BLOWN out Reds??

[deltatask1]

The more I edit footage from the X5 the more disappointed I am in the DJI and the horrible codec that blows out the reds in my footage. Most of the red colors look bright, but if you try to do any adjustments in post they look neon. I'm sick to my stomach over it after purchasing an Osmo with focus wheel and an Inspire 1 PRO to match. Anyone out there have any luck with controlling the reds in post? I've tried shooting in D-Cinelike (the worst when reds/orange are present), D-log & Beach (both handle red about the same), and Art (which handles reds the best, but all other colors suffer with it). I've tried all different video settings as well. I'm pulling my hair out. SURELY everyone else has had this same experience and knows what I'm talking about. I'm a wedding photographer and have an assistant capture video footage for me for videography. I've shot my last two weddings with the OSMO and would like for it to be my A camera, but right now I'm quite frustrated.

 

[Casey53]

Why not make your own LUT using a ColorChecker Passport and video software that uses that target like Davinci Resolve 14? Might help to get the color more accurate too.

Fwiw, DJI has issues with Manual White Balance for several years now. I shoot with a green correction filter to keep the heavy magenta they use in check since they provide no tint adjustment which they should. Doesn't seem so bad in Auto WB though. No doubt they will make a better coloration and "Coming Soon" ... haha!

I have noticed the new TV's have a strong (Vivid) setting from factory. Recent Sony Bravaria I bought has that neon red effect and I had to get it out of Vivid mode which was the default it came with, and turn the color down too. I think Apple is also heavy handed in their display of video color and contrasty too. Probably the way the public expects their movies to be, and not necessarily accurate.

 

[deltatask1]

Well after further testing I've found that D-Log creates a neon-magenta color for the reds and blows it out, D-Cinelike is red but just blown out. HOWEVER, I didn't even think to try the "None" profile. The reds are no longer blown out and the dynamic range of the reds are perfect. "Beach" color profile comes in a close second and is usable. It maintains the dynamic range of the red, but looks more of a contrasty-red/purple color. Looks like "None" is the only color profile I'll be using from now on out, albeit I'll be bumping saturation and contrast down a bit.

D-Log vs None Color Profiles

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[deltatask1]

So for those interested, after working on this problem all day, the perfect color settings that I like that makes the footage easily editable in post with enough dynamic range to play with, is color profile set to "None" and then Sharpness, Saturation, and Contrast set to 0, -3, 0 respectively. I found that when setting the contrast to anything below 0, in post I would basically have to crank contrast up to 100 until I was pleased with the end result. With contrast set to 0 I only have to crank it up to around 30 to achieve the same look, giving me more control and range. Also, "None" profile has quite a bit of saturation for my taste and doesn't look very cinematic, which is why I cranked it down to -3. Another tip is to NOT keep your White Balance on Auto. Change it according to your surroundings. In Auto when indoor you'll have an orange hue that messes up your coloring and dynamic ranges in post. I'm now confident enough to keep my X5 running for all my future weddings. Hope this helps other like me who just about returned the camera do to horrible codec on other color profiles!

 

[x5yo]

Don't use d log, I bought the X5 and got rid of it for an X5R.
If you want to get something half decent out of the X5, try and get as CLOSE as possible to the finished video from inside the camera.
The control you're looking for is not there from an 8 bit 60 MBPS 4k file, I and many other reasonably skilled people spent months trying to get a tune (see my name) out of it and we all reached the same conclusion.

Sell it and get an X5R or just push things around that much in post because it doesn't like it.
Just be aware that kids with a mavic air will be getting better video than you.

X5R will hold its value quite well because its video will always grade well and has huge bitrate and there's nothing else apart from stacked inspire 2/x7 which can beat it.

Saying that, with the new standard in base DJi cams at 100MBPS@4k, moving onto any DJI platform that offers that will be a huge upgrade.

So if you can make do with a phantom, you might find a p4 pro is the smart bet.
Or wait for the mavic 2, or even P4 2.0 or P5.

If you insist on inspire 1, its X5R, or get used to producing very mediocre videos.

 

[Howzat]

Hi there. I have fitted the B+W IR/UV cut filter to my X5 camera and it does improve the issue with the red colour cast. I shoot in the D-Log profile and then grade in FCPX 10.4 using the colour wheels. The footage is now very good. My other tip is to shoot -2 EV in bright sunlight as this also improves the footage. You can add an ND filter on top of the IR/UV filter and then stick a small coin in the back of the camera to maintain balance. The issue appears to be a hardware problem because the camera sensor has an inadequate IR filter in the sensor. When you add ND to reduce shutter speed the problem gets worse because the ND does not reduce IR (infra red) just visible light. It is an issue for digital film cameras as they have high native iso and need a lot of ND outside. Most cinema camera ND filters are IRND to reduce the IR. it’s probably the only solution but appears to work. This will also explain why DJI cannot solve it with a firmware release.

 

[Jerdog3]

Definitely an issue even on the X5s that I use, I was hoping DJI would put a custom RGB color profile in the menu. I have overcome it though by setting a custom light temperature at 5200 k for daylight shooting with Dlog. This really helps reduce the reds. Then I made a lut in Davinci that I apply on a separate node to correct the color before I do my final color grading also on a separate node. Anyway that is working well for me. Also want to add that adding filters to the camera lens may or may not get your color corrected where you need it. Adding additional filters will definitely degrade your image quality.

 

[Howzat]

That is a shame. The X5 is so bad that filming in the bright sunshine can change the colour of flowers from blue to purple!! Soil is red not brown. I recently shot at a beach and the sand was teddy brown not gold and grey rocks had a red colour cast even though it is mid grey in reality. It can’t be solved with a LUT or grading I have tried. There is not enough data in an 8-bit H264 file. I use a Sony FS5 with 10-bit HD and this can be graded. It seems that DJI want to offer all the same shooting modes as pro cameras without bothering with developing the Codec and colour science.

 

[Jerdog3]

That is a shame. The X5 is so bad that filming in the bright sunshine can change the colour of flowers from blue to purple!! Soil is red not brown. I recently shot at a beach and the sand was teddy brown not gold and grey rocks had a red colour cast even though it is mid grey in reality. It can’t be solved with a LUT or grading I have tried. There is not enough data in an 8-bit H264 file. I use a Sony FS5 with 10-bit HD and this can be graded. It seems that DJI want to offer all the same shooting modes as pro cameras without bothering with developing the Codec and colour science.

Have you tried the custom color balance setting at 5200K? If you haven't then give it a try. It fools the camera so that it it lowers the magenta.