Equipment advice

[Christoffer Glans]

I'm trying to be economical and get the best possible gear without ruining my life financially. I need some advice which might also help others.

1. Batteries
Are Redvolt XL any good? Are their operating time comparable to Bricks/V-lock?
If I have 1 redvolt in the side handle, will I be able to change the main battery while still running the camera (hot swap)?
Is the quickplate module compatible with third party batteries and are third party v-locks preferable over red bricks (include price point not just performance while comparing)?

2. Display
Is the battle tested RED PRO LCD 7" preferable together with using RED LINK instead of a touch screen?
How hard is the 5" touch screen when shooting without a 1st AC (pulling focus)

3. RED LINK
Is the REDLINK DEVELOPMENT KIT module needed to be able to control the camera through ad-hoc/wifi with Iphone/Ipad
Is it possible to do focus pulling with an Ipad together with Canon EF lenses and how much latency are we talking about?

4. Baseplate / Rods / Follow Focus
Which baseplate is essential for work with most tripods hand held rigs?
Which third party follow focus for EF lenses is the best?

5. Lens mount
Is the AL canon lens mount weather sealed.
What is the difference between the AL and TI canon mount except built quality?
Are both able to handle internal electronics of Canon EF lenses?

6. Modules
Essential modules?
Do I need the adaptor module to use the QUICKPLATE?

7. Handheld
Is the DSMC BASE PRODUCTION PACK any good? Is it worth it's price or are there better third party gear?

8. Tripod
Is there any good tripods with removable heads that doesn't cost a fortune but works with the Epic and is stable (meaning, just plain awesome

9. Rain cover
The best rain cover avalible? Something that makes it almost sealed, while still not overheating the camera (blocking to much of the fans).

 

[Chris McKechnie]

I'm trying to be economical and get the best possible gear without ruining my life financially. I need some advice which might also help others.

1. Batteries
Are Redvolt XL any good? Are their operating time comparable to Bricks/V-lock?
If I have 1 redvolt in the side handle, will I be able to change the main battery while still running the camera (hot swap)?
Is the quickplate module compatible with third party batteries and are third party v-locks preferable over red bricks (include price point not just performance while comparing)?

2. Display
Is the battle tested RED PRO LCD 7" preferable together with using RED LINK instead of a touch screen?
How hard is the 5" touch screen when shooting without a 1st AC (pulling focus)

3. RED LINK
Is the REDLINK DEVELOPMENT KIT module needed to be able to control the camera through ad-hoc/wifi with Iphone/Ipad
Is it possible to do focus pulling with an Ipad together with Canon EF lenses and how much latency are we talking about?

4. Baseplate / Rods / Follow Focus
Which baseplate is essential for work with most tripods hand held rigs?
Which third party follow focus for EF lenses is the best?

5. Lens mount
Is the AL canon lens mount weather sealed.
What is the difference between the AL and TI canon mount except built quality?
Are both able to handle internal electronics of Canon EF lenses?

6. Modules
Essential modules?
Do I need the adaptor module to use the QUICKPLATE?

7. Handheld
Is the DSMC BASE PRODUCTION PACK any good? Is it worth it's price or are there better third party gear?

8. Tripod
Is there any good tripods with removable heads that doesn't cost a fortune but works with the Epic and is stable (meaning, just plain awesome

9. Rain cover
The best rain cover avalible? Something that makes it almost sealed, while still not overheating the camera (blocking to much of the fans).

Here goes my opinions on each of these.

1.) Personally, I would stick to V-Mount/AB batteries. Much longer run-times than a REDVOLT, even the XL version. With how quickly these cameras turn on, it's not as big of an issue having to power down quickly, to swap batteries. REDVOLTs degrade quickly in comparison. You can travel with up to (3) 160wh batteries, or as many as you want below 95wh. 95wh batteries are significantly lighter than their bigger brothers, but will still power the camera for 1-1.5 hours. I used to use GlobalMediaPro batteries, cheap and incredibly reliable. I no longer use them because those are too big to put on a MoVI. hehe

2.) The RED 5" Touch is a nightmare to pull accurate 4K focus off of. You're gonna want something with a higher resolution screen. SmallHD DP7 Pro OLED is a mighty fine screen with accurate color reproduction, a host of features, etc. A couple of companies, like iKan, are coming out with 5" 1080 monitors. I'd look into one of those too.

3.) To my knowledge, the REDLINK will NOT provide a live stream when recording. You're better off with a paralinx wireless system going to a SmallHD monitor for AC focus pulling. Though, you would also need a wireless follow focus setup. I use RedRock Micro's Micro-Remote. LOVE IT.

