adjust skin ? Seems like it could cause a problem down the line working like thus if you have more than one clip. Loved the information about the subtle hues in log wheels. ,🤘
Sometimes, I miss the nostalgia of editing in Premiere Pro. When I first got into video editing in 2012, I was all about the Adobe Suite. However, when I started really focusing on Color, I realized just how much I was losing out when it comes to color management and the color tools. CineMatch doesn't solve every issue that I have in Premiere Pro, but it solves a lot of them. It's a great tool to use in combination with whatever you're using in your workflow in Premier Pro.
Remember to not shoot in Nikon NRAW at 4.1k 24p as there is still something wrong with it. 4.1k 50/60 and 4.1k 120 work great. 4.1k 24 has something going on that still hasnt been fixed for almost 1 and a half years so it' sbest to say it may never be fixed so avoid it. I use 8k RAW and downscale it to 4k but I have 10 x 4tb CF Express cards so space is no issue but I also use PRORESS 422 HQ often and it's fantastic (I avoid proress raw) I use my z9 along with my RED V Raptor and the 8k matches incredible well with it with little hassle in post and the 4k oversampled proress hq 60fps is absolutely incredible. I film some pretty big stuff for the UFC and big wave surfers and everything I have delivered using the RED and Nikon combo only gets compliments. Now if I could have 16 stops of usable DR in a body the size of a z6iii I will be a happy man becasue filming with the V Raptor XL and z9 in water housing is a right pain!
So, it would be good to show how to expose n log correctly in camera for people who dont use a monitor or are run and gunning at say a wedding or events.
I am going to be honest with you. I think it’s irresponsible to be shooting log and not using a monitor. There are so many options that are not that big. This is coming from somebody who is also a wedding photographer. I get it, I get the gear load. But even in documentary film, making situations most cinematographers have a good means of seeing their footage. Generally, it’s an electronic viewfinder on cinema cameras. These are Mirrorless cameras. Invest in the monitor. At the end of the day it’s not about your comfort it’s about your client.
@sidneybakergreen there are so many situations where having a monitor mounted or rigged up shooting weddings and events is impossible. Im also going to be honest, I think if you are a Nikon ambassador you should not be pushing using a external monitor for every situations and shooting and showing results with the built in viewfinder and rear screen. But aside from us having different opinions, we'll made and we'll explained video. I wish there was more people shooting nikon video too.
@@jamesmcpherson297 I am not an ambassador. I'm not part of the program. I'm a cinematographer. I'm also a wedding photographer and I've shot weddings as filmmaker as well. My thoughts are my own and will remain that way.
@sidneybakergreen apologies, I thought you were a Nikon Ambassador. Still, I think.you have made a good video and maybe you should be a Ambassador 😁. It's better than Nikon's production or information!
@@jamesmcpherson297 I appricate that, and I will be screenshotting this. And just so you know, I have voiced my opinion on having better assist tools in camera. I do have a point of contact. I would personally like to see a better rec 709 conversion lut in camera becuase I feel that proper exposure tends to be over exposed in camera.
Thanks Sidney . I complain about the blue issue since day one of N-RAW. Contacted even Tico Raw, but no one wants to listen. It's all exactly as you describe. It's such a shame, because N-Raw is otherwise so amazing.
I don't think that it's the fact that no one wants to listen. I know that they are aware of it, and have been. I think this is a color matrix issue in Resolve period and everyone else's hands are tied. The same way we still don't have any good options for color management for CDNG in resolve as well. But that's a different story lol
Thanks for making videos on NRAW, your videos are very educative and they help people like me a lot who dont have any prior experience in handing raw video, colour spaces and gamma.
