If you already own a Sony mirrorless camera, you’ll know that out-of-the-box there are a lot of picture profiles and configurations to choose from. The common practice of most video shooters is to use S-Log 2 or S-Log 3 as they provide the most dynamic range.
On the other hand, there has been an increasing amount of users who opt to shoot in the Cine4 profile, for various reasons ranging from faster setup time when filming on the go to quicker post-production workflows and less color tweaking. In the following video, long-time Sony user Cody Blue shows off what he believes are the best Cine4 settings when shooting video with a Sony mirrorless camera that features the profile.
For those unfamiliar with Cine4, it’s one of the many Gamma presets that Sony includes with their mirrorless cameras. Compared to S-Log2 and S-Log 3, Cine4 does produce slightly less dynamic range. In terms of post-production workflow, however, Cine4 is much more favorable because it’s not as flat as shooting S-Log. The colors are slightly more vivid and present and require less post work.
In addition, the more saturated look to Cine4 means that you don’t have to worry about exposing to the right or tweaking your exposure to compensate for post-production. Instead, you can nail your exposure as you normally would with any camera using Cine4. Apparently, this saves you a lot of time on set since you’re not having to experiment to see which exposure works best. The same applies to color grading as you simply need to throw your footage in your NLE, select a LUT and you’re all set.
If you’re curious as to what settings Cody Blue utilizes for his work, here are the following values for each setting:
- Picture Profile: PP1 (although you can use any)
- Black Level: +2
- Gamma: Cine4
- Color Mode: Pro
- Black Gamma: Wide, +4
- Black Level: +2
- Knee: Manual, Point: 80%, Slope +2
- Saturation: -5
- Color Phase: 0
- Color Depth: R: +3, G: +1, B: -1, C: -4, M: -4, Y: +3
- Detail: When shooting 4K: -6, When shooting in slow-motion: 0
Of course, you can use these adjustments just as a reference and tweak them further along the way depending on your personal needs and project requirements. Either way, these settings should give you an excellent starting point the next time you opt for shooting with the Cine4 picture profile.
[source: Cody Blue]
Order Links:
Sony Alpha a6500 Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only) (B&H, Amazon)
Sony Alpha a7S II Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only) (B&H, Amazon)
Sony Alpha a7R III Mirrorless Digital Camera (Body Only) (B&H, Amazon)
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