[Workflow advice? Matching colors: Sony FX6 & Canon C300 mk2]

I'm sharing an update on our intended workflow...and seeking confirmation I am understanding how CINE EI functions correctly.

Seeing as we will be taking advanatge of CINE EI mode on the Sony FX6, and following all the very helpful advice online from @alisterchapman, we'll be shooting at 400 EI, so to over expose by one stop, by metering to the on-screen s709 MLUT at the recommended values, i.e. middle grey = 45%, skin tones ~50%, white card 77-78%.

My question relates to the C300mk2 settings, which does not have CINE EI mode, yet we want to similarly overexpose by one stop when filming with its Canon Log 2. Cinema Gamut, and so presumably - to emulate the function of CINE EI on that camera - which also has a native ISO of 800, we can simply drop the ISO to 400, and meter for that exposure - which with Clog2, middle grey should have IRE= 39.8, and then once this exposure is reached at ISO 400, we restore the camera to its native ISO of 800, to begin our recording, thus effectively achieving the same as what we achieved using CINE EI on the Sony - over exposing by one stop. 

Is my understanding correct?  Thanks in advance!

[Workflow advice? Matching colors: Sony FX6 & Canon C300 mk2]

Sounds like a solid plan re: SLog3 and Canon Log 2. What lenses will you be using? It could be worth doing a lens test if ya have time to see if any have color shifts that will make it a PITA to match. @LensMeAHand did a lens test with photo lenses that you can see here, and the Canon photo lens has a noticeable blue shift.

Thank you! We will be filming with these lenses:

FX6: Sony SEL FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II 

C300mk2: EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Syncing 2 cameras: Sony FX6 with Canon C300mk2]

I'll try to simplify this as much as possible as there are some different concepts that are often miss-understood.

SYNC: Is when 2 devices are connected such that they run or operate at exactly the same rate, at the same time. On a video camera a reference signal is fed to a cameras Genlock port and then the "genlocked" camera runs at exactly the same frame rate as and locked to the reference signal. But as Doug has already commented, the FX6 cannot be Genlocked, so there is no way to regulate the frame rate to precisely match that of another camera. As a result when you have multiple cameras there is no guarantee that even if both cameras are started at exactly the same moment that over a period of more than a few minutes that both cameras will record exactly the same number of frames.

TIMECODE: Is a unique, sequential, numerical value given to each video frame by a video camera. Each frame in a sequence must have a timecode value that is 1 frame greater than the previous frame. If you record 1000 frames, the time code count must increase by 1000 in the clip.

EXTERNAL TIMECODE: It is not a sync signal. It is the output of the timecode clock of another device (which could be another camera) that is fed to the timecode input of a camera and then the timecode clock in the receiving camera will follow the external time code value. But this external timecode clock may be counting at a very slightly different rate to the number of frames the camera is actually recording. So to ensure every frame always has a unique sequential number what the camera does is the moment you press the record button the camera takes the last TC clock number that was seen on the external input and from that moment on counts the frames actually recorded and adds +1 to each frame, so each frame has a unique number that is 1 more than the frame before, regardless of the external TC number. 

Where you sometimes (often?) get an issue is with long takes. The sync clock in most cameras will drift in frequency very slightly as the temperature of the camera changes or due to other factors. If during the record period the external TC clock counts to 1005, but the camera only records 1000 frames because it is running fractionally slower than the external clock source, there will be a 5 frame difference between the external TC and the TC recorded with the clip. Once you stop recording the cameras TC clock will re-sync with the external TC clock so the error becomes zero again.  So, the first frame of every clip will match the external TC, but later in the clip the external TC value and clip TC value may be very slightly out. Generally this is only rarely an issue with clips under 10 minutes. But when trying to shoot long takes such as performances the drift can become significant.

If the cameras are genlocked, because the frame rates of all cameras will be identical, there will not be any timecode drift. 

So, when shooting with cameras that can't be genlocked, but do accept external timecode it is a good idea to stop recording from time to time to allow the cameras timecode clock to re-sync with the external TC. If using 1 camera with a sound recorder, if you can feed the TC from the camera to the audio recorder because audio recorders don't have frames, they just place the external TC alongside the audio so going from camera to audio recorder there isn't a sync issue.

Thank you everyone for all of this helpful advice!

Reading Doug's advice that we gain little from having timecode sync given the powerful tools now accessible for syncing in post, and also seeing Alister's mention of the potential drift that can occur, especially when we will be recording long clips of 30+ mins, and Genlock bring impossible due to its absence on the FX6, should we forego the BNC cable syncing the 2 cameras timecode all together? Am I right in understanding such drift would cause more harm than good, so we should not risk it? Thank you!

[Syncing 2 cameras: Sony FX6 with Canon C300mk2]

I am filming a multi-day, 2-camera shoot - all in-studio interviews. In the past I have simply operated both cameras independently, and sync’d in post, however I am wanting to sync the cameras properly - so have both cameras share identical timecode, and also – ideally, have the shutters on both cameras opening and closing at precisely the same moment when recording each individual frame, so that each frame from each camera will be a true sync. It would also be helpful if the the B-camera could slave entirely to the A-camera, so pressing the record button on the A-camera triggered both cameras into recording, however this isn’t necessary as their will be a second camera operator. I’m also hoping to achieve the above by connecting the 2 cameras directly vs. using expensive peripherals or “sync” devices, if possible.

I have never properly syn’d cameras  before, so please forgive my ignorance. So far, I think I have gathered that timecode can be easily shared between the 2 cameras using a BNC cable.  As far as having the shutters in sync, I *think* this requires Genlock? I don’t know what this is exactly, so am looking for confirmation as to how I achieve all of the above via Genlock, or through other methods.  Please don’t feel the need to explain every detail to a newbie, simply outlining the basic method and pointing me to some more detailed information on YouTube or elsewhere would be much appreciated.

Any other workflow advice for syncing these two cameras is also appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[Workflow advice? Matching colors: Sony FX6 & Canon C300 mk2]

We are preparing for a 2-camera shoot in a studio, w/ a controlled 3-point lighting set-up (interviews), with 2 cameras on tripods, so no camera motion, or changing light sources.

Of course – we would prefer to use 2 of the same cameras, however we are still in development so cash-strapped and really need to make the most of the cameras we have access to (Sony FX6 & Canon C300mk2) , and so we are seeking workflow advice to optimize our set-up to ensure the images match visually and can be inter-cut.

We will be sure dial in identical settings on both cameras (WB, etc.) and will film a colour chart , prior to rolling each camera, so that the colourist has this reference for matching the 2x cameras in post.

We also intend to film flat/log on both cameras, so on the FX6: Slog3-S-Gamut3.Cine

On C300mkii: Canon Log 2 (which I understand would be the preferable option to Canon Log 3, Canon Log 2 being flatter and more comparable to Slog3?)

I usually film in CineEI, and intend to do the same on this shoot.

We much appreciate any advice relating to our intentions outlined above, and any other workflow advice for our set-up, given our intentions to inter-cut this footage.

Thank you in advance!