Leica SL Video questions - Slo-mo audio, Slo-mo log, mount play, remote focus solutions, gimbals

[Yaroslavk]

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Hello everyone,

 

Newbie on the forum here, please don't judge harshly if these questions have been asked before. Trust me, I have spent the better half of last year trying to find answers to them around the internet, including on this fine resource.

 

1) As far as I see there is no way to record audio while filming in 100/120p? As a workaround I use the Shure VP83f, which apart from being a decent shotgun mic, has also a built in recorder, but a rode videopro or such would be much more usable/lighter if the camera would record audio with slo-mo video

 

2) It seems that the slo-mo files in l-log are noisy and even unusable. No such issues with the 4k/1080p 25/30p output. Is there some setting that I am missing or is it just something that needs to be fixed in future firmware

 

3) After building a rig for the SL I've noticed that there is a fair amount of play between the body and lens. When shooting handheld it's not too noticeable, but when rigged up, placed on a tripod and using a follow focus, especially on long focal lengths there is a bit of shift due to the play between lens and body. A gentlemen at the Leica stand at photokina mentioned that this is something that can be resolved in Wetzlar with a round of service? Do you guys have play between body and lens, and also between body, leica m-adapter and lens?

 

4) Has anyone used a wireless follow focus solution on the Leica. I've had decent luck with a DJI Focus, but the 24-90 with it's fly-by-wire endless focus is quite tricky to continuously focus in the same way. Theoretically could there be a solution to use the SL mount lenses with a cine-focusing solution?

 

5) And finally - have any of you tried to use the SL on a gimbal? Used it several times on a Ronin-m, but it's not the most travel friendly solution. Having scoured B&H for all the more compact gimbals they have, I don't think any of them would work with a 24-90 + SL

 

Generally I have found the SL to be a wonderful tool for both photography and video, and it has allowed me to get a number of wonderful shots in the last 8 months or so. Here are some examples, fully shot on SL+24-90 and a Phantom 4 + DJI Mavic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmtR9ESwo7w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuSRs6naReo

 

Thank you for your time! Cheers!

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[Joshua Lowe]

I'd suggest the Novoflex tripod collar for the 24-90 to reduce play and relieve stress on the mount.

[Yaroslavk]

Thank you Joshua,

 

I have considered the idea, but I fear it won't be easy to attach it perfectly level every time. As far as I know the 90-280 rotating collar has 90 degree stops, but the novoflex one doesn't seem to have them. I will try to get my hands on one though qnd report my findings here.

[Joshua Lowe]

That's true, I don't think the Novoflex collar has stops.  I guess you could measure the alignment out in a controlled environment and then use a paint marker to add index markings to the collar and lens.  

 

Sure would have been nice if the lens had included a proper tripod mount from the factory.

 

I watched your videos - do you like the Mavic Pro? 

[Yaroslavk]

Yeah, a stock tripod mount would be great.

 

Thanks for watching the videos! The mavic is really great, I've been using it for photography and video and haven't stopped being amazed by it's capabilities in such a portable package. It's a full on drone, with all the bells and whistles of a larger phantom 4 or so, with a camera that's on par with a compact camera like sony rx100 or the like. Have nothing but good things to say about it

[Shanghait]

I can only speak to #5, I have been using the Ronin M with the SL for a month now. I've had some decent results, but it hasn't been easy.

I also have some questions for you.

 

Observations:

 

1. Because the 24-90 drops slightly lower than the body, the mounting plate will hit the lens when attached. It is not optimal as it applies unnecessary pressure on the lens. However, the focus ring will still turn.

 

2. Because the front of the lens is not captive, it will throw the delicate balance of the Ronin off when you change focal lengths. Not ideal as you need to rebalance the entire setup if you change the focal lengths dramatically.

 

3. I like shooting in 120 FPS, however most external monitors are not compatible for viewing 120 FPS output from the HDMI port. Im not sure if this is normal with other cameras.

 

4. The tethered Leica remote will not activate recording on video. Have you found a solution to record remotely?

 

Thanks!

[Yaroslavk]

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Hi Shanghait,

 

Thanks for your comments!

