Can I make a broadcast wildlife doc with Red?

[Ed Watkins]

Hey Tom,
I take it you finally got your hands on a RED? Or is it John Shires?

Anyway I've been out here in Panama for the last week or so shooting solo on a wildlife doc with my RED with a set of Nikon lenses. I've got a day off today.

There are a few things I'd note:
Overheating is not a problem here (90 degrees, 80% humidity).
It's surprisingly heavy, more so than a Varicam / F900.
The ports are all uncovered (why? I ask, why?).
The startup time in conjunction with the 1hr battery life can be a killer for some behavior shots, a 'sleep' mode is something that is desperately needed.
There are some funky codec issues with the current builds (it seems to crap out when panning up into the canopy exposing for the leaves. I think the high detail of the leaves, and overexposed bits of sky over stretches the codec at present)

I'm currently not sure whether I'm in love or hate with the RED for wildlife.
It is certainly more of a hassle than an HPX or Varicam, but the 4K images it produces are stunning (although they aren't entirely noiseless, especially when shooting in the low light of the jungle). However, the ability to crop down / re frame from 4K to 2K is spectacular, and can give some amazing shots.

Here are a few I shot over the last few days (quick screen grabs from REDCINE, basic 'S' curve and saturation applied).

[Greg Syverson]

Thanks for sharing the screen shots. It is so nice to see the work 35mm lenses with depth of field.

Great job!

[James Brundige]

Thanks for those great shots, Ed.

I am moving to Red because I have just thrown out 20 years of hard won nature footage in Standard Definition. Never again. I'll shoot in 2K, 3K, or 4K and down res my footage to whatever broadcast standard the industry settles on.

I'm thinking 3K as a compromise between quality and storage. Or should it be 4K?

Gibby - what does Mammoth HD prefer?

[Clark Dunbar]

Ed,

the stills look great - can't wait to see the r3d's.

Mammoth HD's - 1st preference is for 4K/16x9, but with that said, what ever the best frame rate for the subject.. and glass that you have available. So 4k , then 3K then 2K all at the highest bitrate.....

[Ed Watkins]

Ed,

the stills look great - can't wait to see the r3d's.

Mammoth HD's - 1st preference is for 4K/16x9, but with that said, what ever the best frame rate for the subject.. and glass that you have available. So 4k , then 3K then 2K all at the highest bitrate.....

Hey Clark, I'm shooting Redcode 28 (because of storage constraints) is that going to be a problem for you guys? It didn't even cross my mind until I read your post! PM me.

[Clark Dunbar]

Hi Ed,

RedCode 28 is great, but given the choice we'd go for the higher bitrate, as it should allow more options when fulling the various enduser requirements... but we have the original RED files that look fantastic and now we have even better material with the upgrade of 28 and 36 options

[Thomas Winston]

Ed- The screen grabs look amazing, but your experiences do scare me. Like I said in the original post, I think this is a great camera, but I don't know if it will work in our genre in its current form.

My order hasn't come up yet and I'm on the fence. I may make the trip to NAB to make the final decision.

Where are you going from Panama? UK or US? I would love to talk through all your experiences when you have a chance.

[Ed Watkins]

Ed- The screen grabs look amazing, but your experiences do scare me. Like I said in the original post, I think this is a great camera, but I don't know if it will work in our genre in its current form.

My order hasn't come up yet and I'm on the fence. I may make the trip to NAB to make the final decision.

Where are you going from Panama? UK or US? I would love to talk through all your experiences when you have a chance.

Hey Tom,

When are you planning on shooting? If it's a good few months away I think you'll have a far smoother experience with the RED than I. In it's current form it is certainly more difficult to shoot with than the HPX's.

For me, what it comes down to is a trade off between 4K images (either for a film out, or for a crop and re-scale to HD) and ease of use.

If you want huge flexibility in resizing, color correction, and stock footage potential, use a RED and bring a camera assistant.

If you want to make sure you get every shot, don't need to film out or crop, and don't want the extra hassle, use an HPX.

I'll be in USA next week (Colorado), give me a call if you want.

[Philip Lima]

I agree with Ed. We purchased our RED with the idea of shooting wildlife in the field. We have used an HVX since it was available and though it is much simpler and lighter, the RED just produces images that can't even begin to compare. We have had issues with grain with our HVX, even in bright light. Having complete control over most everything with the RED is a huge plus.

The minus is having to bring a camera assistant everywhere. But, when it comes down to it. We think it is well worth it!

Right now, we are shooting a few nature/wildlife films and series with our RED in the field. We haven't gone too far yet, only because we are still perfecting the camera settings and workflow. As soon as we have it, we're going deep into the field.

[Thomas Winston]

laselvasurf- once you figure out your settings and workflow, can you let us know?