Keep a level horizon when shooting handheld

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

Hey all, when shooting with a shoulder rig on an EPIC or Dragon, what do you all do to keep the horizon level? Especially if shooting on a telephoto lens?

Are there tools in the camera that can be turned on and kept on during record to help manage the horizon?

Thanks,
Nikhil

 

[Shaeden Gallegos]

You can turn on "Horizon" in the 'Tools' section. You do have to calibrate the camera first like so:

http://docs.red.com/955-0170/DSMC2M...ntenance/Calibrate/Gyro.htm?Highlight=horizon

 

[Björn Benckert]

There is a on screen water mark that can be calibrated and turned on in the histogram menu so you get it as a screen overlay.
But it only give you guidance it does not auto stabilize the image or any such thing.

Todays tech would totally be able to provide meta data from camera to the r3d so we could choose to stabilize in camera. Can not for the life of me understand why a company like red does not implement such feature. To me thats quite far above titanium mobile phones and other such things on the wishlist.

 

[Nick Gardner]

One thing to do to help, is make sure you set up your hand held rig so it naturally wants to sit level. If the eye piece is at some goofy angle and you are all gangled up trying to shoot, it will be much harder to keep a solid horizon (harder to pay attention to operating too). Put the camera on your shoulder, look forward dead level. Have your AC help adjust the various things, EVF bracket, whatever shoulder pad you are using, handles, etc to come to where your body naturally is. Don't contort your body to get to where the bits are.

Nick

 

[Nikhil Kamkolkar]

Thanks folks. One thing I'm dealing with is my shoulder is small and slopes quite a bit and I feel like I need some gel like thing to lay under the shoulder pad. Even the Letus pad only rests on the edge when I try to keep the camera level. It's almost like there should have been a pivot to angle the pad even more than it is. Ofcourse, flat pads stand no change compared to the Letus pad which has an inbuilt slope.

I'm going to look at that gyro calibration now. Never used it before. Thanks!

 

[Mark Spraker]

It helps if your shoulder pad is sloped to match the angle of your shoulder. It doesn't take much, maybe a 2-3 cm difference from one side to the other. I did this with a much smaller camera and it made a huge difference.