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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Product release - The RED Null

Just curious,

How often are you guys finding the need to adjust your backfocus on the Reds? I have to be honest, I rarely adjust mine as a lot of my work, I'm pulling my own focus or just haven't had problems.
 
In the year that I've owned my camera, I've *had to* adjust it three times. I've set it a couple times more than that if I had the opportunity (was near better equipment than my 14mm zeiss prime and a chart). And I've got close to about 500 hours on the camera, so moderate use there ~ averaging about 8 to 10 hours per week. But I try to check it often. I was planning to need more regular checking this past winter, but it turns out I didn't do much of any shooting in drastic temperature changing weather and whatnot.

It also helps that I don't really rent out the camera or let others use it and I transport it with care. Not a scratch on it yet.
 
I'm not sure how $1600 is "so cheap everyone can afford one", especially for an item that you can substitute a monitor and a focus chart for at the beginning/end of day. Since Epic is (allegedly) so close, I guess I'll wait and see how that system handles it and whether this is a needed item going forward.
 
Shawn Nelson said:
I'm not sure how $1600 is "so cheap everyone can afford one", especially for an item that you can substitute a monitor and a focus chart for at the beginning/end of day. Since Epic is (allegedly) so close, I guess I'll wait and see how that system handles it and whether this is a needed item going forward.
Click to expand...

The problem is shawn, do you have a wide angel lens that you are sure is accurate? It would suck to have a 16mm prime that's off, you set to that, and then you find out the 85mm is on the outer side of the center. With this lens, if lenses are on both side of "center", it will be better. That's the nice part of having this lens. It will be deadly accurate. Plus, I've got an 8mm lens if I ever need it! (true, it's set to infi. and no iris, but with some ND for wide vistas, it might be useful!)

BTW, is $1600 really that much? As much as I would want it to be under $1k, $1600 seems like a bargain for this in our industry!

Matthew
 
Matthew is correct except on one count. Somehow someone got it in their head that the RED Null is an 8mm prime. It is not. It is a very wide angle and that is important to the design. But it does not cover the whole sensor and in fact I'm not even sure exactly what the angle of view is. It is a very fast optical f-stop because again it needs to be. In fact, it is going to be faster than just about any lens you are likely to have in your kit. In the video on our blog I closed the shutter down to 1/2000 and lowered the sensitivity a good deal in order to get an exposure that I could clearly see. Anyone who was at the Las Vegas REDuser party could see me setting backfocus with the RED Null by pointing up at the ceiling across the ballroom where it was very dark but I had plenty of exposure at 320 ISO and 1/48th shutter.

The RED Null does cover 2K and probably 3K. I honestly haven't checked but will do so on Monday. It delivers a sharp, clear, undistorted and uncolored image for the part of the sensor it does cover. If you want a great peep hole effect I guess this is the lens for you. But first and formost it is an optical collimating device.
 
A regular lens has slop or play within its moveable parts. That is simple mechanics. The better the condition or design the less slop. But I know plenty of lenses where a tap on the focus dial -- not a rotation but a tap that may shift the focusing elements forward or back in distance relative to the sensor -- can result in a depth of focus shift by 10 microns or more. Sometimes a lot more (boy do I hate sloppy still lenses or bad still lens conversions). This can be enough to throw an image out of focus. If this is the standard used to set focus, then it can be off significantly enough to make other lenses innaccurate.

I have seen plenty of RED cameras come through our shop with their backfocus off, sometimes way off. In fact I would venture to say that it is a near-perfect record -- just about every single RED that enters our shop has the backfocus set improperly.

You can call it thermal expansion, a heavy zoom pulling on the mount, an out of spec prime used for adjustment, or just poor work in whoever set that mount before us. But trust me, there is an absolute need for a device such as this. There are other devices out there, most of them hugely expensive or cumbersome. I have yet to see any that are as easy to use and as accurate as the RED Null. Certainly not while as portable and inexpensive.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Matthew is correct except on one count. Somehow someone got it in their head that the RED Null is an 8mm prime. It is not. It is a very wide angle and that is important to the design. But it does not cover the whole sensor and in fact I'm not even sure exactly what the angle of view is.
Click to expand...

