Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • 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 :)

Known EPIC issues/faults

J

JamesM

Member
Joined
May 3, 2010
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
Points
0
This is linked to my previous thread, in that I am working on my first EPIC project this coming weekend and wish to be as prepared as possible. I always try to find out ahead of a project what, if any, common issues people have had with the camera whether it be RED, Arri, Panavision or so forth just so that I know how to deal with them if they arise.

I know that the RED support line is very open and helpful when it comes to sorting these issues out but I think knowing about them in advance is also very handy.

If people could list anything I might run into, from software bugs, to hardware failure, or even certain incompatiability you've had with accessories and so forth that would be super useful.

I have tried to find a similar thread but have not been successful.
 
Major Epic Faults:

1. I don't have one
 
Haha, well I'm glad, that will make my job much easier!

I wasn't expecting major faults anyway - I was thinking more of little annoyances or infrequent hiccups that can be frustrating when you're shooting. For example; I've used the RED ONE quite a few times and multiple times I've experienced the whole menu system freezing (on various different cameras) which requires a restart which, with the 1min 30 start-up time was very annoying!
 
That's the beauty of the Epics. If there's a bug or freeze, just reboot. 10 seconds and you're good to go again.

Just make sure you're at the latest build on the cameras and I'm sure you'll be fine.
 
James I have been shooting mine for the last few months almost nonstop. On the current build I have not noticed any major faults at all. Plus if there is a freeze up it only takes 10 seconds or less to reboot. I think you are in for smooth sailing.
 
If you are able to find any process or avenue of life that has no annoyances, please send me an email right away. I could use it. Usually we balance these against the gains.
 
A few things to my knowledge

A few things to my knowledge

Also don't have mine yet. Pretty psyched for it.

These are not necessarily faults, but these are some gotchas I've read about or experienced on set. As I understand it, the major things are these:

- Playback from camera not enabled yet

- SDI output is P only. We had a village guy who brought gear that was not yet capable of receiving this. So make sure your monitoring chain is setup accordingly

- I've read about some flaring issues on the inner flange of the mount. Seems to be taken care of by putting flocking or something light absorptive in there. There is a thread about this with some fixes.

- Also, not a fault at all, but something I ran into. With the camera able to shoot overcranked at full res be prepared for a lot of data. I got a bit backed up on my first day DITing on a commercial where the DP was shooting everything at 90fps. Almost 4x the data for the same amount of shooting time.

Not comprehensive, but off the top of my head...
 
Thanks Dave, thats the kind of info I was looking for, just things to be aware of. I know the benefits of the EPIC but there is no reason not to be be better prepared for whatever minor defects if may have. A few more that I have read about on-line if anyone is interested:

- 'the touch screen. It can be slow to react sometimes...'

- 'The HDR function switched itself off on me a couple times and I still do not have a reasonable explanation.'

- 'At the moment you can either use either the LCD which also controls the camera or the evf but not both and you have to power cycle the camera to switch between them.'
 
I had the touch screen freeze yesterday, rather than a reboot I just unplugged & re plugged. It's pretty stable, things change slightly build to build but nothing major. I would do a black calibration on any rental camera.
 
Just to add some minor things:

Stock RED battery plate + 2b-1b cable + RED bricks, for me will not produce a voltage readout, never has.. Many people have this same issue.. This is big because unless you press the button on the battery frequently, the camera will just shut itself off when the battery dies, no warning.. I know Deanan and the RED team are working in this, but be aware..

Not a fault, but just more info/temporary issues to keep in mind:
RED Bomb EVF and RED touchscreen can not operate at the same time (yet) but you can unplug and plug while camera is powered up..

A Lift, gamma, and gain you set in Red Cine X can not be saved to camera (yet)

You can not make toast with it (yet) but I'm sure that module will be coming soon..

Like with any camera, whether brand new or 20 years old, test it before you get on set, or hire someone who has..
 
If you need audio, check that you have the right cables (minijack.)

Only one sdi out. You have to be a bit a'cautioas as to what you put last and first in the chain, as some devices strip the signal (if you want audio, TC start/stop and such to float down the cable)

No 1080 psf. No 720 p50 (yet)

Sounds small, but make sure your other equipment is compatible.

Make sure that the renter have all the neccessary cables + 1 each of TC, LCD, audio

Enjoy the cam and make great images! (Not really a bug, just easy to forget)
 
Justin Marx said:
Just to add some minor things:

Stock RED battery plate + 2b-1b cable + RED bricks, for me will not produce a voltage readout, never has.. Many people have this same issue.. This is big because unless you press the button on the battery frequently, the camera will just shut itself off when the battery dies, no warning.. I know Deanan and the RED team are working in this, but be aware..
.
Click to expand...

I had voltage readouts until last firmware upgrade, sure it will come back!
 
1) Be sure to do a black shading when switching frame rates
2) High frame rate footage likes a LOT of light

Otherwise, the thing is a workhorse. We've been shooting 14 hour days, no dropped frames, no problems!
 
Anyone had a glitch that stopped a take, or are most of the glitches start up/standing by related? The R1 used to stop recording if there were Codec Faults/Audio Error etc.

My next live shoot will be the first with Epics and I haven't heard a lot about issues with shooting long takes.

Mine arrives tomorrow so will start some comprehensive tests.

The good thing is a 12 second startup is a get out of jail free card. When the R1 used to stop during a take (hasn't happened for two years but in the early days was an issue) it would kill 2 minutes + from that angle, which caused problems back then.

If anyone has any stories or advice about 70 minute takes on the Epic, would love to hear it!
 
Hmm, never done one that long.. Honestly don't think I would risk it.. I'd cut when possible, give the fan at least a few seconds to let the little baby breath.. You would be quite sad if there was an issue with a 70 min take.. Good question though..

Also if sound is not an issue, I'd have that baby cranking while rolling!
 
Straight out of the box...

Straight out of the box...

Hmmm,

Good thread idea.
No gotcha's to report at all my end though.

Been shooting the EPIC-X out of the box since Sept.
The first day felt, looked and worked as if the darn thing had been beamed in from the future.
And a very distant one at that :-)


My RED adventure began with build number 12? on Gibby's #8 R1 in Aug '07.
Required a few tweaks to adapt the early builds to our applications.
Such as our re-useable underwater cooling system that also made a great snack after shooting several hours.

I will POST any challenges I encounter in the field as well as solutions as EPIC-X begins to travel with me around the planet underwater and in the air.

We'll see...
 

Attachments

  • R1_CoolingSystem.jpg
    R1_CoolingSystem.jpg
    44 KB · Views: 0
  • Pre-flight.jpg
    Pre-flight.jpg
    48.8 KB · Views: 0
  • Side-mount07.jpg
    Side-mount07.jpg
    62.9 KB · Views: 0
  • R13D.jpg
    R13D.jpg
    54.7 KB · Views: 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top