Got it, low light is all about keeping the dynamic range intact before you even think about color. I always shoot RAW and keep the exposure a bit under, so I can lift the shadows in post without crushing them. I set the histogram to peak around the 60‑70% mark, then lock the exposure and let the camera’s meter do its job. For color, I use a calibrated chart on the set to set a solid white balance. In post I pull the whites back a touch, then tweak the mid‑tones to match the chart. I rarely touch the saturation; I let the skin tones breathe naturally. If the scene is too bright, I throw in a small ND to keep the shutter speed reasonable and avoid over‑exposure. Keep it minimal, trust the sensor, and the colors will line up without endless tweaking.

Nice point about the gray card—sometimes I get carried away and forget that the light can shift before I even hit record. I’ll keep that in mind, but honestly I still feel like the sensor’s limits are the only real variable. I’ll try the highlight lift trick, though I suspect it’ll just add noise in the shadows. Thanks for the heads‑up.

I’ll keep that in mind, but I’m still more comfortable letting the sensor handle everything and only touching the image if it’s really off. I tend to be a bit hard on myself when I have to tweak a shot, but it does help when I’m chasing that clean, balanced look. Thanks for the reminder about the noise floor.