Color matching XH-A1 to HV20/HV30

[Lunchbox]

I tried to match the clips from XHa1 and Hv20. Here's my best effort Someday I can do better.. just need more practice.

Orignial HV20


HV20 Color Corrected


Original XH-A1

[Lunchbox]

I think I'm getting better and better each time to match the color bewteen XHA1 and HV20

[rashomon]

Looks like you lowered the contrast and raised the exposure. If that matches the A1, I don't want either.

Thanks for the comparison though. If I were to go with the best photo without looking at the result, I'd pick the contrast and clarity of the HV20 all day long.

[Ivan Fuentes]

I think I'm getting better and better each time to match the color bewteen XHA1 and HV20

I liked the non-cc HV20 footage better

Although, there is no doubt that the XH-A1 is, in fact, superior to the HV. Plus you have soooo much control of your picture. I'd love to have one. If I don't, it isn't because I think HV is better, but just because I can't afford it. Saying HV20 is actually better, would be fooling myself.

[Lunchbox]

Looks like you lowered the contrast and raised the exposure. If that matches the A1, I don't want either.

Thanks for the comparison though. If I were to go with the best photo without looking at the result, I'd pick the contrast and clarity of the HV20 all day long.

I wish it's all that easy. I use a "Color Matching" filter that I need to match the shadow, highlight and midtone area of the clips. Then adjust some of the grey level between them.

[Lunchbox]

On one more thing, the XH-A1 is still new to me. I shot this wedding last October. That was before I discovered so many presets I can download.

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81071

Now I am using these presets during shooting based on the lighting and environment. It gives me so much better fun and joy to shoot with XH-A1. I also have to lower the contrast -1 and color -1 on HV20 to make it easier to match.

Now I realized the default XHA1 video is quite plain but it's best for color correction during post.

http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=4895

Again, I know we are all HV20 fans here. When I lay down video from both XH-A1 and HV20 side by side, it is noticably the video quality of A1 is so much better than HV20. After all, XH-A1 is 5 times more expensive than HV20.

[doyouknowdave]

in some cases i like the original HV20 screenshot better. i just think it shows the colors better sometimes.

but i have a friend with an XH A1 and i have an HV20. Once you find the right settings, the XH A1 is a lot superior. So many options.

[bytehoven]

Hi...

I'm new 'round HV20, but may I say I thought the HV20 shots Taki showed were pretty good and highly tweakable.

Any post tweaks might have dialed in the image somewhere between the A1 and the HV20 shots shown. The blacks in the A1 shots definitely need to come down, while the HV20 had real nice blacks. A modest effort to expand from the middle to the top IRE range might make the HV20 near perfect.

Does the A1 have an auto mode which allows offsets to be applied? If yes, it would be nice to apply an offset to take the auto exposure down a notch or two.

I am waiting on my HV20 to arrive and I'm looking forward playing with the beast.

[Lunchbox]

I have been shooting using both Canon XH-A1 and HV20 in events. It takes a while for me to learn to match the color tone from footage of these 2 cameras. I think I can manage it pretty good now.

I am using the Matrox RTX2 card that has such feature to match color from two clips by referencing the shadow/highlight/midtone area of two clips. It works very well. I also printed a Black/White/Grey card using photoshop. Then I will shoot a few seconds of that card in the location. In post, I can just match them easiliy. I heard there is a a similar feature in Premiere but I didn't bother to find out.

Recently, I tried using XH-A1 custom preset library downloaded from DVInfo.net. By using Preset #13 in XH-A1 that can closely match with HV20 setting color -1, brightness +1, contrast -1.



It's not a 100% match but is pretty close.

[Ian-T]

That's definitely a match.... Looks so much better than your previous attempts. I'm guessing here...but by the field of view I'd say the HV20 is on the left and the A1 on the right?

[Lunchbox]

Ian, this is different. I didn't color match the two images here. They are straight out from the cameras.

hint hint.. in the second picture, my HV20 is showing in the video.

[Ian-T]

Ian, this is different. I didn't color match the two images here. They are straight out from the cameras.

hint hint.. in the second picture, my HV20 is showing in the video.

OK... the field of view looks a little wider on the right hand photo...that's what I was basing my guess on.

[bytehoven]

Very close. The A1 could use just a touch more contrast as it looks to be just a little compressed compared to the HV20.

The A1 also looks softer. Was that just a focus issue?

[Lunchbox]

Unlike HV20 that you can set contrast/sharpness/brightness, A1 has lots of settings but it gets too technical for me to understand. So I only use the preset download from dvinfo.net.

http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=81071

With all the presets available, it makes A1 very powerfun and very fun to use.

[Lunchbox]

Shooting 30F on XH-A1 and 30P on HV30. Using the VIVIDRBG preset on A1. Color match in Premiere with Matrox tool.







I think I can match the color pretty close

[NextWaveG]

Here's a question for you, Taky.

My friend is doing an indy film and using an XH A1. He was interested in using my HV30 with my DOF adapter for some of the shots. He plans on showing this at Sundance and it will obviously be on a big screen. In your opinion, would the HV30 produce a good enough image to have shots along side the XH A1?

[Lunchbox]

HV30's PQ is good. But if put side by side to XHA1, it shows less detail (in my opinion). I always do HV20/30 in wide shot and XHA1 as closeup. In that case, the visual difference is less. Color output and tone of video is different too. It's tricky to get them match.

If you don't want to do a lot of color correction in post, I would suggest using the Custom Preset #13 from DVInfo in XHA1. That match close enough to HV20.

[Ian-T]

Taky, I think this is the closest you have come so far in trying to match both cams. One thing though...the back wall below the mirror...the A1 has a little bit deeper green than the HV30 above. That's strange because the green dresses match in both pictures...but the green wall is slightly off (or maybe it's just me).


Edit: Have you considered shooting with the "Vivid" preset in the HV20? I don't know about the different settings in the A1 but I do know the HV20/30 has a Vivid mode. I'm not sure how much that would affect the overall picture...but when I look at the detail in the background...for example: The pattern on the wall just above the doorway...I can see more detail in the HV30's picture than I do on the A1. That goes for the green on the wall below also. Just a thought.

Edit 2: Oh that was freaky...I just jumped right back into this thread...must be you Taky.

[Lunchbox]

Ian, thanks for your comment. I'm still learning. My skill is better now. I also bring together a grey scale card with me to shoot so it's easier to reference the highlight/shadow/midtone in post to match the color.

I have tried the VIVID preset but that makes the color in video too strong to be matched probably. It also seem to increaes the contrast too.

[Ian-T]

I think you might be right. I know it does increase the sharpness somewhat...but I think it does the contrast as well. I guess they are both somewaht in the same territory.

[Lunchbox]

Sorry Ian, I merged 3 threads creaetd by myself together. They are all about color matching A1 to HV20/30.

[2Bdecided]

Taky,

I've seen poorer colour matching on TV!

I'm sure your clients are very happy.

What format do you deliver to them?

Cheers,
David.

[Lunchbox]

DVDs. Some clients paid a premium to get BluRay

[booggerg]

The HV20 did damn good against the A1. Many of the out of camera shots from the HV20 looks better than the A1. Granted, the A1 has more flexibility with image adjustments so you can probably improve those results.. but purely from a IQ standpoint, any consumer camera that cam almost equal the quality of a pro-sumer camera is damn good!

[keesduif]

After buying a HV30 to use along with my XH-A1 I tried myself to match both. And I think it's not a hell of a job. See my example here. With the A1 I used my own Reality preset and with the HV30 I used custom settings as mentioned in the example. It's not perfect yet but it comes very close I think.