High dynamic range cameras are all the rage among filmmakers right now, and for good reason. After all, greater dynamic range often helps emulate the cinematic look many of us strive for… but the reality is that dynamic range only gets you part of the way there. To truly achieve film-like image quality, you need to ensure that highlight falloff is controlled.
Since I started working in film professionally, technically speaking, I’ve seen the focus of filmmakers shift many times.
The first is 24 o’clock.
When we realized that a camera in 24p mode could produce a more cinematic look than a typical 59.94i camera, we all jumped on board. Sales of the DVX100 were crazy and we were all delighted for a while. That is, until we realized we needed a shallow depth of field to capture a more cinematic image.
For a while we’ve been struggling with bulky 35mm adapters that help us use proper cine lenses on small sensor camcorders and achieve shallower depth of field. But as we all know, these quickly became irrelevant once video-based digital SLR cameras entered the market.
Although many of us were content shooting with 5Ds and 7Ds for years, eventually we realized we needed more dynamic range. DR is one of the biggest differences between a high-quality digital SLR and a high-end movie camera. Of course, there are many other obvious differences (ergonomics, recording formats, audio processing, etc.), but true dynamic range is the biggest hurdle many monocular filmmakers have to overcome since the problem of shallow depth of field was solved.
Recently, we’ve been fortunate to see lower-cost cinema cameras and digital SLR cameras implement log settings or other features that allow for higher DR recording. Manufacturers like Sony, Blackmagic Design and even Canon (in their cinema lines) have been able to give us 13 to 15 stops of DR on relatively low cost cameras. That’s pretty cool considering these numbers aren’t too far off from regular film stock.
That said, there’s a reason why your Sony A7S log lenses can’t compare to Arri Alexa lenses. In fact, there are many reasons…color science, motion rhythm, sensor technology, etc. If you were to take two nearly identical images (one on an Alexa and one on a less expensive movie camera) and color correct them to match as closely as possible, the difference between the two images would be most noticeable The difference will be how the highlights are handled…
What exactly is highlight reel?
For those of you who don’t quite understand what I mean by highlight rolloff, I’ll try to briefly explain it to you here.
The easiest way to understand highlight rolloff is to think about it from a film and video perspective. On film, if you severely overexpose your image, you’ll get a very soft gradient or roll-off that will take your image from its darkest point to its brightest point. The brightest parts of the image blend almost seamlessly into the darker parts, and overexposed parts of the image remain pleasing to the eye.
However, in the digital realm, the situation is very different. The digital sensor will simply “clip” at a certain point, rendering any brightness value outside of its dynamic range as pure white. So if you were to take the same image as I described above, instead of capturing a smooth gradient from dark to light, at some point that gradient would be cut off and clipped to white. It will gradually tilt towards the brightest parts of the image, but will eventually clip, leaving a distinct line in the shot where detail is completely lost.
For example, looking at this photo, you can clearly see that the brightest part of the image has almost a line separating it from the area next to it, but the detail is still preserved:
On film (or a digital camera with better highlight processing capabilities), the image will still end up pure white, but the gradient will be much smoother.
Why is it important?
You may be wondering why highlight rolloff is even important. After all, how many times do we shoot under overexposed light sources, and will people notice or care?
The truth is, many of the shots you shoot will likely have some editing. Whether it’s a light in the background, a blown out window, the sky, etc. Not the focus. They will still be seen and felt by the viewer, and the more natural and organic they look, the better the overall image will be perceived.
Saying highlight falloff isn’t important is like saying shadow detail isn’t important. Neither will be the focus of the shot (at least most of the time), but both will make a significant contribution to the viewer’s perception of the image.
Creating beautiful cinematic images all depends on attention to detail. There is no one variable that makes an image feel cinematic…it takes multiple elements working together to create the aesthetic we all love so much. After all, if only one factor mattered – we’d still be shooting 24p on the DVX100.
Now that cameras have evolved to the point where even prosumer-level devices can capture 14 stops of DR, the natural evolution will mean more camera brands will focus on improving their highlights. Personally, I would choose a camera with less dynamic range but better highlight falloff than the alternative any time.
Which camera is best?
Arri set the gold standard for digital highlight reels when it released Alexa, but since then other manufacturers have gotten in on the action. For example, RED has significantly improved their highlight rolloff over the years (although the Arri still beats them in my opinion), and they have good reason to be concerned about this. Professionals are demanding cameras that not only have high dynamic range capabilities, but also take advantage of DR to create the most natural and organic images imaginable.
We’ve reached a point where cost is no longer a barrier to entry into advanced cinematography. In fact, some lower-cost cinema cameras offer the same (if not better) DR and color science than much more expensive cameras. Take the Sony F55 for example, this camera is an absolute beast, a real workhorse, but the color science and highlight falloff in particular are notoriously problematic. This hasn’t stopped many productions from using it in major feature films, but even on a production of this scale the problems are obvious and unavoidable.
So for now, if you’re not planning on giving up your life savings and buying an Alexa or a Weapon, there’s another option on the market that might be the next best thing: 4.6K URSA.
As some of you know, I’ve been using the URSA for a few months now and so far I’m loving shooting with it. When done right, the image quality is very good and indeed has a film-like quality. That said, my biggest issue with the camera (besides the limited ISO range) is highlight falloff. In fact, I’d say these are the biggest highlights of my URSA shots not being shot on the Alexa or RED, as the images otherwise look great.
That said, with the newly announced 4.6K sensor, everything is about to change… Or so I thought. Based on the footage I’ve seen so far, the new URSA sensor appears to have the best highlight falloff I’ve seen on a sub-$15,000 camera. Check out some sample snippets below:
Obviously it’s hard to tell what the camera will do in the real world just from this footage, but based on this footage (and my experience using it at NAB this year) I feel pretty confident about it. Personally, I will definitely be upgrading my URSA to the 4.6K version as soon as possible for this reason alone.
Blackmagic Design URSA 4.6K Camera – B & H $6,995
In short
There is no single characteristic of any particular camera that makes it more cinematic or cinematic than any other camera on the market. It all comes down to the balance between sensor technology, lens options, color science, dynamic range, highlight falloff, and most importantly – who is the person behind the camera. That said, we’ve seen huge improvements in many aspects of camera technology in recent years (namely resolution and DR), and it’s time for manufacturers to step up their game when it comes to highlight rolloff.
The good news is that over time, more and more affordable cameras will offer excellent highlight handling. Currently, the 4.6K URSA and URSA Mini offer some of the best results among more affordable cameras… but as time goes on, more and more brands will have no choice but to get in on the action.
For more information on the cinematic look and how to achieve it, be sure to check out my guide to shooting cinematic images with a DSLR!
