(Page 2 of 6 pages for this article  <  1 2 3 4 >  Last »)

Filed under: Cameras •Production •Tips •Training •

RED Hot Mirror Shoot-Out

THE SETUP

First, here’s the scene we shot for all of our tests:

In the center is a DSC Chroma-Du-Monde chart. On the left side of the frame is a black nylon jacket, which we used as our far red/infrared target. On the right side is a bright red kimono, used to test whether the filters cut to far into the visible spectrum. As you can see from the slate, we’re using a RED ONE with software build 17, and while we technically rated it at EI 320 we really “exposed to the right” until the red channel was clipping in Rec 709 but not clipped when viewed in raw mode. (Raw mode shows what’s really happening, and I’ll frequently open up the F-stop until a color channel clips when viewed in RedSpace or Red 709 and then check that exposure in raw to make sure the channels are, in fact, not clipping.)

We shot this test under tungsten light in order to maintain a consistent look. Although far red/IR effects are most often seen in daylight when using lots of neutral density filtration, tungsten light contains just as much infrared and remains consistent over time.

We used an 85mm Arri/Zeiss UltraPrime, at the stops noted on the slate. It’s important to know that all of the filters we tested use a dichroic coating to reduce far red/IR contamination, and when viewed at an extreme angle they change colors, usually becoming cyan from the camera’s perspective. As an additional test we viewed each filter through a 16mm UltraPrime and looked for color vignetting around the edges. That particular lens comes with its own “darken the corners in telecine” look as you can see here:

When you see that degree of darkness in the flat field filter tests, please understand that this is due to the lens losing brightness around the edges of the frame and not due to the filter. The filters cause any color shifts that you might see around the edges of the frame.  (The flat field was created by covering the matte box with Lee 216 White Diffusion and bouncing a light off a piece of foam core three feet in front of it.)

Let’s proceed to the first round of tests, on the next page…

(Page 2 of 6 pages for this article  <  1 2 3 4 >  Last »)

                   

 

The Best of Stunning Good Looks Art Adams | 08/30 A directory of my best articles, sorted by topic. This entry is a guide to my best articles, sorted by topic. Enjoy!

ASSIMILATE Announces Breakthrough 48 FPS Playback of RAW RED EPIC Stereo Streams PVC News Staff | 02/10 In SCRATCH and SCRATCH Lab ASSIMILATE, Inc today announced that SCRATCH® and SCRATCH Lab® version 6.1 have achieved never-before-seen performance levels in the playback of RED EPIC Stereo content. SCRATCH Lab now provides…

Revisiting the RED workflow, Smoke 2012 style Marc-Andre Ferguson | 02/03 My love affair with RED Digital Cinema began in 2007, when my brief stint as demo artist in the NAB RED booth turned into a regular gig at events and trade shows.…

You must be registered to comment. This is an effort to reduce spam. Please REGISTER HERE.

Another great article, Art!  I always learn new stuff from your tests.  The Tiffen\Genesis explanation was particularly interesting.

Can you comment on how much these different filters cost?

Looking forward to your F35 IR tests.  Thanks!
-Graham

Posted by Graham Futerfas  on  02/10  at  09:30 PM

---

I’m sorry, Graham, I don’t know the pricing. I do know that Tiffen asked me to make it very clear that you don’t need Hot Mirror ND’s for the F35 because they cost a lot more and aren’t necessary on that camera.

I’m quite impressed with what Tiffen has done. I hope to get that article up on Friday. It’s a biggie…

Posted by Art Adams  on  02/10  at  09:54 PM

---

Thanks for the comparison tests.  I was sorry not to see the Rosco TruColor IR filter in the mix since I helped Rosco develop it specifically for the RED One.

Best,

Michael

Posted by Michael Morlan  on  02/16  at  11:50 AM

---

This is a very informative article. I learned a lot from it. Like the right Hot Mirror filter improve your image quality, does the right ND also improve the Red One image? Like there are reflective ND’s and absorbing ND’s, and what are the quality differences between manufactures?

Kind Regards,

Vincent Visser (The Netherlands)

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)  on  08/09  at  11:40 PM

---

Name:

Email:

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?

Submit the word you see below: