Low ASA on Alexa Classic

[lukas_hyrman]

Hey Mr. Deakins

and anyone who can weigh in,

Can you speak to your decision making process with regards to ASA on the original Alexa series of cameras.  In your write ups you seem to always write that you rate the camera at 800.  I’ve been experimenting with rating it at 200 for dark imagery.  The image comes out so clean, inky blacks and beautiful fall off in the shadows.  The highlights blow out more easily, but it seems worth the trade off.  Did you ever do this?

 

Thank you a million billion

Lu

Topic

[Frank]

As you say, it really is about the trade-off with how quickly the highlights will clip and your ability to bring that information back in post if need be. At 200 ISO on the Alexa Classic I think you’ll have something like two stops fewer above middle grey than you would at 800 ISO? There’s also the practicality of shooting at lower sensitivity and how much light you’ll need to get an exposure. If I were shooting on a very controlled set where I could pump in as much light as needed, I was committing to a specific exposure with very little allowance in development because I was confident nothing would clip, and I wanted an extremely clean image, that’s when I would shoot at 200 ISO.

[Roger Deakins]

Yes, I have usually found the 800 ASA an advantage. But, regardless, I have always preferred to shoot with the full range of information and control my contrast with lighting. If you want to create an extreme image of the kind you suggest, and have no way to do that on set, I see no reason it can’t be done in the DI.

I did use bleach bypass when shooting film even with a digital finish. Perhaps adjusting the camera’s rating is similar to a bleach bypass, but I don’t see it making sense when you can so easily create the effect in post these days. Am I missing something?

[Roger Deakins]

Yes, I have usually found the 800 ASA an advantage. But, regardless, I have always preferred to shoot with the full range of information and control my contrast with lighting. If you want to create an extreme image of the kind you suggest, and have no way to do that on set, I see no reason it can’t be done in the DI.

I did use bleach bypass when shooting film even with a digital finish. Perhaps adjusting the camera’s rating is similar to a bleach bypass, but I don’t see it making sense when you can so easily create the effect in post these days. Am I missing something?

[Author]

Replies