Firstly, I incorrectly answered Question 11 'What color temperature are fluorescent lights?  I answered ‘Approximately 4500°F’. Upon re-examining the answer choices I immediately realized I had overlooked the correct unit of measurement for color temperature, which is Kelvin (not Fahrenheit or Celsius). In addition, the correct answer is that fluorescent lights have a color temperature of approximately 3500°K (or more generally, their color temperature falls between a relatively wide range of around 3400°K to 4200°K). The color temperature of fluorescent lights, which have a greenish tinge, can vary widely in accord with the source/type of fluorescent lamp (for example an off-white fluorescent lamp @ approx. 3500°K to a white florescent lamp @ approx. 4200°K). Overall, photography blue lamps (5000°K), camera flashbulbs (5600°K), to clear midday sunlight (6500°K ) all have a higher color temperature than fluorescent light.  This exercise most definitely helped me to understand the lighting conditions of fluorescent light.

 

Secondly, I incorrectly answered Question 15, which was related to white balance. I answered 'White balance is the process of identifying which objects are white in your frame‘'. After reading more deeply I understood why the correct answer is that ‘White balance is showing your camera what white looks like in a given location’.  I found the most helpful explanation to be that the camera does not see white the way the human eye does, and that this is because the camera cannot mimic the human eye by automatically adjusting under changing light conditions in order to maintain accurate color interpretation . Therefore, it follows that the camera (in manual setting) needs to be continually shown how to identify white, and must use this reference in accord with location and time of day. 

The concept of all light having its own color temperature is something to which I had previously given little to no thought. This was clearly reflected as a weakness when taking the quiz. Also, whilst having previously heard the term ‘white balance’ and feeling somewhat confused by it, I have this week gained a deeper understanding of the importance of correctly white balancing a camera as lighting conditions change, and especially being acutely aware of changing light conditions when filming. More specifically, I understand now how to correctly white balance a camera by zooming in on a white card that is under the same lighting as the subject to be filmed (or using a white cap and pointing the camera at the same source of illumination as that of the subject) and waiting for the camera to confirm white balancing is complete. Overall, I have a new understanding of how critical white balance is to achieving correct color representation when capturing film footage and images. 

 

Correctly answering quiz questions about focus, depth of field and aperture reflected my strengths, and this was due to previous (albeit it limited) experience with aperture settings and telephoto lens photography and experimentation in previous years. My experience whilst limited, certainly helped in addition to the readings for the week. To go much deeper, I need to continue to improve in all areas by reading more deeply and improving my knowledge through practical experience. This is especially true in terms of utilizing best practice with white balancing my camera and studying and achieving correct color representation in varying lighting conditions in all of my shots.

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SPECIFIC POINTS OF NOTE from the Pocketnow review:

Daylight shooting
The review noted that Samsung has a reputation for heavy saturation and sharpening, but is lush, and generally very pleasing although some color processing was reportedly at times inconsistent. For instance, there was some negative feedback regarding the camera’s processing of red. Generally though, the camera was reviewed overall to show better performance than most of its competition, vivid sharp and eye-pleasing video content although somewhat hazy at the macro end.

 

Spot metering
Manual mode was seen to be a little darker than ideal whilst auto settings were very good. The Galaxy s8 spot meter options comprise: spot meter (for overall image),  centre weighted (towards middle - portrait), and  matrix (dynamic).

 
White balance / Color temperature
The white balance capabilities were found to be very satisfying, although at times perhaps not entirely accurate to subjects in terms of not being true white, but does a good job of retaining the 'feel' of the lighting. Shade shots had been found to retain a warmth, and night shooting reflected the camera’s tendency to expose for the lighting more so than the subject. Color temperature can be controlled in the Galaxy s8 either by manually using the Kelvin slider (which has a slider scale of 2300k to 10000k) or inbuilt presets for Fluorescent,  Bulb,  Cloud, and Daylight conditions.

Focus and Zoom
Reviews (and personal experience) both conclude that video focus is not quite as good in close ups as it is for still shots in the s8, although the auto-focus speed is very good. Zoom function also is not as good as it could be (I use it sparingly).

Sound
The Galaxy s8's internal audio capture has been described as 'solid', with good dynamic range and nice stereo separation. This doesn't mean the device would be suitable for short film production where more sophisticated audio capture equipment would clearly be ideal. However, audio for my Assessment 2 project will mostly be added in post-production therefore audio capture is not a big issue as my short film will feature the protagonist and no dialogue.

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Overall, smartphone cameras are understandably inferior to a full size video camera for the purpose of filming videos.  The device is not a video camera after all although it has an impressive capability for its size. Image and sound quality and capability in prosumer cameras are incomparably superior as they are purpose-designed, and unfortunately, achieving that level of professional looking video is not possible from a smartphone. Also, although both the smartphone and for instance a camcorder are capable of 4K video recording, the smartphone offers a limited set of options when it comes to filming and is not very sophisticated. Similarly however, the camcorder, whilst designed solely for the purpose of video recording, is still restricted by many automatic operational settings. The prosumer camera offers fully manual image and audio control, bigger imaging chips, superior color processing and interchangeable high-quality lenses. However, with this, comes substantial bulkiness when it comes to transportation and operation, and of course a massively substantial price difference. Buying a smartphone at $1000 for convenient portability and functionality compared to a prosumer video camera at >$15,000 is all about the professional (or not) requirements of the user. Physically, the smartphone is of course extremely light and portable. If professional video quality isn't such an issue, on the negative side, when it comes to filming video, the phone is difficult to hold consistently steady (without the aid of a stabilizer stick or gimbal).  Ultimately, the equipment used depends upon the consumer/film-maker’s purpose, professional requirements, and budget. 

Items discussed, familiarized and/or tested were:

 - Sets and locations

 - Props

 - Wardrobe

 - Story line

 - Travel arrangements

 - Safety practices regarding any potential issues

 - Meal availability
 - Food intolerances (gluten and dairy)
 - Restroom availability