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C. Choosing the right operating mode
C3. Cine EI and s709: For shooting using S-Log3 with
post-production grading
The other base operating mode is the “Cine EI” mode.
This mode is tailored for obtaining the largest possible
dynamic range and colour range from the PXW-FX9. In
this mode you shoot using the S-Log3 gamma curve and
either the SGamut3 or SGamut3.cine colour space. When
viewed on a conventional monitor this S-Log3 material
will often look flat and washed out. Footage captured this
way will need to then be colour graded in post-production
to produce the desired end look. This is a more complex
workflow compared to shooting a direct final image using
Custom Mode but it does offer more creative possibilities.
As a result, the Cine EI mode tends to be used more
for productions where image quality is the primary
consideration rather than ease of use or production
turnaround speed.
When using the Cine EI mode, depending on how the
camera is set-up, it can apply a Monitor LUT (Look Up
Table) to the Viewfinder, HDMI and SDI outputs to simulate
how the footage may look after it has been colour graded.
The default LUT in the FX9 is the same “s709” LUT as
used by the VENICE camera. As a result, when this MLUT
is applied to the viewfinder or outputs the video will look
very similar to footage from a VENICE camera.