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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 :)

Epixa...

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  • #21
jamesbridges said:
Nice rig Evin, I have a question though. How are you handling the HDSDI output? Meaning, are you controling the video levels in your EPIC? Do you have a setting you like? I had my NanoFlash hooked up to my Scarlet and noticed that the highlights were clipping at around 90IRE.
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

James. I just did a test and clipping on the Prores file happens right about 98 IRE according to the FCP scope. If I set the histogram in the Bomb just below clipping the hi-light level comes in right about 92 IRE. That's pretty ideal for broadcast safe recording.
 
Thanks Evin,
I am still new to this. I think I must be over-exposing. I will try my NanoFlash again. I am used to shooting with my HDX900 and have the white level peak at about 108IRE.
Thanks for the test.
 
Three questions:
1) How is the PIX handling the SDI from the Epic in terms of pixel count & aspect ratio - black padding, re-scale inside the PIX, ???
2) If you record over crank material to the RedMag and play it back at the base frame rate can you record the "slo-mo" version out of the SDI spigot into the PIX? Can you get a completely "clean" feed by managing the video output setting for the SDI during playback?
3) Are you using the PIX as a TC generator for master clock for audio sync and/or multi-cam? Can you jam a iPad based "smart" slate from the PIX? BNC to 1/8" mini TRS?

Thanks for the notes on the IRE conversions for SDI output levels in relation to the histogram - were you feeding the histo RAW or the gamma encoded "monitor path" version? Have you had a chance to build looks in RCX-P and push them into the Epic as a way of more precisely controlling what comes out of the SDI spigot for situations where the PIX media will be used as hero media? (Note: I do not recommend this choice as you abdicate the power of the RAW, but for some projects it is the only route that suits the built in demands).

There, that ought to kill all that extra free time you have ol' buddy ,-)

Cheers - #19
 
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  • #24
Blair S. Paulsen said:
Three questions:
1) How is the PIX handling the SDI from the Epic in terms of pixel count & aspect ratio - black padding, re-scale inside the PIX, ???
2) If you record over crank material to the RedMag and play it back at the base frame rate can you record the "slo-mo" version out of the SDI spigot into the PIX? Can you get a completely "clean" feed by managing the video output setting for the SDI during playback?
3) Are you using the PIX as a TC generator for master clock for audio sync and/or multi-cam? Can you jam a iPad based "smart" slate from the PIX? BNC to 1/8" mini TRS?

Thanks for the notes on the IRE conversions for SDI output levels in relation to the histogram - were you feeding the histo RAW or the gamma encoded "monitor path" version? Have you had a chance to build looks in RCX-P and push them into the Epic as a way of more precisely controlling what comes out of the SDI spigot for situations where the PIX media will be used as hero media? (Note: I do not recommend this choice as you abdicate the power of the RAW, but for some projects it is the only route that suits the built in demands).

There, that ought to kill all that extra free time you have ol' buddy ,-)

Cheers - #19
Click to expand...

Well pixel count wise with the Epic set to 4K (not 4KHD) and the output set to clean you get a 1920 pixel wide image by about 1005 tall. It takes a 107% blow up in FCP to eliminate the slight native letterboxing and achieve a full raster 1080x1920. I don't suspect this would adversely affect a 1080P prores originated project.

I need to try the overcranking/playback but I suspect it will work fine.

The pix is set to take the TC, audio, filename and Rec. start/stop from the SDI flags, there is a very obvious setting in the unit marked "RED SDI".

The rest I'll need to test and pay with, but with a new build and gamma/color science on the horizon I'll probably not do any of the cstom look building just yet, Ol' buddy :ihih:
 
Very cool, Evin. What's your battery life been on the Pix 240?
 
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  • #27
Aaron McLane said:
That's awesome. We are working on a F65ic.
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I hope you have a good chiropractor. Honestly I don't understand Sony's direction with an 18" wide camera. At least the Alexa Studio has a spinning mirror to justify it's girth.
After shooting my latest film in White Sands NM and humping around the dunes for 4 days, including one sand storm, I can't image shooting with anything larger than an Epic.
It was such a joy.

