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Lens data in R3D's - current status?

Chris Swinbanks

Chris Swinbanks

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Searching hasn't given me an answer... whats the current status of lens data being held & visible in R3D's? The Red One manual tells me its stored in the R3D's, but I can't see it.
Need to understand for an EPIC feature thats pending... but also looking at our Red One lens data (via Birger mount) which I can see on monitor but looking at the R3D in Redcine-X just shows me 0 information for Lens Height, Aperture, Focal Length, Focal Distance.

thanx
Chris
 
thanks guys... I'm wondering how long it is "forthcoming" for though.... it's been quite a while now, and the way the build 30 manual states it, it should be there now, but apparently not visible.

S4i_lens_data.jpg


Anyone from RED can advise ???
 
ah, thanks Erik... I'd forgotten about that thread and didn't find it with a search.. so it looks like we are still in limbo accessing the data? Doesn't make my VFX guys happy. Hope this doesn't continue for EPIC as well....
 
Chris,

If getting that data is really crucial you could playback the R3D files in camera and watch the data in the monitor and take quick notes with a good old fashined paper and pencil. Seems strange to have to do that since the data is obviously recorded and stored digitally right in the R3D files but for some reason RED is not making it available.

Or for even more ridiculousness: set up a little helmet-cam and record the data off the monitor. Bring that footage into your VFX software and sync up to the original footage and have your VFX guys enter the variable focus, iris, and zoom parameters by hand as they scrub the timeline, watching the your own home-made lens data stream.

Yes, I know how outlandish that idea is. :)
 
heh, heh... that'd work on a feature with multiple stereo epics..... as a vfx provider we want to access the data from the files, not screw with the crew on set ;-)
I just thought it would be available from the Ones by now... but it appears not. I've only seen a couple of Epic files and those had no lens data embedded in the R3D's.
So I've yet to see a file that shows the lens data in Metadata... :-(
 
Matt Fleming said:
Chris,

If getting that data is really crucial you could playback the R3D files in camera and watch the data in the monitor and take quick notes with a good old fashined paper and pencil. Seems strange to have to do that since the data is obviously recorded and stored digitally right in the R3D files but for some reason RED is not making it available.

Or for even more ridiculousness: set up a little helmet-cam and record the data off the monitor. Bring that footage into your VFX software and sync up to the original footage and have your VFX guys enter the variable focus, iris, and zoom parameters by hand as they scrub the timeline, watching the your own home-made lens data stream.

Yes, I know how outlandish that idea is. :)
Click to expand...

Its not that crazy, I still create EDLs with paper and pencil.. and I didn't actually think of doing that
 
Will it be possible to read in real time at least the focal length with Scarlet from a R3D ?
 
Matt Fleming said:
Even with the Cooke spec, the data is not readable. It's there, in the R3D file, but not readable anymore.
Click to expand...

There are two queries that the camera issues, N and K. The first is asked for once, and the answer from Birger includes "Birger" and the serial number, as shown in the previous thread. The second is in Cooke's packed binary format (not ASCII), and is asked for approximately 8 times per second, and in the R3D file once per frame. The serial number is contained in this response, which might make it easier to verify that you have found it. It has been a year or more since I looked, but when I last did, the frame headers were encrypted, but the lens data was not.
 
Official feedback (thanks John R) is that the lens data is NOT available from the metadata (though a little sketchy on saying whether it is actually in there) at this time, for either the 1's or Epics..... via any Red software
This is one of those niggling little things that could be useful but seems to have been lost in the mist... :rolleyes5:
 
Add me to the list of people who really want access to this in post (it's one of the reason's I shoot with Cooke lenses).
 
Chris Swinbanks said:
(though a little sketchy on saying whether it is actually in there)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the Update Chris, any official RED response to the topic is rare and cryptic. For what it's worth, there are posts on the forum direct from Deanan and other RED staff confirming without sketchiness that the lens data are FOR SURE recorded and embedded in the R3D files. You can confirm this yourself by shooting some footage with a lens equiped with the i/data pins and playing it back in camera: you'll see the lens data on the monitor.

As I understand it, there was a short time when the lens data was readable to those who were tech savy enough to extract it through a hex editor. RED has since made the data encrypted. As I mentioned, Rob (from RED) did say here on the forums that the lens data would be made available to us in the next major update to the RED SDK.

I know I'm probably in the minority on this but lens metadata is, for me, is not niggling or or little. I just really can't express how important it is to me and how bummed out I am that this hasn't been implemented yet.
 
Lens data is important to me too. I happen to own 10 Arri Ultra Prime LDS lenses and have not yet been able to take advantage of the data on my Red.

I have been bugging Jim and Jarred about getting Arri LDS implemented -- originally on the Red, then the Epic. I was told by both that it would be - first on Red, then Epic. Nothing has materialized. (of course, they've been a bit busy ;) To me it would seem logical to put the pins (and electronics of course) for both systems in the Titanium PL mount as a standard so anyone who wanted to access it could. Alexa supports LDS. Even the Sony F3 supports lens data from both Arri and Cooke. For anyone doing 3D, VFX or even wanting to see lens data displayed off the camera while pulling focus or setting up shots... it would be fantastic. As sophisticated as EPIC is, its seems a shame to not have that very practical and useful function enabled.

SO, add me to the list!

M
 
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