DigCamera profiling
DigCamera profiling
- Subject: DigCamera profiling
- From: Jack Bingham <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2001 08:13:35 -0500
- Organization: Jack Bingham Studio
David Huang wrote:
I shoot primarily low light environments photojournalistic stuff in
clubs
and bars and such and shooting an IT8 target at each event is incredibly
difficult that I don't bother. Problems include getting a good exposure
on
the target and reflections off the gloss RC of the target from the
lighting
environment. Venues with multiple spotlights with different colored
gels
aiming at different parts of the stage doesn't help.
In a controlled studio environment I think custom profiles for the
camera
are fine but out in the field, especially for what you describe, I think
one
is better off using the stock profiles in the camera's acquire software
when
doing press work.
I have done extensive testing with Phaseone cameras in industrial
settings under all sorts of nasty lighting and come to a conclusion I
did not expect. What is most important under any lighting condition is a
good gray balance, What you want to shoot in these clubs is just a gray
card. After the files are properly gray balanced then you can apply a
camera profile. Every time I shot a calibration target under funny
lighting the results were disappointing. Also the only way to make a
good profile is to have a perfectly lit target. Meaning even lighting
and consistent color balance. That is almost impossible in any place
other than a darkened studio. Finally I have come to think of the camera
profile as a map of the camera's color range in general, not as a map of
it's response under specific lighting. By gray balancing the camera
under the various light sources you linearize the camera and then the
profile will work correctly. As far as manufacturer provided profiles
go, I remain unimpressed. Custom profiles built with care will always be
better.