Here's another settings comparison video. All video is shot at 30 frames per second, at a shutter speed of 1/120 second, with sharpness at MEDIUM. The scenes compare camera color profile settings (FLAT and GOPRO COLOR) and show the image sharpness at both 321 yards and a much closer 28 yards. Be sure and watch the second tree notch scene for my little photo-bomber.
What I was interested in was whether highlight and shadow detail was lost when using GOPRO COLOR instead of FLAT. Hajimoto points out it's usually best to shoot with sharpness set to MEDIUM, then sharpen appropriately in post processing. I agree whole-heartedly. I also think the same applies to using FLAT vs GOPRO COLOR for the camera capture color profile. At least in the vast majority of scene situations, provided you will be editing the footage after shooting it. I will say that if I was not going to be editing the footage at all, I would likely use both GOPRO COLOR, and HIGH SHARPNESS. However, since most of my airgun footage is shot to show the slomo effect of the pellet in flight and impacting a target, I'll almost always be in the editing software anyway, so I might as well keep the finer control over how my color processing affects my highlights and shadows.
If you look at the transformer pole scene when it goes from FLAT to GOPRO COLOR, you see that the in-camera processing boosts the color and contrast to a more pleasing picture as far as color and contrast goes, but it also blows out some highlight detail, and blocks up some shadow detail. This scene isn't all that great as an example of this, but imagine a scene where a black squirrel was your subject. Depending on scene content and how the camera reads the exposure, you could easily loose black detail in the fur. Once that detail is processed out of your video, it's gone. If captured in FLAT, the detail is there, and when post-processed, you can ensure you don't block-up the shadows (dark subject areas) and loose the detail in your blacks. Same is true of your highlight detail (white/bright areas).
Another purpose of this video was to show the clarity achievable at distances closer than the original 321 yards used in the first video. I have to say I was pleased with the bark detail attained at 32X at 28 yards. I'm going to say I can leave my lens focused where it's at.
Sorry for the transformer pole scene having so much mirage affect showing. It's focused, just shooting across an open flat field at a different time of day than the first video of this transformer pole.
Again, any comments and recommendations are welcome.
https://youtu.be/G8iU2Xslf2c
