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Sony image data suite ?

grappa

New member
I just got my A900 today and started shooting some raw files. At first I ignored the Sony software for my Mac. Manufacturer software is usually cumbersome and slow and/or buggy.
Just for grins however I tried the "Image Data Suite" from Sony. Wow.
Images looked better than I was getting in Adobe, Capture One or
Aperture. A little saturated perhaps but I like the look. All this with no adjustments.
I would just use the Image Data Suite but it IS slow and cumbersome.
Does anyone have any advice ? Hints ?
Have you tried the Image Data Suite ? Any comments ?
 

douglasf13

New member
If you shoot RAW, avoid Sony and Adobe. Set camera to:

Neutral Creative Setting
-1 saturation
-3 brightness
-1 Zone
AdobeRGB
Dro OFF

Find the uniWB thread on this site, and use that. Then, import into your aperture or C1 with a linear tone curve. That's about it LOL
 

edwardkaraa

New member
I personally prefer the output of Sony's own software. I did many comparisons and Sony's IDC came on top every time. I shoot very selectively so I never have big amounts of images to convert. I might have at the end of a session about 50-60 photos, and I only convert 10 of them and print 2 or 3. That's why I don't mind the bad functionality. The guys who don't like the results actually didn't give it a real chance because they hated the user interface :)
 

douglasf13

New member
Bill, the cameras's histogram, like in most cameras, reflects the JPEG settings of the camera. The settings that I mentioned above gives the best near-RAW histogram so that you can judge exposure more accurately. IMO, everyone who shoots raw only should try these settings out along with uniWB. I've been amaze at how much it has improved my exposure consistancy and ability to get further "to the right" with my exposures, resulting in less noise.

IDC simulates the camera jpeg settings, which is a negative IMO, due to mid tone bumps and all of the other converter tricks. RPP or Raw Therapee are probably the best if you don't need to work on tons of images. Like Edward, I work methodically, but I stay away from IDC and ACR/LR
 
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Bill Caulfeild-Browne

Well-known member
AHA! Yes, of course you're right - I guess I'm so used to my own ETTR (usually +0.7 exp comp) showing up well on the C1 histogram, I'd forgotten the camera's own. But I shall try your suggestions instead of my current Sony defaults.

I agree with you re ACR/LR for serious raw conversion. I prefer C1 (because I use it for Phase too) but actually find Aperture handles high ISO noise best.

Thanks for the tip,
Bill
 

douglasf13

New member
Yeah, you'll find if you start with the linear tone curve in C1 (instead of "film like") and my above suggestions, you can expose the sensor more than ya think. :)
 
G

gtmerideth

Guest
Wow, Douglas.
Your suggested settings are great. Much improved histogram.
thanks,
g.
 

douglasf13

New member
Wow, Douglas.
Your suggested settings are great. Much improved histogram.
thanks,
g.
Hey, no problem. Just don't show pics to clients or friends with these settings right out of the camera, or they'll think your shots are dull and without "pop"....not to mention very GREEN if you're using uniWB :LOL:
 

douglasf13

New member
Hey g.

I've come across some pretty useful rules of thumb when using the A900 and its spot metering in the past week, and they work very well with the above settings that I listed. Having someone like the Borg being invested in the A900 system is incredibly useful:

"... If you meter from the highlights where you want to keep the traces of texture, it is +2 2/3 eV; from those where you want to keep the full texture it is + 2 1/2 eV; if defocus is possible, + 2 1/2 eV works well.
If you meter from the shadows, you need to know the "backroom".

If you meter from the subject that you want to place to midtones, it is +1/2 eV. "


I'm finding that using +2.5 EV spotmeter on defocused highlights nails it about every time :) --d
 

kuau

Workshop Member
If you shoot RAW, avoid Sony and Adobe. Set camera to:

Neutral Creative Setting
-1 saturation
-3 brightness
-1 Zone
AdobeRGB
Dro OFF

Find the uniWB thread on this site, and use that. Then, import into your aperture or C1 with a linear tone curve. That's about it LOL
So using theses setting and ETTR and use the linear tone curve in C1 will give very good results?
Steven
 
P

pvteyes

Guest
I am seeking assistance to a problem we can not thus far figure out. We are a private investigation agency in NY. Over the last few years our agents have been shooting surveillance footage from MiniDV camcorders. We then took the footage, dumped into imovie 08, edited and exported to CatDV burned the time date stamp into footage reimported into iMovie and then exported to iDVD to burn copies for our clients.

It seems now the agents are switching to HDD camcorders as the quality and zoom are better and that is what the technology is now. We can not seem to burn the time/date stamp now with this method. We don't know what do do.

We are looking for software to do this on a MAc for the Sony DCRSR68

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
 

douglasf13

New member
You're probably better off posting in a video forum somewhere. This is primarily a still photography forum.
 
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