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Old 15-09-2010, 07:34 AM
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avandonk
avandonk

avandonk is offline
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 4,786
Why HDR looks 'wrong' is because a very wide dynamic 20 bits+ range is tone mapped down to 8 bit so our pathetic displays can cope. Even straight 14 bit dynamic range as produced by the 5D MII cannot be displayed realistically on an 8 bit LCD display. A 16 bit astro camera is even more let down.

There are now wide gamut monitors available with 10 bits per colour channel.
here
http://www.ht.com.au/part/Y1524-HP-Z...-30/detail.hts

To take full advantage of this monitor you will need a high end graphics card such as the Quadro capable of more than 8 bit colour generally used in publishing and movie industry. If you use an ordinary graphics card the colours will look washed out.

or one with a 12 bit look up table here

http://www.justmonitors.com.au/neclcd3090wqxi.htm


This will show a wide gamut with a high end 'normal' graphics card.
I am sorely tempted to get this monitor when I arrange to sell one of my organs.


It is not HDR that is the problem it is our displays that have a pathetic dynamic range compared with reality viewed by the human eye.

It just looks 'wrong' when a very dim nebula and a very bright star are in the same region on an 8 bit display tone mapped from high dynamic range down to 8 bits. The situation can be even worse as the cheaper displays are only really 6 bit.

As for prints you are in even more trouble as the dynamic range is even lower.

I have yet to try it but a high quality transparency very evenly backlit would be better than a print.

Here is a stunning video done with Canon.

http://vimeo.com/14074949

It works because the lighting is under a dull sky so the dynamic range is not to high.

Bert

Last edited by avandonk; 15-09-2010 at 07:51 AM.
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