Guy in white t-shirt working on black car in full sun

[Deleted User]

[Rich Rosen] “I’m shooting at a racetrack all summer and going nuts trying not to go over 100% IRE, but most times there is a portion (say 20%) of the frame showing stripes. …”

Which camcorder are you using? Some cams have a DCC (dynamic contrast control) feature which can be helpful in reducing overexposure and partially retaining detail in highlight areas. Some cams also have adjustable white clip level settings.

If you cam has neither adjustment then you may need to let the highlights blow out (overexpose).

In post the highlights can be brought down or clipped to broadcast “legal” levels, but usually the detail is lost in those highlights.

All the best,

– Peter

Just a friendly reminder to all: Please consider filling-in your COW user profile information so we have a better idea who you are, where you’re from, and so forth. It’s the friendly thing to do. Thanks!

[Rich Rosen]

Have non of the advanced controls. Using a VX-2000 which can make great pictures for DV if controlled properly. Of course not as good as the big guns.

[John Sharaf]

Rich,

Bottom line is expose to see the necessary shaddow detail, the area above 108 ire will be “clipped” by the camera to prevent further overexposure and no detail will be present there. All cameras, even your consumer model have clip circuits, although they might not be adjustible.

This problem of dynamic range and compressed highligts is only dealt with in the latest high end SD and HD cameras where “cine gamma” curves compress the highlights to mimic the way film looks and as a result hold some detail in the overexposed areas. One can not expect an inexpensive consumer camera to do the same thing. Think “compromise” in prices yields compromised picture quality, it’s a natural law of video photography!!!

JS

[Rich Rosen]

understood. guess I’ve pushed this one to it’e limits.

[Bob Cole]

[Rich Rosen] “What do you do when one guy is in a white t-shirt and the other in black or other darker color in the same shot?”

sounds as if you are at one location a lot, so maybe you could change things. In Hollywood they shoot “wardrobe screen tests.” Maybe you could supply the white/black tee shirt wearers with something more photogenic.

Or, instead of ameliorating the overly-contrasty scene, you can use it. Just as we use depth of focus to isolate the point of interest, you can use correct exposure in an overly-contrasty scene to concentrate the viewer’s attention on a specific place. You see all sorts of wacky exposure shifts and lighting now, and it’s kind of neat.

— BC

[Rich Rosen]

can’t control a thing at a nascar race track. if you think exposure is hard try sound. thanks.