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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 :)

autofocus on DSMC ?

D

doondoon

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Nikon's professional autofocus is totally amazing. I was shooting with a D700 the other night and the auto focus was blazing fast (even in extremely low light). When I reviewed the photos every single picture was sharp. Everything in focus. I couldn't believe it.

Is RED going to implement a system like this for the DSMC?
 
I think they'll have to if they want to mount any kind of serious attack on the dSLR market. Outside of studio shooting it's a total must-have, which means that for about 95% of the market you need to offer AF...
 
All specifications are subject to change, but if you go back and read the 12/3 announcement from RED, here on RED User, or on the red web site, you'll find that the mounts for Epic/Scarlet include "power and intelligent lens data interfaces", and all the new RED Electronic Lenses will include autofocus (AF) and image stabilization (except 15-25 zoom, which doesn't need IS being a wide angle lens). With smart mounts planned in RED, Canon, Nikon, PL, and AF and IS planned for the RED Electronic Lenses announced, I believe RED has clearly answered the question about if there is AF planned for the DSMC cameras - unless specs change, the answer is "yes".
 
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Steve Gibby said:
All specifications are subject to change, but if you go back and read the 12/3 announcement from RED, here on RED User, or on the red web site, you'll find that the mounts for Epic/Scarlet include "power and intelligent lens data interfaces", and all the new RED Electronic Lenses will include autofocus (AF) and image stabilization (except 15-25 zoom, which doesn't need IS being a wide angle lens). With smart mounts planned in RED, Canon, Nikon, PL, and AF and IS planned for the RED Electronic Lenses announced, I believe RED has clearly answered the question about if there is AF planned for the DSMC cameras - unless specs change, the answer is "yes".
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that's great to hear. Now it'll be interesting to see if they can compete with Nikons 51 point super fast autofocus that seems to see in the dark. I'll bet RED will pull it off.
 
doondoon said:
that's great to hear. Now it'll be interesting to see if they can compete with Nikons 51 point super fast autofocus that seems to see in the dark. I'll bet RED will pull it off.
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Even if they didn't, RED's a lot younger than Nikon...

So we should cut them some slack if they are short the 51 points :)
 
it would be cool if you could have a touch screen lcd.. and with a small stylus, you could highlight or point to the object you want to focus on, then at the hit of a button. it automatically will focus on that object.. whether its in the center of the frame or to the top left.
 
Zakaree Sandberg said:
it would be cool if you could have a touch screen lcd.. and with a small stylus, you could highlight or point to the object you want to focus on, then at the hit of a button. it automatically will focus on that object.. whether its in the center of the frame or to the top left.
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DUUUUDE!!

And put that on the RedMote! lol... it does have a little screen. :devil:
 
Awesome idea indeed Zakaree, why not to use the autofocus abilities to store several focus stops on the remote and be able to trigger them with configurable speed (+ ease-in and ease-out curves). Man that would boost the independent film market like hell :devil:

Oh man I'm falling in love with this idea... :love:
 
It won't happen... not yet anyway... and it would be next to impossible to device a way to give it the style of manual focus pulling... and what happens when the object moves. Still fun to dream.

Though a two handed deal could work with one hand selecting the spot in the frame and the other working a FF type knob.

lol :)
 
Man! Zakaree, am I glad someone else is talking about this. I've brought it up a few times in the past and been flamed for it.

Roberto, I would suggest that moving subjects (within reason) would be the very place to use this. Actors could miss marks and still be sharp. And I could even see this in the hands of the director on set, timing their own focus pulls to suit their storytelling - although you might want the option of overriding them to get the job done:sarcasm:

As for the timing of the actual move, some sort of rotoscoping app with the option of bezier curves on the in and out points would work a treat.

I know stills cameras sometimes hunt but I think that if a slightly slower reaction time could be built in than the all-out speed necessary in stills many of the problems would be eliminated. This idea has my vote!
 
bettsy said:
And I could even see this in the hands of the director on set, timing their own focus pulls to suit their storytelling - although you might want the option of overriding them to get the job done:sarcasm:!
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Ouch :)

If I could I would do EVERYTHING... so I stick to keeping my hands in my pockets when they are not holding a piece of paper or a coffee cup.
 
ok guys.. hows this one.. this is sci-fi shit, but it would work...

the actors have a little pin that attaches to their clothes or whatever.. hidden of course..

actor 1 has a blue pin.. actor 2 has a red pin..

on your screen (since your only using two pins in this example) you have the option of selecting blue or red..

where ever the actor is in the screen with the red pin.. the camera would automatically find him in a nano second and shift focus to him. (radio frequency.. blue tooth.. i dont know) and so on.. have as many pins as you want..

trademark by me*
 
Zakaree Sandberg said:
ok guys.. hows this one.. this is sci-fi shit, but it would work...
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hahaha that was awesome! lol

I like it, but I would still want a FF knob... you select your target, then you can physically pull from where you are to them.

And it would be a little while till there were good ACs that were used to them.

Changing the way we focus is one of those things... you know... those things that you just don't want to mess unless you absolutely have to.
 
I could have sworn someone sold an ultrasonic Follow Focus unit... maybe not. Maybe it was just in the red idea thread.

I would love to have a little panel with a dial and 3 buttons. Create a curve on the computer with timing. Upload it to the little box. Have the dial choose the "next" position which is the actor's current position. Then choose one of my preset transitions using the buttons.

Big problem though with any of these systems. If the pin is in their front pocket and they bend over. Suddenly you're focusing on their chest (assuming the system even works perfectly).

I've found that even with a complete 3D Reconstruction of a scene on the computer I still usually hand animate my focus.
 
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