 

1) Yes, that is a major inconvenience. To avoid it I've placed a novovflex quick release between the ronin plate and camera. And I'm compensating the lens wobble by attaching a Dji Focus motor to the focus ring (through a zeiss cine gear ring)

2) I've noticed that if you've balanced the setup well on 24mm, th motors will compensate up to 35-40mm without too much trouble/noice/effort

3) I think the SL does not give out 120 FPS to HDMI as I've tried with Atomos Ninja Flame, which does support 120 FPS judging by the specs, but it didn't work with the SL

4) You can use the SL mobile app - it gives out all the video controls, and allows to start/stop video. Your phone can double as a monitor for 120FPS shots

[Joshua Lowe]

HDMI is very rarely supported over 60fps,.

[scott kirkpatrick]

Since the title of this thread is Leica SL video questions, I'll add a few more.  I've had a few occasions recently to produce video to cover events and sports but in particular to record some shows under strong, varying theater lighting.  I haven't worked in video for close to ten years, and that was with time-coded MD tape on equipment which is now obsolete.  So I got out my Olympus M5.2's, with excellent IBIS, and discovered that they are very difficult to control when things change while filming (light levels, in particular).  The SL is more controllable, with external aperture rings for the M and R lenses, and auto ISO that operates in M mode, so that I can set shutter speed and aperture to handle the brightest situations at minimum ISO, and let auto ISO correct for the dark corners of the set.  But, although the documents for the 90-280 says that its OIS will automatically recognize a pan and allow it to be smooth while stabilizing any vertical motion, my tests today showed that panning with the 90-280 produced a jerky motion, with blurring.  Have others solved this problem?

 

Second,  the SL offers  profile called L-Log, which essentially exposes its 8 or 10-bit data "to the right," pulling up shadows while flattening highlight contrast.  In still photography, you undo the effects of shooting to the right by post processing down the exposure, increasing the contrast in the midtones, and possible lifting the midtones and highlights.  It's not hard to do this on a per-clip basis in FinalCutProX, and the results are not bad.  I invite comments on a simple example, two 20 second clips, one in L-Log, and one corrected in FCX, spanning a range of light from ISO 50 to ISO 2000:

 

(warning, VERY large files.  They can be streamed but it is easier to just download if you want to see the whole range of light levels covered, changing smoothly):

 

first, a pan in L-Log: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_DOXbFeLaWiZHRyRVBtZ1N5Y1U/view?ts=58b1d704 ,

then after grading the file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_DOXbFeLaWiZVg0c0oxRmFRUEk/view?ts=58b1d704 .

 

The usual recommendation is to use a LUT (look-up-table) to transform the file from its log-flattened curve to a normal gamma nonlinear curve.  That makes sense if you are putting output into a monitor/recorder setup, but I'm just shooting with a camera alone (sometimes with a little audio gear) into 8-bit internal storage.  So what are LUTs?  Where do you find them and how do you use them?  Do they do a more robust job?

 

scott

[Irakly Shanidze]

 

 

The usual recommendation is to use a LUT (look-up-table) to transform the file from its log-flattened curve to a normal gamma nonlinear curve.  That makes sense if you are putting output into a monitor/recorder setup, but I'm just shooting with a camera alone (sometimes with a little audio gear) into 8-bit internal storage.  So what are LUTs?  Where do you find them and how do you use them?  Do they do a more robust job?

 

 

Scott, if recording internally, there is no way you can apply a LUT to the footage in-camera. It is done in post, and the best suitable LUT for SL L-Log footage seems to be Scott, Sony SLog3SGamut3.CineToSLog2-709. In DaVinci Resolve Studio you can apply it either to an individual node, or to a whole project.

[caissa]

Thank you Joshua,

 

I have considered the idea, but I fear it won't be easy to attach it perfectly level every time. As far as I know the 90-280 rotating collar has 90 degree stops, but the novoflex one doesn't seem to have them. I will try to get my hands on one though qnd report my findings here.

 

The SL offers an electronic horizon - so it should be easy to level it out. Even without markings.

 

If you are only interested in 0 degree and 90 degree then a L-bracket is certainly easier to use on the gimbal. RRS has a dedicated L-bracket for the SL (BSL: Plates for Leica SL). (currently out of stock, but there is still the "general" base plate.)

See also http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/265600-tripod-head-for-leica-sl/