Try this with an F65...
Epic_On_high.jpg
 
Evin Grant said:
Try this with an F65...
Click to expand...
Well, just to play devil's advocate, the F65 is smaller and lighter weight than the F35, and a lot of people used those (and still use those) for a lot of projects. I think in the real world, the battery, lens, rails, mount, viewfinder, and drive combined are going to weigh as much or more than the camera.
 
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Marc, with enought AC's and grips anything is possible, but I have a completely degenerated disk in my back at 35 yeas old. The difference between me shooting with a camera that weighs 25lbs completely kitted out and 35-40lbs is huge. It also means all the necessary support gear for the camera can scale down as well. At 25lbs & 15' the Epic was very stable and solid on the skywalker stand in that photo, for another shot I stripped the camera down to just a battery and 11-16mm Duclos/Tokina lens so I could shoot at full stick 25' in the air. The imge was rock solid but I could tell that was pretty much the limit before it would have started to sway. And it was pointed 60deg down...
Skywakin_epic.jpg
 
Evin Grant said:
I hope you have a good chiropractor. Honestly I don't understand Sony's direction with an 18" wide camera. At least the Alexa Studio has a spinning mirror to justify it's girth.
After shooting my latest film in White Sands NM and humping around the dunes for 4 days, including one sand storm, I can't image shooting with anything larger than an Epic.
It was such a joy.

Try this with an F65...
Epic_On_high.jpg
Click to expand...

Is this a CAMWAVE on the back of this monitor??, Running with the Epic??
 
Evin Grant said:
Marc, with enought AC's and grips anything is possible, but I have a completely degenerated disk in my back at 35 yeas old. The difference between me shooting with a camera that weighs 25lbs completely kitted out and 35-40lbs is huge. It also means all the necessary support gear for the camera can scale down as well. At 25lbs & 15' the Epic was very stable and solid on the skywalker stand in that photo, for another shot I stripped the camera down to just a battery and 11-16mm Duclos/Tokina lens so I could shoot at full stick 25' in the air. The imge was rock solid but I could tell that was pretty much the limit before it would have started to sway. And it was pointed 60deg down...
Skywakin_epic.jpg
Click to expand...



You too, I just had a complete L5 S 1 replacement, not fun. Take care of yourself man.
 
Evin Grant said:
James. I just did a test and clipping on the Prores file happens right about 98 IRE according to the FCP scope. If I set the histogram in the Bomb just below clipping the hi-light level comes in right about 92 IRE. That's pretty ideal for broadcast safe recording.
Click to expand...

Are you using Zebras in this setup ?
 
Evin Grant said:
Marc, with enought AC's and grips anything is possible, but I have a completely degenerated disk in my back at 35 yeas old. The difference between me shooting with a camera that weighs 25lbs completely kitted out and 35-40lbs is huge.
Click to expand...
I'm very sympathetic. An old friend of mine, a fellow colorist who worked with me on and off for more than 25 years, had to retire from the business (at around the age of 50) because of a couple of degenerated discs. He's in constant pain, and unable to lean over a console for 10-12 hours a day, as we did for several decades in post.

Still: I gotta say, many, many productions have used all kinds of cameras and somehow got them to work. Even a fully-configured Red camera can be pretty heavy, especially with a wireless audio hookup, Camwave, batteries, and so on. Be glad you're not using a 3-strip Technicolor camera. Heck, I ran a GE PE-350 camera for ABC on quite a few sports shoots in the 1970s, and I think the 50X lens alone for those weighed about 80 pounds. When you're young and foolish, you can make it work -- in the rain, in 120 degree sunlight, at 2 in the morning, and even with a small crew.

Sincere best wishes with your back. And take my friend's advice and get multiple opinions. I think the spine is at the outer frontier of medicine, in terms of what doctors really know.
 
That's a really great rig. How do you get around the lack of a full frame, 16 x 9 clean feed in the Epic camera? Do you have to deliver any footage to television networks for 16 x 9 broadcast? I tried recording to an on-board HD digital recorder which is very high quality and the almost 8 % post scaling to get a full frame 16 x 9 image rendered the footage not good in my opinion. Did you have the same result? Thanks for any light you can shed on that. The producers I work for are starting to not tolerate the transcoding time and cost. Just did a 16 day shoot and the transcoding cost is going to be in the tens of thousands. No wonder it's getting hard to compete with Alexa in my market.
 
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