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Leica SL2-S general filmmaking questions


Danila

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Guys, hello everyone! My name is Danil, I'm 23 years old and I'm just starting to shoot videos on Leica SL2-S. I'm new in videography, so sorry for the possibly stupid questions.

I would like to say that I do not and do not plan to engage in commerce, I want to create videos for myself, for the soul, but with the highest quality and taste, so I also purchased:
- APO-Summicron-SL 50mm 2.0
- Atomos Ninja V+

I study this topic very actively and spend 8 hours a day, but my head explodes from a misunderstanding of most likely simple things:

1. I shoot with ProRes RAW, but Resolve (which I really liked) doesn't support it. I've tried converting the codec to cDNG, but the third party app doesn't support SL2-S. I bought FCP X, but I'm also not quite sure what to select in "Raw to Log Conversion", as there is no suitable option there. I'm also thinking of buying Dehancer, is that wise?

2. Which is better, Atomos Ninja V+ or Blackmagic Video Assist 5" 12G HDR? The second will record in BRAW and I can use Resolve, but how sensible would that be?

3. Is it even worth it to use RAW? Or is shooting in ProRes 422 HQ on Atomos not a bad idea with L-log either?

4. I've read a lot of forum threads and videos as well that don't recommend using a Leica LUT, why? Is it even necessary to use a LUT? And what is the right way to use it?

Sorry for such questions, but I really have reviewed all possible videos (of which there are not many on Leica products, especially on video topics) and the forum remains the last hope, it is very hard to understand everything from scratch.

I'd be glad if you can suggest any other useful tips!

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1. The SL2-S doesn't output ProRes RAW. The most promising ProRes RAW-to-cDNG converter I've seen is this one: https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/raw-convertor/id1598580439?mt=12 . The developer is open to suggestions for supporting additional cameras (but not the SL2-S because it doesn't do RAW).

2. They both have their advantages, and they both get used in cinema production. The BM 5" doesn't have audio inputs, which is why I picked the Atomos.

3. You don't need RAW. ProRes HQ is fine. It's good enough for major motion pictures. The only real difference is that you need to get your exposure and white balance reasonably right when shooting, but that's not something you should ignore when shooting RAW either.

4. The LUT is just for viewing convenience. You can install it on the Atomos,, to ensure that the image doesn't look flat, but it doesn't get baked-in to your files. Your post workflow won't use LUTs at all.

The basic workflow goes like this in Resolve:

Import your SL2-S files into your project, select them all, add to group. Create other groups if you have footage from other cameras.

Create a pre-group transform where you define the footage type (Generic Rec2020 for the SL2-S) and colourspace (ACES or Resolve, I suggest ACES). This gets applied to every file in that group, so you don't need to worry about colour management from this point forward.

 

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I agree with BernardC. Just shoot ProRedsHQ. Life is to short and this should solve the Resolve issue I'm guessing.

Personally I'd go with the Ninja V. And if you shoot ProResHQ that takes care of that issue. Personally, I find that shooting ProRes422 is fine for me and I can't tell to much difference between that and HQ. Unless you are doing chromaKey then use HQ.

And on the subject of Keep It Simple, I have to ask for what you are doing, do you really need all the peripherals and headaches that go with the add-on attachments. You making art/experimental things? You might want to consider just shooting in camera. I understand that the SL2-S outputs wonderful video. I not always about the equipment, it's about your ideas and images. Many great things are done with even an IPhone. Again, not always about the tools.

FWIW

Jonathan

 

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I think Raw editing is a challenge , extra steps for noise reduction, distortion correction sharpening...

I agree with the people above, just keep in ming that l-Log middle grey is at 44% IRE

https://xtremestuff.net/l-log-plugin-manual/

 

I use an IDT for the log footage , and there are few different ways of managing it. I think BernardC simplifed it a little to much for a newbe. but i would look into Youtube tutorial about managed workflow in Resolve.

Most of the time I use Atomos 7 monitor and shoot right into the internal memory. The LUT is good as monitor lut, and I have a few otheres that i made for specific project with Tri-x bw look

some good info here

https://www.youtube.com/@CullenKelly/videos

 

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3 hours ago, Danila said:

I'm also thinking of buying Dehancer, is that wise?

 

some people got this and other plugin  like film convert, or look designer. there is some benefit on it to do finishing , grain and other looks, but resolve can do it too 95%.

Most of this program don't support Leica log, so you are not be able to use them at the max potential .

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@BernardC @Jonathan Levin @Photoworks thank you very much for your feedback!

@Jonathan Levin I travel a lot and would like to create a short cinematic clip with music from every unusual place I visit. For example, in a few weeks I go to the Everest base camp, and then to the Mustang Kingdom in the Himalayas. Yes, I can shoot on my iphone, but before that I took pictures on Leica Q2 and after that I could no longer take pictures on the phone. Even for memory. It's the same here with videos, I really like Leica color reproduction and would like to create cool videos for the soul!

@Photoworks bought and installed, thanks! It seems to work cool, but just in case I want to clarify the settings, did I do everything right:
In Project Settings:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!


And then I have to do this with every clip:

Or in the nodes:

And after that, I already do a general correction, right?

10 hours ago, Photoworks said:

I agree with the people above, just keep in ming that l-Log middle grey is at 44% IRE

I watched a video about IRE and did I understand correctly that what I shoot, where my camera is directed, should be with a value of 44%? Or is it just for skin tone? Because when I shoot a landscape and stick to 44% the whole image becomes underexposed and dark, is that how it should be? And if I plan to shoot in L-log, is it better to underexpose or overexpose? Because many people recommend (not for Leica, but in general) to overexpose with a value of +1 so that there is no noise in the shadows. How are you doing?

And a question about the Dehanser plugin. If I want to give my videos a filmy look and graininess, do I have to do it in the last node?

Thank you all again for your help and advice, I really appreciate it!

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23 hours ago, Photoworks said:

Have a look at this Cullen Kelly lesson in particular. It explains how to set-up your project in Resolve.

https://youtu.be/M-jN7U8DP-k

You'll want to look at parts 1 and 3 later, but the first 5 minutes of part 2 show you almost everything you need to know.

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