For some reason I feel like someone said it was 8mm. It may have been someone guessing. And thanks for reminding me about it not covering 4k. I remember that now from your video. Oh well, I still think it's not a bad price for what it does. Having one rental go out that doesn't have the BF properly set will cost me almost as much as the RED Null costs.

Matthew
 
Matthew Rogers said:
Having one rental go out that doesn't have the BF properly set will cost me almost as much as the RED Null costs.
Click to expand...

So true. And even if rentals or the need to fix the back-focus on a job don't become an issue, I'm figuring the null lens will pay for itself within a year just out of convenience of not having to stop by the local rental house to have them throw it on their bench. And to set within 5 microns on my own with a small lens that will fit in a compact kit, is a huge deal.
 
Jeff Kilgroe said:
So true. And even if rentals or the need to fix the back-focus on a job don't become an issue, I'm figuring the null lens will pay for itself within a year just out of convenience of not having to stop by the local rental house to have them throw it on their bench. And to set within 5 microns on my own with a small lens that will fit in a compact kit, is a huge deal.
Click to expand...

At least you have a local rental house. I am the only cine rental house in the area. So for me, this is a no brainer.

Matthew
 
When you look at the price of other precise back focus tools, such as the Zeiss Sharp Max (retail $6k), you realize that the RED Null is a bargain. Not to mention the other benefits (compact, PL, very easy to use).
 
Matthew Rogers said:
At least you have a local rental house. I am the only cine rental house in the area. So for me, this is a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Ouch.

Hehe. We only have two real rental houses here and they're literally across the street from one another, if that makes sense. Actually the other side of an 8-lane highway and a couple blocks down, but still... And one of them has actually decided to "close down". It's still open for now, but the owner is fed up with the biz and everything is for sale. Unfortunately, no deals to be had. Too bad because I wanted to buy a bunch of their glass and some other equipment (Fischer dolly, etc..) but they seem to have no real interest in actually selling, even though it's "for sale".
 
Jeremy Newmark said:
When you look at the price of other precise back focus tools, such as the Zeiss Sharp Max (retail $6k), you realize that the RED Null is a bargain. Not to mention the other benefits (compact, PL, very easy to use).
Click to expand...

It's all relative to each person. Every other solution has been waaaay out my budget. For me, this is just somewhat out of my budget- it is a good deal and is on my long list of equipment I need to get for my R1.
RPPs first. (Of course what good are they if my back focus is off? 8)
 
Raul Gonzo said:
It's all relative to each person. Every other solution has been waaaay out my budget. For me, this is just somewhat out of my budget- it is a good deal and is on my long list of equipment I need to get for my R1.
RPPs first. (Of course what good are they if my back focus is off? 8)
Click to expand...

pretty much my situation too. RPPs gotta be had first, then onto other stuff.
 
I too, find it a very expensive accessory. It's useful and everything but $1600 for a tool that you can do without is a luxury that not everyone can afford i guess.

I would buy one if it was sub $1K though...
 
Just to let everyone know, we've had a huge response to the RED Null. To keep track of the reservation list, we have all orders channeling through a single person (Stevie here in New York). It is a fairly inundating process and she's keeping up as best she can. But you can all rest assured that she is keeping the list in order that the requests came in, using either the time stamps that are on emails, forwarded PMs, or phone log / computer quotes. You will all get your proper place in line, but please give her a few days before getting a response back.
 
I was just on a shoot where we had to adjust back-focus daily and on one day multiple times. I am concerned and figure I need to contact RED about this. My A/C is top notch and I was in touch with RED about adjusting back foucs on our last shoot and doing the alternating 1/4 turns per screw tightening. As you can imagine this slows down production more than is acceptable.

Thoughts?

-Dan
 
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