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I've been waiting on Nikon to stop being the sleeping giant I've believed it to be in the video department since the D750 release, and from the IQ I'm seeing from N-RAW we might just have a contender for best video image out of a mirrorless hybrid body. I hope this isn't hype, so I'm waiting for more videos to surface. Color fidelity is outstanding. Image is detailed (cinema body league rendering) without looking mirrorless "sharp". DR isn't lacking. Highlights look serviceable..

I thought this was interesting: One significant point he makes is that because DR hasn't got any new huge headline features that they'll spend time consolidating what they have, making more incremental improvements, and that it's a sign that the package is maturing. To be clear, for anyone that isn't familiar with Resolve, in the last 5 or so years when they make a huge upgrade it's on a level that is completely beyond what the other NLE's would ever do - one year they added an editor, another year they added Fusion, another year they added Fairlight, etc. Think of Resolve as more like the entire Adobe video suite but just in tabs 🙂 However..... Resolve 18 is not what I was hinting at for this thread. The rumour is that they'll drop a new camera on the first day of the show. Which is still in a few days time.

In Resolve you can start to decode to P3-D60 and Linear in the RAW tab then do a "Color Space Transform" from the effects tab. Transform to your timeline space, like REC709 Gamma 2.4 then check the box "use custom max input" under "Tone Mapping" and set it above your screen brightness like 250, 500, 1000. You should see your highlights snap back and roll off nicely if they were available. I wouldn't underexpose to try and get them if you are at ISO 800 because the shadows can block up. I usually do Noise Reduction in the first node, then CST in the 2nd node, then color and contrast correction in the 3rd with the lift gamma gain tools. I attached two screen shots of the decode and CST.

The average person filming their kid's ball game on their phone probably don't care if the sky is a bit blown out as long as they can see their kid playing clearly. I have never had a conversation with the average person about it, so I genuinely don't know, but do they even know what dynamic range is? Do a majority of people even know what HDR stands for, or what it really means on their TV? I literally never hear anyone outside our bubble talk about it.

I know there are better options out there that would do the same thing that I use it for, but during the pandemic and all the uncertainty it has brought, I really realized that instead of "upgrading" stuff I'd use it until the wheels fall off. I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars over the years that, in hindsight, I didn't NEED to spend. If I hadn't I would've been in a much better position after nearly 2 years of canceled jobs, etc.

I too once used that as well! Was my first ever audio recorder the H1

BM have an entire ecosystem of video hardware that is designed for broadcast. I suspect you could probably run a small TV station almost completely on equipment they make. A setup consisting of a camera and a PC for editing and colour grading is a very small part of such an enterprise - we just don't talk about the hardware side of the industry that much on here. Saying a hardware device that plays/records media should also be a software controller because it has a knob and some buttons is like saying that a cinema camera should also be a dash camera because they both have sensors and write to a media card 🙂

The examples you use are the exception, not the rule. People focus on the story first, not whether they can see what's on the outside of a window for a couple of seconds during a shot. I don't mean to be condescending, but when I first started working in video in 1997 the cameras we had couldn't touch even the lowest end cameras released in the last 10 years in terms of dynamic range. We still filmed commercials, television, and (others, not me personally) low budget films with them though. People didn't poo poo that content because the cameras lacked the dynamic range of an Arri or RED, and most wouldn't now. Indeed, there are still commercials, television, and films that are filmed today on lower end cameras with so-so dynamic range, that are aired on television and streaming services without most noticing or caring that they don't have amazing DR. Do I notice it? Yeah, but most people aren't you and me. If you have a camera that has great dynamic range, that's awesome! It's a very good thing that we have access to cameras that are capable of so much more than what we had to work with when I was young and just starting on my video journey, but the lack of DR never stopped us then, and it shouldn't stop anyone now. Story will always be most important, and if you have a compelling story that's far more important. Stop worrying about a couple stops of dynamic range and just create something, especially when most of the people viewing it won't think "gee, that was pretty good but I wish it had more dynamic range!"

I think he is talking about the end user. I can't remember any TV show that I said to myself they need to fire the DP or the Director. And I am sure not all of them had 15 stops of DR even to start with. So, I bet the average person doesn't have a clue if it is lit right, aimed at a window or what. It is all about the story anyway. If it isn't something you like, you turn the channel, simple as that.

Dynamic range is great, but it's one of those things that only people like us notice. As long as it's not absolutely horrible, the average viewer isn't going to notice. In all the stuff I've delivered from my GH3, GH5, G85, and GX85 over the last 10 years, not one person has ever complained about "dynamic range" even if *I* personally had quite a few instances where I wish I'd had more. If anything, having cameras with limited dynamic range has helped me grow and learn; I learned to expose for windows and then add lights to subjects during interviews to make up for using cameras that didn't have great dynamic range. Did it take a little extra work and equipment? Yeah. But I don't know, it never felt like that big of a deal to me.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve/whatsnew I'm looking forward to many of the new AI masking features in Resolve 18. I imagine Resolve 18 will be at a level where many people who are on the fence about switching will not be able to resist the power of 18!

The MK1 human eyeball is reckoned to be able to ‘see’ up to 30 stops, but only around 10 or so at any given time. Mine these days feel more like 3 at all times… How much is laser surgery?

Look at Casey Neistat one of the most successful people ever on YouTube, he could afford any camera there was and he used a Canon 80D most all the time. He had talent, came up with crazy great ideas on shots. The footage looked great. He didn't need a Red or an Arri. He was good and knew how to use what he had. The latest camera is not going to make any one of us really better, skill, talent, understanding every ounce your camera has, desire do that.

You seek collaboration but some may hesitate in case they also become thought of as "fucking unbearable". It's apparent that you are not fond of criticism, but in the sense of true collaboration (especially within the arts) you will need to become accustomed to it or your project is doomed from the outset.

Personally I think it would be best to take a step back, and just organizize the whole thing. If you haven't shot a movie, why do it yourself if there are plenty of people better at it who will do it for you? Same thing goes for writing, cinematography, directing,editing, promotion,etc... It's much more fun to get people who know the thing together than drowning in a ego trip. You just show up with the gfx 100,the speedbooster and the old hasselblad lineup.

Actually you can choose the distribution of the split between highlights and shadows on your own with the Sigma fp. How much is above or below middle grey is a matter of the selected ISO value. Chart attached. But there is also a pdf floating in the internet which is called Sigma fp Dual Base ISO Technology. Which explains the behaviour better. Basically the answer is, if you need as much shadow details as possible select ISO 100, if you need maximum of highlight details go for ISO 800. Keep in mind the camera is recording ISO 100 even if you select ISO 800. So make sure you are exposing for ISO 100 if you do not want to sacrifice the quality by underexposing. And you have to dial back exposure in the editing software.