Demystifying Canon Log 3: Capture Stunning Footage with Your Canon Camera
C-Log 3 is a powerful log gamma curve, which allows it to capture incredible dynamic range and cinematic quality video. But conquering its intricacies can feel daunting. So I decided to create this guide to help you capture the best possible C-Log 3 footage you can. This are just my tricks, and would love to hear if anyone else out there has advice for shooting in this log profile.
Camera Settings
First off, we need to make sure we set some camera settings to capture C-log 3:
C-Log 3 Activation: Navigate to the red menu (camera icon) and enable C-Log 3. On the Canon R6 mark ii, it’s on page 5.
Live View: Enable for a Rec.709 preview, but remember, this can be inaccurate when exposing to the right. So I don’t use it, and instead use other exposure tools to help me.
Picture Profile: I add sharpness (+3) in-camera to save editing time. I find the image too soft at the default setting. And setting sharpness in camera is easier to process than doing it in post-production. But feel free to experiment and choose the sharpness you like.
Color Space: Opt for Cinema Gamut for maximum color flexibility.
Lens Correction: I disable peripheral illumination correction to avoid noise in the corner of my video. When this is on, it removes the vignette from your lens. But in doing so, it increases the exposure making those parts of the image noisy.
Zebras: Set Zebra 1 to 55% and Zebra 2 to 95% for exposure guidance (we'll explain why later).
Mastering Exposure:
Base ISO: Stick to 800 ISO for cleanest image quality. This is C-log 3’s base ISO. Anything below this actually causes the image to LOSE dynamic range. But that won’t be the case for 800 ISO and above.
ND Filters: Tame bright conditions with ND filters to achieve perfect exposure.
Exposing to the Right (ETTR): Use Zebra 2 to find the limit where your highlights will be clipped. Once I see those zebras on my screen, I simply reduce the exposure until those zebras are gone.
Now you’re exposing the right! When we do this, we keep our shadows clean from noise. C-log 3 struggles with noise in the shadow, so by raising their exposure level as much as we can, while retaining details in the highlights. This gives us the widest Dynamic Range and the Cleanest Image.
Tips for ETTR
Bright Objects: Ignore zebras on naturally bright elements like the sun or reflections.
High Contrast: Prioritize exposure for the most important part of your shot, even if highlights clip.
Low Light: Raise ISO in increments by DOUBLING (e.g 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 etc.). For whatever reason, Canon cameras have the least noise when you double them.
Exposing for Skin Tones: Turn on Zebra 1 and increase exposure until the bright side of your subject's skin is covered in zebras. Skin tones look best at this IRE value, so you know that the side of their face with light will be properly exposed.
Now that you have captured your amazing C-log 3 footage, it’s time to actually process it in post.
Post-Production Magic
Color Correction Profile: Apply the Canon CLog 3 Cinema Gamut to Wide DR Rec 709 profile. This comes from Canon’s website on any support page for a camera that can shoot in any C-log format. Here is a link
Exposure Correction LUTs (Optional): Consider using LUTs like Todd Dominey's to automatically compensate for ETTR exposure.
LUTs on External Monitor (Optional): Import LUTs to your external monitor for a live preview of the final image.
Congrats, I hope these tips help you on your journey into shooting log footage in your videos. If you have any questions or tips yourself, share them with me in the comments section.
Happy filming!
