Neil Horner
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- Feb 10, 2011
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- www.imageynation.com
Hello RED users, this is my first thread as I am relatively new to the RED family.
We are now the proud owners of a brand new EPIC #00994. I had the pleasure of picking up the camera yesterday and all day I had been excited like a child going to a toy shop...I haven't been this excited about a camera in a long time (probably since the first reports of a digital cinema camera that could shoot 4k!)
Firstly let me start by saying a big thanks to Alan Piper and his team at RED Europe for a very smooth transaction and for taking the time to go through all the different mounting and modular configs that this camera can work with. The modularity of this camera is in my mind the way ALL cameras will go in the future, it just makes sense to have a camera that can be quickly re-assembled into a different unit for a completely different style of filming...in seconds rather than minutes.
I first saw the UK's first Epic a few months ago at RED Europe and I think my eyes lit up then and I knew we just had to have one to be ahead of the game.
When I first saw it, I couldn't believe how small and light it was...when I picked up our camera yesterday, I had oddly forgotten how small it was and it seemed smaller than I remembered...I walked in to the office today and saw it again and once again I was taken back by its size. I don't know why I can't grasp it's size, but it must be something to do with my expectations being blown away...sort of in the same regards as when you watch JAWS and always think the shark is bigger!
The build quality on this camera is everything you would expect from a top-end cinema camera...and then some. Everything feels 'right' and pieces fit together almost intuitively. There is nothing more to say than it really is top quality and great engineering (I love the titanium PL mount, it feels so solid, in fact, the whole camera and all the accessories feel SOLID).
I do have a few comments on things that I have noticed and it is in no way a criticism, more an observation that I am happy to share with here.
The top handle is great and feels super strong on the body, it is definitely worth having this as it does help to get a good grip on the camera, which I don't know if I mentioned it...but it is so small!
However, there is currently only one mounting point at the front (I know you can get cheese plates and other accessories to flesh this out), so if you want to use the viewfinder, you need to mount it there and that means you cant mount the handle as well. The solution for me will be to get a longer EVF/LCD cable so I can mount the viewfinder at the back and also have the handle at the front...currently the cable that ships with the Epic is a small 6" cable and it really only means that the only place you can 'work' the viewfinder is mounted on the front of the cam.
Also noticed that if you have a 15mm rail system, you need the 15mm adapter, but it is centred and I can't see how this will work correctly with a swing arm matte box as it will put the matte box in the wrong place...it looks like the adapter should be offset, but it isn't.
Granted these aren't huge issues...but how many problems can you find with a camera that is pretty perfect?
I am sure we will be adding more posts and hopefully some new footage and tests very soon...but until then, it is nice to be part of the RED community
Best,
Neil
www.imageynation.com
We are now the proud owners of a brand new EPIC #00994. I had the pleasure of picking up the camera yesterday and all day I had been excited like a child going to a toy shop...I haven't been this excited about a camera in a long time (probably since the first reports of a digital cinema camera that could shoot 4k!)
Firstly let me start by saying a big thanks to Alan Piper and his team at RED Europe for a very smooth transaction and for taking the time to go through all the different mounting and modular configs that this camera can work with. The modularity of this camera is in my mind the way ALL cameras will go in the future, it just makes sense to have a camera that can be quickly re-assembled into a different unit for a completely different style of filming...in seconds rather than minutes.
I first saw the UK's first Epic a few months ago at RED Europe and I think my eyes lit up then and I knew we just had to have one to be ahead of the game.
When I first saw it, I couldn't believe how small and light it was...when I picked up our camera yesterday, I had oddly forgotten how small it was and it seemed smaller than I remembered...I walked in to the office today and saw it again and once again I was taken back by its size. I don't know why I can't grasp it's size, but it must be something to do with my expectations being blown away...sort of in the same regards as when you watch JAWS and always think the shark is bigger!
The build quality on this camera is everything you would expect from a top-end cinema camera...and then some. Everything feels 'right' and pieces fit together almost intuitively. There is nothing more to say than it really is top quality and great engineering (I love the titanium PL mount, it feels so solid, in fact, the whole camera and all the accessories feel SOLID).
I do have a few comments on things that I have noticed and it is in no way a criticism, more an observation that I am happy to share with here.
The top handle is great and feels super strong on the body, it is definitely worth having this as it does help to get a good grip on the camera, which I don't know if I mentioned it...but it is so small!
However, there is currently only one mounting point at the front (I know you can get cheese plates and other accessories to flesh this out), so if you want to use the viewfinder, you need to mount it there and that means you cant mount the handle as well. The solution for me will be to get a longer EVF/LCD cable so I can mount the viewfinder at the back and also have the handle at the front...currently the cable that ships with the Epic is a small 6" cable and it really only means that the only place you can 'work' the viewfinder is mounted on the front of the cam.
Also noticed that if you have a 15mm rail system, you need the 15mm adapter, but it is centred and I can't see how this will work correctly with a swing arm matte box as it will put the matte box in the wrong place...it looks like the adapter should be offset, but it isn't.
Granted these aren't huge issues...but how many problems can you find with a camera that is pretty perfect?
I am sure we will be adding more posts and hopefully some new footage and tests very soon...but until then, it is nice to be part of the RED community
Best,
Neil
www.imageynation.com
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