topic Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Bazsl — Sun, 13 May 2018 20:50:20 GMT

I would like the histogram shown on the LCD of my 5D mark IV to reflect the dynamic range of the raw file as accurately as possible. Since the histogram is derived from the JPEG preview shown on the camera's LCD the histogram is affected by the picture style used to generate the JPEG preview. My question is, which contrast setting for the picture style will produce a dynamic range on the histogram that most closely approximates the dynamic range of the raw file? Put another way, the contrast value for a picture style can be set from -4 to 4. Most picture styles, including Standard and Neutral, have the contrast set to zero. Does a contrast value of zero produce a histogram whose dynamic range most closely approximates the dynamic range of the raw file or does a constrast value of -4 produce a histogram whose dynamic range most closely approximates the dynamic range of the raw file? If anyone can point me to any publication by Canon on this subject I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Bill

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Peter — Mon, 14 May 2018 08:16:14 GMT

Google UniWB. I use raw histogram with my 6D and 7D, but you can't do it with 5D IV.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 14 May 2018 15:32:41 GMT

I don't know if I totally understand what you are wanting to accomplish? There is no "ideal" histogram. What the photo includes, let's say a very dark scenario vs a very bright one will produce a very different histogram. But both can be ideal.

So the contrast and picture style may effect it too but does it make a correct or good or ideal histogram?

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Bazsl — Mon, 14 May 2018 15:49:05 GMT

I am trying to get the dynamic range of the histogram displayed on the camera's LCD to match the dynamic range of the raw file. Put another way, I am trying to get the histogram that is derived from the JPEG preview to have the same dynamic range as a histogram derived from the raw file itself.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 14 May 2018 16:04:15 GMT

I don't know if you can. The Raw file is not an image. It is a data from red, green and blue pixel sites on the camera sensor. Any image you see on a camera or computer screen is a conversion of that data. The histogram applies to the image as you view it.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Bazsl — Mon, 14 May 2018 16:50:08 GMT

If you demosaic a raw file into a rasterized image and derive a histogram from that rasterized image the histogram will not match the histogram that was displayed on the camera's LCD at the time the image was captured. The LCD histogram was derived from the JPEG preview shown on the camera's LCD and that JPEG image had he current picture style applied after it was created. If the picture style includes additional contrast the LCD histogram will be wider than it would have been without added contrast. What I want to know is what should I set the contrast of the neutral picture style to in order to get a histogram on the LCD that is the same width (has the same dynamic range) as the histogram derived from the the demosaiced rasterized raw file.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Peter — Mon, 14 May 2018 17:09:22 GMT

Then you have to wait for ML to fix raw histogram for your 5D IV. It may take years or not even happen.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Bazsl — Mon, 14 May 2018 17:26:44 GMT

ML?

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Peter — Mon, 14 May 2018 17:29:38 GMT

Magic Lantern. Same software that gives my 6D and 7D raw histogram.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

ebiggs1 — Mon, 14 May 2018 19:09:38 GMT

Magic Lantern is firmware that supersedes the Canon factory firmware. It has its lovers and it has its haters. I am a hater as I have seen it freeze up a camera so bad that Canon is the only place that can fix it. BTW, Canon does not recommend you use ML. If you have any warranty, it will be void if you do so.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Peter — Tue, 15 May 2018 09:11:27 GMT

A feature with 5D IV is that it takes two raw files at the same time. I think it is 1 stop in different between the two raw files. That means that even if you overexpose 1 stop and clip the highlight, the second raw file will come out perfectly ETTR.

Sadly, the software to extract the second raw file is only available for Windows and OS X.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Bazsl — Tue, 15 May 2018 14:33:56 GMT

You are thinking of dual pixel raw files which let you make minor focus adjustments in DPP during post processing. This feature has nothing to do with exposure.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

Peter — Tue, 15 May 2018 16:46:36 GMT

You just use the wrong software. The correct software is DPRSplit.

Re: Best picture style for histogram accuracy when shooting raw?

RobertC — Sat, 01 Jun 2019 16:31:35 GMT

https://luminous-landscape.com/settings-for-an-accurate-histogram/

I am also looking for a podcast that Chris Marquardt (TFTTF Tips From The Top Floor) about this subject several years ago.