Exposure, IRE and zebras

How do you set exposure not to burn the highlights on the subjects?

especially when using lights?

Is there a standard lets say like when "shooting" caucasian face where the zebras should be set at 70% (IRE 70)

I am doing some tests in my aquarium but I dont know If I can repeat during diving...

Any experienced users can share their knowledge...

Depends on who you ask and what you are shooting and also which camera you are using. The most common setting for skin is 70% (it's default in most cameras) depending on the look and lighting. BUT you have tans and various melanin pigmentation variations (think African sun baked skin like Alex Wek to say really vampire pale vitamin D deficient types and everything in between) so "rules" can never be hard and fast.

Cameras like the Red One for instance has a different sensitivity curve so IRE is sometimes down to 55% even. But the Red isn't a video camera, according to the marketing

Another "rule" is to just expose 2.5 stops under clipping. Just note that some sensors, if underexposed too much, have a bit more noise when you try bring up shadows in post.

For underwater exposure, where it can be pretty easy to overexpose with lights, setting IRE at 110 and Zebra @ 100% (which is broadcast safe) and then exposing left from there would be the wisest thing. Making sure your scene isn't clipped should get you and using a flat curve, high dynamic range image should allow you to mess with the look in post.

Or with Zebra @ 70%, expose till you don't see the zebra (which may kill shadow detail) or a bit (good luck seeing that underwater ) of zebra indication on the subject you want to expose to (except darker subjects of course )

Confused yet?

Depends on who you ask and what you are shooting and also which camera you are using. The most common setting for skin is 70% (it's default in most cameras) depending on the look and lighting. BUT you have tans and various melanin pigmentation variations (think African sun baked skin like Alex Wek to say really vampire pale vitamin D deficient types and everything in between) so "rules" can never be hard and fast.

Cameras like the Red One for instance has a different sensitivity curve so IRE is sometimes down to 55% even. But the Red isn't a video camera, according to the marketing

Another "rule" is to just expose 2.5 stops under clipping. Just note that some sensors, if underexposed too much, have a bit more noise when you try bring up shadows in post.

For underwater exposure, where it can be pretty easy to overexpose with lights, setting IRE at 110 and Zebra @ 100% (which is broadcast safe) and then exposing left from there would be the wisest thing. Making sure your scene isn't clipped should get you and using a flat curve, high dynamic range image should allow you to mess with the look in post.

Or with Zebra @ 70%, expose till you don't see the zebra (which may kill shadow detail) or a bit (good luck seeing that underwater ) of zebra indication on the subject you want to expose to (except darker subjects of course )

Confused yet?

Thanks for your answer.

Maybe its a dumb question but what is "clipping"?

I recently purchased the Panasonic HMC-151e

I have experienced in outdoor cloudy day shooting tree harvesting activity that trying to keep everything in the frame under 105 IRE

(trying to catch some of the clouds and not having the sky burnt) was giving me darker main subject, the person harvesting and the tree.

Then I changed and set the zebras on the subject (and burnt a light of the sky).

But I also think that setting the IRE to 105 and zebras 100%.

I was just afraid of sandy backgrounds that might get burnt with this setting.

But from what you said and I didnt know setting the IRE is not the same for all Camcorders. So I will have to trial and error.

I know it is extremely hard to catchup with the zebras on the fish (the reason of this post) I have tried in the aquarium. It does not give accurate results.

and you are always in a zebra hunt.

There is also a knee setting on my camera. ! more options!!

You cannot actually set the knee curve, only auto, low, mid , high settings.

Auto changes during recording and is messing with the results.

I use this setting to low to get a more dynamic range.

I also get master ped settings.... and the story goes on and on....

Clipping is where your highlights are over-exposed ("blown out"), so they're totally white with no detail (and detail cannot be retrieved in post-production).