a BACK-UP camera...

[Eric-taner]

Do we need a back up camera when shooting with the Epic or Scarlet? specially when you have a big shooting day, were you just cant risk to have a dying Epic or Scarlet.

So the question is, how reliable is the Epic and Scarlet so far? i know it will get better over time, but how is it for now and the upcoming moths?

I would like to hear some experienced Epic-M owners, and what problems they were facing? :drool:

 

[Carey Lee Coffey]

You should always have a "plan B" on important shoots.

 

[Eric J Kosinski]

You should always have a "plan B" on important shoots.

Hey Carey, are you saying there are known issues with these cameras or basic common sense? Of course we all know a second cam or backup is important, but I'm curious if anyone has any specific feedback as well on "breakdown" or problems.

 

[Mike McEntire]

I have my 2 Epics on all my jobs for just that reason. Never had an issue with either of them but I do not want to be THAT GUY!
Expensive yes.
Peace of mind
Priceless

 

[Greg M]

Do we need a back up camera when shooting with the Epic or Scarlet? specially when you have a big shooting day, were you just cant risk to have a dying Epic or Scarlet.

No, been shooting with Epics for nearly a year now and have never needed a backup.

 

[Ryan De Franco]

The only time we've ever needed a backup Epic-M...

... was when the new-client DP said " do you have a backup body" and we said yes and he nodded.

Peace of mind in the form of 5 lbs of metal...

 

[Dan Kanes]

Scarlet is a great backup for an Epic.

Nothing should go Wrong with an Epic besides user Error at this stage. That's just MY opinion.

 

[Tim Whitcomb]

This one is easy. If they have the BUDGET> YES!!
If they don't, NO

 

[Shawn Nelson]

Depends, if the shoot day is such that you CANT afford to not have the camera go down then yes, have a backup. and me saying that has NOTHING to do with Epic or Red, you can have any camera and still have have someone drop-kick your tripod. Is this a baiting thread?

 

[Eric-taner]

so nobody had a dying Epic? what about overheating in hot conditions?

 

[C.H.Haskell]

You dont need a back up but shit happens, accidents happen, life happens, you never know and as a previous commenter said if you can afford it then I would for peace of mind, specially on a big budget feature. In the film days there were back up cameras so I dont see how anything changed. I will add EPIC is a rock solid platform in comparison to the R1, if you read this forum you will find many of us pushing epic to her limits (DINO) without a hitch. Best of luck.

 

[Greg M]

so nobody had a dying Epic? what about overheating in hot conditions?

Ive had 4 Epics shoot well over 100 days and not one dying Epic on location. Multiple features, including several 3D and dozens of commercial shoots.
No overheating either thru south Louisiana summer.

 

[Justin Marx]

Done about 20 shoots in the last 3 months and no issues.. BUT, if your budget is large the extra $1300-1500 a day for a backup body is a lot safer than having your crew sit around while you just played Russian roulette and found that one bullet..

This has nothing to do with the EPIC, even on film jobs with budgets that were decent we would have a backup body.. Consider it added insurance.. Also a lot of rental companies will give you a good deal if they know it's just a "backup body".. With EPIC being so new, that might be difficult though…

I live in south Florida as well.. Never shot a day under 80degrees, most 85+..

Also my EPIC just got back from NASCAR on a 4 EPIC shoot with no issues (except for some rubber and sand in and around the lens mount)

 

[Meryem Ersoz]

so nobody had a dying Epic? what about overheating in hot conditions?

most issues that occurred with early-ish EPIC-M cameras have already been resolved by firmware updates, so gathering those data points really has no bearing on your situation, if you don't already own this camera - it's not that nobody has ever had issues with an EPIC camera - it's just that there's really no point in going into it now. if you really are serious about looking into what those have been, just scroll back through old posts from early adopters - mine are clearly documented in my post history. all of that information is publicly available right here.

but early adopter issues are fixed, no looking backwards. my EPIC-M is currently very reliable. with playback recently enabled - it's a monster of a camera!

here's some friendly advice, though - if you can't afford a second body, make friends with other single-camera owners in your area, to back your body in crucial situations.

you'll make some good friends, that you can call upon for much more than just counting on a back-up body, and you will sleep well.

 

[Eric-taner]

thanks guys, sounds promising so far.

 

[Steve Marshall]

No problems with ours in nearly five months of shooting, even with the Alpha and Beta firmwares