Boost Dynamic Range without using RAW or LOG or LUTs

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[maxellison]

As always concise, no nonsense high content information with no BS! Loved it!

[mrdogpoopunleashed]

I love this guy. So many amateurs tell us what to do and how to do it. It is nice to hear from a real expert who calls them out.

[cameraconspiracies]

Panasonic G85 with idynamic boost is cinema glory. Although I hear the Canon R8 in C-log 3 is quite nice :)

[carlosandreviana]

The equivalent in Nikon cameras is active d-lighting. It is important to mention that, in any brand, it does not affect raw photos or video. Just jpegs or mp4/movs

[_SYDNA_]

For Canon users, starting around 2008, this has been the AOL setting - auto lighting optimizer. It has three stages in Canon instead of Sony's 5. I personally find Canon's maxed-out third stage to be a liitle more timid than some of the examples in this video but it certainly does preserve the detail. Still, it looks llke Canon might benefit from adding a step or two, now that this is an established technological approach.

I often see people describing their camera settings online, who treat this as one more unnecessary, unexplained setting but, as Marcus said, getting your dynamic range right is worth it and it can be pretty vital. Digital sensors tend to exaggerate contrast, just as fast ASA film used to do. Enhancing dynamic range with these settings gets one more thing done in-camera, and, to my eye, it seems to bring more information foward than just turning up the shadows would in post processing.

I usually leave my AOL turned on and placed at a mid-point setting. After seeing this video, I'll probably get more aggressive with it in certain situations. It really doesnt degrade anything, and often seems to help.

Canon's DPP software also has a slider for this. In both camera and software, I believe it kicks in as the final JPEG is interpreted from the RAW.

[johnsaucerhunter]

Mr. Markus, this was a very timely and informative video. And thanks also for all the before/after examples, it really (and quickly) gets the message across. What you presented in less than 8 minutes would've taken the usual YT 'talking heads' a half an hour to do.

[ChristopheLanglois]

Salut Markus, I have been a fan of yours for a long while but I never took the time to leave a comment. THANK YOU so much for your ever so helpful, practical and ingenuous tips and tricks. Over the years, the more I invested in camera gear and software, the more I've appreciated convenience and SOOC photos and videos. I own a couple of FF Sony cameras and GM lenses, a RX10 IV and RX100 VII... these days, I gravitate 90% of the time towards the RX10 / RX100 cameras which are still holding their own, especially for capturing impromptu family moments. Encore merci! Un fan basé à Londres. Christophe

[WSS_the_OG]

Man. I just found your channel. I'm a total idiot when it comes to shooting, and I use that shadow boost function all the time as a lazy-man's way to get a decent result out of camera so I'm not editing and grading for hours. It looks more than good enough to me. And here you are doing it too, someone who's actually knowledgeable and legit. Just like with your crumpled paper white balance trick (I've been using kitchen paper towel), thinking I was being a caveman, but you do it too to great effect.

So awesome.

[billthetraveler]

Huge thanks for this. My Panasonic FZ-300 has i-Dynamic, but I never really understood how to use it properly.
You share terrific insights and with a terrific sense of humor.

[stevennichols]

Great reminder that it's more fun if we keep it simple, and we can still get the same great results. Love your videos!

[nitpickingcinema]

Part of the joy for me in photography is the post processing

[Alex_Manifestation]

You're one of my biggest inspiration since April 2021. I bought the Samsung NX500 and shoot only in JPEG because of you. I watched your "Who Am I?" Video and it changed my life. I love you Markus. I post about you all the time. 75% of the accessories I bought is because of you.

[ShaggyMummy]

the interesting thing is the I-Dynamic Curve adjustment is essentially the same, or a Similar process to LOG, its just remapping the Luminance curve to keep as much information as possible, but it gives you manual control over it.

[juliotamayo]

Thank you so much Markus! You made it easy for those of us who hate to read the manual. As usual, well explained and in simple terms down to earth. You nailed it man!

[ZvilgantisKailis]

In Nikon there is D-Lighting. Active D-Lighting is a technology that optimizes high contrast images to restore shadow and highlight details that are often lost when strong lighting increases the contrast between bright and dark areas of the image.

[wagnercs]

Markus, your videos are amazing. Nothing like when PROS come to play. I'm so exhausted watching videos about LUTs, Logs, new cameras, etc. I'm a Pro Wedding filmmaker, Sony Alpha cameras (A7III, A6400, ZVE10). Never used Logs, never used 10-bit, never used 4K60. It's always 4K24 (I resample when needed), 1080p60, 8-bit. NEVER a client complained about image quality, color banding, or noise.

[seacamtv]

Discovered this a few years ago and came to the conclusion that when the experts all agree (ie shoot LOG on everything) they are most certainly all wrong! You only need enough dynamic range to capture the image you are shooting anything more just adds noise. The further you stretch a pixel the more noise you get, pure and simple. Thanks for stating the simple facts.

[kevinrtres]

Thanks for the reminder - most people ( self included ) stopped using DRO way back then when it was a terrible thing to do. Should be interesting to revisit it and see how it does on the more up to date cameras.

[Dochorahan]

You nailed it Markus!!!! Finally someone that knows what they’re talking about! I totally agree with you. You just forgot one thing… the click bait title! 😂

[ImageMaven]

Get it right “in the camera” is my motto too. Plus easier to match photos and videos. Love iDynamic in my Lumix cameras.