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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 :)

Dragon impressions

My guess is that Phils assumption that the compression will handle different scenarios differently, is a good one...

But to me, it looks like we should not base our compression-handling too much on the knowledge and patterns we have seen on the R1 M/MX and Epic.
Noise floor is probably part of it, but better algorithms, more powerful hardware looks to me to be part of the answer, too.
The new redcode seems to handle sustained complexity and nuances a lot better.

It is time to throw out old knowledge and do new tests to find the limits of the new camera.
 
Gunleik Groven said:
My guess is that Phils assumption that the compression will handle different scenarios differently, is a good one...

But to me, it looks like we should not base our compression-handling too much on the knowledge and patterns we have seen on the R1 M/MX and Epic.
Noise floor is probably part of it, but better algorithms, more powerful hardware looks to me to be part of the answer, too.
The new redcode seems to handle sustained complexity and nuances a lot better.

It is time to throw out old knowledge and do new tests to find the limits of the new camera.
Click to expand...

Absolutely right. Treat this as a whole new camera because it really is. The form factor, UIX, and all of the core knowledge remains the same (huge savings and investment right there), but how you approach this sensor needs to be updated.
 
Robert Ruffo New said:
I can't post anything from the shoot, least of all camera errors, but there were strange effects in the bokeh, which appeared during racks close to the near end of the lens. FXPHD noticed the same issues. You can Google the problem with those key words. Interaction with polarization filters also yielded some funky effects. I must say I am not a fan. I wish the thing existed in a filter version.
Click to expand...

Since the motion mount is also a polariser, it will interact with pola filters. Phil Holland has written about using 1/4 wave retarders for use in front of the motion mount.
 
Here's a quick grade I did. ISO 5000.

2weyywi.jpg


After playing around with this clip there's no question in my mind that Dragon lives up to the hype.
 
https://vimeo.com/81169385

Played around with a couple looks.

"Please excuse the H264 banding, it is not an issue in the Prores version.
No noise reduction was used in the examples. First two clips processed at 320ISO and the last two at 800ISO. The RAW file has no clipping on the skin of the twirler, any clipping is caused by the color or compression."
 
I have Motion Mounts for each of my Epics...but with the bigger sensor area are people still using 4x5.6 matte boxes or moving up to 6x6 when additional filtration is required? My big concern is more about the wide end of the lens.
 
Jeremy Torrie said:
I have Motion Mounts for each of my Epics...but with the bigger sensor area are people still using 4x5.6 matte boxes or moving up to 6x6 when additional filtration is required? My big concern is more about the wide end of the lens.
Click to expand...

It will literally depend on what lenses you use as the design comes into play a bit, but for instance my Schneider Cine-Xenar III just cover 6K WS with an OConnor O-Box WM with filters in the trays. You'll have to pay close attention on the wide end of most 4x5.65 matte boxes for sure. 25mm and up on several prime sets seemed pretty happy.

Remember though, most peoples shooting logic at 6K is going to slightly change due to the increased FOV due to the larger 6K sensor size. For example, if you use an 18mm on S35 for a certain look you may find that you may want to shoot a 25mm at 6K for a similar-ish look. Just depends on what you're after. 14/15mm is extremely wide on Dragon 6K and people who like shooting with Ultra-Wides are going to love that.

The biggest thing to me is if you're one of the guys who feels a standard focal length range for narrative and general shooting is 18-100mm you may find on Dragon that 25-135mm is going to play more into the standard shooting logic used somewhat industry-wide. That's not to say 18mm or wider is a bunk length or anything, it's just wide and I like it :) You just likely won't be shooting your beauty close ups with one.

Some people shoot longer, some wider. There's no real right answer when it comes to lenses.

One thing I do think will happen, is you'll see people attracted to the 40mm focal length on Dragon if you are shooting 6K FF.
 
Thanks Phil. As more Dragons get out in the wild we will really begin to answer a lot of these questions better as people begin to frame in the various 6K flavors and let us know lenses they're using.

The evolution of Red keeps getting better and better. Dragon combined with Mini Mags with lower compression ratios, Motion Mounts now in circulation (i have two), and hopefully a redesigned Meizler would be the most complete camera system out there. Not for the faint of heart when you add up all the costs but if filmmaking is your business (as it is mine) good times are expected for 2014.
 
Hello Rob,
Your work is very nice. I love it.
Is it possible to know how you connect your 4K Extreme Decklink Card to Dreamcolor for to have the 10bit color in 4:4:4 ?
And how you calibrate your screen ?
Thank you.
Nicolas
 
Nicolas Guillou said:
Hello Rob,
Your work is very nice. I love it.
Is it possible to know how you connect your 4K Extreme Decklink Card to Dreamcolor for to have the 10bit color in 4:4:4 ?
And how you calibrate your screen ?
Thank you.
Nicolas
Click to expand...
Thank you Nicolas.

AJA T-TAP. Calibrating with DC tools.
 
Really great images... As far as 6K and lens coverage goes I am shooting this feature here in Atlanta at 5.5K with cooke S4's. No vignetting. I did do one Dolly/Zoom shot and rented an old Cooke 20-100 and shot at 5K because of the image circle .....

It's all good...
 
thank you Rob,
YOu have no problem with AJA T-TAP for hdmi is in 4:2:2 and not 4:4:4 ?
 
Nicolas Guillou said:
thank you Rob,
YOu have no problem with AJA T-TAP for hdmi is in 4:2:2 and not 4:4:4 ?
Click to expand...
Not at all. T-Tap is a great little device. When we need 444 we use its big brother (the ioxt) and switch on the MBP. More than anything, that stop has become a checksum. And when we're onset doing fast grades as part of our DIT package, we have the ioxt and a few other solutions with us.
 
Rob,

I was looking for what version of OS X you are running. Mavericks, or can you run earlier version with the RRX Card? Lion or Mountain Lion?
 
Will Keir said:
Rob,

I was looking for what version of OS X you are running. Mavericks, or can you run earlier version with the RRX Card? Lion or Mountain Lion?
Click to expand...
Good question but I do not know, sorry. I upgraded to Mavericks for Titan support and haven't looked back. RRX confirmed working across multiple (2011-2012) Mac Pro's as-well-as on our custom Maingear PC rigs.

RRX is a beautiful thing...
 
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