LCC and filters

[TLiu]

Gurus,

On a tech camera, after taking a picture with a filter on, e.g., gnd, should I remove the filter before taking the LCC picture? I figure I should..

 

[Don Libby]

I routinely use 3 different lens one of which has a center filter. My workflow always includes the center filter. The other two I use a filter sparingly and depends on the filter.

Don

Bottom line is you want to get as good a LCC as you can whether it's with or without your filter.
Just my 2¢ worth.

 

[kdphotography]

I would think you would take the LCC with the filter on in most cases. My thinking is if the filter you use adds any sort of cast, then application of the LCC taken with the filter in place, should remove that cast as well.

I usually add an approx stop of exposure when shooting the LCC trying to get a nice central peak exposure on the histogram.

This seems to work well for me, but would love to hear more theory from the tech cam gurus...

ken

 

[Marlyn]

I generally take Grad filters OFF before shooting an LCC.

Otherwise, it takes the Grad effect out of the shot, and makes what i wanted darkened, too bright !

As I use LEE filters, I generally just pop the filterholder off to use the LCC. Painfull, but necessary.

Regards

Mark

 

[stngoldberg]

Gurus,

On a tech camera, after taking a picture with a filter on, e.g., gnd, should I remove the filter before taking the LCC picture? I figure I should..

Take the GND off

Stanley

 

[TLiu]

I generally take Grad filters OFF before shooting an LCC.

Otherwise, it takes the Grad effect out of the shot, and makes what i wanted darkened, too bright !

As I use LEE filters, I generally just pop the filterholder off to use the LCC. Painfull, but necessary.

Regards

Mark

Thanks. That was my thinking too, but it also makes stitching a pain, having to take a picture, take the filter off, take the LCC picture, then remount the filter, shift, repeat, etc., and remember to put the filter to the approximately same place.

 

[TLiu]

I generally take Grad filters OFF before shooting an LCC.

Otherwise, it takes the Grad effect out of the shot, and makes what i wanted darkened, too bright !

As I use LEE filters, I generally just pop the filterholder off to use the LCC. Painfull, but necessary.

Regards

Mark

What about the center gray filter then? Shall it be off too?

 

[anGy]

Thanks. That was my thinking too, but it also makes stitching a pain, having to take a picture, take the filter off, take the LCC picture, then remount the filter, shift, repeat, etc., and remember to put the filter to the approximately same place.

Using a 10x10 opal LCC card that can be placed in the Lee filter holder should avoid taking the filter holder off (I did not test it). Making all the stitched pictures first then making the LCC pictures could also make the process easier in that case.

 

[anGy]

What about the center gray filter then? Shall it be off too?

I don't think so, the center filter is here to help having a more even exposure on your shot. An LCC shot taken with a center filter in place will give you a clean shot to cancel the color cast without having to deal with exposure compensation (that Capture 1 does adding noise in the picture).

 

[Pemihan]

Shoot all the images with the filter on first, remove the filter and shoot the sequence again with the LCC.

Thats how I do it, shoot all the images and then the LCC's in the same order.

Just stick to the same order every time...

Peter

Thanks. That was my thinking too, but it also makes stitching a pain, having to take a picture, take the filter off, take the LCC picture, then remount the filter, shift, repeat, etc., and remember to put the filter to the approximately same place.

 

[GrahamWelland]

if you have a center filter then you leave it on - think of it as almost a permanent attachment. LCC with it on.

Any other fiter, which for me is a LEE neutral density fulll or grad, I remove when shooting the LCC.

Remember what the LCC is - LENS colour cast with your sensor - not image colour cast.
You are correcting for the light fall off of the lens and any fall off/colour shifts caused by the angle of the light hitting the sensor. (Dust removal is a nice additionalbenefit too),

Regarding LCC exposure, I come across two schools of thought on this one. I was taught to get an LCC close to mid tone or right around the middle of the histogram which may require adding a stop or so of exposure time. I've seen also a recommendation to shoot brighter LCC in videos by a couple of well known Alpa tech shooters who own LuLa.

 

[etrump]

Exposing the LCC to the right as far as possible gives you slightly more data. Since the LCC code is using relatively wide averages of tonality I have found that the "spec'ed" mid-tone works as well especially concerning 16bit files.

Even on a long exposure LCC requiring a higher ISO I have not noticed LCC increasing noise or banding in the corrected exposure.

Has anyone else seen any noise related artifacts from LCC that are significantly worse than bumping exposure in post?

 

[jagsiva]

I find this simple rule works for me...

1. If using a filter to create an "intended" effect (ND, colour, polarizer etc.) then remove it for LCC. You don't want the LCC to remove the effect you are trying to introduce into the capture.

2. If using a filter to filter to remove any "unintended" effects (casts, falloff etc.) keep it on for the LCC. Essentially the filter is "normalizing" the effects to some extent, and the LCC can hopefully take care of the rest. This would be for CF, hoods/shades, etc.

Not sure if I have explained myself well here, but hope it helps.

 

[Marlyn]

I tend to shoot pano's first, with the shifts. then go back and shoot the LCC's for the pano.

Any center filter I leave ON for the LCC. (Not that I currently use one, not even on the HR 32)

It is only Grads/Lee filters I take off., inlcuding ND (for example, I see no point in leaving the 10 Stopper on and taking a loooooong shot just to do an LCC).

Most of my Pano's are left/center/right, I tend not to shift rise/fall during the shooting itself. Rise/Fall is used for Framing the shot.

If I am doing a vertical pano, then the reverse is obviously true.


My biggest problem, is remembering to shoot the LCC when working fast.

Regards

Mark.

 

[Don Libby]

Agree with the thoughts of leaving the CF (if used) on otherwise remove any other filter prior to the LCC.

Don

 

[Paul Franklin]

The whole reason for creating a LCC is to equalize the*light over the whole image. If you create the LCC with the filter on then the LCC would remove the*effects of the filter. IMO

 

[GrahamWelland]

For effect filters I'd agree.

For centre filters the whole point is to balance out the light levels as much as possible in an analog manner first and then apply any subsequent correction afterwards. If you were to do an LCC without centre filter and apply it to a shot WITH a centre filter you will over compensate for the light fall off. The centre filter shouldn't have any effect really on colour though, just the light fall off.

 

[stngoldberg]

Agree with the thoughts of leaving the CF (if used) on otherwise remove any other filter prior to the LCC.

Don

Don is 100% correct

Stanley

 

[alajuela]

For effect filters I'd agree.

For centre filters the whole point is to balance out the light levels as much as possible in an analog manner first and then apply any subsequent correction afterwards. If you were to do an LCC without centre filter and apply it to a shot WITH a centre filter you will over compensate for the light fall off. The centre filter shouldn't have any effect really on colour though, just the light fall off.

My understanding is the same CF is there to equalize light fall off. So an LCC is done with CF on. Also if you use a Polarizer and / or ND filter it goes like this

Lens - CF - ( Pol - ND) - LCC

The exception is an ND Grad (since you want the light falloff) then it would look like this.

Lens - CF - LCC -- then shoot with the NDGrad after the LCC is taken

Anyone disagree?

Thanks

Phil

 

[Don Libby]

Hi Phil - not entirely sure I understand your equation.

If you shoot a lens requiring a center filter then shoot the LCC with the filter in place.

If you are shooting using any other filter other than a CF then shoot the LCC without the filter.

Of course you can also be anal and also shoot an LCC with the effects filter and see the difference between the two and see which works better. As anal as I am I never once thought about doing this until just now.

Don