4.) For baseplates, there are thousands on the market. I personally use Kessler Crane's Kwik Release system. Relatively cheap, and incredibly strong. In regards to EF lenses and which follow focus to use, personally, EF lenses have such a short focus throw, you're better off saving your money and spending it elsewhere and just pulling focus off the barrel. Now with a wireless follow focus, you're able to remap the focus range, so you can have full focus rotation like cinema lenses.

5.) I have used both the AL and TI mounts. Personally, I love the AL. It is quite a bit lighter and plenty strong enough to support lenses in the 200-possibly 300mm range. Anything longer than that and you're going to want to add a lens support.

6.) Too many variables to talk about for which modules will benefit you the most.

7.) For handheld work, there are a few ways to look at it. I do a lot of gimbal/MoVI work now, which is something you may want to look into. Some are pretty inexpensive, and offer quite a bit of flexibility. I also use a Manfrotto Monopod for long lens stuff, think over 100mm, since it adds stability. This is where the side handle is essential as it allows you to properly hold the camera. My camera ALWAYS is equipped with the SH.

8.) The Manfrotto 509HD is a great, cost effective head, providing enough support for a fully rigged Epic.

9.) I use trash bags. hehe

 

[Christoffer Glans]

Here goes my opinions on each of these.

1.) Personally, I would stick to V-Mount/AB batteries. Much longer run-times than a REDVOLT, even the XL version. With how quickly these cameras turn on, it's not as big of an issue having to power down quickly, to swap batteries. REDVOLTs degrade quickly in comparison. You can travel with up to (3) 160wh batteries, or as many as you want below 95wh. 95wh batteries are significantly lighter than their bigger brothers, but will still power the camera for 1-1.5 hours. I used to use GlobalMediaPro batteries, cheap and incredibly reliable. I no longer use them because those are too big to put on a MoVI. hehe

2.) The RED 5" Touch is a nightmare to pull accurate 4K focus off of. You're gonna want something with a higher resolution screen. SmallHD DP7 Pro OLED is a mighty fine screen with accurate color reproduction, a host of features, etc. A couple of companies, like iKan, are coming out with 5" 1080 monitors. I'd look into one of those too.

3.) To my knowledge, the REDLINK will NOT provide a live stream when recording. You're better off with a paralinx wireless system going to a SmallHD monitor for AC focus pulling. Though, you would also need a wireless follow focus setup. I use RedRock Micro's Micro-Remote. LOVE IT.

4.) For baseplates, there are thousands on the market. I personally use Kessler Crane's Kwik Release system. Relatively cheap, and incredibly strong. In regards to EF lenses and which follow focus to use, personally, EF lenses have such a short focus throw, you're better off saving your money and spending it elsewhere and just pulling focus off the barrel. Now with a wireless follow focus, you're able to remap the focus range, so you can have full focus rotation like cinema lenses.

5.) I have used both the AL and TI mounts. Personally, I love the AL. It is quite a bit lighter and plenty strong enough to support lenses in the 200-possibly 300mm range. Anything longer than that and you're going to want to add a lens support.

6.) Too many variables to talk about for which modules will benefit you the most.

7.) For handheld work, there are a few ways to look at it. I do a lot of gimbal/MoVI work now, which is something you may want to look into. Some are pretty inexpensive, and offer quite a bit of flexibility. I also use a Manfrotto Monopod for long lens stuff, think over 100mm, since it adds stability. This is where the side handle is essential as it allows you to properly hold the camera. My camera ALWAYS is equipped with the SH.

8.) The Manfrotto 509HD is a great, cost effective head, providing enough support for a fully rigged Epic.

9.) I use trash bags. hehe

1. How about BlueShape?

2. So, isn't the Battle Tested 7" a better and more economical choice than the SmallHD DP7 Pro OLED? How do I set-up the camera while shooting?

3. What can you do with Redlink control? Are there any good follow focus systems for Canon still lenses? Something where you can calibrate maximum and minimum focus before using?

4. If I'm going with red equipment, which baseplate should I choose? Or should I use the handheld package from Red (I think a baseplate is included in that)?
As for focus, I need to be able to work with a 1st AD and it's not practical to go with just using the ring on the lens, not in normal shooting conditions. Aren't there any special FF rigs for EF lenses that translate it better?

7. I mean handheld as in handheld, MOVI is stabilizing it like a steady cam, which is nice, but sometimes you want handheld. How is the Red Clutch at this? It looks like it's balanced correctly.

8. Thanks, I'm gonna look into that.