I can afford the RED, but should I?

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Sell the HVX, it will only hold you back at this point.

The EX3 is a good option, as Tom points out.

Given your described shooting situation, I think your planned RED kit doesn't fit. You're going to go off into the wild for two weeks at a time and only carry two batteries and one charger? Only 4 CF cards? What LCD are you going to blow $3000 on? The 5.6" RED LCD is only $1750. Why the Birger mount with those Nikon mount lenses?

I could pick it apart a bit more, but I guess I'd really need to know more about your specific shooting needs. In most situations, you will want to add more to that base production pack unless you're just goofing around. Is the base production pack the right choice? You don't need the cradle if you are not using the drives, but you'll probably want an additional top-mount and a couple universal mounts.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

4 batteries is the minimum with this camera. They don't have to be Red batteries. There are other decent options for a little less money, but the Red batteries have some advantages, like being able to tell you how much is remaining in the display screen.

Is EX-3 4:2:2 or is it the same as EX-1?

 

[Sean]

How are 35mm adapters (like the Redrock M2) faring with the EX3? I remember reading that people had some problems getting adapters to work effectively on the EX1.

If you're gonna shoot non-Red (HVX or EX3), I would never shoot drama without an adapter. You want the shallow depth of field no matter which way you go.

 

[Kyle Mallory]

Tom is right. EX3 and $20k for production. Kilgroe is right as well, there are problems with your RED package that you'll need to address if the 30k is a hard limit.

Also I could be mistaken, but I believe the $17,500 trade-in value toward the EPIC is only good to the original owner. Don't count on that in your resale value of the RED ONE. If anything, keep the R1, upgrade to Epic, and then sell that.

Ditch the HVX. It is holding you back.

Ultimately, my suggestion... If you are 100% confident in your ability to make pretty pictures with something like the EX3/HVX, then do it, and save the money for your production. You've made all of your own arguments-- The camera doesn't sell a movie... It helps, but it doesn't sell it. Bad production quality can keep a movie from being sold.

 

[Stelios Koukouvitakis]

There have been made good films with the DVX/HVX that entered the festival circuit and got critical acclaim.

Just recently a Greek from Columbia shot a feature in real time called PVC-1 using an HVX on steadycam. He didn't even shot it on HD, he preffered to use the DVCpro50 mode because he needed the 80min casette time.
His film made it to Cannes Film Festival (among others), won several awards and got distribution with IFC Films.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1031951/

http://www.pvc-1themovie.com/

So as you already know, the camera choice, the format etc have to serve the story. Other popular films such as Blair Witch Project, Open Ocean used cheap cinematography because it served the story and became Box office hits.
In other cases, such as 28 days later and with a couple million budget, even MiniDV can look very cinematic.

So in your case I wouldn't buy the Red. Even renting the Red seems an overkill since proper post production is very expensive. If you end up using it as a 1080p camera why not rent such one from the first place?

Discuss it with your cinematographer. Rent something that will ensure both very good image and good ergonomics that he is familiar with. I urge you to hire the best cinematographer you can afford. Maybe he suggests a camera or he has his own equipment.

If you want a small factor camera Sony EX-3 maybe is the best choice.
If you can rent a full body camera, take a look at the PDW700.

I really like the Red One but I know I won't end up with "the Knowing" picture quality. For me it makes sense for film productions with budgets from $500,000 and up. Only then you can take advantage its 4K glory from start to finish.

Of course, if you're shopping for a camera to rent in the future, shoot commercials and corporate etc then it's a different story. With Red you would make a future business investment but you won't make a better film.

Good luck!

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Also I could be mistaken, but I believe the $17,500 trade-in value toward the EPIC is only good to the original owner. Don't count on that in your resale value of the RED ONE. If anything, keep the R1, upgrade to Epic, and then sell that.

Nope. The trade-in is valid on any RED One, whether you're the original owner or not. I believe the camera must be returned in working, or at least serviceable, condition with the RED PL or Nikon mount in place.

 

[Mark B.]

Nope. The trade-in is valid on any RED One, whether you're the original owner or not. I believe the camera must be returned in working, or at least serviceable, condition with the RED PL or Nikon mount in place.

That's really good to hear. I think it improves the value of the camera for everyone.

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Need to revise (or add to) my above statement... It seems that if you install the IMS mount, therefore completely removing the RED base mounting structure, you void your warranty and the ability to upgrade to EPIC.

 

[Jason Ing]

Need to revise (or add to) my above statement... It seems that if you install the IMS mount, therefore completely removing the RED base mounting structure, you void your warranty and the ability to upgrade to EPIC.

This voiding of warranty and upgrade disqualification doesn't apply to the Birger mount, correct?

 

[Jeff Kilgroe]

Correct, Jason.

The Birger mount leaves the RED warranty intact, so Birger customers are good to go.

Nope.. Birger mount originally had issues, but we worked with Eric and the Birger mount now is approved by RED. You obviously will need to send the camera back though with the RED PL mount attached, for both the Audio board upgrade plan and the Trade in Program.

 

[Jason Ing]

Thanks Jeff. Just wanted to be sure.