S1H i.Dynamic Range setting getting lost from Library to Develop modules

[Mathrouk]

Hello there,

I generally use my S1H for video but decided to play around and experiment a bit with stills. I tried the i.Dynamic Range setting of the S1H and can clearly see the difference in camera after taking one shot with i.Dynamic Range on High and a second shot with the setting turned OFF. The difference appears also as it does in camera in the Library module. One picture shows a lot of dynamic range, while the other less (the saved preset is automatically set to "custom").

In the Develop module however, the picture I took with the High i.Dynamic range setting looks like the second one (the one with i.Dynamic Range set to OFF). It looks like the Adobe Color profile completely cancels the i.Dynamic Range setting of the S1H. I've tried to change the profile, but it only lists the different picture profiles available in the S1H (Cinelike, Flat, Natural...) and I cannot find the way to recover the image as it is shown in the Library module, that correctly shows the i.Dynamic Range applied. 

I'm attaching the same picture as shown in both modules, as imported.

Can anyone help? Many thanks

[richardplondon · Accepted solution]

Your camera's dynamic range (in the sense of its sensor's / internal circuitry's capacity to differentiate light levels) is fixed. It cannot increase from setting a particular mode in the camera.

There are strategies with some cameras (and this i.Dynamic feature seems to be of that sort) whereby a secretly darker (therefore technically less optimal, potentially) physical exposure then receives special brightening post-processing, to compensate the general appearance of the picture back where it otherwise would have been - except with less re-brightening applied strategically, to the lightest areas of the picture.

This scheme may work fine as a convenience with camera JPG, but is not IMO at all helpful with Raw.

The trick is to expose for the brightest absolute Raw capture that does not cause important subject detail to be impossible to later retrieve. This Raw-optimal exposure often will be different, from what would best suit the camera's own JPG processing. Evaluating that is hard enough to do IMO without further complicating matters, with hidden in-camera exposure shenanigans!

[Mathrouk]

Thank you Richard, this makes a lot of sense. I was assuming the camera was stacking several different exposures in a combined RAW file but I must admit I actually have no idea how this whole thing works!

[Jao vdL · Accepted solution]

>I tried the i.Dynamic Range setting of the S1H

These sort of settings do not actually change the raw data. They simply set a flag in the raw file that tells the raw converter made by the camera manufacturer how to interpret the data. It also includes a jpeg in the raw file that is rendered by the camera with these settings. This is the image you see after import in Library. In develop it shows you how Lightroom itself interprets the raw data. Lightroom cannot read these sort of flags for many (most) cameras as they are proprietary to the camera maker so you wouldn't see what is most likely a simple HDR-like interpretation. What you can try to approximate the look of the in-camera jpeg is dialing in a negative setting for highlights and a positive setting for shadows. It might also simply be a very flat curve or very low contrast setting that will look closest.

[Mathrouk]

Thanks very much Jao. A crystal clear explanation.